cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Study on mercury migration in a circulating fluidized bed combustion boiler

Mercury concentrations in the flue gas at the stack were measured using a sorbent trap method as per United States Environmental Protection Agency Method 30B(i.e.,USEPA 40 CFR Part 60 30B),and the sampling method has merits of convenient setup,simply operation and fast analysis.Field tests were conducted at a unit of the Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion(CFBC).During the course of sampling the mercury in the flue gas,coal samples,bottom ash and fly ash were collected and analyzed.Rates of mercury material balance though the unit were calculated,and correctness and validity of mercury sampling method were certified.Mercury distributions in fly ash,bottom ash and flue gas were evaluated,and the results showed that firstly bottom ash of CFBC removed only 0.55% of total mercury,secondly removal efficiency of fly ash reaching 83.37%,in the end 16.08% of total mercury was emitted to the air.The determined data of mercury emissions show that the CFBC is a clean coal combustion technology of effectively removing mercury.
Empiricism in the Politics: Polity and the Middle Regime

We turn now to the consideration of a pair of questions of a different logical order, questions belonging to what I have been calling the second-order doctrine of the Politics. The first of these is about the form of constitution given the name ‘polity’ (politeia) by Aristotle. It is mentioned briefly in Book III, chapter vii, then pursued at greater length in subsequent books as a response to the question ‘what constitution is best for the majority of states?’ (IV. i 1288 b35ff., IV. ii 1289 b14ff., IV. xiii 1297 b32–34). The second is about the constitution that is said to be ‘best absolutely’ (IV. i 1288 b23ff., IV. ii 1289 a31ff.). One wishes to know the identities of both these forms.
The World Bank Takes Center Stage

The debt crisis and the World Bank’s entry into policy-based structural adjustment lending boosted its global profile and influence in the 1980s, and the collapse of the Soviet bloc and new membership of more than a dozen governments in 1991 and 1992 made the Bank a truly global financial institution. At the same time, an array of issues and pressures for change are creating apparent opportunities for NGO influence at the World Bank. Dissatisfaction with government implementation of donor-funded projects, commitment to structural adjustment and to minimizing the reforms’ social and political costs, pressure from environmental advocates, desire for greater cost recovery in irrigation and social service programs, pressure on human rights issues — all these create an environment in which NGOs are an increasingly relevant actor for the Bank.
Imagined communities and special education

As other chapters in this book describe, schools have often been at the symbolic and real center of communities, a notion that is both powerful and problematic. Other chapters have discussed the ways that imagined communities of schools have interacted with race and ethnicity as well as the position of teachers as employees and community members. In other contexts as well, community building through schools have raised issues of both exclusivity and the cognitive awareness of common interests and experiences. The two are intimately linked, as Lois Weis has argued in her analysis of working-class identities in upstate New York. In hard economic times, Weis claimed, working-class white youth defined themselves in reference to a collective (racial and social-class) identity.1 But social class and race are not the only areas where an awareness of commonality is important to the definition of community. In special education, advocates maintain the notion that parents and students with a wide variety of conditions share common interests, even if what students face in their everyday lives is very different. From World War II through the passage of federal legislation in the 1970s, a growing if shaky disability-rights movement built a political coalition out of just such disparate elements.
Development of multifunctional films for peripheral nerve regeneration

Abstract In this study, a poly(lactic acid) (PLLA) porous film with longitudinal surface micropatterns was fabricated by a dry phase inversion technique to be used as potential conduit material for peripheral nerve regeneration applications. The presence of a nerve growth factor (NGF) gradient on the patterned film surface and protein loaded, surface-eroding, biodegradable, and amphiphilic polyanhydride (PA) microparticles within the film matrix, enabled co-delivery of neurotrophic factors with controlled release properties and enhanced neurite outgrowth from PC12 cells. The protein loading capacity of PA particles was increased up to 80% using the spray drying technique, while the surface loading of NGF reached 300 ng/cm2 through ester-amine interactions. The NGF surface gradient provided initial fast release from the film surface and facilitated directional neurite outgrowth along with the longitudinal micropatterns. Furthermore, the variable backbone chemistry and surface eroding nature of protein-loaded PA microparticles within the film matrix ensured protein stability and enabled controlled protein release. This novel co-delivery strategy yielded tunable diffusion coefficients varying between 6 × 10−14 and 1.67 × 10−10 cm2/min and dissolution constants ranging from 1 × 10−4 to 1 × 10−3 min−1 with released amounts of ∼100–300 ng/mL. This strategy promoted guided neurite extension from PC12 cells of up to 10 μm total neurite length per cell in 2 days. Overall, this unique strategy can potentially be extended for individually programmed delivery of multiple growth factors through the use of PA microparticle cocktails and can further be investigated for in vivo performance as potential conduit material for peripheral nerve regeneration applications. Statement of Significance This manuscript focuses on the development of multifunctional degradable polymer films that provide topographic cues for guided growth, surface gradients of growth factors as well as nanoparticles in the films for tunable release of growth factors to enable peripheral nerve regeneration. The combination of cues was designed to overcome limitations of current strategies to facilitate peripheral nerve regeneration. These multifunctional films successfully provided high protein loading capacities while persevering activity, protein gradients on the surface, and tunable release of bioactive nerve growth factor that promoted directional and guided neurite extension of PC12 cells of up to 10 μm in 2 days. These multifunctional films can be made into conduits for peripheral nerve regeneration.
Does case misclassification threaten the validity of studies investigating the relationship between neck manipulation and vertebral artery dissection stroke? Yes

Background For patients and health care providers who are considering spinal manipulative therapy of the neck, it is crucial to establish if it is a trigger for cervical artery dissection and/or stroke, and if it is, the magnitude of the risk.
#MyNYPD: Transforming Twitter into a Public Place for Protest

Abstract In this article I explore Twitter as a place where public protest occurs, rather than being just a means for circulation (e.g., dissemination of information about or organization of a public protest). There has been much debate regarding what social media and publics can do; in order to explore Twitter as a place of public protest, I show that social media can do the work of publics. I examine the recent New York Police Department’s Twitter public relations campaign that went awry and, as such, was subversively taken over by the public, thus moving a protest against police brutality from a physical location to an online location. To illustrate this functionality of Twitter I conduct an analysis of the protesters’ tweets through a composite lens consisting of Michael Warner’s 7 features of a public and James Paul Gee and Elisabeth Hayes’ 15 features of an affinity space.
Global Learning Using Biology PBL: A Texas-China Collaboration in Middle Grade Genetics

21st century and global skills are generally described as competencies for communication and problem solving skills as well as developing the ability to view content-specific issues through a multicultural perspective. Preparing K-12 students for science futures means they must have opportunities to concurrently acquire skills in 21st century and global learning. Additionally, the professional biology community has called for advancing middle grades students’ knowledge of complex scientific phenomena using novel pedagogies like Project-Based Learning (PBL). Thus, middle grade educators are now tasked to design classroom opportunities for STEM-focused PBL using global interaction such to develop and refine global and 21st century skills and developing students’ content knowledge. This classroom centered project paired middle school students in Texas with Chinese peers to collaborate on a biology-based Project-Based Learning (PBL) activity on the complex topic of genetics. During the 7 day-long unit on heredity, the goal was to utilize global collaboration in STEM to not only understanding inheritance and differentiate between dominant and recessive traits, but also embed global competencies and 21st century skills. The context, planning, and outcomes of the global collaboration are discussed as well as recommendation for future collaborations in Global STEM collaborations in middle school.
Improving Discrete Data Capture in Synoptic Reports With Optional Free-Text Modifiers

PurposeUpfront, discrete data capture in synoptic reporting fails when pathologists choose a response not associated with discrete data. We sought to determine the factors associated with this event.MethodsThe results of all “Other” entries in four common tumor sites in synoptic reports were reviewed.Results“Other” entries occurred in 329 of 13,421 questions (2.5%). In 306 of these 329 questions (93.0%), the pathologist appeared to choose this response because they wished to add additional information to an already existing response that was associated with discrete data capture. As a result, the addition of a free-text modifiers to existing responses would allow pathologist to add this additional information while still selecting a response associated with discrete data capture, significantly improving the total discrete data capture (13,092 of 13,421 questions [97.5%] v 13,398 of 13,421 questions [99.8%]; P < .001).ConclusionThe addition of free-text modifiers to structured responses in synoptic reports...
Secular Stagnation and Macroeconomic Policy

Secular stagnation theory has developed substantially recently and offers substantial insights that policymakers have yet to fully internalize. This paper reviews the considerations that led me to revive the secular stagnation idea, summarizes the theory as I understand it today, and argues that events since I started advocating the secular stagnation view have tended to confirm its predictions and reject those of its critics. It addresses the various objections, both theoretical and empirical, that have been put forward to the secular stagnation idea, and argues that if secular stagnation is a central macroeconomic issue, much of the conventional wisdom regarding macroeconomic policy needs to be rethought. Contrary to current orthodoxy, monetary policies may be able to have lasting impacts on levels of output but not to determine rates of inflation. Fiscal policies may be essential for assuring full employment and financial stability. Increases in government indebtedness may contribute to financial stability.
Austrian Capital Theory: A Modern Survey of the Essentials

This Element presents a new framework for Austrian capital theory, starting from the notion that capital is value. Capital is the value attributed by the valuer at any moment in time to the combination of production-goods and labor available for production. Capital is the result obtained by calculating the current value of a business-unit or business-project that employs resources over time. It is the result of a (subjective) entrepreneurial calculation process that relates the flow of consumptions goods to the value of the productive resources that will produce those consumptions goods. The entrepreneur is a ubiquitous calculating presence. In a review of the development of Austrian capital theory, by Carl Menger, Eugen von Bohm-Bawerk, Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich Hayek, Ludwig Lachmann as well as recent contributions, the Element incorporates the seminal contributions into the new framework in order to provide a more accessible perspective on Austrian capital theory.
Abstract 331: Fatty Acid Synthase Expression in Peripheral Arterial Plaque

Introduction: Diabetic patients exhibit distinct patterns of diffuse and recalcitrant peripheral artery disease, which subsequently predisposes them to poor wound-healing, infection, and critical l...
The human transcription factor CP2 (TFCP2), a component of the human gamma-globin stage selector protein, maps to chromosome region 12q13 and is within 250 kb of the NF-E2 gene.

The transcription factor CP2{sup 2} has been shown to bind to several cellular and viral promoters as a homodimer. More recently, we have demonstrated that CP2 can form a heterodimer with a 45-kDa partner protein to form the stage selector protein complex (SSP). This complex binds to a proximal {gamma}-globin promoter regulatory element, the stage selector element (SSE), which appears to be involved in the competitive silencing of the {beta}-gene in the fetal stage of erythropoiesis. Similar SSP-like binding sites have been identified in the {beta}-globin promoter and regulatory elements of the {beta}-globin locus control region (LCR). The importance of the SSP complex is further emphasized by the fact that the chicken stage selector protein, NF-E4, which has been implicated in the competitive silencing of the chicken {epsilon}-globin gene, is the avian homologue of CP2. The purpose of this study is to map human CP2 genomically and define its relationship to previously identified loci. 9 refs., 1 fig.
An in-line high frequency flow interrupter applied to nasal CPAP: Improved carbon dioxide clearance in a premature infant lung model

BACKGROUND Noninvasive respiratory support continues to have high failure rates in small preterm infants. We previously demonstrated significantly improved in vitro CO2 washout by applying oscillations to a high flow nasal cannula system. OBJECTIVE To develop a high frequency flow interrupter that could be applied to commonly used nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) devices and to determine the effect of oscillations on end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2 ) levels in an infant lung model. DESIGN/METHODS NCPAP was applied to a premature infant lung simulator using either bubble (BCPAP) or variable-flow (VCPAP) CPAP. Supply gas was interrupted with a solenoid pinch valve. EtCO2 was measured before and during oscillation and repeated at 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 Hz oscillation and CPAP pressures of 4, 6, and 8 cm H 2 O. RESULTS BCPAP and VCPAP EtCO2 levels decreased with oscillation (P < .001). BCPAP EtCO2 was significantly dependent on oscillation frequency (P < .001) with decreases of 18% to 47% and maximum effect at 10 Hz. Optimum VCPAP CO2 clearance occurred at 6 Hz with reductions of 30% and 39% at 6 and 8 cm H2 O CPAP respectively. BCPAP and VCPAP mean airway pressures remained unchanged transitioning from nonoscillation to oscillation. Oscillated BCPAP and VCPAP average amplitudes were 8.3 ± 0.5 and 8.4 ± 2.3 SD cm H2 O, respectively. Power spectrum analysis of non-oscillated BCPAP showed bubbling-only dominant peaks at 10 to 12 Hz corresponding with the maximum BCPAP EtCO2 reductions. CONCLUSION Application of high frequency oscillation to NCPAP improves CO2 clearance in a premature infant lung model. This simple modification to NCPAP delivery devices may prove to be an effective enhancement of this mode of noninvasive respiratory support.
Hemoglobin A1c Levels Modify Associations between Dietary Acid Load and Breast Cancer Recurrence.

Background: Metabolic acidosis promotes cancer metastasis. No prospective studies have examined the association between dietary acid load and breast cancer recurrence among breast cancer survivors, who are susceptible to metabolic acidosis. Hyperglycemia promotes cancer progression and acid formation; however, researchers have not examined whether hyperglycemia can modify the association between dietary acid load and breast cancer recurrence. Methods: We studied 3081 early-stage breast cancer survivors enrolled in the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living study who provided dietary information through 24-h recalls at baseline and during follow-up and had measurements of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) at baseline. We assessed dietary acid load using two common dietary acid load scores, potential renal acid load (PRAL) score and net endogenous acid production (NEAP) score. Results: After an average of 7.3 years of follow-up, dietary acid load was positively associated with recurrence when baseline HbA1c levels were ≥ 5.6% (median level) and ≥5.7% (pre-diabetic cut-point). In the stratum with HbA1c ≥ 5.6%, comparing the highest to the lowest quartile of dietary acid load, the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio was 2.15 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.34-3.48) for PRAL and was 2.31 (95% CI 1.42-3.74) for NEAP. No associations were observed in the stratum with HbA1c levels were <5.6%. P-values for interactions were 0.01 for PRAL and 0.05 for NEAP. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated for the first time that even at or above normal to high HbA1c levels, dietary acid load was associated with increased risk of breast cancer recurrence among breast cancer survivors. Impacts: Our study provides strong evidence for developing specific dietary acid load guidelines based on HbA1c levels.
The struggle for a new labor regime: The US

Abstract This essay examines the American labor movement since the 2008 economic crisis. I begin with a brief review of the structural, institutional, and organizational conditions for labor before the crisis, including changes in employment and the labor force, the conflict between New Deal and anti-union labor regimes, and the emergence of new repertoires in the labor movement. These form the context for the financial crash, and the failure of policy to challenge corporate power. I then discuss the conservative political offensive against unions and movement initiatives at state and local levels. The conflicts have intensified under the Trump administration, with a resurgence of strike activity and the polarization of institutions governing labor and civic life.
DALock: Distribution Aware Password Throttling.

Large-scale online password guessing attacks are wide-spread and continuously qualified as one of the top cyber-security risks. The common method for mitigating the risk of online cracking is to lock out the user after a fixed number ($K$) of consecutive incorrect login attempts. Selecting the value of $K$ induces a classic security-usability trade-off. When $K$ is too large a hacker can (quickly) break into a significant fraction of user accounts, but when $K$ is too low we will start to annoy honest users by locking them out after a few mistakes. Motivated by the observation that honest user mistakes typically look quite different than the password guesses of an online attacker, we introduce DALock a {\em distribution aware} password lockout mechanism to reduce user annoyance while minimizing user risk. As the name suggests, DALock is designed to be aware of the frequency and popularity of the password used for login attacks while standard throttling mechanisms (e.g., $K$-strikes) are oblivious to the password distribution. In particular, DALock maintains an extra "hit count" in addition to "strike count" for each user which is based on (estimates of) the cumulative probability of {\em all} login attempts for that particular account. We empirically evaluate DALock with an extensive battery of simulations using real world password datasets. In comparison with the traditional $K$-strikes mechanism we find that DALock offers a superior security/usability trade-off. For example, in one of our simulations we are able to reduce the success rate of an attacker to $0.05\%$ (compared to $1\%$ for the $10$-strikes mechanism) whilst simultaneously reducing the unwanted lockout rate for accounts that are not under attack to just $0.08\%$ (compared to $4\%$ for the $3$-strikes mechanism).
A cost-effectiveness analysis of vaginal carbon dioxide laser therapy compared with standard medical therapies for genitourinary syndrome of menopause-associated dyspareunia.

STRUCTURED ABSTRACT: Background Topical vaginal estrogen is considered the gold standard therapy for GSM-associated dyspareunia, but early investigations of energy-based devices show promise for patients with contraindications or who are refractory to vaginal estrogen cream. While evaluating safety, efficacy and long-term outcomes for novel technologies is critically important when new technologies become available to treat unmet healthcare needs, evaluation of the costs of these new technologies compared to existing therapies is also critically important, but often understudied. Objectives We sought to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis of three therapies for GSM including vaginal estrogen, oral ospemifene and vaginal CO2 laser therapy and determine if vaginal laser therapy is a cost-effective treatment for dyspareunia associated with GSM. Study Design An IRB-exempt cost-effectiveness analysis was performed by constructing a decision tree using decision analysis software (TreeAge Pro; TreeAge Software, Inc., Williamstown, MA) using integrated empirical data from the published literature. Tornado plots, one-way and two-way sensitivity analyses were performed to assess how changes in the model’s input parameters altered the overall outcome of the cost-effectiveness model. Results All three treatment methods were found to be cost-effective below the WTP threshold of $50,000 per QALY for moderate dyspareunia. The ICER for vaginal CO2 laser treatment of moderate dyspareunia was $16,372.01 and the ICER for ospemifene was $5,711.14. Although all three treatment strategies were on the efficient frontier, vaginal CO2 laser treatment was the optimal strategy with the highest effectiveness. In a one-way sensitivity analysis of treatment adherence, the vaginal CO2 laser was no longer cost effective when the adherence fell below 38.8%. Vaginal estrogen cream and ospemifene remained cost-effective strategies at all ranges of adherence. When varying the adherence to 100% for all strategies, oral ospemifene was “dominated” by both vaginal fractional CO2 laser therapy and vaginal estrogen cream. In a two-way sensitivity analysis of vaginal CO2 laser adherence and vaginal CO2 laser cost, vaginal CO2 laser therapy still remained the optimal strategy at 200% of its current cost ($5,554.00) if the adherence was greater than 55%. If the cost fell to 20% of its current cost ($555.40), it was the optimal strategy at all adherence values above 29%. Conclusion The present study showed that the vaginal fractional CO2 laser is a cost-effective strategy for the treatment of dyspareunia associated with GSM, as are vaginal estrogen and oral ospemifene. In our model, the vaginal CO2 laser is the optimal cost-effective strategy and consideration should be made to providing insurance coverage for this treatment option.
Race, Same-Sex Marriage, and the Politics of Respectability among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Racial Minorities

Although support for the legalization of same-sex marriage was widely shared among the LGB community, the reasons for that support among LGB individuals from different socio-demographic backgrounds...
Electrical properties of gadolinia-doped ceria for electrodes for magnetohydrodynamic energy systems

High temperature conducting ceramics are of current interest for use as electrode materials for magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) power generation systems for their high conductivity values and their excellent stability under extreme conditions including operating temperatures above 2000 °C. Ceria doped with Gd (GDC) has been extensively studied for intermediate temperature applications and shows promise as an efficient electrode material. A summary of the current understanding of the electrical properties of GDC is provided with an emphasis on the higher temperature limits. Experiments to further validate the conclusions drawn in the literature review confirm that with electrical conductivities near 10 S/m at 1100 °C make GDC a good candidate electrode material for an MHD power generator.
Political Scandals in the Modern Media Environment: Applying a New Analytical Framework to Hillary Clinton’s Whitewater and E-Mail Scandals

Scholars have long been interested in political scandals. Yet many analyses focus on a single scandal to better understand the rhetorical features, responses, or effects. This study takes a different approach by studying how different media environments affect the nature of news reporting during political scandals. To do so, I specify three measurable parameters that detail the shifts from traditional to digital media: interactivity, personalization, and liveness. I use this framework to analyze two Hillary Clinton scandals that occurred in different media environments: Whitewater and the e-mail use scandal. The results indicate somewhat greater interactivity in the modern media era. Journalists are also increasingly personalizing their political scandal interpretations and having less contextualized and in-depth discussions. The implications of these shifts are discussed.
Taa Cells and Granzyme K: Old Players with New Tricks

Inflammaging is associated with chronic diseases, but tissue-specific changes in the immune system remain unknown. In this issue of Immunity, Mogilenko et al. use single-cell RNA sequencing, flow cytometry, and mass cytometry to describe age-related differences, including the accumulation of age-associated T cells that contribute to inflammaging.
Intellectual Humility Predicts Scrutiny of COVID-19 Misinformation

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt across the globe. While health experts work to spread life-saving information, misinformation and fake news about the virus undermine these effor...
Just Algorithms: Using Science to Reduce Incarceration and Inform a Jurisprudence of Risk

Statistically-derived algorithms, adopted by many jurisdictions in an effort to identify the risk of reoffending posed by criminal defendants, have been lambasted as racist, de-humanizing, and antithetical to the foundational tenets of criminal justice. Just Algorithms argues that these attacks are misguided and that, properly regulated, risk assessment tools can be a crucial means of safely and humanely dismantling our massive jail and prison complex. The book explains how risk algorithms work, the types of legal questions they should answer, and the criteria for judging whether they do so in a way that minimizes bias and respects human dignity. It also shows how risk assessment instruments can provide leverage for curtailing draconian prison sentences and the plea-bargaining system that produces them. The ultimate goal of Christopher Slobogin's insightful analysis is to develop the principles that should govern, in both the pretrial and sentencing settings, the criminal justice system's consideration of risk.
An Institutional Ethic of Care

Care ethics has a curious relationship to justice. Care theorists alternately portray justice as separate from yet at times intersecting with, parallel and distinct from, or falling within yet secondary to care. Theories of justice tend to imagine an ideal world, and reason about justice from an imagined universal position. Care ethics, on the other hand, respond to a philosophical history in which abstract universal reasoning occludes the particular needs and contributions of marginalized or oppressed groups. I argue that care ethics is a kind of nonideal theory. I further argue that understanding care ethics as nonideal theory does two things. One, it draws care and justice into conversation with each other such that neither one is prior: both can be produced through practices of justice enacted through care, and care that responds to justice. Moreover, health care models the way in which care and justice must work in tandem. Two, care theory as nonideal theory invites an institutional ethic of care. An institutional ethic of care is modeled by, and at the same time can strengthen, existing health care practices. Such an ethic builds on the feminist scholarship deconstructing dichotomous binaries, including gendered dichotomies between justice and care. In conclusion, I raise the possibility that an institutional ethic of care might reveal a porous boundary between an ideal/nonideal theory binary.
Current Practice of Ultrasound‐Assisted Regional Anesthesia

However, it isonly with recent advancements in ultrasound technol-ogy during the last decade that ultrasound-guidedregional anesthesia has become a more signiﬁcant areaof interest to anesthesiologists. In 2005, a detailedreview article on ultrasound guidance in peripheralnerve blocks was published by Marhofer et al.
Trisomy 18 syndrome with absent radius, varus deformity of hand, and rudimentary thumb

Summary The patient described in this report had the characteristic findings of trisomy 18 syndrome. In addition, there was absence of the left radius, severe varus deformity of the left hand on the forearm, and a rudimentary left thumb. To our knowledge these findings have not previously been reported.
Understanding the product distribution from biomass fast pyrolysis

Carbohydrates are the major constituents of biomass. With the growing interest in utilizing bio-oil obtained from fast pyrolysis of biomass for fuels and chemicals, understanding the carbohydrate pyrolysis behavior has gained particular importance. The chemical composition of the bio-oil is an important consideration for its upstream and/or downstream processing. Though the classification of pyrolysis products into overall tar, char and gaseous fraction has evolved as a standard; detailed knowledge of the chemical constituents that determine the quality of bio-oil has received little attention. Furthermore, the speciation arising from primary and secondary reactions has been rarely distinguished. In this study the product distribution arising from the primary reactions during 500°C fast pyrolysis of several mono-, diand polysaccharides is studied with the help of micropyrolyzer. The study suggests that levoglucosan and the low molecular weight compounds are formed through competitive pyrolysis reactions rather than sequential pyrolysis reactions. It is also shown that the orientation or the position of glycosidic linkages does not significantly influence the product distribution except with 1,6-linked polysaccharide, which showed considerably less formation of levoglucosan than other polysaccharides.
"Computer Science and X": An Interview with Steve Cooper

Steve Cooper is an Associate Professor (Teaching) in the Computer Science Department at Stanford University. He earned his PhD and MS in Computer Science from Syracuse University and his BA in Mathematics and Chemistry from Cornell University. His research areas lie in program visualization and semantics. Together with Randy Pausch and Wanda Dann, he developed Alice, a freeware object-oriented educational programming language aimed at appealing to populations not normally exposed to computer programming. From 2007-2009, Dr. Cooper worked in the National Science Foundation’s Division of Undergraduate Education, within its Education and Human Resources Directorate. There, he worked as a program manager, and worked on the CCLI, ATE, NSDL, and S-STEM programs. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Computer Science Teachers Association.This interview explores the intersection of Computer Science with Public Policy, Ethics, Education, and Gender, and discusses the future of computing and its role in our lives.
Building Business Partnerships with Your Electric Utility: A Power Quality Perspective

ABSTRACT This article explores the role of the utility and the industrial or commercial facility engineer in developing a business partnership, especially as it relates to the quality of electric power. The industrial or commercial facility engineer needs a thorough knowledge of the electrical power quality needs of equipment and processes critical to the business's financial success. Information relating to the operation of the electric utility system is essential to understanding what the utility can reasonably deliver and determining the best solution for bridging any gaps between process requirements and available power quality. The utility needs a thorough understanding of the equipment and processes of businesses they serve as well as a thorough knowledge of the power quality requirements of that equipment. Also, the utility should have available the best options for each process to resolve any gaps between the quality of power supplied and that required by the process. The utility has an obligation...
The Status of the Determination of α(mz) and αs(mz)

Precise determinations of the values of a(mz) and a 8 (mz) are important in the context of both the Standard Model (SM) and Grand Unified Theories (GUT's) which are the two major themes of this conference. In the SM, the values of a(mz) and a 8 (mz) are l).ecessary as inputs in calculat­ ing the predictions for observables at the Z-mass scale. The accuracy in which they are known is reflected directly onto the accuracy of the SM predictions that must be compared with the precision electroweak measurements at LEP /SLC. Therefore, if one wishes to test the SM at the level of radiative corrections and/or detect virtual effects of new physics in the LEP /SLC measurements, one needs to know a( mz) and as ( mz) to very high accuracy. This point is well summarized in the talk by Hagiwara in this proceedings. l) In the case of GUT's, the three gauge couplings of SUc(3) x SU£(2) x Uy(l) must coincide when evolved up to the GUT scale using renormalization group equations (RGE's). Whether they actually coincide or not depend on their initial values at s = m~, and the particle spectrum contributing to the RGE's. Therefore, precise values of a(mz) and a 8 (mz) will provide important constraints on the particle content and their masses for any given GUT. 2 )
Nucleotide sequence and expression of the capsid protein gene of feline calicivirus.

Abstract The sequence of the 3'-terminal 2,486 bases of the feline calicivirus (FCV) genome was determined. This region of the FCV genome, from which the 2.4-kb subgenomic RNA is derived, contained two open reading frames. The larger open reading frame, found in the 5' end of the subgenomic mRNA, contained 2,004 bases encoding a polypeptide of 73,467 Da. The smaller open reading frame, encoded in the 3' end of the mRNA, was composed of 318 bases, encoding a polypeptide of 12,185 Da. The AUG initiation codon of the second open reading frame overlapped the UGA termination codon of the first, with the sequence AUGA. The nucleotide sequence of the region containing this overlap resembles the -1 frameshift sequences of the retroviruses. The 5' end of the 2.4-kb subgenomic RNA was mapped by primer extension analysis. There were two apparent transcription initiation points, both of which were 5' to the AUG initiation codon of the large open reading frame. Transcription from these sites yielded RNA transcripts with 5' nontranslated leader regions of 17 and 18 bases. The total length of the 2.4-kb subgenomic RNA was 2,375 bases (from the 5'-most start site) excluding the poly(A) tail. Edman degradation of the purified capsid protein of FCV showed that the capsid protein was encoded by the large open reading frame. Western immunoblot analysis of FCV-infected cells using a feline anti-FCV antiserum demonstrated that translation of the capsid protein was detectable at 3 h postinfection and continued to accumulate until 8 h postinfection, the last time examined.
Multiyear BATSE Earth Occultation Monitoring of NGC 4151

We report the results of nearly six years of continuous monitoring of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151 by the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO). Continuous 2154 day (5.9 yr) light curves for NGC 4151 have been derived from Earth occultation analysis of CGRO BATSE data. Fluxes are calculated assuming a cutoff power-law model of the form F(E) = F(E0)(E/E0)-α exp (E0 - E/Ecutoff). Light curves for the 20-70 and 70-200 keV bands are shown and found to have an average flux of 11 × 10-3 and 2.3 × 10-3 photons cm-2 s-1, respectively. Evidence for intrinsic source variability is observed with a fractional variation ratio measured at Fvar = 0.2 in both the 20-70 and 70-200 keV bands. A systematic difference is found between OSSE 50-150 keV flux measurements of NGC 4151 and simultaneous BATSE flux measurements in the same energy range.
Machining Process Power Monitoring: Bayesian Update of Machining Power Model

Monitoring the CNC machine tool power provides valuable information that aids condition based maintenance, machine efficiency and machining process monitoring. Cutting force in machining process is an interesting variable to measure from monitoring and control point of view. Although the direct methods of measuring the cutting force exist, prohibitive costs do not allow deployment in industrial environment. In the indirect methods of measuring force, measuring the spindle motor current to estimate the cutting power and consequently the cutting force is popular.This work discusses the calibration of spindle current based torque sensor for the estimation of the cutting force in turning operation. The work undertakes handling uncertainty in measurement of the cutting torque measurement. Considering the steady state value, the cutting torque is represented as a polynomial function of the speed and measured power. Though the identification of the unknown coefficients can be done based on the offline tests, in current work, the Bayesian update of coefficients is proposed. This method allows online learning of these coefficients. The cutting torque value based on the model has some variability due to variation in the coefficients and unmodeled dynamics. The iterative learning happens in three stages, namely — Prior belief, likelihood function establishment and update in prior belief with observed data producing posterior belief. The establishment of the priors is done through some offline tests. The likelihood function accounts for noise in the measurement of torque. And finally, Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulations help sampling from unknown posterior distribution. This scheme has ability to sample from any distribution. A single update cycle shows high reduction in the variability of the torque. Experimental data is produced to verify the effectiveness of method; the Bayesian update scheme outperforms least-square polynomial fit method consistently for different cutting speeds and cutting load values.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Guidance on methods and parameters for Army target acquisition models

Recently the U.S. Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate released a revision to the target acquisition models. The Targeting Task Performance (TTP) metric represents a significant improvement in the U.S. Army's target acquisition modeling capabilities. The purpose of this paper is to describe the experiments and calculation methodologies behind generating the task difficulty parameter (V-50) value used in the model to predict range performance. Included in this paper are experimental designs for recognition and identification tasks for various target sets. Based upon the results to these experiments new V-50 values are calculated to provide proper guidance for the most accurate performance predictions possible.
Derivatives of bis (4‐aminophenyl)‐sulfone I. Vitamin C Derivatives of Bis (4‐aminophenyl)‐sulfone and Related Sulfa Drugs

In order to improve the chemotherapeutic value of bis (4-aminophenyl)-sulfone, an agent active against tuberculosis, leprosy, and a number of bacterial infections but too toxic for clinical use, it was condensed with vitamin C (1-ascorbic acid) in methanol solution to form a crystalline product. This new derivative has a LD 50 of 987.7 ± 94.8 mg per kilo (mice, oral). Compared with the LD 50 of bis (4-aminophenyl)-sulfone, which is 12.6 mg/kilo (mice, oral), the vitamin C derivative is only one eightieth as toxic. In a concentration of 0.2 mg per 10 cm3 culture, it inhibited completely the growth of T. B. from 96 to 168 hours; in a concentration of 0.02 mg per 10 cm3 culture, it was found to be still bacteriostatic. The vitamin C derivatives of sulfa drugs were also prepared and studied. The antitubercular activity of the vitamin C derivatives of sulfathiazole, sulfadiazine and sulfamerazine was found to be of the same magnitude as salicylacetone, which inhibited completely the growth of T.B. in a concentration of 2 mg per 10 cm3 culture.
Examining the factors that influence early adopters' smartphone adoption: The case of college students

The influence of early adopters on potential adopters' decisions of whether or not to adopt a product is known to be critical. In this paper, we examine the factors that influence the adoption behavior of smartphone early adopters by looking at smartphone adoption behavior of college students, because a large portion of the early adopters of smartphones are college students. Our focus is on the effect of normative peer influence on a college student's smartphone adoption. We also examine the influence of other factors such as self-innovativeness, self-efficacy, the decision maker's attitudes towards a product, financial burden of using the product, familial influence, and other demographic factors (e.g., age and gender). College students' adoption behavior is studied using logit and probit choice models developed based on random utility theory. The discrete choice models are empirically estimated using survey data. We find important influence of friends, financial burden, and other family members on the smartphone adoption of college students who adopted smartphones earlier than other students.
Energy conservation by ventilating a greenhouse with deep-mine air

Abstract Use of deep-mine air to heat or cool a greenhouse has the potential to reduce significantly the energy required for environmental control. The environment is also potentially well suited for growth of many greenhouse crops. Temperatures within the greenhouse were generally maintained at 10–13°C during the night and 16–24°C during the day when solar energy was available. The relative humidity remained at 100% day and night during cloudy weather and fell as low as 40–50% on days of high solar intensity. In addition, the carbon dioxide concentration was near 2400 mg 1−1 throughout the year. Flowering bedding-plants and vegetable transplants of high quality were produced during the spring season. High - quality lettuce was produced throughout most of the year. The production time of all crops was equal to that of crops grown commercially in the area.
The Influence of Sociocultural Factors on Body Image: A Meta‐Analysis

Various factors have been implicated in the development of body image dissatisfaction. Especially important are three constructs: awareness of a thin ideal, internalization of a thin ideal, and perceived pressures to be thin. Using meta-analysis, we calculated the strength of the relationships between each of these constructs and body image, and we evaluated the differences in magnitude across the average effect sizes. We also tested the moderating effects of age and ethnicity, and we compared the average effect sizes with those from meta-analyses of prospective and experimental studies in order to determine whether the effect sizes differed by study design. The results indicated the following: all three sociocultural factors had statistically significant relationships with body image; internalization and perceived pressures have a significantly stronger relationship to body image than does awareness; the effect sizes from cross-sectional studies were significantly larger than those of both longitudinal and experimental studies; and neither age nor ethnicity was a statistically significant moderator of the relationship between awareness and body image or that between internalization and body image. In this article, we discuss the limitations and implications of the findings on future research, theory, and clinical application.
Aerobic capacity and running performance across a 1.6 km altitude difference in two sciurid rodents

Hypoxia at high altitudes is often assumed to constrain exercise capacity, but there have been few high- versus low-altitude comparisons of species native to a wide range of altitudes. Such studies are ecologically realistic, as wild-caught animals tested at their native altitude are presumably maximally acclimated (via phenotypic plasticity) or adapted (by evolutionary change) to that altitude. We compared aerobic performance, measured as maximum oxygen consumption in forced exercise (V(O(2),max)), and voluntary wheel-running in two species of sciurid rodents captured and tested at field sites that differed in altitude by 1.6 km (2165 m versus 3800 m). We found reduced V(O(2),max) at 3800 m in least chipmunks (Tamias minimus) but no significant effect of altitude on V(O(2),max) in golden-mantled ground squirrels (Spermophilus lateralis). Individuals of both species averaged several km day(-1) in wheels. Most behavioral indices of voluntary running (including mean and maximum speeds, time spent running, daily running distance, and the number and duration of running bouts) were unaffected by altitude, even in the species with reduced V(O(2),max) at high altitude. Metabolic rates during running and energy costs of transport differed to some extent across altitudes but in different ways in the two species. At both test sites, voluntary running by both species was almost exclusively at speeds well within aerobic limits. We conclude that substantial differences in altitude do not necessarily result in differences in aerobic capacity in small mammals and, even if V(O(2),max) is reduced at high altitude, there may be no effect on voluntary running behavior.
Is gender the barrier to democracy? Women, Islamism, and the “Arab spring”

In the Western political science literature of the late 20th and early 21st century, the Middle East has often been described, not only as authoritarian, but also as impervious to democracy. Institutional, structural, and cultural explanations were advanced to explain this democracy deficit. This article will debunk the notion that democratization in the Middle East is limited by entrenched Muslim and/or Islamist views on social and sexual mores, and on women’s political and social rights. Indeed, the events of the so-called “Arab Spring” have shown that the desire for democracy is the reason for the overthrow of several regimes in the Arab world. These popular-led regime changes were triggered by a desire for political and social reform. The main actors behind the Arab uprisings have been Arab youths and women, with women actively participating in anti-regime demonstrations and sometimes paying the price for that participation with their bodies. Using examples mainly from North Africa, the article will show three trends that have emerged in the region since the 1990s: changes in the law proposed by grassroots secular activists, the work of Muslim feminists, and that of Islamist female activists in the transformation of women’s roles in the Middle East that counter the claim that Islamic views on gender equality limit the emergence of democracy.