cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
General procedure for calculation of diffuse view factors between arbitrary planar polygons

Diffuse view factors (or form factors) between two planar polygonal surfaces placed at arbitrary orientation relative to each other serve as inputs for surface-to-surface radiation transport or other similar calculations. In this article, a general formulation and accompanying numerical procedures are presented to perform such calculations. The formulation uses a parametric vector representation of the two surfaces along with the well-known contour integral method to develop an integral formula that finally requires a numerical quadrature scheme to evaluate. The use of the parametric vector representation of the surfaces overcomes the difficulty of defining limits to the integrals in the contour integral method. Six test cases are considered, and the results are compared either to exact analytical solutions (when available) or to Monte Carlo results, which are also generated as part of this study. It is found that irrespective of the case studied, the present method matches analytical results perfectly (up to six decimal places accuracy) with a 10-point or higher Gaussian quadrature scheme. The errors in the Monte Carlo results increase when the two surfaces are either far from each other and/or at grazing angles, although the actual errors are quite small (less than 0.5%). For the cases when analytical solutions are not available, the Monte Carlo results and those generated by the present method were found to be in close agreement.
Update on Overactive Bladder in Children—Current Bladder Dysfunction Reports 2012, 7:27–32

Overactive bladder in children is a prevalent disorder with a significant impact on the quality of life of those that it affects. It may present with a variety of different symptoms ranging from frequency and urgency to daytime urinary incontinence or nocturnal enuresis. In instances of overactive bladder in children without anatomic or neurological abnormalities, the root cause has been linked to dysfunctional elimination syndrome. A perfect therapy remains elusive for this disorder, and many recalcitrant cases remain. In the following, we will seek to address the causes of pediatric overactive bladder, how it can be prevented, and some novel theories on how it can be most efficaciously treated.
GUIDANCE: SHIFTING THE PARADIGM FROM DISCIPLINE

(2000). GUIDANCE: SHIFTING THE PARADIGM FROM DISCIPLINE. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education: Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 193-198.
Time-resolved studies of spatially direct and indirect transitions in GaAs/AlGaAs and InGaAs/GaAs quantum wires

Laser holographic lithography and selective chemical etching have been used to create GaAs/AlGaAs and InGaAs/GaAs quantum well wires. Strong differences are observed between the photoluminescence spectra from the GaAs and InGaAs quantum wires, with the former being dominated by spatially indirect transitions, and the latter by direct transitions. Detailed time resolved photoluminescence studies show a red shift in photoluminescence energy with increasing time delay after excitation for the indirect transition in the GaAs wires. This is accompanied by a non-exponential decay time which increases from 10 ns to greater than 150 ns as the delay time is increased (in a manner similar to that observed in nipi doping superlattices). The InGaAs wires show no such behavior, with a decay time constant of 320 ps at 1.8 K, independent of time delay after excitation, both indicative of a spatially direct transition.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Assessing the utility of green LiDAR for characterizing bathymetry of heavily forested narrow streams

Stream depth and bathymetry in forested environments is difficult and costly to measure in the field, but critically important for stream-dwelling organisms. Green (bathymetric) LiDAR can be used to characterize stream bathymetry, but little is known of its ability to accurately characterize stream bathymetry in narrow (width less than 5 m), heavily forested streams. We compared digital elevation models (DEMs) derived from green and near-infrared (NIR) LiDAR to field measurements in a narrow, forested stream in Oregon, USA, as well as comparing the two DEMs to each other along the length of the stream and to estimates of leaf area index. Our results suggest that green LiDAR may be limited in accurately characterizing the bathymetry of narrow streams in heavily forested environments due to difficulty penetrating canopy and interactions with complex topography.
Fan-beam geometry based inversion algorithm in computed tomography (CT) for imaging of composite materials

Abstract The investigation is concerned first with reconstruction of the density function of an object from computed tomography data. The projection (Fourier Slice) theorem is discussed for fan-beam geometry. A rebinning algorithm, based on the slant stacking approach, is introduced in order to transform fan-beam geometry data into its parallel-beam counterpart. The density function is reconstructed using a filtered back-projection algorithm. The sampling criteria for fan beam computed tomography are also derived. The MATLAB package has been utilized to implement these algorithms for the simulation of Shepp–Logan head phantom and implementation of the discrete normal Radon transform based on fan-beam geometry. The reconstruction of transverse cross-sectional micro-structures of fiber reinforced composite material test specimens has also been discussed. In addition, the MATLAB package has been utilized to demonstrate the image reconstruction of the cross-section of a two-phase composite material using parallel beam geometry (Radon transform).
Modeling mitochondrial encephalomyopathy in Drosophila

Mitochondrial encephalomyopathies are disturbingly complex and devastating diseases, reflecting the underlying importance of the affected organelle. Therapeutic approaches for these diseases remain limited due to a poor understanding of disease pathogenesis resulting largely from a lack of tractable model systems in which to study these diseases. This is especially so for disease conditions resulting from mutations directly affecting the mitochondrial genome. Recent studies using Drosophila to develop genetic models with endogenous mitochondrial mutations suggest the fruit fly will contribute significantly to our understanding of mitochondrial disease pathogenesis and the development of novel therapeutic avenues.
Image segmentation by region growing and spectral clustering with a natural convergence criterion

The image segmentation approach described is a new hybrid of region growing and spectral clustering. This approach produces a specified number of hierarchical segmentations at different levels of detail, based upon jumps in a dissimilarity criterion. A recursive implementation of this segmentation approach on a cluster of 66 Pentium Pro PCs is described, and the effectiveness of this segmentation approach on Landsat Multispectral Scanner data is discussed.
The effect of ethanol on human platelet aggregation in vitro.

Abstract The addition of ethanol to human platelet-rich plasma to achieve concentrations of 0.1 or 0.3% did not inhibit adenosine diphosphate-induced platelet aggregation. Collagen-induced platelet aggregation and norepinephrine-induced platelet aggregation were inhibited by 0.3% ethanol. The inhibitory effects on platelet aggregation of ethanol added in vitro in concentrations which may be found in vivo after ingestion of alcoholic beverages are small and are of doubtful clinical significance.
Answering questions: Explaining promotion and tenure to new technology faculty

The authors review the peculiarities of the promotion and tenure process for technology faculty and discuss the development of personalized strategic plans. It is noted that the use of a strategic plan for promotion and tenure provides a number of clear benefits. Strategic planning involves the untenured faculty early, avoiding loss of valuable time. It clarifies department expectations and helps the faculty understand what specific actions will be necessary to personally gain tenure. It also efficiently focuses faculty and department resource/efforts in the most important activities. By periodically reviewing strategic plans, the department not only accurately assesses the faculty's progress toward tenure, but takes partial "ownership" in the validity of the career paths. With greater likelihood of successful promotions and the knowledge that faculty efforts are part of goal-oriented plans, anxiety is reduced for both the faculty and the administration. >
Microsecond-pulsed Grimm glow discharge as a source for time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A Grimm-type glow discharge ion source has been constructed for a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS). This source was operated in the microsecond-pulsed mode. Special features of pulsed Grimm GD-TOF-MS are described, including resolving power, stability, sensitivity and the temporal separation of discharge gas species and analyte ions. The analytical characteristics of a pulsed Grimm GD-TOF-MS system were also evaluated. These preliminary studies demonstrate the potential of this technique for the elemental analysis for solids.
THE NAMBU-JONA-LASINIO MODEL AND GAUGE THEORIES IN 2+1 DIMENSIONS

The weakly coupled globally invariant Nambu-Jona-Lasino (NJL) model in 2+1 dimensions is shown to be equivalent to a strongly coupled gauge theory. This equivalence is demonstrated for the renormalized theories in the 1/N expansion utilizing an unconventional, cutoff-dependent bare coupling constant to take the limit of weak or strong bare couplings. The weakly coupled Abelian NJL model is renormalized to order 1/N and compared to a renormalized strongly coupled QED3. Next, the U(2) globally invariant NJL model is studied in the broken phase and renormalized to leading order. The resulting U(1)×U(1) gauge-invariant theory is shown to be equivalent to a spontaneously broken U(2) gauge theory analyzed in the 1/N expansion.
Challenges for test and design for test

If test is mentioned normally there are several remarks that have been repeated for the last 20 years. ICs are too fast, patterns are too big, testing is too slow, the test development too costly. Although, the advance of the technology has improved test in general, these statements seems to prevail and sound still valid. One reason is that on every improvement of test strategies there is also improvement of technology and design strategy that keeps the gap open. On the other hand ATE equipment inevitably is build with one generation older technology that keeps the challenge of speed noise and complexity alive. In this presentation the following few challenges for test will be further discussed. How is evolving the gap between test methods tools and equipment on one side and technology, design methodology and design tools on the other? How is evolving the cost of production test equipment and as consequence the cost of test? Is there change in the cost of test development? What about high quality and reliability application testing? And last but not least what about research in the test domain during economic crisis.
Holistic Learning Theory and Implications for Human Resource Development

The problem and the solution. The adult learning literature provides a number of concepts and theories of adult learning. No unifying theory of learning has emerged because of the complexity and diversity of the adult learning process. A recently developed holistic theory provides an integrative framework to examine some of the contemporary adult learning theories. Implications for human resource development theory, research, and practice are discussed.
Resistivity of a Superconductor: A Search for the Origin of Superconductivity

The measurements of the variation of the resistivity with temperature in increments of 0.02 K for single crystals of YBa2Cu3O6+x by Pomar et al. (Phys. Rev. B 1996-I, 53, 8245−8248) yield discriminating values and show that the resistivity approaches zero at 0 K asymptotically. These measurements, which can serve as a prototype, have been analyzed in terms of equations, generally applicable for any superconductor, that recognize this fact and that describe the conductivities of the normal state with scattering and of the super state for mixed-valent bipolarons having no scattering. These descriptions, together with a description of the diamagnetic transition as a shift in the chemical equilibrium between polarons and bipolarons, identify a rationale for searching for the origin of superconductivity.
Military magnetic diskfiles in the avionics environment

A cost-effective method of providing mass storage in the digital avionics environment is discussed. The method provides distinct advantages over traditional magnetic and optical drives and the newer Flash EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory). This solution to the storage requirements problem involves the use of IBM commercial technology and is military-compliant using a number of FSC (Federal Systems Company) proprietary techniques. Leveraging commercial quantities for the HDA (head disk assembly) provides a significant cost advantage over an approach which designs and builds an HDA from the ground up. The ground up approach has been found to be unnecessary for meeting military requirements for digital avionics. Besides the cost advantage, this approach allows military diskfile capacities and performance to stay in step with the latest advances in IBM commercial technology. This provides a clear growth path for increasing capacities. >
Responses of dog's pad vessels to epinephrine following sympathectomy or denervation.

Augmented reactivity of the skin vessels of the hind limbs of dogs to doses of l-epinephrine in the physiologic range could not be detected following conventional sympathectomy. Larger doses of epinephrine resulted in exaggerated reactions. Augmented reactivity of these vessels to physiologic doses of epinephrine was detectable if total cholinergic as well as adrenergic denervation of the limb was accomplished.
Nuclease-Deficient FEN-1 Blocks Rad51/BRCA1-Mediated Repair and Causes Trinucleotide Repeat Instability

Previous studies have shown that expansion-prone repeats form structures that inhibit human flap endonuclease (FEN-1). We report here that faulty processing by FEN-1 initiates repeat instability in mammalian cells. Disease-length CAG tracts in Huntington's disease mice heterozygous for FEN-1 display a tendency toward expansions over contractions during intergenerational inheritance compared to those in homozygous wild-type mice. Further, with regard to human cells expressing a nuclease-defective FEN-1, we provide direct evidence that an unprocessed FEN-1 substrate is a precursor to instability. In cells with no endogenous defects in DNA repair, exogenous nuclease-defective FEN-1 causes repeat instability and aberrant DNA repair. Inefficient flap processing blocks the formation of Rad51/BRCA1 complexes but invokes repair by other pathways.
Responsive Food Packaging: Recent Progress and Technological Prospects

Responsive food packaging is an emerging field in food packaging research and the food industry. Unlike active packaging, responsive packaging systems react to stimuli in the food or the environment to enable real time food quality and food safety monitoring or remediation. This review attempts to define and clarify the different classes of food packaging technologies. Special emphasis is given to the description of responsive food packaging including its technical requirements, the state of the art in research and the current expanding market. The development and promises of stimuli responsive materials in responsive food packaging are addressed, along with current challenges and future directions to help translate research developments into commercial products.
Binding Affinities/Avidities of Antibody-Antigen Interactions: Quantification and Scale-Up Implications

Bioaffinity interactions have been, and continue to be, successfully adapted from nature for use in separation and detection applications. It has been previously reported that the magnetophoretic mobility of labeled cells show a saturation type phenomenon as a function of the concentration of the free antibody-magnetic nanoparticle conjugate which is consistent with other reports of antibody-fluorophore binding. Starting with the standard antibody-antigen relationship, a model was developed which takes into consideration multi-valence interactions, and various attributes of flow cytometry (FCM) and cell tracking velocimetry (CTV) measurements to determine both the apparent dissociation constant and the antibody-binding capacity (ABC) of a cell. This model was then evaluated on peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) labeled with anti CD3 antibodies conjugated to FITC, PE, or DM (magnetic nanoparticles). Reasonable agreements between the model and the experiments were obtained. In addition, estimates of the limitation of the number of magnetic nanoparticles that can bind to a cell as a result of steric hinderance was consistent with measured values of magnetophoretic mobility. Finally, a scale-up model was proposed and tested which predicts the amount of antibody conjugates needed to achieve a given level of saturation as the total number of cells reaches 10(10), the number of cells needed for certain clinical applications, such as T-cell depletions for mismatched bone marrow transplants.
Making My Masculine Body Behave

Abstract Using Constantin Stanislavki9s vocabulary for actor training, I offer an autoethnographic essay that explores my performances as a man, a man who does and does not measure up to the cultural ideal. I juxtapose cultural scripts against personal experience in order to demonstrate the tensions that emerge as I try to negotiate the masculine roles I have been asked to play.
How Necessary is the Right of Assembly

This paper continues the conversation initiated by John Inazu's new book, Liberty's Refuge: The Forgotten Freedom of Assembly, by locating Inazu's analysis within our legal system's broader struggle to reconcile liberty claims by groups with our commitment to the individual's rights-bearing primacy. I underscore the timeliness and relevance of his approach, then ask three questions: 1) Why does Inazu limit the freedom of assembly to non-commercial groups? 2) Is Inazu's argument more appropriately pitched to judicial or political actors? and 3) If the right of association were to be interpreted less narrowly by courts, could it carry the burden that Inazu seeks to lay on the right of assembly?
Predicting Preferences on Experimental Bundles of Attributes: A Comparison of Models

This study tests the ability of various models to predict individual preferences on stimuli defined by physical characteristics. Within all models, metric routines were found to be superior to nonm...
Trans Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Recent studies continue to confirm previous observations that trans fatty acids elevate low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and at relatively high intakes decrease high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Considerable interest is focused on the potential benefits of trans-free margarines. Both adipose and plasma trans fatty acid levels reflect dietary intake. Current estimates of trans fatty acid intake in developed countries range from 0.5 to 2.6% of energy, contributed to primarily by differences in food availability and preference, and partly by the methodological differences used to calculate the data.
Logarithmic Complexity Sensitivity Analysis of Flexible Multibody Systems

This paper presents a recursive direct differentiation method for sensitivity analysis of flexible multibody systems. Large rotations and translations in the system are modeled as rigid body degrees of freedom while the deformation field within each body is approximated by superposition of modal shape functions. The equations of motion for the flexible members are differentiated at body level and the sensitivity information is generated via a recursive divide and conquer scheme. The number of differentiations required in this method is minimal. The method works concurrently with the forward dynamics simulation of the system and requires minimum data storage. The use of divide and conquer framework makes the method linear and logarithmic in complexity for serial and parallel implementation, respectively, and ideally suited for general topologies. The method is applied to a flexible two arm robotic manipulator to calculate sensitivity information and the results are compared with the finite difference approach.© 2009 ASME
Hazard source identification and risk assessment of high slope in water conservancy and hydropower projects

High slope stability has always been the key and difficult problem in water conservancy and hydropower projects.Based on the hazard source theory,and according to the existing project experience and related specifications,the hazard source in high slope is deeply identified by experience contrast method.On this basis,the risk assessment index system is established.Considering the combination of quantitative index and qualitative index in the system,and the fuzziness of risk assessment results,the paper discusses the risk assessment of high slopes in water conservancy and hydropower projects by use of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process(FAHP) and project case histories.
Behavioral versus Questionnaire Measures of Expectations

The goal of the present research is to determine the degree of correspondence between the observed behavior in an experiment and the attitudes expressed in a questionnaire administered after an exp...
"That's not my fault!".

Employees may use denial as a way to cope with underperformance. When denial is used in the health care environment by employees, it often presents the supervisor with a situation requiring intervention. This article describes the dynamics of denial and strategies for the supervisor for responding to denial in the workplace.
Electrical Stimulation of the Rectal Ampulla Causing Reflex Voiding

AbstractElectrical stimulation of the rectal ampulla resulted in a desire to void and defecate in 11 patients with an intact nervous system. There was a contraction of the detrusor and the rectal ampulla with relaxation of the anal sphincter. Electrical stimulation of the rectal ampulla and anal sphincter has clinical applications in patients with incontinence of, or inability to empty, the lower urinary tract or fecal system.
Nonuniform field prebreakdown current pulses in negatively stressed n-Hexane

To better understand how breakdown starts in an electrically-stressed liquid, the lowest measureable levels of prebreakdown currents were studied. Knowledge of the factors that influence and enhance prebreakdown activity and an understanding of the mechanisms leading up to breakdown would allow development of liquid dielectrics with higher strength and improved aging properties.
Integrative analysis using coupled latent variable models for individualizing prognoses

Complex chronic diseases (e.g., autism, lupus, and Parkinson's) are remarkably heterogeneous across individuals. This heterogeneity makes treatment difficult for caregivers because they cannot accurately predict the way in which the disease will progress in order to guide treatment decisions. Therefore, tools that help to predict the trajectory of these complex chronic diseases can help to improve the quality of health care. To build such tools, we can leverage clinical markers that are collected at baseline when a patient first presents and longitudinally over time during follow-up visits. Because complex chronic diseases are typically systemic, the longitudinal markers often track disease progression in multiple organ systems. In this paper, our goal is to predict a function of time that models the future trajectory of a single target clinical marker tracking a disease process of interest. We want to make these predictions using the histories of many related clinical markers as input. Our proposed solution tackles several key challenges. First, we can easily handle irregularly and sparsely sampled markers, which are standard in clinical data. Second, the number of parameters and the computational complexity of learning our model grows linearly in the number of marker types included in the model. This makes our approach applicable to diseases where many different markers are recorded over time. Finally, our model accounts for latent factors influencing disease expression, whereas standard regression models rely on observed features alone to explain variability. Moreover, our approach can be applied dynamically in continous-time and updates its predictions as soon as any new data is available. We apply our approach to the problem of predicting lung disease trajectories in scleroderma, a complex autoimmune disease. We show that our model improves over state-of-the-art baselines in predictive accuracy and we provide a qualitative analysis of our model's output. Finally, the variability of disease presentation in scleroderma makes clinical trial recruitment challenging. We show that a prognostic tool that integrates multiple types of routinely collected longitudinal data can be used to identify individuals at greatest risk of rapid progression and to target trial recruitment.
Analysis of the self-consistent IMEX method for tightly coupled non-linear systems

We present a mathematical analysis for our self-consistent Implicit/Explicit (IMEX) method that we have introduced in Kadioglu and Knoll (2010, 2013), Kadioglu etal. (2009, 2010) and Kadioglu (2017). The self-consistent IMEX algorithm is designed to produce second order time convergent solutions to multi-physics and multiple time scale fluid dynamics problems. The algorithm is a combination of an explicit block that solves the non-stiff part and an implicit block that solves the stiff part of the problem. The explicit block is always solved inside the implicit block as part of the nonlinear function evaluation making use of the Jacobian-Free Newton Krylov (JFNK) method (Knoll and Keyes, 2004; Nourgaliev etal., 2010; Saad, 2003). In this way, there is a continuous interaction between the implicit and explicit blocks meaning that the improved solutions (in terms of the time accuracy) at each nonlinear iteration are immediately felt by the explicit block and the improved explicit solutions are readily available to form the next set of nonlinear residuals. This continuous interaction between the two algorithm blocks results in an implicitly balanced algorithm in that all the nonlinearities due to coupling of different time terms are converged. In other words, we obtain a self-consistent IMEX method that eliminates the possible order reduction in time accuracy for certain types of problems that a classical IMEX method can suffer from. We note that the classic IMEX methods split the operators such a way that the implicit and explicit blocks are executed independent of each other, and this may lead to non-converged nonlinearities therefore time inaccuracies for certain models. We also note that the well-known Strang-Splitting operator split technique (Strang, 1968 ) can suffer from the above mentioned time order reduction for certain applications, even though the method itself formally a second order numerical procedure. In this study, we provide a mathematical analysis (modified equation analysis) that examines and compares the time convergence behavior of our self-consistent IMEX method versus the classic IMEX method. We provide computational results to verify our analysis and analytical findings. We also computationally compare our IMEX procedure to the Strang-Splitting method.
Peer attitudes toward LGBT-identified university students as mediated by demographic factors

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to measure university student attitudes toward their LGBT peers across a range of demographic factors. We surveyed 416 undergraduates at a midsize Midwestern American public university to measure attitudes toward LGBT people. Results from a general Attitudes scale and two subscales, Morality and Friendship, were analyzed across gender, age, ethnicity, LGBT status, and years spent at the university. Results were also broken out into attitudes about LGB vs. transgender people, and attitudes about gay or bisexual men vs. lesbian or bisexual women. We found that female gender, LGBT identification, age, and number of years spent at the university were associated with more positive attitudes about LGBT people. We did not find any association between ethnicity and attitudes. We also found that attitudes toward gay or bisexual men were less positive than attitudes toward lesbian or bisexual women, and that attitudes toward transgender individuals were less positive than attit...
Diagnosis and Management of Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a specific type of primary thrombotic microangiopathy syndrome characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and organ failure. Although relatively rare, if left unrecognized and untreated, multisystem organ failure ensues and survival is poor. Early use of therapeutic plasma exchange has significantly improved mortality and the subsequent risk of relapse. Therefore, prompt recognition of this medical emergency is essential. Diagnosis rests on maintaining a low index of suspicion for TTP in a patient presenting with microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia in the absence of an alternative diagnosis. Adjunctive testing including ADAMTS13 activity levels and ADAMTS13 autoantibody testing may help confirm the diagnosis and predict relapse risk. In addition to plasma exchange, aggressive immunosuppression with high-dose corticosteroids is recommended. Refractory TTP may require intensification of plasma exchange and the addition of rituximab. In this chapter, we will review the essential practical diagnostic and management considerations for TTP in the context of a clinical case.
Avoidance Strategies and Governmental Rigidity: The Case of the Small-Scale Shrimp Fishery in two Mexican Communities

This paper presents an analysis of avoidance strategies developed by small-scale shrimp fishermen in response to externally imposed regulations that limit their access to marine resources. The main issue that will be explored is whether fishermen act as individuals who calculate costs and benefits associated with noncompliance; or as community members who break the rules in order to serve collective interests within the communities.
“Enjoy your feeling”: A media archaeology of material publics:

Ubiquitous technology depends upon imposing standards. Choices in function and form reflect the homogenization of artifacts, necessitated by the intentions of experts to satisfy a plurality of user...
Taking the reins: how regulatory decision-makers can stop being hijacked by uncertainty

Several decades after the mechanics of quantitative uncertainty analysis (QUA) for risk assessment and regulatory cost analysis were developed and refined, QUA still rarely reaches the minds of decision-makers. The most common justification for this situation is that “decision-makers want a number, not a set of statistical distributions.” This may be an accurate assessment of their druthers, but one obvious though perhaps impractical retort is to say that if decision-makers insist on misleading point estimates, then we need new and better decision-makers. This article offers a way out of this dilemma. Decision-makers do not have to understand (or even receive) all the information contained in a complete QUA, but they do have to drive the QUA. They need to instruct analysts how to approach the phenomena they analyze (parameter uncertainty, model uncertainty, interindividual variability, offsetting and second-order effects, and the monetary value of future uncertainty reductions), they need to insist that uncertainties in cost be treated a priori as exactly as important as uncertainties in risk, and—even more importantly—they need to instruct analysts which estimator(s) to seek, report, and explain. Here we offer 10 detailed principles to guide decision-makers into a new relationship with risk and cost analysts—10 observations about how “eyes wide open” point estimates can vastly outperform point estimates handed to the decision-maker without context, justification, or honesty about the value judgments they impose upon the decision. A decision-maker who explains “I chose Option A because its benefits of 2.345 exceed its costs of 1.234” can be replaced by a dollar-store calculator. We need decision-makers who can say “I chose Option A because the spectrum of benefits it likely offers, to these citizens, considering the range of costs it likely imposes, makes it a superior choice to any other.” QUA, performed carefully and following clear policy instructions, can empower decision-makers to earn their influential roles.
An Expanding Federal Presence in Air Quality Controls

Publisher Summary This chapter presents structural frameworks for evolving stakeholder interactions, focusing on the adaptations by government administrators, and by industries with their respective trade associations, in relation to federal Clean Air Act legislation. The 1970 Clean Air Act amendments changed the national emphasis from facilitating state programs to establishing and enforcing National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). This element directed the newly formed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to identify pollutants and their sources, and to establish criteria for levels that ensure public health and welfare. While continuing to delegate primary implementation to states, the 1970 amendments required each to submit a timely implementation plan to the EPA directed toward meeting federal criteria. Another element acknowledged that existing control technologies could be inadequate to meet federally established standards. If so, industries would need to develop pollution control technologies for both stationary and mobile sources. The political compromise leading to the 1970 Clean Air Act amendments brought agreement on “science-based air quality standards that could force development of emission control technologies” while allowing the EPA Administrator to grant limited extensions. Current policy dynamics in Clean Air Act implementation intertwine EPA, state, industry, and other stakeholders. The EPA maintains formal relationships with states on State implementation plan (SIP) review and for toxic emission regulations. Industry trade associations represent their sectors as advocates and collaborators in policy processes.
Radiation Physics: Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Arteriovenous Malformations

Recent advances in stereotactic radiosurgery have allowed new treatment strategies for cerebral arteriovenous malformations that are not amenable to surgical resection because of the morbidity related to their deep or critical brain locations. Stereotactic radiosurgery is advantageous due to its noninvasive nature and the minimal risk of acute complications. The primary disadvantage of radiosurgery is that cure is not immediate and a latent period exists during which the risk of hemorrhage remains. Rates of successful obliteration and complications are primarily dependent on the location and volume of the lesion treated and radiation dose. Complications of stereotactic radiosurgery include hemorrhage during the latent period, radiation necrosis, and treatment failure. The avoidance and management of stereotactic radiosurgery complications require an in-depth knowledge of the underlying radiation physics, the indications for treatment, and the predictors for both success and failure.
What bats may do better: Emission beampattern complexity

Horseshoe bats (family Rhinolophidae) and the related Old World round-leaf nosed bats (Hipposideridae) have conspicuous emission baffles (“noseleaves”) that not only have a high degree of geometric complexity but can also change their shapes under active muscular actuation during emission of the biosonar pulses. Our work has shown that these shape changes occur in tight synchrony with pulse emission and are large enough to affect the acoustic diffraction process. Furthermore, our experiments with bats positioned on an experimental platform have shown that these noseleaf motions impart dynamic signatures onto the emitted ultrasonic wave packets. We also have collected pilot data from flying bats executing natural maneuvers that indicate geometric complexity as well as time-variance in the beampatterns based on a comparison with a loudspeaker that was placed in the same position as the bat to serve as a static reference. An information-theoretic analysis has shown that this emitter dynamics results in the encoding of additional sensory information that is useful, e.g., for direction finding, but future work is needed to determine if and how these effects may fit into the animals' natural biosonar behaviors. It remains to be seen if dolphins are make use of a similar biosonar emission dynamics.
Safety and Efficacy of Myeloablative Conditioning Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation, Targeted Immunotherapy, and Reduced Intensity Conditioning Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults with Relapsed/Refractory Mature B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Background Despite high cure rates for children, adolescents and young adults (CAYA) with mature B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) (Cairo, JCO, 2012), the results are dismal in those with relapsed/refractory (r/r) disease following reinduction therapy with myeloablative conditioning (MAC) and autologous stem cell transplantation (AutoSCT) (Cairo, BBMT, 2013). Sequential MAC AutoSCT and reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) allogeneic stem cell transplantation (AlloSCT) has achieved 59% 10-year event-free survival (EFS) in CAYA with Hodgkin (Satwani/Cairo, Leukemia, 2015). The addition of Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan to an RIC based regimen prior to AlloSCT in a cohort of adults with high risk B-NHL was proven to be safe and efficacious (Boubdallah, Annals of Oncology, 2015) and may further improve outcomes. Objective To investigate the safety and efficacy in CAYA with poor risk r/r B-NHL of sequential MAC AutoSCT followed by RIC AlloSCT with or without targeted radioimmunotherapy. Design/Methods CAYA patients with poor risk r/r mature B-NHL who underwent MAC AutoSCT followed by RIC AlloSCT ± targeted radioimmunotherapy are included in this study. Twelve of thirteen patients with chemo-sensitive disease underwent sequential MAC AutoSCT followed by RIC AlloSCT (Fig 1). Six patients received radioimmunotherapy with Yttrium-90 ibritumomab tiuxetan prior to MAC. In addition to EFS, patients were assessed for time to hematological recovery, graft failure, whole blood chimerism, aGVHD ≥ Gr 2 and extensive chronic GVHD. Results Thirteen patients with a mean age of 15.3 years and mean follow-up of 48 months were analyzed. Median time to neutrophil and platelet engraftment is 18.8 and 36.4 days, respectively (Fig. 2). Whole blood chimerism at D+100 is 98.4 ± 1.5 %. Eleven patients are in complete remission with an EFS of 91% (Fig. 3). The transplant-related mortality was 0% and no graft failures developed. Conclusions CAYA with r/r B-NHL receiving MAC AutoSCT, targeted radioimmunotherapy, and RIC AlloSCT can achieve long-term EFS. The combination of radioimmunotherapy comprised of Yttrium-90 ibritumomab tiuxetan with MAC AutoSCT was safe and effective in our cohort. A potential graft versus lymphoma effect may explain the favorable outcomes in this cohort of patients with otherwise dismal outcomes.
Parametric Optical Property Database for CdSe 1- x S x Alloys

A comprehensive database of the optical response in the form of complex dielectric function (e) spectra of magnetron co-sputtered CdSe1−xSx alloy thin films is developed spanning the full 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 range of compositions. A parametric model is presented and used to determine e describing each film while in both as-deposited and thermally annealed states. This model combines a critical point electronic transition lineshape and an Urbach tail in the above- and below-bandgap portions of the measured spectrum, respectively, while maintaining first derivative continuity. Additionally, this hybrid parametric description of e automatically determines the Urbach energy (EU) describing the width of the sub-bandgap absorption tail, thereby providing a relative measure of the defect density of the modeled material. These as-deposited CdSe1−xSx films are generally found to be the most defective at intermediate compositions with some EU reaching energies > 200 meV. Annealing reduces EU in all films to a relatively uniform value < 100 meV for all compositions. Leveraging the full e database in modeling CdS-CdSe bi-layer stacks is demonstrated to be effective in detecting the composition gradients resulting from inter-diffusion upon annealing. The accuracy of this technique is verified through excellent agreement with cross sectional energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy measurements.
Exploring site-specific activation of bis-N,N'-dialkylaminophosphordiamidites and the synthesis of morpholinophosphoramidate oligonucleotides.

Morpholinos are six-membered rings that may provide higher conformational rigidity when incorporated into an oligonucleotide (ODN) backbone. Phosphorodiamidate morpholinos are chemically modified ODNs containing morpholinos in place of 2'-deoxyribose moieties throughout their backbone and have garnered much interest in recent years due to their ability to function as highly effective steric blockers in exon skipping therapy. To further explore the biophysical and biological properties of ODNs derived from morpholino nucleosides, we have replaced the 2'-deoxyribonucleotides of phosphodiester DNA with morpholinonucleotides to generate phosphoramidate ODNs. Here, we evaluate the mechanistic pathways observed during the solution-phase synthesis of morpholinonucleoside phosphoramidites, solid-phase synthesis of morpholinonucleotide phosphoramidates of mA, mG, mC and mT (prefix 'm' represents morpholino) and our first attempts directed at the solid-phase synthesis of chimeric DNA-phosphoramidate ODNs, as well as fully modified 22-mer phosphoramidate ODNs.
Di­phenyl (3,3‐di­phenoxy­cyclo­hexyl)­phospho­nate

The solid-state structure of the title compound, C30H29O5P, has been determined at 100 K. The generalized puckering coordinates, Q2 (0.587), φ2 (286.82°) and θ2 (178.9°), confirm that the cyclo­hexane ring is in the chair conformation 2C5. The phosphine ligand is equatorial to the ring, with the P atom in a slightly distorted tetrahedral configuration.
Coloniality and Latinx College Students’ Experiences

ABSTRACTColoniality refers to the patterns of power relations resulting from colonialism that shape racial and ethnic groups’ experiences in diverse ways. Although it is known that coloniality infl...
The international society for mild approaches in assisted reproduction (ISMAAR) definitions for mild stimulation and their rationale for assisted reproductive technologies

In order to increase the oocyte yield from a single in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle, controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) protocols were developed. Increased daily doses of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) products in conventional COS protocols brought concerns about their association with ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, multiple pregnancies due to the transfer of increased number of embryos to achieve pregnancy, increased embryonic aneuploidy, and inferior IVF outcomes. This leads to revisiting milder stimulation protocols for IVF. The International Society for Mild Approaches in Assisted Reproduction (ISMAAR) brought the definition for mild stimulation. Gentle approaches to IVF including natural cycle and mild and minimal stimulation protocols found acceptance especially in women with expected poor ovarian response, mostly due to diminished ovarian reserve and advanced reproductive age.
Tissue composition of Agave americana L. yields greater carbohydrates from enzymatic hydrolysis than advanced bioenergy crops.

Agave americana L. is a highly productive, drought-tolerant species being investigated as a feedstock for biofuel production. Some Agave spp. yield crop biomass in semi-arid conditions that are comparable to C3 and C4 crops grown in areas with high rainfall. This study evaluates the bioethanol yield potential of A. americana by (1) examining the relationship between water use efficiency (WUE) and plant carbohydrates, (2) quantifying the carbohydrate and energy content of the plant tissue, and (3) comparing the products of enzymatic hydrolysis to that of other candidate feedstocks (Miscanthus x giganteus Greef et Deuter, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, and Panicum virgatum L.). Results indicate that (1) WUE does not significantly affect soluble and insoluble (i.e., structural) carbohydrate composition per unit mass in A. americana; (2) without pretreatment, A. americana biomass had the lowest gross heat of combustion, or higher heating/calorific value, compared to high yielding C4 crops; and (3) after separation of soluble carbohydrates, A. americana cellulosic biomass was most easily hydrolyzed by enzymes with greater sugar yield per unit mass compared to the other biomass feedstocks. These results indicate that A. americana can produce substantial yields of soluble carbohydrates with minimal water inputs required for cultivation, and fiber portions of the crop can be readily deconstructed by cellulolytic enzymes for subsequent biochemical fermentation.
Magnetic impurities in Kondo insulators: An application to samarium hexaboride

Impurities and defects in Kondo insulators can have an unusual impact on dynamics that blends with effects of intrinsic electron correlations. Such crystal imperfections are difficult to avoid, and their consequences are incompletely understood. Here we study magnetic impurities in Kondo insulators via perturbation theory of the s-d Kondo impurity model adapted to small-band-gap insulators. The calculated magnetization and specific heat agree with recent thermodynamic measurements in samarium hexaboride (${\mathrm{SmB}}_{6}$). This qualitative agreement supports the physical picture of multichannel Kondo screening of local moments by electrons and holes involving both intrinsic and impurity bands. Specific heat is thermally activated in zero field by Kondo screening through subgap impurity bands and exhibits a characteristic upturn as the temperature is decreased. In contrast, magnetization obtains a dominant quantum correction from partial screening by virtual particle-hole pairs in intrinsic bands. We point out that magnetic impurities could impact de Haas--van Alphen quantum oscillations in ${\mathrm{SmB}}_{6}$, through the effects of Landau quantization in intrinsic bands on the Kondo screening of impurity moments.
Turbocharger Waste Gate Sensitivity Based Adaptive Control

Turbocharger technologies are more and more popular in the marketplace with the trend in engine downsizing, lower emissions, and faster vehicle response to driver inputs. These trends are bringing up many new challenges that need to be addressed in turbocharger hardware design, and control methods selection. The large number of existing noise factors related to air handling, combustion process and corresponding dynamic load variations, high levels of parameter variation with temperature and pressure changes being of concern. Hysteresis of the actuation system, piece to piece variation, and the associated dimensional elongations, are just some but not all challenging factors to be overcome for better turbocharger performance and robust control. Sensitivity Based Adaptive Control (SBAC) has been selected and investigated for control of turbocharger inner loop to provide performance in the presence of all noise factors and various environmental conditions. SBAC Real-Time OnLine implementation simplicity, minimal calibration effort, with smaller computational burden, confirmed expected performance results that are very encouraging.