cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The “Nation” State on Trial: Minority Rights, Othering, and Exclusion in Europe during Times of Crisis

Timofey Agarin and Karl Cordell, Minority Rights and Minority Protection in Europe. London and New York: Rowman and Littlefield, 2016. Pp. 218. £80 (hbk). ISBN: 9781783481903. £24.95 (pbk). ISBN: 9...
Powering wearable sensors with a low-power CMOS piezoelectric energy harvesting circuit

Piezoelectric vibration based energy harvesters have been widely researched as powering modules for various types of sensor systems due to their ease of integration and high energy density. A number of piezoelectric transducer based topologies have been reported in literature. In this paper a piezoelectric transducer in parallel with a switch along with a low-power CMOS full-bridge rectifier is presented as a solution for efficient energy harvesting system for potential application in medical electronics. It consists of two NMOS and two PMOS devices comprising a full-bridge rectifier coupled with a PMOS device driven by a comparator based switch control circuit. With a load of 45KΩ, the output rectifier and the input piezoelectric transducer voltages are 694mV and 703mV, respectably, while the V OUT versus V IN conversion ratio is 98.7% with a power efficiency of 46%. The proposed energy harvesting circuit has been designed using a 0.13µm standard CMOS process.
Phase II Trial of Laparoscopic Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemoperfusion for Peritoneal Carcinomatosis or Positive Peritoneal Cytology in Patients with Gastric Adenocarcinoma.

The aim of this phase II study was to perform neoadjuvant hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion (HIPEC) via a minimally invasive approach without cytoreduction for patients with gastric cancer and positive peritoneal cytology or low-volume peritoneal carcinomatosis. Patients with gastric or gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma and positive peritoneal cytology or radiologically occult peritoneal carcinomatosis after systemic chemotherapy received laparoscopic HIPEC with mitomycin C 30 mg and cisplatin 200 mg. Patients whose peritoneal disease resolved were offered gastrectomy. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), with secondary endpoints of HIPEC complications and gastrectomy rate. We enrolled 19 patients (6 with positive peritoneal cytology only and 13 with peritoneal carcinomatosis) and treated them with 38 laparoscopic HIPEC procedures. Patients had received a median of 8 cycles (range 3–12) of systemic chemotherapy prior to enrollment. Fourteen patients were also treated with chemoradiotherapy before or between cycles of HIPEC. The complication rate for HIPEC was 11% (4 of 38 procedures), the 30-day mortality rate was 0%, and the median length of hospital stay after HIPEC was 3 days (range 2–6). Five patients went on to receive gastrectomy. The median follow-up was 18.9 months, the median OS from the date of diagnosis of metastatic disease was 30.2 months, and the median OS from the first laparoscopic HIPEC was 20.3 months. Laparoscopic HIPEC was well tolerated, and an encouraging number of patients demonstrated an absence of peritoneal disease after HIPEC and were able to undergo gastrectomy. Comparative studies will be required to clarify survival benefits.
Knowing What the Patron Wants: Using Predictive Analytics to Transform Library Decision Making

Abstract Predictive analytics and machine learning are burgeoning areas of professional practice for large corporations especially businesses that offer products and services to customers. The power to better understand the movement of large amounts of data in a company and the capability to deploy that data to meet a customer's needs is invaluable from a services standpoint. Some in libraries have theorized that this type of data usage could possibly be used in a library service environment as well. In this article, we demonstrate how you can develop and use machine learning algorithms and predictive analytics to proactively understand library behavior. Although libraries are good at data collection, we often rely on statics or old data for assessment. Utilizing a machine learning system, called the Automated Library Information Exchange Network (ALIEN), we can better understand the movement of the items in the collection and better serve the needs of our customers the library patrons.
Flexible real-time transmission scheduling for wireless networks with non-deterministic workloads

Abstract Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are increasingly used in industrial applications such as the Internet-of-Things, Smart City technologies and critical infrastructure monitoring. Industrial WSNs often operate in a cluster or star configuration. To ensure real-time and predictable performance, link access is typically managed using time-slotted superframe methods. These methods generally use static and potentially inefficient slot assignments. In this paper, we propose to dynamically readjust time slot lengths as a technique to minimize overall energy consumption. Our approach combines real-time performance guarantees with energy conservation methods through a set of dynamic modulation based adaptive packet transmission scheduling algorithms that are designed to reclaim unused slot times. To support our reclaiming method in a wireless environment we introduce a novel low-power listening technique called reverse-low-power listening (RLPL) as part of an overall Hybrid Low-Power Listening (HLPL) protocol. We evaluate our algorithms using Castalia simulator against an oracle-based approach, and show that our dynamic slot reclaiming approach, coupled with HLPL, can introduce substantial power savings without sacrificing real-time support which may be a new approach towards improving industrial wireless standards.
γ+γ′ microstructures in the Co-Ta-V and Co-Nb-V ternary systems

Abstract The Co-Ta-V and Co-Nb-V ternary systems are investigated in a search for L12-ordered γ′ precipitation, based on recent computational predictions of stable γ+γ′ microstructures. Four alloys with nominal (at. %) composition Co-6Ta-6V, Co-5.4Ta-6.6V-xNi (x = 0 and 10), and Co-6Nb-6V are arc-melted, homogenized at 1250 °C, and aged at 900 °C for 2, 16 and 64 h. Nanometric, cuboidal γ′ precipitates within a fcc-γ matrix are discovered in the Co-Ta-V system after aging for 2 h, and in the Co-Nb-V system after cooling from homogenization. The compositions of these two new γ′-phases, as measured via atom probe tomography, are Co3(Ta0.76V0.24) and Co3(Nb0.65V0.35), respectively. Upon aging at 900 °C, the γ′ precipitates coarsen, dissolve and transform to lamellar C36-Co3(Ta,V) and needle-shape D019-Co3(Nb,V), measured as Co3(Nb0.81V0.19) by APT, respectively. This shows that these ternary γ′ phases are metastable and points to the need for their stabilization via additional alloying elements.
FUNCTIONAL IDENTITY OF HEMOGLOBINS S AND A IN THE ABSENCE OF POLYMERIZATION

The functional properties of hemoglobin A and hemoglobin S have been compared at concentrations too low to permit sickling of hemoglobin S. Measurements of the kinetics of ligand combination and dissociation reactions show that these properties are independent of the substitution of valine at the β 6 position. Since these reactions depend on both the properties of the conformational states and on the conformational equilibria, the nearly identical kinetic results strongly suggest that the allosteric behavior is also independent of this substitution.
Critical Distance for Fatigue Life Prediction in Aerospace Materials

This study has investigated a method for estimating the fatigue life of small-notched specimens using the theory of critical distance for aerospace materials of Ti-6Al-4V and In718. Critical distance stress is defined as the average stress within the critical distance from notch root using simple linear-FE results. A good correlation exists between the critical distance stress and fatigue life of small-notched specimens if the critical distance is calibrated by the two notched fatigue failure curves of specimens with different notch root radii. Using these critical distances, the fatigue lives of various small notched specimens can be well predicted for a wide range of fatigue life. Other verification results are shown in a contact edge fatigue problem of the dovetail in aero-engine component. An analogy exists between a flat/rounded contact stress and a small notch stress fields. There have been the possibilities that the predictions using critical distance give the reasonable predicted results for fretting fatigue crack initiation lives.
“Teen Views of Sex:” Inter-animation of dialogues in a radio feature story produced by Mexican immigrant youth

This paper proposes an analysis of dialogical processes in the creation of a radio feature story titled “Teen Views of Sex,” co-produced by Mexican immigrant high school students in the context of a Youth Radio and Radio Arts program. After describing the socio-cultural and curricular context of the program, I apply Zittoun and Grossen’s (2013) semiotic approach to dialogicality to describe the kinds of dialogue that took place during the interviews and subsequent reflections upon the feature story and production process. The types of dialogue examined include: actual dialogue, distant dialogue, auto-dialogue, dialogue between situations, and dialogue with material objects, or non-human actants. I explore how the inter-animation of these forms of dialogue gave rise to dialogic tensions, which may have created openings for shifts in identity positioning and an enhanced sense of agency for the youth in their personal and public lives.
Improved a Popsteriori Error Bounds for Quasilinear Boundary-Value Problems by the Method of Pseudolinear Equations

Abstract The standard a posteriori error bounds based on complementary energy principles for approximate solutions of a certain class of quasilinear elliptic boundary-vale problems are discussed. It is shown that these a posteriori error bounds can be significantly improved by using the method of pseudolinear equations to solve the given problem and its conjugate (dual) problem instead of solving these problems separately by other methods. Extensions to more general classes of quasilinear elliptic boundary-value problems, twopoint boundary-value problems and their numerical analogues are indicated.
Field-Deployable Amperometric Enzyme Electrodes for Direct Monitoring of Organophosphate Nerve Agents

Amperometric enzyme electrodes for field, on-site and in-situ/on-line remote, monitoring of organophosphate nerve agents is reported. The sensors rely upon the coupling of the rapid biocatalytic hydrolysis of the organophosphates by the immobilized organophosphorus hydrolase and the sensitive and rapid anodic detection of p-nitrophenol product. The biosensors are fast responding, highly selective and show sub-micromolar lower detection limit for paraoxon and methyl parathion. The low detection limits coupled with high selectivity and faster and simplified operation are the benefits of the developed biosensors over the analogous enzyme inhibition biosensors make them ideal for field monitoring of organophosphate compounds.
National Cultures, Information Search Behaviors and the Attribution Process of Cross-National Managers: A Conceptual Framework

Cross-cultural management researchers have observed that when presented with similar ethical dilemmas and problems, managers raised in different cultural environments exhibit divergence in their perceptions, interpretations, and eventual solutions. Why does this happen? Our framework attempts to integrate theoretical concepts from the international management and organizational behavior literature to explain variances in managerial information search patterns and attribution processing arising due to national cultural differences. Based on the work of Trompenaars, Hampden-Turner, Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck, we propose that managers belong to one of two types of national cultures. The first emphasizes Universalism, Specificity, and Dominance over nature (USD) while the second assigns importance to Particularism, Diffuseness, and Subjugation (PDS). When faced with a situation/dilemma, which may have an ethical component, USD and PDS managers differ when it comes to: ○ The weighting, importance and amount of emphasis placed on the three types of information (Consistency, Consensus, and Distinctiveness) used to make attributions. ○ A tendency to focus heavily on those information types, or alternately, to search for external environmental factors. ○ Thus, the above process guides the manager's attribution process to assign causality of an event to either the primary actor(s) involved OR to factors in the external environment. Managers in different cultures may examine a situation, and through the attribution process, arrive at completely different conclusions regarding whether an action is unethical, or whether ethics even have a role. Our framework will enable managers to understand the impact of cultural differences in dealing with ethical situations involving multiple cultures.
Average arrival time: An alternative approach for studying fluorescent behavior of single quantum dots†

Due to photoluminescence intermittency of single colloidal quantum dots (QDs), the traditional exponential fluorescence lifetime analysis is not perfect to characterize QDs' fluorescent emission behavior. In this work we used the time-tagged time-resolved (TTTR) mode to record the fluorescent photons from single QDs. We showed that this method is compatible with the traditional lifetime analysis. In addition, by constructing the trajectory over time and the distribution of average arrival time (AAT) of the fluorescent photons, more details about the emission behavior of QDs were revealed.
МЕТОДИКА ОЦЕНКИ МЕЖРЕГИОНАЛЬНОЙ ДИФФЕРЕНЦИАЦИИ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОГО ПРОСТРАНСТВА

The article is dealt with economic and social development of the regions on the basis of progressive structural shifts in sectoral, spatial and functional systems, restoration and strengthening of effective cooperation of regions, reduction of inter-regional disproportions, sustainable use of economic potential of each region and improvement of legal and institutional base of regional policy. It is noted that indicators of economic activity of various regions indicate a deep structural imbalance in the system of national economy; There is a significant differentiation between regions in terms of the gross regional product structure, differentiation according to the results of industrial activity, differentiation of territories according to the level of social and economic development and living standards of the population and disproportion in the budget provision of the subjects of the Russian Federation. We consider different approaches to the evaluation of interregional differentiation here. When examining the differences between the regional economies, it is proposed to use a comprehensive approach that allows us to assess not only the differentiation in different directions of the social and economic state of the territories but also the structure of these differences. It is proposed the estimation technique including: definition of the optimal set of indicators reflecting the main aspects of economic and social development of the regions (industrial, innovative, social and labor components); the choice of statistical characteristics on the basis of which the assessment will be made; identification of differences between regions in the above areas; analysis of the significance of the differences using the Ryabtsev index and identification of factors for smoothing differentiation in each of the regions. We propose to use the range of interregional asymmetry, the variation of regions and the coefficient of regional asymmetry as the coefficients for assessing interregional differentiation. It is proposed to carry out an analysis of the materiality of interregional differences using the Ryabtsev index. It is completed an estimation of interregional differentiation between the regions of the Central Federal District by the index "Index of industrial production by subjects of the Russian Federation". It is performed the analysis of the materiality of inter-regional differences in the indicator "The share of innovative goods, works, services in the total volume of shipped goods, performed works, services" between the Kursk region and the subjects of the Central Federal District. It was noted that dynamics is observed to reduce interregional asymmetry, gradual smoothing of differentiation between the regions of the Central Federal District occurs.
Do Housing Vacancies Induce More Crime? A Spatiotemporal Regression Analysis:

This study aims to investigate the longitudinal associations between patterns of housing vacancies, neighborhood social disorder, and crime in the city of New Orleans. Using large-scale administrat...
Migraine-associated gene expression in cell types of the central and peripheral nervous system:

BackgroundGenome-wide association studies have implicated dozens of genes with migraine susceptibility, but it remains unclear in which nervous system cell types these genes are expressed.MethodsUs...
THE SGLT2 INHIBITOR EMPAGLIFLOZIN CAUSES A GREATER REDUCTION IN SKIN SODIUM CONTENT AND INTERSTITIAL VOLUME THAN LOOP DIURETICS IN HEART FAILURE

The classic view that sodium (Na) in the extracellular volume (both intravascular and interstitial spaces) is in equilibrium has been recently challenged with the discovery of skin Na storage at higher concentrations than in blood. In fact, skin Na is higher in hypertensive patients than controls
A Multistage Distributionally Robust Optimization Approach to Water Allocation under Climate Uncertainty

This paper investigates a Multistage Distributionally Robust Optimization (MDRO) approach to water allocation under climate uncertainty. The MDRO is formed by creating sets of conditional distributions (called conditional ambiguity sets) on a finite scenario tree. The distributions in the conditional ambiguity sets remain close to a nominal conditional distribution according a $\phi$-divergence (e.g., Kullback-Liebler divergence, Hellinger distance, Burg entropy, etc.). The paper discusses a decomposition algorithm to solve the resulting MDRO and applies the modeling and solution techniques to allocate water in a rapidly-developing area of Tucson, Arizona. Tucson, like many arid and semi-arid regions around the world, faces considerable uncertainty in its ability to provide water for its citizens in the future. The primary sources of uncertainty in the Tucson region include (1) unpredictable population growth, (2) the availability of water from the Colorado River, and (3) the effects of climate variability on water consumption. This paper integrates forecasts for all these sources of uncertainty into a single optimization model for robust and sustainable water allocation. Then, it uses this model to analyze the value of constructing additional treatment facilities to reduce future water shortages. The results indicate that the MDRO approach can be very valuable for water managers by providing insights to minimize their risks and help them plan for the future.
Current perspectives on exercise training in the management of multiple sclerosis.

The science supporting the application of exercise training and physical activity in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) has expanded considerably in strength and scope over the past 25+ years. Ex...
Learning Constrained Resource Allocation Policies in Wireless Control Systems

Emerging applications in IoT systems employ wireless communication networks to exchange data between spatially distributed components of a control system. As wireless networks are noisy and subject to packet losses — which might impact the operation of the control system — proper distribution of communication resources among components of the wireless control system sharing the communication network is essential to maintain the system operating reliably. Here, in particular, we study settings in which the decision maker must meet additional constraints on the control system while distributing communication resources. The existence of constraints and the infinite dimensionality of the problem make the resource allocation problem challenging. To reduce the dimensionality of the problem, we parameterize the resource allocation policy in terms of neural networks — high capability approximators — and leverage reinforcement learning techniques to design policies that do not require knowledge of plant dynamics or communication models. We further reformulate the resource allocation problem in the dual domain to handle the constraints, which leads naturally to a primal-dual policy gradient algorithm that alternates between updating the policy parameters via reinforcement learning iterations and updating a dual variable that enforces constraint satisfaction. We conclude the paper with numerical simulations that show the strong performance of the learned allocation policies against baseline resource allocation solutions.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and gastroesophageal reflux disease: A population-based, case-control study.

Abstract Background It is unknown whether gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a risk factor or consequence of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). This study aimed to determine whether patients with IPF were more likely to have GERD compared with age- and sex-matched controls who either had 1) interstitial lung disease (ILD) other than IPF or 2) no diagnosed lung disease (population control). Methods We used the medical records-linkage system of the Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) to identify patients with IPF who resided in Olmsted County, Minnesota, from January 1, 1997, through June 30, 2017. IPF cases were each matched with patients from 2 control groups (non-IPF ILD controls and population controls). We used conditional logistic regression to model associations between GERD diagnosis and IPF case status. P values were adjusted for multiple comparisons by using the Bonferroni adjustment (P values Results One hundred thirteen IPF cases were identified and matched to 226 population controls and 226 controls with non-IPF ILD. After multivariable adjustment, the odds of having GERD were 1.78 times higher (95% CI, 1.09–2.91; P = .02) in IPF cases compared with population controls. After multivariable adjustment, the odds of having GERD were 0.46 times lower (95% CI, 0.23–0.94; P = .03) in IPF cases compared with non-IPF ILD controls. Conclusion GERD may be an important contributor to the development of lung fibrosis. Thus, it should be investigated and addressed adequately when detected in patients with IPF and patients with non-IPF ILD.
Structure-Based Design and Development of Chemical Probes Targeting Putative MOR-CCR5 Heterodimers to Inhibit Opioid Exacerbated HIV-1 Infectivity

Crystal structures of ligand-bound G-protein-coupled receptors provide tangible templates for rationally designing molecular probes. Herein, we report the structure-based design, chemical synthesis, and biological investigations of bivalent ligands targeting putative mu opioid receptor C-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (MOR-CCR5) heterodimers. The bivalent ligand VZMC013 possessed nanomolar level binding affinities for both the MOR and CCR5, inhibited CCL5-stimulated calcium mobilization, and remarkably improved anti-HIV-1BaL activity over previously reported bivalent ligands. VZMC013 inhibited viral infection in TZM-bl cells coexpressing CCR5 and MOR to a greater degree than cells expressing CCR5 alone. Furthermore, VZMC013 blocked human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 entry in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) cells in a concentration-dependent manner and inhibited opioid-accelerated HIV-1 entry more effectively in phytohemagglutinin-stimulated PBMC cells than in the absence of opioids. A three-dimensional molecular model of VZMC013 binding to the MOR-CCR5 heterodimer complex is constructed to elucidate its mechanism of action. VZMC013 is a potent chemical probe targeting MOR-CCR5 heterodimers and may serve as a pharmacological agent to inhibit opioid-exacerbated HIV-1 entry.
Understanding Treatment Tolerability in Older Adults With Cancer.

Key Objective: What do we know about cancer treatment tolerability in older adults and where are the gaps? Knowledge generated: While there is strong evidence that geriatric assessment findings can be helpful in predicting treatment tolerability in older adults with cancer, more research is needed on treatment tolerability assessment, monitoring, and mitigation efforts for older adults during and after completion of treatment. A model is proposed to guide research efforts and clinical care that incorporates multiple tolerability aspects and highlights the patient’s experience and functional status as important endpoints. Relevance: Incorporating patient reported outcomes, functional evaluation, as well as adverse event data provides a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of treatment tolerability in older adults.
Defective early B cell tolerance checkpoints in patients with systemic sclerosis allow the production of self-antigen-specific clones.

Objective Early selection steps preventing autoreactive naive B cell production are often impaired in patients with autoimmune diseases, but central and peripheral B cell tolerance checkpoints have not been assessed in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods Using an in-vitro PCR-based approach that allows the expression of recombinant antibodies cloned from single B cells, we tested the reactivity of antibodies expressed by 212 CD19+ CD21-/lo CD10+ IgMhi CD27- new emigrant/transitional and 190 CD19+ CD21+ CD10- IgM+ CD27- mature naive B cells from ten patients with SSc. Results Patients with SSc displayed elevated proportions of polyreactive and anti-nuclear new emigrant/transitional B cells that recognize topoisomerase I when compared to healthy donors, suggesting defective central B cell tolerance contributes to the production of serum autoantibodies characteristic of the disease. Frequencies of autoreactive mature naive B cells were also significantly increased in SSc patients and revealed an impaired peripheral B cell tolerance checkpoint. Conclusion Defective counterselection of developing autoreactive naive B cells in SSc leads to the production of self-antigen specific B cells that may secrete autoantibodies and allow the formation of immune complexes, which promote fibrosis in SSc.
Adjustment Difficulties and Marital Stability in Remarriages: The Role of Stepfamily Constellation

Stepfamily complexity remains largely neglected in contemporary literature despite links with marital instability. As around 50% of U.S. adults report close step-relationships, this study explored ...
Optimizing Markov Probabilities for Generation of a Weibull Model to Characterize Building Component Failure Processes

AbstractNumerous studies have highlighted the importance of condition forecasting and service life estimation for building components, but many previous approaches do not account for the uncertaint...
Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care "6-Clicks" for the Prediction of Short-term Clinical Outcomes in Individuals Hospitalized With COVID-19: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Abstract Objective To determine the ability of the Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC) "6-Clicks" assessments of mobility and activity to predict key clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting An academic health system in the United States consisting of 5 inpatient hospitals. Participants Adult patients (N=1486) urgently or emergently admitted who tested positive for COVID-19 and had at least 1 AM-PAC assessment. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Discharge destination, hospital length of stay, in-hospital mortality, and readmission. Results A total of 1486 admission records were included in the analysis. After controlling for covariates, initial and final mobility (odds ratio, 0.867 and 0.833, respectively) and activity scores (odds ratio, 0.892 and 0.862, respectively) were both independent predictors of discharge destination with a high accuracy of prediction (area under the curve [AUC]=0.819-0.847). Using a threshold score of 17.5, sensitivity ranged from 0.72-0.79, whereas specificity ranged from 0.74-0.83. Both initial AM-PAC mobility and activity scores were independent predictors of mortality (odds ratio, 0.885 and 0.877, respectively). Initial mobility, but not activity, scores were predictive of prolonged length of stay (odds ratio, 0.957 and 0.980, respectively). However, the accuracy of prediction for both outcomes was weak (AUC=0.659-0.679). AM-PAC scores did not predict rehospitalization. Conclusions Functional status as measured by the AM-PAC "6-Clicks" mobility and activity scores are independent predictors of key clinical outcomes individual hospitalized with COVID-19.
Particle size and mineralogy distributions in respirable dust samples from 25 US underground coal mines

Abstract Detailed characterization of respirable coal mine dust is critical to understanding occupational health outcomes, as well as improving exposure monitoring and dust controls in mines. However, data on characteristics such as particle size and mineralogy are still scarce, and there are virtually no datasets available that allow direct comparisons across many mines. Following up on a previous effort to characterize dust from eight underground mines in the Appalachian region of the United States, the current study expands the dataset to cover a total of 25 mines across the country. A total of 171 respirable dust samples were collected in standard locations of each mine and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX). Results demonstrate that significant differences in particle size and mineralogy distributions exist both within and between mines based on sampling location, mine region and/or mining method–and characteristics can be indicative of dust sources. In locations nearby to production or roof bolting, the respirable dust was clearly sourced from the mine strata. Interestingly, in the production location rock-strata sourced dust appeared to be inordinately abundant relative to the actual coal and rock strata heights being mined during sampling. With respect to particle size, diesel particulates and coal dust were generally found to be finer than mineral dust; and mineral dust likely sourced from the rock strata in the mine was finer than that associated with rock dusting products. On average, when considering all particles analyzed between 100 and 10,000 nm, results indicate that about 75% are in the submicron range, however these particles are estimated to account for only about 6% of the mass.
Template switching and duplications in SARS-CoV-2 genomes give rise to insertion variants that merit monitoring.

The appearance of multiple new SARS-CoV-2 variants during the COVID-19 pandemic is a matter of grave concern. Some of these variants, such as B.1.617.2, B.1.1.7, and B.1.351, manifest higher infectivity and virulence than the earlier SARS-CoV-2 variants, with potential dramatic effects on the course of the pandemic. So far, analysis of new SARS-CoV-2 variants focused primarily on nucleotide substitutions and short deletions that are readily identifiable by comparison to consensus genome sequences. In contrast, insertions have largely escaped the attention of researchers although the furin site insert in the Spike (S) protein is thought to be a determinant of SARS-CoV-2 virulence. Here, we identify 346 unique inserts of different lengths in SARS-CoV-2 genomes and present evidence that these inserts reflect actual virus variance rather than sequencing artifacts. Two principal mechanisms appear to account for the inserts in the SARS-CoV-2 genomes, polymerase slippage and template switch that might be associated with the synthesis of subgenomic RNAs. At least three inserts in the N-terminal domain of the S protein are predicted to lead to escape from neutralizing antibodies, whereas other inserts might result in escape from T-cell immunity. Thus, inserts in the S protein can affect its antigenic properties and merit monitoring. Sofya Garushyants et al. survey publicly available alignments of SARS-CoV-2 genomes to identify and characterize potential insertion variants throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. They altogether identify 347 inserts, some of which might affect SARS-CoV-2 pathogenicity.
The consumption based asset pricing model: A note on potential tests and applications

Abstract Breeden's demonstration that Merton's multi-beta capital asset pricing model can be collapsed into a single-beta model where betas are computed with respect to aggregate consumption is an important theoretical advance. Nonetheless, Breeden's model retains many of the empirical problems that beset Merton's earlier version. In general the consumption betas will be nonstationary, so that the state variables must be observable for the model to be estimated.
A Research Retrospective of Innovation Inception and Success: The Technology-Push Demand-Pull Question

Innovation researchers have frequently debated whether organizational innovation is driven by market demand or by technological shifts. The market demand school of thought suggests that organizations innovate based on market needs, whereas the technology proponents claim that change in technology is the primary driver of innovation. Collectively, empirical research studies on technological innovation are inconclusive regarding this technology–push, demand–pull (TPDP) debate. Eight key studies relevant to this issue are examined for their methods, implications and caveats, to establish a structured way of interpreting the various results. The philosophical underpinnings of market demand and technology factors as drivers of innovation are also examined. This paper suggests that much of the contention between the demand–pull and technology–push findings is due to different research objectives, definitions and models. The main conclusion is that there exists a clear relationship between the research models used in these studies and the outcomes observed, suggesting that differences in problem statement and research constructs may be causing the apparent incongruity in research findings. Organizational and national policy level issues are also examined in light of the finding that different levels of analysis lead to different results.
Linkage Groups in Bacillus pumilus Determined by Bacteriophage PBS1-Mediated Transduction

Two linkage groups were established in Bacillus pumilus NRRL B-3275 by bacteriophage PBS1 transduction. Group L contains the auxotrophic markers gly, his, and met. Group M contains the markers argO, met, ura, and cys.
Agile Methodologies and Process Discipline

Agile methodologies have been touted as the programming methodologies of choice for the high-speed, volatile world of Internet and Web software development. They have also been criticized as just another disguise for undisciplined hacking. The reality depends on the fidelity to the agile philosophy with which these methodologies are implemented, and the appropriateness of the implementation for the application environment. This article addresses these issues and summarizes and critiques the compatibility of agile methodologies with plan-driven methodologies as described by the Capability Maturity Model® for Software.
Synthesis and characterization of 15% efficient CIGSSe solar cells from nanoparticle inks

We report a total-area power conversion efficiency of 15% for a copper indium gallium disulfoselenide (CIGSSe) solar cell fabricated from a copper indium gallium disulfide (CIGS) nanoparticle ink based process. Careful optimization of the fabrication process has resulted in a significant improvement in efficiency compared to our previously reported efficiency of 12%. This efficiency ranks among the highest reported in the literature for solution processed CIGSSe. Despite having an absorber thickness of approximately 700-800nm, which is less than half the thickness of high efficiency devices grown by both coevaporation and solution processes in the literature, our devices show good short-circuit current (32.1mA/cm(2)). Surprisingly, the sintered film shows lateral composition fluctuations, which have not been reported for other high efficiency devices and may be responsible for the lower open circuit voltage (636mV) observed here. This suggests an avenue for further improvement through optimization of the nanoparticle selenization process to better control composition in the sintered film. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
CoRAM++: Supporting data-structure-specific memory interfaces for FPGA computing

Facilitating DRAM access is an essential part of an application programming environment for FPGA computing. Existing FPGA application programming environments primarily focus on support for simple, regular memory access patterns, such as block copy and streaming. This paper presents CoRAM++, a programming environment for FPGA computing that is based on an extensible set of data-structure-specific memory interfaces. CoRAM++ supports complex data structures, such as multidimensional arrays and linked lists, in addition to simple data access patterns. CoRAM++ defines an appropriate application-level interface for each supported data structure, and provides a specialized soft-logic implementation of the supporting datapath to memory We evaluated the effectiveness of the CoRAM++ data-structure-specific approach in three application scenarios based on streams, multi-dimensional arrays and linked lists. Our results show that the CoRAM++ programming environment can offer convenient application-level interfaces without penalizing DRAM access performance.
Satellite Observations of Radiation and Clouds to Diagnose Energy Exchanges in the Climate: Part II

The basic energy cycle that establishes the climate of our planet is more complicated than a simple balance between the solar radiation (wavelengths from 0.4 – 4 μm) absorbed by Earth and the terrestrial radiation (wavelengths from 4 – 100 μm) emitted when the temperature of Earth reaches equilibrium. The first complication is that the spherical shape of Earth leads to an equator-to-pole difference in solar heating; the resulting temperature contrast forces motions in the atmosphere and ocean that transport some of the energy from low to high latitudes. Thus, the radiation balance at the top of the atmosphere exhibits a net heating (absorbed solar flux exceeds emitted terrestrial flux) at low latitudes and a net cooling (emitted terrestrial flux exceeds absorbed solar flux) at high latitudes which is balanced by the dynamic transports. However, the global average radiation is essentially in balance when averaged over a whole year. Thus, the solar and terrestrial radiative fluxes are the drivers for all of the phenomena we call climate.
Iterative Deblending With Multiple Constraints Based on Shaping Regularization

It has been previously shown that blended simultaneous-source data can be successfully separated using an iterative seislet thresholding algorithm. In this letter, I combine iterative seislet thresholding with a local orthogonalization technique via a shaping regularization framework. During the iterations, the deblended data and its blending noise section are not orthogonal to each other, indicating that the noise section contains significant coherent useful energy. Although the leakage of useful energy can be retrieved by updating the deblended data from the data misfit during many iterations, I propose to accelerate the retrieval of the leakage energy using iterative orthogonalization. It is the first time that multiple constraints are applied in an underdetermined deblending problem, and the new proposed framework can overcome the drawback of a low-dimensionality constraint in a traditional 2-D deblending problem. Simulated synthetic and field data examples show the superior performance of the proposed approach.
Using Distance Sampling to Estimate Density and Abundance of Saussurea Weberi Hultén (Weber's Saw-Wort)

Abstract Saussurea weberi Hulten (Weber's saw-wort) is a rare alpine calciphilic plant of the Rocky Mountains with disjunct populations in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. In Colorado, populations of S. weberi are scattered among <20 locations within the Mosquito Range and Hoosier Ridge regions. Saussurea weberi has specific habitat requirements, and its populations or populations of its pollinators may be susceptible to changing climatic conditions and use of off-road vehicles. It is scarce and discontinuous throughout its range, and there is no reliable estimate of density or abundance. Most estimates of abundance are based on cursory visits and unreplicated counts. To quantify size of the population at one of its centers, I used distance-sampling techniques to sample the population at Horseshoe Cirque, Park County, Colorado. I estimated density and abundance and examined variability of estimates to provide information for understanding the size of populations and for guidance in future protocols for sam...
Effect of H2O chemisorption on passivation of Ge(100) surface studied by scanning tunneling microscopy

Abstract The electronic passivation of a Ge(100) surface, via the chemisorption of H2O at room temperature (RT), and the temperature dependence of H2O coverage were investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS). With a saturation H2O dose at RT, a highly-ordered structure, due to the dissociative chemisorption of H2O, was observed on a Ge(100) surface with a coverage of 0.85 monolayers (ML). Annealing the room temperature H2O-dosed Ge surface to 175 °C decreased the coverage of H2O to 0.6 ML. Further annealing at 250 °C decreased the coverage of H2O sites to 0.15 ML, and the surface reconstruction of Ge dimers was observed over much of the surface. Annealing above 300 °C induced Ge suboxide structures, similar to the oxygen-dosed Ge surface. STS measurements confirmed that the surface dangling bond states near Fermi energy are removed by the H2O chemisorption because the dangling bonds of Ge atoms are terminated by ―OH and ―H. The H2O pre-dose at room temperature provides a template for the ultrathin passivation of Ge(100) surface via atomic layer deposition (ALD) at RT, since near monolayer nucleation can be obtained with a 1/2 hydroxylated and 1/2 hydrogenated Ge surface.
Fluorometric Determination of 2′-β-Fluoro-2′,3′-dideoxyadenosine 5′-Triphosphate, the Active Metabolite of a New Anti-Human Immunodeficiency Virus Drug, in Human Lymphocytes

Abstract A sensitive precolumn derivatization method has been developed to measure the 5′-triphosphate of 2′-β-fluoro-2′,3′-dideoxyadenosine (F-ddA, lodenosine), a new anti-HIV drug, in human lymphocytes by HPLC using fluorescence detection. Reaction of chloroacetaldehyde with F-ddA triphosphate in extracts from human lymphocytes produces a highly fluorescent etheno adduct. This derivative is then separated and quantitated by reverse-phase paired-ion chromatography. Degradation of natural nucleic acid ribosides, such as ATP, using periodate oxidation simplifies the chromatogram and minimizes interference with detection of the target analyte. This method, modeled using cultured MOLT-4 T-lymphocytes, achieves a linear detector response for peak area measurements over the range 2.5 to 22.5 pmol (50–450 nM using 50 μl sample). Analyte recovery is greater than 90%, and the method achieves a limit of detection and limit of quantitation of 1.4 and 2.5 pmol per HPLC injection (50 μl sample containing cellular extract from 2.5 × 10 6 cells), respectively. Application of this method to measure F-ddATP in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from HIV-infected patients treated with F-ddA at 3.2 mg/kg twice daily for 22 days shows F-ddATP levels which range from 1.5 to 3.5 pmol/10 6 cells.
The tenacity of tradition: Truth and the Jews 1877–1957

(1994). The tenacity of tradition: Truth and the Jews 1877–1957. Patterns of Prejudice: Vol. 28, No. 3-4, pp. 67-85.
Solutions of the Einstein equation with heat flow

We study a shear-free spherically symmetric cosmological model with heat flow and present a general method to generate solutions. Using this solution generating scheme we obtain new classes of solutions to the Einstein equations.
The Prevalence of Sarcopenia in Patients With Respiratory Failure Classified as Normally Nourished Using Computed Tomography and Subjective Global Assessment

Background: Declines in nutrition status and adverse body composition changes frequently occur in the critically ill. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to examine the prevalence of sarcopenia and its occurrence in patients classified as normal nourished using subjective global assessment (SGA). Methods: Exploiting diagnostic CT images, skeletal muscle mass at the L3 region was quantified and used to determine sarcopenia and its association with normal nutrition status in 56 patients with respiratory failure. Sarcopenia was defined as an L3 skeletal muscle index of ≤38.5 cm2/m2 for women and ≤52.4 cm2/m2 for men. CT imaging and SGA classifications completed within 14, 10 and 7 days of each other were analyzed to assess sarcopenia and the influence of time between scans on misclassification (ie, normal nourished and sarcopenic). Descriptive statistics were conducted. Results: The average patient was 59.2 (± 15.6) years old, admitted with sepsis/infection, an APACHE II score of 26 (± 8.0), and ...
Relationships between Root System Water Transport Properties and Plant Size in Phaseolus.

Root system hydraulic conductivity (LP) was measured on Phaseolus plants of different ages and sizes. Data analysis showed that LP changed in a complex manner depending on plant size. As the plants increased in size, LP increased initially then gradually decreased followed by a final modest increase. Values for LP ranged between 0.8 × 10−6 and 6.1 × 10−6 centimeter per second per bar. Relationships between the root flow per unit leaf area at a pressure differential of 3 bars (QPL3), as well as the total root system conductance (LR), and plant size were also examined. Values for QPL3 varied with plant size, somewhat like LP. LR values continuously increased with plant size at rates which depended on the growth rate of the root surface area as well as LP. Comparison of our data with the root conductivity constant (kr) of Taylor and Klepper (1975 Soil Sci, 120: 57-67) showed good agreement. The observations on Phaseolus were also confirmed for Glycine. Values for LP and kr of both species were within the same range.
On a Bivariate Distribution with Exponential Marginals

A new bivariate distribution with exponential marginals has been introduced by Singpurwalla & Youngren (1993). This distribution is absolutely continuous and has a single parameter. It was originally motivated as the failure model for a two-component system experiencing damage described by a shot-noise process. The purpose of this paper is two-fold. The first is to articulate on several aspects of this distribution, in particular, its genesis, the nature of its dependence, its correlation structure, and its generalized version as a two-parameter bivariate distribution with exponential marginals. The second purpose of this paper is more general. Prompted by the need to explain certain features of the bivariate distribution, it is found useful to introduce a new notion in reliability and survival analysis. This notion is called the "hazard potential", of an item susceptible to failure. The hazard potential is viewed as a kind of hidden parameter of failure models that delineates a cause and effect relationship in reliability.