cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Building a trusted image for embedded systems

In this work, we propose PlugNPlay Trust, an integrity measurement framework which enables a remote system to evaluate the integrity and state of an embedded node. The PlugNPlay Trust design exploits the relatively static nature of embedded communication systems and uses a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) to measure the state and provide identity verification for the embedded host. This framework enables remote parties to confirm the integrity of embedded communication systems, thereby limiting the effects and the proliferation of malware in compromised system. We implement a prototype of the PlugNPlay framework using Live CD technologies and a USB Flash-drive. We measure the performance of our system and show that our design choices result in efficient measurement and verification of system integrity.
Wanted: A National Teacher Supply Policy for Education: The Right Way To Meet the "Highly Qualified Teacher" Challenge.

Teacher quality is now the focus of unprecedented policy analysis. To achieve its goals, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires a “highly qualified teacher” in all classrooms. The concern with teacher quality has been driven by a growing recognition, fueled by accumulating research evidence, of how critical teachers are to student learning. To acquire and retain high-quality teachers in our Nation’s classrooms will require substantial policy change at many levels. There exists longstanding precedent and strong justification for Washington to create a major education manpower program. Qualified teachers are a critical national resource that requires federal investment and cross-state coordination as well as other state and local action. NCLB provides a standard for equitable access to teacher quality that is both reasonable and feasible. Achieving this goal will require a new vision of the teacher labor market and the framing of a national teacher supply policy. States and local districts have vital roles to play in ensuring a supply of highly qualified teachers; however, they must be supported by appropriate national programs. These programs should be modeled on U.S. medical manpower efforts, which have long supplied doctors to high- need communities and eased shortages in specific health fields. We argue that teacher supply policy should attract well-prepared teachers to districts that sorely need them while relieving shortages in fields like special education, math and the physical sciences. We study the mal-distribution of teachers and examine its causes. We describe examples of both states and local school districts that have fashioned successful strategies for strengthening their teaching forces. Unfortunately, highly successful state and local program to meet the demand for qualified teachers are the exception rather than the rule. They stand out amid widespread use of under-prepared teachers and untrained aides, mainly for disadvantaged children in schools that suffer from poor working conditions, inadequate pay and high teacher turnover. The federal government has a critical role to play in enhancing the supply of qualified teachers targeted to high-need fields and locations, improving retention of qualified teachers, especially in hard-to-staff schools, and in creating a national labor market by removing interstate barriers to mobility.
Recursive data mining for role identification in electronic communications

We present a text mining approach that discovers patterns at varying degrees of abstraction in a hierarchical fashion. The approach allows for certain degree of approximation in matching patterns, which is necessary to capture non-trivial features in realistic datasets. Due to its nature, we call this approach Recursive Data Mining (RDM). We demonstrate a novel application of RDM to role identification in electronic communications. We use a hybrid approach in which the RDM discovered patterns are used as features to build efficient classifiers. Since we want to recognize a group of authors communicating in a specific role within an Internet community, the challenge is to recognize possibly different roles of an author within different communication communities. Moreover, each individual exchange in electronic communications is typically short, making the standard text mining approaches less efficient than in other applications. An example of such a problem is recognizing roles in a collection of emails from an organization in which middle level managers communicate both with superiors and subordinates. To validate our approach we use the Enron dataset which is such a collection. The results show that a classifier that uses the dominant patterns discovered by Recursive Data Mining performs well in role identification.
Indicators of Stress in Poultry

Stress is a term which is both difficult to define and identify. Many methods have been used to try to evaluate stress in poultry and other species; they include physiological and behavioural techn...
Communication-aware navigation functions for cooperative target tracking

In this paper we consider a team of mobile nodes that are in charge of cooperative target tracking. We propose communication-aware navigation functions that allow the nodes to perform their task while maintaining their connectivity to a fixed base station and avoiding obstacles. More specifically, we show how to incorporate measures of link qualities in the navigation functions. We consider both centralized and decentralized scenarios. We furthermore explore the impact of stochastic channels and channel estimation error on the overall performance.
Diagnostic yield of delayed neurovascular imaging in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage, negative initial CT and catheter angiograms, and a negative 7 day repeat catheter angiogram

Purpose The yield of delayed neurovascular imaging in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), negative initial CT and catheter angiograms (CT angiography (CTA), DSA), and negative 7 day repeat DSA is not well understood. Our aim was to determine the yield of delayed neurovascular imaging for the detection of causative vascular lesions in this clinical scenario. Methods We retrospectively examined the yield of delayed CTA and DSA for the detection of causative vascular lesions in patients presenting to our institution with SAH, negative initial CTA and DSA examinations, and a negative 7 day repeat DSA during a 6.5 year period. Two neuroradiologists evaluated the non-contrast CTs to determine the SAH pattern, and the delayed CTAs and DSAs to assess for the presence of a causative vascular lesion. Results 39 patients were included: 23 men (59%) and 16 women (41%), mean age 55.5 years (range 33–75). 25 patients had diffuse SAH (64.1%), 12 had perimesencephalic SAH (30.8%), and two had peripheral sulcal SAH (5.1%). The delayed neurovascular examination was CTA in 30 patients (76.9%) and DSA in nine patients (23.1%). Mean time to delayed CTA or DSA was 34.9 days (median 34, range 14–69 days). Delayed CTA demonstrated a causative vascular lesion in two patients (5.1%, one small internal carotid artery aneurysm and one small pontine arteriovenous malformation), both with diffuse SAH (yield 8%). Conclusions Delayed neurovascular imaging is valuable in the evaluation of patients with diffuse SAH who have negative initial CTA and DSA examinations and a negative 7 day repeat DSA, demonstrating a causative vascular lesion in 8% of patients.
Approximate Analysis of Time-Synchronous Packet Networks

In this paper, models and analytical techniques are developed to evaluate the performance of the backbone networks of discrete-time linked-cluster packet networks. The theoretical results are validated by extensive computer simulation. The results of this research may be applied to the design of multiprocessor networks, local area networks, and cellular, terrestrial, and satellite packet networks.
A 35 Myr North American leaf-wax compound-specific carbon and hydrogen isotope record: Implications for C4 grasslands and hydrologic cycle dynamics

article i nfo Hydrology, source region, and timing of precipitation are important controls on the climate of the Great Plains of North America and the composition of terrestrial ecosystems. Moisture delivered to the Great Plains varies seasonally and predominately derives from the Gulf of Mexico/Atlantic Ocean with minor contributions from the Pacific Ocean and Arctic region. For this work, we evaluate long-term relationships for the past ~35 million years between North American hydrology, climate, and floral change, using isotopic records and average carbon chain lengths of higher plant n-alkanes from Gulf of Mexico sediments (DSDP Site 94). We find that carbon isotope values (δ 13 C) of n-alkanes, corrected for variations in the δ 13 C value of atmospheric CO2, provide minor evidence for contributions of C4 plants prior to the Middle Miocene. A sharp spike in C4 input is identified during the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum, and the influence of C4 plants steadily increased during the Late Miocene into the Pleistocene — consistent with other North American records. Chain-length distributions of n-alkanes, indicative of the composition of higher plant communities, remained remarkably constant from 33 to 4 Ma. However, a trend toward longer chain lengths occurred during the past 4 million years, concurrent with an increase in δ 13 C values, indicating increased C4 plant influence and potentially aridity. The hydrogen isotope values (δD) of n-alkanes are relatively invariant between 33 and 9 Ma, and then become substantially more negative (75‰) from 9 to 2 Ma. Changes in the plant community and temperature of precipitation can solely account for the observed variations in δD from 33 to 5 Ma, but cannot account for Plio-Pleistocene δD variations and imply substantial changes in the source region of precipitation and seasonality of moisture delivery. We posit that hydrological changes were linked to tectonic and oceanographic processes including the shoaling and closure of the Panamanian Seaway, amplification of North Atlantic Deep Water Production and an associated increase of meridional winds. The southerly movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone near 4 Ma allowed for the development of a near-modern pressure/storm track system, driving increased aridity and changes in seasonality within the North American interior.
Exercise as an Intervention for Frailty

By 2015, nearly 15% of the US population will be older than 65 years. In 2030, there will be more than 70 million older Americans. This increase in the elderly population has prompted interest in recent years toward the study of frail older adults. This article reviews the literature investigating the utility of aerobic and resistance exercise training as an intervention for frailty in older adults. In addition, areas of future research are addressed, including concerns related to the dissemination of exercise interventions on a widespread scale. Guidelines for an �exercise prescription� for frail older adults are briefly outlined.
Automatic Discovery of Intentions in Text and its Application to Question Answering

Semantic relations between text concepts denote the core elements of lexical semantics. This paper presents a model for the automatic detection of Intention semantic relation. Our approach first identifies the syntactic patterns that encode intentions, then we select syntactic and semantic features for a svm learning classifier. In conclusion, we discuss the application of intention relations to Q&A.
Barium titanate/epoxy composite dielectric materials for integrated thin film capacitors

Integration of passive components into electronic packaging will lead to further structural miniaturization, performance and reliability improvements, as well as cost reduction in the microelectronics industry. To replace the discrete capacitors currently employed in packages with the embedded ones, suitable dielectric materials and thin film processes compatible with the PWB technology are desired. Toward this end, we have been investigating a thin film technology based on barium titanate (BaTiO/sub 3/)/epoxy composites, whose advantages in terms of processability, low processing temperature, and versatility make it quite promising. In this process, the homogeneous dispersion of fine-grained barium titanate into the epoxy matrix was achieved through the surface functionalization of the ceramic powders with a silane coupling agent. Particulate coatings were formulated using the functionalized barium titanate powders, bisphenol A epoxy resin, dicyandiamide, and 2-methylimidazole in an organic solvent. The composite dielectric thin layers were processed on Cu substrates by spinor dip-coating followed by curing at 175/spl deg/C. Electrical measurements on these capacitors demonstrate that, for composite dielectric films containing 60 vol% of barium titanate, a dielectric constant of about 40 at 1 kHz and low loss factors of less than 0.035 over a wide frequency region have been obtained.
On calculating bit error probability for convolutional coding over the Rician fading channel

The full derivation of an upper bound previously given by the authors (see Proc. IEEE Veh. Tech. Conf., St. Louis, USA, p.362-7, 1991) is provided, and comparisons are made between the authors' bound and other similar bounds, as well as to simulations on the Rician channel. The Rician channel results were used to test the robustness of the Gaussian assumption. Although not originally intended for this application, the authors' bound is found to be accurate when compared to simulations and to other analytical bounds in certain parameter regions. >
ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC LOCALIZATION OF IMMUNOGLOBULIN E ON THE SURFACE MEMBRANE OF HUMAN BASOPHILS

We have examined human leukocyte preparations for the presence of surface-bound IgE by electron microscopy. Basophil-enriched leukocytes were reacted with burro anti-IgE, a hybrid antibody to burro IgG and ferritin, and ferritin, with or without prior incubation of the cells with an IgE myeloma protein. In the absence of preincubation with IgE small amounts of ferritin were fixed to the surface of basophils but on no other cells. When cells were preincubated with IgE the amount of ferritin fixation on the basophils was markedly increased and a small amount of ferritin was also bound to platelets but again to no other leukocytes. The distribution of ferritin on the basophil surface appeared dependent upon the temperature at which the cells were kept during and after reaction with the various reagents. Basophil sections from cells kept at 0°C had ferritin bound to the surface membrane in patches distributed around the entire circumference. Basophil sections from cells prepared at room temperature had ferritin distributed assymetrically covering a surface membrane segment one-fifth to one-half of the circumference. In control studies in which monomeric IgG was substituted for the IgE and burro anti-IgG was used instead of burro anti-IgE, no cellular fixation of ferritin was observed.
The effects of deposition parameters on iron films FR diode sputtered in argon-nitrogen

Iron-nitrogen films deposited in an argon-N/sub 2/ sputtering gas were characterized as a function of RF diode sputtering parameters and the N/sub 2/ partial pressure. The magnetic properties of the films were generally soft until they contained about 1 at.% nitrogen, which corresponded to an impingement rate ratio of nitrogen to iron of about 400 to 1. At that composition H/sub c/ and H/sub k/ increased abruptly. Optimum substrate bias was found to depend on the substrate used. Annealed films exhibited significant decreases in H/sub c/ and H/sub k/, and the saturation magnetostriction could be adjusted to near zero by adding nitrogen. Corrosion properties were also improved with added nitrogen. >
Advances in RNA structure prediction from sequence: new tools for generating hypotheses about viral RNA structure-function relationships.

Advances in sequencing technology have made abundant RNA sequence information available, but the challenge of how to interpret these data remains. The RNA sequence contains many layers of information. RNA sequences code for proteins and small RNAs, such as microRNAs or transacting small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). RNA encodes information about both structure and function. Viral RNA structures, such as riboswitches, internal ribosome entry sites (75), and panhandles (71), regulate the stages of the viral life cycle, including replication (100), transcription (99), splicing (40, 48), aminoacylation (31, 55), translation (12, 75, 98), and encapsidation (27, 60, 71, 84). Because viral RNAs are structurally dynamic, current prediction methods focusing on a single minimum freeenergy structure may not always identify functionally relevant structures without additional experimental restraints. Because RNA structure determination is often experimentally difficult despite tremendous advances in RNA crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and chemical modification, RNA structure prediction is an important tool for generating hypotheses about structure-function relationships in RNA. RNA structure prediction can be useful for interpreting or designing mutagenesis experiments, identifying conserved structural features, and designing siRNA strategies. This review will briefly outline the basic ideas and assumptions underlying RNA structure prediction, compare different approaches to RNA structure prediction from a user’s perspective, and discuss some applications of RNA structure prediction to viral RNA interference (RNAi) research. The RNA sequence, or primary structure, determines the secondary structure, or pattern of canonical Watson-Crick pairs forming duplexes and irregular regions, such as loops and single-stranded regions. The secondary structure then determines the tertiary structure or overall three-dimensional shape of the molecule. The tertiary structure contains the interaction sites for proteins, other RNA molecules, carbohydrates, or other small molecules and thus determines the quaternary or higher-order structure. The greater thermodynamic stability of RNA helices than that of tertiary interactions makes the RNA
Measurement of ambient aerosols in northern Mexico City by single particle mass spectrometry

Continuous ambient measurements with aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ATOFMS) were made in an industrial/residential section in the northern part of Mex- ico City as part of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area-2006 campaign (MCMA-2006). Results are presented for the pe- riod of 15-27 March 2006. The submicron size mode con- tained both fresh and aged biomass burning, aged organic carbon (OC) mixed with nitrate and sulfate, elemental car- bon (EC), nitrogen-organic carbon, industrial metal, and in- organic NaK inorganic particles. Overall, biomass burning and aged OC particle types comprised 40% and 31%, respec- tively, of the submicron mode. In contrast, the supermicron mode was dominated by inorganic NaK particle types (42%) which represented a mixture of dry lake bed dust and indus- trial NaK emissions mixed with soot. Additionally, alumi- nosilicate dust, transition metals, OC, and biomass burning contributed to the supermicron particles. Early morning pe- riods (2-6 a.m.) showed high fractions of inorganic particles from industrial sources in the northeast, composed of inter- nal mixtures of Pb, Zn, EC and Cl, representing up to 73% of the particles in the 0.2-3µm size range. A unique nitrogen- containing organic carbon (NOC) particle type, peaking in the early morning hours, was hypothesized to be amines from local industrial emissions based on the time series profile and back trajectory analysis. A strong dependence on wind speed and direction was observed in the single particle types that were present during different times of the day. The early morning (3:30-10 a.m.) showed the greatest contributions from industrial emissions. During mid to late mornings (7- 11 a.m.), weak northerly winds were observed along with the most highly aged particles. Stronger winds from the south picked up in the late morning (after 11 a.m.), resulting in a decrease in the concentrations of the major aged particle types and an increase in the number fraction of fresh biomass particles. The highest wind speeds were correlated with the highest number fraction of fresh biomass particles (up to 76% of the submicron number fraction) when winds were coming directly from fires that were located south and south- east of the city based on MODIS fire count data. This study provides a unique clock of hourly changes in single parti- cle mixing state and sources as a function of meteorology in Mexico City. These new findings indicate that biomass burning and industrial emissions can make significant contri- butions to primary particle loadings in Mexico City that are strongly coupled with local meteorology.
Uptake of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) by Daphnia pulex

Abstract We investigated uptake of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) by Daphnia pulex by exposing individuals to radiolabeled DOC. Daphnids exposed to DO14C were more radioactive than either control (anesthetized) or unexposed daphnids (P=0.0001), indicating direct uptake of DOC. Waste product radioacitvity was greater than that of exposed daphnids, suggesting that assimilation of DOC is probably low.
Hotspots of mammalian chromosomal evolution.

Chromosomal evolution is thought to occur through a random process of breakage and rearrangement that leads to karyotype differences and disruption of gene order. With the availability of both the human and mouse genomic sequences, detailed analysis of the sequence properties underlying these breakpoints is now possible. We report an abundance of primate-specific segmental duplications at the breakpoints of syntenic blocks in the human genome. Using conservative criteria, we find that 25% (122/461) of all breakpoints contain ≥ 10 kb of duplicated sequence. This association is highly significant (p < 0.0001) when compared to a simulated random-breakage model. The significance is robust under a variety of parameters, multiple sets of conserved synteny data, and for orthologous breakpoints between and within chromosomes. A comparison of mouse lineage-specific breakpoints since the divergence of rat and mouse showed a similar association with regions associated with segmental duplications in the primate genome. These results indicate that segmental duplications are associated with syntenic rearrangements, even when pericentromeric and subtelomeric regions are excluded. However, segmental duplications are not necessarily the cause of the rearrangements. Rather, our analysis supports a nonrandom model of chromosomal evolution that implicates specific regions within the mammalian genome as having been predisposed to both recurrent small-scale duplication and large-scale evolutionary rearrangements.
Inductive generalization relies on category representations

The ability to take information learned about one object (e.g., a cat) and extend it to other objects (e.g., a tiger, a lion) makes human learning efficient and powerful. How are these inductive generalizations performed? Fisher, Godwin, and Matlen (2015) proposed a developmental mechanism that operates exclusively over the perceptual and semantic features of the objects involved (e.g., furry, carnivorous); this proposed mechanism does not use information concerning these objects' category memberships. In the present commentary, we argue that Fisher and colleagues' experiments cannot differentiate between their feature-based mechanism and its category-based competitors. More broadly, we suggest that any proposal that does not take into account the central role of category representations in children's mental lives is likely to mischaracterize the development of inductive generalization. The key question is not whether, but how, categories are involved in children's generalizations.
Effects of Surface Wastewater Disposal on an Oil Field Landscape

Abstract Oil field landscape studies are in their formative stages despite nearly a century of oil production in many areas. For those new to the sights and smells of an old oil field, the experience can reveal a completely foreign environment. Vegetation, where it can be found, is often made up of different species than those found on surrounding, undeveloped land. There is also the evidence of production, left behind in the form of old equipment, pipelines, and tank berms. One of the most extensive and striking features of old oil fields is an abundance of gullying and bare soils. Such sites may remind the onlooker of a moon surface or a desert landscape. These sites are usually the result of surface wastewater disposal and may cover up to 40 hectares of land. This study analyzes the impacts of surface wastewater (producing water) on the landscape of the Healdton oil field in Oklahoma. Healdton has been producing oil since 1913, and air photos of the oil field were studied for 1939, 1969, and 1990. A grid analysis of land use in the oil field indicated that bare sites made up a total of 5.4% of the oil field’s area in 1939, 5.9% in 1969, and 2.6% in 1990. Field study revealed water pollution levels and gullying of bare sites were still severe. Gullies reached depths in excess of 7 m in some locations. Salt concentrations in surface runoff from these sites were found to exceed all state and federal standards for safe domestic, agricultural, or industrial use. Despite these negative findings, there was evidence that recovery has begun in some bare areas. Precipitation has leached out enough salinity to allow hardy plants to return, and the total area taken up by bare soils was less than half of its total from 1939.
More Banks, Less Crime? The Real and Social Effects of Bank Competition

We examine the link between the competitiveness of the local banking market, urban development, and crime. We provide micro-level evidence that neighborhoods that experienced more bank mergers are subjected to future reduced loan provision, diminished local construction, lower prices and rents, an influx of poorer households, and higher crime in subsequent years. A one standard deviation increase in bank concentration raises homicide and burglary rates by approximately 1 percent. We show that these results are not likely due to reverse causation, and confirm the central findings using state branching deregulation to instrument for bank competition.
Risk and fear in the lived experience of birth without a midwife

Abstract Purpose the broad aim of this study was to examine the lived-experience of women who birth without a midwife or other health-care professional in the United Kingdom; the specific purpose of this paper is to examine risk discourse as experienced by these women. Research design reflective lifeworld research, a phenomenological approach was used in this study based on the philosophical writings of Husserl, Merleau-Ponty and Gadamer (Dahlberg et al., 2008). 10 in-depth interviews were conducted with women who had birthed without a midwife or other health-care professional present, interviews were transcribed and hermeneutically analysed. Findings women׳s lived-experiences of the maternity services in this study suggest a pervading mood of fear which finds voice in manipulative risk discourse and midwifery behaviours that can result in women avoiding maternity care. Fear based ׳risk-talk׳ is used as a scare tactic to coerce women into particular choices; if women do not comply they are labelled ׳risk-takers׳ and can become ostracised by the maternity care system. Key conclusions risk discourse and its emphasis on mortality and morbidity raises awareness of death and creates important existential concerns for women which are unaddressed by health-care professionals. This can lead to a loss of trust in health-care professionals and women sourcing positive support and a salutogenic approach to childbirth from outside the system. Implications for practice health-care professionals need to become aware of and address manipulative and coercive attitudes in risk discourse.
Theory and Practice: The Confluence of Career Development in Organisations

A holistic theory of career development is presented that places an emphasis on extrinsic and intrinsic characteristics. The four extrinsic characteristics — individual professional career developm...
Flat Potential Energy Surface of the Saturated Binuclear Homoleptic Chromium Carbonyl Cr2(CO)11 with One, Two, and Three Bridging Carbonyls: Comparison with the Well-Known [HCr2(CO)10]- Anion and the Related [(μ-H)2Cr2(CO)9]2- and [(μ-H)2Cr2(CO)8]2- Dianions

The thermodynamic stability of dichromium carbonyls is investigated with density functional theory (DFT). The results demonstrate why [(μ-H)Cr2(CO)10]- has been observed while the Cr2(CO)11 and (μ-H)2Cr2(CO)9 structures remain unknown. The related structure [(μ-H)2Cr2(CO)8]2- is predicted to be stable with respect to its fragments and isolable. Homoleptic chromium carbonyl structures of the formula Cr2(CO)11 appear to be thermodynamically unstable with respect to dissociation to the fragments Cr(CO)6 and Cr(CO)5 and only slightly metastable with respect to the transition state leading to these dissociated fragments. The potential energy surface in the region adjacent to these minima appears to be very flat. In contrast, both the BP86 and B3LYP functionals predict the known [(μ-H)Cr2(CO)10]- to have significant stability with respect to the fragments Cr(CO)5 + [Cr(CO)5H]-. For the B3LYP functional, the dissociation energy is 41 kcal/mol, while for BP86 it is 43 kcal/mol. A notable structural difference for...
Adaptive Robust Control Strategy for Coupled Parallel-Kinematics Piezo-Flexural Micro and Nano-Positioning Stages

Multiple-axis parallel kinematics piezo-flexural stages, used in variety of scanning probe microscopy and manipulation applications, suffer not only from the hysteresis nonlinearity and the effects of system dynamics, but also from the nonlinear coupling of one axis action on the motion of the other axes. Motivated by these shortfalls, a Lyapunov-based adaptive robust control methodology is proposed for the simultaneous tracking control of multiple-axis parallel kinematics piezo-flexural micro/nano-positioning systems in the presence of parametric uncertainties and unknown or partially known hysteresis and coupling nonlinearities. For this, a double-axis parallel-kinematics piezo-flexural stage with sub-nanometer resolution capacitive position sensors is considered for the system analysis and controller verification. The hysteresis response and the coupling effect of the stage are studied through a number of experiments, followed by a mathematical formulation for the system nonlinear equation of motion. Adopting the variable structure (sliding mode) control method with a parameter adaptation strategy, an adaptive robust controller is then derived with its asymptotic stability guaranteed through the Lyapunov stability criterion. To avoid the chatter phenomenon, which is a common problem in the sliding mode control, the hard switching function of the controller is replaced by a soft switching function. Through theoretical analysis, it is demonstrated that a parallelogram-type zone of attraction can be explicitly formed for the proposed soft variable structure controller, to which the error phase trajectory converges. Therefore, a uniformly ultimately bounded closed-loop system response is achieved. The proposed controller is eventually implemented on the piezo-flexural stage, demonstrating the effective double-axis tracking control of the stage, even in the absence of a representative hysteresis model and despite parametric uncertainties. Results indicate good agreement between experiments and theoretical developments.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
DIACHRONIC PROCESSES IN LANGUAGE AS SIGNALING UNDER CONFLICTING INTERESTS

Game-theory has found broad application in modeling pragmatic reasoning in cases of common and conflicting interests. Here we extend these considerations to diachronic patterns of language use. We use evolutionary game theory to characterize the effect of conflicting interests on linguistic signaling in a population over time. We show how sufficiently large conflicts of interest give rise to particular patterns of signaling that can be used to model diachronic processes such as Jespersen’s Cycle.
Urubamba Travelers as Generators of Knowledge

Three kinds of travelers—tourists, sojourners and scholars—have contributed to understanding the Urubamba Valley. Generations of tourists have captured reproducible images and impressions they share with others in a variety of formats. As a category, sojourners have more deeply penetrated the valley than tourists and many have left valuable accounts. Among them are E. de Sartigues, C. Markham, L. Saint-Cricq (aka P. Marcoy), E. Squier, A. Raimondi, J. Samanezy Ocampo, C. Wiener, E. Middendorf, J. Bryce, H. Chalmers Adams and H. Franck. Researchers, the most intellectually focused of Urubamba visitors, have narrower objectives than sojourners have. Prominent among them are archaeologists who have retrieved the valley past and cultural anthropologists who have done the same for the present. Several deceased scientists in different fields receive in this chapter particular discussion: I. Bowman, American geographer; C. Bues, agronomist and mapmaker of German origin; C. Vargas, Peruvian botanist; C. Sauer, American geographer; and F. Chapman, American ornithologist. Observations by travelers with different objectives explain how and why certain kinds of knowledge have accrued, but in all cases they have provided a baseline for the study of change.
The Electoral Implications of Promise Keeping

The evidence presented over the past several chapters is consistent with a depiction of promise keeping as a reelection-oriented strategy. Legislators appear to choose campaign themes that are likely to resonate with their constituents and for which they can credibly claim interest and credit. Once they are in office, they follow through on their appeals, with almost all expending at least some time and effort on them, and many devoting a substantial portion of their legislative agendas to activity on these issues. Moreover, levels of promise keeping vary systematically with electoral vulnerability, and representatives' and senators' choices about where and when to engage in the most responsiveness correspond to electoral imperatives. It is reasonable to conclude from these patterns that legislators choose to engage in promise keeping at least in part to help themselves electorally. However, it is also possible that the links we observe between characteristics of legislators and their promise-keeping behavior are mostly a by-product of good matching between a constituency and its representative or senator. If all legislators talk and act solely on their own interests, but for some of them these interests also align with those of the constituency (and this close match in interests means that the constituency is more favorable to the legislator), this could produce a positive relationship between vote share and subsequent levels of promise keeping. In many ways, such a situation (what Burden [2007] calls “coincidental representation”; see also Fenno 1978, Parker 1992) is not normatively problematic.
Time, Space, and the Nature of Physical Objects

The topic of this paper is a concept that has figured prominently in the history of philosophy, and is probably more important now than it has ever been before. It plays a crucial role in contemporary discussions of the nature of people, the nature of mental phenomena, and ontological theses like materialism (the thesis that only physical objects exist) and physicalism (the thesis that everything that exists is just what a true and complete physics would say exists). In addition, the vast majority of living philosophers begin their ontologies with a category for objects that fall under this concept. I refer, of course, to the concept of a physical object.
Biologic and Tissue Engineering Strategies for Tendon Repair

This review summarizes recent developments in biologic treatments—including growth factors, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), stem cells, and cell-seeded scaffolds—for tendon repair. Growth and differentiation faction-5 (GDF-5), insulin-related growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) all improved extracellular matrix (ECM) production and tensile strength of treated tendons; however, no clinical trials were done on GDF-5. Platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) improved proliferation and ECM production, but did not consistently improve mechanical properties. The literature was mixed on the efficacy of PRP for the treatment of chronic and acute tendinopathies. However, PRP did cause any complications, and its benefits may be enhanced once an ideal, standardized composition is developed. Therefore, PRP may be a valid treatment, especially once nonsurgical management options have failed. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) significantly and substantially improved the quality of tendon repairs and demonstrated the ability to regenerate an enthesis. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) have similar effects and are easier to harvest. The periosteum may also regenerate the tendon–bone attachment. Tenocytes, meanwhile, may be ideal for midsubstance tendon repairs. Cell-seeded scaffolds—especially ECM-derived scaffolds—were demonstrated to improve ECM production, enhancing the healing abilities of tenocytes or stem cells while providing early mechanical support to healing tendons. Each of these treatments demonstrated enhanced healing compared to common surgical techniques; moreover, patient outcomes may be enhanced by combining these treatments. Tendon injuries are very prevalent and can be debilitating. Tendon heals poorly, and the scar tissue that forms is weak and susceptible to reinjury. A major focus of orthopedic research is regenerative medicine, encouraging the formation of healthy tendon rather than mechanically inferior scar tissue. This review summarizes the recent scientific literature on biologic treatments for tendon repair, such as growth factors, platelet-rich plasma, and stem cells. The purpose of which is to show which treatments are promising candidates for clinical use and research, helping to guide physicians and to lay out a path for future research.
Technologies for Next Generation Silicon Photonics

We have demonstrated technologies for ultra high bandwidth silicon photonics. These include multi-mode communications multiplexing enabling bandwidth scaling and back-end integration with new materials such as graphene for ultra high speed devices.
Three-dimensional magnetic interactions in quasi-two-dimensional PdAs2O6.

Millimeter-sized PdAs2O6 single crystals are grown using the vapor transport technique. The magnetic order at [Formula: see text] K is studied by measuring magnetic properties, specific heat, and neutron single crystal diffraction. The anisotropic magnetic susceptibility and a metamagnetic transition observed in magnetic fields above 20 kOe suggest that the magnetic moment lies in the ab plane, consistent with the magnetic structure determined by neutron single crystal diffraction. Below 140 K, Pd2+ ions order ferromagnetically in the ab plane but antiferromagnetically along the crystallographic c axis. The ordered moment is refined to be 2.09(2) [Formula: see text]/Pd2+ using the fitted magnetic form factor of Pd2+ . A weak λ-type anomaly around T N was observed in specific heat and the magnetic entropy change across T N is 1.72 J mol-1 K.This small entropy change and the temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility support the presence of short range correlations in a wide temperature range [Formula: see text] 250 K. The comparison with SrRu2O6 suggests that the magnetic interactions in PdAs2O6 are dominated by Pd-(O-[Formula: see text]-O)-Pd super-superexchange and three dimensional despite the quasi-two-dimensional arrangement of magnetic ions. The comparison with NiAs2O6 suggests that increasing covalency of isostructural compounds is an effective approach to design and to discover new materials with higher magnetic order temperatures in the localized regime.
Philosopher and Deweyan: Judith M. Green

Philosopher and Deweyan: Judith Green presents what some may find as an unexpected revelation—her strong belief that John Dewey is just as influential today as many believe he was in the first half of his career.
Large-Scale Content-Only Video Recommendation

Traditional recommendation systems using collaborative filtering (CF) approaches work relatively well when the candidate videos are sufficiently popular With the increase of user-created videos, however, recommending fresh videos gets more and more important, but pure CF-based systems may not perform well in such cold-start situation. In this paper, we model recommendation as a video content-based similarity learning problem, and learn deep video embeddings trained to predict video relationships identified by a co-watch-based system but using only visual and audial content. The system does not depend on availability on video meta-data, and can generalize to both popular and tail content, including new video uploads. We demonstrate performance of the proposed method in large-scale datasets, both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Exploring the Influence of Student Affairs on Adjustment and Adaptation for Indonesian Graduate Students.

This qualitative study explored the influence of student affairs on academic adjustment and adaptation for 10 Indonesian graduate students at a single campus. Semi-structured interviews explored student affairs’ role in adaptation and transition to collegiate life in the United States. Analyses illuminated ways in which participants experienced disequilibrium attending U.S. institutions arising from pre-arrival constructed images of college life in the United States. Student affairs functional areas disrupted these stereotypes for students and devised strategies for Indonesian students to feel more welcomed and included. Study participants described the importance of culturally-relevant student organizations, inclusive environments, and religiously affiliated centers in their adjustment. The article concludes with practical implications for student affairs professionals and higher education institutions.
Computational Complexity Transitions

The results of Chapter 3 show that the average-case complexity of state-space search algorithms based on branch-and-bound paradigm on random trees experiences a dramatic transition, from exponential to polynomial. This phenomenon is analogous to a phase transitionof a physical or Artificial system [51, 47, 146]. A phase transition is a dramatic change to some problem property as some order parameter changes across a critical point. The simplest example of a phase transition is that in which water changes from a liquid phase to a solid phase when the temperature drops below the freezing point.
A SCHEMA BASED EXPLANATION OF CONSUMER DECISION-MAKING

This paper introduces Image Theory to the consumer choice literature. Image theory is a non-normative theory of organizational and individual decision-making. Image theory contends that decisions are made in a two-stage process based on congruence with schematic structures called images. There are three of these images, they are the trajectory, strategic and value images. The trajectory image represents the ideal outcome. The strategic image represents the plans and tactics to achieve the trajectory image and the value image represents the values and morals and regulates what is acceptable in achieving the trajectory image. These internal images provide the guidance for consumer decision making.
Continuous-Time Markov Chains

This chapter introduces the subject of continuous-time Markov chains [23, 52, 59, 80, 106, 107, 118, 152]. In practice, continuous-time chains are more useful than discrete-time chains. For one thing, continuous-time chains permit variation in the waiting times for transitions between neighboring states. For another, they avoid the annoyances of periodic behavior. Balanced against these advantages is the disadvantage of a more complex theory involving linear differential equations. The primary distinction between the two types of chains is the substitution of transition intensities for transition probabilities. Once one grasps this difference, it is straightforward to formulate relevant continuous-time models. Implementing such models numerically and understanding them theoretically then require the matrix exponential function. Kendall’s birth-death-immigration process, treated at the end of the chapter, involves an infinite number of states and transition intensities that depend on time.
Heavy metal and volatile organic chemical removal and treatment in on-site wastewater infiltration systems

Solvents, greases, and rinse waters from routine vehicle maintenance contain heavy metals and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). In Wisconsin, these fluids enter catch basins along with rinsing waters and are discharged to soil infiltration systems drainfields after mixing with domestic wastewaters in a septic tank. The purpose of this study was to monitor heavy metal and VOC removal and treatment in catch basins and septic tanks at four publicly-owned motor vehicle service stations (MVSS). Cadmium, chromium, and lead were found in catch basin wastewater, septic tank effluent, and septic tank sludge at concentrations ranging from 0.002–7.7 mg L−1. Lead was found in the highest concentration. The highest concentrations of metals were in septic tank sludge. Of the >50 VOCs scanned for in catch basin wastewater, septic tank effluent, and septic tank sludge samples, 29 were found in concentrations that exceeded analytical detection limits. Concentrations of detected VOCs ranged from 1.0–15,800 µg L−1 and the highest concentrations of VOCs were found in catch basin wastewater and septic tank sludge. Acetone, ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylenes were the most commonly found VOCs at all sampling locations. Thus, heavy metals and VOCs were not completely removed in catch basins and were discharged to septic tanks where removal occured possibly as these contaminants settled with solids in the sludge. The level of treatment was, however, inadequate and heavy metals and VOCs were discharged to drainfields.
The Effects of Caffeine, Alcohol, and Tobacco in Cystic Fibrosis

Individuals suffering from the chronic disease cystic fibrosis have various complications due to the weakening characteristics of the disease. The complications of this disease manifest primarily in the lungs and digestive system, and, when consumed in tandem with various drugs, the effects can potentially be more significant when compared to the effects of drugs in individuals who do not have cystic fibrosis. The substances caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco affect patients with cystic fibrosis in a number of ways that are similar to the general population but have the potential to exacerbate preexisting conditions and symptoms that may further impede the body's normal functions. Research has shown the potentially fatal outcomes of chronic abuse of alcohol and tobacco in the general population, but not many have identified the possible effects these substances have on individuals living with cystic fibrosis.