cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exploring the optical properties of La2Hf2O7:Pr3+ nanoparticles under UV and X-ray excitation for potential lighting and scintillating applications

New optical materials with efficient luminescence and scintillation properties have drawn a great deal of attention due to the demand for optoelectronic devices and medical theranostics. Their nanomaterials are expected to reduce the cost while incrementing the efficiency for potential lighting and scintillator applications. In this study, we have developed praseodymium-doped lanthanum hafnate (La2Hf2O7:Pr3+) pyrochlore nanoparticles (NPs) using a combined co-precipitation and relatively low-temperature molten salt synthesis procedure. XRD and Raman investigations confirmed ordered pyrochlore phase for the as-synthesized undoped and Pr3+-doped La2Hf2O7 NPs. The emission profile displayed the involvement of both the 3P0 and 1D2 states in the photoluminescence process, however, the intensity of the emission from the 1D2 states was found to be higher than that from the 3P0 states. This can have a huge implication on the design of novel red phosphors for possible application in solid-state lighting. As a function of the Pr3+ concentration, we found that the 0.1%Pr3+ doped La2Hf2O7 NPs possessed the strongest emission intensity with a quantum yield of 20.54 ± 0.1%. The concentration quenching, in this case, is mainly induced by the cross-relaxation process 3P0 + 3H4 → 1D2 + 3H6. Emission kinetics studies showed that the fast decaying species arise because of the Pr3+ ions occupying the Hf4+ sites, whereas the slow decaying species can be attributed to the Pr3+ ions occupying the La3+ sites in the pyrochlore structure of La2Hf2O7. X-ray excited luminescence (XEL) showed a strong red-light emission, which showed that the material is a promising scintillator for radiation detection. In addition, the photon counts were found to be much higher when the NPs are exposed to X-rays when compared to ultraviolet light. Altogether, these La2Hf2O7:Pr3+ NPs have great potential as a good down-conversion phosphor as well as scintillator material.
Repeated-sampling inference

Much of the discussion regarding econometric analysis of endogenous relations centers around identification issues. In this chapter we review the complementary matter of inference. Exchangeability or symmetric dependence and de Finetti’s theorem lie at the heart of most (perhaps all) statistical inference. A simple binomial example illustrates.
The Effect of Obesity on Intergenerational Income Mobility

Obesity has increasingly become a national health concern of epidemic proportions. Recent Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data indicate that the national age-adjusted obesity prevalence reached an all-time high of 34 % in 2008, with more than 16 % of children and adolescents obese (Flegal et al. 2010). Overall, 68 % of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. Overweight and obese individuals are at increased risk of a range of medical conditions, including coronary heart disease, type-2 diabetes, cancer, sleep apnea, and reproductive dysfunction. Medical costs associated with overweight and obesity were $92.6 billion in 1998 and accounted for at least 9 % of all national health care spending (Finkelstein et al. 2003). More than 10 years later, the costs have surely increased with obesity’s increased prevalence. In addition to health care spending, obesity has many socioeconomic costs, with vast research detailing correlates between socioeconomic status (SES) and weight.
A Quantitative Analysis of Rating-scale Response Variability

A quantitative analysis of 3,863 rating-scale standard deviations from 259 independent studies investigated relationships between rating-scale response variability and eleven different scale, study participant, methodological, and substantive factors. Statistically significant relationships were obtained for eight of the relationships investigated. In general, number of rating-scale categories, mode of scale administration (self or other), and gender tended to be the most important moderators of response variability. When college students were study participants, type of study (survey or experiment) moderated response variability.
Understanding Inter-Annual Variability of PV Energy Production in the Contiguous United States

Year-to-year variability of photovoltaic (PV) generation is an important factor for project financing as well as for modeling the reliability and resource adequacy of power systems. In this work, we analyze inter-annual variability of PV generation across the contiguous United States using the National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB) from 1998 to 2014. We compare the estimated PV generation from the typical meteorological year (TMY) against the long-term mean, and find that on average the TMY tends to overpredict estimated PV production. However, we also found significant regional bias and spatial clustering in that comparison, such that there are many regional pockets of underprediction as well. Finally, we show that there is not a single year of data that most closely approximates a representative “resource year” for all regions of the United States. These results point to the need to understand inter-annual variability at individual sites and to be aware of the shortcomings of using TMY or a single year of data for project or grid modeling.
The Impact of Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Bundled Payment Program on Care Delivery.

Abstract Background Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) is a Medicare initiative to test the impact of holding a hospital accountable for services provided during an episode of care for a lower extremity joint arthroplasty on costs and quality. This study examines whether hospital participation in CJR is associated with having programs focused on improving posthospitalization care or reducing costs using a survey of orthopedic surgeons. Methods Seventy-three (of 104) orthopedic surgeon members of the Hip Society, a national professional organization of hip surgeons, completed the survey. Results Surgeons practicing in CJR hospitals were more likely to report that their hospital had implemented programs focused on improving posthospitalization care or reducing costs. Surgeons in CJR hospitals were significantly more likely to report that the hospital had a narrow network of skilled nursing facilities to enhance care and limit length of stay in skilled nursing facilities (83% vs 47%, P Conclusion Participation in CJR is associated with higher utilization of hospital practices aimed at improving postdischarge care and higher utilization of linking surgeon compensation to cost and quality.
Aflatoxin M in perspective.

The steps are presented from the discovery of aflatoxin M1 in the milk of a cow fed "toxic" peanut meal to the determination of its relation to aflatoxin B1 and the relation of aflatoxin M1 to other animal metabolites of aflatoxin B1. Estimates from controlled studies are given of the level and amount of aflatoxin M1 to be expected in the milk of cows exposed to aflatoxin B1 in their feed, followed by numerous survey results that corroborate the conclusion from the experimental estimates: levels of aflatoxin B1 in uncontrolled dairy ration ingredients are sufficiently high to result in measurable aflatoxin M1 ( > 0.1 ng/ml) in commercial milk supplies. Because the Food and Drug Administration has been unable to prevent occurrence of aflatoxin M1 in milk in the United States by attempting to control the feed, an administrative guideline has been established at 0.5 ppb for aflatoxin M1 in fluid milk products; consideration is being given to related guidelines for products manufactured from milk.
Burla y risa en “El celoso hasta la muerte” de Alonso de Castillo Solórzano

Abstract This article explores the function of mockery and laughter in the short novel “El celoso hasta la muerte” by Alonso de Castillo Solorzano. I interpret this text as a “novela de burlas” or comic novella, a specific type of narrative in which mockery is a central device. The analysis pays close attention to the mechanism of the “canned laughter” that reveals the function of ridicule and the role of both the victim as scapegoat and his victimizers. At the end, this short novel reflects the literary sensitivity of the aristocratic audience to whom it is addressed: a small group of noble families and friends that the author met during his stay in Valencia.
In situ high-pressure synchrotron x-ray diffraction study of Zr 2 ( WO 4 ) ( PO 4 ) 2 up to 16 GPa

The negative thermal-expansion material ${\text{Zr}}_{2}({\text{WO}}_{4}){({\text{PO}}_{4})}_{2}$ adopts the orthorhombic ${\text{Sc}}_{2}{({\text{WO}}_{4})}_{3}$ structure under ambient conditions. Synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction was used to study its behavior on compression in a diamond-anvil cell up to 16 GPa. Three crystalline-to-crystalline phase transitions were observed. The material was orthorhombic $(Pnca)$ in the pressure range 0.0--1.37 GPa, monoclinic between 1.68 and 3.7 GPa, monoclinic with a different structure between 3.7 and 6.3 GPa, and triclinic between 7.4 and 14 GPa. Bulk moduli for these phases were estimated using a Birch-Murnaghan equation of state to be 49(2), 17(1), 37(1), and 76(7) GPa, respectively. The first two phase transitions were reversible on decompression. Irreversible partial amorphization was observed above 14 GPa. This sequence of phase transitions, and the pressure at which the first transition occurs, is significantly different from that previously observed for ${A}_{2}{(M{\text{O}}_{4})}_{3}$ ($A$ is any $+3$ ion, $M$ is Mo or W) compounds that adopt a ${\text{Sc}}_{2}{({\text{WO}}_{4})}_{3}$ structure under ambient conditions.
Neural circuitry of social learning in Drosophila requires multiple inputs to facilitate inter-species communication.

Drosophila species communicate the threat of parasitoid wasps to naive individuals. Communication of the threat between closely related species is efficient, while more distantly related species exhibit a dampened, partial communication. Partial communication between D. melanogaster and D. ananassae about wasp presence is enhanced following a period of cohabitation, suggesting that species-specific natural variations in communication 'dialects' can be learned through socialization. In this study, we identify six regions of the Drosophila brain essential for dialect training. We pinpoint subgroups of neurons in these regions, including motion detecting neurons in the optic lobe, layer 5 of the fan-shaped body, the D glomerulus in the antennal lobe, and the odorant receptor Or69a, where activation of each component is necessary for dialect learning. These results reveal functional neural circuits that underlie complex Drosophila social behaviors, and these circuits are required for integration several cue inputs involving multiple regions of the Drosophila brain.
The relationship of atrial fibrillation and tricuspid annular dilation to late tricuspid regurgitation in patients with degenerative mitral repair.

Abstract Objectives Guidelines do not address preoperative atrial fibrillation when considering adding tricuspid annuloplasty to mitral surgery. Our purpose was to determine the occurrence of late tricuspid regurgitation in patients with less than moderate tricuspid regurgitation undergoing surgery for degenerative mitral regurgitation and the importance of atrial fibrillation and tricuspid annular dilation. Methods From 2004 to 2017, 1021 patients underwent surgery for degenerative mitral regurgitation; 869 (85%) had less than moderate tricuspid regurgitation, and 846 (97%) underwent repair. Preoperative atrial fibrillation was present in 199 patients and ablated in 194 patients (97%). Tricuspid annular diameter was measured in 657 of 869 patients (76%). Results For patients who did not receive tricuspid annuloplasty, recurrent moderate or more late tricuspid regurgitation was 8% (45/576) in the no atrial fibrillation group and 25% (38/154) in the atrial fibrillation group (P Conclusions Preoperative atrial fibrillation is an important risk factor for late tricuspid regurgitation despite concomitant ablation surgery. Tricuspid annular dilation was not associated with late tricuspid regurgitation until the annulus was 45 mm or greater. Progression to moderate or greater tricuspid regurgitation was associated with an increase in late mortality.
Identification of toxicity effects of Cu2O materials on C. elegans as a function of environmental ionic composition

Previous work has shown that spherical CuO nanomaterials show negative effects on cell and animal physiology. The biological effects of Cu2O materials, which possess unique chemical features compared to CuO nanomaterials and can be synthesized in a similarly large variety of shapes and sizes, are comparatively less studied. Here, we synthesized truncated octahedral Cu2O particles and characterized their structure, stability, and physiological effects in the nematode worm animal model, Caenorhabditis elegans. Cu2O particles were found to be generally stable in aqueous media, although the particles did show signs of oxidation and leaching of Cu2+ within hours in worm growth media. The particles were found to be especially sensitive to inorganic phosphate (PO43−) found in standard NGM nematode growth medium. Cu2O particles were observed being taken up into the nematode pharynx and detected in the lumen of the gut. Toxicity experiments revealed that treatment with Cu2O particles caused a significant reduction in animal size and lifespan. These toxic effects resembled treatment with Cu2+, but measurements of Cu leaching, worm size, and long-term behavior experiments show the particles are more toxic than expected from Cu ion leaching alone. These results suggest worm ingestion of intact Cu2O particles enhances their toxicity and behavior effects while particle exposure to environmental phosphate precipitates leached Cu2+ into biounavailable phosphate salts. Interestingly, the worms showed an acute avoidance of bacterial food with Cu2O particles, suggesting that animals can detect chemical features of the particles and/or their breakdown products and actively avoid areas with them. These results will help to understand how specific, chemically-defined particles proposed for use in polluted soil and wastewater remediation affect animal toxicity and behaviors in their natural environment.
Intraneural Peroneal Ganglion Cyst Excision in a Pediatric Patient: A Case Report.

CASE A 14-year-old female presented with a profound foot drop after trauma to the right leg. Clinical examination and electrodiagnostic studies demonstrated a dense palsy of the common peroneal nerve. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intraneural peroneal ganglion cyst at the fibular neck. Surgical treatment included decompression and transection of the articular branch to the proximal tibiofibular joint. At the 1-year follow-up, the patient demonstrated complete recovery of peroneal nerve function. CONCLUSIONS This case demonstrates a rare finding of a pediatric intraneural peroneal ganglion cyst. The presentation and treatment is well-documented and adds depth to the literature on a sparsely reported condition.
Incidence of recurrent intussusception in young children: A nationwide readmissions analysis

Abstract Background/Purpose Recurrent intussusception following successful nonoperative reduction has previously been reported with a frequency of 8%–12% based on data from individual institutions. Meanwhile, the timing of discharge after successful reduction continues to be debated. Here, we evaluate readmissions for recurrent intussusception in young children using a large-scale national database. Methods The National Readmissions Database (2010–2014) was queried to identify young children (age Results We identified 8289 children diagnosed with intussusception during an index admission. These patients received definitive treatment with nonoperative reduction alone (43%), surgical reduction (42%), or bowel resection (15%). Readmission for recurrent intussusception was required for 3.7% of patients managed with nonoperative reduction alone, 2.3% of patients that underwent surgical reduction, and 0% of those that underwent bowel resection. Median time to readmission was 4 days after nonoperative reduction, and only 1.5% of these patients experienced recurrence within 48 h of discharge. Conclusions Recurrent intussusception may be substantially less common than previously reported. Our findings support the practice of discharge shortly after successful nonoperative reduction. Type of study Retrospective, prognosis study. Level of evidence III.
The Effects of Disability Awareness Trainings with Career and Technical Educators Teaching in High Need Rural Schools

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a series of disability awareness workshops and their effects on rural career and technical education teachers who have students wit...
UMA UNIVERSIDADE DO FUTURO SEM HUMANIDADES

A funcao especifica que as ciencias humanas poderiam ter na universidade seria o que eu chamo de pensamento de risco. E o que quero dizer com pensamento de risco? Quero dizer primeiro, e muito inspirado por Wilhelm von Humboldt, que se trata de um pensamento que produz perguntas e nao respostas, e que faz o mundo parecer mais complexo e menos orientado para solucoes. O pensamento de risco produz visoes de mundo alternativas em vez de alimentar as visoes de mundo ja existentes. Em vez de reduzir a complexidade, o pensamento de risco tende a aumenta-la, criando novos problemas.
Enhanced acoustic transmission through a slanted grating

It is known that an acoustic wave incident on an infinite array of aligned rectangular blocks of a different acoustic material exhibits total transmission if certain conditions are met which relate the unique “intromission” angle of incidence with the geometric and material properties of the slab. This extraordinary acoustic transmission phenomenon holds for any thickness of the slab, making it analogous to a Brewster effect in optics, and is independent of frequency as long as the slab microstructure is sub-wavelength. Here, we show that the enhanced transmission effect can be obtained in a slab with parallel grating elements oriented obliquely to the slab normal. The dependence of the intromission angle θi is given explicitly in terms of the orientation angle. Total transmission is also achieved at incidence angle -θi although there is a relative phase shift between the transmitted amplitudes of the +θi and −θi cases. These effects are easily understood when the grating elements are rigid. In particular, any angle of intromission can be obtained by with thin rigid elements by orienting them to the desired value of θi.
How widowhood status relates to engagement in advance care planning among older adults: does race/ethnicity matter?

This study investigated whether and to what extent widowhood status is related to engagement in advance care planning (ACP), and further whether race/ethnicity moderated the relation. We analyzed a...
Using a Video Feedback Intervention Package to Improve Affective Empathy Skills for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Impairments in empathic responding are related to decreased social interactions and fewer friendships for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Teaching adolescents to respond empathetically during conversation may promote the development of healthy social relationships. The current study examined the effectiveness of an affective empathy video feedback intervention package to teach empathic communication to four adolescents with ASD (11–14 years old) using a multiple baseline across participants design. Two out of the four participants met mastery criterion, maintained empathy skills up to 4 weeks after intervention, and generalized empathy to a different conversational partner. Effects and implications of the intervention and results are discussed as well as future directions for research.
Action, Knowledge, and Representation

In this paper I seek to decompose the concept of basic actions in such a way that its philosophical components crystallize about one pole, and its scientific ones about the other. No doubt the scientific components will have a philosophical importance, but it will differ considerably from the philosophical importance basic actions themselves were originally believed to have. The latter derived from the pivotal role basic actions were cast to play in a massive restructuring of the mind-body relationship along lines which promised to re-unite bodies with minds and ourselves with both: to restore to an ontological unity what had been sundered by cartesian dialysis. That counter-cartesian program I now believe to have failed definitively, and its collapse, which I mean to demonstrate, entails the demolition of the concept of basic actions, at least so far as its hopeful philosophical significance is concerned. I hasten to mute this dour assessment, however: Descartes does not survive altogether the confounding of his rivals, only his distinctions do. But this does not compel us to follow him in housing the terms of the distinction in logically alien substances.
Granuloma annulare arising in herpes zoster scars: Report of two cases and review of the literature

We present two patients who developed granuloma annulare in the scars from previous herpes zoster. The development of granuloma annulare in herpes zoster scars may represent an atypical delayed hypersensitivity immune reaction to herpes zoster/varicella virus antigen(s) or a tissue antigen altered by the virus.
Immunoglobulin and T cell receptor gene configuration in acute lymphoblastic leukemia of infancy

We examined immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy chain, K light chain, and T cell receptor (TCR) gamma and beta gene configuration in the leukemic cells from a series of infants aged less than 1 year with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Each of these 11 cases demonstrated leukemic cell surface antigens that have been correlated with a B cell precursor phenotype. Of the 11, lymphoblasts of 4 retained the germline configuration of both Ig and TCR loci, whereas 7 had rearranged the Ig heavy chain gene. Two of these seven showed light chain gene rearrangement. TCB beta chain rearrangement had occurred in only one of the 11 patients' tumors. No TCR gamma chain rearrangements were identified. These results are in contrast to earlier studies of B cell precursor ALL in children in which Ig heavy chain gene rearrangements were evident in every case and approximately 40% showed Ig light chain rearrangement as well. In addition, 45% of cases of B cell precursor ALL of children had rearranged their gamma TCR genes, and 20% had rearranged beta. These data suggest that ALL in infancy represents an earlier stage of B cell development than is found in B cell precursor ALL of children. ALL in the infant age group has been associated with the worst prognosis of all patients with ALL. This study suggests that the disease in infants differs not only clinically, but also at the molecular genetic level, from the disease in children.
Interactions of Phenylalanyl Transfer Ribonucleic Acid Synthetase of Neurospora crassa with Valyl Transfer Ribonucleic Acid of Escherichia coli

Abstract Since Phe-tRNA synthetase of Neurospora crassa reacts with tRNAval of Escherichia coli to produce Phe-tRNAval, the parameters that effect the reverse reaction were examined. Similarly, the interaction of Val-tRNA synthetase (E. coli) with Phe-tRNAval and Val-tRNAval (E. coli) was studied. Phe-tRNA synthetase (N. crassa) can catalyze the deacylation of both Phe-tRNAval (E. coli) and Val-tRNAval (E. coli), although the mechanism of deacylation is different in the two cases since the presence of AMP and PPi is required only for the former. In contrast, Val-tRNA synthetase (E. coli) can deacylate Val-tRNAval but not Phe-tRNAval. Val-tRNA synthetase may actually inhibit the nonenzymatic deacylation of Phe-tRNAval. Unfractionated tRNA (N. crassa) markedly inhibits the aminoacylation of tRNAval (E. coli) catalyzed by Phe-tRNA synthetase (N. crassa). The inhibition appears to result from a competition between tRNA (N. crassa) and tRNAval (E. coli) for binding site (or sites) on Phe-tRNA synthetase.
â Institutions, Intersections, and Women (of Color) Legislators: How Race/Ethnicity and Gender Inform Office Holding across the States.â

The study of women state legislators in the United States is a well developed field of inquiry, and we have made substantial progress towards understanding their presence, electability, and behavior in legislatures across the country. However, we are just beginning to ask how race interacts with gender in terms of female legislators. Currently, 18.4% of female state legislators are women of color, serving in as few as four legislatures for Native American women to as many as thirty-seven state legislatures for black women. This raises a few questions: What explains the range of their presence in legislatures across the fifty states? This paper offers an initial answer to those questions by analyzing the presence of white women and women of color in U.S. state legislatures. Using data from four points in time (1990, 1995, 2000, and 2005), I provide a general outline of the main factors that assist us in explaining the presence of white women versus women of color in state legislatures. What I find is that institutions matter for white women, but not as much for women of color legislators.
COMPUTER-AIDED BRIDGE DESIGN

A computer system to aid highway bridge designers is described. The system integrates data manipulation, analysis, and partly-to-fully automated design routines for short-span bridges. The system is characterized by the flexibility it allows the engineer in specifying the parameters associated with design. Depending on the amount and type of input specified, the design process ranges from completely automatic design for the structure that has been completely specified. All design processes are requested by the designer using simple commands written in a language normally used by the engineer. Present capabilities include highway geometry definition, design and analysis of concrete decks, and the design and analysis of simple and continuous steel, plate girder, or rolled section (with or without cover plates) composite or noncomposite bridges.
Experiments on Document Composition

This research aims at understanding the human factors of document composition, particularly as they relate to future office systems. Methods studied include handwriting, dictating to a machine, speaking, and invisible writing. The note is a prediction (prepared May, 1978) of an invited talk to be given in October, 1978 at the annual Human Factors Society meeting.
Global Modeling of Storm‐Time Thermospheric Dynamics and Electrodynamics

Understanding the neutral dynamic and electrodynamic response of the upper atmosphere to geomagnetic storms, and quantifying the balance between prompt penetration and disturbance dynamo effects, are two of the significant challenges facing us today. This paper reviews our understanding of the dynamical and electrodynamic response of the upper atmosphere to storms from a modeling perspective. After injection of momentum and energy at high latitude during a geomagnetic storm, the neutral winds begin to respond almost immediately. The high-latitude wind system evolves quickly by the action of ion drag and the injection of kinetic energy; however, Joule dissipation provides the bulk of the energy source to change the dynamics and electrodynamics globally. Impulsive energy injection at high latitudes drives large-scale gravity waves that propagate globally. The waves transmit pressure gradients initiating a change in the global circulation. Numerical simulations of the coupled thermosphere, ionosphere, plasmasphere, and electrodynamic response to storms indicate that although the wind and waves are dynamic, with significant apparent "sloshing" between the hemispheres, the net effect is for an increased equatorward wind. The dynamic changes during a storm provide the conduit for many of the physical processes that ensue in the upper atmosphere. For instance, the increased meridional winds at mid latitudes push plasma parallel to the magnetic field to regions of different composition. The global circulation carries molecular rich air from the lower thermosphere upward and equatorward, changing the ratio of atomic and molecular neutral species, and changing loss rates for the ionosphere. The storm wind system also drives the disturbance dynamo, which through plasma transport modifies the strength and location of the equatorial ionization anomaly peaks. On a global scale, the increased equatorward meridional winds, and the generation of zonal winds at mid latitudes via the Coriolis effects, produce a current system opposing the normal quiet-time Sq current system. At the equator, the storm-time zonal electric fields reduce or reverse the normal upward and downward plasma drift on the dayside and nightside, respectively. In the numerical simulations, on the dayside, the disturbance dynamo appears fairly uniform, whereas at night a stronger local time dependence is apparent with increased upward drift between midnight and dawn. The simulations also indicate the possibility for a rapid dynamo response at the equator, within 2 h of storm onset, before the arrival of the large-scale gravity waves. All these wind-driven processes can result in dramatic ionospheric changes during storms. The disturbance dynamo can combine and interact with the prompt penetration of magnetospheric electric fields to the equator.
Carotenoid Pigments of Mycobacterium kansasii

Partitioned between aqueous methanol and petroleum ether, the unsaponifiable pigments of Mycobacterium kansasii were all epiphasic. Thin-layer chromatography of these carotenoids showed that M. kansasii formed at least nine pigments. These pigments were identified by their chromatographic properties and spectral characteristics as phytoene, ζ-carotene, neurosporene, lycopene, leprotene, γ-carotene, δ-carotene, α-carotene, and β-carotene. Three additional pigmented spots on thin-layer chromatography found in trace amounts were possibly degradation products of the major carotenoids.
Derivation of Field Equations from the Principle of the Fermionic Projector

With the concept of "discrete space-time" the space-time continuum is resolved into discrete points at the scale of the Planck length. We postulate with the "principle of the fermionic projector" that physical equations must be formulated intrinsically in discrete space-time with the projector on fermionic states. This principle combines the Pauli principle, a local gauge principle and the principle of relativity, but does not include a locality or causality principle. It is shown that a well-established limit yields the structure of a Lorentzian manifold. The equations of discrete space-time reduce to classical field equations. This preliminary text is intended as introduction. Detailed calculations can be obtained from the author on request.
Karate in Business School? This Is Not Your Father's Black Belt

[This abstract is based on the author's abstract.]An overview is presented of leverage used in an existing MBA curriculum to prepare students to certify as Six Sigma Black Belts through ASQ. Given the complexity of the ASQ's SSBB body of knowledge, the ..
An Integrated View of the One-Health Movement: The Oneness of Human Health.

Review of : One Health—People, Animals, and the Environment ; Ronald M. Atlas and Stanley Maloy (ed.); (2014). American Society for Microbiology Press, Washington, DC. 318 pages.
Polycystic disease of the liver, with unusual cholecystographic manifestations. Report of a case.

Summary A case is presented in which polycystic disease of the liver produced extrinsic pressure on the gall bladder, causing distortion and irregularity of its outline.
Management of Facial Paralysis with Jump Interposition Graft Hypoglossal-Facial Anastomosis with Gold Lid Weight

Until 1990, we managed irreversible facial nerve paralysis with “classical” hypoglossal-facial anastomosis, lateral canthoplasty, and electromyographic (EMG) biofeedback rehabilitation [1–4], The classical or standard hypoglossal-facial anastomosis utilized a completely transected ipsilateral hypoglossal nerve for facial reinnervation. Substantial facial rehabilitation in 48 patients was achieved, especially in terms of strong facial muscle tone and symmetry at rest exclusive of the forehead region.
Technical communique: Model reduction of periodic systems: a lifting approach

This note furthers existing results on the model reduction of stable periodic systems. It utilizes for that matter a lifting technique to potentially attain less conservative error bounds.
A machine and configuration independent Fortran: Portable Fortran {PFortran}

Describes the design of a programming language suitable for writing portable, machine independent programs. Based on Fortran, and implemented at the lowest level by means of subprograms, this language (PFortran) provides features which allow programs to be designed so as to be rather insensitive to computer architecture (byte versus word addressable) or to main memory size.
Caregiving Around the Clock: How Women in Nursing Manage Career and Family Demands

Nursing is considered a woman friendly profession; however, career advancement in nursing, as in other fields, is predicated on masculine models of promotion, making mobility difficult for working mothers. To learn more about how women negotiate caregiving responsibilities at home and at work, focus groups were conducted with 26 ethnically and socioeconomically diverse registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, and aides. Three themes emerged from these discussions: tension between the value nurses assigned to paid caregiving and societal devaluation of this work; "costs " of paid caring and emotional labor on family life; and the presence of both obstacles to and opportunities for career advancement. Caregiving experiences were shaped by professional status. Implications for women's well being and career advancement are discussed.
Nondipole Optical Scattering from Liquids and Nanoparticles

Nondipolar contribution to optical scattering in liquids and nanoparticle suspensions has been discerned for the first time from the dominant electric dipole scattering by assigning the observed polarization and azimuthal angular distribution of scattered polarized light to pure magnetic dipole and/or electric quadrupole radiation and ruling out other (the impurity of laser polarization, multiple scattering, optical activity, and optical anisotropy) explanations. The observed scattering has potential use in the optical study of nanoparticles.
Time-additive representations of preferences when consumption grows without bound

Abstract Koopmans' classic theorem on the representation of intertemporal preference orders by time-additively separable utility functions is inapplicable to economies where consumption streams grow without bound. This paper provides a ‘Koopmans-like’ theorem for the case of unbounded consumption growth. Feasible consumption streams obey an asymptotic growth condition, growing in the limit no faster than an arbitrary, fixed reference stream.
Late Eocene Rodent radiations: North America, Europe and Asia

Abstract A review of the middle Eocene through earlyOligocene history of rodents in North America, Europe and Asia shows different developments in the three areas. In the late Eocene of North America three new families and seven genera of uncertain familial position show considerable morphological diversity and experimentation in zygomasseteric structure and cheek tooth pattern. The European record documents endemism through the middle and late Eocene, with considerable generic diversity at the end of the Eocene within the pseudosciurids and theridomyids. The Asian record, less completely known, shows an Asian origin for the ctenodactylids, presence of an hystricomorphous group with possible ischyromyidcylindrodontid affinities, presence of the oldest known cricetid in the late Eocene, and some endemism but also probable North American contact in the late eocene and Oligocene.
A New Constitutive Model in the Theory of Plasticity—Part I: Theory

By proposing two rules to regulate the movement of the yield surface, this paper develops a new kinematic hardening model in the theory of plasticity. A closed-form general solution is obtained in the case of linear stress paths, material response under cyclic loadings is discussed, and various tube problems are solved to demonstrate the model.
Men's experiences of physical exams and cancer screening tests: a qualitative study.

Abstract Background American men have lower overall rates of cancer screening than women. This study was designed to elicit men's health care experiences and knowledge of testicular, prostate, and colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Methods Fifty-three men participated in eight physician-led semistructured focus groups in Rhode Island and New Hampshire. Four groups (ages 18–35; N = 20) discussed testicular cancer screening. Four groups of older men (ages 40–79; N = 33) discussed prostate and colorectal cancer screening. Results Men in this study prefer physicians who establish interpersonal relationships with male patients. Lack of explanations during physical exams resulted in negative experiences. Men were eager to learn more about their health, but commonly complained that they received neither appropriate cancer screening nor sufficient explanations from their physicians. When PSA screening was offered, discussion was often inadequate. Although men expressed interest in participating in the PSA decision, sole responsibility for this complex decision was seen as undesirable. These men desired more discussion and better sources of health information during medical encounters. Conclusions Clinician attention to communication, relationship building, patient education, and consideration for patient privacy and modesty are important for the care of male patients especially with sensitive exams and topics important to men's cancer screening.
Changes in pelvic conformation and peripheral estrone concentrations in pre- and post-partum beef cows.

An ¢xpcrlment was conducted to mvesugate the temporal relauonsh~p of peripheral estron¢ (El) concentrauon to changes m the slze of the pelvlc opening preceding and immedlately following parturition Twenty-slx multiparous beef cows were observed from approxlmately 50 d prepartum to 7 d postpartum Blood samples were collected at 7 d intervals preceding calving and at I, 3 and 7 d following for El quantltauon Estimates of pelvlc opening area were made at the ume of blood sampling Perlpheral E, concentrations were elevated beginning at approxlmately 25 d prepartum Dams bearing male fetuses had greater (P<O 01) concentrauons of E~ than dld dams wlth female fetuses Calf b~rth weight was correlated (r ---- 0 44, P<O 01) wlth E, levels from 10 d prepartum through parturiuon Postpartum pelvlc area was greater for cows gwmg birth to male calves, wlth no slgmficant differences for calf blrth welghts by sex Correlations were observed between E~ concentrauon, and pelwc area measured from 50 d prepartum to 7 d postpartum (r = 0 26, P<O 01), I0 d prepartum to calwng (r = 0 42, P<O 01), and from calving to 7 d postpartum (r = 0 33, P<O 01) Percentage increase m E~ concentration from 50 d prepartum to calwng was stgmficantly correlated (r = 0 75, P<O 0 I) to percentage pelwc area increase over the same pcrlod A correlauon also exists Imtween maternal E~ concentratmns and fetal sex and pclwc area In summary, the increased estrogen concentrauons m cows wlth male calves may fac~htate pelvic spread, resulting m a larger pelwc opening
Microinjection of muscimol into entopeduncular nucleus suppresses pilocarpine but not maximal electroshock seizures in rats

Microinjection of muscimol (406 pmol) into the rat entopeduncular nucleus, the analogue of the primate globus pallidus pars interna, significantly suppressed pilocarpine but not maximal electroshock seizures in a spatially specific manner. In contrast to its lack of efficacy in the entopeduncular nucleus, microinjection of muscimol into the substantia nigra suppressed maximal electroshock seizures. These findings suggest that the neural networks and/or the neurotransmitters that subserve the propagation of pilocarpine and maximal electroshock seizures differ with regard to the entopeduncular nucleus. The data also underscore the powerful regulatory role of the substantia nigra in diverse models of seizures.
Superconductivity in the A15 structure

Abstract The cubic A15 structure metals, with over 60 distinct member compounds, held the crown of highest Tc superconductor starting in 1954 with the discovery of Tc = 18 K in Nb3Sn. Tc increased over the next 20 years until the discovery in 1973 of Tc = 22.3 K (optimized to ≈23 K a year later) in sputtered films of Nb3Ge. Attempts were made to produce – via explosive compression – higher (theorized to be 31–35 K) transition temperatures in not-stable-at-ambient-conditions A15 Nb3Si. However, the effort to continue the march to higher Tc’s in A15 Nb3Si only resulted in a defect-suppressed Tc of 19 K by 1981. Focus in superconductivity research partially shifted with the advent of heavy Fermion superconductors (CeCu2Si2, UBe13, and UPt3 discovered in 1979, 1983 and 1984 respectively) and further shifted away from A15’s with the discovery of the perovskite structure cuprate superconductors in 1986 with Tc = 35 K. However, the A15 superconductors – and specifically doped Nb3Sn – are still the material of choice today for most applications where high critical currents (e.g. magnets with dc persistent fields up to 21 T) are required. Thus, this article discusses superconductivity, and the important physical properties and theories for the understanding thereof, in the A15’s which held the record Tc for the longest time (32 years) of any known class of superconductor since the discovery of Tc = 4.2 K in Hg in 1911. The discovery in 2008 of Tc = 38 K at 7 kbar in A15 Cs3C60 (properly a member of the fullerene superconductor class), which is an insulator at 1 atm pressure and otherwise also atypical of the A15 class of superconductors, will be briefly discussed.
Inoculant effects on alfalfa nodulation

Abstract Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) does not grow as well as it used to in areas of Canada and northwestern United States. Affected plants have nitrogen (N)‐deficiency symptoms, few or no nodules, and respond to N fertilizer. For lack of a good explanation, such plants are called “sick”;. Six commercial inoculant products were tested with alfalfa grown on cores of eight soils in which alfalfa establishment and stand duration have been problems, to determine if inoculant quality influenced development of any sick‐alfalfa symptoms. Percentages of nodulated plants ranged from 35 to 82 after 5 to 8 weeks’ growth, and corresponded closely with estimated rhizobia numbers in the products. Dry forage yields were not closely related to percentage nodulation, however, because of residual soil N levels that supported seedling growth. Inoculant products containing inadequate numbers of rhizobia to promptly and effectively nodulate plants resulted in poor nodulation that may lead to establishment failure or sparse, ...
Quantized voltage plateaus in Josephson-junction arrays: A numerical study

We study numerically the quantized voltage plateaus in an N\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}N array of resistively shunted Josephson junctions subjected to a combined dc and ac applied current ${\mathit{I}}_{\mathrm{dc}}$+${\mathit{I}}_{\mathrm{ac}}$sin(2\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\nu}t), and a transverse magnetic field equal to p/q==f flux quanta per plaquette (p and q relatively prime integers). With periodic transverse boundary conditions, we find plateaus at all voltages satisfying 〈V〉=nNh\ensuremath{\nu}/(2eq), where n is an integer, and the angular brackets 〈...〉 denote a time average. With free transverse boundary conditions, additional steps at 〈V〉=Nh\ensuremath{\nu}/(4eq) sometimes appear. For f=1/5 and 2/5, we study the motion of the vortex lattice on the steps. At both fields, on every step, the lattice moves an integer number of array lattice constants per cycle of the ac field. For both zero and finite applied transverse magnetic field, the width of the steps varies sinusoidally with ${\mathit{I}}_{\mathrm{ac}}$, in a manner reminiscent of that seen in single Josephson junctions. At a given field and current, the steps ``melt'' at a temperature no higher than the transition temperature of the underlying array at the same field and zero current. On the steps, the time-dependent voltage across the array has strong harmonics at multiples of the fundamental frequency. Off the steps, the power spectrum of the voltage has an apparently broad band with possible subharmonic structure.
Hydrologic Setting, Occurrence, and Significance of Gypsum in Late Quaternary Salt Lakes, South Australia: ABSTRACT

Well-exposed, commonly laminated gypsum sequences occur in many Quaternary salt lakes in southern South Australia. The gypsum in the salt lakes is classified by increasing grain size into gypsite, gypsarenite, and selenite. The salt lakes are classified by age and hydrologic setting into (1) coastal salinas which are Holocene seawater-fed ground water lakes, and (2) continental playas which are late Pleistocene endorheic basins. A study of the relations between coastal salina hydrology and the associated gypsum deposition has shown that different types of gypsum form under distinct hydrologic regimes. As the hydrology above a coastal salina depositional surface changes through time, so does the type of gypsum deposited. Application of a gypsum depositional model derived f om a study of the coastal salina gypsum to those parts of a continental-playa gypsum unit where deposition is no longer occurring confirms the applicability of the model to non-salina gypsum deposits. End_of_Article - Last_Page 640------------
Understanding Women's Sexualities and Sexual Orientations: An Introduction

Researchers and theorists who attempt to generalize about sexuality and sexual orientation in both men and women simultaneously often take male experiences as the norm and ignore unique aspects of women's lives. The purpose of this issue is to focus attention on scientific research and theory about aspects of women's sexualities, with special emphasis on sexual orientation. A new paradigm is presented that recognizes the great diversity of women's erotic experiences and the many sociocultural factors that shape women's sexuality and sexual orientation across the lifespan. This introductory article highlights major themes and provides a brief summary of the articles in the issue. Four central topics are discussed: (1) the complexnature of women's sexualities and sexual orientations; (2) the importance of historical, social, and cultural contexts for adequately understanding women's sexualities; (3) the development of sexual orientation in women; and (4) implications for research and policy.