cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transformer performance assessment

In today's deregulated electricity industry, transformers constitute a significant asset for utilities. Asset owners are continually being asked to do more with less. To achieve this monumental task, utility managers need detailed information about the current capability of the transformer, based on its condition (aging and health). Transformer performance assessment (TPA) combines online and offline monitoring to create a total service for both old and new transformers and provides the best possible information about their operation and maintenance needs.
Palestinian Suicide Terrorism in the Second Intifada: Motivations and Organizational Aspects

Suicide terrorism has developed into a widely used tactic, and arguably one of the major strategic threats facing some countries. This article explores various issues related to Palestinian suicide terrorism by presenting a two-phase model to explain the processes and factors underlying the development of Palestinian suicide bombers, and the execution of suicide bombing attacks. The model is applied to the case of suicide attacks that have occurred in the course of the first 21 months of the Second Intifada, from September 2000 to June 2002. The assumptions of the model are tested by taking an in-depth look into the various motives leading individual Palestinians to volunteer for suicide missions, and by discussing the activities and major functions of the organizations that have employed this modus operandi in the specified time frame. It will be concluded that while a counter-terrorism strategy aimed at targeting terrorist organizations may offer short-term gains, in the long run Israel will need to ide...
The acute effects of radiofrequency energy in articular cartilage: an in vitro study.

Summary: The purpose of this investigation was to determine the acute effect of radiofrequency (RF) energy on articular cartilage. Six fresh human articular cartilage specimens were obtained from patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty for unicompartmental osteoarthritis. A jig was used as the RF-energy was delivered to 2 designated treatment areas. These areas included a normal and a diseased area of articular cartilage tested at 3 voltage settings (kilohertz per voltage root mean square), 133 to 147 (setting 2), 161 to 179 (setting 4), and 190 to 210 (setting 6) for 3 seconds. The designated testing areas were marked with tissue dye and processed using standard histological techniques. A scalloped concave excavation with a smooth surface remains at each treatment site. The chondrocytes are viable at the RF-treated sites without alterations in nuclear cytoplasmic nor lacunae structure when compared with collateral untreated areas. In conclusion, chondrocytes remain viable, no collagen abnormalities are detected, and diseased areas are smoothed without further evidence of fibrillation. RF-energy appears to be safe for use on articular cartilage. Key Words: Radiofrequency energy—Articular cartilage—Cartilage repair.
Extension of the Rees basis function technique to simulate nonstationary transport

Shrinking device geometries have caused considerable interest in accurately modeling nonstationary transport in semiconductors using computationally efficient techniques. In this paper we describe an extension to a basis function technique first proposed by Rees (1973), to model nonstationary effects of electron transport in semiconductors. While the central focus of this paper is to demonstrate and analyze a novel technique to compute a good basis set (based on the "local-effect" and "flux" operations first described by Rees), the Rees technique itself is described in some detail here to serve as the foundation for subsequent arguments. Basis functions computed in this way are not restricted for use in the Rees technique alone-they are also useful in any approach that solves the semi-classical Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) spectrally. However, use of such functions in the Rees spectral technique allows the minimum simulation time-step of the precomputed "transport matrices" to be significantly reduced. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate this improvement in a limited field range. >
The determinants of the speed of convergence: the case of India

A large number of studies have tested whether per capita incomes are converging, either conditionally or unconditionally, across countries or across regions within countries. However, none of them has investigated the determinants of the speed of convergence when this speed can vary across economies. This study investigates the determinants of the speed of convergence across states within India. The results are inconsistent in several ways with the predictions of the Solow-Swan model. The Ramsey-Cass-Koopmans model fares better, but there are still some important inconsistencies.
Modulation by aspirin of nuclear phospho–signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 expression: Possible role in therapeutic benefit associated with aspirin desensitization

Background Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease is characterized by asthma, nasal polyps, and intolerance to aspirin with overexpression of leukotriene (LT) C 4 synthase and cysteinyl leukotriene receptors. Through an unknown mechanism, aspirin desensitization is an effective treatment. Objective We hypothesized that aspirin desensitization blocks IL-4–induced expression of these LT activities through inhibition of signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6)–mediated transcription. Methods Nuclear extracts were derived from THP-1 and normal human monocytes resting and cocultured with aspirin before IL-4 stimulation. Quantitative PCRs were conducted. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays were performed by using oligomers for STAT6 sites within the LT receptor and synthase promoters. Western blots of nuclear extracts were probed by using anti–phospho-STAT6 antibodies. Results Upregulation of LT receptor mRNA by IL-4 was negated by aspirin and ketorolac but not by sodium salicylate. The STAT6 site in the LT receptor and synthase promoters was confirmed by using mobility shift assays by competing with unlabeled STAT6 consensus probes and supershifts with anti-STAT6 antibodies. Aspirin and ketorolac decreased the IL-4–inducible expression of nuclear STAT6 observed in mobility shift assays and Western hybridization. Conclusion The LT receptor and synthase promoters have STAT6-binding sites that are engaged by IL-4–induced nuclear extracts and inhibited by aspirin. Assuming that normal monocytes behave like monocytes from patients with aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease, inhibition of IL-4–STAT6 might explain a mechanism in aspirin desensitization daily treatment, resulting in downregulation of production and responsiveness to cysteinyl leukotrienes. This biologic activity of aspirin likely reflects COX inhibition because it was shared with ketorolac but not sodium salicylate.
Identifying and targeting tumor-initiating cells in the treatment of breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women (excluding skin cancer), and it is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Although conventional and targeted therapies have improved survival rates, there are still considerable challenges in treating breast cancer, including treatment resistance, disease recurrence, and metastasis. Treatment resistance can be either de novo - because of traits that tumor cells possess before treatment - or acquired - because of traits that tumor cells gain in response to treatment. A recently proposed mechanism of de novo resistance invokes the existence of a specialized subset of cancer cells defined as tumor-initiating cells (TICs), or cancer stem cells (CSCs). TICs have the capacity to self-renew and to generate new tumors that consist entirely of clonally derived cell types present in the parental tumor. There are data to suggest that TICs are resistant to many conventional cancer therapies and that they can survive treatment in spite of dramatic shrinkage of the tumor. Residual TICs can then eventually regrow, which results in disease relapse. It has also been hypothesized that TIC may be responsible for metastatic disease. If these hypotheses are correct, targeting TICs may be imperative for achieving a cure. In the present review, we discuss evidence for breast TICs and their apparent resistance to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy as well as to various targeted therapies. We also address the potential impact of breast TIC plasticity and metastatic potential on therapeutic strategies. Finally, we describe several genes and signaling pathways that appear to be important for TIC function and may represent promising therapeutic targets.
Resource allocation for statistical quality of service provision in buffered crossbar switches

The buffered crossbar switch is a promising switching architecture that plays a crucial role for providing quality of service (QoS) in computer networks. Sufficient amount of resources—bandwidth and buffer space—must be allocated in buffered crossbar switches for QoS provision. Resource allocation based on deterministic QoS objectives might be too conservative in practical network operations. To improve resource utilization in buffered crossbar switches, we study the problem of resource allocation for statistical QoS provision in this paper. First, we develop a model and techniques for analyzing the probabilistic delay performance of buffered crossbar switches, which is described by the delay upper bound with a prescribed violation probability. Then, we determine the required amounts of bandwidth and buffer space to achieve the probabilistic delay objectives for different traffic classes in buffered crossbar switches. In our analysis, we apply the effective arrival envelope to specify traffic load in a statistical manner and characterize switch service capacity by using the service curve technique. Instead of just focusing on one specific type of scheduler, the model and techniques developed in this paper are very flexible and can be used for analyzing buffered crossbar switches with a wide variety of scheduling algorithms. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. A preliminary version of this paper was published at the 2004 IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC 2004).
Thermally induced hillock formation in Al–Cu films

Isothermal annealing studies of hillocks formed on Al–15 wt.% Cu films, vapor deposited at 25 °C on oxidized silicon wafers, were carried out in situ in a scanning electron microscope. The original hillocks formed as a result of substrate-induced thermal expansion strains which caused material to diffuse out of the film to form the hillocks when the films were heated to the isothermal annealing temperatures. During isothermal annealing the hillock density decreased and the average size of the hillocks increased. Measurements of these quantities as a function of time were made at a series of temperatures ranging from 200 to 300 °C. The activation energies for these two cases were found to be 0.29 and 0.28 eV, respectively. X-ray energy spectroscopy analysis of the films showed that the hillocks were richer in copper than the matrix. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the average hillock and grain sizes in the variously annealed films were linearly related and of the same order of magnitude. The results were also analyzed using Chakraverty’s models for surface and interfacial diffusion. It was concluded that the evidence clearly shows that the observed processes could be well characterized by a typical Ostwald ripening model.
EVOLUTIONARY ADAPTATION TO ENVIRONMENTAL pH IN EXPERIMENTAL LINEAGES OF ESCHERICHIA COLI

This study uses the enteric bacterium Escherichia coli as an experimental system to examine evolutionary responses of bacteria to an environmental acidic-alkaline range between pH 5.3 and 7.8 (15-5000 nM [H(+)]). Our goal was both to test general hypotheses about adaptation to abiotic variables and to provide insights into how coliform organisms might respond to changing conditions inside and outside of hosts. Six replicate lines of E. coli evolved for 2000 generations at one of four different constant pH conditions: pH 5.3, 6.3, 7.0, or 7.8. Direct adaptation to the evolutionary environment, as well as correlated changes in other environments, was measured as a change in fitness relative to the ancestor in direct competition experiments. The pH 5.3 group had the highest fitness gains, with a highly significant increase of 20%. The pH 7.8 group had far less significant gains and much higher variance among its lines. Analysis of individual lines within these two groups revealed complex patterns of adaptation: all of the pH 5.3 lines exhibited trade-offs (reduced fitness in another environment), but only 33% of the pH 7.8 lines showed such trade-offs and one of the pH 7.8 lines demonstrated exaptation by improving fitness in the pH 5.3 environment. Although there was also prevalent exaptation in other groups to the acidic environment, there were no such cases of exaptation to alkalinity. Comparison across the entire experimental pH range revealed that the most acidic lines, the pH 5.3 group, were all specialists, in contrast to the pH 6.3 lines, which were almost all generalists. That is, although none of the pH 5.3 lines showed any correlated fitness gains, all of the pH 6.3 lines did.
Model based control of temperature distribution in integrated microchemical systems

This paper presents the results of finite element method (FEM) simulations of heat-transfer and fluid flow of microchannels. These FEM simulations are used in an actuator placement problem for a microchannel network configuration and in formulating an off line control law with the additional use of proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). In the first part of this paper with the use of FEM simulations we investigate the thermal behavior of different materials in microscale. We propose an actuator placement design that is well suited for microchemical systems. This actuator design coupled with a control action allows variations in the temperature profiles within millimeters. In the second part, we propose a control scheme that is based on a POD of the temperature profiles obtained by FEM simulations. This control scheme uses the optimal eigenfunctions obtained from the POD procedure in a minimization procedure that results in the appropriate change in the manipulated input variables.
Coronectomy: a technique to protect the inferior alveolar nerve.

Purpose Damage to the inferior alveolar nerve when extracting lower third molars is often caused by the intimate relationship between the nerve and the roots of the teeth. The technique of coronectomy, or intentional root retention, may minimize this problem. Patients and methods Forty-one patients underwent coronectomy on 50 lower third molars with follow-up of at least 6 months. The technique of coronectomy deliberately protected the lingual nerve as part of the surgical procedure. All roots were left at least 3 mm below the buccal and lingual plates of bone. All patients were radiographed preoperatively, immediately postoperatively, and after 6 months. Results There were no cases of inferior alveolar nerve–involved damage in this study of 41 patients who underwent 50 coronectomies. There was 1 case of transient lingual nerve involvement, probably from the use of the lingual retractor. One patient required subsequent removal of the roots of both lower third molars because of failure to heal, and 1 patient required subsequent removal of a root because of subsequent migration to the surface. Root migration was noted in approximately 30% of patients over a 6 month period. Conclusion Coronectomy appears to be a viable technique in those cases where removal of the whole tooth might put the inferior alveolar nerve at considerable risk of damage. The technique appears to be associated with a low incidence of complications, but subsequent migration of the roots may be an issue in the long term.
Exposure of endothelial cells to cyclic strain induces elevations of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration through mobilization of intracellular and extracellular pools

We have previously reported that exposure of endothelial cells to cyclic strain elicited a rapid but transient generation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3), which reached a peak 10 s after the initiation of cyclic deformation. To address the effect of cyclic strain on intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and its temporal relationship to IP3 generation, confluent bovine aortic endothelial cells were grown on flexible membranes, loaded with aequorin and the membranes placed in a custom-designed flow-through chamber. The chamber was housed inside a photomultiplier tube, and vacuum was utilized to deform the membranes. Our results indicate that the initiation of 10% average strain induced a rapid increase in [Ca2+]i which contained two distinct components: a large initial peak 12 s after the initiation of stretch which closely followed the IP3 peak, and a subsequent lower but sustained phase. Pretreatment with 5 microM GdCl3 for 10 min or nominally Ca2+-free medium (CFM) for 3 min reduced the magnitude of the initial rise and abolished the sustained phase. Repetitive 10% average strain at a frequency of 60 cycles/min also elicited a single IP3 peak at 10 s. However, there was also a large initial [Ca2+]i peak followed by multiple smaller transient [Ca2+]i elevations. Preincubation with 5 microM GdCl3 or CFM diminished the initial [Ca2+]i transient and markedly inhibited the late-phase component. Preincubation with 25 microM 2,5-di-(t-butyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone (BHQ) attenuated the initial [Ca2+]i transient. Cyclic-strain-mediated IP3 formation in confluent endothelial cells at 10 s, however, was not modified by pretreatment with 25 microM BHQ, 500 microM NiCl2, 10 nM charybdotoxin, 5 microM GdCl3 or CFM. We conclude that in endothelial cells exposed to cyclic strain, Ca2+ enters the cytosol from intracellular and extracellular pools but IP3 formation is not dependent on Ca2+ entry via the plasma membrane.
Correlation between horizontal and vertical monopulse measurements

Many radar systems use the monopulse ratio to extract angle of arrival (AOA) measurements in both azimuth and elevation angles. The accuracies of each such measurement are reasonably well known: each measurement is, conditioned on the sum-signal return, Gaussian-distributed with calculable bias (relative to the true AOA), and variance. However, we note that the two monopulse ratios are functions of basic radar measurements that are not entirely independent, specifically in that the sum signal is common to both. The effect of this is that the monopulse ratios are dependent, and a simple explicit expression is given for their correlation; this is of considerable interest when the measurements are supplied to a tracking algorithm that requires a measurement covariance matrix. The system performance improvement when this is taken into account is quantified: while it makes little difference for a tracking radar with small pointing errors, there are more substantial gains when a target is allowed to stray within the beam, as with a rotating (track-while-scan) radar or when a single radar dwell interrogates two or more targets at different ranges. But in any case, the correct covariance expression is so simple that there is little reason not to use it. We additionally derive the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) on joint azimuth/elevation angle estimation and discover that it differs only slightly from the covariance matrix corresponding to the individual monopulse ratios. Hence, using the individual monopulse ratios and their simple joint accuracy expression is an adequate and quick approximation of the optimal maximum likelihood procedure for single resolved targets.
An overview of programming languages for specialized application areas

There are more than 165 different programming languages in use in the United States today, where only higher level languages are considered as programming languages. If assembly languages were considered in this total it would obviously be much higher. The total number would be still greater if programming languages in use outside the United States were included. (They are excluded here only because of the difficulty of obtaining accurate and sufficiently detailed information.) As individuals, and as an industry, we should ask ourselves, "What is the reason for this enormous proliferation?", particularly since many of these languages claim to be "general purpose." Some languages do serve a wide variety of users and applications, whereas others are restricted in intended usage. The languages which have few users are usually in that category because (a) they are basically for a narrow application area which has relatively few users or (b) information about the language has not been widely disseminated, or (c) the language and/or its implementation is ineffective and/or has inadequate support, or (d) the language is implemented only on a computer not widely used. The purpose of this paper is to provide some of the background and perspective on the existence, classifications, and general characteristics of those languages which are oriented toward a specialized application area.
MULTIDISCIPLINARY DESIGN OPTIMIZATION WITH DAMAGE TOLERANCE CONSTRAINTS AND A PROBABILISTIC LOAD ENVIRONMENT

Damage tolerance analysis (DTA) was considered in the multidisciplinary design optimization of an aircraft wing structure. Residual strength and fatigue life requirements, based on the damage tolerance philosophy, were investigated as new design constraints. A probabilistic approach was used to describe the uncertain load environment. Probabilistic load spectra models were developed from flight recorder data. AFGROW fatigue crack growth analysis provided a new strength criterion for satisfying damage tolerance requirements within a global optimization environment. Initial research with the ASTROS program used the probabilistic load model and this damage tolerance constraint to optimize cracked skin panels on the lower wing of a fighter/attack aircraft. For an aerodynamic and structural model of a fighter, ASTROS simulated symmetric and asymmetric maneuvers during the optimization. Symmetric maneuvers, without underwing stores, produced the highest stresses and drove the optimization of the inboard lower wing skin. Asymmetric maneuvers, with underwing stores, affected the optimum thickness of the outboard hard points. Subsequent multidisciplinary design optimizations included von Mises stress, aileron effectiveness, and lift effectiveness constraints simultaneously. This optimization was driven by the DTA and von Mises stress constraints and, therefore, DTA requirements can have an active role to play in preliminary aircraft design.
The civic shaping of technology : California's electric vehicle program

Constructivist technology studies have often cast government as one “social group” among many, reflecting a liberal pluralist view of politics. This article argues, in contrast, that due to the conceptions of citizenship conveyed by policy designs, governments have a special role to play in the shaping of new technologies. This argument is illustrated in the case of the controversial 1996 decision by the California Air Resources Board to significantly revise its electric vehicle program. The article shows that the board’s decision changed the image of citizenship conveyed by its policy design, thus influencing the civic values embedded within electric vehicle technology.
Outcome after Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Is Temporally Related to Glucose Uptake Profile at Time of Second Injury.

Abstract Repeated mild traumatic brain injury (rmTBI) results in worsened outcomes, compared with a single injury, but the mechanism of this phenomenon is unclear. We have previously shown that mild TBI in a rat lateral fluid percussion model results in globally depressed glucose uptake, with a peak depression at 24 h that resolves by 16 days post-injury. The current study investigated the outcomes of a repeat injury conducted at various times during this period of depressed glucose uptake. Adult male rats were therefore subjected to rmTBI with a latency of 24 h, 5 days, or 15 days between injuries, followed by assessment of motor function, histopathology, and glucose uptake using positron emission tomography (PET). Rats that received a 24 h rmTBI showed significant deficits in motor function tasks, as well as significant increases in lesion volume and neuronal damage. The level of microglial and astrocytic activation also was associated with the timing of the second impact. Finally, rmTBI with latencies ...
India and the United States: How Individuals and Corporations Have Driven Indo-U.S. Relations

Foreign policy discussions tend to focus on government policies and diplomatic initiatives. But relations between India and the United States have been driven substantially by corporations and individuals, with the two nations’ governments trailing behind and catching up only now. During the Cold War, India’s quasimilitary relationship with the Soviet Union led to cool Indo-U.S. governmental relations. Despite this, Indian citizens went in droves to the United States for education and employment, and the United States became India’s largest trade partner. After India’s economic reforms in 1991, two-way flows of individuals and corporate activity greatly accelerated. U.S. corporations became an important foreign policy lobby for India in the U.S. Congress. The Indian diaspora in the United States grew rapidly to 3 million, and these people are among the richest, best-educated ethnic groups in the United States, and hence politically influential, too. The Indian and U.S. governments, far apart during the Cold War, have now started building on the solid foundation created by individuals and corporations. The George W. Bush–Manmohan Singh nuclear deal of 2005 was a landmark event. Later, President Obama backed India for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council.
Tax and Expenditure Limits for Long-Run Fiscal Stability

In the private sector, the profit and loss mechanism signals firms the need to adjust their production and costs quickly to changes in demand and revenue. In contrast, in the public sector, no such tool is available to adjust spending to changing conditions. Instead policy makers have incentives to increase government spending year after year, regardless of tax collection.In the current recession, many states are experiencing decreased revenues. Because government services have grown unchecked, they now must make painful and unpopular cuts. California, Arizona, and New Jersey, among other states, have made headlines in recent months with their drastic measures to close budget shortfalls.This pattern raises a difficult question: How do we correct for the inflexibility inherent in state expenditure systems to respect tax payers’ desires for government services over time? Some have experienced relative success in this area because of Tax and Expenditure Limits (TELs) that constrain their budgets. While not a perfect solution, binding TELs prevent policy makers from increasing state spending that does not reflect voters’ willingness to pay for government services.
High Temperature Elastic Constant Prediction of Some Group III-Nitrides

Thermoelastic properties are important for modeling thermal residual stresses and for optimizing the growth conditions of semiconductor thin films. Thermal expansions of AlN and GaN have been evaluated and predicted by us earlier. Here, high temperature elastic constants are estimated empirically from corresponding state relationships and data from other hexagonal Grimm-Sommerfeld compounds. This information together with our earlier thermal expansion data will further improve capabilities for calculating thermal residual stresses in various semiconductor thin films.
Alkali Metal Variation and Twisting of the FeNNFe Core in Bridging Diiron Dinitrogen Complexes.

Alkali metal cations can interact with Fe–N2 complexes, potentially enhancing back-bonding or influencing the geometry of the iron atom. These influences are relevant to large-scale N2 reduction by iron, such as in the FeMoco of nitrogenase and the alkali-promoted Haber–Bosch process. However, to our knowledge there have been no systematic studies of a large range of alkali metals regarding their influence on transition metal–dinitrogen complexes. In this work, we varied the alkali metal in [alkali cation]2[LFeNNFeL] complexes (L = bulky β-diketiminate ligand) through the size range from Na+ to K+, Rb+, and Cs+. The FeNNFe cores have similar Fe–N and N–N distances and N–N stretching frequencies despite the drastic change in alkali metal cation size. The two diketiminates twist relative to one another, with larger dihedral angles accommodating the larger cations. In order to explain why the twisting has so little influence on the core, we performed density functional theory calculations on a simplified LFe...
Narrating Competing Truths in the Thomas Jefferson—Sally Hemings Paternity Debate

(1999). Narrating Competing Truths in the Thomas Jefferson—Sally Hemings Paternity Debate. The Black Scholar: Vol. 29, Black Issues: 2000, pp. 8-15.
The Resource-Advantage Theory of Competition: Dynamics, Path Dependencies, and Evolutionary Dimensions:

The authors respond to the thoughtful concerns raised by Dickson (1996) about the issue of path dependencies and the dynamics of resource-advantage (R-A) theory (Hunt and Morgan 1995). Rather than ...
Breaking waves and near-surface sea spray aerosol dependence on changing winds: Wave breaking efficiency and bubble-related air-sea interaction processes

Simultaneous measurements of sea spray aerosol (SSA), wind, wave, and microwave brightness temperature are obtained in the open ocean on-board Floating Instrument Platform (FLIP). These data are analysed to clarify the ocean surface processes important to SSA production. Parameters are formulated to represent surface processes with characteristic length scales spanning a broad range. The investigation reveals distinct differences of the SSA properties in rising winds and falling winds, with higher SSA volume in falling winds. Also, in closely related measurements of whitecap coverage, higher whitecap fraction as a function of wind speed is found in falling winds than in rising winds or in older seas than in younger seas. Similar trend is found in the short scale roughness reflected in the microwave brightness temperature data. In the research of length and velocity scales of breaking waves, it has been observed that the length scale of wave breaking is shorter in mixed seas than in wind seas. For example, source function analysis of short surface waves shows that the characteristic length scale of the dissipation function shifts toward higher wavenumber (shorter wavelength) in mixed seas than in wind seas. Similarly, results from feature tracking or Doppler analysis of microwave radar sea spikes, which are closely associated with breaking waves, show that the magnitude of the average breaking wave velocity is smaller in mixed seas than in wind seas. Furthermore, breaking waves are observed to possess geometric similarity. Applying the results of breaking wave analyses to the SSA and whitecap observations described above, it is suggestive that larger air cavities resulting from the longer breakers are entrained in rising high winds. The larger air cavities escape rapidly due to buoyancy before they can be fully broken down into small bubbles for the subsequent SSA production or whitecap manifestation. In contrast, in falling winds (with mixed seas more likely), the shorter breaker entrains smaller and more numerous air cavities that stay underwater longer for more efficient bubble breakup by turbulence and prolonging the surface disturbances attributable to wave breaking. For low winds, the breaking scale is small and with high efficiency for SSA or whitecap generation; the trend of rising or falling wind is less important.
The A-dependence of leading particle production by 800 GeV protons

The production of secondary particles in collisions of 800 GeV protons with various nuclei has been measured. Previous experiments have measured leading particle production by protons up to 400 GeV[1–5]. In this experiment a differential Cerenkov counter tagged the secondary particles as pions, kaons, protons or antiprotons. Target nuclei used were beryllium, aluminum and tungsten.
Relationships of Islet Amyloid Polypeptide (IAPP) to Spontaneous Diabetes in Adult Cats

Islet amyloid (IA) deposits have been recognized since 19001, and their association with diabetes mellitus has been recognized in humans2,3, cats4,5, and non-human primates6,7. IA also occurs in the raccoon8,9 and degu (Octodon degus) but its association with diabetes in these latter species is not clear.
id-Privacy in large scale biometric systems

Balancing privacy and security concerns in biomet-ric systems is an area of growing importance. While important work has gone on in template protection and revocable biometric tokens, these avenues of research address only one aspect of the problem. Such research does not address a critical issue: balancing the need government and anti-fraud programs to do deduplication (ensure one identity per person) against the potential for abuse using that data. Any existing system capable of deduplication, even if using a template protection scheme, would allow function creep or abuse by searching with latent prints. This paper introduces the concept of id-privacy, requiring at least i items (e.g. fingers) to be provided to resolve identity to better than d above random chance. We show how using cross-finger representation on unsegmented fingerprint slap data, we can address what may be the single most important “privacy” issue in biometrics, privacy enhanced deduplication. We prove we can achieve (2,0)-id-privacy for fingerprint-based deduplication while preventing searching with a latent print. We introduce the Forest Finger algorithm — an approach for matching unsegmented slaps and cross-finger representations. Our results on the largest public slap database shows superior accuracy when compared with existing NIST Bozorth matcher when tested on unsegmented slaps, segmented prints or fused rolled prints.
Stream surface generation for fluid flow solutions on curvilinear grids

A stream surface in a steady-state three-dimensional fluid flow vector field is a surface across which there is no flow. Stream surfaces can be useful for visualization because the amount of data presented in one visualization can be confined to a manageable quantity in a physically meaningful way. This paper describes a method for generation of stream surfaces, given a threedimensional vector field defined on a curvilinear grid. The method can be characterized as semi-global; that is, it tries to find a surface that satisfies constraints over a region, expressed as integrals (actually sums, due to discreteness), rather than locally propagating the solution of a differential equation. The solution is formulated as a series of quadratic minimization problems in n variables, where n is the cross-wind resolution of the grid. An efficient solution method is developed that exploits the fact that the matrix of each quadratic form is tridiagonal and symmetric. Significant numerical issues are addressed, including degeneracies in the tridiagonal matrix and degeneracies in the grid, both of which are typical for the applications envisioned.
EXPLANe: An Extensible Framework for Poster Annotation with Mobile Devices

Summary: Scientific posters tend to be brief, unstructured, and generally unsuitable for communication beyond a poster session. This paper describes EXPLANe, a framework for annotating posters using optical text recognition and web services on mobile devices. EXPLANe is demonstrated through an interface to the MyVariant.info variant annotation web services, and provides users a list of biological information linked with genetic variants (as found via extracted RSIDs from annotated posters). This paper delineates the architecture of the application, and includes results of a five-part evaluation we conducted. Researchers and developers can use the existing codebase as a foundation from which to generate their own annotation tabs when analyzing and annotating posters.
The fluency principle: Why foreign accent strength negatively biases language attitudes

ABSTRACTTwo experiments tested the prediction that heavy foreign-accented speakers are evaluated more negatively than mild foreign-accented speakers because the former are perceived as more prototypical (i.e., representative) of their respective group and their speech disrupts listeners’ processing fluency (i.e., is more difficult to process). Participants listened to a mild or heavy Punjabi- (Study 1) or Mandarin-accented (Study 2) speaker. Compared to the mild-accented speaker, the heavy-accented speaker in both studies was attributed less status (but not solidarity), was perceived as more prototypical of their respective group, disrupted listeners’ processing fluency, and elicited a more negative affective reaction. The negative effects of accent strength on status were mediated by processing fluency and sequentially by processing fluency and affect, but not by prototypicality. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications are discussed.
Osteopontin enhances multi-walled carbon nanotube-triggered lung fibrosis by promoting TGF-β1 activation and myofibroblast differentiation

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been used in a variety of applications because of their unique properties and functions. However, many CNTs have been shown to induce lung fibrosis in experimental animals with some at a potency greater than that of silica, raising concern over possible toxic effects of CNT exposure in humans. Research into the mechanisms by which CNTs induce pulmonary fibrosis is warranted in order to facilitate the understanding, monitoring, and treatment of CNT-induced lung lesions that might occur in exposed populations. The current study focuses on investigating the role of osteopontin (OPN) in the development of lung fibrosis upon exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). C57BL/6J (WT) and Opn knockout (KO) mice were exposed to MWCNTs by pharyngeal aspiration to examine the acute and chronic effects of MWCNT exposure. The role of OPN and its mode of action in lung fibrosis development were analyzed at the cellular and molecular levels in vivo and in vitro. OPN was highly and persistently induced in both the acute and chronic phases of the response to MWCNT exposure in mouse lungs. Comparison between WT and Opn KO mice revealed that OPN critically regulated MWCNT-induced lung fibrosis as indicated by reduced fibrotic focus formation and myofibroblast accumulation in Opn KO lungs. At the molecular level, OPN promotes the expression and activation of TGF-β1, stimulates the differentiation of myofibroblasts from fibroblasts, and increases the production of fibrous matrix proteins in lungs and cultured lung cells exposed to MWCNTs. OPN is highly induced in CNT-exposed lungs and plays critical roles in TGF-β1 signaling activation and myofibroblast differentiation to promote fibrosis development from MWCNT exposure. This study reveals an OPN-dependent mechanism to promote MWCNT-induced lung fibrosis. The findings raise the possibility of using OPN as a biomarker to monitor CNT exposure and as a drug target to halt fibrosis development.
Toward a Theory of Small Firm Performance: A Conceptual Model:

A conceptual model of small firm performance is developed based on extant theory in strategy, entrepreneurship and organization theory. It provides a framework for the study of the interrelationships among entrepreneurial characteristics, contextual factors and performance outcomes. It is considered a first step toward a limited domain theory of small firm performance.
Waste To Wisdom: Utilizing Forest Residues for the Production of Bioenergy and Biobased Products

The Waste to Wisdom project was part of the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) and funded by the Department of Energy (DE-EE0006297) at an amount of $5.8 million. Our interdisciplinary research team, consisting of academics, business professionals, and land managers, worked together for about four years (September 2013 to December 2017) to: 1) conduct field-based experiments to develop innovative tools and systems that improve the economics, accessibility, and production of quality feedstocks from forest residues, 2) develop and test stand-alone in-woods or near-the-forest biomass conversion technologies (BCTs) for the production of biochar, torrefied wood, and briquettes, and 3) perform analyses to evaluate the economic feasibility of commercial deployment of BCTs and to quantify the life cycle economic and environmental benefits of utilizing forest residues with BCTs for the production of bioenergy and bioproducts. The research papers presented in this Special Issue cover key aspects of the research efforts and findings made by the project team. We encourage the audience to visit the project web site (http://wastetowisdom.com/) to learn more about the team‘s research on feedstock development, biomass conversion technologies, and the financial and environmental benefits of utilizing forest residues for production of bioenergy and biobased products.
Selection of Bacterial Mutants Defective in Fatty Acid Synthesis for the Study of Membrane Biogenesis

Lipids are important structural components of most biological membranes. Very great differences are observed in the lipids of various types of membranes, but little is known about the mechanisms governing these differences in the lipid composition. Furthermore, the relationship between the specific lipid composition and membrane structure is not well understood. While the lipids of most cell membranes are generally organized into bilayers, the distribution of specific lipid molecules within this type of structure and their interactions with other membrane constituents have yet to be clearly delineated. Part of this structural information will come from studies on the physical behavior of mixtures of lipids found in biological membranes under physiological conditions. In recent years, considerable progress has been achieved in the modification and simplification of the lipid composition of cultured cells through genetic and nutritional means and in the development of physical methods to study the properties of lipids in the membranes of such systems.
Quantum Mechanics and Ontology

This chapter considers the prospects, in the present state of research in quantum mechanics, for an ontological foundation for the theory that is compatible with the minimal constraints of scientific realism, that is, compatible with the attribution of physical states to particles. No single interpretation is defended, but it is argued that no-collapse theories such as the various “many-worlds” interpretations cannot coherently satisfy such constraints, while objective collapse theories such as the Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber (GRW) theory offer the possibility, at least, of satisfying both these conceptual constraints and the empirical constraints of quantum phenomena.
Fostering creative performance in art and design education via self-regulated learning

There is a lack of research and practice focused on how to foster higher-order processing, such as creative performance, within higher education settings. To address this gap in research, we chose to study pedagogical practices in schools of art and design, where one of the intended learning outcomes is creativity. Based upon data gathered as part of a larger study (Sawyer in Thinking Skills and Creativity, http://doi.org/10.1016/J.TSC.2018.08.002 , 2018), we found that among a large number of creative performance pedagogical practices we identified, a subset seemed to foster self-regulated learning (SRL). Therefore, the goal of our study was to identify the ways art and design professors enacted practices that foster their students’ self-regulation during learning and performance. We found these professors utilized a number of direct and indirect methods of fostering their students’ SRL, all intended to enhance students’ ability to enact creative performance. In addition to revealing interesting comparisons between SRL in art and design and other more commonly studied contexts such as science or history, our findings suggested numerous directions for expanding SRL models, including a greater focus on process as the outcome of SRL, a need to continue research into SRL during higher-order processing, and gaps regarding the development of SRL.
Arterial events in cancer patients—the case of acute coronary thrombosis

Patients with cancer are at high risk for both venous and arterial thrombotic complications. A variety of factors account for the greater thrombotic risk, including the underlying malignancy and numerous cancer-directed therapies. The occurrence of an acute thrombotic event in patients with cancer is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) represents a particularly important cardiovascular complication in cancer patients. With cardio-vascular risk factors becoming more prevalent in an aging cancer population that is surviving longer, questions pertaining to the appropriate management of vascular toxicity are likely to assume even greater value in the coming years. In this article, we review the current understanding of ACS in patients with cancer. The predisposition to thrombosis in a malignant host and the cancer treatments most commonly associated with vascular toxicity are reviewed. Risk prediction and management strategies are discussed, and discrepancies in the clinical evidence are highlighted.
What’s your goal? The importance of shaping the goals of engineering tasks to focus learners on the underlying science

Engaging in engineering tasks can help students learn science concepts. However, many engineering tasks lead students to focus more on the success of their construction than on learning science content, which can hurt students’ ability to learn and transfer scientific principles from them. Two empirical studies investigate how content-focused learning goals and contrasting cases affect how students learn and transfer science concepts from engineering activities. High school students were given an engineering challenge, which involved understanding and applying center of mass concepts. In Study 1, 86 students were divided into four conditions where both goals (content learning vs. outcome) and instructional scaffolds (contrasting cases vs. no cases) were manipulated during the engineering task. Students with both content-focused learning goals and contrasting cases were better able to transfer scientific principles to a new task. Meanwhile, regardless of condition, students who noticed the deep structure in the cases demonstrated greater learning. A second study tried to replicate the goal manipulation findings, while addressing some limitations of Study 1. In Study 2, 78 students received the same engineering task with contrasting cases, while half the students received a learning goal, and half received an outcome goal. Students who were given content-focused learning goals valued science learning resources more and were better able to transfer scientific principles to novel situations on a test. Across conditions, the more students valued resources, the more they learned, and students who noticed the deep structure transferred more. This research underscores the importance of content-focused learning goals for supporting transfer of scientific principles from engineering tasks, when students have access to adequate instructional scaffolds.
Comparison of the Rate of Nonunion or Delayed Union in Fifth Metatarsal Fractures Receiving Anti-Inflammatory Medications:

Objectives:Controversy exists regarding the effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on fracture healing. Our retrospective study uses a private payer database to isolate patients d...