cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mutually pumped phase conjugation in Kerr media and the effects of external seeding

Mutually pumped phase conjugation, a process by which two incident laser beams can mutually pump each other to generate the phase-conjugate replica of the other beam, is studied in a transparent Kerr medium with an electrostrictive nonlinearity. The nonlinear medium acts as a phase-conjugating mirror to both of the incident beams and generates their Stokes-shifted phase-conjugated outputs by the nearly degenerate four-wave mixing process. Our results show that this process will occur only if the coupling strength, defined by the product of the Kerr amplitude gain coefficient, the total input intensity, and the interaction length, is above the threshold value of 2. If the intensity of one of the input beams exceeds the threshold value and the second input beam is weaker than the first, then the weak beam is phase conjugated with a large reflectivity that has a maximum value of the intensity ratio of the strong to the weak input beam. For negligible absorption in the medium, a complete transfer of energy of both the incident beams into the phase-conjugate beams can occur for finite interaction lengths that are only slightly larger than the threshold value. Seeding the oscillation beams tends to lower the phase-conjugate power reflectivities, probably because of increased contribution from the competing two-wave mixing process.
Matching properties, and voltage and temperature dependence of MOS capacitors

The matching properties of MOS capacitors are modeled and compared with measured data. A weighted-capacitor array design approach is described. Voltage and temperature dependence of MOS capacitors are analyzed, modeled, and compared with measured data. It is shown that to a first-order heavily doped polysilicon accumulates and depletes similar to crystalline silicon.
Probabilistic grammars and automata

A mathematical formulation of probabilistic grammars, as well as the random languages generated by probabilistic grammars, is introduced. Various types of probabilistic grammars are considered. The relations between these grammars and the corresponding types of probabilistic automata are examined.
Use of fuzzy inference for modeling prediction of transit ridership at individual stops

Fuzzy inference has become a popular approach to modeling systems in which uncertainties associated with human perception and decision are present. Its use for the modeling framework of travel demand prediction is promising. The possibility of applying fuzzy inference to the problem of predicting bus ridership at individual stops is examined. The required properties for such a model are identified, and the mathematics of fuzzy inference is examined. The factors that may cause transit use at individual stops are identified, and their relationships to ridership are modeled using the hierarchically structured fuzzy rule basis. This fuzzy rule-based model is similar to that of the cross-classification approach, with the boundaries of the classes being fuzzy. The artificial neural network and regression methods are used to model the same problem, and the results are compared with those of the fuzzy inference method. The data used for calibration are obtained from a study of actual bus stops in Delaware. Although no conclusion is drawn as to which approach is superior, fuzzy inference provides an alternative to the traditional regression approach in which the phenomenon's causality is complicated yet the behavior of the output must be consistent with commonsense knowledge. In particular, it is suited for problems in which the actual volume to be predicted fluctuates widely. Such problems require strength of logical explanatory power and understanding of the pattern rather than accuracy in fitting the data.
Agronomic and economic impact of missing and irregularly spaced potato plants

Missing and irregularly spaced potato plants compromise grower revenue. A recent survey of 70 commercial fields in Washington State, USA, indicated that in-row seedpiece and plant spacing was irregular due to multiple planter skips and clumped seedpieces. Seven percent (2950 missing plants ha−1) of the intended stand was missing: 6% from planter skips and 1% from nonviable seedpieces. To estimate economic loss to Washington potato growers, two potato (Solanum tuberosum) cultivars, Russet Burbank and Russet Norkotah, were grown in small-plot experiments designed to mimic spacing errors commonly found in Washington fields. Yield and economic values of uniform (optimum) spacing were compared to values coming from treatments that simulated planter skips/missing plants and seed clumps (doubles) in 2001 and 2002. The planter-skip treatments produced the lowest total, market, and U.S. No. 1 yields for both cultivars. In-row plants on both sides of a skip collectively compensated for 56% to 67% of the missing plant’s economic value. Plants in adjacent rows failed to compensate for their missing neighbor. Doubles reduced average tuber size for both cultivars compared with optimum spacing. Using processing market values, 2950 missing Russet Burbank plants ha−1 reduced seed-cost-adjusted gross income 2.9% or $205 ha−1. Doubles did not affect Russet Burbank processing value. Using fresh market values, 2950 missing and 1980 doubles ha−1 reduced Russet Norkotah adjusted gross income 4.4% or $250 ha−1. Improved planter technology and management efforts would likely improve plant spacing in commercial fields and in turn, grower revenue. Planter manufacturers and growers should consider this information when making management decisions.
Hilbert space for charged particles in perpendicular magnetic fields

We describe the quantum mechanics of two-dimensional charged particles in a perpendicular magnetic field in the planar Landau and spherical monopole configurations. These models, particularly in the work of Laughlin and Haldane, are crucial to the theoretical understanding of the quantum Hall effect. Here we present the full Hilbert space structure in each case, with special emphasis on the relationship between the two systems. The formulation in terms of stereographically projected complex coordinates makes the connection especially explicit and naturally generalizes to more complicated two-dimensional surfaces where the interaction of the particles with an external perpendicular magnetic field may be regarded as an interaction of the particles with the two-dimensional (Kahler) metric of the surface. This generalization is illustrated by the hyperbolic configuration of particles constrained to the upper sheet of a hyperboloid in the presence of a hyperbolic monopole.
Anatomy of the self-energy

The general problem of representing the Greens function $G(k,z)$ in terms of self-energy in field theories lacking Wick's theorem is considered. A simple construction shows that a Dyson-like representation with a self-energy $\ensuremath{\Sigma}(k,z)$ is always possible, provided we start with a spectral representation for $G(k,z)$ for finite-sized systems and take the thermodynamic limit. The self-energy itself can then be iteratively expressed in terms of another higher order self-energy, capturing the spirit of Mori's formulation. We further discuss alternative and more general forms of $G(k,z)$ that are possible. In particular, a recent theory, by the author, of extremely correlated Fermi liquids at density $n$, for Gutzwiller projected noncanonical Fermi operators, obtains a new form of the Greens function: $G(k,z)=[(1\ensuremath{-}\frac{n}{2})+\ensuremath{\Psi}(k,z)]/[z\ensuremath{-}{\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{E}}_{k}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\Phi}(k,z)],$ with a pair of self-energies $\ensuremath{\Phi}(z)$ and $\ensuremath{\Psi}(z)$. Its relationship with the Dyson form is explored. A simple version of the two-self-energies model was shown recently to successfully fit several data sets of photoemission line shapes in cuprates. We provide details of the unusual spectral line shapes that arise in this model, with the characteristic skewed shape depending upon a single parameter. The energy distribution curve (EDC) and momentum distribution curve (MDC) line shapes are shown to be skewed in opposite directions, and provide a testable prediction of the theory.
Localization and Trajectory Estimation of Mobile Objects Using Minimum Samples

Identifying the spatial location of an object with reference to a known coordinate system is a critical localization problem in mobile sensors. In this paper, we present a novel method for the localization problem by only using a single sensor that knows its position, with the additional requirement that it is moving. The proposed method relies on multiple time samples by the moving sensor based on the received signal strength (RSS) and the angle of arrival (AOA). We also derive the Cramer-Rao bounds for the localization parameters. Based on the estimated location information over a brief time period, we further present robust trajectory-estimation techniques that employ Kalman filtering (KF). The performance of the proposed location and trajectory-estimation method is analyzed for different motion trajectories in a multihop sensor network. Based on computer simulations, we demonstrate that the proposed method reduces energy consumption by approximately 67% compared with traditional triangulation-based schemes.
An aggressive worn-out flash block management scheme to alleviate SSD performance degradation

Since NAND flash cannot be updated in place, SSDs must perform all writes in pre-erased pages. Consequently, pages containing superseded data must be invalidated and garbage collected. This garbage collection adds significant cost in terms of the extra writes necessary to relocate valid pages from erasure candidates to clean blocks, causing the well-known write amplification problem. SSDs reserve a certain amount of flash space which is invisible to users, called over-provisioning space, to alleviate the write amplification problem. However, NAND blocks can support only a limited number of program/erase cycles. As blocks are retired due to exceeding the limit, the reduced size of the over-provisioning pool leads to degraded SSD performance.In this work, we propose a novel system design that we call the Smart Retirement FTL (SR-FTL) to reuse the flash blocks which have been cycled to the maximum specified P/E endurance. We take advantage of the fact that the specified P/E limit guarantees data retention time of at least one year while most active data becomes stale in a period much shorter than one year, as observed in a variety of disk workloads. Our approach aggressively manages worn blocks to store data that requires only short retention time. In the meantime, the data reliability on worn blocks is carefully guaranteed. We evaluate the SR-FTL by both simulation on an SSD simulator and prototype implementation on an OpenSSD platform. Experimental results show that the SR-FTL successfully maintains consistent over-provisioning space levels as blocks wear and thus the degree of SSD performance degradation near end-of-life. In addition, we show that our scheme reduces block wear near end-of-life by as much as 84% in some scenarios.
Corrosion Characteristics of Titanium Alloys in Multi-Ionic Environments

Yucca Mountain (Nevada) is designated as a high-level nuclear waste repository. The nuclear waste will be isolated by a series of engineered barriers. The metallic engineered barriers will consist of a double-wall container with a detached drip shield. The material for the external wall of the container is Alloy 22, a corrosion-resistant Ni-Cr-Mo alloy. Titanium grade 7 has been proposed for the drip shield. Ti alloys are highly resistant to all forms of corrosion due to the formation of a stable, protective and strongly adherent oxide film. The aim of this research was to characterize the general and localized corrosion behavior of Ti Gr 7, 16 and 12 in simulated concentrated ground waters. Welded and non-welded coupons were exposed for up to 5 years to the vapor and liquid phases of acidic and alkaline multi-ionic solutions at 60°C and 90°C. This paper describes the results obtained after approximately 2-1/2- to 5-1/2-year exposure to the testing electrolyte solutions. In general, the highest corrosion rate was obtained for Ti Gr 12; however, in all of the tested conditions, the corrosion rate was generally lower than 100 nm/yr. For all alloys, the highest corrosion rate was obtained in the concentrated alkaline solution.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Technique and feasibility of radical para‐aortic and pelvic lymphadenectomy for gynecologic malignancies: a prospective study

Of 284 patients evaluated for entry into the study between January 1986 and June 1990, systematic para-aortic and pelvic lymphadenectomy was performed in 208 cases (108 cervical cancer, 43 and 57 ovarian and endometrial cancer, respectively). The median number of nodes removed was 58, 49 and 54 for cervical, ovarian and endometrial cancer, respectively. The operating data are divided into 2 groups according to the consecutive number of the cases. The median operating time and the median estimated blood loss of lymphadenectomy was 230 minutes (range 120–270) and 390 ml (range 200–3300) in the first 95 cases. These operating data decreased to 150 minutes (range 100–240) and 250 ml (range 100–2800) in the second 113 cases. No surgery-related deaths occurred. Severe hemor-rages (blood loss exceeding 1000 ml) occurred in 6 patients. The obturator nerve was dissected in 1 patient and in 1 case the left ureter was cut. Formation of lymphoceles occurred in 20.4% of patients. Eighteen patients (8.8%) developed deep venous thrombosis. Nine of these patients experienced pulmonary microembolism. In 3 patients a retroperitoneal abscess was diagnosed. One patient developed a fistula of the most proximal part of the right ureter during the third postoperative week. The resection or coagulation of branches of the genito-femoral and obturator nerves determined mild paresthesis localized at the supero-anterior and internal side of thigh in 11 cases (5.4%). No statistically significant differences were found between the clinical (age, weight and previous chemotherapy) and pathological (type of cancer and lymph node status) parameters considered on one hand and postoperative complications on the other.
Liquid-solid equilibria in the system NiO-TiO2-SiO2 in the temperature range 1430° to 1660°C

Equilibrium relations in the system NiO–TiO2–SiO2 in air have been investigated in the temperature range 1430° to 1660°C. The most conspicuous feature of the phase relations is the existence of a cation-excess spinel-type phase, in addition to NiO and NiTiO3, on the liquidus surface and at subsolidus temperatures down to 1430°C. Three invariant points have been located on the liquidus. There is a peritectic at 1540°C characterized by coexisting NiO (ss), spinel(ss), cristobalite, and liquid of composition 47 wt% NiO, 29 wt% TiO2, and 24 wt% SiO2. Two eutectics are present, one at 1480°C, with spinel(ss), NiTiO3, cristobalite, and liquid (42 wt% NiO, 43 wt% TiO2, and 15 wt% SiO2), as the coexisting phases. The other is at 1490°C with NiTiO3, rutile, cristobalite, and liquid (32 wt% NiO, 56 wt% TiO2, and 12 wt% SiO2). A liquid miscibility gap extends across the diagram from the two bounding binary systems NiO–SiO2 and TiO2–SiO2.
133 NONINVASIVE ANALYSIS OF EMBRYO METABOLITES USING NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE

Wide-spread use of IVF has significantly increased the number of multiple births (Janvier et al. 2011 J. Pediatr. 159, 409–413). A potential solution to this problem is to develop improved methods for embryo selection to permit single-embryo transfer. Identification of a noninvasive technique to assess embryo implantation potential in assisted reproduction would greatly increase success rates and lead to more efficient single-embryo transfer. The aim of this study was to assess whether there are metabolic differences among embryos produced by IVF and embryos obtained by parthenogenetic activation. Matured bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes were fertilized in vitro according to our standard procedures (Rubessa et al. 2011 Theriogenology 76, 1347–1355). Presumptive zygotes were placed in individual drops of 50 μL of SOF. Zygotes were incubated in a humidified mixture of 5% CO2, 6% O2, and 88% N2 in air at 39°C. For the parthenogenetic group, the oocytes were activated by 5 μM ionomycin in M199 + 10% FCS for 5 min, and incubation in 2 mM 6-DMAP in M199 + 10% FCS for 4 h. After 48 h, the zygotes were placed into WOW culture and the drops collected in tubes. The embryos were scored for quality on the basis of morphological criteria. Samples of media (40 μL) were added to 660 μL of a stock solution prepared by dissolving 5.0 mg of sodium 3-(trimethylsilyl)-2,2′,3,3′-tetradeuteropropionate in 50 mL of deuterium oxide. The sodium 3-(trimethylsilyl)-2,2′,3,3′-tetradeuteropropionate acted both as a chemical shift reference and as an internal standard for the purposes of quantitation. Samples were analysed on a Varian VNS-750 NB (750 MHz) spectrometer (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA). Data were statistically analysed with ANOVA using the Generalized Linear Model (GLM) procedure (SAS, version 9, 1999, SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA), where the independent variable was the sample (IVF or parthenogenetic embryos and control media without embryos). Tukey's post-hoc test was used to perform multiple comparisons. The P-level was set at 0.05. All data were expressed as quadratic means with standard error of the means. The results, reported in Table 1, show that there were no statistical differences between embryo metabolites with IVF or parthenogenetic activation when we evaluated lactate, formate, myo-inositol, and pyruvate. However, we can see that there are differences when we focused on acetate and citrate. Parthenogenetic embryos produced more citrate than IVF embryos. It is well known that the Krebs cycle produces one molecule of acetate for each molecule of citrate. The present results support that as well with the concentration of acetate being greater in parthenogenetic than in the IVF embryos. These results are a first step in identifying noninvasive, quantitative parameters that indicate which embryos may be the most viable before transfer. Table 1.Results (least squares means ± s.e.)
Cranial Anatomy and Taxonomy of Dolichorhynchops Bonneri New Combination, a Polycotylid (Sauropterygia: Plesiosauria) from the Pierre Shale of Wyoming and South Dakota

Abstract The taxonomic identity of two well-preserved polycotylid plesiosaur skeletons from the Pierre Shale of far northern Wyoming and southern South Dakota has been controversial since their discovery. Originally referred to Dolichorhynchops osborni, the material was almost immediately christened Trinacromerum bonneri Adams 1997; more recently the material has been referred to Polycotylus. Recent preparation of the well-preserved skull of one specimen permits detailed examination of the cranial morphology of this animal for the first time, and allows for its inclusion in a cladistic analysis of the Polycotylidae. This analysis reveals a stable sister-taxon relationship with Dolichorhynchops osborni. However, the taxon possesses a bewildering mosaic of character states, superficially resembling Polycotylus in overall size and tooth morphology and Trinacromerum in details of the palate and lower jaw, while sharing several critical synapomorphies with Dolichorhynchops osborni. This wide-ranging homoplasy ...
Meeting the Needs of Signers in the Field of Speech and Language Pathology: Some Considerations for Action

Deaf individuals who use American Sign Language (ASL) are rarely the focus of professionals in speech-language pathology. Although society is widely thought of in terms of those who speak, this norm is not all-inclusive. Many signing individuals exhibit disorders in signed language and need treatment much like their speaking peers. Although there is validation of the existence of disorders in signed language, provisions for signed language therapies are rare. Spoken language bias is explored with a focus on the concerning history of therapies provided for spoken language only. This article explores attitudes regarding ASL along with how signed language reading can help identify and treat language learning disabilities among deaf children. Addressing the topic of signed language disorders aims at meeting the needs of individuals who are deaf, which could lead to professional training and treatment options in signed language pathology (e.g., aphasia, stuttering).
The Edge of Violence: Towards Telling the Difference Between Violent and Non-Violent Radicalization

Radicalization is often seen as a first, prerequisite step along the road towards terrorism. Yet to be radical is merely to reject the status quo, and not necessarily in a problematic or violent way. In Part 1—“Radicals”—this article compares the backgrounds, ideologies, behaviours, and attitudes of a sample of “violent radicals” with both radical and “mainstream” non-violent sample groups. By finding both what the violent and non-violent samples share, and also what they do not, the article hopes to achieve a more adept discrimination of violent and non-violent radicalization. In Part 2—“Radicalization”—the article suggests that, in addition to being an intellectual, rational, and religious decision, becoming a terrorist is also an emotional, social, and status-conscious one.
Simulating Turbulent Flows in Complex Geometries

We discuss development of a numerical algorithm, and solver capable of performing large-eddy simulation (LES) in geometries as complex as the combustor of a gas-turbine engine. The algorithm is developed for unstructured grids, is non-dissipative, yet robust at high Reynolds numbers on highly skewed grids. Results from validation in simple geometries is shown along with simulation results in the exceedingly complex geometry of a Pratt & Whitney gas turbine combustor.© 2003 ASME
New 40Ar/39Ar isotopic dates from Miocene volcanic rocks in the Lake Mead area and southern Las Vegas Range, Nevada

New 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dates on volcanic rocks interlayered with synextensional Miocene sedimentary rocks in the western Lake Mead area and southern end of the Las Vegas Range provide tight constraints on magmatism, basin formation, and extensional deformation in the Basin and Range province of southern Nevada. Vertical axis rotations associated with movement along the Las Vegas Valley shear zone occurred after 15.67 ∠ 0.10 Ma (2σ), based on a 40 Ar/ 39 Ar date from a tuff in the Gass Peak formation in the southern Las Vegas Range. Basaltic magmatism in the western Lake Mead area began as early as 13.28 ∠ 0.09 Ma, based on a date from a basalt flow in the Lovell Wash Member of the Horse Spring Formation. Isotopic dating of a basalt from the volcanic rocks of Callville Mesa indicates that these rocks are as old as 11.41 ∠ 0.14 Ma, suggesting that volcanic activity began shortly after formation of the Boulder basin, the extensional basin in which the informally named red sandstone unit was deposited. The red sandstone unit is at least as old as 11.70 ∠ 0.08 Ma and contains megabreccia deposits younger than 12.93 ∠ 0.10 Ma. This result shows that formation of the Boulder basin was associated with development of topographic relief that was probably generated by movement along the Saddle Island low-angle normal fault. Stratal tilting associated with extension occurred both prior to and after 11.5 Ma.
A constant gradient planar accelerating structure for linac use

Planar accelerating millimeter-wave structures have been studied during the last few years at Argonne National Laboratory in collaboration with Technical University of Berlin. The cavity structures are intended to be manufactured by using X-ray lithography microfabrication technology. A complete structure consists of two identical planar half structures put together face-to-face. Since microfabrication technology can make a single-depth indentation on a planar substrate, realizing the constant impedance structure was possible but a constant gradient structure was difficult; changing the group velocity along the structure while maintaining the gap and the depth of the indentation constant was difficult. A constant gradient structure has been devised by introducing a cut between the adjacent cavity cells along the beam axis of each half structure. The width of the cut is varied along the longitudinal axis of the structure to have proper coupling between the cells. The result of the computer simulation on such structures is shown.
An automated tool for analyzing Petri nets using Spin

The Spin model checker is a system that has been used to model and analyze a large number of applications in several domains including the aerospace industry. One of the novelties of Spin is its relatively simple specification language, Promela, as well as the powerful abilities of the model checker. The Petri net notation is a mathematical tool for modeling various classes of systems, especially those that involve concurrency and parallelism. The Honeywell Domain Modeling Environment (DOME) is a tool that supports system design using a wide variety of modeling notations, including UML diagrams and Petri nets. We describe a tool that supports the use of the Spin model checker to analyze and verify Petri net specifications that have been constructed using the DOME tool. In addition to discussing the translation of Petri nets into Promela, we present several example Petri net specifications as well as their analysis using Spin.
Agnostically learning decision trees

We give a query algorithm for agnostically learning decision trees with respect to the uniform distribution on inputs. Given black-box access to an *arbitrary* binary function f on the n-dimensional hypercube, our algorithm finds a function that agrees with f on almost (within an epsilon fraction) as many inputs as the best size-t decision tree, in time poly(n,t,1e). This is the first polynomial-time algorithm for learning decision trees in a harsh noise model. We also give a *proper* agnostic learning algorithm for juntas, a sub-class of decision trees, again using membership queries. Conceptually, the present paper parallels recent work towards agnostic learning of halfspaces (Kalai et al, 2005); algorithmically, it is more challenging. The core of our learning algorithm is a procedure to implicitly solve a convex optimization problem over the L1 ball in 2n dimensions using an approximate gradient projection method.
Millimeter-wave radar sensing of airborne chemicals

This paper discusses the development of a millimeter-wave radar chemical sensor for applications in environmental monitoring and arms-control treaty verification. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of fingerprint-type molecular rotational signatures in the millimeter-wave spectrum to sense airborne chemicals. The millimeter-wave sensor, operating in the frequency range of 225-315 GHz, can work under all weather conditions and in smoky and dusty environments. The basic configuration of the millimeter-wave sensor is a monostatic swept-frequency radar that consists of a millimeter-wave sweeper, a hot-electron bolometer or Schottky barrier detector, and a corner-cube reflector. The chemical plume to be detected is situated between the transmitter/detector and reflector. Millimeter-wave absorption spectra of chemicals in the plume are determined by measuring the swept-frequency radar return signals with and without the plume in the beam path. The problem of pressure broadening, which hampered open-path spectroscopy in the past, has been mitigated in this paper by designing a fast sweeping source over a broad frequency range. The heart of the system is a backward-wave oscillator (BWO) tube that can be tuned over 220-350 GHz. Using the BWO tube, we built a millimeter-wave radar system and field-tested it at the Department of Energy Nevada Test Site, Frenchman Flat, near Mercury, NV, at a standoff distance of 60 m, The millimeter-wave system detected chemical plumes very well; detection sensitivity for polar molecules such as methylchloride was down to 12 ppm for a 4-m two-way pathlength.
Extended Longevity Lines of Drosophila melanogaster: Characterization of Oocyte Stages and Ovariole Numbers as a Function of Age and Diet

Vitellogenic and previtellogenic oocyte stages, as well as ovariole numbers, were characterized in the selected (O) lines of D. melanogaster that have been selected for late-life reproduction and extended longevity. On day 4 post-eclosion, O females had more ovarioles than control (B) females, but this difference diminished at older ages. From days 4 to 24, O females showed a marked increase in average vitellogenic oocyte stage, whereas this parameter did not increase in B females as they aged. The previtellogenic gradient of oocyte maturation declined in both B and O females. Specifically, terminal previtellogenic stages were lost with advancing age, and this loss occurred relatively gradually in O females regardless of food regime. Among the reproductive traits assessed, differential persistence of the previtellogenic gradient of maturation is most strongly associated with selected versus control line differences in longevity.
The principle of analytic continuation-how to use it?

The principle analytic continuation is used to generate broadband information from narrow band data. The given information can be theoretical data-points or measured data. The given data, as a function of frequency, is modeled as a ratio of two polynomials. The Cauchy method can be used in numerical electromagnetics, optics, to reduce the size of large databases.
Absorption Properties of Hybrid SnO2 Nanocrystal-Carbon Nanotube Structures

Tin oxide (SnO2) nanocrystals of a few nanometers are of great interest for electronic applications. Here we present a mini-arc plasma method to produce aerosol tin oxide nanocrystals at atmospheric pressure. The product SnO2 nanocrystals are then assembled onto the external surface of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to form hybrid SnO2–CNT structures. The absorption properties of both the SnO2 nanocrystals and the SnO2–CNT hybrid structures have been characterized. Quantum size effects have been observed for as-produced SnO2 nanocrystals. The intrinsic nanoparticle size selection during the assembly process results in a blue shift of the absorption spectrum for hybrid nanostructures.
Towards an approach for developing knowledge based systems for procedure-oriented operations

Operations which are primarily based on procedures and which are designed to monitor conformance to these procedures can be considered to be procedure-oriented. Workers or operators in such environments tend to replace the cumbersome procedures with informal heuristics which, while enabling them to achieve higher efficiency in their operations, also increase the possibility or errors as well as introduce inconsistencies in decision making among the operators. An approach incorporating methods of knowledge acquisition from procedures and methods of capturing, consolidating and modeling procedure-related heuristics can assist in the development of knowledge based systems which can both achieve the efficiency gains and minimize errors and inconsistencies. >
Diversity and Dissent in Science: Does Democracy Always Serve Feminist Aims?

Partly in response to feminist concerns about bias in science, there has been a recent trend towards viewing good science as democratic science (e.g., Kitcher 2001; Solomon 2001; Longino 2002). One similarity of these approaches is that democratic science is conceived of as what I will refer to as Millian science. Based on the epistemological views of John Stuart Mill (1859), ideal scientific communities are comprised of participants with diverse values who have equal authority in a ‘free marketplace of ideas’ to advocate for different research directions, theories, and interpretations of data. This model of science has been taken to be attractive from a feminist perspective insofar as it can help eliminate male-bias and explain the importance of feminist perspectives in science. Focusing on the work of Miriam Solomon (1994, 2001), and Helen Longino (1990, 2002), I argue that a Millian conception of democratic science cannot ultimately address several feminist concerns within philosophy of science. An alternative conception of democratic science is then offered.
Highly Scalable Raised Source/Drain InAs Quantum Well MOSFETs Exhibiting $I_{{\scriptstyle {\rm ON}}}=482~\mu{\rm A}/\mu{\rm m}$ at $I_{{\scriptstyle {\rm OFF}}}=100~{\rm nA}/\mu{\rm m}$ and $V_{\rm DD}=0.5~{\rm V}$

We report raised source/drain (S/D) InAs quantum well MOSFETs incorporating a vertical spacer formed by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition epitaxial regrowth. By adopting a 12-nm-thick vertical spacer between the channel and the ${\rm N}+{\rm S}/{\rm D}$ , off-state characteristics are significantly improved. A device with a 40-nm- $L_{g}$ and 12-nm-thick spacer shows 2.5- ${\rm mS}/\mu{\rm m}$ peak transconductance $(g_{m})$ , 86-mV/decade subthreshold swing at $V_{DS}=0.5~{\rm V}$ , 83-mV/V drain-induced barrier lowering, and 482- $\mu{\rm A}/\mu{\rm m}$ ON-current at 100- ${\rm nA}/\mu{\rm m}$ OFF-current and $V_{DD}=0.5~{\rm V}$ . In addition, a 3.0- ${\rm mS}/\mu{\rm m}$ peak $g_{m}$ at $V_{DS}=0.5~{\rm V}$ is achieved in an 18-nm- $L_{g}$ device with a 2-nm-thick spacer, the highest reported peak $g_{m}$ of any field-effect transistor.
The burden of hepatitis C to the United States Medicare system in 2009: Descriptive and economic characteristics.

The aim of this work was to estimate and describe the Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in 2009, incremental annual costs by disease stage, incremental total Medicare HCV payments in 2009 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked data covering the years 2002 to 2009. We weighted the 2009 SEER-Medicare data to create estimates of the number of patients with an HCV diagnosis, used an inverse probability-weighted two-part, probit, and generalized linear model to estimate incremental per patient per month costs, and used simulation to estimate annual 2009 Medicare burden, presented in 2014 dollars. We summarized patient characteristics, diagnoses, and costs from SEER-Medicare files into a person-year panel data set. We estimated there were 407,786 patients with diagnosed HCV in 2009, of whom 61.4% had one or more comorbidities defined by the study. In 2009, 68% of patients were diagnosed with chronic HCV only, 9% with cirrhosis, 12% with decompensated cirrhosis (DCC), 2% with liver cancer, 2% with a history of transplant, and 8% who died. Annual costs for patients with chronic infection only and DCC were higher than the values used in many previous cost-effectiveness studies, and treatment of DCC accounted for 63.9% of total Medicare's HCV expenditures. Medicare paid $2.7 billion (credible interval: $0.7-$4.6 billion) in incremental costs for HCV in 2009. Conclusions: The costs of HCV to Medicare in 2009 were substantial and expected to increase over the next decade. Annual costs for patients with chronic infection only and DCC were higher than values used in many cost-effectiveness analyses. (Hepatology 2016;63:1135–1144)
(Glycol-κO,O')nitros-yl(η-penta-methyl-cyclo-penta-dien-yl)ruthenium(II) bis-(tri-fluoro-methane-sulfonate).

The title compound, [Ru(C10H15)(NO)(HOCH2CH2OH)](CF3SO3)2, possesses a three-legged piano-stool geometry around the Ru atom, with an average Ru—O distance of 2.120 (6) A and an Ru—N—O angle of 159.45 (14)°. The ethyl­eneglycol ligand forms a non-planar metallacyclic ring by chelating the Ru atom via the O atoms. The O⋯O distances of 2.554 (2) and 2.568 (2) A are indicative of hydrogen bonding between coordinated ethyl­eneglycol and outer-sphere trifluoro­methane­sulfonate fragments. The crystal packing is stabilized by ionic forces and several CH3⋯·F (2.585 and 2.640 A) and CH3⋯O inter­actions (2.391, 2.678, 2.694 and 2.699 A) between the penta­methyl­cyclo­penta­dienyl ligand and trifluoro­methane­sulfonate anion. There is noticeable short inter­molecular contact [2.9039 (16) A], between an O atom of the SO3 group and a C atom of the penta­methyl­cyclo­penta­dienyl ligand.
Buckling of Axially loaded Cylindrical Panels

Buckling and post buckling behavior of axially loaded cylindrical shells is studied. Linear and nonlinear equations are solved by finite difference techniques. Eight boundary conditions that differ from those assumed in the classical solution are considered. It is shown that changes in the boundary conditions have a significant effect on both the linear buckling load and on the shape of the post buckling curve. Critical loads and buckling mode shapes are obtained for a wide range of shell curvature.
Comment on “Galilean invariance at quantum Hall edge”

In a recent paper by S. Moroz, C. Hoyos, and L. Radzihovsky [Phys. Rev. B 91, 195409 (2015)], it is claimed that the conductivity at low frequency $\ensuremath{\omega}$ and small wave vector $q$ along the edge of a quantum Hall system (that possesses Galilean invariance along the edge) contains a universal contribution of order ${q}^{2}$ that is determined by the orbital spin per particle in the bulk of the system, or alternatively by the shift of the ground state. (These quantities are known to be related to the Hall viscosity of the bulk.) In this Comment we calculate the real part of the conductivity, integrated over $\ensuremath{\omega}$, in this regime for the edge of a system of noninteracting electrons filling either the lowest, or the lowest $\ensuremath{\nu} (\ensuremath{\nu}=1,\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}2,...)$, Landau level(s), and show that the ${q}^{2}$ term is nonuniversal and depends on details of the confining potential at the edge. In the special case of a linear potential, a form similar to the prediction is obtained; it is possible that this corrected form of the prediction may also hold for fractional quantum Hall states in systems with special forms of interactions between electrons.
Design of Intelligent Multi-Parameter Measurement and control System Based in CAN Bus

An Intelligent multi-parameter measurement and control system,in which MAX125 is used to collect multi-parameter and CAN bus is used to realize data communication interface,is designed.The hardware structure,the data acquisition and CAN bus interface principle diagram,and CAN bus communication flow chart and the main C program sentences are given.This system has simple hardware components,and completes data transfer in the mode of network-communication through industry area network.It can meet the needs of modem measurement and control technology due to the implement of measuring various of parameters and controlling necessary parameters,such as temperature,humidity,pressure,flux,voltage,current,distance,speed,etc.
Analysis and measurement of structure and Debye-waller factors of graphene by electron diffraction

In this study the ratio of the(100) and(110) reflection intensities of graphene for analyzing the number of layers in graphene material was calculated.The results show that the number of layers can be deduced from electron diffraction patterns with examples involving single,double,and triple-layer graphene structures.I can also be deduced from their respective electron diffraction patterns that the Debye-Waller factors for single-layer,double-layer,and triple-layer graphene are 0.0462、0.0368,and 0.0372 nm2.
Leveraging Problem Classification in Online Meta-Cognition.

Open environments are characterized by their uncertainty and non-determinism. This poses an inevitable challenge to the construction of agents operating in such environments. The agents need to adapt their processing to available resources, deadlines, the goal criteria specified by the clients as well as their current problem solving context in order to survive. Our research focuses on constructing a meta-cognition framework that will enable agents to adapt to their dynamic environment. This will include deciding which environmental changes to address, how quickly they should be addressed and which of the different planning, scheduling and negotiation modes to use to address these changes. In this paper, we also describe how the classification of environmental changes plays a pivotal role in making the meta-level decisions.
What to Expect When Someone is Expecting For You: New Jersey Needs to Protect Parties to Gestational Surrogacy Agreements Following In Re T.J.S.

This Note disagrees with the New Jersey Supreme Court’s dismissal of gestational surrogacy agreements under the New Jersey Parentage Act, and it argues that legislation must be passed to enforce and regulate gestational carrier agreements and to alleviate the state’s public policy concerns.
Man of the Year

When Prime Minister Musaddiq visited New York in October, he had a splendid opportunity to present his nation’s case to the world. He took center stage during the Security Council debate, winning the sympathy of third world diplomats and of many Americans watching on television. He administered a public rebuke to Britain’s struggling Labour government just prior to its electoral defeat in late October.
User experience design considerations for healthcare games and applications

The use of games, simulations, and other applications is rapidly growing in the field of healthcare for purposes including training, education, and promoting wellness. However, a comprehensive literature review illustrates that there is often disconnect between content creators and the healthcare providers or patients who utilize their products, resulting in negative experiences and perceptions. This article uses current research to examine how efficacy of new media learning in a healthcare setting is affected by considerations such as design practices and users' attitudes. Exploring the design of healthcare games and applications through the lens of user experience, we are able to analyze current practices and develop specific design recommendations to improve future game-based scenarios.
Non-negative matrix factorization with sparseness constraints for credit risk assessment

As the most important tasks of a bank, assessment of credit card users is aimed to keep the risk of a credit loss low and to minimize costs of failure over risk groups. Credit risk assessment is an essential problem in finance. However, accessing credit risk is very difficult because many factors may contribute to the risk and their relationship is complicated to capture. Recent years have witnessed a growing trend in applying machine learning methods, such as SVM classifier, for credit risk analysis. SVM is a strong classifier that is effective in capturing nonlinear relationship in the data. However, high dimensional training data not only results in time-consuming computation but also affects the performance of the classifier. In this paper, we will adopt sparse non-negative matrix factorization to transform the data into lower dimensional space that will contribute to good performance in the credit risk classification. We test our method in a real-world credit risk prediction task, and our empirical results demonstrate the advantage of our method by comparing with other state of art methods.
Ring-down oscillation mode identification using multivariate Empirical Mode Decomposition

Inter-area oscillation in a large power systems draws much attention because it might severely influence system security and reduce transmission capability. The recent large-scale deployment of phasor measurement units (PMUs) enables online measurement-based monitoring and analysis on inter-area oscillatory modes. However, the nonstationary characteristics of measurements become obstacles for oscillation analysis. This work proposes multivariate empirical mode decomposition (MEMD), a multi-channel time frequency analysis method, for ring-down oscillation mode identification. The capability of the MEMD in oscillation mode identification is verified based on a test system. In addition, MEMD is compared with classical Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) for evaluation. The result shows that MEMD can improve oscillation identification through separating different oscillation modes while persevering their phase and amplitude information.
Caribe de Esteban Ramírez, una excusa visual para la marginalización del afrocostarricense

In recent decades, the Caribbean Space and the figure of the Afro-Costa Rican have become a creative seed that could well be interpreted as a celebration of the symbols of an oppressed space and ethnicity. A detailed study shows, however, that the proposals are nothing more than anecdotal, stereotypical, exotic. This supposed insertion of the Caribbean and Afro-Costa Rican rather excludes and eliminates any real insertion, thus consolidating the traditional hegemonic discourses on which the Central Valley’s nationalism is founded, presenting other spaces as exotic and foreign. Esteban Ramirez’s Caribe (2004) is written under this assumption, depicting the Caribbean as an exotic space and those who live there as nothing more than foreigners, external to any real, inclusive national discourse. This essay looks at how the introduction of the Caribbean and Afro-Costa Ricans in a situation that portrays them as part of the homeland and a disjunctive view of the Caribbean as both idyllic and barbaric reconstructs a sense of exoticism that demonstrates a fragmented contemporaneity. Through a fetishization of the Caribbean, the lines of hegemony related to the ethnic debate and national identity are repositioned to create what Jerome Branche (1999) called a “new consensus or ‘definition’ of reality ultimately aimed at maintaining the status quo” of the dominant class (Negrismo: hibridez cultural, 485).
A factor analysis model of sequences for language recognition

Joint factor analysis [1] application to speaker and language recognition advanced the performance of automatic systems in these areas. A special case of the early work in [1], namely the i-vector representation [2], has been applied successfully in many areas including speaker [2], language [3], and speech recognition [4]. This work presents a novel model which represents a long sequence of observations using the factor analysis model of shorter overlapping subsquences. This model takes into consideration the dependency of the adjacent latent vectors. It is shown that this model outperforms the current joint factor analysis approach based on the assumption of independent and identically distributed (iid) observations given one global latent vector. In addition, we replace the language-independent prior model of the latent vector in the i-vector model with a language-dependent prior model and modify the objective function used in the estimation of the factor analysis projection matrix and the prior model to correspond to the cross-entropy objective function estimated based on this new model. We derive also the update equations of the projection matrix and the prior model parameters which maximize the cross-entropy objective function. We evaluate the performance of our approach on the language recognition task of the robust automatic transcription of speech (RATS) project. Our experiments show improvements up to 11% relative using the proposed approach in terms of equal error rate compared to the standard approach of using an i-vector representation [2].
RELATIONSHIP OF BIOMARKERS OF OXIDIZED LIPOPROTEINS TO ETHNICITY, SUBCLINICAL ATHEROSCLEROSIS AND CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS OVER A 10.5 YEAR FOLLOW-UP IN THE DALLAS HEART STUDY

Background: We aimed to define the prevalence, racial distribution, and relationship to subclinical and clinical cardiovascular disease of biomarkers of oxidized lipoproteins in different racial groups. Methods: IgG and IgM autoantibodies to malondialdehyde(MDA)-LDL and apolipoprotein B-100- immune