cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Longevity of granular iron in groundwater treatment processes: corrosion product development

Permeable reactive barriers employing iron as a reactive surface have received extensive attention. A remaining issue, however, relates to their longevity. As an integral part of a long-term column study conducted to examine the influence of inorganic cosolutes on iron reactivity toward chlorinated solvents and nitroaromatic compounds, Master Builder iron grains were characterized via scanning and transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), micro-Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Prior to exposure to carbonate solutions, the iron grains were covered by a surface scale that consisted of fayalite (Fe2SiO4), wustite (FeO), magnetite (Fe3O4), maghemite (gamma-Fe2O3), and graphite. After 1100 days of exposure to solutions containing carbonate, other inorganic solutes, and organic contaminants, the wustite, fayalite, and graphite of the original scale partially dissolved, and magnetite and iron carbonate hydroxide (Fe3(OH)2.2CO3) precipitated on top of the scale. Raman results indicate the presence of green rust (e.g., [Fe4(2+)Fe2(3+)(OH)12]-[CO3 x 2H2O]) toward the column outlet after 308 days of operation, although this mineral phase disappears at longer operation times. Grains extracted from a column exposed to a high concentration (20 mM) of sodium bicarbonate were more extensively weathered than those from columns exposed to 2 mM sodium bicarbonate. An iron carbonate hydroxide layer up to 100 microm thick was observed. Even though EELS analysis of iron carbonate hydroxide indicates that this is a redox-active phase, the thickness of this layer is presumed responsible for the previously observed decline in the reactivity of this column relative to low-bicarbonate columns. A silica-containing feed resulted in reduced reactivity toward TCE. Grains from this column had a strong enrichment of silicon in the precipitates, although no distinct silica-containing mineral phases were identified. The substitution of 2 mM calcium carbonate for 2 mM sodium bicarbonate in the feed did not produce a measurable reactivity loss, asthe discrete calcium carbonate precipitates that formed in this system did not severely restrict access to the reactive surface.
Advocacy and Policy Change in the Multilevel System of the European Union: A Case Study within Health Policy

Health policy is basically Member States’ competence. However, the European Union has recently raised a number of key questions facing both (pharmaceutical) industries and public health interests. By applying the Advocacy Coalition Framework, the paper sheds light on policy change within the European multilevel system. The analysis is based on a case-study strategy. Two processes in the pharmaceutical policy are taken into account: the “Pharma Forum” and the “Pharma Package”. They both concern “information to patient”—a controversial policy issue at the crossroad of competing pressures.
On the controlling parameters for fatigue-crack threshold at low homologous temperatures

Fatigue crack propagation phenomena near the threshold stress intensity level ..delta..K /SUB TH/ , has been a vigorously studied topic in recent years. Near threshold the crack propagates rather slowly, thus giving enough time for various physical and chemical reactions to take place. Room air, which is the most commonly encountered environment, can still supply various ingredients such as oxygen, water vapor (and thus hydrogen) to support these reactions. Much effort had been directed toward the environmental aspects of near threshold fatigue crack growth. By conducting tests under vacuum, Suresh and coworkers found that the crack propagation rate in a 2-1/4 Cr-1Mo steel was higher in vacuum than in air. An oxide induced closure, which served to reduce the effective stress intensity at the crack tip, seems to furnish a good explanation. Neumann and coworkers proposed that during the fatigue process, extrusion-intrusion pairs can develop as a consequence of reversed slip around the crack tip when the crack was propagated near threshold stress intensity. Beevers demonstrated that fatigue fracture surfaces contact each other during unloading even under tension-tension cycling. Kanninen and Atkinson also reached the conclusion that the compressive stress acting at the crack tip due to residual plasticity canmore » induce closure. Microstructural effects have also been cited as important factors in near threshold crack growth. It is generally accepted that coarser grains have a beneficial effect on the resistance to the near threshold crack propagation.« less
Optical design of the Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph starlight suppression system

A baseline design for NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph (TPFC) starlight suppression system (SSS) is described. The design is based on a 8x3.5m elliptical aperture telescope leading to terrestrial planet detection at a minimum angle of ~4λ/D. The design accommodates classical Lyot coronagraph as well as shaped pupil approaches and includes separate optical paths for two polarizations each with its own deformable mirror control. Critical design challenges and trades are described.
Speech perception in adult subjects with familial dyslexia.

Speech perception was investigated in a carefully selected group of adult subjects with familial dyslexia. Perception of three synthetic speech continua was studied: /a/-//, in which steady-state s...
Psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual health disparities in end-of-life and palliative care: Where we are and where we need to go

Although health disparities are well documented, the extent to which they affect end-of-life care is unknown. Limited research funding leads to sparse and often contradictory palliative care literature, with few studies on causal mechanisms. This article explores the psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual health disparities existing in palliative and end-of-life care with the goal of identifying future research needs. This article reports efforts to determine knowledge gaps related to health disparities in psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual aspects of end-of-life care in which the authors draw upon recent literature from multiple databases. Although few data are available, studies show that minorities make little use of hospice, often because of lack of knowledge about hospice or palliative care, family-centered cultures, and preferences for more aggressive end-of-life care than hospice allows. The authors conclude that future research should include a search for theoretical and causal mechanisms; prospective longitudinal investigations; diverse patients, conditions, contexts, and settings; methodological diversity and rigor; and interdisciplinary, culturally sensitive interventions.
Prostaglandins in Health and Disease: An Overview

Objectives Prostaglandins are a group of biologically active compounds that play major roles in human physiology in both health and disease. They function in many different ways and in all major organs. This article reviews the basic physiology of prostaglandins and their application to specific effects on these systems in normal and abnormal clinical states. The critical therapeutic implications of the use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs in altering organ homeostasis are also examined. Methods References were taken from Medline, Embase, and Index Medicus from 1966 to September 2005. A search was done with keywords, including prostaglandins, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, inflammation, arachidonic acid, Cox-1 (cyclooxygenase-1), and Cox-2 (cyclooxygenase-2). Results There was a close correlation and predictability between basic prostaglandin physiology and the anticipated effects of these compounds on the heart, lungs, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, bones and joints, brain, and male and female reproductive systems. These effects are organ and tissue specific. Despite these findings, unexplained and sometimes paradoxical physiologic responses were identified. A prime example of this is the role of prostaglandins in bone metabolism demonstrating both stimulatory and inhibitory effects. In addition all NSAIDs have the potential to impair the normal physiologic effects of prostaglandins depending primarily on the specific organ and the clinical setting. Conclusions Prostaglandins are regulatory compounds that play important roles in many physiologic processes in the human body. An understanding of the basic science of prostaglandins is valuable in anticipating the organ-specific biologic effects of these unique compounds in health and disease. However, at selected sites and under different physiologic conditions, unexplained and sometimes paradoxical effects are generated. Impairment of their regulatory functions can lead to significant short- or long-term organ dysfunction.
Application of an improved algorithm to high precision relocation of ISC test events

Abstract New location features for possible implementation by the International Seismological Centre in its standard location procedures are tested using a set of 156 well-located and geographically well-distributed earthquakes and explosions. The tests are performed using the Engdahl et al. ([Engdahl, E.R., Van der Hilst, R.D., Buland, R.P., 1998. Global teleseismic earthquake relocation with improved travel times and procedures for depth determination. Bull. Seism. Soc. Am. 88, 3295–3314]; EHB) location algorithm with the 1-D reference Earth model ak135 [Kennett, B.L.N., Engdahl, E.R., Buland, R., 1995. Constraints on seismic velocities in the Earth from travel times, Geophys. J. Int. 122, 108–124]. Weighting by phase variance as a function of distance improves location accuracy by 7%. Use of later phase arrival times does not result in a significant improvement in location or depth for events with observing stations well distributed in azimuth. However, with application of an improved phase identification technique, depth phases provide significantly better estimates of focal depth.
A Comparative Study of NIR Diffuse Reflectance of Cottons Grouped According to Fiber Cross-Sectional Dimensions. Part I: Fundamentals

In Part I of this series, a model was proposed to predict the comparative NIR reflectance of grouped cottons. In Part II of this series, the model's optical path was simulated. We report here the detailed examination of this model, its optical path, and cotton reflectance spectra in the wavelength range from 840 to 2500 nm. The premise that paired cottons with allowed nontrivial combinations of dimensional variables will produce the predicted comparative reflectance is verified experimentally, as is the premise that any number of cottons of the same perimeter with varying wall thickness will produce the predicted comparative reflectance. The critical assumption of a constant total fiber length in the optical path, for cottons of the same perimeter, is confirmed. Thus the log(1/R) values are a function of a wall dimension (thickness or area) and perimeter. Finally, three distinct wavelength regions of the reflectance spectra are noted: 2100 nm. At wavelengths >2100 nm, significant absorption of photons out of the beam, caused by the cellulose in the fiber wall, controls the reflectance. At wavelengths <1440 nm, the log(1/R) function is different and its cause unresolved. For some cottons, the intermediate band of wavelengths shows a transition in log(1/R) values from the resolved to the unresolved function.
Vortex Dynamics in the Left Ventricle During Diastole Under Edge-to-Edge Repair

The edge-to-edge repair (ETER) is one of the mitral valve (MV) repair techniques frequently used in MV disease treatment. This technique restores valve competence by the suturing of the free edges of the leaflets either in the central position or at the commissure, depending on the location of valvular lesions. A direct consequence of this procedure is the modification in both shape and geometry of the MV orifices and thus of the fluid mechanics downstream of the MV during diastole [1].Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Aftermath: The Transition from War to Peace in America After World War II

and the large-scale migration, indentured and informal, of labor to mines and plantations in South Asia and overseas are likewise vast and relatively unexplored territory for historians. The conference's exploration of these and other themes within the context of global and local linkages was an excellent idea. The theoretical focus blurred sometimes, but this was partly because three days was not long enough to discuss the wide range and dense texture of the contributions. The conference ended with a proposal to establish an Indian Labour Studies Association which would publish a newsletter and organize an ongoing series of workshops. The term "studies" rather than "history" was used in order to accommodate inquiries into contemporary movements and issues. Jan Lucassen, head of the IISG's Research Department, welcomed the proposal with an assurance of support and suggested that European labor studies would benefit greatly from an engagement with the meth odological freshness and substantive empirical work which characterize South Asian labor studies. The founding meeting of this new organization will be held in India on December 15 and 16, 1996.
An examination of work‐environment support factors affecting transfer of supervisory skills training to the workplace

Organizations invest a significant amount of time and money on management and supervisory training programs. The intent of this study was to examine the relationship between four specific work-environment factors (organization support, supervisor support, peer support, and participation in a peer support network) and transfer of training at one-month, six-month, and one-year points following supervisory skills training. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from both trainees and their direct supervisors. ANOVA results of aggregate data showed that trainees who reported receiving high levels of organization, supervisor, and peer support, and who also participated in a peer support network, reported higher levels of transfer of knowledge and skills. When data were segregated and examined according to length of time since trainees had completed training, findings were still significant for organization, supervisor, and peer support but only at the one-year point, not at one month or six months. Participation in a peer support network was not significant at any of the three points of time. In short-answer responses, trainees indicated that lack of time and lack of management support and buy-in were significant barriers to transfer. T-test results indicated that trainees and their supervisors did not differ in their perceptions of level of transfer of skills or amount of organizational or direct supervisor support received by the trainees.
On regularity of stationary stokes and navier-stokes equations near boundary

We obtain local estimates of the steady-state Stokes system ”without pressure” near boundary. As an application of the local estimates, we prove the partial regularity up to the boundary for the stationary Navier-Stokes equations in a smooth domain in five dimension.
Fast, integrated person tracking and activity recognition with plan-view templates from a single stereo camera

Plan-view projection of real-time depth imagery can improve the statistics of its intrinsic 3D data, and allows for cleaner separation of occluding and closely-interacting people. We build a probabilistic, real-time multi-person tracking system upon a plan-view image substrate that well preserves both shape and size information of foreground objects. The tracking's robustness derives in part from its "plan-view template" person models, which capture detailed properties of people's body configurations. We demonstrate that these same person models, obtained with a single compact stereo camera unit, may also be used for fast recognition of body pose and activity. Principal components analysis is used to extract plan-view "eigenposes", onto which person models, extracted during tracking, are projected to produce a compact representation of human body configuration. We then formulate pose recognition as a classification problem, and use support vector machines (SVMs) to quickly distinguish between, for example, different directions people are facing, and different body poses such as standing, sitting, bending over, crouching, and reaching. The SVM outputs are transformed to probabilities and integrated across time in a probabilistic framework for real-time activity recognition.
Effect of crew resource management training in a multidisciplinary obstetrical setting

Objective. To assess the effect of a Crew Resource Management (CRM) intervention specifically designed to improve teamwork and communication skills in a multidisciplinary obstetrical setting. Method. Design-A before-and-after cross-sectional study designed to assess participants’ satisfaction, learning and change in behaviour, according to Kirkpatrick’s evaluation framework for training programmes. Setting-Labour and delivery units of a large university-affiliated hospital. Participants-Two hundred and thirty nine midwives, nurses, physicians and technicians from the department of anaesthesia, obstetrics and paediatrics. Intervention-All participants took part in a CRM-based training programme specifically designed to improve teamwork and communication skills. Principal measures of outcome-We assessed participants’ satisfaction by means of a 10-item standardized questionnaire. A 36-item survey was administered before and after the course to assess participants’ learning. Behavioural change was assessed by a 57-item safety attitude questionnaire measuring staff ’s change in attitude to safety over 1 year of programme implementation. Results. Most participants valued the experience highly and 63–90% rated their level of satisfaction as being very high. Except for seven items, the 36-item survey testing participants’ learning demonstrated a significant change (P , 0.05) towards better knowledge of teamwork and shared decision making after the training programme. Over the year of observation, there was a positive change in the team and safety climate in the hospital [odds ratio (OR) 2.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.3–6.3) to OR 4.7, 95% CI (1.2–17.2)]. **There was also improved stress recognition [OR 2.4, 95% CI (1.2–4.8) to OR 3.0, 95% CI (1.0–8.8)]. Conclusion. The implementation of a training programme based on CRM in a multidisciplinary obstetrical setting is well accepted and contributes to a significant improvement in interprofessional teamwork.
On-line severity assessment of bearing damage via defect sensitive resonance identification and matched filtering

A microcomputer based on-line bearing condition monitoring system was developed. Employing synchronised segmentation and parametric spectral comparisons, the system enabled on-line identification of defect sensitive resonances for an investigated bearing system at an early stage of damage. A matched filter was designed to keep track of the energy contributed by these resonances throughout the rest of bearing life. The magnitude of the energy was found to be well correlated with the development of bearing localised defects. It takes 38 sec for the identification of defect sensitive resonances and 7 sec for the matched filter to report each new assessment of bearing condition on a programmed PC-AT.
Optimization of Light Extraction Efficiency of III-Nitride LEDs With Self-Assembled Colloidal-Based Microlenses

Improvement of light extraction efficiency of InGaN LEDs using colloidal-based SiO2/polystyrene (PS) microlens arrays was demonstrated. The size effect of the SiO2 microspheres and the thickness effect of the PS layer on the light extraction efficiency of III-nitride LEDs were studied. The monolayer rapid convective deposition conditions for SiO2 microspheres were also investigated. Ray tracing simulations show that the use of microlens arrays can lead to increase in light extraction efficiency of InGaN LEDs by 2.64 times. This is consistent with experiments that demonstrated 2.49 times improvement in light extraction utilizing SiO2/PS microlens arrays. The enhancement in light extraction efficiency is attributed to increase in effective photon escape cone due to SiO2/PS microlens arrays, and reduced Fresnel reflection within the photon escape cone due to the grading of refractive index change between GaN/SiO2/PS/air interface.
Male and Female Rate Differences in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Injuries: Personal Attributes or Job Tasks?

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) exacts a significant toll on the health and productivity of American workers. In 1996, 29,937 workers lost time from work due to CTS. Half of these were out for more than 25 days, compared to a median of 5 days for all injuries/illnesses. There are striking gender disparities in CTS rates. Overall, three times more women suffer from CTS than men. While some authors have emphasized the role of gender attributes in this risk disparity, the multifactoral causes of CTS, and the sex segregation of women into jobs with high-risk tasks, may be obscuring the work-related contributions to CTS risk. We argue here that men and women doing the same work tasks will have similar rates of CTS. To examine this premise, we used Bureau of Labor Statistics injury counts (numerator) and census data from the Current Population Survey (denominator) to determine injury rates of CTS for both men and women in six high-risk occupations: (1) assembler, (2) laborer-nonconstruction, (3) packaging and filling machine operators, (4) janitors and cleaners, (5) butchers and meat cutters, and (6) data entry keyers. Variable job tasks exist within five of the six high-risk occupational titles. Among those five, the male to female (M:F) risk rate ratio ranged from 0.29 to 0.50. However, the sixth occupational title, data entry keyers, which requires a single physical task, had a risk rate ratio of 1.06. This suggests that an equal risk between genders exists when the occupational tasks (exposure) are truly similar. Job task analysis unmasks potential biases that may wrongly attribute disproportionate CTS rates to gender attributes. This focus on gender attributes fails all workers because preventive interventions in the workplace are deferred. It fails women disproportionately because they are overrepresented in jobs at high risk for CTS.
A retrospective outcomes study examining the effect of interactive metronome on hand function

Abstract Introduction Interactive Metronome (IM, The Interactive Metronome Company, Sunrise, Florida, USA) is a computer-based modality marketed to rehabilitation professionals who want to improve outcomes in areas of coordination, motor skills, self-regulation behaviors, and cognitive skills. Purpose This retrospective study examined the efficacy of IM training on improving timing skills, hand function, and parental report of self-regulatory behaviors. Methods Forty eight children with mixed motor and cognitive diagnoses completed an average of 14 one-hour training sessions over an average of 8.5 weeks in an outpatient setting. Each child was assessed before and after training with the Interactive Metronome Long Form Assessment, the Jebsen Taylor Test of Hand Function, and a parent questionnaire. Results All three measures improved with statistical significance despite participants having no direct skill training. Conclusion These results suggest an intimate relationship between cognition and motor skills that has potential therapeutic value. Level of evidence Level 4, Retrospective Case Series
Microwave and radiofrequency spectra of hydrogen bonded complexes in the vapor phase

Article de synthese relatif aux composes d'addition par liaison hydrogene. Analyse des spectres de rotation, effet Stark. Interaction hyperfine. Etude des dimeres cycliques d'acides carboxyliques et d'amides et d'hydrure dimeres. Methode de mesures: spectrometrie microonde et resonance electrique sur faisceau moleculaire
Effects of regular exercise on lymphocyte subsets and CD62L after psychological vs. physical stress.

Abstract Objective To examine the effects of regular physical activity on lymphocyte responses to a speech stressor and an exercise challenge. Methods We assessed lymphocyte subsets and CD62L expression pre, immediately after and 15 min after a speech task vs. exercise in 24 high vs. 24 low physically active subjects. Catecholamine levels were determined by radioenzymatic assay, and enumeration of cells was assessed by flow cytometry. Results Both tasks induced significant increases in plasma epinephrine (EPI; P P P + , CD45RA + , CD45RO + CD8 + , CD45RO + T H and CD62L − natural killer (NK) cells ( P 's Conclusion The findings suggest that physical fitness affects immune responses to a psychological but not a physical stressor. It is an interesting but open question whether attenuated lymphocyte trafficking responses to stress in regular exercisers might have clinical implications regarding host defense by the immune system.
Host shift and speciation in a coral-feeding nudibranch.

While the role of host preference in ecological speciation has been investigated extensively in terrestrial systems, very little is known in marine environments. Host preference combined with mate choice on the preferred host can lead to population subdivision and adaptation leading to host shifts. We use a phylogenetic approach based on two mitochondrial genetic markers to disentangle the taxonomic status and to investigate the role of host specificity in the speciation of the nudibranch genus Phestilla (Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia) from Guam, Palau and Hawaii. Species of the genus Phestilla complete their life cycle almost entirely on their specific host coral (species of Porites, Goniopora and Tubastrea). They reproduce on their host coral and their planktonic larvae require a host-specific chemical cue to metamorphose and settle onto their host. The phylogenetic trees of the combined cytochrome oxidase I and ribosomal 16S gene sequences clarify the relationship among species of Phestilla identifying most of the nominal species as monophyletic clades. We found a possible case of host shift from Porites to Goniopora and Tubastrea in sympatric Phestilla spp. This represents one of the first documented cases of host shift as a mechanism underlying speciation in a marine invertebrate. Furthermore, we found highly divergent clades within Phestilla sp. 1 and Phestilla minor (8.1–11.1%), suggesting cryptic speciation. The presence of a strong phylogenetic signal for the coral host confirms that the tight link between species of Phestilla and their host coral probably played an important role in speciation within this genus.
Gene transfer of glutamic acid decarboxylase reduces neuropathic pain.

We tested whether transfer of the gene coding for glutamic acid decarboxylase to dorsal root ganglion using a herpes simplex virus vector to achieve release of GABA in dorsal horn would attenuate nociception in this condition. Subcutaneous inoculation of a replication-defective herpes simplex virus vector expressing glutamic acid decarboxylase (vector QHGAD67) 7 days after selective L5 spinal nerve ligation reversed mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia; the antiallodynic effect lasted 6 weeks and was reestablished by reinoculation. QH-GAD67 inoculation also suppressed induction of c-Fos and phosphorylated extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1 and 2 in the spinal cord. Peripheral neuropathic pain is a common and difficult to treat concomitant of polyneuropathy or structural nerve injury. Opioids are relatively ineffective, and their use is limited by side effects. Antidepressants and anticonvulsants have demonstrated efficacy in randomized controlled trials but provide only 50% relief in less than half of patients treated. 1 Among the complex mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain, partial nerve injury results in a selective loss of GABAergic inhibitory synaptic currents in spinal cord 2 that contribute to abnormal pain sensitivity and the phenotypic features of the neuropathic pain syndrome. GABAergic agents have not been widely used in the treatment of neuropathic pain because the therapeutic window of these agents is modest and the dose is limited by side effects. Gene transfer represents a novel and useful means to target expression of peptides to focal sites within the nervous system. We have shown that transduction of sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) by footpad inoculation with herpes simplex virus (HSV)-based vectors can be used to achieve a regional antinociceptive effect. HSV vectors coding for proenkephalin or the glial cell–derived neurotrophic factor produce an antihyperalgesic and antiallodynic effect in rodent models of inflammatory pain, neuropathic pain, and pain resulting from cancer in bone, 3–6 and an HSV-vector expressing glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) provides an analgesic effect in the central neuropathic pain syndrome resulting from spinal cord injury. 7 In this study, we examined the antinociceptive effect of GAD expressed from an HSV-based vector in the spinal nerve ligation (SNL) model of neuropathic pain in the rat.
A Prospectus for New Developments in the Evolutionary Theory of Self-incompatibility

Abstract Recent advances in the study of the genetic and physiological basis of self-incompatibility have raised novel evolutionary questions. I enumerate basic elements of the classical theory for the evolution of self-incompatibility, describe some evolutionary questions inspired by the new empirical findings, and indicate promising directions for ongoing and future development of the theory of self-incompatibility
Seclius: An Information Flow-Based, Consequence-Centric Security Metric

It is critical to monitor IT systems that are part of energy delivery system infrastructure. The problem with intrusion detection systems (IDSes) is that they often produce thousands of alerts daily that must be dealt with by administrators manually. To provide situational awareness, detection systems usually employ (alert, priority) mappings that are either built in the IDS without consideration of the high-level mission objectives of the infrastructure, or manually defined by administrators through a time-consuming task that requires deep system-level expertise. In this paper, we present Seclius, an online security evaluation framework that translates low-level IDS alerts into a high-level system security measure and provides a ranking of past malicious events and affected system assets based on how crucial they are for the organization. Seclius significantly reduces human involvement by automatically learning system characteristics, providing a simple formalism that administrators can use to define security requirements. Experiments on a process control network with real vulnerabilities and a multistep attack show that Seclius can accurately report system security with low performance overhead and support the time-constrained security decision-making process that is necessary for critical infrastructure.
Some Issues With Using Radiative Transfer Approach to Scattering From Layered Random Media With Rough Interfaces

The radiative transfer (RT) approach is widely used in applications involving scattering from layered random media with rough interfaces. Although it has been successful in several disciplines it is well known that this approach involves certain approximations. In this paper these assumptions and approximations are reexamined. To enable this a statistical wave approach is employed to this problem and the governing equations for the first and second moments of the wave functions are derived. A transition is hence made to arrive at a system of equations corresponding to that of the RT approach. It is hence found that more conditions are implicitly involved in the RT approach than generally believed to be sufficient.
Minimum Wages and Youth Unemployment

Abstract This paper constructs a labor search model to explore the effects of minimum wages on youth unemployment. To capture the gradual decline in unemployment for young workers as they age, the standard search model is extended so that workers gain experience when employed. Experienced workers have higher average productivity and lower job finding and separation rates that match wage and worker flow data. In this environment, minimum wages can have large effects on unemployment because they interact with a worker's ability to gain job experience. The increase in minimum wages between 2007 and 2009 can account for a 0.8 percentage point increase in the steady state unemployment rate and a 2.8 percentage point increase in unemployment for 15–24 year old workers in the model parameterized to simulate outcomes of high school educated workers. Minimum wages can also help explain the high rates of youth unemployment in France compared to the United States.
Patent foramen ovale causing stroke in an elderly woman.

A patent foramen ovale (PFO) was fully documented as the cause of a cerebral infarction in a 78-year-old woman, with asymptomatic deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism as secondary causes. The report is unique in view of the patient's age and lack of history or clinical evidence of cardiac or pulmonary disease, thromboembolic disease, or systemic embolism at or before the stroke. This case emphasizes the etiologic role of PFO in cryptogenic strokes even in elderly patients with no obvious clinical risk factors for paradoxical embolism.
Migration and Reinterpreted Sovereignty in the US and Mexico: Inspiration from Third World Transnational National Identities

Building on doctrinal analysis of legal sovereignty and migration in US immigration law and Mexican foreign relations law, this Third World and International Law (TWAIL) presentation examines how: 1) international law like the World-System denies history and perspectives from the Third World (i.e. periphery) and "natives" and 2) international migration, a transnational process often from the Third World, inspires new forms of national identity in migrants and states (both migrant-sending and migrant-receiving). Focusing on international law and culture and international law and people from the Third World, this presentation questions if these new identities offset what international law previously denied. It relates global themes, such as Eric Wolf's "Europe and the People Without History" and Benedict Anderson's "Imagined Communities," to the common reality of third world persons who migrate internationally. The presentation argues changes in legal interpretation of sovereignty are influenced by changes in culture, i.e. national identity, and changes in national identity influenced by legal re-interpretations of sovereignty. The presentation examines sovereignty-based legal doctrines such as the plenary power (PPD) in US immigration law and non-intervention (NIV) in Mexican foreign relations law. Due to concerns for absolute sovereignty, PPD excluded migrants from constitutional protections and NIV prohibited a foreign policy on migrants. Specific US examples include the judicial canon of avoidance applied to re-interpret and limit the PPD and recent legal and policy discussions to re-define birth right citizenship in the US. Examples in Mexican foreign relations law include: lobbying of US lawmakers for changes to US immigration law, dual-nationality regime, an active program representing migrants through Mexican consulates, and seeking an immigration agreement with the US. Doctrinal Working Paper Title: "Sovereignty Migrates in US and Mexican Law: Transnational Influences in Plenary Power and Non-Intervention" Available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=985012
Coevolution of Governance and Networks: Governance Economization and Value Creation as Drivers of Network Evolution

This study examines the coevolution of inter-firm networks and the choices that firms make about governance. Prior studies on inter-firm networks and alliances have provided insights into how networks shape firms’ decisions about organizational governance. This stream of research has focused on the impact of networks on governance without fully incorporating the impact of governance on networks. This research fills the gap by examining how network evolution is shaped by firms’ actions to economize on transaction costs and maximize value creation and value capture. Through simulation experiments, this study shows that exchange conditions such as asset specificity and resource heterogeneity dictate how social capital is developed, and thus determine the coevolutionary paths of governance and networks. Implications for the network and governance literature are discussed.
HSF Modulates Neural Development Under Normal and Stress Conditions

Over the last decade, laboratories working with knockout mice have contributed data substantiating that heat shock factors 1 and 2 (HSF1, HSF2) play critical roles in the normal development of the central nervous system. More recent studies have determined that these factors also play critical, but altered, roles during pathological brain development elicited by prenatal exposure to environmental stress. Those researches have, in fact, provided new insights into the roles of heat shock factors at the molecular level in both normal and pathological brain development, strengthening the view that the malresponse of HSFs to environmental stress is predisposed or highly influenced by genetic mutations associated with the incidence of neuropsychiatric disorders. In this chapter, we summarize the roles of HSFs in both normal and pathological brain development with a primary focus on the cerebral cortex and discuss potential mechanisms governing the multifaceted roles of HSFs under both normal and pathological conditions.
RADIATION MODAL EXPANSION FOR, ACTIVE STRUCTURAL ACOUSTIC CONTROL

This paper demonstrates active structural acoustic control using multiple input/output adaptive sensoriactuators combined with radiation filters and a feedback control paradigm. A new method of reduced order modeling/design of radiation filters termed Radiation Modal Expansion (RME) is presented. For the experiments detailed in this paper, the RME technique reduced the modeling of the radiation matrix from 400 transfer functions to 6 transfer functions (multiplied by a constant transformation matrix). Experimental results demonstrate reductions of radiated sound power on the order of 5 dB over the bandwidth of 0 - 800 Hz.
Studies on Synergism of Leukemogenic Agents in Mice.

SummaryIrradiation, when used in conjunction with methylcholanthrene, failed to increase the incidence or to accelerate the onset of carcinogen-induced leukemia in strain Dba and strain F mice.
Half Empty or Half Full? New York's Soda Rule in Historical Perspective

The decision striking down New York City's partial ban on sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces represents a major setback for a controversial and ambitious proposal. The author argues that the ban was not about attacking individual choice, but about limiting corporate damage.
Surface-Wave Dispersion Approach for Evaluating Statistical Models That Account for Shear-Wave Velocity Uncertainty

AbstractA number of strategies exist to account for the epistemic uncertainty and aleatory variability in shear-wave velocity (Vs) profiles used in site response analyses. Epistemic uncertainty may be accounted for by using median and bounding-type profiles (e.g., ±20%), while aleatory variability may be accounted for by using Vs randomization procedures. A robust, quantitative method to help judge how well these statistically derived Vs profiles represent actual subsurface stiffness or layering conditions is currently not available. This paper presents a surface-wave dispersion approach for evaluating statistical models meant to account for Vs uncertainty in site response. Specifically, surface-wave dispersion data from two geologically disparate sites were used to generate 1,000 Vs profiles and layered earth models whose theoretical dispersion curves fit within the uncertainty bounds of the experimental data collected at each site. Additionally, theoretical dispersion curves generated from statistical ...
Continuous Dependence on Modeling in Banach Space Using a Logarithmic Approximation

We prove regularization for certain ill-posed problems in Banach space by considering small changes in the model. The problems are of the form \(du/dt = Au,\;0 \leq t 0 which approximates A in some sense as the parameter β tends to zero. The particular logarithmic approximation we apply originates from a modified quasi-reversibility method recently introduced by Boussetila and Rebbani.
Ethics of Aging

The ethics of aging has become a complex system using a variety of ethical approaches and requiring multifaceted analysis within a decision-making framework. This entry reviews the ethics of aging exploring various models of ethical reasoning and current ethical aging issues. With advances in medical technology and the growing aging population, ethical reasoning has risen to a prominent place in the aging community. Issues include long-term care arrangements, dementia care, guardianship, older adult suicide, euthanasia, and generational equity. Keywords: aging; decision making; ethics; long-term care; quality of life
Presentation and validation of the DuckEES child and adolescent dynamic facial expressions stimulus set

The stimulus sets presently used to study emotion processing are primarily static pictures of individuals (primarily adults) making emotional facial expressions. However, the dynamic, stereotyped movements associated with emotional expressions contain rich information missing from static pictures, such as the difference between happiness and pride. We created a set of 1.1 s dynamic emotional facial stimuli representing boys and girls aged 8–18. A separate group of 36 individuals (mean [M] age = 19.5 years, standard deviation [SD] = 1.95, 13 male) chose the most appropriate emotion label for each video from a superset of 250 videos. Validity and reliability statistics were performed across all stimuli, which were then used to determine which stimuli should be included in the final stimulus set. We set a criterion for inclusion of 70% agreement with the modal response made for each video. The final stimulus set contains 142 videos of 36 actors (M age = 13.24 years, SD = 2.09, 14 male) making negative (disgust, embarrassment, fear, sadness), positive (happiness, pride), and neutral facial expressions. The percent correct among the final stimuli was high (median = 88.89%; M = 88.38%, SD = 7.74%), as was reliability (κ = 0.753).
Neurosurgery in Ancient India: Susruta

Neurosurgical procedures, particularly trepanation, can be traced as far back as 10,000 bc . Archeological findings from Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America provide evidence that trepanation was widely used by man for mystical purposes, surgical treatment, and reasons still unknown to us. Hippocrates (460–370 bc ), in his book On Injuries of the Head , has long been thought to be the first to provide instructions, indications, and warnings on the subject of trepanation and neurosurgical pathologies. Building on the writings of Hippocrates, Galen (129–200 AD) has been credited for his contributions to neurosurgery through his additions in neuroanatomy. The purpose of this article is to present the work of Susruta, an Indian surgeon who lived around 800 bc , and his treatise on surgery, the Susruta Samhita . Closer examination of the work by Susruta reveals his vast knowledge of physiology, pharmacology, anatomy, and all topics related to medicine. We will focus on descriptions of Susruta of neurosurgical anatomy, pathology, and procedures, hoping to provide enough evidence that neurosurgery was documented and taught years before significant advances were made in the West.
TSPAN7, effector of actin nucleation required for dendritic cell-mediated transfer of HIV-1 to T cells

Dendritic cells (DCs) have essential roles in early detection of pathogens and activation of both innate and adaptive immune responses. Whereas human DCs are resistant to productive HIV-1 replication, they have a unique ability to take up virus and transmit it efficiently to T lymphocytes. By doing that, HIV-1 may evade, at least in part, the first line of defense of the immune system, exploiting DCs instead to facilitate rapid infection of a large pool of immune cells. While performing an shRNA screen in human primary monocyte-derived DCs, to gain insights into this cell biological process, we discovered the role played by tetraspanin-7 (TSPAN7). This member of the tetraspanin family appears to be a positive regulator of actin nucleation and stabilization, through the ARP2/3 complex. By doing so, TSPAN7 limits HIV-1 endocytosis and maintains viral particles on actin-rich dendrites for an efficient transfer toward T lymphocytes. While studying the function of TSPAN7 in the control of actin nucleation, we also discovered the existence in DCs of two opposing forces at the plasma membrane: actin nucleation, a protrusive force which seems to counterbalance actomyosin contraction.
Acquisition, Extinction, and Flooding in a Voidance Learning as a Function of Response-Contingent Stimuli

Rats were given two-way avoidance training with either a relatively short or long duration of a safe platform. They were then given extinction trials, also with a relatively short or long platform duration according to a 2 x 2 factorial design, each extinction trial following a period of response blocking and flooding. The results indicated that longer platform availability facilitated acquisition and impeded extinction of avoidance responding. Some implications of these results for theories of flooding, and a possible incentive-like motivation variable in avoidance (neurotic) behavior are discussed.
Mapping Researcher Subjectivity for Conducting Field-Based Studies on China-Africa Cooperation

A priori assumption about researcher objectivity not only oversimplifies the often-negotiated research process but also discourages alternative understandings of the real-word situations. Drawing upon the rapidly-growing field-based studies on China-Africa cooperation, the paper investigates individual researchers navigate and immerse themselves in particular research settings and to what extent one’s subjectivity shapes study processes. Particularly, the paper presents reflections of two Chinese researchers who conduct interviews and survey in four workplace contexts in Ethiopia - urban office buildings, urban workshops, suburban economic zone, and rural construction camp. It captures varied socio-spatial perceptions between researchers in particular field contexts, including walkability, sense of safety, easiness to approach potential participants, and respondents’ friendliness. The study reveals that such variation is shaped by one’s professional backgrounds, scholarly positionality on China-Ethiopia relations, and inter-sectioned identities (e.g. gender, class, places of origin). The paper therefore highlights the partial and socially-embedded nature of field-based knowledge production, which is by no means neutral or value-free. It hence argues for incorporating critical reflexivity into future China-Africa research.