cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Metallic Contamination Related Whisker Defect During Deposition and Its Removal

We have investigated the whisker defect generation during SiH4 -based silicon film deposition, which is mostly related to metallic impurities on the surface. The metallic impurities from various dry etching systems are heavily detected during device fabrication. The contamination level on silicon surface is around three orders of magnitude higher than that of allowance level. Furthermore, the copper impurities contaminated on the a-Si surfaces are hardly removed even by the acidic solutions with high oxidation-reduction potential values. The contaminants generated the abnormal film growth which was detected after a-Si film deposition. The defect is more than 500nm in size (denote Whisker defect). They can cause serious CMP scratching on the surface or pattern lifting at post process as well as device yield drop. When the a-Si film was deposited on a-Si film, the amount of defect observed was greater than those of other surfaces.
Model and Algorithm for Network Design of the Fourth Party Logistics Based on Resilience

It is very important to design a secure and efficient logistics service network for the fourth party logistics( 4PL). The 4PL resilient netw ork design problem w as studied,and a model of 4PL netw ork design w as established,w hich minimized the total costs objective to the resilience constraint. For the NP characteristics of the problem,a hybrid particle sw arm optimization w ith iterative local search method w as developed and the performance of the algorithm w as tested by randomly generated examples. The experiments verify the validity of the model and indicate that the PSO_ILS outperforms the classic PSO and has robustness against the main parameters.
Investigation on the method of detecting calcium in milk powder by calcium ion selective electrode

[Objective] To investigate the feasibility of a calcium ion selective electrode to detect calcium in milk powder. [Methods] To explore the conditions of the experiment and how the result of experiment was influenced by interference of bases. [Results] After the accuracy and the precision check , the correlation error ranked from-3.28%～+4.10% , relative standard deviation was 2.6%. [Conclusion] This method not only simplified the operation process but also shortened the test time, so it is feasible for detecting calcium in milk powder.
Drying creep of concrete: constitutive model and new experiments separating its mechanisms

A new experimental method which allows the direct separation of the components of drying creep due to microcracking and stress-induced shrinkage is developed, demonstrated and validated. The basic idea is to compare the curvature creep of beams subjected to the same bending moment but very different axial forces. The results confirm that drying creep has two different sources: microcracking and stress-induced shrinkage. The latter increases continuously, whereas the former first increases and then decreases. The test results are fitted using a finite element model. The results validate the present model for drying creep. The microcracking is described by an established model, and the free (unrestrained) shrinkage of a material element is shown to depend approximately linearly on the humidity drop.
Prophylactic Vaccines for Nonviral Cancers

The successful development of prophylactic cancer vaccines targeting oncogenic viruses has demonstrated the potential for vaccination to reduce the global burden of cancer. However, most human cancers are not caused by viruses, and therefore novel approaches are needed for the successful development of prophylactic cancer vaccines for nonviral cancers. In this review, we detail evidence that the human immune system can recognize and eliminate non-virus-caused cancers before they become clinically apparent. We also discuss the design of an ideal prophylactic vaccine with the goal of providing a lasting adaptive immune response against antigen targets that arise early in a cancer's development.
High-Value Home Health Care for Patients With Heart Failure: An Opportunity to Optimize Transitions From Hospital to Home.

In recent years, public reporting, targeted financial penalties, and incentives to develop alternative payment models that include the assumption of financial risk have compelled hospitals to focus on reducing readmission rates for high-cost conditions such as heart failure (HF). When older patients with multiple medical conditions including HF are discharged from the hospital, they are vulnerable to adverse events, which may result in recurrent hospitalization (the post-hospital syndrome).1 In theory, providing home health nursing and therapy could promote recovery in vulnerable HF patients with post-hospital syndrome and potentially reduce readmissions. Within the United States, home health care (HHC) referrals after acute care hospitalization increased by 65% to 3.7 million between 2001 and 2012.2,3 Patients discharged from US hospitals with a primary diagnosis of HF had the highest number of HHC referrals during this time, with ≈200 000 post-acute HHC referrals in 2012.2 In addition, HHC surpassed skilled nursing facilities as the most frequently used post-acute care among Medicare beneficiaries with HF in 2012 (unpublished HCUPnet data). Such an increase in HHC use for patients with HF is likely related to multiple factors, including decreasing length of stay for patients with HF4 and more recent pressures to improve readmission rates for HF after adoption of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, which included the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program that was implemented in 2012.5,6 Despite substantial growth in post-acute HHC referrals for patients with HF,2 it is unclear whether HHC delivered in real-world settings consistently provides high-value care. Understanding the characteristics of effective post-acute HHC for patients with HF will inform best practices, optimal outcomes for cost, and ultimately high-value care. Because most patients referred for skilled HHC are Medicare beneficiaries, Medicare eligibility and payment policies have important implications for HHC. Patients who …
Gradation variability assessment of thick-layer cement-stabilised full-depth reclamation

The relatively high strength and stiffness of cement-stabilised pavement base layers have been utilised to facilitate construction and minimise pavement deflections for many years. Transverse crack...
MORTALITY OF FALL ARMYWORM, SPODOPTERA FRUGIPERDA (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE) EGGS, LARVAE AND ADULTS EXPOSED TO SEVERAL INSECTICIDES ON COTTON

Mortality of eggs, first, third, and fifth instars and adults of fall army worm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), after exposure to several insecticides on cotton indicated that the FAW is susceptible to most insecticides currently used to control Heliothis spp. Most insecticides tested exhibited ovicidal activity. High mortality of first instar larvae was observed for most treatments, including the biological insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner). More variation in mortality among treatments was observed in third and fifth instars than in first instars. Pyrethroid, carbamate, and organophosphorous insecticides resulted in higher mortality than did B. thuringiensis. Diflubenzuron, an insect growth regulator, was as effective as commonly used insecticides against third and fifth instar larvae when mortality was observed at pupation. Third instar FAW placed on plant tissue from the upper section of cotton plants sprayed in field situations suffered higher mortality than those placed on pl...
Indications, risk factors, and outcomes of 30-day readmission after infrarenal abdominal aneurysm repair

Abstract Objective Reducing readmissions is an important target for improving patient care and enhancing health care quality and cost-effectiveness. The aim of this study was to assess rates, risk factors, and indications of 30-day readmission after open aortic repair (OAR) and endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). Methods A retrospective analysis of the Premier Healthcare Database from 2009 to 2015 was performed. Indications for readmission after the index procedure, risk factors, and outcomes of the index admission and rehospitalization were evaluated. Multivariate logistic models were used to assess the association between 30-day readmission and different patient and hospital factors. Results A total of 33,332 AAA repair procedures were identified: 27,483 (82.5%) EVAR and 5849 (17.5%) OAR. The overall rate of 30-day readmission was 8.1%, and it was greater after OAR (12.9% vs 7.1% in EVAR; P P = .04). Other risk factors of 30-day readmission included female gender, emergency and urgent procedures, certain patient comorbidities (dyslipidemia, congestive heart failure, history of transient ischemic attack, previous cardiac surgery, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, chronic kidney disease, peripheral vascular disease, and history of malignant disease), and hemorrhage/shock/bleeding occurring during the index admission as well as nonhome discharge. Readmitted patients had an overall in-hospital mortality of 3.6% and paid a median rehospitalization cost of $7757. Conclusions Our study shows that around 8.1% of patients undergoing infrarenal AAA repair were readmitted within 30 days. Because many readmissions are unrelated to the index procedure or caused by factors that are nonmodifiable or nonidentifiable at discharge, efforts should focus on discharge planning and improving the decision process regarding discharge destination as well as postdischarge coordination of care for high-risk patients.
Conversation, Cooperation, or Convention? A Response to Kar and Radin

This is a response to Pseudo-Contract and Shared Meaning Analysis by Professors Robin Bradley Kar and Margaret Radin. Their article is a thoughtful and ambitious attempt to find a principled basis in the theory of contract formation for distinguishing what they see as the legitimate portion of the transaction – the “actual agreement” which is “cooperatively communicated” – from that which ought not to be enforced (usually the extensive unread boilerplate or click-through terms). While I am sympathetic to the policy aim, I resist the core of their thesis, which is that there is a discernible “actual agreement” arising from a “shared meaning” that is neither merely the objective manifestations of an agreement nor the individual subjective intentions of the parties. I have two objections to the thesis: (a) the authors’ exercise of looking at boilerplate or shrink wrap agreements through the lens of Paul Grice’s conversational maxims does not provide a helpful demarcation of that portion of the consumer interaction that is truly “shared”; and (b) the thesis is simply a more sophisticated version of a particular conception within contract theory, the problematic “meeting of the minds” metaphor. As a result, I caution against rushing into shared meaning analysis as a broader basis for understanding contract formation or interpretation..
Feminization of the AIDS Epidemic

L'A. affirme que les hommes constituent la majeure partie du nombre des personnes qui sont touchees par le virus du SIDA. Malgre tout, il semble que les femmes et les minorites ethniques soient de plus en plus concernes par l'epidemie. Il montre que les femmes qui ne representaient que 16%, aux Etats-Unis, des cas d'infections par le SIDA connaissent un tres fort accroissement du nombre de contaminations. Il affirme que ce phenomene touche plus particulierement les femmes qui ont un revenu et un statut economique et politique faible
Variation in Individual Temperature Preferences, Not Behavioural Fever, Affects Susceptibility to Chytridiomycosis in Amphibians

The ability of wildlife populations to mount rapid responses to novel pathogens will be critical for mitigating the impacts of disease outbreaks in a changing climate. Field studies have documented...
Detection of Antibodies That Neutralize the Cellular Uptake of Enzyme Replacement Therapies with a Cell-based Assay.

The administration of enzyme replacement therapies (ERTs) and other biologic therapies to patients may elicit an anti-drug immune response. The characterization of these anti-drug antibodies (ADA), especially those that may neutralize the biological activity of the drug, termed neutralizing antibodies (NAbs), is crucial in understanding the effects of these antibodies on the drug's pharmacological profile. This protocol describes a cell-based flow cytometry method to detect factors that neutralize the cellular uptake of a representative lysosomal ERT in human matrix. The protocol consists of three procedures: screening, a confirmatory step, and titer assays to detect, identify, and establish the relative level of neutralizing antibody titer in subject samples. In this method, samples are first mixed with the fluorophore-conjugated ERT product, then incubated with cells [e.g., human T lymphocytes (Jurkat cells)] that express a cell-surface cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CI-M6PR), and finally, analyzed with a flow cytometer. A sample without NAbs will result in the uptake of the fluorophore-conjugated ERT product via CI-M6PR, whereas, the presence of NAbs will bind to the drug and interfere with the CI-M6PR binding and uptake. The amount of the fluorophore-conjugated ERT internalized by the Jurkat cells is measured by flow cytometry and evaluated as the percentage (%) signal inhibition compared to the response obtained in the presence of a representative drug-naive matrix. In the confirmatory step, the samples are pre-incubated with ERT-conjugated magnetic beads to deplete drug-specific factors that bind to the drug (such as NAbs) prior to an incubation with cells. Samples that screen and confirm positive for drug-specific NAbs in the assay are then serially diluted to generate an antibody titer. Semi-quantitative antibody titers may be correlated with measurements of drug safety and efficacy.
Curse of Knowledge

Mike was a 67-year-old man who presented with abrupt visual loss in his right eye. He said that he felt like a curtain was being drawn down over this eye. The visual loss was severe, but transient, lasting about a minute.
E-006 Delayed coil migration following initially successful balloon-assisted coil embolization of a basilar tip cerebral aneurysm: case report and meta-analysis

Background Delayed coil migration is an infrequently reported complication following endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms with detachable coils. Here we report on a verified case of delayed coil migration following initially successful balloon-assisted coil embolization of a broad-based aneurysm of the basilar tip. Additionally, we perform a meta-analysis of case reports available in the literature to identify aneurysm morphological characteristics seen in cases of delayed coil migration. Methodology Systematic review of PubMed database making use of MeSH terms associated with cerebral aneurysms and delayed coil migration and review of published bibliographies. Results A 71-year-old man presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage and basilar tip aneurysm measuring 2.5–2.8 mm at the neck and 3.2 (AP) × 3.4 (TR) × 3.2 (CC) in maximal dimension. This was successfully treated with balloon assistance using detachable coils (Axium 3D 3 mm × 4 cm framing coil, completion packing percentage 24%). Follow-up imaging obtained during hospitalization verified stable positioning of the coil mass. Routine surveillance angiography obtained at 8 months however showed migration of the coil mass into a posterior cerebral artery cortical branch. The patient was asymptomatic, and the basilar aneurysm was subsequently treated with stent-coiling. Systematic review of the literature revealed 13 similar cases representing a cohort of 14 cases available for analysis. Aneurysm morphology was uniformly broad based, and most cases occurred in aneurysms less than 5 mm in maximal dimension. Framing coil selection and packing percentage were not reported for the majority of cases. The present case is the first reported to our knowledge occurring in the posterior fossa. Conclusions Ruptured cerebral aneurysms with small broad-based morphology remain among the most difficult lesions to treat endovascularly. In addition to increased rates of intra-procedural rupture among other inherent technical challenges, the Neuro-Endovascularist may consider adding the possibility of delayed coil migration to his or her list of considerations in addressing such lesions and modify their treatment plan accordingly. In the present case selection of a larger framing coil or higher target packing percentage may have been worthwhile considerations in retrospect. Disclosures B. Cristiano: None. D. Hoss: None. J. Jacobson: None.
Responses of cerebral blood velocity and tissue oxygenation to low‐frequency oscillations during simulated haemorrhagic stress in humans

NEW FINDINGS What is the central question of this study? Do low-frequency oscillations in arterial pressure and cerebral blood velocity protect cerebral blood velocity and oxygenation during central hypovolaemia? What is the main finding and its importance? Low-frequency oscillations in arterial pressure and cerebral blood velocity attenuate reductions in cerebral oxygen saturation but do not protect absolute cerebral blood velocity during central hypovolaemia. This finding indicates the potential importance of haemodynamic oscillations in maintaining cerebral oxygenation and therefore viability of tissues during challenges to cerebral blood flow and oxygen delivery. ABSTRACT Tolerance to both real and simulated haemorrhage varies between individuals. Exaggerated low-frequency (∼0.1 Hz) oscillations in mean arterial pressure and brain blood flow [indexed via middle cerebral artery velocity (MCAv)] have been associated with improved tolerance to reduced central blood volume. The mechanism for this association has not been explored. We hypothesized that inducing low-frequency oscillations in arterial pressure and cerebral blood velocity would attenuate reductions in cerebral blood velocity and oxygenation during simulated haemorrhage. Fourteen subjects (11 men and three women) were exposed to oscillatory (0.1 and 0.05 Hz) and non-oscillatory (0 Hz) lower-body negative pressure profiles with an average chamber pressure of -60 mmHg (randomized and counterbalanced order). Measurements included arterial pressure and stroke volume via finger photoplethysmography, MCAv via transcranial Doppler ultrasound, and cerebral oxygenation of the frontal lobe via near-infrared spectroscopy. Tolerance was higher during the two oscillatory profiles compared with the 0 Hz profile (0.05 Hz, P = 0.04; 0.1 Hz, P = 0.09), accompanied by attenuated reductions in stroke volume (P < 0.001) and cerebral oxygenation of the frontal lobe (P ≤ 0.02). No differences were observed between profiles for reductions in mean arterial pressure (P = 0.17) and MCAv (P = 0.30). In partial support of our hypothesis, cerebral oxygenation, but not cerebral blood velocity, was protected during the oscillatory profiles. Interestingly, more subjects tolerated the oscillatory profiles compared with the static 0 Hz profile, despite similar arterial pressure responses. These findings emphasize the potential importance of haemodynamic oscillations in maintaining perfusion and oxygenation of cerebral tissues during haemorrhagic stress.
Expression of two near absent dental traits, mesial cuspule and paraconid, on one Archaic period modern human from the Ohio Valley: Rare molar traits in the Ohio Valley

Presented here are the linugal cuspule and paraconid; two traits considered near absent (occurring <1%) in world populations. Both traits were found on lower third molars of one individual from late Archaic (2500-500BC) site of Shick in, Handcock County, Ohio. Rare dental anomalies in modern humans inform about biological variation and evolutionary changes. The Lingual Cuspule has only been reported in one other world population, thus very little is known about this anomaly. It was thought that paraconids have been otherwise lost in primate evolution starting in the Oligocene (34-23 MYA). The expression of a paraconid in modern humans could suggest secondary evolution of this trait. Further reporting of both traits is necessary to discuss the implications of human dental evolution which result from the presence of these variants.
What has de novo protein design taught us about protein folding and biophysics

Recent progress in de novo protein design has led to an explosion of new protein structures, functions and assemblies. In this essay, I consider how the successes and failures in this new area inform our understanding of the proteins in nature and, more generally, the predictive computational modeling of biological systems.
A labile form of hemoglobin A1c is higher in African-American youth with type 1 diabetes compared to Caucasian patients at similar glucose levels.

BACKGROUND Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels are higher in African-American (AA) individuals compared to Caucasians (EA) even after adjustment for blood glucose levels. To better understand the mechanism of this disparity we examined the relationship of an unstable (labile) form of HbA1c (L-HbA1c) with race and glucose. METHODS Samples for HbA1c were collected from pediatric patients self-identified as either AA (15F, 12M, age 13.4 ± 3.5 years) or EA (22F, 30M, age 14.6 ± 3.4 years) with type 1 diabetes at the time of a clinic visit. Clinic HbA1c (HbA1c) was performed by immunoassay. L-HbA1c equaled the difference in the HbA1c fraction by dynamic capillary isoelectric focusing before and after incubation in a low pH buffer. A capillary glucose (Clinic-BG) was measured at clinic visit. Mean blood glucose (MBG) was calculated from the last 30 days of the patient's glucose meter data. The influence of race on L-HbA1c was assessed in a multiple variable regression model adjusted for Clinic-BG. RESULTS The groups were similar for age and duration of diabetes. L-HbA1c was correlated with Clinic-BG, MBG, and HbA1c. The mean levels of L-HbA1c, HbA1c, MBG, but not Clinic-BG were higher in AA patients compared to EA. After adjustment for Clinic-BG, L-HbA1c was still higher in AA (2.8 ± 0.7% AA vs 2.1 ± 0.7% EA, P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS L-HbA1c is correlated with Clinic-BG. At any given level of Clinic-BG, AA patients have higher levels of L-HbA1c than EA. This preliminary study suggests that early factors prior to the formation of stable HbA1c may contribute to the observed glucose-independent racial disparity.
[Single scrotal-incision orchidopexy without ligation of processus vaginalis for palpable undescended testis].

Objective To determine the feasibility and short-term effect of single scrotal-incision orchidopexy (SSIO) without ligation of the processus vaginalis (PV) in the treatment of palpable undescended testis (PUDT). Methods This retrospective study included 109 cases of PUDT (125 sides) and 15 cases of impalpable undescended testis (IUDT). The former underwent SSIO without PV ligation (group A, n = 53) or standard inguinal orchidopexy with PV ligation (group B, n = 56) while the latter received laparoscopic exploration (group C). We analyzed the success rate of SSIO in the management of PUDT, postoperative complications, and incidence rates of hernia and hydrocele, and compared the relevant parameters between groups A and B. Results The median age of the PUDT patients was 1.4 (0.6－11.0) years. Group A included 24 cases of left PUDT (2 with hydrocele), 20 cases of right PUDT (1 with hydrocele), and 9 cases of bilateral PUDT, the success rate of which was 95.1%. Group B consisted of 27 cases of left PUDT, 22 cases of right PUDT (3 with hernias), and 7 cases of bilateral PUDT. The rate of PV patency in the PUDT patients was 80.8% (101/125). Laparoscopic exploration of the 15 IUDT patients revealed 2 cases of congenital testis absence, 6 cases of testis dysplasia, all treated by surgical removal, 3 cases of staying around the inner ring, descended by inguinal orchidopexy, and the other 4 treated by laparoscopic surgery. The incisions healed well in all cases, with no testicular atrophy, inguinal hernia or hydrocele. Conclusions Single scrotal-incision orchidopexy without PV ligation is a safe and feasible procedure for the treatment of palpable undescended testis, which avoids the risk of inguinal hernia or hydrocele.
Untrusted Caches in Two-layer Networks

This work considers a network consisting of a server and a layer of relay nodes equipped with cache memories which aim to deliver content to end nodes that also have cache memories. The server and the end nodes consider the intermediate relay caches to be untrusted with the content. As a result, the server must design strategies to place content in relay caches not only to serve end users, but also to ensure that any a subset of them, even when colluding, cannot gain any information about the contents of the server database. The end users randomly connect to a subset of these untrusted caches at the beginning of the delivery phase via multicast links. For this network model, a coded caching scheme is developed by jointly optimizing the cache placement and delivery phases using secure regenerating codes. In addition, the scheme is extended to the setup of combination networks with untrusted relays, where the untrusted relays are connected to the end users via unicast links. The study highlights the benefits of cooperating with untrusted caches by designing the end users’ caches to provide multicast opportunities in order to minimize the delivery load.
Abstract 110: Vascular Smooth Muscle Sirtuin-1 Protects Against Diet-Induced Aortic Stiffness

Arterial stiffness (AS), a major cardiovascular risk factor, develops within two months in mice fed a high fat, high sucrose diet (HFHS), serving as a model of human metabolic syndrome, and is asso...
Plant-Induced Irritant Contact Dermatitis

Plants are a common and underreported cause of irritant contact dermatitis. Plant-induced irritant contact dermatitis is divided into two categories based on the type of ‘irritant’: (1) mechanical irritant contact dermatitis (MICD); and (2) chemical irritant contact dermatitis (CICD).
Documenting Changes in Mammal Communities in the Northern Everglades

Restoration of the Everglades is an ambitious endeavor to revitalize its communities and ecosystem health, but there remain gaps in our understanding of mammal communities due to lack of long-term data synthesis. Using secondary data from long-term surveys, this study examines the potential impacts of changes in hydrological management on mammal communities within a state wildlife management area in the northern Everglades. The installation of a pump station in 1991 began a 15-year period of active water management associated with hydrological restoration. Infrastructural damage in late 2005 resulted in 9 years of no significant active inflows. I calculated non-cervid mammal encounter rates from data gathered during perimeter levee surveys over a 10-year period. Mammal encounter rates showed a strong declining trend during the time after the pump failure. A similar analysis for an adjacent management area, which did not suffer an interruption in pump inflows, also showed a decline in mammal encounter rates. In addition, I replicated a small-mammal trapping survey conducted in the mid 1990s. Results showed a decline in diversity of small mammals in the focal area. Recent confirmation of Python molurus (Burmese Python) in the area and the expansion of Canis latrans (Coyote) are likely to have played a role in these apparent declines. Thus, establishing baseline estimates of relative abundance are critical for conservation efforts. With increasingly limited resources, it is important to maximize the utility of data that has already been collected.
To Protect and Preserve: Echoes of Traditional Jewish Burial Culture in the Exhumation of Holocaust Mass Graves in Postwar Belarus and Ukraine

As Soviet Jews returned to their hometowns after the Holocaust, they encountered a catastrophic landscape of mass graves that defied Jewish traditions of dignified, secure burial. Throughout the postwar decades, survivors strove to bring their relatives “to a Jewish grave”—in other words, to provide them a burial consistent with Jewish burial norms. These norms included the desire to bury children beside their parents, concern for the physical security and legal status of grave plots, a reluctance to disturb the dead, and a fear of exposing human remains to public view. Given the chaotic circumstances under which these graves had been created, it was impossible to uphold all four principles. Thus, some survivors chose to transfer mass graves to the local Jewish cemetery immediately after the war. Other communities chose to mark and preserve the graves at their original locations, only opting for exhumation in the face of a direct threat such as erosion. Although grave exhumation is generally prohibited in Jewish tradition, Soviet Jews did not embrace exhumation out of religious ignorance, but instead performed them out of a desire to approximate traditional Jewish burial norms under novel, catastrophic circumstances. Thus, these exhumations illustrate how traditional values and practices can continue to linger and evolve, even in the absence of religious texts, institutions, and clergy.
Experimentally testing a generalized coarsening model for individual bubbles in quasi-two-dimensional wet foams.

We present high-precision data for the time evolution of bubble area $A(t)$ and circularity shape parameter $C(t)$ for several bubbles in a quasi-two-dimensional foams consisting of bubbles squashed between parallel plates. In order to fully compare with earlier predictions, foam wetness is systematically varied by controlling the height of the sample above a liquid reservoir which in turn controls the radius $r$ of the inflation of the Plateau borders. For very dry foams, where the borders are very small, classic von Neumann behavior is observed where a bubble's growth rate depends only on its number $n$ of sides. For wet foams, the inflated borders impede gas exchange and cause deviations from von Neumann's law that are found to be in accord with the generalized coarsening equation. In particular, the overall growth rate varies linearly with the film height, which decrease as surface Plateau borders inflate. More interestingly, the deviation from $dA/dt\ensuremath{\propto}(n\ensuremath{-}6)$ von Neumann behavior grows in proportion to $nCr/\sqrt{A}$. This is highlighted definitively by data for six-sided bubbles, which are forbidden to grow or shrink except for the existence of this term. It is tested quantitatively by variation of all four relevant quantities: $n$, $C$, $r$, and $A$.
The Antinomies of Poverty Law and a Theory of Dialogic Enpowerment

The first purpose of this Article is to pursue an ideological inquiry with respect to the habits of perception and interpretation dominant in the practice of poverty law. As I hope to show, these habits reify and reproduce myths of legal efficacy, and inherent indigent isolation and passivity which sustain and reinforce relations of power oppressive to the poor. To explode those myths, I shall critique the dominant traditions of poverty law: direct service and law reform litigation. My thesis is that poverty cannot - indeed should not - be remedied by these traditions. Remedial litigation should not be mounted, even where altruistic 13 relief is possible, without the activization of class consciousness among the poor, nor without the political organization and mobilization of the poor. Implicit in this thesis is the view that the poor are historical actors waging a day-to-day class struggle to assert control over their lives and communities. The battle against poverty and oppressive welfare systems is their common historical struggle. By relying on direct service and law reform litigation, poverty lawyers negate the poor as an historical class engaged in political struggle, thereby decontextualizing, atomizing, and depoliticizing that struggle. Moreover, by reifying the dissociated category of ingrained indigent isolation and passivity, poverty lawyers reproduce isolation and passivity in the attorney/client relationship, thus inhibiting the potential for political struggle. Because these contradictions plague the practice of poverty law, the best hope for combating poverty lies not with lawyers, but with the poor themselves. It follows that empowering the poor should be the political object of poverty law. Having established the goal of poverty law, I shall turn to my second purpose and endeavor to demonstrate that poverty can be soundly attacked only by applying an integrated theory of empowerment combining the elements of critical consciousness and discourse, the strategic methods of direct service and law reform litigation, and the collective force of clients acting together in local, state, and national political alliances.) To begin the hard practice of theory, I counsel poverty lawyers to apply critical consciousness, engage in dialogue, and redirect their efforts towards client empowerment, i.e., the activization of liberating class consciousness and the organization and mobilization of grass roots client alliances in local, state, and national communities. My hope is that client and community empowerment may serve as a strategic weapon in the continuing war against poverty.
DiHi: Distributed and Hierarchical Performance Modeling of Multi-VM Cloud Running Applications

Performance fluctuation of cloud running applications, due to collocations of different tenants on the same machine, is one of the cloud users’ concerns. To alleviate users’ concerns with insightful information, performance modeling and prediction of their applications is deemed necessary. In this paper, we propose two hierarchical and a monolithic performance modeling and prediction frameworks for multi-VM applications running on clouds. Hierarchical frameworks have been considered to distribute the required processing power for performance modeling and prediction over a group of collaborating VMs for better scalability, and to reduce the load of transferring unprocessed profiling data. Several unsupervised learning algorithms and existing single-VM models have been incorporated into the hierarchical frameworks to evaluate their effects on models’ accuracy. Then, the results are compared with a baseline approach where the most intuitive monolithic framework requires the accumulation of all profiling data on a central VM. We have considered a comprehensive set of micro-benchmarks to probe the contention in various resources of all collaborating VMs. Then, using the proposed frameworks, the experienced contention levels by each VM and the overall performance of the applications are modeled and predicted. The results of our experiments in a private and two public clouds show that the distributed and hierarchical frameworks can predict the overall applications’ performance effectively with comparable accuracy to the monolithic framework with an average prediction error of 5% for different cluster sizes and clouds.
Individual differences in perceived sleep quality do not predict negative affect reactivity or regulation.

Abstract Do people who have low-quality sleep tend to have more negative affect? This question is of great public interest, and many would assume the answer is “yes.” However, previous findings have been mixed, possibly due to differing measures of sleep and affect, or to a failure to separately examine negative affect reactivity and regulation. Across two studies, we assessed adults’ perceived sleep quality for at least two weeks and tested their negative affect reactivity and regulation in response to unpleasant pictures (Study 1) or painful thermal stimulation (Study 2) using both self-report and physiological measures. The relationships between perceived sleep quality, on the one hand, and negative affect reactivity and regulation, on the other, were non-significant. Furthermore, a Bayesian approach unanimously favored the null hypothesis. These results suggest that individual differences in perceived sleep quality may not predict negative affect reactivity or regulation across adult individuals.
The Emergence of Wendell Willkie as the 1940 Republican Nominee

The 1940 Republican nomination for President has proven to be among the most fascinating to historians. Although Wendell Willkie lost to Franklin Roosevelt in November 1940, the emergence of Willkie, who had never held any political office, has invited historical comparisons as recently as the 2016 nomination of another businessman outsider, Donald Trump. The spring and summer of 1940 also proved to be a pivotal time for the Republican Party in terms of foreign policy, with Willkie bucking the isolationist platform that the GOP had embraced since the end of World War I. Despite losing the general election, Willkie's candidacy pushed the GOP to embrace an internationalist and interventionist foreign policy for which it would never abandon. And yet Willkie's emergence was highly improbable. The eventual emergence of Wendell Willkie as the Republican nominee for President in 1940 was unlikely for a host of reasons. First, Willkie was a lifelong Democrat and had been selected as a delegate to the 1924 and 1932 Democratic National Conventions. Despite being lukewarm to Roosevelt's candidacy in 1932 and then battling the Tennessee Valley Authority and FDR's New Deal throughout the 1930s, as late January 1940, Willkie was still presumed to be a Democrat and was listed as such in the 1938-1939 edition of Who's Who In America. Second, not since the presidential campaign of Horace Greeley in 1872 had a candidate without political experience won a major party nomination. Willkie was a Democratic committeeman as late as 1935 and indicated that he had voted for New York Governor Herbert H. Lehman and the democratic ticket in 1938. Third, the GOP had embraced an isolationist foreign policy platform since World War I, and all of the leading Republican candidates heading into the 1940 election (District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey of New York, Senator Robert Taft of Ohio, and Senator Arthur Vandenberg of Michigan) supported some form of isolationism. Indeed, across party lines, those who expressed support for helping Britain over staying out of the war did not register in the majority until the fall of 1940. In sum, much of the deck was stacked against Wendell Willkie to emerge as a Republican candidate for President in 1940. Nonetheless, Willkie's battles with the administration as president and chief executive officer of the Commonwealth & Southern Corporation put him in the business industry spotlight. He kept himself in that spotlight throughout the 1930s through a series of debates, speaking engagements, and published articles.
Cardiovascular Adjustments to Heat Stress

The sections in this article are: 1 Cutaneous Vascular Responses to Heat Stress 1.1 Microvascular Anatomy 1.2 Efferent Neural Control of Skin Blood Flow 1.3 Local Thermal Control of Cutaneous Blood Vessels 2 Hemodynamic Responses to Heat Stress 2.1 Cardiac Output during Heat Stress 2.2 Cardiovascular Pressures 3 Regional Circulatory Responses to Heat Stress 3.1 Splanchnic Circulation 3.2 Renal Circulation 3.3 Skeletal Muscle Circulation 3.4 Circulation to Brain and Spinal Cord 3.5 Coronary Circulation 4 Modifiers of Control by Internal Temperature 4.1 Thermoregulatory Modifications 4.2 Nonthermoregulatory Modifications 5 Conclusion
A two dimensional analysis of sheet resistance and contact resistance effects in solar cells

A computer model is developed to study the two-dimensional nature of the sheet resistance and contact resistance effects in solar cells. A major result is the demonstration that the distributed nature of the semiconductor sheet resistance causes the terminal dark I-V characteristics to exhibit an exp(qV/2kT) type dependence even when the one-dimensional characteristics of the cell exhibit an exp(qV/kT) type voltage dependence. The analytical model which is developed provides an easy method for estimating the sheet resistance of a solar cell from the terminal I-V data.
The Impact of Discovery Limitations on Pace, Cost and Satisfaction in Court Annexed Arbitration

This is the first of a series of four articles describing the evaluation results for Hawaii’s mandatory Court-Annexed Arbitration Program (CAAP), a program with a jurisdictional limit $150,000 – the highest jurisdictional limit of any state arbitration program. This article reviews court-annexed arbitration programs across the country, discusses pretrial delay and the high cost of litigation with a focus on pretrial discovery and lawyers’ fees, describes the Hawaii Court-Annexed Arbitration Program in detail, and then presents and interprets data taken from court records and lawyer surveys about the program. A randomized control group of cases not placed in the CAAP was used for comparison. This article only reports on data from surveys from the arbitration cases and not the control group. At the time this article was written, too few cases from the control group sample had terminated and been surveyed to provide sufficient comparison. In addition, this article only reports on arbitration cases that entered CAAP in the first phase of the program when the jurisdictional limit was $50,000 and cases only entered the program when one of the parties requested that the case be placed in CAAP. Later, CAAP rules were amended to require that all cases with a probable jury award of up to $150,000 be placed into the program. The results reported here come from 268 returned surveys from CAAP. The majority of lawyers and arbitrators believed that in the CAAP program 1) discovery was reduced, 2) the discovery reduction did not affect the outcome, 3) costs of litigation were reduced, 4) the pace of litigation was increased, and 5) the lawyers were satisfied with the program.
An Ultralow-Power Low-Noise CMOS Biopotential Amplifier for Neural Recording

This brief presents a design strategy for a neural recording amplifier array with ultralow-power low-noise operation that is suitable for large-scale integration. The topology combines a highly efficient but supply-sensitive single-ended first stage with a shared reference channel and a differential second stage to effect feedforward supply noise cancellation, combining the low power of single-ended amplifiers with improved supply rejection. For a two-channel amplifier, the measurements show a midband gain of 58.7 dB and a passband from 490 mHz to 10.5 kHz. The amplifier consumes 2.85 $\mu\mbox{A}$ per channel from a 1-V supply and exhibits an input-referred noise of 3.04 $\mu\mbox{V}_\mathrm{rms}$ from 0.1 Hz to 100 kHz, corresponding to a noise efficiency factor of 1.93. The power supply rejection ratio is better than 50 dB in the passband. The amplifier is fabricated in a 90-nm CMOS process and occupies 0.137 $\mbox{mm}^{2}$ of chip area.
Suppressing Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) with the grass-specific herbicide Sethoxydim.

ABSTRACT: Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) is an annual grass native to parts of Asia that has invaded many areas around the world. We conducted a study in Catoctin Mountain Park in Thurmont, Maryland, to determine if low rates of the grass-specific herbicide Sethoxydim were as effective as the label rate for spot treatment (1.5–2.25%) against M. vimineum. Sethoxydim E Pro was applied at 0.75%, 1.0%, and 1.5%. Treatments occurred in July 2011, 2012, and 2013. In September of 2011, 2012, and 2013 all treatments had reduced the cover of M. vimineum relative to the controls and there was no significant difference between the three treatments or the three groups of plots and no significant effect on other species. In July 2014, M. vimineum cover had rebounded substantially and by September 2014, cover of M. vimineum in treated plots was not significantly different from the controls.
Cardiac and mitochondrial dysfunction following acute pulmonary exposure to mountaintop removal mining particulate matter

Throughout the United States, air pollution correlates with adverse health outcomes, and cardiovascular disease incidence is commonly increased following environmental exposure. In areas surrounding active mountaintop removal mines (MTM), a further increase in cardiovascular morbidity is observed and may be attributed in part to particulate matter (PM) released from the mine. The mitochondrion has been shown to be central in the etiology of many cardiovascular diseases, yet its roles in PM-related cardiovascular effects are not realized. In this study, we sought to elucidate the cardiac processes that are disrupted following exposure to mountaintop removal mining particulate matter (PM MTM). To address this question, we exposed male Sprague-Dawley rats to PM MTM, collected within one mile of an active MTM site, using intratracheal instillation. Twenty-four hours following exposure, we evaluated cardiac function, apoptotic indices, and mitochondrial function. PM MTM exposure elicited a significant decrease in ejection fraction and fractional shortening compared with controls. Investigation into the cellular impacts of PM MTM exposure identified a significant increase in mitochondrial-induced apoptotic signaling, as reflected by an increase in TUNEL-positive nuclei and increased caspase-3 and -9 activities. Finally, a significant increase in mitochondrial transition pore opening leading to decreased mitochondrial function was identified following exposure. In conclusion, our data suggest that pulmonary exposure to PM MTM increases cardiac mitochondrial-associated apoptotic signaling and decreases mitochondrial function concomitant with decreased cardiac function. These results suggest that increased cardiovascular disease incidence in populations surrounding MTM mines may be associated with increased cardiac cell apoptotic signaling and decreased mitochondrial function.
Constitutive model and numerical analysis for high lead solder interconnects

High lead solder interconnects are extensively used in the electronic industry. This paper uses a unified creep plasticity (UCP) constitutive model to numerically simulate the mechanical performance of such interconnects under thermomechanical cyclic loading. The UCP model is capable of incorporating thermal and cyclic hardening effects. To make the model more objective, cyclic loading induced damage was also incorporated. The model is programmed into the commercially available FEM software ABAQUS. A uniaxial tension case was analyzed to verify the model and reasonable agreement with experimental results was achieved. A typical three-dimensioned (3D) solder bump under shear loading was analyzed and the strain/stress distribution within the solder bump was obtained.
Quantitative microstructural analysis of anisotropic materials

The increasing use of anisotropic materials, such as fiber-reinforced composites, generates a need for new techniques for analyzing directional microstructures quantitatively. Along these lines, a new method has recently been developed for measuring the surface area per unit volume of internal surfaces of opaque bodies. This article presents a description of the technique and an analysis of certain statistical considerations associated with the sampling procedure.