cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Density functional investigation of mercury and arsenic adsorption on nitrogen doped graphene decorated with palladium clusters: A promising heavy metal sensing material in farmland

Abstract Density functional theory calculations are carried out to study the adsorption of mercury and arsenic on Pd n (n = 1–6) supported on pyridine-like nitrogen doped graphene (PNG). Owing to the promising sensitivity in trace amounts of atoms or molecules, PNG can be acted as micro-sensor for sensing heavy metals in agriculture soils. Through the analyses of structural and electronic properties of pristine PNG and Pd atom decorated PNG, we find that the most favorable adsorption site for Pd atom is the vacancy site. The analyses of structural and electronic properties reveal that the Pd atom or clusters can enhance the reactivity for Hg and AsH 3 adsorption on PNG. The adsorption ability of Hg on Pd n decorated PNG is found to be related to the d-band center (e d ) of the Pd n , in which the closer e d of Pd n to the Fermi level, the higher adsorption strength for Hg on Pd n decorated PNG. Moreover, the charge transfer between Pd n and arsenic may constitute arsenic adsorption on Pd n decorated PNG. Further design of highly efficient carbon based sorbents for heavy metals removal should be focused on tailoring e d of adsorbed metals.
Emoticon and Text Production in First and Second Languages in Informal Text Communication

Most of the recent research on online text communication has been conducted in social contexts with diverse groups of users. Here we examine a stable group of adult scientists as they chat about their work. Some scientists communicated in their first language (L1) and others communicated either in their L1 or in a second (L2) language. We analyze the production in English of emoticons and of lines of text and compare measures in L1 and L2 speakers. L1 and L2 speakers differed significantly along multiple measures. English L1 speakers used more lines of text per message. English L2 (French L1) speakers used more emoticons per message. Patterns suggest compensatory emoticon/text productivity. In future analyses we will undertake a more fine-grained analysis of how emoticon use varies across social and linguistic settings. Computer-mediated communication is often viewed as impoverished, but even our initial research provides hints that users repurpose the technology according to social dynamics previously associated only with face-to-face communication.
Determining the Readiness of Automated Driving Systems for Public Operation: Development of Behavioral Competency Requirements

Automated driving systems (ADSs) present several challenges to the existing regulatory framework for road vehicles at both the national and the state level. NHTSA has been primarily responsible for automotive safety, and states have been responsible for the regulations that govern vehicle registration and the training, evaluation, and licensing of drivers. Regulatory development has been further complicated by NHTSA’s deciding to proceed cautiously and deliberatively, and several state legislatures have pushed for the rapid adoption of state regulations in advance of federal regulations. One of the key challenges in this process has been balancing the need to protect public safety without federal or industry standards, while still encouraging an innovation in technology that could ultimately lead to large improvements in transportation safety, efficiency, and convenience. This paper provides an update on the progress and ongoing challenges in developing regulations for the deployment of ADSs to the public...
Special Section on Celebrity Humanitarianism: Celebrity Humanitarianism--The Ideology of Global Charity

My book, Celebrity Humanitarianism: The Ideology of Global Charity , focuses on three contemporary types of celebrity humanitarianisms: the global charity work of entertainment stars such as Bono, Geldof, Jolie, and Madonna; the corporate philanthropy of billionaires (Gates, Soros) and big business ; and the humanitarian work of ‘spectacular’ NGOs (Save Darfur, Medecins Sans Frontieres), which not only pursue celebrity endorsements for their programs, but are increasingly able to achieve celebrity status themselves to boost fundraising and reach. I attempt an ideology critique of all three types, showing how each strives to ignore or disavow the dirty underside of the neoliberal global order, including the latter’s tendencies towards depoliticization, imperialism, and inequality.
Police Activities to Counter Terrorism: What We Know and What We Need to Know

This study seeks to answer the question “What are police doing to counter terrorism?” We use a multistep process to unearth these global tendencies of police responses. First, we review existing studies which have surveyed police agencies about their counterterrorism activities. To supplement this existing research, we then report preliminary findings from three new studies currently underway by the authors and others. We conclude by providing an agenda for future research and action given this exercise. Specifically, the one major lesson that emerges that influences our agenda is: Despite the proliferation and spending on police counterterrorism efforts, very little is known about the nature and effectiveness of police counterterrorism strategies. Clearly, building the knowledge and a research infrastructure to support such knowledge with regard to police counterterrorism strategies is an essential and currently missing component of this research and action arena.
Variable Position and Force Control of a Pneumatically Actuated Knee Joint

Pneumatically powered prostheses have the ability to restore function and improve the quality of life by providing external power, thus decreasing human effort. However, such prostheses are expensive because they use high performance servo valves and complex control systems. To overcome this limitation, a pneumatic actuator is retrofitted with cheap solenoid valves and controlled by pulse width modulation for continuous control. High fidelity control is achieved by using a negative displacement configuration in which pressure is released on one side to create motion. The performance of the system is demonstrated using a series of position, force control experiments and ability to withstand external impulses. The pneumatic system is cheap, has high repeatability, and accuracy. The main limitation is that the speed of response is much slower than a positive displacement system but better design of the solenoid valve and use of predictive control has the potential to alleviate this issue.Copyright © 2017 by ASME
Fighting Statistical Re-Identification in Human Trajectory Publication

The maturing of mobile devices and systems provides an unprecedented opportunity to collect a large amount of real world human motion data at all scales. While the rich knowledge contained in these data sets is valuable in many fields, various types of personally sensitive information can be easily learned from such trajectory data. The ones that are of most concerns are frequent locations, frequent co-locations and trajectory re-identification through spatio-temporal data points. In this work we analyze privacy protection and data utility when trajectory IDs are randomly mixed during co-location events for data collection or publication. We demonstrate through both analyses and simulations that the global geometric shape of each individual trajectory is sufficiently altered such that re-identification via frequent locations, co-location pairs or spatial temporal data points is not possible with high probability. Meanwhile, a decent number of local geometric features of the trajectory data set are still preserved, including the density distribution and local traffic flow.
EXTRA-ADRENAL PHEOCHROMOCYTOMA PRESENTING WITH INVERSE TAKOTSUBO-PATTERN CARDIOMYOPATHY SUCCESSFULLY TREATED WITH SURGICAL RESECTION

Pheochromocytoma (pheo) is an endocrine tumor that causes hypertension, episodic sweating and headache. Pheo can rarely present with acute heart failure, fever and cardiomyopathy. A 26 year old female with no prior medical history presented to the emergency department with substernal chest pain for
Advisory Temporal Logic Inference and Controller Design for Semiautonomous Robots

In this paper, we present a method to learn (infer) and refine a set of advices from the trajectories generated in the successful and failed attempts in a task or game, in the form of advisory signal temporal logic (STL) formulas. Each advice consists of an advisory motion STL formula that characterizes the spatial–temporal pattern of the motion as a feature of success and an advisory selection STL formula as a criterion for the environment to select the advice. For the inference of advisory STL formulas, we provide a theoretical framework of perfect classification with a labeled set of trajectories with different time lengths. We design an advisory controller that can drive the robots to satisfy an advisory motion STL formula based on the advice selected according to the advisory selection STL formula. The advisory controller can advise or guide the human operators or the robots for better performance with the shared autonomy between the human operator and the controller. We provide two case studies to test the effectiveness of the advisory controller, one with a Baxter-On-Wheels simulator and the other with two quadrotors in an experimental testbed in iteratively improving the success rates of completing the tasks with the help of the designed advisory controller. Note to Practitioners —The method described in this paper can be used to obtain knowledge or patterns of the environment based on the trajectories generated by the human operators/demonstrators and utilize the obtained knowledge or patterns for improving the performance of the future operators. The obtained information is the logical statements about the waypoints or subgoals to be reached, and obstacles or dangerous regions to be avoided during certain time intervals, when the environment satisfies certain conditions also expressed in the form of logical statements. The methodology of inferring knowledge from data and designing advisory controllers for guiding or helping future practices is potentially useful in many applications where the dynamic mathematical model of the external environment is unknown.
Monetarism and the Disposable Central Bank

In the rapidly changing contemporary financial environment, economists generally are reluctant to define money. Instead, they have joined the central bankers in playing a numbers game with “monetary aggregates.” Monetarists presume to stabilize the economy by fixing the growth rate of the money supply they refuse to identify. The contradiction may explain why the success of monetarism has been matched by the apparent inability of central banks consistently to pursue the monetarist monetary rule. The time has come to determine whether contemporary macroeconomic instability is the consequence of adherence to monetarism or failure to pursue it as promised. Ironically, the answer is: both. The attempt to follow an unspecified monetarist rule produces perverse consequences that preclude persistence.
What Is FRAX

As noted in the chapter about diagnosing osteoporosis (see Chap. 1), T-scores alone may not be adequate to predict the risk for fragility fractures and diagnose the disease state of osteoporosis because bone density testing only partially explains the risk for fracture. A large part of resistance to fracture or bone strength is related to elements comprising the quality of the skeleton which bone density cannot measure. These characteristics are related to a patient’s age and the microscopic architecture in the bone which are “hidden” from scanning. For the practitioner, these characteristics can be determined from a patient’s age and pertinent historical information.
Test-retest variability of 5-HT6 binding in striatum using the PET tracer [11C]GSK215083 in humans

1196 Objectives [11C]GSK215083 is a novel PET radiotracer binding to both 5-HT6 and 5-HT2A receptors, with predominantly 5-HT6 binding in the striatum (1). The goal of the present study was to examine the test-retest variability of [11C]GSK215083 for use in assaying 5-HT6 receptors in the striatum in humans. Methods Six healthy male volunteers (mean age 33±9yo) participated in a test-retest protocol, two scans per day. The injected dose was 587±152MBq, specific activity at time of injection was 106 ± 68 MBq/nmol and the injected mass was 0.045 ± 0.032 µg/kg. A 120-min dynamic acquisition on the HR+ camera was performed; time-activity curves were generated for caudate, putamen, and cerebellum (used as a reference region). The TACs were fitted with SRTM and MRTM) models. Additionally, 1- and 2-tissue (1T, 2T), and multilinear (MA1) models with a metabolite corrected arterial input function were applied. For 1T, 2T and MA1, the non-displaceable binding potential (BPND) was calculated from volume of distribution (VT) values with cerebellum as the reference. Test/retest variability in BPND values across subjects were calculated as |(test-retest)|/avg[test, retest] by region. Results Data were best fitted with SRTM and MRTM (equilibrium cutoff, t*=40) models, test/retest values were: SRTM: 47.9±21.0% for caudate and 35.1±14.7 for putamen; MRTM 34.3±15.7% for caudate and 75.7±69.2% for putamen; MA1 19.8±10.6% for caudate and 16.6±12.7% for putamen. The 2T model produced unreliable VT values. In addition, 90 min of data produced VT that correlate (r2 = 0.85) with 120 min of data with only slight underestimation when using the MA1 model. Conclusions The MA1 model produced the best test-retest reproducibility of BPND values for striatal regions. Reliable estimates of BPND in the striatum may be possible from 90 min of scan data. 1. Parker et al. Neuroimage 2008, 41:T20 Research Support Pfize
Cryopreservation of Recalcitrant Seeds

Long-term ex situ storage of plant germplasm is of increasing importance, both for maintaining the genetic diversity of species with current human use, and for the preservation of species threatened with extinction in the wild. Seed banks have long been used for this purpose, taking advantage of a natural plant preservation mechanism: the dry seed. Most agricultural species have desiccation-tolerant, or orthodox, seeds, which can often remain viable for many years. Longevity can be increased further by storing the seeds at low temperatures (e.g., Ellis and Roberts 1980), and orthodox seeds are generally adaptable to cryopreservation (storage in liquid nitrogen, LN) (Stanwood 1985).
Social Support as a Determinant of Marital Quality

In relationships with others, negative behaviors (criticism, sarcasm, belittling the other) appear to have more impact on morale and satisfaction with the relationship than do positive behaviors (encouragement, comfort, assistance). For example, among caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients, helpfulness of network members was unrelated to distress, but negative or disruptive behaviors by network members were significantly predictive of distress (Fiore, Becker, & Coppel, 1983; Keicolt-Glaser, Dyer, & Shuttleworth, 1988). A similar pattern of results was found among widows (Rook, 1984) and pregnant adolescents (Barrera, 1981). Within the marital relationship, when controlling for frequency of negative spouse behaviors, spouse supportiveness was not significantly related to depression among husbands (Schuster, Kessler, & Aseltine, 1990), although both negative and supportive spouse behaviors were significant predictors of depressive symptoms among wives in this study and in a study of women suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (Manne & Zautra, 1989). Vinokur and van Ryn (1993) found that perceived support from the spouse did not predict depressive symptoms beyond the variance explained by spousal criticism and other negative behaviors.
History of the Psychology-Law Relationship

Scientists do research for a variety of reasons. Some will tell you that it’s simply their job; the extrinsic motivations of job security and financial success are sufficient. Recognition by peers and the public reflect other examples of external inducements. In contrast, some scientists seek understanding of a process-perhaps the mastery of an elusive phenomenon, whether physical or mental.
Abstract 856: Selection of radiosensitizers based on HRAS mutation in bladder cancer

Purpose/Objective(s): The ability of activated HRAS to promote radiation resistance and predict for sensitivity to potential radiosensitizers was tested in a bladder cancer model system. Materials/Methods: Mutations in HRAS, KRAS, and NRAS were analyzed using cBioPortal in a bladder cancer cohort (TCGA). We employed a panel of urothelial carcinoma cell lines-T24 (HRASG12V), J82 and 5637 (RASWT). Cell growth and survival was tested with colony formation and proliferation assays. Radiation survival was assessed by clonogenic survival assay. Immunoblots were used to confirm mutant HRAS expression, and target activation/knockdown in overexpression and knockdown studies. Radiosensitization of mutant-HRAS bladder cancer was tested using a flank cell line xenograft model in nude mice. Results: Approximately 10% of bladder cancers feature alterations in one of three RAS genes; mutations in HRAS comprise greater than 50% of these. An HRAS activating (G12V) mutation was detected in T24. Consistent with known roles for activated RAS, T24 is relatively insensitive to both cetuximab and radiation. Using both in vivo and in vitro studies, cetuximab exhibited no radiosensitization of T24. Treatment with cetuximab lowered AKT, but not ERK activation. Direct inhibition of the MEK/ERK or PI3K/MTOR pathway by selumetinib or BEZ235, respectively, decreased target protein activation and resulted in significant growth inhibition compared to control (p Conclusions: Over 10% of bladder cancers feature alterations in the RAS family of genes. These mutations can lead to resistance to cetuximab, either as a single treatment or as a radiosensitizer. Inhibition of downstream MEK/ERK and PI3K/MTOR pathways can radiosensitize tumors with activating mutations in HRAS. Identification of additional mutation/drug combinations that result in radiosensitization may be valuable to advance the design of personalized radiation therapy. Citation Format: Michael M. Fisher, Adam D. Swick, Kwangok P. Nickel, Randall J. Kimple. Selection of radiosensitizers based on HRAS mutation in bladder cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 856.
Trans Riot: Transmasculine of Colour Expressions and Embodiments in the Films of Christopher Lee

This article focuses on transmasculine mixed-race Asian American filmmaker Christopher Lee’s documentaries and pornography of the 1990s. At a moment before today’s reduction of transgender experiences to spectacles of transitional assimilation, bio-social disorder, and death by dominant—or even authoritarian—white cis-heteropatriarchal culture, Lee’s films gave expression to the gender subversions of trans people of colour and their co-conspirators. In solidarity with Lee’s work, I produce critical creative language about racial transgender social identities. At a current moment offering more abundant critical resources and intersectional transgender movement-building, I also seek to re-harness Lee’s transmasculine imagery towards the trans of colour feminist work of transforming the white Western cis-binary gender/sex system and its perceptual structures. I view the communities represented in Lee’s filmmaking as confronting the contradictions of a post-Civil Rights neoliberal multiculturalism that promises minimal access while institutionalizing white cis-binary formations of gender/sex fundamental to the US nation-state.
Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava

Persistent left superior vena cava is the most common congenital thoracic venous anomaly with a prevalence of ~0.5% in the population and up to 10% of those with established congenital heart disease. Generally a benign anomaly that is identified incidentally on imaging or during attempts at left-sided venous access, it may be associated with clinical arrhythmia, and may complicate cardiac surgery and electrophysiology device placement. The various anatomic subtypes and commonly associated congenital defects should be understood.
Effective implementation of culturally appropriate tools in addressing overweight and obesity in an urban underserved early childhood population in pediatric primary care.

Overweight and obese children are at an increased risk of remaining obese. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends addressing healthy habits at well-child checks, but this poses challenges, especially in low-income populations. A clinical innovation project was designed to adapt recommendations in a busy urban clinic and consisted of motivational interviewing, culturally tailored tools, and standardizing documentation. A quasi-experimental design examined innovation outcomes. Of 137 overweight and obese children aged 24 to 66 months, providers' documentation of weight during well-child check visits improved post-innovation ( P < .01), as did development of healthy habits goals ( P < .001). Families were more likely to return for visits post-innovation ( P = .01). A logistic regression analysis showed that adding body mass index to the problem list and establishing a specific follow-up timeframe most predicted follow-up visits to assess progress ( P < .001). Comprehensive innovations consisting of motivational interviewing, implementation of culturally tailored tools, and standardized documentation can enhance engagement in an urban clinic setting.
Psychological Practice with Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors: Clinical and Legal Considerations

Among youth who migrate to the United States from Latin America, unaccompanied immigrant minors (UIMs)-traveling without a parent or caregiver-are a unique subpopulation facing substantial challenges before, during, and after migration. UIMs often migrate as a result of traumatic experiences in their home countries, but are also vulnerable to experiencing trauma pre and post-migration. These experiences are compounded by the impact of prolonged separation from caregivers who migrated earlier (pre-migration) and caregivers who were left behind (post-migration). Once in the US, UIMs are typically considered undocumented and often do not have the legal representation necessary to successfully navigate immigration proceedings in a system designed for adults. Further, they often live in areas with increased rates of poverty and community violence and can face stigmatization and exclusion from important protective activities. UIMs are therefore at risk for psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. This article provides an overview of typical experiences for UIMs, discusses the accompanying legal and clinical implications, and offers recommendations for psychological practice at the level of providers, training programs, and child-serving systems. For example, providers might incorporate family-based and trauma-focused interventions to enhance resilience and psychological well-being, in addition to support in navigating interactions with the legal system. Clinical training programs can provide education about the experiences of UIMs, while clinicians can advocate at the systems level to promote social integration of UIMs into school systems and a more humane immigration system focused on meeting the needs of these vulnerable children.
Local White Matter Architecture Defines Functional Brain Dynamics

Large bundles of myelinated axons, called white matter, anatomically connect disparate brain regions together and compose the structural core of the human connectome. We recently proposed a method of measuring the local integrity along the length of each white matter fascicle, termed the local connectome [1]. If communication efficiency is fundamentally constrained by the integrity along the entire length of a white matter bundle [2], then variability in the functional dynamics of brain networks should be associated with variability in the local connectome. We test this prediction using two statistical approaches that are capable of handling the high dimensionality of data. First, by performing statistical inference on distance-based correlations, we show that similarity in the local connectome between individuals is significantly correlated with similarity in their patterns of functional connectivity. Second, by employing variable selection using sparse canonical correlation analysis and cross-validation, we show that segments of the local connectome are predictive of certain patterns of functional brain dynamics. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that structural variability along axon bundles constrains communication between disparate brain regions.
Computational characterization of inhaled droplet transport in the upper airway leading to SARS-CoV-2 infection

ABSTRACT How human respiratory physiology and the transport phenomena associated with the inhaled airflow therein proceed to impact transmission of SARS-CoV-2, leading to the initial infection, is an open ques- tion. An answer can help determine the susceptibility of an individual on exposure to a COVID-2019 car- rier and can also quantify the still-unknown infectious dose for the disease. Synergizing computational fluid mechanics enabled tracking of respiratory transport in medical imaging-based anatomic domains, with sputum assessment data from hospitalized COVID-19 patients and earlier measurements of ejecta size distribution during regular speech – this study shows that the regional deposition of virus-laden inhaled droplets at the initial nasopharyngeal infection sites peaks for the droplet size range of 2.5 – 19 microns, and reveals that the number of virions that go on to establish the infection can be merely in the order of hundreds.
States and human immobilization: bridging the conceptual separation of slavery, immigration controls, and mass incarceration

Immigration controls and incarceration both comprise state efforts to limit people’s freedom of movement. Usually analyzed separately, both are part of the legacy of slavery. In this paper, I exami...
New Mechanistic and Reaction Pathway Insights for Oxidative Coupling of Methane (OCM) over Supported Na2WO4/SiO2 Catalysts

The complex structure of the catalytic active phase, and surface-gas reaction networks have hindered understanding of the oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) reaction mechanism by supported Na 2 WO 4 /SiO 2 catalysts. The present study demonstrates, with the aid of in-situ Raman and chemical probe (H 2 -TPR, TAP and steady-state kinetics) experiments, that the long speculated crystalline Na 2 WO 4 active phase is unstable and melts under OCM reaction conditions, partially transforming to thermally stable dispersed surface Na-WO x sites. Kinetic analysis via temporal analysis of products (TAP) and steady-state OCM reaction studies demonstrate that ( i ) surface Na-WO x sites are responsible for selectively activating CH 4 to C 2 H x and over-oxidizing CH y to CO and ( ii ) molten Na 2 WO 4 phase is mainly responsible for over-oxidation of CH 4 to CO 2 and also assists in oxidative dehydrogenation of C 2 H 6 to C 2 H 4 . These new insights reveal the nature of catalytic active sites and resolve the OCM reaction mechanism over supported Na 2 WO 4 /SiO 2 catalysts.
Visit Trends and Factors Associated With Telemedicine Uptake Among Persons With HIV During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background In response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, clinicians in outpatient HIV practices began to routinely offer telemedicine (video and/or phone visits) to replace in-person appointments. Video visits are preferred over phone visits, but determinants of video visit uptake in HIV care settings have not been well described. Methods Trends in type of encounter (face-to-face, video, and phone) before and during the pandemic were reviewed for persons with HIV (PWH) at an urban, academic, outpatient HIV clinic in Seattle, Washington. Logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with video visit use including sociodemographic characteristics (age, race, ethnicity, language, insurance status, housing status) and electronic patient portal login. Results After an initial increase in video visits to 30% of all completed encounters, the proportion declined and plateaued at ~10%. A substantial proportion of face-to-face visits were replaced by phone visits (~50% of all visits were by phone early in the pandemic, now stable at 10%-20%). Logistic regression demonstrated that older age (>50 or >65 years old compared with 18-35 years old), Black, Asian, or Pacific Islander race (compared with White race), and Medicaid insurance (compared with private insurance) were significantly associated with never completing a video visit, whereas history of patient portal login was significantly associated with completing a video visit. Conclusions Since the pandemic began, an unexpectedly high proportion of telemedicine visits have been by phone instead of video. Several social determinants of health and patient portal usage are associated with video visit uptake.
Unmanned Aircraft System Control and Atc Communications Bandwidth Requirements

There are significant activities taking place to establish the procedures and requirements for safe and routine operation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the National Airspace System (NAS). Among the barriers to overcome in achieving this goal is the lack of sufficient frequency spectrum necessary for the UAS control and air traffic control (ATC) communications links. This shortcoming is compounded by the fact that the UAS control communications links will likely be required to operate in protected frequency spectrum, just as ATC communications links are, because they relate to "safety and regularity of flight." To support future International Telecommunications Union (ITU) World Radio Conference (WRC) agenda items concerning new frequency allocations for UAS communications links, and to augment the Future Communications Study (FCS) Technology Evaluation Group efforts, NASA Glenn Research Center has sponsored a task to estimate the UAS control and ATC communications bandwidth requirements for safe, reliable, and routine operation of UAS in the NAS. This report describes the process and results of that task. The study focused on long-term bandwidth requirements for UAS approximately through 2030.
Schwarz's lemma for circle packings

Burt Rodin* Department of Mathematics, University of California, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA 1. Introduction Conformal mappings can be approximated by circle packing isomorphisms; this is proved in [-10]. Roughly speaking (see Sect. 5 for a more detailed description), a bounded region f2 is almost filled by e-circles 7 from the regular hexagonal e-circle packing of the plane. Denote this approximate circle pack- ing of Q by Q=. By results of Andreev and Thurston, there is a combinatorially isomorphic circle packing D+ of the unit disk D. Denote this isomorphism, suitably normalized, by 7~--,7': f2=--*D=. Let f= be the piecewise linear quasicon- formal mapping determined by the associated triangulations. As e~0, f~ con- verges uniformly on compacta to the Riemann mapping function f: f2~D. Let
Propagation of sound in turbulent media

Perturbation methods commonly used to study the propagation of acoustic waves in turbulent media are reviewed. Emphasis is on those techniques which are applicable to problems involving long-range propagation in the atmosphere and ocean. Characteristic features of the various methods are illustrated by applying them to particular problems. It is shown that conventional perturbation techniques, such as the Born approximation, yield solutions which contain secular terms, and which therefore have a relatively limited range of validity. In contrast, it is found that solutions obtained with the aid of the Rytov method or the smoothing method do not contain secular terms, and consequently have a much greater range of validity.
Clinical Trial of Vitamin D2 vs D3 Supplementation in Critically Ill Pediatric Burn Patients

Background: Hypovitaminosis D exists postburn. However, evidence-based guidelines for vitamin D repletion are unknown. This investigation examined differences between D2 and D3 supplementation on outcome in children with burn injuries. Methods: Fifty patients with total body surface area burn of 55.7% ± 2.6% and full-thickness injury of 40.8% ± 3.8% were enrolled, ranging in age from 0.7–18.4 years. All participants received multivitamin supplementation per standardized clinical protocol. In addition, 100 IU/kg D2, D3, or placebo was administered daily during hospitalization using a randomized, double-blinded study design. Assay of total 25-hydroxyvitamin D (D25), 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (D1,25), 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 (25-OH-D2), 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OH-D3), and parathyroid hormone (PTH) was performed at 4 preplanned time intervals (baseline, midpoint, discharge, and 1 year postburn). Differences in vitamin D status were compared over time and at each specific study interval. Results: There were no sig...
Active Faults of the World: Eastern Mediterranean, the Caucasus, and the Middle East

Introduction Although the active tectonics of both the western and eastern Mediterranean regions respond to a diffuse plate boundary between the Eurasia and Africa (Nubia) plates, including remnants of oceanic lithosphere being consumed by subduction, the geology is very different on either side of the Adriatic and Ionian seas between Italy and Greece. A major reason is the appearance of the rotating Anatolia Plate, driven westward and southwestward while the Arabia Plate forces its way northward into Eurasia. The North Anatolian and East Anatolian faults bounding the Anatolia Plate are strike-slip, as is the Dead Sea Transform fault between the Nubia and Arabia plates. Greece and most of western Turkey are on the overriding side of a north-dipping subduction zone extending in two loops (Hellenic Arc and Cyprian Arc) from the Ionian Sea east to the Levant coast of Syria and Turkey. The earthquake hazard consists of crustal earthquakes, particularly those related to strike-slip faulting and normal faulting, and an unknown hazard from earthquakes on or near subduction zones. Normal faulting related to Hellenic subduction takes place as far north as Bulgaria. Even farther north, across the stable Moesian platform, the strongly arcuate Carpathian Mountains, related to subduction as a result of Nubia–Eurasia collision, frame the Pannonian Basin, a possible microplate. The southern end of the Eastern Carpathians, southeast of the Pannonian Basin, includes the Vrancea Zone, marked by deep earthquakes, possibly the last expression of a dying subduction zone. Aside from the deep earthquakes, the Carpathians are part of the Alpine system farther west, and, like the Alps, it is not always clear which structures are active and seismogenic and which are not. East of the Black Sea, the seismicity of the Caucasus Mountains continues across the central Caspian Sea into Turkmenistan, where the Kopeh Dagh Mountains are dominated by a fault of the same name.
Electrical Storage in Poly(vinylidene fluoride) based Ferroelectric Polymers : Correlating Polymer Structure to Electrical Breakdown Strength

The observed positive dependence of breakdown strength of the poly(vinylidene fluoride) based ferroelectric polymers on crystallinity and modulus is justified by the electromechanical breakdown mechanism. Also supported by the theoretical calculation, the electromechanical stress has contributions from both the Maxwell and the electrostrictive effects for a ferroelectric relaxor.
Cerebral Vasospasm and Concurrent Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction: Requirement for Modification of Hyperdynamic Therapy Regimen

Background Medical treatment of arterial vasospasm following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) generally consists of triple H therapy, which frequently relies on inotropic agents in order to increase cardiac output (CO). Patients with concurrent left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction may have paradoxical decreases in CO following administration of inotropic pressors, placing them at significant risk for cerebral ischemia and stroke.
REWETTING TEMPERATURES AND VELOCITY IN A QUENCHING EXPERIMENT

A convenient and accurate method has been developed to infer apparent rewetting and rewetting temperatures associated with quench front propagation in transient boiling processes. Results obtained from quenching experiments based on jet impingement cooling of a preheated test specimen indicate that the rewetting temperatures depend on the initial specimen temperature, as well as on the flow and surface conditions. Measurements also reveal strong effects of the initial test specimen temperature and the flow velocity and subcooling on the quench front velocity.
SPATIAL VARIABILITY OF SOILS

ABSTRACT Place-to-place variation within soil units influences the study and use of soil, but is seldom formally acknowledged in soil maps and descriptions. Research on soil variation could be improved by increased coordination of experimental designs and by application of statistical methods suitable for analysis of place-to-place variation, including statistical functions such as spatial autocorrelation. Eventually it may be possible to estimate spatial variation in unstudied soils by means of easily observable landscape characteristics used as surrogates for soil variability.
Human capital and the switch from agriculture to industry

Abstract Endogenous technological change explains the transition from agriculture to industry. Initial production is agricultural. Human capital accumulation causes the economy to switch from agriculture to industry. The model explains slow growth in population and income before a switch to a balanced growth path of higher population growth and rapid income growth. Introducing a human capital externality in the total factor productivity of agriculture and industry allows for the reproduction of the previous outcomes and generates better per capita incomes in 200 and 3000 BC, the onset and duration of an agricultural revolution, time varying market size and modern income differentials.
Early Integration and Other Outcomes for Community College Transfer Students

The purpose of this study was to explore academic and social integration and other outcomes for community college transfer students. The study used Tinto’s (Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition, 1993) Longitudinal Model of Institutional Departure and Deil-Amen’s (J Higher Educ, 82:54–91, 2011) concept of “socio-academic integrative moments” to inform the selection and organization of potential predictors. We developed regression models for relationships between demographic and background variables of interest and perceived academic and social integration following the first six weeks at the receiving university. We also included these perceived integration scores in regression models for six outcomes (first and second semester grade point average, first and second semester earned hours ratios, and second and third semester persistence). Academic and previous college background explained the greatest amount of variance in predicting early integration and academic outcomes.
Influence of synchronizing protein and starch degradation in the rumen on nutrient utilization and microbial protein synthesis

Abstract A 4 × 4 Latin square design with four multiparous cows in midlactation fitted with duodenal cannulae was used to determine the effect of synchronization of protein and starch degradation in the rumen on nutrient availability in lactating cows. As major starch and protein sources, diets contained: barley plus cottonseed meal; barley plus brewers dried grains; milo plus cottonseed meal; and milo plus brewers dried grains. Experimental periods were 12 d and consisted of 8 d adjustment and 4 d collection. Chromium oxide was used as the marker to determine digestibility and nutrient flow from the rumen. Microbial protein synthesis was estimated from nucleic acid content in duodenal samples. Apparent and corrected rumen digestibilities of DM, organic matter, CP, and starch were higher for diets containing barley than milo but were not affected by protein source. For diets containing barley and milo, starch digested postruminally averaged 820 and 2190 g/d and percentage digestibility was 70 and 77%. No difference among diets was found in DM, organic matter, and CP flow to the small intestine; however, microbial N synthesis was higher in diets containing barley than in diets containing milo.
Sucrose intake and coronary heart-disease.

Abstract Some of the material from a long-term prospective study of coronary heart-disease was reviewed to assess the relationship between sucrose intake and coronary disease. Individuals who developed myocardial infarcts or who died from coronary disease were found to have consumed more sucrose than a control group, but the difference was less striking than has been reported previously, and was not statistically significant. The aetiology of coronary heart-disease is complex, and there is no simple link with sucrose consumption.
Measurement of tolerance for disagreement

This paper reports the development of a measure of Tolerance for Disagreement (the TFD scale). The paper reviews the evolution of the TFD construct and previous efforts with reference to measurement. In this study, a 15‐item version of a TFD instrument was found to be unidimensional, reliable, and able to demonstrate good discriminant validity. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
The evolution of leks through female choice

Abstract It is generally acknowledged that female preferences for mating in large groups of displaying males could cause the evolution of leks. Recent hypotheses differ on what selective advantage would accrue to females with such preferences, but they agree on the need for some such advantage if these preferences are to select for larger lek sizes. A model developed here, adapted from models of female preferences for individual male traits, shows that female preferences for larger leks can evolve and be maintained without any direct selective advantage. Like the individual choice models, it also demonstrates a number of arbitrary or non-adaptive features inherent in such systems. Most notably, instead of a single optimal outcome, there may exist a curve of possible equilibria. These equilibria can be stable or unstable depending on the nature of the female preferences.
Development of tissue culture methods for the rescue and propagation of endangered Moringa Spp. germplasm

Moringa is an Old-World dry tropical plant genus with great food, horticultural, industrial, and pharmaceutical potential. Although many of the thirteen known Moringa species are in danger of extinction, one species, M. oleifera Lam., is now widely cultivated. M. oleifera was therefore utilized to develop micropropagation techniques that may be applicable to the more endangered members of this genus. Immature seeds were the most responsive tissue source, and greatest success was achieved using membrane rafts and a liquid growth medium. The success rate was 73%, but the multiplication rate averaged only 4.7 shoots per culture. Most vigorous plantlet development through the transplant stage was achieved using a commercial plant preservative formulation of isothiazolones following shoot proliferation. Although there was no evidence of contamination, treatment with this microbiocide prevented early tissue senescence and it increased culture survivability.
Insights into the Kinetics of Semiconductor Nanocrystal Nucleation and Growth

A model is presented for the colloidal synthesis of semiconductor nanocrystals capturing the reactions underlying nucleation and growth processes. The model combines an activation mechanism for precursor conversion to monomers, discrete rate equations for formation of small-sized clusters, and continuous Fokker-Planck equation for growth of large-sized clusters. The model allows us to track the temporal evolution of the entire cluster size distribution and compute several experimental observables including mean size and size distribution. The model predicts five distinct regions: generation of monomers, small cluster formation, size distribution focusing due to precursor depletion, pseudo steady state region, and size distribution broadening, with the latter three explicitly reproducing available experimental data at larger cluster sizes. Furthermore, we identify two nondimensional parameter combinations and discuss how these can be used to guide experiments to yield a more rational approach to synthesis modification. Contrary to the common hypothesis that diffusion is essential for size distribution focusing, the model shows that focusing can be achieved under pure reaction control. In addition, the model yields new insights into the synthesis of small nanocrystals with narrow size distributions either by modulation of temperature over the duration of nanocrystal synthesis or by introduction of small quantities of additives that enhance the rate of precursor conversion to monomers. We show that for a given set of reaction parameters, there is an optimum in the duration of high temperature and additive concentration minimizing polydispersity.
Comparison of the treatment of hypercholesteremia with nicotinic acid, sitosterol, and safflower oil.

Abstract In 10 patients with hypercholesteremia who were not restricted in amount or type of dietary fat, treatment with large oral doses of nicotinic acid (niacin) was more effective in lowering plasma cholesterol than was that with either safflower oil or sitosterol. The simultaneous administration of niacin and sitosterol was more effective than the use of either agent alone, and their combined effects were nearly additive. As compared with safflower oil or sitosterol in the treatment of hypercholesteremia, niacin has several practical advantages in that the drug is inexpensive, is simple to administer, and does not require alterations in the patient's dietary habits. However, the safety of such long-term use of niacin must be established before this form of therapy can be regarded as other than an investigational procedure.
Mutual Fund Information On-Line

As might be expected, websites on traditional stock and bond markets far outnumber those on alternative investments. we review some of the more prominent websites which cover the traditional stock and bond mutual fund environment.
Effect of epitaxial realignment on the leakage behavior of arsenic-implanted, As-deposited polycrystalline Si-on-single crystal Si diodes

When dopants are indiffused from a heavily implanted polycrystalline silicon film deposited on a silicon substrate, high thermal budget annealing can cause the interfacial “native” oxide at the polycrystalline silicon-single crystal silicon interface to break up into oxide clusters, causing epitaxial realignment of the polycrystalline silicon layer with respect to the silicon substrate. Anomalous transient enhanced diffusion occurs during epitaxial realignment and this has adverse effects on the leakage characteristics of the shallow junctions formed in the silicon substrate using this technique. The degradation in the leakage current is mainly due to increased generation-recombination in the depletion region because of defect injection from the interface.
Failure of signs of physical dependence to develop in hamsters after prolonged consumption of large doses of ethanol.

Abstract Male Golden Hamsters drank large amounts of ethanol with food and water freely available, when ethanol was presented in water at concentrations of 10–40% (w/v). Although the hamsters consumed an average of 13.8 g/kg/day of ethanol for 3 months, no withdrawal signs were observed during 4 days without ethanol, nor were withdrawal signs observed during withdrawal after 4 more months of ethanol consumption. Although the Golden Hamster consumes large amounts of ethanol without the need for food or water deprivation, the Golden Hamsters may have limited usefulness as a model of physical dependence.