cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Critical Look at a Critical Look - Reply to Sanchirico

This paper responds to claims made by Chris Sanchirico in his paper, A Critical Look at the Economic Argument for Taxing only Labor Income. His paper, in part, criticizes the claims we made in "The Superiority of an Ideal Consumption Tax Over an Ideal Income Tax, 58 Stan. L. Rev. 1413 (2006). We show that he makes at least three critical mistakes. First, he systematically confuses a Haig-Simons tax with tax systems that have small positive or negative taxes on capital. Arguments for taxes on capital are not the same as arguments for a Haig-Simons income tax. Second, he argues that our examples are erroneous. While we disagree with his claimed errors, Sanchirico, more importantly, confuses errors in the examples with errors in our arguments which are based on established public finance theorems. He agrees these theorems are correct, which is all that matters. Third, his most striking claim, that our arguments for a consumption tax equally support a tax solely on income from savings, is false. It only works when there is a single type of taxpayer and does not apply to the central case where taxpayers vary by ability. Once we correct these errors, Sanchirico’s only remaining claim is that the underlying public finance theorems have strong assumptions. We agree and spent a substantial portion of our prior paper examining those assumptions to see whether relaxing them restores support for an income tax. It does not. Sanchirico does not provide any arguments to the contrary.
Targeted disruption of the type 2 selenodeiodinase gene (DIO2) results in a phenotype of pituitary resistance to T4.

The type 2 deiodinase (D2), a selenoenzyme that catalyzes the conversion of T4 to T3 via 5′-deiodination, is expressed in the pituitary, brain, brown adipose tissue (BAT), and the reproductive tract. To examine the physiological role of this enzyme, a mouse strain lacking D2 activity was developed using homologous recombination. The targeting vector contained the Neo gene in place of a 2.6-kb segment of the Dio2 gene. This segment comprises 72% of the coding region and includes the TGA codon that codes for the selenocysteine located at the active site of the enzyme. Mice homologous for the targeted deletion [D2 knockout (D2KO)] had no gross phenotypic abnormalities, and development and reproductive function appeared normal, except for mild growth retardation (9%) in males. No D2 activity was observed in any tissue in D2KO mice under basal conditions, or under those that normally induce this enzyme such as cold-exposure (BAT) or hypothyroidism (brain, BAT, and pituitary gland). Furthermore, no D2 activity ...
Generic Performance Characterizations of Distributed Energy CHP Systems

This paper describes work underway to quantify the amount and quality of thermal resource that is potentially available from a given amount of electrical distributed generation with combined heat and power (CHP) capability. The method of analysis has been to generically characterize the operating parameters of the various components involved in a CHP system (e.g., prime mover, exhaust heat exchanger, absorption chiller) and to determine expected steady-state conditions based upon thermodynamic behavior of the system. The goal is to develop a means to quickly estimate the amount of thermal energy available (e.g., MJ/hr) and quality of the thermal stream (e.g., temperature) based upon a minimum number of required inputs regarding the CHP system elements. From this effort, CHP system configurations can be evaluated for their potential use in a given application. Thus far, gas turbines, ranging from 30 kW to 14 MW of electric output, have been evaluated as the prime mover. The model has been benchmarked using operations data from a 30-kW CHP system at the CHP Integration Laboratory at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The comparison to actual system operations and the on-going research activities in this area will also be discussed in the paper.
Quasi-Renewal Time-Delay Fault-Removal Consideration in Software Reliability Modeling

Software reliability growth models based on a nonhomogeneous Poisson process (NHPP) have been considered as one of the most effective among various models since they integrate the information regarding testing and debugging activities observed in the testing phase into the software reliability model. Although most of the existing NHPP models have progressed successfully in their estimation/prediction accuracies by modifying the assumptions with regard to the testing process, these models were developed based on the instantaneous fault-removal assumption. In this paper, we develop a generalized NHPP software reliability model considering quasi-renewal time-delay fault removal. The quasi-renewal process is employed to estimate the time delay due to identifying and prioritizing the detected faults before actual code change in the software reliability assessment. Model formulation based on the quasi-renewal time-delay assumption is provided, and the generalized mean value function (MVF) for the proposed model is derived by using the method of steps. The general solution of the MVFs for the proposed model is also obtained for some specific existing models. The numerical examples, based on a software failure data set, show that the consideration of quasi-renewal time-delay fault-removal assumption improves the descriptive properties of the model, which means that the length of time delay is getting decreased since testers and programmers adapt themselves to the working environment as testing and debugging activities are in progress.
Arylazido aminopropionyl atp (ANAPP3) antagonism of cat urinary bladder contractions.

1 ANAPP3 produces a transient contraction of the urinary bladder of the cat similar to that produced by ATP and hypogastric nerve stimulation. 2 ANAPP3 partially antagonizes the inhibition of pelvic nerve-evoked bladder contractions induced by adenosine, possibly by blocking P1 receptors. 3 ANAPP3 antagonizes contractions of the cat urinary bladder induced by ATP, β, γ-methylene ATP, pelvic nerve stimulation and hypogastric nerve stimulation. 4 ANAPP3 produces no antagonism of either noradrenaline-induced inhibition of pelvic nerve-evoked bladder contractions or acetylcholine-induced bladder contractions, thereby substantiating the specificity of the effect of ANAPP3 against purines.
Two classes of dosage compensation complex binding elements along Caenorhabditis elegans X chromosomes.

Dosage compensation equalizes X-linked gene products between the sexes. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the dosage compensation complex (DCC) binds both X chromosomes in XX animals and halves the transcription from each. The DCC is recruited to the X chromosomes by a number of loci, rex sites, and is thought to spread from these sites by an unknown mechanism to cover the rest of the chromosome. Here we describe a novel class of DCC-binding elements that we propose serve as “way stations” for DCC binding and spreading. Both rex sites and way stations comprise strong foci of DCC binding on the native X chromosome. However, rex sites maintain their ability to bind large amounts of DCC even on X duplications detached from the native X, while way stations do not. These results suggest that two distinct classes of DCC-binding elements facilitate recruitment and spreading of the DCC along the X chromosome.
Child bed net use before, during, and after a bed net distribution campaign in Bo, Sierra Leone

Background This analysis examined how the proportion of children less than 5-years-old who slept under a bed net the previous night changed during and after a national long-lasting insecticidal net (LLIN) distribution campaign in Sierra Leone in November–December 2010.
Classification and Prognosis in Retinitis Pigmentosa

A series of consecutive patients with retinitis pigmentosa was reviewed. Roughly 2096 of the cases were distinguished by relatively strong ERG signals (scotopic b-wave >100 μV, flicker b-wave implicit time ≤ 32 msec) and relatively mild symptoms. These cases, which may be described as having ‘delimited retinitis pigmentosa,’ have a better-than-average visual prognosis. Similarities between delimited and sectorial retinitis pigmentosa are pointed out: both represent mild disease whose recognition has important implications for the patient. Among conventional cases, visual loss may commence at any age, and once it begins will typically progress from 20/40 to 20/200 in about 6 years. Intermediate levels of acuity appear to be unstable. By age 50, roughly 25% of retinitis pigmentosa patients retain good acuity, but more than 5096 have acuity of 20/200 or worse.
A Burden of Rare Variants Associated with Extremes of Gene Expression in Human Peripheral Blood

In order to evaluate whether rare regulatory variants in the vicinity of promoters are likely to impact gene expression, we conducted a novel burden test for enrichment of rare variants at the extremes of expression. After sequencing 2-kb promoter regions of 472 genes in 410 healthy adults, we performed a quadratic regression of rare variant count on bins of peripheral blood transcript abundance from microarrays, summing over ranks of all genes. After adjusting for common eQTLs and the major axes of gene expression covariance, a highly significant excess of variants with minor allele frequency less than 0.05 at both high and low extremes across individuals was observed. Further enrichment was seen in sites annotated as potentially regulatory by RegulomeDB, but a deficit of effects was associated with known metabolic disease genes. The main result replicates in an independent sample of 75 individuals with RNA-seq and whole-genome sequence information. Three of four predicted large-effect sites were validated by CRISPR/Cas9 knockdown in K562 cells, but simulations indicate that effect sizes need not be unusually large to produce the observed burden. Unusually divergent low-frequency promoter haplotypes were observed at 31 loci, at least 9 of which appear to be derived from Neandertal admixture, but these were not associated with divergent gene expression in blood. The overall burden test results are consistent with rare and private regulatory variants driving high or low transcription at specific loci, potentially contributing to disease.
Potential land competition between open-pond microalgae production and terrestrial dedicated feedstock supply systems in the U.S.

To date, feedstock resource assessments have evaluated cellulosic and algal feedstocks independently, without consideration of demands for, and resource allocation to, each other. We assess potential land competition between algal and terrestrial feedstocks in the United States, and evaluate a scenario in which 41.5 × 109 L yr−1 of second-generation biofuels are produced on pastureland, the most likely land base where both feedstock types may be deployed. Under this scenario, open-pond microalgae production is projected to use 1.2 × 106 ha of private pastureland, while terrestrial biomass feedstocks would use 14.0 × 106 ha of private pastureland. A spatial meta-analysis indicates that potential competition for land under this scenario would be concentrated in 110 counties, containing 1.0 and 1.7 × 106 ha of algal and terrestrial dedicated feedstock production, respectively. A land competition index applied to these 110 counties suggests that 38 to 59 counties could experience competition for upwards of 40% of a county's pastureland, representing 2%–5% of total pastureland in the U.S.; therefore suggesting little overall competition between algae production, terrestrial energy feedstocks and alternative uses for existing agricultural production such as livestock grazing.
Monte Carlo Simulations of Solute-Atom Segregation at [001] Symmetrical Twist Boundaries in the Ni-Pi System

Atomistic Monte Carlo simulations utilizing many-body embedded atom method (EAM) potentials have been carried out for a series of symmetrical [001] twist boundaries in Pt-3 at.% Ni and Ni-3 at.% Pt alloy bicrystals at 850 K throughout the misorientation range 0° to 45°. The results demonstrate enhancement of the solute-atom concentration at twist boundaries for both alloys; the interfacial Gibbsian excess is a factor of two greater on the Ni-rich side of the phase diagram. The spatial distributions of solute atoms in the vicinity of the interfaces are found to be markedly different on the two sides of the Ni-Pt phase diagram. For low-angle boundaries on the Pt-rich side solute atoms tend to segregate in hourglass-like regions along the cores of the primary grain boundary screw dislocations, while in the case of Ni-3 at.% Pt they occupy bipyramidal regions centered on the cells of the dislocation grid. The former behavior explains the oscillatory solute-atom concentration profiles nomnal to the plane of an intetface.
Investigating Technology-Enhanced Teacher Professional Development in Rural, High-Poverty Middle Schools.

This 3-year, mixed-methods study investigated the effects of teacher technology-enhanced professional development (TPD) on 20 teachers’ beliefs and practices. Teachers in two middle schools located in neighboring rural, high-poverty districts in the southeastern United States participated in reform-based lessons and learned how to integrate technologies into their teaching over three summers and throughout the school year. Mathematics and science assessment scores for 2,321 students both with and without TPD teachers were analyzed over the 3 years of teacher TPD. Teachers’ reform-based teaching beliefs and their comfort using new technologies increased significantly, and all of the teachers integrated the use of technologies into their instruction. Although some TPD teachers used technology in ways that transformed their roles and classroom practices, the majority of the teachers adopted technology in ways that improved efficiency and effectiveness. African American students who had more TPD teachers over...
Attitudes toward breast-feeding among Mexican-American women.

The purpose of this study was to document attitudes and beliefs pertinent to breastfeeding prevalent in the Mexican-American culture. The relationship of attitude and knowledge to intention to breastfeed in this population as well as various demographic variables as possible predictors of attitude knowledge and intention were examined. Respondents were 31 Mexican-American women approached on a random basis while waiting for regularly scheduled prenatal visits at a university affiliated community based family medicine clinic located in a primarily Spanish speaking Southern California neighborhood. Criteria for inclusion were: 1) primarily Spanish speaking 2) in either 1st 2nd or 3rd trimester of diagnosed pregnancy 3) no known physical or psychological complicating conditions. A mixed closed and open ended oral interview consisting of demographic information prior education about breastfeeding current breastfeeding plans (and reason for the decision) prior breastfeeding history attitude toward breastfeeding knowledge of breastfeeding and work related influences was scheduled. The study provided some evidence for the conclusion that while attitude and knowledge are closely related attitude is the significant predictor of intention to breastfeed. Similarly the study provides supporting evidence for the contributory importance of past experience and opinion of significant others (particularly the spouse) in determining intentionality. Cultural factors also influence mothers opinions. The scope of the study did not allow for follow through to assess the relationship between intentionality and actual practice of breastfeeding. Future research should be directed toward examining the factors which intervene to change the infant feeding practices among those who initially intend to breast feed.
A STUDY ON MATHEMATICAL MODEL AND CALCULATION METHODS OF WATER FLOODING PIPELINE SYSTEM

An oilfield water flooding pipeline network is a large-scale fluid network system.Conventional model calculation method consumes plentiful time and has seriously hindered the development of simulation and optimization of oilfield water flooding system.On the basis of analysis,an improved iteration method is given,which reduces the amount of calculation work from n 2 to n.The calculating result indicates that in the premise that the calculating accuracy is met,the model calculating time is reduced obviously.The technology has been used in oilfield flooding system and received satisfactory result.
Binding of Daptomycin to Anionic Lipid Vesicles Is Reduced in the Presence of Lysyl-Phosphatidylglycerol

The cytoplasmic membrane of Staphylococcus aureus contains ∼20 mol% of the net cationic lipid lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol (LPG). Elevated fractions of LPG are associated with increased resistance to cationic antibiotics, including the lipopeptide daptomycin (DAP). Although the surface charge of the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane is altered by LPG, surface binding of DAP was found to be only moderately affected in anionic vesicles containing 20 mol% LPG. These results suggest that charge repulsion cannot fully explain LPG-mediated resistance to cationic peptides.
Mechanism of Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2 by Re(bpy)(CO)3Cl from Differences in Carbon Isotope Discrimination

The rhenium complex Re(bpy)(CO)3Cl (1, bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine) catalyzes CO2 reduction to CO in mixtures containing triethanolamine (TEOA) as a sacrificial reductant. The mechanism of this reaction under photocatalytic conditions remains to be fully characterized. Here, we report the competitive carbon kinetic isotope effects (13C KIEs) on photocatalytic CO2 reduction by 1 and analyze the results of experimental measurements by comparing with computed KIEs via density functional theory (DFT) calculations as a means of formulating a chemical mechanism and illustrating the utility of this approach. The 13C KIEs, k(12C)/k(13C), in acetonitrile (ACN) and dimethylformamide (DMF) were determined to be 1.0718 ± 0.0036 and 1.0685 ± 0.0075, respectively. When [Ru(bpy)3]Cl2 is added to the reaction mixture in acetonitrile as a photosensitizer, the reduction of CO2 exhibited a 13C KIE = 1.0703 ± 0.0043. These values are consistent with the calculated isotope effect of CO2 binding to the one-electron reduced [ReI(bpy•...
Electronic properties of chemically produced silver clusters: grain morphology studies

AbstractThe electronic properties of silver clusters formed on the surface of reduction- sensitized octahedral and cubic AgBr emulsions were studied. Prior to sensitization with dimethylamineborane, SnCl2 or high pH, these emulsions had the same efficiency. The results suggest that the octahedral emulsion has more potential to achieve a higher maximum speed increase. This difference may be due to fewer available sites for silver cluster formation on cubic surfaces. Gelatin concentration studies showed that the gelatin and/or impurities do play a role in silver cluster formation by high pH treatment. The precise role of OH− is uncertain.
MO-FG-CAMPUS-JeP3-01: A Statistical Model for Analyzing the Rotational Error of Single Iso-Center Technique

Purpose: To develop a generalized statistical model that incorporates the treatment uncertainty from the rotational error of single iso-center technique, and calculate the additional PTV (planning target volume) margin required to compensate for this error. Methods: The random vectors for setup and additional rotation errors in the three-dimensional (3D) patient coordinate system were assumed to follow the 3D independent normal distribution with zero mean, and standard deviations σx, σy, σz, for setup error and a uniform σR for rotational error. Both random vectors were summed, normalized and transformed to the spherical coordinates to derive the chi distribution with 3 degrees of freedom for the radical distance ρ. PTV margin was determined using the critical value of this distribution for 0.05 significant level so that 95% of the time the treatment target would be covered by ρ. The additional PTV margin required to compensate for the rotational error was calculated as a function of σx, σy, σz and σR. Results: The effect of the rotational error is more pronounced for treatments that requires high accuracy/precision like stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) or stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). With a uniform 2mm PTV margin (or σx =σy=σz=0.7mm), a σR=0.32mm will decrease the PTV coverage from 95% to 90% of the time, or an additional 0.2mm PTV margin is needed to prevent this loss of coverage. If we choose 0.2 mm as the threshold, any σR>0.3mm will lead to an additional PTV margin that cannot be ignored, and the maximal σR that can be ignored is 0.0064 rad (or 0.37°) for iso-to-target distance=5cm, or 0.0032 rad (or 0.18°) for iso-to-target distance=10cm. Conclusions: The rotational error cannot be ignored for high-accuracy/-precision treatments like SRS/SBRT, particularly when the distance between the iso-center and target is large.
Media and The City

In Media and The City: Cosmopolitanism and Difference, Myria Georgiou offers an empirically rich and theoretically sophisticated examination of the interdependent and co-constitutive relationship b...
Vico’s Early Writings, 1709–28

Most writers on Vico have concentrated their efforts on his important final work, La scienza nuova, to the exclusion of his earlier writings; yet, within these works — which include an autobiography, orations, an unfinished book on the wisdom of the ancient Italians, a book on law, and the first two editions of La scienza nuova itself — Vico addressed the fundamental issues of imagination and history. Many crucial insights regarding these and other issues raised there do not reappear in his later works. Consequently a fully-rounded understanding of Vico’s thought is not possible without consulting the 1699–1730 works. The autobiography gives the most detailed description we have of Vico’s life and intellectual development. De nostri studiorum ratione and De antiquissima sapientia italorum are much undervalued as sources of Vico’s growing preoccupation with imagination in particular, and it is in Il diritto universale and the first two editions of La scienza nuova that Vico expressed his ideas on social groups and human history in the most sophisticated form. Thus this chapter is designed to- introduce these important works, which will form an integral part of the analysis of Vico’s thought in later chapters.
Down-regulation of KORRIGAN-like endo-β-1,4-glucanase genes impacts carbon partitioning, mycorrhizal colonization and biomass production in Populus

A greater understanding of the genetic regulation of plant cell wall remodeling and the impact of modified cell walls on plant performance is important for the development of sustainable biofuel crops. Here, we studied the impact of down-regulating KORRIGAN-like cell wall biosynthesis genes, belonging to the endo-β-1,4-glucanase gene family, on Populus growth, metabolism and the ability to interact with symbiotic microbes. The reductions in cellulose content and lignin syringyl-to-guaiacyl unit ratio, and increase in cellulose crystallinity of cell walls of PdKOR RNAi plants corroborated the functional role of PdKOR in cell wall biosynthesis. Altered metabolism and reduced growth characteristics of RNAi plants revealed new implications on carbon allocation and partitioning. The distinctive metabolome phenotype comprised of a higher phenolic and salicylic acid content, and reduced lignin, shikimic acid and maleic acid content relative to control. Plant sustainability implications of modified cell walls on beneficial plant-microbe interactions were explored via co-culture with an ectomycorrhizal fungus, Laccaria bicolor. A significant increase in the mycorrhization rate was observed in transgenic plants, leading to measurable beneficial growth effects. These findings present new evidence for functional interconnectedness of cellulose biosynthesis pathway, metabolism and mycorrhizal association in plants, and further emphasize the consideration of the sustainability implications of plant trait improvement efforts.
A computational fluid dynamics modeling study of guide walls for downstream fish passage

A partial-depth, impermeable guidance structure (or guide wall) for downstream fish passage is typically constructed as a series of panels attached to a floating boom and anchored across a water body (e.g. river channel, reservoir, or power canal). The downstream terminus of the wall is generally located nearby to a fish bypass structure. If guidance is successful, the fish will avoid entrainment in a dangerous intake structure (i.e. turbine intakes) while passing from the headpond to the tailwater of a hydroelectric facility through a safer passage route (i.e. the bypass). The goal of this study is to determine the combination of guide wall design parameters that will most likely increase the chance of surface-oriented fish being successfully guided to the bypass. To evaluate the flow field immediately upstream of a guide wall, a parameterized computational fluid dynamics model of an idealized power canal was constructed in © ANSYS Fluent v 14.5 (ANSYS Inc., 2012). The design parameters investigated were the angle and depth of the guide wall and the average approach velocity in the power canal. Results call attention to the importance of the downward to sweeping flow ratio and demonstrate how a change in guide wall depth and angle can affect this important hydraulic cue to out-migrating fish. The key findings indicate that a guide wall set at a small angle (15° is the minimum in this study) and deep enough such that sweeping flow dominant conditions prevail within the expected vertical distribution of fish approaching the structure will produce hydraulic conditions that are more likely to result in effective passage.
Tensile strength of warm and cool season forage grasses in Florida

The tensile strength (TS) of four warm-season and three cool-season forage grasses was measured with an Instron Universal machine, along with cell-wall analysis and determination of in vitro dry matter digestibility. The mean TS of the warm-season grasses was significantly higher than that of the cool season grasses (22 vs. 9 kg, respectively, P < 0.05). The concentrations of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) were significantly greater in the warm- than in the cool-season grasses (P < 0.05), whereas ash concentration was greater in the cool-season grasses. Among the warm-season grasses that were studied, elephant grass had the highest and bermuda grass had the lowest TS (34.4 and 14.9 kg, respectively, P < 0.05); Among the cool-season grasses triticale had greater TS than wheat and oats (12.6 vs. 6.8 and 7.5 kg, respectively, P < 0.05). Tensile strength was significantly correlated with NDF, ADF and ADL, and negatively correlated with in vitro organic matter digestibility (correlation coefficients were 0.64, 0.73. 0.41 and -0.64, respectively). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Pharmaceutical Risk Assessment and Predictive Enrichment to Maximize Benefit and Minimize Risk: Issues in Product Life Cycle Evaluation

Use of pharmaceutical products provides many benefits to patients but there is also a need to assess the risks associated with the benefits afforded by these exposures. This paper focuses on FDA’s response to a variety of safety issues in the pharmaceutical arena that have received broad public attention in the last few years and on the extremely important role that statistics is playing and will play in shaping the nation's future systematic approach to addressing the many facets of medical product quantitative risk assessment and management. The emphasis will be on the life cycle evaluation of risk which includes the pre-market assessment of risk and the post-market or post-approval period of medical products as they are used by populations of all ages and ethnicities, alone and in combination, for short and for very long periods of time. Additionally, with the advent of the genomic revolution, the interest in personalized medicine and the search for predictive biomarkers to aid patient selection and treatment strategies has opened up many methodological challenges for new prediction strategies. Clinical trial study designs to evaluate targeted therapy and to enrich study populations are a major focus of this area. This paper touches on these areas from the perspective of pharmaceutical development and evaluation.
The Stress Function And Photo-Elasticity Applied to Dams

The object of Part I of this paper is to familiarize engineers with the use of the Airy stress function for the solution of problems in plane stress and plane strain when ordinary engineering metho...
Experimental Investigation of Droplet Impact on Metal Surfaces in Reduced Ambient Pressure

Abstract Impacting water droplets are capable of eroding steam turbine blades, high speed aircraft and even serve as a machining operation. In this latter process, high velocity (∼100m/s) water droplets impact a solid surface under conditions in which the ambient air pressure is sub-atmospheric. The physics of this erosion mechanism is not completely understood. To begin to unravel these physics, we present results pertaining to the effects of ambient air pressure on the impact force of low velocity (1m/s) droplets. It is well known that droplet splash is suppressed when the ambient air pressure is reduced. The effects on the associated impact force are, however, unknown. In this article we examine the impact force of 3.5 mm diameter, low velocity droplets in a reduced pressure environment. A 38x38x50 cm vacuum chamber fitted with a unidirectional piezoelectric force sensor to measure the transient force of impacting droplets. Preliminary results in atmospheric air pressure reveal that the impulse of the droplets depends linearly on impact velocity while the average impact force depends quadratically on impact velocity. The results under reduced pressures are compared and discussed relative to the underlying physics.
Toward robust, whole-hand caging manipulation with underactuated hands

Human in-hand dexterity can be highly fluid and unstructured, but in contrast, prevailing research in robotic manipulation has focused on highly structured, well-controlled motions where contact points are carefully characterized. Maintaining grasp stability through traditional closure conditions during complex within-hand manipulation motions can be difficult, even with highly-articulated end-effectors. However, simple grippers can still achieve an effective range of in-hand manipulation tasks without strict closure conditions, as long as the object can be bounded locally relative to the hand frame. The end-effector can be utilized as a tool to limit the range of possible object poses. We show that the hand-object system's configuration space can be sampled to find a set of manipulation primitives that can reliably constrain the object inside the hand workspace even without feedback, a strategy proposed as whole-hand caging manipulation. Experimental results with a planar (gravity into the page), two-finger underactuated gripper (Yale OpenHand) are presented to validate this manipulation strategy, and it is shown that even though contacts are regularly broken and reformed, the object can be repeatability manipulated within the hand workspace without ejection, enabling challenging behaviors such as sliding and gaiting.
Insecticide Use and Breast Cancer Risk among Farmers' Wives in the Agricultural Health Study.

Background: Some epidemiologic and laboratory studies suggest that insecticides are related to increased breast cancer risk, but the evidence is inconsistent. Women engaged in agricultural work or ...
Amor and Social Stigma: ASD Beliefs Among Immigrant Mexican Parents

This study examined cultural beliefs about ASD and its causes among Mexican-heritage families. In focus group interviews, we asked 25 immigrant parents of children with ASD to identify words they associated with ASD and its causes. Participants free-listed, ranked, and justified their responses. Mixed methods analyses utilized saliency scores to calculate responses. Deductive interview analyses justified participants' responses. Salient responses for ASD perceptions included specific characteristics about the child (e.g., loving) and perceptions about lack of resources. Salient responses for ASD causes were vaccines, genetics, and a combination of genetics and environment. Inductive analyses revealed distinct beliefs about social stigma, child characteristics, factors supporting development, and parents' emotional stress. Interpretations linked these beliefs to promising adaptations in diagnosis and treatment.
Improved fluorescence yields through selective photooxidation of conjugated polymer chromophores

The conjugated polymer MEH-PPV consists of two basic types of chromophores that we characterize as “isolated” and “aggregated.” Because the aggregated chromophores have lower emissive yields but are favored by energy migration, we show that preferential bleaching of the aggregated chromophores can result in substantially improved fluorescence quantum yield. We study a wide variety of sample types including solutions, dilute films, neat films, and core-shell particles and show that the degree to which luminescence improvements are possible depends on the organization of the chromophores.
Adjusting The Margins: Building Bridges Between Deaf and Hearing Cultures Through Performance Arts

Winner of the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) 2007 Innovative ETD Award. The Innovative ETD Award recognizes a student’s effort to transform print dissertation through the use of innovative software to create cutting edge ETDs. Luane Ruth Davis Haggerty’s use of video/QuickTime movies are included in the electronic document and were considered part of the innovation of the work.
The Failure of Structural Metals Subjected to Strain-Cycling Conditions

Data showing the isothermal strain-cycling capacity of three metals, inconel, Hastelloy "B," and beryllium, are presented. It is noted that at frequencies of 0.5 cycles per minute the data satisfied am equation of the form N/ sup alpha / epsilon /sub p/ = K, where N is the number of cycles to failure, epsilon /sub p/ is the plastic strain per cycle, and alpha and K are constants whose values depend on the structure and test conditions. Data on Ihconel are given to establish the effect of grain size, specimen geometry, temperature, and frequency. It is found that at temperatures above 1300 F, grain sine amd frequency exert a pronounced effect on the rupture life. Fine-gralned metal survives more cycles before failure than coarsegrained material. Lomg time cycles shorten the number of cycles to failure when the strain per cycle is low. Thermal strain cycling dain for ihconel are compared to strain cycling data at the same mean temperature. Good correlation is found to exist between the two types of data. (auth)
Protein Intake for Optimal Sports Performance

Abstract Appropriate nutritional support is important in optimizing sports performance. Adequate protein intake among athletes is imperative, given protein's various roles in supporting physical performance and recovery. The current protein recommendations for athletes are estimated to be ~1.2–2.0 g/kg body weight per day and this estimated value is higher than what is recommended for the general public. This is primarily due to the fact that protein ingestion influences physiological factors that determine physical performance such as muscle remodeling, glycogen resynthesis in certain circumstances, energy production, and maintenance of nonmuscle structural tissues. Aside from ensuring adequacy of protein intake among athletes, other factors such as quality, type, and timing are also important consideration for athletes.
Comparative life cycle analysis for value recovery of precious metals and rare earth elements from electronic waste

There is an ever-increasing concern regarding electronic waste (e-waste), which is the fastest growing waste stream in the world. E-waste contains highly toxic materials such as halogenated flame retardants and heavy metals, as well as precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum. Its proper management and disposition are paramount. Incentivized by various legislations and the intrinsic value of critical metals inside, recycling of e-waste is becoming an attractive business opportunity that also benefits the environment. A novel electrochemical recovery (ER) process has been developed as a promising alternative to the existing pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processes-based technologies to recover base metals, precious metals, and rare earth elements (REEs) from e-waste. Experimental results indicate that the ER process has lower chemical consumption, enhanced control, and reduced energy demand compared to the pyrometallurgical and the hydrometallurgical processes. To quantify and compare the environmental performances of the three technologies, life cycle analysis has been conducted. The baseline comparison used $1000 revenue from the e-waste recovery as a functional unit. Results show that the ER process outperforms the other two processes in almost all impact categories adopted in TRACI and ILCD while there is no clear winner between the hydrometallurgical and the pyrometallurgical processes. The life cycle analysis helped identify the significant inputs for different processes. The highest impactful input for the ER method is hydrochloric acid, and for the pyrometallurgical method is copper scrap, while for the hydrometallurgical method, it is hydrogen peroxide, an oxidizer that accelerates base metal extraction process that dominates the overall environmental footprint. Other than the baseline case, the environmental impacts of recovering REE from e-waste with different processes and from other method were studied. The results indicate REE recovered from e-waste has a lower environmental footprint than virgin extraction. Overall, the ER process has the lowest impacts on the environmental side among the three e-waste treatment processes. The environmental viability of the ER process warrants the further development of the ER process at industrial scale.
Abstract 1387: Tracking minimal residual disease in post-operative cell-free DNA using MSK-ACCESS

A noted clinical application for liquid biopsy is as a non-invasive method of detecting and monitoring of minimal residual disease (MRD) in patients with cancer. The low concentration of circulating tumor DNA in blood, especially in early stage cancers, however, complicates the detection of tumor-derived cell-free DNA. To address this challenge, we have developed MSK-ACCESS (Analysis of Circulating cfDNA to Examine Somatic Status), a custom NGS assay covering selected exons from 129 cancer related genes for high-sensitivity detection of somatic mutations from plasma. Using ultra-high depth sequencing, with duplex unique molecular indexing (UMI), unique dual sample barcodes, and background error suppression, MSK-ACCESS is able to detect low-frequency (0.1%) variants with high confidence. The design of MSK-ACCESS leverages our dataset of more than 30,000 tumors profiled by our institutional tumor sequencing assay, MSK-IMPACT, ensuring that the majority of patients harbor multiple mutations that can be tracked in plasma. We have validated MSK-ACCESS using plasma samples collected from 40 healthy individuals and 70 cancer patients harboring a range of somatic mutations in 11 genes. Greater than 95% of mutations at allele fractions >0.1% were empirically detected, and we established the performance characteristics of the assay through intra- and inter-assay reproducibility tests and dilution experiments. We have initiated clinical trials in multiple tumor types to evaluate the benefit of early therapeutic intervention in patients where MSK-ACCESS can detect circulating tumor DNA following surgery. Tumor mutations revealed by MSK-IMPACT in surgically resected specimens will be monitored at regular intervals as evidence of MRD. As a proof of concept, we have applied MSK-ACCESS to monitor variants known from tissue tumor sequencing in pre- and post-surgical cfDNA samples from 9 colon adenocarcinoma patients. All samples were sequenced to an average total depth of approximately 20,000X coverage and subsequently collapsed to consensus sequences exhibiting an average noise level less than 0.0006%. Circulating tumor DNA was detected in 66%(6/9) of the pre-surgical samples. Of these samples, ctDNA was also detected in 50% (3/6) of the post-surgical samples. Overall, this study shows that MSK-ACCESS can be used to successfully detect MRD. Citation Format: Maysun M. Hasan, Juber Patel, Ian Johnson, Fanli Meng, Grittney K. Tam, Xiaohong Jing, Julie L. Yang, A. Rose Brannon, Jayakumaran Gowtham, Dennis P. Stephens, Monica Diosdado, Ryma Benayed, Ahmet Zehir, Chin-Tung Chen, Martin R. Weiser, Dana Tsui, Brian Houck-Loomis, Michael Berger. Tracking minimal residual disease in post-operative cell-free DNA using MSK-ACCESS [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1387.
Revisiting Alkali Metals As a Tool to Characterize Patterns of Mosquito Dispersal and Oviposition

Mark-recapture methods constitute a set of classical ecological tools that are used to collect information on species dispersal and population size. These methods have advanced knowledge in disparate scientific fields, from conservation biology to pest control. Gathering information on the dispersal of mosquito species, such as Aedes aegypti, has become critical since the recognition of their role as vectors of pathogens. Here, we evaluate a method to mark mosquitoes that exploits the rare alkali metals rubidium (Rb) and caesium (Cs), which have been used previously to mark adult insects through feeding. We revised this method by adding Rb and Cs directly to water in which the immature stages of Ae. aegypti were allowed to develop. We then assessed the effect of Rb- and Cs-enriched water on fitness, survival and bioaccumulation in both adult females and their eggs. Results indicated that Cs had adverse effects on Ae. aegypti, even at low concentrations, whereas Rb at low concentrations had no measured effects on exposed individuals and accumulated at detectable levels in adult females. The method described here relies on passive uptake of Rb during immature stages, which has the benefit of avoiding handling or manipulation of the dispersive adults, which enables purer measurement of movement. Moreover, we demonstrated that Rb was transferred efficiently from the marked females to their eggs. To our knowledge, Rb is the only marker used for mosquitoes that has been shown to transfer vertically from females to eggs. The application of Rb rather than more traditional markers may therefore increase the quality (no impact on released individuals) and quantity (both adults and eggs are marked) of data collected during MR studies. The method we propose here can be used in combination with other markers, such as stable isotopes, in order to maximize the information collected during MR experiments.
Plasmonic Nanocavities for High-Responsivity and Broadband Terahertz Detection

We present a high-responsivity and broadband photoconductive terahertz detector based on a plasmonic nanocavity, which enables high quantum efficiency and ultrafast operation without using short-carrier-lifetime substrates. We experimentally demonstrate that a terahertz time-domain spectroscopy setup employing the presented detector can offer 102 dB dynamic range over 0.1-4.5 THz.
Effects of pore morphology and pore edge termination on the mechanical behavior of graphene nanomeshes

We report results of a systematic computational study on the mechanical response of graphene nanomeshes (GNMs) to uniaxial tensile straining based on molecular-dynamics simulations of dynamic deformation tests according to a reliable bond-order interatomic potential. We examine the effects on the GNM mechanical behavior under straining along different directions of the nanomesh pore morphology and pore edge passivation by testing GNMs with elliptical pores of various aspect ratios and different extents of edge passivation through termination with H atoms of under-coordinated edge C atoms. We establish the dependences of the ultimate tensile strength, fracture strain, and toughness of the GNMs on the nanomesh porosity, derive scaling laws for GNM strength-density relations, and find the GNMs' mechanical response to uniaxial straining to be anisotropic for pore morphologies deviating from circular pores. We also find that the GNM tensile strength decays exponentially with increasing GNM porosity and that pore edge termination with H atoms causes a reduction in the GNMs' elastic stiffening, strength, deformability, and toughness; this hydrogen embrittlement effect is more pronounced at a high level of pore edge passivation that renders the edge C atoms sp3-hybridized. The underlying mechanisms of crack initiation and propagation and nanomesh failure for the various types of GNMs examined also are characterized in atomistic detail. Overall, even highly porous GNMs remain particularly strong and deformable and, therefore, constitute very promising 2D mechanical metamaterials.We report results of a systematic computational study on the mechanical response of graphene nanomeshes (GNMs) to uniaxial tensile straining based on molecular-dynamics simulations of dynamic deformation tests according to a reliable bond-order interatomic potential. We examine the effects on the GNM mechanical behavior under straining along different directions of the nanomesh pore morphology and pore edge passivation by testing GNMs with elliptical pores of various aspect ratios and different extents of edge passivation through termination with H atoms of under-coordinated edge C atoms. We establish the dependences of the ultimate tensile strength, fracture strain, and toughness of the GNMs on the nanomesh porosity, derive scaling laws for GNM strength-density relations, and find the GNMs' mechanical response to uniaxial straining to be anisotropic for pore morphologies deviating from circular pores. We also find that the GNM tensile strength decays exponentially with increasing GNM porosity and that po...
FLIVVER: Fly Lobula Inspired Visual Velocity Estimation & Ranging.

The mechanism by which a tiny insect or insect-sized robot could estimate its absolute velocity and distance to nearby objects remains unknown. However, this ability is critical for behaviors that require estimating wind direction during flight, such as odor-plume tracking. Neuroscience and behavior studies with insects have shown that they rely on the perception of image motion, or optic flow, to estimate relative motion, equivalent to a ratio of their velocity and distance to objects in the world. The key open challenge is therefore to decouple these two states from a single measurement of their ratio. Although modern SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) methods provide a solution to this problem for robotic systems, these methods typically rely on computations that insects likely cannot perform, such as simultaneously tracking multiple individual visual features, remembering a 3D map of the world, and solving nonlinear optimization problems using iterative algorithms. Here we present a novel algorithm, FLIVVER, which combines the geometry of dynamic forward motion with inspiration from insect visual processing to \textit{directly} estimate absolute ground velocity from a combination of optic flow and acceleration information. Our algorithm provides a clear hypothesis for how insects might estimate absolute velocity, and also provides a theoretical framework for designing fast analog circuitry for efficient state estimation, which could be applied to insect-sized robots.