cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimizing Inventory Levels Within Intel's Channel Supply Demand Operations

Intel's Channel Supply Demand Operations (CSDO) organization is responsible for satisfying the boxed processor demands of Intel's vast customer network of distributors, resellers, dealers, and system integrators. In 2005, CSDO began a multiechelon inventory optimization (MEIO) project to improve its efficiency and effectiveness by optimizing inventory levels and locations across CSDO's end-to-end supply chain. This paper describes the project plan, workflows, and results. One year after implementation, total inventory levels were reduced by more than 11 percent; in addition, service levels of products modeled using the MEIO process were eight points higher than products not modeled using this process. The MEIO process continues to be in place at Intel and has resulted in sustained reductions in inventory levels, average service levels exceeding 90 percent, and more than an order-of-magnitude reduction in the number of expedites.
Moral Responsibility for Harm Caused by Computer System Failures

When software is written and then utilized in complex computer systems, problems often occur. Sometimes these problems cause a system to malfunction, and in some instances such malfunctions cause harm. Should any of the persons involved in creating the software be blamed and punished when a computer system failure leads to persons being harmed? In order to decide whether such blame and punishment are appropriate, we need to first consider if the people are "morally responsible". Should any of the people involved in creating the software be held morally responsible, as individuals, for the harm caused by a computer system failure? This article provides one view of moral responsibility and then discusses some barriers to holding people morally responsible. Next, it provides information about the Therac-25, a computer-controlled medical linear accelerator, and its computer systems failures that led to deaths and injuries. Finally it investigates whether two key people involved in the Therac-25 case could reasonably be considered to have some degree of moral responsibility for the deaths and injuries. The conclusions about whether or not these people were morally responsible necessarily rest upon a certain amount of speculation about what they knew and what they did. These limitations, however, should not cause us to conclude that discussions of moral responsibility are fruitless. In some cases, determinations of moral responsibility may be made and in others the investigation is still worthwhile, as the article demonstrates.
Knee strengthening exercises at home, but not dietary intervention, reduce knee pain and improve knee function in overweight and obese people over 2 years.

Commentary on: CM Jenkinson, M Doherty, AJ Avery, et al.. Effects of dietary intervention and quadriceps strengthening exercises on pain and function in overweight people with knee pain: randomised controlled trial. BMJ2009;339:b3170.
Structural remodeling of cardiac myocytes in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUNDChronic ischemic heart disease may lead to ventricular dilation and congestive heart failure (ischemic cardiomyopathy [ICM]). The changes in cardiac myocyte shape associated with this dilation, however, are not known.METHODS AND RESULTSLeft ventricular myocyte dimensions were assessed in cells isolated from explanted human hearts obtained from patients with ICM (n = 6) who were undergoing heart transplantation. Cells were also examined from three nonfailing donor hearts with normal coronary arteries (NCA). Compared with cells from patients with NCA, myocyte length was 40% longer in hearts from patients with ICM (197 +/- 8 versus 141 +/- 9 microns, p less than 0.01), cell width was not significantly different, and cell length/width ratio was 49% greater (11.2 +/- 0.9 versus 7.5 +/- 0.6, p less than 0.01). Sarcomere length was the same in myocytes from both groups. The extent of myocyte lengthening is comparable to the increase in end-diastolic diameter commonly reported in patients with ICM.CONCL...
RESPONSE TO FORUM COMMENTARY ON “TOWARD A METABOLIC THEORY OF ECOLOGY”

Ecology, Vol. 85, No. 7MacArthur, R. H. 1968. The theory of the niche. Pages 159–176 in R. C. Lewontin, editor. Population biology and evo-lution. Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, New York, USA.West, G. B., J. H. Brown, and B. J. Enquist. 1997. A generalmodel for the origin of allometric scaling laws in biology.Science 276:122–126.West, G. B., J. H. Brown, and B. J. Enquist. 1999. The fourthdimension of life: fractal geometry and allometric scalingof organisms. Science 284:1677–1679.West, G. B., J. H. Brown, and B. J. Enquist. 2001. Ageneral model for ontogenetic growth. Nature413:628–631.
Effect of pH and Monensin on Glucose Transport by Fibrobacter succinogenes, a Cellulolytic Ruminal Bacterium

Fibrobacter succinogenes S85, a cellulolytic ruminal bacterium, required sodium for growth and glucose uptake. Cells which were deenergized with iodoacetate (500 muM) could not take up [C]glucose. However, deenergized cells which were treated with valinomycin, loaded with potassium, and diluted into sodium or sodium plus potassium to create an artificial electrical gradient (DeltaPsi) plus a chemical gradient of sodium (DeltapNa) or DeltapNa alone transported glucose at a rapid rate. Cells which were loaded with potassium plus sodium and diluted into sodium (DeltaPsi with sodium, but no DeltapNa) also took up glucose at a rapid rate. Potassium-loaded cells that were diluted into buffers which did not contain sodium (DeltaPsi without sodium) could not take up glucose. An artificial ZDeltapH which was created by acetate diffusion could not drive glucose transport even if sodium was present. The maximum rate and affinity of glucose transport (pH 6.7) were 62.5 nmol/mg of protein per min and 0.51 mM, respectively. S85 was unable to grow at a pH of less than 5.5, and there was little glucose transport at this pH. When the extracellular pH was decreased, the glucose carrier was inhibited, intracellular pH declined, the cells were no longer able to metabolize glucose, and DeltaPsi declined. Monensin (1 muM) or lasalocid (5 muM) decreased intracellular ATP and dissipated both the DeltaPsi and DeltapNa. Since there was no driving force for transport, glucose transport was inhibited. These results indicated that F. succinogenes used a pH-sensitive sodium symport mechanism to take up glucose and that either a DeltaPsi or a DeltapNa was required for glucose transport.
Evidence-Based Public Policy Options to Reduce Crime and Criminal Justice Costs: Implications in Washington State

In 2006, long-term forecasts indicated that Washington faced the need to construct several new prisons in the following two decades. Since new prisons are costly, the Washington legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to project whether there are "evidence-based" options that can reduce the future need for prison beds, save money for state and local taxpayers, and contribute to lower crime rates. The institute conducted a systematic review of all research evidence that could be located to determine what works, if anything, to reduce crime. We found and analyzed 545 comparison-group evaluations of adult corrections, juvenile corrections, and prevention programs. We then estimated the benefits and costs of many of these evidence-based options and found that some evidence-based programs produce favorable returns on investment. This paper presents our findings and describes our meta-analytic and economic methods.
FACTORS AFFECTING CONJUGATED LINOLEIC ACID CONTENT IN MILK AND MEAT

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been recently studied mainly because of its potential in protecting against cancer, atherogenesis, and diabetes. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a collective term for a series of conjugated dienoic positional and geometrical isomers of linoleic acid, which are found in relative abundance in milk and tissue fat of ruminants compared with other foods. The cis-9, trans-11 isomer is the principle dietary form of CLA found in ruminant products and is produced by partial ruminal biohydrogenation of linoleic acid or by endogenous synthesis in the tissues themselves. The CLA content in milk and meat is affected by several factors, such as animal's breed, age, diet, and management factors related to feed supplements affecting the diet. Conjugated linoleic acid in milk or meat has been shown to be a stable compound under normal cooking and storage conditions. Total CLA content in milk or dairy products ranges from 0.34 to 1.07% of total fat. Total CLA content in raw or processed beef ranges from 0.12 to 0.68% of total fat. It is currently estimated that the average adult consumes only one third to one half of the amount of CLA that has been shown to reduce cancer in animal studies. For this reason, increasing the CLA contents of milk and meat has the potential to raise the nutritive and therapeutic values of dairy products and meat.
How well can radiance reflected from the ocean-atmosphere system be predicted from measurements at the sea surface?

There is interest in the prediction of the top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance of the ocean–atmosphere system for in-orbit calibration of ocean color sensors. With the use of simulations, we examine the accuracy one could expect in estimating the reflectance ρT of the ocean–atmosphere system based on a measurement suite carried out at the sea surface, i.e., a measurement of the normalized sky radiance ρB and the aerosol optical thickness (τa), under ideal conditions—a cloud-free, horizontally homogeneous atmosphere. Briefly, ρB and τa are inserted into a multiple-scattering inversion algorithm to retrieve the aerosol optical properties—the single-scattering albedo and the scattering phase function. These retrieved quantities are then inserted into the radiative transfer equation to predict ρT. Most of the simulations were carried out in the near infrared (865 nm), where a larger fraction of ρT is contributed by aerosol scattering compared with molecular scattering, than in the visible, and where the water-leaving radiance can be neglected. The simulations suggest that ρT can be predicted with an uncertainty typically ≲1% when the ρB and τa measurements are error free. We investigated the influence of the simplifying assumptions that were made in the inversion-prediction process, such as modeling the atmosphere as a plane-parallel medium, using a smooth sea surface in the inversion algorithm, using the scalar radiative transfer theory, and assuming that the aerosol was confined to a thin layer just above the sea surface. In most cases, these assumptions did not increase the error beyond ±1%. An exception was the use of the scalar radiative transfer theory, for which the error grew to as much as ~2.5%, suggesting that the use of ρB inversion and ρT prediction codes that include polarization would be more appropriate. However, their use would necessitate measurement of the polarization associated with ρB. We also investigated the uncertainty introduced by an unknown aerosol vertical structure and found it to be negligible if the aerosols were nonabsorbing or weakly absorbing. An extension of the analysis to the blue, which requires measurement of the water-leaving radiance, showed significantly better predictions of ρT because the major portion of ρT is the result of molecular scattering, which is known precisely. We also simulated the influence of calibration errors in both the Sun photometer and the ρB radiometer. The results suggest that the relative error in the predicted ρT is similar in magnitude to that in ρB (actually it was somewhat less). However, the relative error in ρT induced by error in τa is usually much less than the relative error in τa. Currently, it appears that radiometers can be calibrated with an uncertainty of ~±2.5%, therefore it is reasonable to conclude that, at present, the most important error source in the prediction of ρT from ρB is likely to be error in the ρB measurement.
Targeted Therapy for Brain Metastases in EGFR-Mutated and ALK-Rearranged Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Abstract Approximately half of all patients with non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) develop brain metastases (BM) during the course of their disease, leading to significant challenges in treatment. Molecular targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors have proven effective for patients with activating mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor gene and chromosomal rearrangements involving the anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene. Despite their efficacy in systemic disease control, their effectiveness in patients with BM is not well established. In this article, we review recent data on the use of epidermal growth factor receptor and anaplastic lymphoma kinase tyrosine kinase inhibitors for treatment of patients with NSCLC and BM. These data highlight the potential for meaningful disease control within the central nervous system and the inherent challenges in treating patients with NSCLC and BM.
Recording Performance of a Pulsed HAMR Architecture

In most heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) systems, the laser is ON and kept constant during the entire sector. In this architecture, the transitions are defined whenever the magnetic writer changes polarity. In a pulsed HAMR system, the laser pulses once per bit. In this architecture, the transition is defined by the rising edge of the first laser pulse after a magnetic writer current transition. In this paper, we compare the bit error rate (BER) and areal density capability (ADC) of both continuous wave (CW) HAMR and pulsed HAMR. For our testing conditions, we find that there is no penalty for using a pulsed HAMR system over a CW HAMR system in terms of BER and ADC capability.
Piecing together the puzzle of basal forebrain anatomy.

The basal forebrain contains a seemingly heterogeneous collection of structures including nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercle, septum, diagonal band nuclei, bed nucleus of stria terminalis, substantia innominata, olfactory cortex, hippocampus formation and amygdaloid body. It is also traversed by a number of large fiber tracts, e.g. fornix, stria terminalis, diagonal band of Broca, medial forebrain bundle, inferior thalamic peduncle, and ventral amygdalofugal pathway, to which the various basal forebrain structures contribute axons in order to establish connections between themselves and with other parts of the brain. Hypothalamus, the main diencephalic component of the basal forebrain, is one such region closely related to many of the telencephalic basal forebrain structures and fiber tracts. These intimate relations to the hypothalamus provided much of the anatomical rationale to bring the above-mentioned basal forebrain structures together as integral parts of the “limbic system”. This has contributed to the popular view of forebrain organization in which the neocortex is related to the basal ganglia or the “extrapyramidal motor system” through the well-known cortico-striato-pallidal pathways, while so-called limbic structures, e.g. septum, nucleus accumbens, amygdaloid body and allocortical areas like hippocampus and olfactory cortex are characterized foremost by their relation to the hypothalamus, a major regulator of autonomic and endocrine functions.
Distinguishing between Direct and Consequential Damages Under New York Law in Breach of Service Contract Cases

A large part of a practitioner’s woes in preparing for a breach of contract case is determining what constitutes general or consequential damages. Making the determination is colored by the fact that there are no statutory standards, and case law addressing this area varies according to jurisdiction and by the type of contract at issue. The distinction between general and consequential damages is especially important in cases where the contract has a limitation of liability clause that prevents the non-breaching party from recovering consequential damages, but does not specify in the contract what are to be deemed consequential damages. This Article examines the position of the courts in New York on general and consequential damages in breach of service contract cases and concludes that because the question of damages in breach of service contract cases is so highly fact-specific, it is unlikely that courts will make a uniform distinction between direct and consequential damages. Therefore, parties need to safeguard themselves against the uncertainties of litigation by clearly defining what liabilities they wish to assume, or not to assume, at the time of contracting.
Tying Agreements in Franchising

T HE franchise system of distribution continues to grow in importance. Retail sales of the approximately 380,000 franchising firms -both independent and company owned-approached $151 billion in 1973, nearly one-third of the $497 billion estimate for total retail sales. Independent, franchisee-owned units dominated the franchise system's retail sales, accounting for approximately 85% of the total. For 1974, franchising firms expected sales to exceed $159 billion, which would at least maintain their 30% share of
New "Tau-Leap" Strategy for Accelerated Stochastic Simulation.

The “Tau-Leap” strategy for stochastic simulations of chemical reaction systems due to Gillespie and co-workers has had considerable impact on various applications. This strategy is reexamined with Chebyshev’s inequality for random variables as it provides a rigorous probabilistic basis for a measured τ-leap thus adding significantly to simulation efficiency. It is also shown that existing strategies for simulation times have no probabilistic assurance that they satisfy the τ-leap criterion while the use of Chebyshev’s inequality leads to a specified degree of certainty with which the τ-leap criterion is satisfied. This reduces the loss of sample paths which do not comply with the τ-leap criterion. The performance of the present algorithm is assessed, with respect to one discussed by Cao et al. (J. Chem. Phys. 2006, 124, 044109), a second pertaining to binomial leap (Tian and Burrage J. Chem. Phys. 2004, 121, 10356; Chatterjee et al. J. Chem. Phys. 2005, 122, 024112; Peng et al. J. Chem. Phys. 2007, 126, ...
Electrospun Carbon Nanofiber Modified Electrodes for Stripping Voltammetry

Electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) based carbon nanofibers (CNFs) have attracted intense attention due to their easy processing, high carbon yield, and robust mechanical properties. In this work, a CNF modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode that was coated with Nafion polymer was evaluated as a new electrode material for the simultaneous determination of trace levels of heavy metal ions by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV). Pb2+ and Cd2+ were used as a representative system for this initial study. Well-defined stripping voltammograms were obtained when Pb2+ and Cd2+ were determined individually and then simultaneously in a mixture. Compared to a bare GC electrode, the CNF/Nafion modified GC (CNF/Nafion/GC) electrode improved the sensitivity for lead detection by 8-fold. The interface properties of the CNF/Nafion/GC were characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), which showed the importance of the ratio of CNF/Nafion on electrode performance. Under optimized conditions, the detection l...
Development and calibration of electron density measurements in argon plasma using laser collision-induced fluorescence

Laser collision-induced fluorescence (LCIF) is a powerful diagnostic which can be used for making temporally and spatially resolved measurements of electron densities in a plasma discharge. The technique, which involves the measurement of optical emission emanating from higher energy excited states due to the redistribution of the lower energy laser-excited state by collisions with energetic electrons, has been readily employed to study argon discharges. In this work, we report on recent efforts to extend the LCIF technique to argon based plasma systems. Discussion will be offered on the spectroscopic pathway used for the interrogation of argon and discussion will be given on the procedures used to calibration the LCIF diagnostic. Particular emphasis will be placed on the double-pulse excitation of a plasma column that enables near independent control of electron density and electron energy. Anticipated bounds on the range of application of the calibrated transitions will likewise be discussed. Finally, the utility of the LCIF diagnostic will be demonstrated by applying the technique to spatially and temporally varying plasma systems.
Method to extract minimally damaged collagen fibrils from tendon

A new method is presented to extract collagen fibrils from mammalian tendon tissue. Mammalian tendons are treated with a trypsin-based extraction medium and gently separated with tweezers in an aqueous solution. Collagen fibrils released in the solution are imaged using both dark-field light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The method successfully extracts isolated fibrils from rat tail and patellar tendons. To examine whether the method is likely to damage fibrils during extraction, sea cucumber dermis fibril lengths are compared against those obtained using only distilled water. The two methods produce fibrils of similar lengths. This is contrasted with fibrils being shortened when extracted using a tissue homogenizer. Scanning electron microscopy shows the new method preserves D-banding features on fibril surfaces and that fibril diameter does not vary substantially compared with water extracted fibrils.
Reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 population on baby spinach leaves by liquid sanitizers

The effectiveness of various liquid sanitizers and methods of application against Escherichia coli on baby spinach was investigated. Inoculated spinach was treated with (i) Pro-San L (commercially prepared solution containing 0.66% citric acid, 0.036% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS); (ii) chlorine solution (200 ppm), alone or with addition of 0.036% SDS; and (iii) aqueous solution of 0.66% levulinic acid with 0.036% SDS. Population reduction in response to these treatments ranged between 2.1 and 2.8 log CFU/g. No significant difference (p > .05) was found among tested sanitizers in microbial count reduction. Spraying, dipping, and “dry” vacuum impregnation methods of Pro-San L application were compared. Dipping was the most effective in reducing E. coli O157:H7 population (4.4 log CFU/g reduction). Dry vacuum impregnation was less effective (3.3 log CFU/g reduction) and caused damage to the produce. The effectiveness of spray Pro-San L application and holding for prolonged time (up to 3 days) was also evaluated. However, increasing time of exposure to organic acid sanitizer did not increase sanitizing effectiveness and led to progressive damage of spinach leaves.
Homelands, Harlem and Comparative History

Taking popular culture as his subject in Homelands, Harlem and Hollywood, Rob Nixon reveals ‘the diverse ties between South African culture and the world beyond its borders’, and highlights ‘the [South African] discourses of absolute rupture, authenticity, racial purity and ethnic nationalism on the one hand and, on the other, the idioms of cosmopolitanism, transculturation, hybridity and internationalism’. Nixon argues that ‘the culture of apartheid and the resistance to it cannot be understood outside their international entanglements’. By focusing on the perceptions of Harlem and the United States among white and black South Africans, the countervailing images of South Africa on American screens, the transnational dynamics of cultural and sports boycotts of the apartheid state, and finally the transformation of South Africa in the aftermath of the Cold War, Nixon begins to sketch in the outlines of a new comparative history.2 This history uncovers the myriad connections existing between societies which help shape the way our comparisons are formulated.
Effects of statin therapy on weight loss and diabetes in bariatric patients

Abstract Background Bariatric surgeries are considered effective treatments for weight loss and improved diabetes control. Statins increase diabetes onset in prospective clinical trials and many bariatric patients with metabolic disease are concurrently on statins. Objectives We retrospectively examined the relationship of statin therapy to weight loss, diabetes mellitus onset and remission, and metabolic outcomes after bariatric surgery. Setting Hospital. Methods A total of 1575 patients (1231 women) underwent laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (n = 1035), Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (n = 468), or sleeve gastrectomy (n = 72) and were categorized as to statin use (n = 671 statin users) and diabetes status (n = 557 patients with diabetes) preoperatively and at one year follow-up. Results New onset cases of diabetes did not differ between patients on and not on preoperative statins (3 versus 4 new diabetes cases, respectively), but diabetes resolved after surgery in 159 (23.7%) patients on preoperative statins and in only 124 (13.7%) patients not on preoperative statins (χ 2 = 26.1; P 2 = 27.3; P Conclusion In contrast to expectations, our results suggest that diabetes resolves with bariatric surgery more often in patients maintained on statin therapy than in those never on statin therapy whereas cessation of statin therapy is associated with the greatest reductions in diabetes prevalence. These results indicate an impact of statin use on metabolic outcomes following bariatric surgery; a randomized control trial is needed to examine carefully this relationship.
ADAMTS13 Deficiency Worsens Colitis and Exogenous ADAMTS13 Administration Decreases Colitis Severity in Mice

Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects 1.6 million people in the United States. IBD is associated with an increased risk of thrombosis, which rises with disease activity. The pathogenesis of IBD and its increased thrombotic risk is not completely understood. Ultra large von Willebrand factor (ULVWF) multimers are secreted from activated endothelium, leading to recruitment of platelets and leukocytes. A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin type I repeats motif 13 (ADAMTS13) cleaves highly adhesive ULVWF into smaller, less bioactive, multimers, releasing them into circulation. Mice deficient in ADAMTS13 (ADAMTS13−/−) have heightened inflammatory and thrombotic responses. Objectives We hypothesized that upon colitis induction, ADAMTS13−/− mice would have more severe symptoms compared with wild-type (WT) mice, and rhADAMTS13 administration to mice with colitis would improve their condition. Results Dextran sodium sulfate–induced colitis was worse in ADAMTS13−/− mice than WT. ADAMTS13−/− showed increased weight loss, worse anemia, and increased clinical and histologic colitis severity, compared with WT mice. ADAMTS13−/− mice had increased VWF release, with accumulation at inflamed colonic sites. Also, the majority of mice showed one or more submucosal colonic thrombi. ADAMTS13 deficiency worsened colitis and propagated intestinal inflammation, most likely through increased platelet–leukocyte recruitment by VWF. Treatment of WT mice with rhADAMTS13 decreased colitis severity without worsening anemia. Additionally, several immune-mediated chronic murine colitis models, and inflamed colon tissue specimens from IBD patients, showed increased VWF release at inflamed sites, suggesting a generalizability of our findings. Conclusion Measuring VWF/ADAMTS13 levels could have clinical utility. When applicable, the administration of ADAMTS13, in addition to primary treatment, may improve outcomes for IBD patients.
Differences in Understanding Generation in the Workforce

ABSTRACTFrom an analysis of two age diverse samples in which we explored the ways “generation” is understood in the workforce, we make several contributions to generational research. First, we propose new conceptualizations on generations in the workforce. They are: contribution (a generation is defined based on the impact its members make on society or organizations) and generation as an ambiguous or irrelevant concept (generational categories are meaningless or inconsequential). Second, we note that individuals draw on a combination of multiple understandings of generations, making each person’s understanding unique and nuanced. Third, though most of our study participants leveraged age in their definition of generation, they did so in different ways. Fourth, we discuss outcomes of different understandings of generation, including conflict and identity work.
A Time-Efficient CMOS-Memristive Programmable Circuit Realizing Logic Functions in Generalized AND–XOR Structures

This paper describes a CMOS-memristive programmable logic device connected to CMOS XOR gates (mPLD-XOR) for realizing multioutput functions well suited for two-level {NAND, AND, NOR, OR}-XOR-based design. This structure is a generalized form of AND–XOR logic where any combination of NAND, AND, NOR, and OR, and literals can replace the and level. For mPLD-XOR, the computational delay, which is measured as the number of clock cycles, equals the maximum number of inputs to any output XOR gate of a function assuming that the number of XOR gates is large enough to calculate the outputs of the function simultaneously. The input levels of functions are implemented with novel programmable diode gates, which rely on the diode-like behavior of self-rectifying memristors, and the output levels of functions are realized with CMOS modulo-two counters. As an example, the circuit implementation of a 3-bit adder and a 3-bit multiplier are presented. The size and performance of the implemented circuits are estimated and compared with those of the equivalent circuits realized with stateful logic gates. Adding a feedback circuit to the mPLD-XOR allows the implementation of a multilevel XOR logic network with any combination of sums, products, XORs, and literals at the input of any XOR gate. The mPLD-XOR with feedback can reduce the size and number of computational steps (clock cycles) in realizing logic functions, which makes it well suited for use in communication and parallel computing systems where fast arithmetic operations are demanding.
Materials selection of flexible open-cell foams in energy absorption applications

Abstract Foam must be engineered to absorb a particular range of energy in various impact-related applications. Since energy absorption is dependent upon the unique stress-strain response of each foam specimen, it is difficult to quantify analytically; thus, energy absorption cannot be easily compared across materials. Current methods accomplish this using an experimental approach, individually testing foam materials, densities, and geometries to quantify how each influences energy absorption. Such methods require large amounts of time and money to characterize a narrow range of foams. This paper facilitates foam selection by deriving generalized energy absorption material indices. Assuming Euler buckling of columns in the open-cell foam structure, this paper applies equations derived by Maiti et al. to a typical impact scenario wherein the indices are extracted. Using existing Ashby charts, these indices allow polymers to be ranked by the mass and cost each would require as a foamed structure to satisfy specific energy absorption constraints. The presented method allows the energy absorption of a wide range of flexible foams to be compared and relieves the need for extensive factor-specific testing. This method is applied to football helmet foam selection; however, it can be used for many applications where energy absorption is of interest.
A Hierarchical Bayesian Approach to Predicting Retail Customers' Share-of-Wallet Loyalty

As supermarkets have developed the capability to gather customer data, their focus on customer loyalty has increased; however, retailers cannot actually measure loyalty. In this paper, we propose and test a hierarchical Bayesian approach to predicting customers' share-of-wallet loyalty that offers a high degree of predictive accuracy and discriminates well between loyal and non-loyal customers. Among the types of information that retailers may gather, we find that geographic information (travel time to the store and retail concentration around that store) makes the greatest predictive contribution. Finally, we show how retailers can use the posterior distribution of customer share-of-wallet to more profitably select customers to receive targeted marketing offers.
Vegetative Propagation of American Elm (Ulmus Americana) Varieties from Softwood Cuttings

Softwood cuttings of American elm varieties ‘Jefferson’, ‘New Harmony’, ‘Princeton’, ‘R18-2’, ‘Valley Forge’, and a tissue-cultured non-transformed control clone (BP-NT) were rooted using three different treatments to determine which method would be most suitable for small-scale propagation. The treatments included aeroponic chambers, an intermittent-mist bench in a greenhouse, and Grodan rootplugs soaked in a nutrient solution. The rootplug treatment had the highest percentage of rooted shoots (44%) followed by the intermittent-mist bench treatment (20%) and lastly by the aeroponics chambers (10%). The rooted cuttings from the rootplug treatment also looked substantially healthier and had more fresh growth four weeks after potting than the other two treatments. The Grodan rootplug treatment is recommended, but additional testing can be useful to improve the overall rooting percentage.
Pulmonary Contusion in Mechanically Ventilated Subjects After Severe Trauma

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary contusions are thought to worsen outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the effects of pulmonary contusion on mechanically ventilated trauma subjects with severe thoracic injuries and hypothesized that contusion would not increase morbidity. METHODS: We conducted a single-center, retrospective review of 163 severely injured trauma subjects (injury severity score ≥ 15) with severe thoracic injury (chest abbreviated injury score ≥ 3), who required mechanical ventilation for >24 h at a verified Level 1 trauma center. Subject data were analyzed for those with radiographic documentation of pulmonary contusion and those without. Statistical analysis was performed to determine the effects of coexisting pulmonary contusion in severe thoracic trauma. RESULTS: Pulmonary contusion was present in 91 subjects (55.8%), whereas 72 (44.2%) did not have pulmonary contusions. Mean chest abbreviated injury score (3.54 vs 3.47, P = .53) and mean injury severity score (32.6 vs 30.2, P = .12) were similar. There was no difference in mortality (11 [12.1%] vs 9 [12.5%], P > .99) or length of stay (16.29 d vs 17.29 d, P = .60). Frequency of ventilator-associated pneumonia was comparable (43 [47.3%] vs 32 [44.4%], P = .75). Subjects with contusions were more likely to grow methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus in culture (33 vs 10, P = .004) as opposed to Pseudomonas aeruginosa in culture (6 vs 13, P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, no significant differences were noted in mortality, length of stay, or pneumonia rates between severely injured trauma subjects with and without pulmonary contusions.
Science, Politics, and International Atmospheric and Oceanic Programs1

This, the Fifth Donald L. McKernan Lecture in Marine Affairs, analyzes the scientific and political aspects of the World Climate Program (WCP) and its predecessor, the remarkably successful Global ...
Does Unrestricted Public School Choice Increase Racial Segregation? Evidence from a Natural Experiment in New Orleans

Increasing price levels, high price volatility and the suspicion of collusive behavior are important topics of public debates on competition in retail gasoline markets in many countries. Several governments and competition authorities introduced fuel price regulations in form of restrictions on the frequencies of fuel price changes per day. We present empirical evidence of the effects of fuel price regulation in Austria and Western Australia using difference-indifferences methods to estimate treatment effects of the implementation of such pricing rules. Our estimates provide evidence that fuel price levels in Austria decreased after implementation of regulation. However, we cannot find robust significant effects of regulation on fuel price levels in Western Australia.
THEORY OF COSTS

This chapter focuses on the theory of costs. In general, cost is the sacrifice necessary to obtain certain benefits. Thus, the cost of production represents the value of inputs used, and the opportunity cost of foregone alternatives in the production of the output. There are many types of costs in addition to production costs. For example, one may encounter cost of information, cost of transaction, acquisition cost, and cost of operation. There are also private, as opposed to social, costs. The chapter focuses on production costs. Those costs that vary with the volume of output are called variable costs. Those costs that remain constant at all levels of output are called fixed costs. All the costs that have already been “sunk” into a project and are normally not recoverable or changeable, are called sunk costs. For example, when a bridge is partially complete, all the costs associated with labor, raw materials, and capital equipment time, and certain overhead costs, are already sunk and cannot be recovered.
The Trespass Trouble and the Metaphor Muddle

This article argues that a claim often advanced in the debate over Internet regulation is unsound. The claim asserts that metaphors such as space or place or property cause judges to think of the Internet as similar to physical property, in which persons may stake private claims the law protects from encroachment. Thinking of the Internet this way confuses or constrains judicial reasoning. I call this the metaphor claim. The article uses cases involving the trespass to chattels tort to test the claim. It argues that such cases show judges do understand that the key to the cases is intangible information rather than that the information is stored on or conveyed through physical property. Judges have not been confused or constrained. Instead, they have engaged in more comprehensive cost-benefit analysis than critics of the trespass tort, or those who advance the metaphor claim. The article also argues that the metaphor claim serves to trivialize judicial reasoning without refuting it (though this is not the intention of those who advance the claim), and to divert attention from severe weaknesses in academic criticism of the trespass tort. The article concludes that it is in fact trespass critics and metaphor claimants who insist on the thing-ness of property, and judges who have gone beyond that conception to adopt a more comprehensively utilitarian analysis.
Effect of Functional Finish Barriers on Pesticide Penetration

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how functional finishes and different levels of laundering affect a fabric's ability to prevent or inhibit pesticide penetration. In this study, three fabrics (cotton, cotton/polyester, and polyester) treated with selected functional finishes (durable press, soil release, and water repellent) and laundered at predetermined levels (0, 10, 30, and 50 times) were exposed to methyl parathion spray. The amount of pesticide that moved through the fabric was then measured. The amount measured was compared for different finishes and between launderings to determine the effect of these variables. The application of the pesticide was completed using an enclosed spray chamber that simulated actual field conditions encountered during air blast spraying. Water-repellent and soil-release finishes were found to increase the amount of protection provided by fabrics. Fabrics treated with the durable-press finish permitted more pesticide penetration than untreated fabrics, resulting in decreased protection. Methyl parathion penetration increased with the number of launderings of the water-repellent-treated polyester fabrics; however, laundering did not significantly affect the cotton and cotton/polyester fabrics' protective characteristics.
Linking the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) with the Multidimensional Assessment Profile of Disruptive Behavior (MAP-DB): Advancing a Dimensional Spectrum Approach to Disruptive Behavior

Disruptive behavior in childhood is common. It spans from normative child misbehaviors to clinically-significant and impairing problems. While there are many rating scales evaluating such behaviors, historically, measurement has emphasized counting the number of symptoms present rather than assessing the normal-abnormal spectrum of behavioral expression. This study uses data from 644 early school age children aggregated from two data sources to statistically link a commonly used symptom count measure, the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), to a more developmentally-sensitive measure, the Multidimensional Assessment Profile of Disruptive Behavior (MAP-DB). Two links between conceptually similar scales on each measure were developed: CBCL Conduct Problems and MAP-DB Aggression; and CBCL Oppositional Defiant Problems and MAP-DB Temper Loss. We compared two innovative methods—Item Response Theory (IRT) and Deming regression—to determine the optimal linking relationship. Results suggest IRT methods were superior in reducing linking error compared to Deming regression. While Deming regression accurately modeled the mean scores (thus minimizing linking bias), this method could not adequately address the floor effect for scores on the CBCL. For practical purposes, this study provides a crosswalk of score conversions between the CBCL and MAP-DB, such that data aggregation and group comparisons can be made across the two measures; this enables longitudinal analyses with historically-collected CBCL data to transition to the more innovative dimensional scales of the MAP-DB without undo loss of extant data. This study furthers efforts to shift from historical symptom counts to more developmentally-sensitive measurement across the disruptive behaviors spectrum.
Semantic tuplespace

The tuplespace system is a popular cooperative communication paradigm in service-oriented computing. Tuple matching in existing tuplespace systems is either type-based or object-based. It requires that both tuple writers and readers adhere to the same approach of information organization (i.e., same terminologies or class hierarchy). Further, it examines the value of the tuple contents only. As such, these tuplespace systems are inadequate for supporting communication among services in heterogeneous and dynamic environments, because services are forced to adopt the same approach to organizing the information exchanged. In order to overcome these limitations and constraints, we propose a semantic tuplespace system. Our system uses ontologies to understand the semantics of tuple contents, and correlates tuples using relational operators as part of tuple matching. Therefore, by engineering ontologies, our system allows different services to exchange information in their native formats. We argue that a semantic tuplespace system like ours enables flexible and on-demand communication among services.
Protocol development of paired-agent fluorescent imaging to detect micrometastases in resected breast lymph nodes

The presence of lymph node metastases played as a critical prognostic factor in breast cancer treatment and guiding the future adjuvant treatment. The possibility of missed micrometastases by conventional pathology was estimated around 20-60% cases has created a demand for the development of more accurate approaches. Here, a paired-agent imaging approach is presented that employs a control imaging agent to allow rapid, quantitative mapping of microscopic populations of tumor cells in lymph nodes to guide pathology sectioning. To test the feasibility of this approach to identify micrometastases, healthy rat and human lymph nodes were stained with targeted and control imaging agent solution to evaluate the potential for the agents to diffuse into and out of intact nodes. Erbitux, an EGFR specific antibody was labeled with IRDye-700DX(LICOR) as targeted agent and IRDye-800CW was labeled to rat IgG as control agent. Lymph nodes were stained for 60 min, followed by 30 min rinsing, and the uptake and washout of fluorescence were recorded. Subsequently, lymph nodes were frozen-sectioned and imaged under an 80- um resolution fluorescence imaging system (Pearl, LICOR) to confirm equivalence of spatial distribution of both agents in the entire node. Both imaging agents correlated well with each other(r=0.877) and the binding potential of targeted agent was found to be 0.08 ± 0.22 along the lymph node in the absence of binding. The results demonstrate this approach’s potential to enhance the sensitivity of lymph node pathology by detecting fewer than 1000 cell in a whole human lymph node.
Family Socioeconomic Status and Early Life Mortality Risk in the United States.

We examine the association between several dimensions of parental socioeconomic status (SES) and all-cause and cause-specific mortality among children and youth (ages 1–24) in the United States. We use Cox proportional hazard models to estimate all-cause and cause-specific mortality risk based on data from the 1998 to 2015 National Health Interview Survey-Linked Mortality Files (NHIS-LMFs), restricted to children and youth ages 1–17 at the time of survey followed through age 24, or the end of the follow-up period in 2015 (N = 377,252). Children and youth in families with lower levels of mother’s education, father’s education, and/or family income-to-needs ratio exhibit significantly higher all-cause mortality risk compared with children and youth living in higher SES families. For example, compared to children and youth living with mothers who earned college degrees, those living with mothers who have not graduated high school experience 40% higher risk of early life mortality over the follow-up period, due in part to higher mortality risks of unintentional injuries and homicides. Similarly, children/youth whose fathers did not graduate high school experience a 41% higher risk of dying before age 25 compared to those with fathers who completed college. Today’s children and youth experience clear disparities in mortality risk across several dimensions of parental SES. As the U.S. continues to lag behind other high-income countries in health and mortality, more attention and resources should be devoted to improving children’s health and well-being, including the family and household contexts in which American children live.