cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Research of Fuzzy Clustering Analysis According to Customers' Interests of Browsing

Clustering Analysis plays a crucial role in the field of data mining of E-commerce.The service,urgently awaited to be transformed from customers' passive visit to E-commerce's active service of providing information directly to the users is supplied by network information.This essay is mainly to elaborate the use of Fuzzy Clustering Analysis technology to realize the user groups' division based on their browsing habits,and especially makes web page,commodity and service recommendations respectively.
N,P,K Absorption Characteristics of Upland Rice under Different Mulching Modes

The effect of coverage mode on N,P,K absorption characteristics of upland rice were studied by using P88S/1128 as material under three coverage cultivation treatments and bare cultivation(control).The result showed that mulching have a significant effect on N,P,K absorption characteristics of upland rice.Straw mulching promoted absorption of N on the tillering stage,and the content of P on spike was the highest,arrived at 3.70 g/kg.The content of K on spike reduced to minimum at mature period,only 2.40~3.08 g/kg,there were no significant difference between the treatments.At the same time,comparing with bare cultivation,mulching cultivation enhanced the absorption ability for nutrient elements,the effect of plastic film mulching was most obvious.
Study on the Classification-flotation Process of Phosphorus Ore

Classification-flotation tests were conducted on certain phosphorus ore sample.The results showed that classification-flotation obtained higher grade and recovery of P2O5 concentrate with the lower reagent ration than normal direct-reverse flotation.Classification-flotation had greater influence on direct flotation than reverse flotation.
Co-design in the wild: a case study on meme creation tools

The internet meme has become a vital form of self-expression in social communities throughout the Internet. The tools facilitating meme-creation, specifically image macros, have been little-studied but endow non-technical users with the ability to create the multi-layered graphics typical to such memes. The use of these creativity tools provides a unique setting in which to explore the concept of co-design, wherein tools are shaped in response to emergent user needs. Users and designers of meme-creation tools have evolved ways of collaborating and communicating over time, in a fully naturalistic setting. This study explores these processes through survey and interviews of tool designer/developers and an analysis of users' design ideas generated over time. The study finds that, while co-design may be commonly practiced today, these activities raise numerous challenges to participatory design, including: creating trust between designers and users, managing unwieldy system growth, and supporting features specific to aspiring end-user crafters.
Epidemiology of Major Neurodegenerative Diseases in Women: Contribution of the Nurses' Health Study.

Objectives. To review the contribution of the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) to identifying the role of lifestyle, diet, and genetic or biological factors in several neurodegenerative diseases, including cognitive decline, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.Methods. We completed a narrative review of the publications of the NHS and NHS II between 1976 and 2016.Results. In primary findings for cognitive function, higher intake of nuts, moderate alcohol consumption, and higher physical activity levels were associated with better cognitive function. Flavonoids, physical activity, and postmenopausal hormone therapy were related to cognitive decline over 2 to 6 years. The NHS also has been integral in establishing Epstein-Barr virus infection, inadequate vitamin D nutrition, cigarette smoking, and obesity as risk factors for multiple sclerosis and inverse associations between cigarette smoking and caffeine and risk of Parkinson’s disease. Increased risk of amyotrophic latera...
Polysiloxane-Based Surface Modification of Silica Fillers for Low Stress Underfill

We report a surface modification method to improve the filler-matrix interface in silica-epoxy composites. A double-layer modification scheme was used to coat silica with polysiloxane-based surface modifier molecules. The polysiloxane coating reaction was confirmed by SEM, DSC, and TGA analyses, and the coated silica exhibit good chemical compatibility with the epoxy matrix. The CTE of epoxy composite containing the polysiloxane-modified silica showed an ultra-low value of 29 ppm/K, which was more than 20 ppm/K lower than composites filled with conventionally modified silica. The composites show an increase in Tg, suggesting good polysiloxane-epoxy interfacial properties.
Charging Rate Dependence of Ion Migration and Stagnation in Ionic-Liquid-Filled Carbon Nanopores

Over the past decade, interest in leveraging subnanometer pores for improved capacitance in electrochemical double layer capacitors (EDLCs) has readily grown. Correspondingly, many theoretical studies have endeavored to understand the mechanisms that dictate the capacitance enhancement once ions are confined within nanopores, typically within quasi-equilibrium conditions. However, a kinetic-based understanding of the capacitance may be important, especially since the dynamics of ion transport can exhibit dramatic differences under confinement compared to the bulk liquid phase; ion transport is driven by the competition between the electrostatic electrode–ion and ion–ion interactions, which can be comparable as the internal surface area to volume ratio increases. In this work, we study the relationship between the dynamics of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMIM/BF4) ionic liquid and the capacitance within two idealized cylindrical subnanometer pores with diameters of 0.81 and 1.22 nm using ...
Chronic intermittent ethanol exposure leads to alterations in brain-derived neurotrophic factor within the frontal cortex and impaired behavioral flexibility in both adolescent and adult rats

Chronic intermittent exposure to ethanol (EtOH; CIE) that produces binge-like levels of intoxication has been associated with age-dependent deficits in cognitive functioning. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to CIE (5g/kg, 25% EtOH, 13 intragastric gavages) beginning at three ages: early adolescence (postnatal day [PD] 28), mid-adolescence (PD35) and adulthood (PD72). In experiment 1, rats were behaviorally tested following CIE. Spatial memory was not affected by CIE, but adult CIE rats were impaired at acquiring a non-spatial discrimination task and subsequent reversal tasks. Rats exposed to CIE during early or mid-adolescence were impaired on the first reversal, demonstrating transient impairment in behavioral flexibility. Blood EtOH concentrations negatively correlated with performance on reversal tasks. Experiment 2 examined changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels within the frontal cortex (FC) and hippocampus (HPC) at four time points: during intoxication, 24 h after the final EtOH exposure (acute abstinence), 3 weeks following abstinence (recovery) and after behavioral testing. HPC BDNF levels were not affected by CIE at any time point. During intoxication, BDNF was suppressed in the FC, regardless of the age of exposure. However, during acute abstinence, reduced FC BDNF levels persisted in early adolescent CIE rats, whereas adult CIE rats displayed an increase in BDNF levels. Following recovery, neurotrophin levels in all CIE rats recovered. Our results indicate that intermittent binge-like EtOH exposure leads to acute disruptions in FC BDNF levels and long-lasting behavioral deficits. However, the type of cognitive impairment and its duration differ depending on the age of exposure.
End-point position measurements of long-reach flexible manipulators

Abstract This paper describes the design, testing and evaluation of a position measurement system for a large flexible manipulator. Previous work is reviewed and updated with a discussion of related sensors and their applicability. Two approaches to accurately measure end-point position over a large workspace are outlined. The chosen approach estimates the tip position from joint angle and link deflection sensors. The equipment used (e.g. sensors, illumination, focusing optics, etc.) and the calibration procedure are presented. Two evaluations of the system are discussed. First static link deflection measurements are compared to results of a static deflection model. Second the combined tip position estimate is compared to an absolute measurement taken with a dial indicator. The paper finishes with a description of expected applications for manipulator control.
Abstract 202: Genetic Ablation of Interleukin-18 Does Not Attenuate Hypobaric Hypoxia-Induced Right Ventricular Dysfunction

Interleukin-18 (IL-18), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, has been implicated in pathogenic left ventricular hypertrophy and is elevated in plasma of heart failure patients. However, IL-18 blockade strategies in animal models of heart disease have been conflicting. Accordingly, the purpose of these experiments was to determine whether genetic ablation of IL-18 would protect male and female mice against hypobaric hypoxia-induced right ventricular (RV) dysfunction. We hypothesized that IL-18 knockout mice (KO) would be protected while wild type (WT) mice would show significant right ventricular dysfunction in response to exposure to hypobaric hypoxia (HH). KO and WT mice were exposed to HH for 7 weeks, and control (CO) mice were exposed to normoxic, ambient air. Following echocardiography, the RV was dissected and flash frozen for biochemical analyses. 7 week HH exposure trended toward an increase in IL-18 mRNA (p=0.08) in RV from WT mice. However, contrary to our hypothesis, IL-18 KO mice were not protected against HH-induced RV dysfunction, as evidenced by higher RV weights, elevated RV systolic pressure, and increased RV anterior wall thickness compared to normoxic KO mice. Importantly, these measurements were not significantly different from WT HH mice. Biochemical analyses suggest HH RV underwent early remodeling, as no changes were observed at the molecular level in the RV of HH mice compared to CO in either KO or WT animals. Compensatory upregulation of the other pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-2 and SDF-1 may have contributed to the lack of protection in IL-18 KO animals. These data suggest IL-18 signaling is not necessary for hypobaric hypoxia induced RV dysfunction, and blockade of IL-18 is not a viable therapeutic strategy in this model.
Presence of Counterfeit Marlboro Gold Packs in Licensed Retail Stores in New York City: Evidence From Test Purchases.

Background There are no independent studies measuring the availability of premium brand counterfeit cigarettes in New York City from licensed retailers. Methods We forensically analyzed the cigarette packaging of Marlboro Gold (n = 1021) purchased from licensed tobacco retailers in New York City, using ultraviolet irradiation and light microscopy to determine whether they were counterfeit. Results We find that while only 0.5% (n = 5) of our sample exhibits at least one characteristic synonymous with counterfeit packaging, none of our packs can be conclusively classified as counterfeit. Conclusions We do not find any counterfeit Marlboro Gold packs purchased at full price from licensed cigarette retailers throughout New York City. Future research using test purchases should include other venues (eg, street and online) and specifically ask for discounts to ascertain the overall presence of counterfeit cigarettes. Implications This is the first study to independently measure the availability of counterfeit cigarette packs purchased at full price from licensed retailers in New York City. We find that none of the Marlboro Gold packs purchased from licensed cigarette retailers are counterfeit.
Efficient and secure source authentication with packet passports

A key challenge in combating Denial of Service (DoS) attacks is to reliably identify attack sources from packet contents. If a source can be reliably identified, routers can stop an attack by filtering packets from the attack sources without causing collateral damage to legitimate traffic. This task is difficult because attackers may spoof arbitrary packet contents to hide their identities. This paper proposes a packet passport system to address this challenge. A packet passport efficiently and securely authenticates the source of a packet. A packet with a valid passport must have originated from the claimed source. The packet passport system can be incrementally deployed without introducing extra control messages. It also provides incentives for early adoption: a domain that deploys packet passport system can prevent other domains from spoofing its source identifiers. Our preliminary analysis suggests that the packet passport system can be implemented at high-speed routers with today's technologies.
Multiobjective Optimization and Coevolution

This chapter reviews a line of coevolutionary algorithm research that reframes coevolution as a form of multiobjective optimization. This shift in perspective towards coevolution as a form of multiobjective optimization has led researchers to new algorithmic and analytical formulations that have advanced the state of the art in coevolutionary algorithm research. We review relevant literature and discuss the basic concepts and issues involved in the application of multiobjective optimization to coevolutionary algorithms.
Reshaping America? Policy choices and policy dilemmas in the second Obama term

This essay explores the political discourse and the institutional context at the start of President Obama’s second term. Given the current institutional fragmentation and highly divisive political discourse the question is: will President Obama be more successful in implementing reforms in his second term than he was in his first term in office? With the economy slowly recovering, the political space for policy choices in the second Obama term is widening, but, as the following analysis shows, choices are complex and—against the backdrop of a highly fragmented political system—at times paradoxical. Policy fields examined include economic policies and the fiscal cliff, immigration reform, climate change policy and the discourse on civil rights. The deep rift between Republicans and Democrats makes compromising more difficult, if not unlikely.
Orbital Ordering Versus the Traditional Approach in the Cooperative Jahn–Teller Effect: A Comparative Study

In Jahn–Teller crystals, at low temperatures, symmetry-breaking lattice distortion creates an ordering of otherwise degenerate atomic orbitals. In the theory of cooperative Jahn–Teller effect, the traditional approach includes solving the complex problem of coupled dynamics of the respective electron-vibrational system. During last two decades, an alternative way of treating the cooperative Jahn–Teller effect attracts increasing attention. It replaces ligand-mediated intercell coupling by an effective intersite orbital exchange of electron-degenerate atoms. Known as the orbital ordering approach, it explores stable ordered patterns due to the exchange coupling of orbital pseudo spins. The respective symmetry break of crystal lattice structure is treated as a secondary effect resulting from the orbital ordering. This paper examines some approximations implicitly included in the orbital ordering approach and compares it to the traditional theory of the Jahn–Teller effect. As the orbital ordering approach replaces ligand-mediated intersite coupling by an orbital exchange, the fundamental effect of dynamic strengthening chemical bonds with low-symmetry lattice distortions is lost. This may bring to a wrong conclusion about possible bond-ordered structures. On the other hand, a number of cases are outlined when both approaches yield close results. Based on these estimates, conclusions regarding applicability of the orbital ordering approach are derived and some general recommendations are given.
Effect of Consumers’ Personality on Store Brand Choice in Grocery Stores: Insights from France and Germany

Consumers’ personality can influence choice behavior. Considering disparities between food store brand market shares across countries, we investigate the impact of personality on food store brand d...
Finding the stories: a novice qualitative researcher learns to analyse narrative inquiry data.

Background Qualitative research skills, especially those used in narrative inquiry, are challenging to develop. While the literature provides guidance on some techniques, such as collecting data, few authors share the complex process of data analysis. Aim To offer a possible road map for novice researchers learning to analyse data generated by narrative inquiry. Discussion The author describes how a novice qualitative researcher analysed data collected using narrative inquiry with nursing students who failed and then repeated a course. This article shares a step-by-step explanation of how data were analysed, including using qualitative data analysis software to manage the data. Conclusion The process of analysing qualitative data is ill-defined, with great variability among researchers and methodologies. It can be valuable for novice researchers to consider the experiences of others when planning their analysis.
Investigating Fatigue in Offshore Drilling Workers: A Qualitative Data Analysis of Interviews

Interviews were conducted with offshore operators in the oil and gas industry in order to gain insight into their experiences of fatigue and associated mitigation strategies. These interviews indic...
Analog-to-digital conversion and model based engineering

Pervasive and ubiquitous computing is now universal. We now have intelligent and interconnected kitchens. Cars are interconnected networks on wheels. Smart highways will be here before the flying car. In the near future, the Internet-of- Things (IoT) will provide inter-connectivity for all things electronic. In 1971, the first 4 bit microprocessor was introduced. Nearly 50 years later, the microprocessor is driving global, world-wide connectivity to everything. More fundamental than pervasive and ubiquitous computing is the underlying technology of digital communications. Shannon proved in 1948, that digital communications provide for an arbitrarily small number of errors regardless of the distance between sender and receiver. Once data is in a digital form, it can be transmitted or copied an arbitrarily large number of times without error. Digital is a universal language which can transmit and store information for millennia to come. Digital is defined as quantized, discrete time. In this paper, we review sampling theory to convert analog to discrete time and discrete time to digital. We will illustrate the importance of understanding analog-to-digital conversion for model based engineering.
Comment on gas kinetic scheme for turbulence simulation

Abstract The paper addresses the development of Lattice Boltzmann (LB) methods for turbulent flows in response to a recent paper of Tan et al. [1] . Exact results, which ensure the consistency of LB equations with turbulence transport equations, are presented for parameters in LB equations. The advantages of using the exact LB model parameter setting are pointed out.
Fiction Meets Reality: A Comparison of Dietland and the Experiences of North American Fat Women

ABSTRACTIn June of 2018, AMC debuted the series Dietland, a television show about a woman of size named Plum who plans to have weight loss surgery until she begins a journey of self-acceptance. Whi...
Moisture Diffusion in Unsaturated Self-Desiccating Concrete with Humidity-Dependent Permeability and Nonlinear Sorption Isotherm

AbstractA nonlinear diffusion model for the drying of concrete, previously developed at Northwestern University and embedded in some design codes, was improved and calibrated on the basis of recent...
Epidemiologic risk factors for in situ and invasive ductal breast cancer among regularly screened postmenopausal women by grade in the Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort.

Histopathologic grade provides an integrated measure of biologic features which affects cancer prognosis. In invasive ductal breast cancer (IDBC), the grade of the ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive components are usually concordant, suggesting grade is established early in tumorigenesis and may be linked to etiologic factors. In this study, we used prospectively collected data from postmenopausal women in the Cancer Prevention Study-II (CPS-II) Nutrition Cohort to compare risk factor associations among low-grade and high-grade DCIS, as well as low-grade and high-grade IDBC. Among 73,825 cancer-free women at enrollment in the CPS-II Nutrition Cohort in 1992–1993 (mean age: 62.1 years), we verified 802 diagnosed with DCIS (C50 8500/2; n = 430 low-grade and 372 high-grade) and 3,125 with IDBC (C50 8500/3; n = 2,221 low-grade and 904 high-grade) through June 2013. Person-time contribution was conditional on screening mammograms self-reported on biennial surveys. Multivariable-adjusted joint Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). A personal history of benign breast disease was more strongly associated with higher risk of low-grade DCIS (HR = 2.20, 95% CI 1.81–2.67; p for heterogeneity = 0.0004) than high-grade DCIS. Consumption of two or more alcoholic drinks/day was only associated with a higher risk of low-grade IDBC (HR = 1.58, 95% CI 1.33–1.88; p for heterogeneity = 0.005). These results suggest heterogeneity by grade for breast cancer etiology. Identification of potential risk factor differences among low-grade and high-grade DCIS and IDBC may help to clarify associations, and ultimately, improve breast cancer risk prediction models.
Comprehensive Health-State Utilities in Contemporary Patients With Cirrhosis

Cost-effectiveness analysis depends on generalizable health-state utilities. Unfortunately, the available utilities for cirrhosis are dated, may not reflect contemporary patients, and do not capture the impact of cirrhosis symptoms. We aimed to determine health-state utilities for cirrhosis, using both the standard gamble (SG) and visual analog scale (VAS). We prospectively enrolled 305 patients. Disease severity (Child-Pugh [Child] class, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease with sodium [MELD-Na] scores), symptom burden (sleep quality, cramps, falls, pruritus), and disability (activities of daily living) were assessed. Multivariable models were constructed to determine independent clinical associations with utility values. The mean age was 57 ± 13 years, 54% were men, 30% had nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, 26% had alcohol-related cirrhosis, 49% were Child class A, and the median MELD-Na score was 12 (interquartile range [IQR], 8-18). VAS displayed a normal distribution with a wider range than SG. The Child-specific SG-derived utilities had a median value of 0.85 (IQR, 0.68-0.98) for Child A, 0.78 (IQR, 0.58-0.93) for Child B, and 0.78 (IQR, 0.58-0.93) for Child C. VAS-derived utilities had a median value of 0.70 (IQR, 0.60-0.85) for Child A, 0.61 (IQR, 0.50-0.75) for Child B, and 0.55 (IQR, 0.40-0.70) for Child C. VAS and SG were weakly correlated (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, 0.12; 95% confidence interval, 0.006-0.23). In multivariable models, disability, muscle cramps, and MELD-Na were significantly associated with SG utilities. More clinical covariates were significantly associated with the VAS utilities, including poor sleep, MELD-Na, disability, falls, cramps, and ascites. Conclusion: We provide health-state utilities for contemporary patients with cirrhosis as well as estimates of the independent impact of specific symptoms on each patient's reported utility.
Disruption of the Keap1/Nrf2-Antioxidant Response System After Chronic Doxorubicin Exposure In Vivo

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a widely prescribed anthracycline antineoplastic drug for treating human solid tumors and leukemias. However, DOX therapy is limited by a cumulative, dose-dependent, and irreversible cardiomyopathy that occurs with repeated administration. Presumably, a pivotal initiating event of DOX-induced cardiotoxicity is the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidation of lipids, DNA, and proteins. We recently identified activation of the Keap1/Nrf2-antioxidant response system—a major cellular defense mechanism against such oxidative stress—as an important response to acute DOX exposure in vitro. In the present study, we address the hypothesis that dysregulation of this pathway in cardiac tissue is also manifested in vivo following chronic DOX administration. Male, Sprague–Dawley rats received 6 weekly injections of 2 mg/kg (s.c.) DOX or saline followed by a 5-week drug-free period prior to analysis of cardiac tissue transcripts and proteins. In contrast to in vitro findings, the Keap1/Nrf2-antioxidant response system was suppressed in hearts of DOX-treated animals and consistent with the observed decrease in protein abundance for Nrf2 and PGAM5, both of which are substrates for Keap1. Although this shift in Keap1/Nrf2 suppresses the antioxidant pathway, the concurrent loss of PGAM5 could function as a signal for disposal of damaged mitochondria from the cell, thus removing the source of ROS. These findings identify the Keap1/Nrf2 and Keap1/PGAM5 pathways as important responses to DOX-induced cardiac injury in vivo; disruption of this system for mitochondrial hormesis may be an important contributing factor to cardiotoxicity after chronic drug administration.
Connecting Classrooms, Clinicians, and Community Clinics Through Technology (C4Tech) for Active and Collaborative Learning.

Purpose This pilot study investigated the level of cognition that physician assistant (PA) students achieved through adoption of an innovative blended learning model that connects the classroom, clinicians, and community clinics through electronic-learning (e-learning) technologies (C4Tech) used in a PA course. This education intervention aimed to facilitate authentic learning collaborations between PA students and practicing clinicians that would result in higher-order cognition related to the manifestations of social determinants of health and health disparities. Methods A case study approach was adopted to assess levels of cognition and changes in those levels resulting from application of an innovative blended learning model. Content analysis using Bloom's taxonomy of cognitive domains facilitated determination levels of cognition and changes in those levels. The sample of 8 groups comprised 70 PA students and 8 clinical instructors from community clinics with underrepresented patient populations. Results Analysis of 2 course assignments revealed that application of the C4Tech model yields high levels of cognition. By the course's end, all 8 groups achieved at least the "evaluate" level of cognition and half of the groups achieved the highest level of cognition, the "create" level. A wide variation in the level of cognition was demonstrated between the first and second assignments in each group and among groups. Conclusion Our findings suggest that e-learning technologies can be effective in blending classrooms and work environments for authentic and collaborative learning. Adoption of the C4Tech model yielded higher-order cognition related to course content.
Current concepts of polycystic ovary syndrome pathogenesis.

Purpose of review This review provides a model for understanding polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) pathophysiology and updates the evidence on which it is based. Then, it highlights complimentary molecular genetic and epigenetic advances in understanding PCOS cause. Recent findings Important studies into PCOS cause built on the 2014 discovery of a novel regulatory protein variant that underlies the typical PCOS steroidogenic abnormalities: DENND1A.V2 (differentially expressed in normal and neoplastic development, isoform 1A, variant 2). Over 30 DENND1A gene variants have been found, the vast majority upstream of the coding sequence and potentially regulatory. These variants are individually uncommon but collectively plausibly cause 50% of PCOS. Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH)/AMH receptor variants with decreased function possibly cause 6.7% of PCOS. DENNND1A was recently reported to belong to a signaling network that upregulates luteinizing hormone receptor expression and insulin mitogenic signaling. Prenatal androgen administration has proven to be a potent epigenetic regulator that causes transgenerational epigenomic changes in a mouse PCOS model with similarities to those in human PCOS and PCOS daughters. Summary In addition to finding how gene variants contribute to PCOS pathogenesis, better understanding of androgen epigenetic mechanisms of action in diverse tissues can be expected to expand our understanding of PCOS pathogenesis.
Teacher Learning through Technology-Enhanced Curriculum Design Using Virtual Reality.

Background/ContextThe rapid development of virtual reality (VR) technology increases expectations regarding the potentials of using VR in the classroom and requires teachers to engage in profession...
Roads for African Americans to Live Enhanced and Improved Mentally Healthy Lives

African Americans’ history with the US healthcare system is precarious at best. Due to a long-standing history of medical maltreatment practices and policies implemented to maintain an unjust status quo, African Americans shy away from health care. The distrust of macroaggressive systems trickles down into mental health and wellness practices. Thus, many African Americans seek their mental health support through their religious and faith-based communities. However, more recent research has identified strategies that can be used to assist in reestablishing a trusting relationship between the African American community and the overarching healthcare system. Based on a review of the literature, suggestions to improve the relationship between African Americans and mental health care are provided.
Follow-up Interactive Long-Term Expert Ranking (FILTER): a crowdsourcing platform to adjudicate risk for survivorship care.

Objectives To develop an online crowdsourcing platform where oncologists and other survivorship experts can adjudicate risk for complications in follow-up. Materials and methods This platform, called Follow-up Interactive Long-Term Expert Ranking (FILTER), prompts participants to adjudicate risk between each of a series of pairs of synthetic cases. The Elo ranking algorithm is used to assign relative risk to each synthetic case. Results The FILTER application is currently live and implemented as a web application deployed on the cloud. Discussion While guidelines for following cancer survivors exist, refinement of survivorship care based on risk for complications after active treatment could improve both allocation of resources and individual outcomes in long-term follow-up. Conclusion FILTER provides a means for a large number of experts to adjudicate risk for survivorship complications with a low barrier of entry.
Diagnostic Approach of Focal and Diffuse Hepatic Diseases

Various pathologies can involve the liver. In this chapter, we start by illustrating the gross anatomy of the liver. Then, we briefly tabulate various focal hepatic lesions with a special emphasis placed on the imaging features and differential diagnoses of these entities through practical algorithmic approach. We will then discuss the spectrum of diffuse liver diseases and their imaging features.
Importance of Cavitation to the Creep of Structural Ceramics

Current interest in structural ceramics for heat exchangers, power generation turbines and automotive engines is based on their superior behavior at high temperature. For the same stress and expected lifetime, structural ceramics can be used at temperatures as much as 200 to 300°C higher than the best metallic alloys available today.1 Ceramics are also more inert chemically and have a greater resistance to wear and erosion than structural alloys. The principal impediment to widespread use of structural ceramics is their brittle behavior, which at low temperatures results in thermal and mechanical shock sensitivity and in a large variability in strength, principally due to the presence of mechanical defects in the ceramics. At high temperatures, the same brittle behavior results in the generation of mechanical damage that leads to a time-dependent failure. Although mechanisms of damage nucleation and growth may be complex, the relationship between lifetime at high temperature and creep rate is given by the Monkman-Grant2 relationship, in which lifetime is inversely proportional to creep rate. Thus, the lifetime of high-temperature ceramics can be improved by increasing creep resistance, a fact that has been recognized and used over the past 20 years to improve the operating temperature of silicon nitride.
Neutrino scattering in a modified GIM model

Neutral- and charged-current neutrino- and antineutrinonucleon scatterings are analyzed within the GIM picture by accounting for the rather pronounced scaling violations in the weex region and utilizing a parameterξ=〈p ⊥ 2 〉1/2/k. Forx ≫ξ the naive parton model is assumed to apply, whereas forx ≲ξ a diminution of free-partonvs. other scattering is expected. (x andy are the usual scaling variables,k is the c.m. momentum and 〈p ⊥ 2 〉1/2 is the r.m.s. parton transverse momentum ≈ 0.3 GeV.) In the model, an increasing number of sea quarks is freed as the energyE increases and the weex domain recedes towardsx=0. The ratio $$\sigma _c^{\bar \nu \mathcal{N}} /\sigma _c^{\nu \mathcal{N}} , \langle y\rangle _c^{\bar \nu } $$ , inclusive dσ c/dy distributions for νN and $$\bar \nu \mathcal{N}$$ scatterings, neutral-to-charged-current cross-section ratiosR ν and $$R_{\bar \nu } $$ , as well asν-and $$\bar \nu - induced$$ dilepton and accompanying strange-particle production are calculated, leading to satisfactory agreement with experiment from 10 GeV to 150 GeV. In particular, the model implies that $$R_{\bar \nu } (E)$$ remains relatively flat asE increases through the region where $$\sigma _c^{\bar \nu \mathcal{N}} /E$$ appears to rise. Neutral-current processes are calculated by using the charged-current-determined model parameters within the Weinberg-Salam framework with sin2θw=0.3. Comparison with dimuon experiments leads to semi-muonic branching ratios for the decay of charm in the range 5% to 10%, if one assume aSU 3-invariant sea. The calculated mean number of strange particles per neutrino-induced dilepton event is 1.4.
Expanding Symmetric Multiprocessor Capability Through Gang Scheduling

Symmetric Multiprocessor (SMP) systems normally provide both space-sharing and time-sharing to insure high system utilization and good responsiveness. However the prevailing lack of concurrent scheduling for parallel programs precludes SMP use in addressing many large-scale problems. Tightly synchronized communications are impractical and normal time-sharing reduces the benefit of cache memory. Evidence gathered at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) indicates that gang scheduling can increase the capability of SMP systems and parallel program performance without adverse impact upon system utilization or responsiveness.
Principles and Techniques for Designing Precision Machines

This thesis is written to advance the reader's knowledge of precision-engineering principles and their application to designing machines that achieve both sufficient precision and minimum cost. It provides the concepts and tools necessary for the engineer to create new precision machine designs. Four case studies demonstrate the principles and showcase approaches and solutions to specific problems that generally have wider applications. These come from projects at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in which the author participated: the Large Optics Diamond Turning Machine, Accuracy Enhancement of High- Productivity Machine Tools, the National Ignition Facility, and Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography. Although broad in scope, the topics go into sufficient depth to be useful to practicing precision engineers and often fulfill more academic ambitions. The thesis begins with a chapter that presents significant principles and fundamental knowledge from the Precision Engineering literature. Following this is a chapter that presents engineering design techniques that are general and not specific to precision machines. All subsequent chapters cover specific aspects of precision machine design. The first of these is Structural Design, guidelines and analysis techniques for achieving independently stiff machine structures. The next chapter addresses dynamic stiffness by presenting several techniques for Deterministic Damping, damping designs that can be analyzed and optimized with predictive results. Several chapters present a main thrust of the thesis, Exact-Constraint Design. A main contribution is a generalized modeling approach developed through the course of creating several unique designs. The final chapter is the primary case study of the thesis, the Conceptual Design of a Horizontal Machining Center.
SPECTRAL RESOLUTION OF BREAKWATER REFLECTED WAVES

A means of resolving incident and reflected wave heights for a partial standing wave through the use of two fixed wave sensors is demonstrated. Field studies were conducted in which the waves incident to the permeable rubblemound breakwater located in Monterey Harbor, CA, are spectrally resolved into incident, reflected and transmitted wave components. Power-spectra and cross-spectra are calculated for various characteristic sea states. Amplitude and phase are determined for the spectral wave components compromising the partial standing wave phenomena and reflection and transmission coefficients determined. The reflection coefficients vary between 0.3 and 0.7 and the transmission coefficients between 0.1 and 0.2. The transmission and reflection coefficients are shown to be dependent on the frequency and amplitude of the incident waves and the tidal stage.
Temperature and metabolism in Leishmania. 3. Some dehydrogenases of L. donovani, L. mexicana, and L. tarentolae.

Abstract The effects of temperature on four dehydrogenases in homogenates of promastigotes of Leishmania donovani (several strains), L. mexicana , and L. tarentolae were studied. Activities of isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICD) (EC 1.1.1.42), glyceraldehydephosphate dehydrogenase (GAPD) (EC 1.2.1.12), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) (EC 1.1.1.49), and phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (PGD) (EC 1.1.1.44) were measured at temperatures from 25 C up to 45 C by following the reduction of nucleotide cofactors spectrophotometrically. Residual activities were measured at 25 C following incubation at 37 C for 30, 60, and 90 min. ICD, GAPD, and G-6-PD generally increased in initial activity over the temperature range, but activities and rates of increase varied according to enzyme, species, and strain. PGD activity decreased sharply over the investigated range in L. mexicana and all L. donovani strains, but increased in L. tarentolae . Residual activity curves confirmed the observed temperature-activity differences between L. tarentolae and the mammalian parasites with respect to PGD, and, in addition, showed that the ICD, GAPD, and G-6-PD of the cutaneous L. mexicana were more thermolabile than the same enzymes of the visceral L. donovani . The HM strain of L. donovani , which in hamsters produces infections of lower virulence than the other strains studied (Khartoum, 1S, 2S, 3S), also showed the lowest ICD, G-6-PD, and PGD activity over most of the temperature range.
Adjudicating Climate Change: An Emerging Human Right to Security from Climate Change: The Case Against Gas Flaring in Nigeria

Most of the oil wells in Nigeria are accompanied by a raging flame that burns twenty-four hours a day, reaching hundreds of feet into the sky, killing the surrounding vegetation with searing heat, emitting a deafening roar, and belching a cocktail of smoke, soot, and toxic chemicals into the air along with a potent mixture of greenhouse gases. In 2005, the Federal High Court of Nigeria ruled that the widespread practice of gas flaring by Shell and other oil companies in the Niger Delta constituted a human rights violation. This may be the first court ruling anywhere in the world to suggest that there is a human right to security from climate change. Such a right is warranted. It actually fits comfortably within the principles and values that underlie some of the oldest and most venerated rights in the civil and political rights tradition. Even though that tradition was born over two hundred years ago, long before anyone could have conceived of the idea of climate change, this problem - at least in its political aspects - is exactly the kind of problem that civil and political rights are aimed at combating. It is a problem that arises fundamentally from the distortion of government decision making by power. Nor does the fact that the actions complained of here were committed by private actors take this case outside the rubric of human rights. Even under traditional doctrine, the close relationship between Shell and the Nigerian government in this case may well warrant a finding of liability against Shell for acting in concert with the State. But even in cases where no joint venture with the government can be proved, it may be appropriate to hold the multi-national corporation liable. The same concerns that animated the conceptualization of civil and political rights in the eighteenth century as rights against the State, warrant the imposition of such rights directly against multinational corporations in the twenty-first century, when such corporations wield more wealth than many countries and the power of multinationals to affect the conditions of daily existence for individuals often rivals that of government.
First-principles study of the formation and migration of native defects in NaAlH 4

We present arst-principles study of native defects in NaAl H4. Our analysis indicates that the structure and energetics of these defects can be interpreted in terms of elementary building blocks, which include V + AlH4 , V − Na , V + H , H − i , and (H2)i. We also calculate migration barriers for several key defects, in order to compare enthalpies of diusion to exper imentally measured activation energies of desorption. From this, we estimate activation energies for diusion of defects and defect pairs. We suggest that V + AlH4 and H − i , or V − Na and V + H , may be responsible for diusion necessary for desorption. We discuss the possible role of V + H -H − i complex formation. The values wend are in
Virtual link: an enabler of enterprise utility computing

Dynamically provisioned virtual clusters provide a means of consolidating servers in a data center and for supporting utility computing. Data centers typically sport a large number of (layer 2) switches and very few routers, yet, the existing layer-2 QoS are not well developed. This paper proposes the notion of virtual link as an interconnection abstraction to provide granular QoS. The paper also presents an experimental study comparing virtual link based congestion control against other alternatives for emerging 10 Gb/sec Ethernet links. It is shown that virtual links can provide desired capabilities with a small perturbation to existing standards and can work well in mixed legacy environments.
12 – Chemical Reactions

Chemical reactions entail making or breaking of bonds, so energy is conserved for an isolated system. Reactions at constant volume or pressure exchange heat with the environment by change of internal energy or enthalpy, respectively. Reaction extent is measured by a progress variable; reactions progress until equilibrium is reached or some component is depleted. We define standard states of components and heats of formation of compounds. Affinity is defined as the decrease of Gibbs free energy per unit progress variable; its sign determines the direction of the reaction such that entropy is produced. Change of enthalpy per unit progress variable determines whether the reaction is endothermic or exothermic. At equilibrium the affinity is zero. Equilibrium conditions are expressed by equating a function of temperature and pressure called the “equilibrium constant” to a reaction product that depends on activities and fugacities of chemical components. Special cases include reaction products that can be approximated in terms of partial pressures of ideal gases.
Perchlorate retention and mobility in soils

Adsorption and release of perchlorate in a variety of soils, minerals, and other media were studied when the solid media were exposed to low and high aqueous solutions of perchlorate salts. Low level ClO4− exposure was investigated by subjecting triplicate 5.0 g portions of a solid medium (38 different soils, minerals, or dusts) to 25 mL of an aqueous ammonium perchlorate (NH4ClO4) solution containing 670 ng mL−1 (6.8 µM) perchlorate. This corresponds to a perchlorate-to-soil ratio of 3.4 µg g−1 (34 nmol g−1). At this level of exposure, more than 90% of the perchlorate was recovered in the aqueous phase, as determined by ion chromatography. In some cases, more than 99% of the perchlorate remained in the aqueous phase. In some cases, the apparent loss of aqueous perchlorate was not clearly distinguishable from the variation due to experimental error. The forced perchlorate anion exchange capacities (PAECs) were studied by soaking triplicate 5.0 g portions of the solid media in 250 mL of 0.20 M sodium perchlorate (NaClO4) followed by repeated deionized water rinses (overnight soaks with mixing) until perchlorate concentrations fell below 20 ng mL−1 in the rinse solutions. The dried residua were leached with 15.0 mL of 0.10 M sodium hydroxide. The leachates were analyzed by ion chromatography and the perchlorate concentrations thus found were subsequently used to calculate the PAECs. The measurable PAECs of the insoluble and settleable residua ranged from 4 to 150 nmol g−1 (µmol kg−1), with most in the 20–50 nmol g−1 range. In some soils or minerals, no sorption was detectable. The mineral bentonite was problematic, however. Overall, the findings support the widely accepted idea that perchlorate does not appreciably sorb to soils and that its mobility and fate are largely influenced by hydrologic and biologic factors. They also generally support the idea that intrasoil perchlorate content is depositional rather than sorptive. On the other hand, sorption (anion replacement) of perchlorate appears to occur in some soils. Therefore, the measurement of perchlorate in soils requires accounting for ion exchange phenomena; leaching with water alone may give inaccurate results. If perchlorate anion exchange is confirmed to be negligible, then leaching procedures may be simplified accordingly.
Surface Raman scattering of interfaces at Ag electrodes emersed from dimethylsulfoxide: spectroscopic evidence for an emersion-induced potential shift

Abstract Surface Raman scattering has been used to study Ag electrodes emersed from LiBr solutions of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). Interfacial DMSO structure is generally similar to that in-situ, although spectral evidence for an emersion-induced potential shift is observed. The DMSO orientation at Ag electrodes is driven by interaction of the oxygen atom at potentials positive of the potential of zero charge (pzc) and the sulfur atom at potentials negative of the pzc. Pronounced restructuring of DMSO occurs in the vicinity of the pzc. Specific interactions between DMSO and electrolyte ions are clearly detected in the emersed interface. The observed potential shift is attributed to reorientation of the DMSO solvent dipoles at the emersed layer ∣ gas interface. These results represent the first spectroscopic evidence for the existence of an emersion-induced potential shift.