cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tape-Peel Testing as a Simple Method to Evaluate the Adhesion of Coated Layers on Metal Core PCB

Conventional printed circuit boards (PCBs) may be replaced by thinner metal-core boards for some applications, as well as for package substrates. Using thin, metal-core technology may provide advantages for radio frequency (RF) circuits and packages, and increase heat dissipation for high power applications. The metal-core technology discussed in this paper has several layers including the metal core, electro-coated dielectric, sputtered metal layers, and electroplated copper. For PCB and substrate reliability, it is important to have sufficient adhesion between the dielectric layer and plated copper. Sputtered metal layers with cleaning pre-treatments are one of the methods to improve the interfacial adhesion. This paper describes an efficient testing method for the adhesion of a thin sputtered metal layer to a dielectric substrate. In this method, adhesive tape was attached to the surface and peeled off at 90 degrees in a tensile tester. Due to the sub-micron thickness of the sputtered layers, conventio...
A universal generating function-based multi-state system performance model subject to correlated failures

Abstract Multi-state system (MSS) reliability modeling is a paradigm that allows both systems and components to exhibit more than two performance levels. While several researchers have introduced correlation or dependence into MSS models to assess its negative influence on performance and associated measures, these methods exhibit complexity that is exponential or worse in the worst case. To overcome this limitation, this paper proposes an extension to the discrete universal generating function approach for MSS to allow correlation between the elements comprising a multi-state component. We subsequently generalize to the continuous case and allow failures to follow any life distribution. The approach possesses an analytical form and therefore enables efficient performance and reliability assessment as well as sensitivity analysis on the impact of correlation. This sensitivity analysis can be applied to a wide range of measures including performance, reliability, the density function, hazard rate, mean time to failure, availability, and mean residual life. The approach is illustrated through a series of examples, demonstrating the efficiency of the approach to assess performance and reliability as well as to conduct sensitivity analysis. The results indicate that the approach can identify the impact of correlation on performance, reliability, and the many measures of interest.
Complete Genome Sequences of Dengue Virus Type 1 to 4 Strains Used for the Development of CBER/FDA RNA Reference Reagents and WHO International Standard Candidates for Nucleic Acid Testing

Dengue virus (DENV), a member of the Flaviviridae family, is the most common and clinically significant arbovirus in the world and is endemic in more than 100 countries. Here, we report the complete sequences of four DENV serotypes used in the development of the CBER/FDA RNA reference reagents and WHO International Standard candidates for nucleic acid testing.
How Book Reviewers Can Recognize a Classic When They See One

The End of Liberalism is one of the most widely read books in political science. As book review editor of the American Political Science Review, it interests me that the reviewers of neither the first nor second edition of the book predicted its enormous success. While the reviews were clearly positive in tone, they were far from effusive, and none suggested that the book would become required reading for a generation of political science students. My own copy of the book is annotated by three sets of underlines and comments—my own and those of my two daughters who were assigned the book as undergraduates. Why has the book become so important? What can we learn from it about the ingredients of a great book? Given the broad readership that has responded to Lowi's book, how relevant are the criteria that political scientists use to evaluate their own literature? What qualities should disciplinary reviewers watch for if they hope to recognize what will become a classic?
Apparatus for Rapid, Sterile Removal of Chick Embryos from Eggs.

Developing chick embryos are now used extensively for the study of viruses and rickettsiae. At present they are used in large numbers for the preparation of vaccines against virus and rickettsial diseases. However, it has always been extremely difficult to sterilize thoroughly the eggshell with ordinary chemical disinfecting agents. In 1939 Penna1 described a technic in which he employed an oxyacetylene torch for burning the eggshell open while the egg was rotated slowly in an adjustable clamp turned by an electric motor. Penna's technic is satisfactory except that it is too slow. The purpose of this report is to describe a modification of Penna's apparatus which permits a considerably faster removal of embryos under sterile condition.The apparatus is illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The eggs are handled in groups of four carried in shallow metal trays (A). The flame of an oxyacetylene torch (B) is applied at the assumed position of the air sac's margin as each egg is made to rotate through one complete ...
Evaluation Of Three-Dimensional Electrical Resistivity Array Types For Optimal Detection Of Voids In Karstic Limestone

Electrical resistivity imaging provides a non-destructive means for detecting the presence of karst features (e.g., caves, solution cavities, and sinkholes) in limestone terrains. To statistically improve delineation of three-dimensional (3-D) heterogeneities, such as caves, a true 3-D electrical resistivity survey using a 3-D interpretation model can be used. When conducting 3-D resistivity investigations in karst terrains, a common problem is determining which of the existing electrode configurations will respond best to material changes in the subsurface, and provides the needed depth and resolution for accurate void delineation. In this study, 3-D electrical resistivity measurements were collected over the site of Dead Deer Cave in Bexar County, Texas, using various electrode configurations (i.e., dipole-dipole and pole-dipole). The entrance to Dead Deer Cave is a pit that connects to a series of vertical and horizontal solution cavities that have been surveyed to a depth of approximately 30 m. The pit has been filled in with rock and dirt, concealing its exact location. Results of 3-D numeric modeling of the resistivity measurements at Dead Deer Cave indicate that the pole-dipole array configuration provided the needed depth and resolution for locating the cave entrance as well as the shafts and passages that are beneath the surveyed area.
Development and Fabrication of Ceramic Gas Turbine Components

Kyocera has been developing various ceramic components for gas turbines under the Ceramic Gas Turbine (CGT) Project funded by the Japanese Government. This project has set a turbine inlet temperature (TIT) of 1350°C as a final target.For 1350°C TIT, we have developed a new silicon nitride material SN281, which has high stress rupture strength at elevated temperatures up to 1500°C. This material has excellent oxidation resistance as well.We have also developed improved sintering and inspection technologies for the use of SN281 as engine components. We are able to fabricate rotors and nozzles of the gas generator turbine (GGT) in good agreement with design geometry requirements, by optimizing sintering conditions. Small defects were also successfully detected by microfocus X-ray radiography. The SN281 rotors have attained 120% of design rotating speed at room temperature.Copyright © 1996 by ASME
Communication analysis for feedback control of civil infrastructure using cochlea-inspired sensing nodes

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have emerged as a reliable, low-cost alternative to the traditional wired sensing paradigm. While such networks have made significant progress in the field of structural monitoring, significantly less development has occurred for feedback control applications. Previous work in WSNs for feedback control has highlighted many of the challenges of using this technology including latency in the wireless communication channel and computational inundation at the individual sensing nodes. This work seeks to overcome some of those challenges by drawing inspiration from the real-time sensing and control techniques employed by the biological central nervous system and in particular the mammalian cochlea. A novel bio-inspired wireless sensor node was developed that employs analog filtering techniques to perform time-frequency decomposition of a sensor signal, thus encompassing the functionality of the cochlea. The node then utilizes asynchronous sampling of the filtered signal to compress the signal prior to communication. This bio-inspired sensing architecture is extended to a feedback control application in order to overcome the traditional challenges currently faced by wireless control. In doing this, however, the network experiences high bandwidths of low-significance information exchange between nodes, resulting in some lost data. This study considers the impact of this lost data on the control capabilities of the bio-inspired control architecture and finds that it does not significantly impact the effectiveness of control.
Surveillance analysis on the high risk population of avian influenza and the market of live poultry in Guangxi,2010-2011

In order to investigate the status of the high risk population of avian influenza and the live poultry market in Guangxi,the serums collected from the population and the environmental samples from live poultry markets were detected by haemagglutination inhibition(HI) tests and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR method.It was found that558 and 421 serums were negative collected in 2010 and 2011 respectively.And 129 of 641 environmental samples collected in 2010 were positive. The number of positive samples for H5,H7,H9 and other subtype were 86,1,12 and 30,respectively.All 1 520 environmental samples were collected in 2011,and 580 were positive.The number of positive samples for H5,H9 and other subtype were 210,244 and 111,respectively,with no H7 detected.The positive rate was the highest in waster water and the lowest in bird feces.There was no difference in the positive rate of environmental samples collected in difference seasons(χ2=2.170,P=0.538).Results suggest that the prevalence of avian influenza A virus in live poultry market in Guangxi are severe,and H5 and H9 are the prevailing subtypes.
AIDS in Qinnan district of Qinzhou city from 2000 to 2009:epidemic statusand control strategies

Objective To explore the epidemic status of AIDS in Qinnan district of Qinzhou city so as to provide reference for making preventive and control strategies.Methods Analysis was made in population distribution,time distribution,regional distribution and transmission distribution of data obtained from HIV/AIDS epidemic report system of Qinnan Center for Disease Control and Prevention as well as epidemiological follow-up data.Results From 2000 to 2009,734 cases of AIDS had been reported in Qinnan district,81 cases dead.AIDS developed in all of the townships,more serious in the coastal ones.The ratio of males to females was 2.84∶1.AIDS chiefly developed in adults aged from 20 to 50(69.62%) and farmers(39.65%).Sexual transmission is the chief means of AIDS transmission.Since 2006,the number of females,infants,the aged over 60,farmers and migrant workers who developed AIDS and sexually transmitted cases tend to increased significantly.Conclusion AIDS has spread quickly from high-risk population to the general population in Qinnan district.Extensive and long-term education of AIDS is the most effective means of its prevention and control.
WE-H-BRC-02: Failure Mode and Effect Analysis of Liver Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy

Purpose: To identify areas of improvement in our liver stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) program, using failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA). Methods: A multidisciplinary group consisting of one physician, three physicists, one dosimetrist and two therapists was formed. A process map covering 10 major stages of the liver SBRT program from the initial diagnosis to post treatment follow-up was generated. A total of 102 failure modes, together with their causes and effects, were identified. The occurrence (O), severity (S) and lack of detectability (D) were independently scored. The ranking was done using the risk probability number (RPN) defined as the product of average O, S and D numbers for each mode. The scores were normalized to remove inter-observer variability, while preserving individual ranking order. Further, a correlation analysis on the overall agreement on rank order of all failure modes resulted in positive values for successive pairs of evaluators. The failure modes with the highest RPN value were considered for further investigation. Results: The average normalized RPN values for all modes were 39 with a range of 9 to 103. The FMEA analysis resulted in the identification of the top 10 critical failures modes as: Incorrect CT-MR registration, MR scan not performed in treatment position, patient movement between CBCT acquisition and treatment, daily IGRT QA not verified, incorrect or incomplete ITV delineation, OAR contours not verified, inaccurate normal liver effective dose (Veff) calculation, failure of bolus tracking for 4D CT scan, setup instructions not followed for treatment and plan evaluation metrics missed. Conclusion: The application of FMEA to our liver SBRT program led to the identification and possible improvement of areas affecting patient safety.
A relational approach to supervision: Addressing ruptures in the alliance.

Establishing, sustaining, and repairing ruptures in the therapeutic alliance are among the most important competencies in psychotherapy. For the novice psychotherapist, strain within the therapeutic alliance usually arouses feelings of insecurity and may undermine the trainee's developing, yet precarious, sense of confidence. Alliance strains and ruptures pose unique challenges for the clinical supervisor as well, who must safeguard client welfare while facilitating the supervisee's professional development (Falender & Shafranske, 2004, p. 6). The types of skills required for the therapist to be able to constructively negotiate alliance ruptures are complex, multifaceted inner and interpersonal skills. They require a basic capacity for self-acceptance (or at least an ability to work toward it), a willingness to engage in an ongoing process of self-exploration, and a capacity to engage in a genuine dialogue with the client. The quality and style of the supervisory process thus play a critical role in the development of these skills.
The Effect of Spacetime Stretching on Interferometeric Gravity Wave Antennas

This paper gives a new physically informative method of a solution of the interferometric gravity wave detection problem; it thus is relevant to LIGO and LISA. Using Maxwell's equations in a general relativistic setting with a “generalized” metric, it gives the solution in closed form under conditions that obtain in most physically interesting situations. This paper augments and makes more precise the discussion of the principles of the stretching of space-time found in a companion preprint (“when Space-time Stretches, What Stretches and What Doesn't?”). An appendix gives a more direct algebraic solution to the problem including the Christoffel symbols for the gravity wave metric.
LEFT VENTRICULAR MASS INDEX AND OTHER INDEPENDENT PREDICTORS OF INCIDENT HEART FAILURE

Background: We sought to evaluate the impact of left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and other hemodynamic and demographic variables on incident heart failure. Methods: This study was conducted using the prospectively-collected database of the Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. LVMI and other
Optical power and energy radiated by return strokes in rocket-triggered lightning

The broadband optical radiation covering the visible and near infrared (VNIR) spectral regions (0.4 – 1.0 μm) has been measured from 70 negative return strokes (RS) in rocket-triggered lightning (RTL); 17 events were recorded in 2011 and 53 were recorded in 2012. The radiometers were calibrated, and all measurements were time-correlated with currents measured at the channel base. The risetime and peak of an irradiance waveform is determined primarily by the RS current and by the geometrical growth and total length of channel that is in the field-of-view of the sensor. Following an initial peak, the irradiance decays faster than the current until there is a plateau or secondary maximum 20 to 40 μs (median of 22 μs) after the peak current, a time when the current itself is steadily decreasing. Estimates of the space- and time-average optical power per unit length (o) that is emitted at the source during onset of RS have been computed using the measured slopes of 70 irradiance waveforms together with an assumption that the initial speed of propagation is 1.2 x 108 m/s. The values range from 0.25 to 9.5 MW/m, with a mean and standard deviation of 2.4 ± 1.7 MW/m, and they are in good agreement with prior estimates of o that were made by Quick and Krider [2013] for the subsequent return strokes in natural lightning that re-illuminate a pre-existing channel. The values of o also agree with numerical estimates of the VNIR power per unit length that were computed Estimates of the peak optical power per unit length (R) that is radiated at the source have been derived from the peaks of 53 irradiance waveforms, and the values range from 0.4 to 11 MW/m with a mean and standard deviation of 4.2 ± 2.5 MW/m. Both o and R are approximately proportional to the square of the peak current at the channel base. Estimates of the total optical energy per unit length, Jo, that is radiated in the VNIR have been computed by integrating the irradiance waveforms over 2 ms. The values of Jo have a mean and standard deviation of 150 ± 140 J/m, and they are proportional to the total charge that is transported to ground in that interval.
Catalysis Poisons for Platinum-Wire Liquid-Level Sensors

The investigation of a small hydrogen explosion in this laboratory in June 1963 indicated that a platinum-wire liquid-level sensor may have been the ignition source [1]. Further consideration showed that the liquid-level system then under development for the Centaur was a potential danger because of the catalytic properties of the platinum wire.
Abstract 16699: Effects of Polyethylene Glycol-20K on Post-Resuscitation Survival and Neurological Function in a Rat Model of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Introduction: Polyethylene Glycol-20K (PEG-20K) is a hybrid cell impermeant that produces non-energy dependent water transfer in the microcirculation and improves microcirculatory flow after low flow states. Reduced cell swelling, improved myocardial function, and survival have been demonstrated in a hemorrhagic shock model. The effects of PEG-20K on survival and neurological function after cardiac arrest are unknown. Hypothesis: Administration of PEG-20K during CPR improves survival, and neurologic function in a rat model of cardiac arrest. Methods: Ventricular fibrillation was induced in 20 male Sprague-Dawley rats and left untreated for 6 min. Animals were randomized into two groups of 10: PEG-20K and control. PEG-20K (10%, 2ml) and vehicle (saline) were administered in equal amounts at the beginning of CPR by continuous intravenous infusion. Defibrillation was attempted after 8 min of CPR. Survival was recorded at 24, 48, and 72 hours after resuscitation. Neurological deficit scores were recorded at 24, 48, and 72 hours PR. Results: All animals were resuscitated successfully. Survival was significantly improved in animals receiving PEG-20K (p Conclusion: Administration of PEG-20K during CPR improves post-resuscitation survival and neurological function in a rat model of CPR. Figure 1.: Figure 2.:
Surgical Outcomes of Patients with Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome.

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate treatment and surgical outcomes of patients of Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome (BWS) treated at a tertiary children's hospital. Methods A retrospective review of infants evaluated at Texas Children's Hospital for BWS from August 2000 to December 2016 was performed. Data collected included demographic information, clinical presentation, genetic evaluation, fetal imaging, operative treatment, and outcomes. Results Forty-seven children with a diagnosis of BWS were identified. Sixty-four percent (n=30) had a genetic mutation in an imprinting domain of chromosome 11p15. Thirty-two patients (68%) underwent at least one operation related to BWS with a median of 2 [range: 0–8] surgical procedures per patient. Sixteen underwent omphalocele repair, 12 had partial glossectomies-, 7 underwent surgeries related to hemihypertrophy, and 6 had resection of an embryonal tumor (two adrenal cortical adenoma, one Wilms' tumor, two hepatoblastoma). Overall, survival was 100% with feeding difficulty (47%) being the most frequent complication. Conclusion A substantial number of patients with Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome will require surgery. However, overall outcomes are similar between those that require surgery and those that do not. Level of Evidence Level III.
Kinetic Modeling of Virus Growth in Cells.

SUMMARY When a virus infects a host cell, it hijacks the biosynthetic capacity of the cell to produce virus progeny, a process that may take less than an hour or more than a week. The overall time required for a virus to reproduce depends collectively on the rates of multiple steps in the infection process, including initial binding of the virus particle to the surface of the cell, virus internalization and release of the viral genome within the cell, decoding of the genome to make viral proteins, replication of the genome, assembly of progeny virus particles, and release of these particles into the extracellular environment. For a large number of virus types, much has been learned about the molecular mechanisms and rates of the various steps. However, in only relatively few cases during the last 50 years has an attempt been made—using mathematical modeling—to account for how the different steps contribute to the overall timing and productivity of the infection cycle in a cell. Here we review the initial case studies, which include studies of the one-step growth behavior of viruses that infect bacteria (Qβ, T7, and M13), human immunodeficiency virus, influenza A virus, poliovirus, vesicular stomatitis virus, baculovirus, hepatitis B and C viruses, and herpes simplex virus. Further, we consider how such models enable one to explore how cellular resources are utilized and how antiviral strategies might be designed to resist escape. Finally, we highlight challenges and opportunities at the frontiers of cell-level modeling of virus infections.
Compassionate Care at the End of Life

The theme editor introduces a theme issue focusing on passionate care at the end of life. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
The Reality and Impact of Legal Segregation in the United States

In this article, we cover the history of Jim Crow, how African Americans were bound by laws of segregation and experienced racial violence on a daily basis, there was always resistance. Ultimately, the Civil Rights Movement was instrumental in ending the formal laws of segregation. The informal practices have taken longer to end; indeed, they have not yet ended. White challenges to the ending of legal segregation prevented African Americans from enjoying a full actual end to the realities of blatant segregation for years after the anti-segregation laws were passed. Moreover, the psychological, long-term impact on older, currently living, African Americans who experienced the tyranny of legal segregation is apparent in their painful narratives which will be incorporated into this article.
Is computer science still relevant

Has our success become our failure? As computer scientists are successful at developing easy-to-use interfaces, end-user programming environments, and embedded appliances, the standing of Computer Science as a discipline is now questioned. While programming in Assembly and C is considered highly specialized and almost an art, new hypertext markup and scripting languages and highly graphical languages such as Visual Basic have reduced the complexity of programming to the point where it seems as if formal training in Computer Science is no longer needed. Tools such as word-processors, spreadsheet and presentation software have become intuitive enough that many people can learn how to use them without specialized instruction. The Internet has transformed itself from a computing application to a powerful communication medium and information source easily accessible with minimal knowledge of computers. Furthermore, it has facilitated outsourcing, reducing even more the appeal of Computer Science as a college major leading to attractive, high-paying technical jobs. Faced with the prospect of completing a difficult, technically challenging degree only to face the uncertainty of a shrinking job market and relatively low salaries, more students turn away from Computer Science and choose other majors - business, economics, medicine, etc. Even those, who are technically inclined, opt for such fields as Biology and Biochemistry.We believe it is time to ask some important questions: Is Computer Science truly becoming irrelevant, or are there still challenges that will attract students to our discipline? What is the future of Computer Science education in this country? What is the overall outlook for Computer Science as a discipline? These are the topics that our panel wishes to explore.
Ego Psychology and Psychoanalysis

Ego psychology extends classical psychoanalytic drive theory, combining biological and psychological views of individual development with frameworks referring to complex sociocultural dimensions. The author reviews contemporary perspectives on ego psychology through the work of Freud, Hartmann, and Erik Erikson. He then looks at psychoanalytic practice, with particular focus on ego defenses and ego development.
Association Between the Growth of Accountable Care Organizations and Physician Work Hours and Self-employment.

Importance The share of the population covered by accountable care organizations (ACOs) is growing, but the association between this increase and physician employment is unknown. Objective To investigate the association between the growth of ACOs and changes in physician work hours, probability of being self-employed, and probability of working in a hospital. Design, Setting, and Participants A fixed-effects design was used in this cross-sectional study to compare changes in physician employment in hospital referral regions with high vs low ACO growth. A nationally representative 1% sample of all working US physicians obtained annually from 2011 through 2015 from the American Community Survey (N = 49 582) was included. Data analysis was conducted from March 28, 2017, to April 10, 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures Physician hours worked per week, probability of being self-employed, and probability of working in a hospital. Results Of the 49 582 physicians included in the study, 63.5% were men; the mean (SD) age of sampled physicians was 46.01 (11.59) years. In 2011, sampled physicians worked a mean (SD) of 52.2 (16.1) hours per week, 24.43% were self-employed, and 42.03% worked in a hospital. A 10–percentage point increase in ACO enrollment in a hospital referral region was associated with a statistically significant reduction of 0.82 (95% CI, −1.52 to −0.13;P = .02) work hours in men and a decrease of 2% (95% CI, −3.8% to −0.1%;P = .04) in the probability of all physicians being self-employed. The association with self-employment was strongest (−5.0%; 95% CI, −8.7% to −1.4%;P = .006) in physicians aged 50 to 69 years, who were also more likely (4.0%; 95% CI, 1.0% to 6.9%;P = .009) to work in a hospital. Conclusions and Relevance The growth of ACOs within hospital referral regions appears to be associated with a reduction in hours of work and self-employment among physicians. These results suggest that ACOs may affect physician employment patterns.
Conclusion: Telling Us What to Do. Moving on in a Material World

The chapters in this edited book explored the role of material culture in research while also challenging the reader to ask themselves how the material may have been written out of the accounts they have written and whether material culture deserves more attention from disciplines like science education than is currently the case. From constructionism and epistemic things to feminist new materialisms-post-humanism, authors of chapters in this book used various lenses to theorize their adventures with the material. In order to address the question of how can we take matter seriously, the authors explored specific practices that serve to entangle humans and matter in ways that support knowledge production. However, if we have learned anything through the writing of this book, it may be that, like all dualisms, the material and the social are entangled and culture emerges from this entanglement. Barad also challenges the coherent narratives that are used to tell the neoliberal story of scientific progress as the steady refinement of scientific knowledge over time, discoveries that led humans out of the morass, and “the swamp of ignorance and uncertainty to the bedrock of solid and certain knowledge” (Barad, 2010, p. 244). She notes that the history that gets told is really a temporary sedimentation based on the cuts made to establish some form of causation. The lack of absolute boundaries means that what we present as the present is a creation, as is the past and the future. One might expect that there remain specters or ghosts that haunt the constructed phenomena that might become solid if the cuts are made differently (see Barad, 2010, 2014). For us, applying Barad’s notion of hauntology means that neither the social (linguistic, immaterial) nor the material (bodies, matter) is privileged, opening us to an onto-epistemology in which both the social and the material are non-anthropocentric and non-linguistist (Dolphijn & van der Tuin, 2012). We recognize and acknowledge the challenges associated with questioning the dualisms that populate thinking and doing. For example, it makes no sense to separate the material from the social when considering culture since, as we have argued, any consideration requires both. If we were to adopt one of a dualism to the exclusion of the other, we would be haunted by the possibilities we have missed. However, existing educational worldviews tend to privilege one dualism, the social with its focus on text and language, so our chapters emphasize the role of matter in both ontology and epistemology because the material has been ignored for so long.
A Model Predictive Control Scheme Formulation for Active Rectifiers with LCL Filter

In this paper, a step-ahead direct power control (DPC) scheme with reduced sensor count for grid-connected active rectifiers with LCL filter is formulated. Compared to classical model predictive control (MPC) schemes, which implement an L filter, the proposed controller is designed to operate with an LCL filter and thus benefit from higher harmonic attenuation and lower component size and weight. In this work, an expression is derived to allow the prediction of the grid-side current by only measuring the dc-bus voltage, grid voltages, and grid-side line currents. As a result, only 6 sensors are required as opposed to 9 or 12 sensors. An extensive digital computer simulation using Matlab/Simulink is used to demonstrate the validity and performance of the proposed step-ahead DPC scheme. The widely used classical proportional integral (PI)-based power controller is used as a reference to benchmark the steady-state and dynamic performance of the proposed control scheme. The results validate the proposed controller and show its sound steady-state performance consisting of high quality grid-side currents with low Total Harmonic Distortion and unity power factor. In addition, robust and rapid dynamic performance is demonstrated when compared to the classical PI-based controller.
Advances in Coring Procedures of Silicon Photovoltaic Modules

We describe advances on procedures used for the coring of silicon photovoltaic modules. These procedures involve coring specific locations, starting from the back of the modules, and removing selected parts of the cell structure, while preserving the front tempered glass. The standard coring procedures had to be modified from case to case due to the different cell structures and measurement requirements. We provide examples of the characterization of the cored samples by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Finally, we describe a simple process to create small openings at specific locations on the back of photovoltaic modules to allow for efficiency-related measurement of individual cells and groups of cells.
What COVID-19 Laid Bare: Adventures in Workers’ Compensation Causation

This essay performs a close analysis of workers’ compensation coverage of COVID-19 and arrives at the conclusion that it should not be “impossible” to prove in a legal sense that an employee’s COVID-19 was caused by work. Scientific proof is not the same as legal proof: workers’ compensation law has never required that claims must be supported by irrefutable scientific proof of workplace causation. Yet repeatedly one heard this suggestion during public discussion on workers’ compensation coverage of employees. Still, there is good evidence that even when workers’ compensation undisputedly covers work-related disease employers seldom pay benefits (and states do not compel them to do so). This is one reality that COVID laid bare: the workers’ compensation system rigidly resists paying occupational disease claims. The essay also explores a news account from Minnesota stating that nine hundred and thirty-five of nine hundred and thirty-five workers’ compensation COVID-19-related claims from meatpacking employees had not been paid as of February 2021. There was no shortage of other stories during the pandemic of mass denial of workers’ compensation claims in the meatpacking industry, a development having a disparate impact on communities of color, where more than half of all meatpacking employees are Latinx. These unpaid claim numbers suggest that something was “wrong” with causation analyses lower down in the administrative system. Another truth COVID laid bare is that, aside from workers’ compensation, there is no nationwide short-term disability program in the United States. This leads to the conclusion that, if workers’ compensation insists upon super-strict versions of causation to cover claims, a different method of compensating short-term disability during pandemics or other “environmental” crises may become necessary. The conclusion seems almost inescapable because public health experts like Dr. Fauci are warning that we remain at risk for “new disease emergences” for the “foreseeable future.”
Octree Based Coloumb Interaction Model for Electrospray MD Simulations

Molecular dynamics simulations have been successfully used to recreate the emission process of electro sprays for ionic liquids, such as, EMIM-BF 4 1. From our previous work2, it was observed that the non-homogeneous charge distribution and non-periodic simulation domain, inherent to electrospray simulations, can lead to errors due to improper selection of long-range Coulomb interaction models and the Coulomb cut-off radius. Among currently available Coulomb interaction models, the direct Coulomb method with a large cut-off radius of 40 A proved to be the most accurate. However, a large cut-off radius also makes this method computationally expensive. In this work, we propose a new octree-based Coulomb interaction model, which uses a modified Barnes-Hut3 algorithm to compute Coulomb interactions in a non-periodic simulation domain with highly non-homogeneous charge distributions.
Cultural reproduction of mental illness stigma and stereotypes

This study investigates how schemas and stereotypes about individuals with mental illness shape how information is transmitted between people. Mental illnesses are highly stigmatized identities, and prior work illustrates the persistence of mental illness stigma, despite public health efforts aimed at increasing awareness of the biological origins of mental illness (Pescosolido et al., 2010). Recent work has also demonstrated the utility of combining cultural cognition with social psychological theories of cultural meaning to investigate how stereotypes are transmitted through secondhand narratives (Hunzaker 2014, 2016). We connect this social psychological work with medical sociological literature on mental illness stigmas and propose that stereotypes function as cultural schemas that shape the way stories are remembered and retold about individuals with a mental illness. We then conduct a narrative transmission study to test this proposal, using schizophrenia as a case of interest. Consistent with prior work, we find that individuals who retell a story about a person with schizophrenia alter the narrative so that it becomes more consistent with stereotypes about individuals with schizophrenia. We also find that stereotype-inconsistent information is more likely to be transformed to align with culturally shared beliefs about schizophrenia. The findings extend prior work on how bias shapes the reproduction of mental illness stereotypes, and demonstrate how socially learned cultural beliefs can reinforce stereotypes, biases and stigma about mental illness.
Intelligent control specification language compilers, the Q-parameterization, and convex programming: concepts for an advanced computer-aided control system design

A new computer-aided method for the design of linear controllers is outlined. Rather than designing the controller directly, the method designs the Q-parameter that parameterizes all stabilizing controllers. Because closed-loop maps are affine in Q, specifications on the closed-loop system translate to convex constraints on Q. The translation is done with an intelligent compiler that reads specifications written in a control specification language and generates a standard convex program for Q that is readily solved.
Modern Military Necessity: The Role and Relevance of Military Lawyers

Modern warfare presents an array of legalistic overtones that require the presence and participation of attorneys of exceptional courage and breadth of expertise in demanding and austere conditions. Military lawyers today must confront complex missions and competing operational demands in representing the needs of operational commanders. The legal dimension of conflict has at times overshadowed the armed struggle between adversaries as the nature of conflict itself has changed. The overall mission will often be intertwined with political, legal, and strategic imperatives that cannot accomplished in a legal vacuum or by undermining the threads of legality that bind diverse aspects of a complex operation together. The newly promulgated United States doctrine for counterinsurgency operations makes this clear in its opening section. Insurgency and counterinsurgency (COIN) are complex subsets of warfare. Globalization, technological advancement, urbanization, and extremists who conduct suicide attacks for their cause have certainly influenced contemporary conflict; however, warfare in the 21st century retains many of the characteristics it has exhibited since ancient times. Warfare remains a violent clash of interests between organized groups characterized by the use of force. Achieving victory still depends on a group's ability to mobilize support for its political interests (often religiously or ethnically based) and to generate enough violence to achieve political consequences. Means to achieve these goals are not limited to conventional forces employed by nation-states. Even in light of the nonnegotiable necessity for accomplishing the mission and the culture that correspondingly prizes the selfless pursuit of duty, lawyers have a vital role that supports rather than impedes the effort to create and sustain combat ready forces. This Article will address the range of responsibilities incumbent on lawyers in the military and their necessity to the functioning of the military. Though the phrase is most commonly associated with the jus in bello principle that governs the conduct of conflict, Part II addresses lawyers as a military necessity. Military legal expertise provides an irreplaceable source of guidance and insight to military commanders during times of armed conflict. Part III addresses the law of lawyers regarding the implementation of humanitarian law along with the military lawyer's challenge in making legal aspects integral to the actions of military commanders. In Part IV, the continued necessity of military lawyers is discussed due to the military lawyer's ongoing roles as trainers, negotiators, enforcers and reporters.
Test procedure and specifications for component susceptibility to electrostatic discharges

A component-level electrostatic discharge (ESD) test procedure and specifications, developed to provide a means for early evaluation of ESD compatibility of electronic systems, is presented. The steps taken in the development of the ESD component procedure and specifications are reviewed. Three discharge methods and the variables associated with them are discussed. Conclusions are presented based on experimental findings. The required criteria for the evaluation of commercial ESD simulators are discussed. >
Plastic Bending of Plates

In this chapter, we shall be concerned with the yield point state of perfectly plastic plates whose thickness is small compared to the dimensions of its plane faces. The load acting on the plate is normal to its surface and is regarded as positive if it is pointing vertically downward. The vertical displacement of the middle surface is assumed to be generally small compared to the plate thickness, and plane vertical sections are assumed to remain plane during the bending. The deformation of the plate is therefore entirely defined by the vertical displacement of its middle surface, which remains effectively unstrained during the bending. A theory based on this model is found to be satisfactory not only in the elastic range but also in the plastic range of deflections. However, when the deflection of the plate exceeds the thickness, significant membrane forces are induced by the bending, the effect of which is to enhance the load carrying capacity of the plate.
Selection of 'High Performance Work Systems' in U.S. Manufacturing

This paper analyzes the use of two important human resource practices self-managed work teams and formal training programs) in U.S. manufacturing. These practices are often used in conjunction with each other and their use is associated with improved firm performance, thus the term "high performance work systems." The results of this paper raise concerns about the interpretation of studies that show a relationship between the use of particular systems of practices and higher performance but do not account for selection of practices by the firm. The paper uses a theoretical model to analyze the mechanism via which these practices improve firm performance. The results of the theoretical model are tested using an empirical model that allows practices to be chosen simultaneously, allows for the choice of practices to interact, and allows for this interaction to vary based on observable characteristics of the firm. The paper shows that the value of individual practices to a firm depends on characteristics of the firm's product market, and on the choice of other practices by the firm.
The use of malleable metal mesh in open mandibular reductions. Report of nine cases.

Abstract Nine cases of mandibular fracture are presented in which malleable metal mesh was used for internal fixation with and without supplemental intermaxillary fixation. Four representative case reports are presented. The technique, indications, advantages, and disadvantages of this method of mandibular fracture management are discussed.
Zymographic evaluation of plasminogen activators and plasminogen activator inhibitors.

Publisher Summary The plasminogen activator/plasminogen activator inhibitor (PA/PAI) system is of considerable fundamental importance in elucidating the biochemical mechanisms of many physiological and patho-physiological processes. Although many techniques are available to assess the PA/PAI system, including ELISA and molecular assays, fibrin overlay zymography provides a highly versatile tool for the detection and semiquantitative investigation of PAs, PAIs, and PA/PAI complexes. The chapter discusses monitoring the PA/PAI system such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, molecular methods, substrate gel electrophoresis, fibrin overlay zymography, and advantages of overlay zymography. The chapter also discusses the usefulness of fibrin overlay zymography for the detection of PAs and PAIs in complex biological systems. Several semiquantitative results such as fibrin zymography of PAs, densitometric analysis of PA activity, fibrin zymography of PA induction in cell culture, reverse fibrin zymography for PAIs, and fibrin zymography of PAs from CABG patients are discussed in this chapter. Unique to the overlay method is the opportunity to incorporate into the indicator gel multiple components including activators, inhibitors, antibodies, zymogens, cofactors, and allosteric modifiers. This enables highly sensitive and specific assays to be developed, and thus affords extensive biochemical investigation of diverse proteolytic components including those of the PA/PAI system. The chapter describes the materials and methods required to perform fibrin overlay zymography such as material used, sample preparation, SDS-PAGE, preparation of fibrin indicator gel, fibrin zymography, and reverse zymography.
Turing patterns in the Lengyel-Epstein system for the CIMA reaction

The first experimental evidence of the Turing pattern was observed by De Kepper and her associates (1990) on the CIMA reaction in an open unstirred gel reactor, almost 40 years after Turing's prediction. Lengyel and Epstein characterized this famous experiment using a system of reaction-diffusion equations. In this paper we report some fundamental analytic properties of the Lengyel-Epstein system. Our result also indicates that if either of the initial concentrations of the reactants, the size of the reactor, or the effective diffusion rate, are not large enough, then the system does not admit nonconstant steady states. A priori estimates are fundamental to our approach for this nonexistence result. The degree theory was combined with the a priori estimates to derive existence of nonconstant steady states.
Intersexual ontogenetic conflict

Evolutionary conflict has been investigated at many levels of organization, from interactions between loci within a genome to the coevolution of species. Here we review evidence for intersexual ontogenetic conflict, a type of conflict that has received relatively little attention both theoretically and empirically. It is manifest during development when expression of the same allele, on average, moves one sex towards, and the other sex away from, its phenotypic optimum. We first introduce this type of conflict with an illustrative example and assess conditions for maintaining polymorphism for alleles underlying the conflict. We then summarize evidence from our own experiments with Drosophila melanogaster that show substantial genome-wide sexually antagonistic fitness variation. Finally we discuss evidence from other organisms and some of the ramifications of widespread polymorphism for sexually antagonistic fitness variation.