cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dielectric characterization of wood and wood infiltrated with ceramic precursors

Abstract Wood has an anisotropic microstructure with 50–80 vol.% porosity, which we show is detectable by dielectric measurements. The dielectric properties of various types of wood were measured as a function of the grain orientation of the wood. The grain structure consists of wood fibers and void space in an arrangement containing longitudinal and radial pores. Measurements were conducted parallel to the longitudinal, radial and tangential directions of the wood structure at frequencies ranging from 200 Hz to 10 MHz. Significant differences were observed between the three directions. These differences were attributed to the arrangement of the pores and accounted for in two new mixing-rule equations. A series of wood samples was infiltrated with a ceramic precursor to introduce silica into the cell walls. The dielectric properties of these samples were then measured and compared to those of the original wood to see how the silica infiltrated the wood microstructure. Understanding how the wood structure affects the dielectric properties is important, as wood is becoming a mold material for making porous ceramics.
Authoritative knowledge and single women's unintentional pregnancies, abortions, adoption, and single motherhood: social stigma and structural violence.

This article explores the sources of authoritative knowledge that shaped single, white, middle-class women's unintentional pregnancies and childbearing decisions throughoutfive reproductive eras. Women who terminated a pregnancy were most influenced by their own personal needs and circumstances. birth mothers' decisions were based on external sources of knowledge, such as their mothers, social workers, and social pressures. In contrast, single mothers based their decision on instincts and their religious or moral beliefs. Reproductive policies further constrained and significantly shaped women's experiences. The social stigma associated with these forms of stratified maternity suggests that categorizing pregnant women by their marital status, or births as out-of-wedlock, reproduces the structural violence implicit to normative models offemale sexuality and maternity. This mixed-method study includedfocus groups to determine the kinds of knowledge women considered authoritative, a mailed survey to quantify these identified sources, and one-on-one interviews to explore outcomes in depth. [authoritative knowledge, social stigma, abortion, birth mothers, single mothers, unintentional pregnancies] We need to anthropologize the West: show how exotic its constitution of reality has been; emphasize those domains most taken for granted as universal... make them seem as historically peculiar as possible; show how their claims to truth are linked to social practices and have hence become effective forces in the social world.
Epigenomic diversity of colorectal cancer indicated by LINE-1 methylation in a database of 869 tumors

Background: Genome-wide DNA hypomethylation plays a role in genomic instability and carcinogenesis. LINE-1 (L1 retrotransposon) constitutes a substantial portion of the human genome, and LINE-1 methylation correlates with global DNA methylation status. LINE-1 hypomethylation in colon cancer has been strongly associated with poor prognosis. However, whether LINE-1 hypomethylators constitute a distinct cancer subtype remains uncertain. Recent evidence for concordant LINE-1 hypomethylation within synchronous colorectal cancer pairs suggests the presence of a non-stochastic mechanism influencing tumor LINE-1 methylation level. Thus, it is of particular interest to examine whether its wide variation can be attributed to clinical, pathologic or molecular features. Design: Utilizing a database of 869 colorectal cancers in two prospective cohort studies, we constructed multivariate linear and logistic regression models for LINE-1 methylation (quantified by Pyrosequencing). Variables included age, sex, body mass index, family history of colorectal cancer, smoking status, tumor location, stage, grade, mucinous component, signet ring cells, tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP), microsatellite instability, expression of TP53 (p53), CDKN1A (p21), CTNNB1 (β-catenin), PTGS2 (cyclooxygenase-2), and FASN, and mutations in KRAS, BRAF, and PIK3CA. Results: Tumoral LINE-1 methylation ranged from 23.1 to 90.3 of 0-100 scale (mean 61.4; median 62.3; standard deviation 9.6), and distributed approximately normally except for extreme hypomethylators [LINE-1 methylation < 40; N = 22 (2.5%), which were far more than what could be expected by normal distribution]. LINE-1 extreme hypomethylators were significantly associated with younger patients (p = 0.0058). Residual plot by multivariate linear regression showed that LINE-1 extreme hypomethylators clustered as one distinct group, separate from the main tumor group. The multivariate linear regression model could explain 8.4% of the total variability of LINE-1 methylation (R-square = 0.084). Multivariate logistic regression models for binary LINE-1 hypomethylation outcomes (cutoffs of 40, 50 and 60) showed at most fair predictive ability (area under receiver operator characteristics curve < 0.63). Conclusions: LINE-1 extreme hypomethylators appear to constitute a previously-unrecognized, distinct subtype of colorectal cancers, which needs to be confirmed by additional studies. Our tumor LINE-1 methylation data indicate enormous epigenomic diversity of individual colorectal cancers.
The Ripple Effects of Stranger Harassment on Objectification of Self and Others

Despite the frequency and negative consequences of stranger harassment, only a scant number of studies have explicitly examined stranger harassment and its consequences through the lens of objectif...
Massively parallel proximal algorithms for solving linear stochastic network programs

We develop an algorithm for solving two-stage sto chastic linear programs with network recourse. The algorithm is based on the proximal minimization algo rithm with D-functions and uses a primal-dual row- action algorithm to solve the resulting, strictly convex subproblems. The stochastic program is reformulated into a form that decomposes by scenario, thus making the algorithm suitable for parallel implementation. In addition, the constraints of each scenario subproblem which are network problems can be iterated upon concurrently, allowing for a massively parallel imple mentation. The algorithm is implemented on a Con nection Machine 2 with up to 32k processors. It is shown to be very effective in solving problems with up to 2,048 scenarios, where the deterministic equivalent program has 217,103 constraints and 618,529 variables.
Intraoperative Blood Loss and Prognosis in Prostate Cancer Patients Undergoing Radical Retropubic Prostatectomy

AbstractPurpose: To assess more thoroughly the prognostic significance of perioperative transfusions, we examined a previously ignored factor, namely intraoperative blood loss.Materials and Methods: Univariate and multivariate stepwise regression analysis was performed on results of a 10-year series of 251 consecutive men who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy for clinically localized carcinoma.Results: Gleason score, operative blood loss and pathological stage were significantly (p less than 0.0001) associated with progression-free survival. A risk ratio of 1.08 (95 percent confidence interval 1.05 to 1.10) was demonstrated for every 100 ml. of operative blood loss.Conclusions: The operative blood loss but not the type (autologous or allogeneic) of blood transfused was significantly related to decreased recurrence-free survival after radical retropubic prostatectomy. This finding implies that the operative events necessitating transfusion are potentially more significant than the immunological ef...
Factors influencing the economic potential for alternative farming systems: Case analyses in South Dakota

Results of calculations on the economic potential for alternative (low input, sustainable) farming systems in a small grain-row crop region of the Northern Plains are reported. Two sets of alternative farming systems, in which no chemical fertilizers or herbicides are used, are compared with various conventional and reduced till systems. In Farming Systems Study I (FSS1), an alternative rotation consisting of oats, alfalfa, soybeans, and corn is compared with conventional and ridge till rotation systems composed of corn, soybeans, and spring wheat. In Farming Systems Study II (FSS2), three systems with an emphasis on small grains are compared. An alternative system rotation consisting of oats, sweet clover, soybeans, and spring wheat is compared with conventional and minimum till rotation systems comprised of soybeans, spring wheat, and barley. Results of baseline economic analyses show that alternative farming systems can be competitive with more conventional systems in at least some situations. The alternative systems entail markedly lower direct costs, and the alternative system in FSS2 has approximately the same net returns as the comparable conventional and minimum till systems. The FSS1 alternative system has positive but somewhat lower net returns than the comparable conventional and ridge till systems. Sensitivity analyses were conducted with alternative system crop yields, chemical fertilizer and herbicide prices, and varying assumptions about future Federal farm program support levels and acreage set aside requirements. The yield sensitivity analyses show that one alternative farming system requires yields about 5–10 percent above those of the comparable conventional system to produce the same net returns. However, the other alternative system is competitive with a conventional system even with yields 5 percent lower. Analyses varying chemical fertilizer and herbicide prices reveal that the alternative farming system in FSS1 becomes competitive with more conventional systems when fertilizer and herbicide prices rise by 50 percent. The alternative farming system in FSS2 is already competitive at current fertilizer and herbicide prices. In some cases, sensitivity analyses with Federal farm program provisions indicate that reductions in farm program benefits increase the economic competitiveness of alternative farming systems. However, important exceptions occur. Results indicate that not only the level of future farm program benefits, but also the form of program provisions and compliance requirements, will affect the relative competitiveness of alternative farming systems.
Three-dimensional net shape analysis for manufacturability evaluation

A formalism for symbolic representation of a three-dimensional model to aid geometric reasoning is presented, and its use for knowledge representation and in a control structure is explained. A robust feature-based design approach based on this formalism has been developed to provide meaningful geometric and topological properties for manufacturability evaluation while providing wider geometric coverage. Local shape analysis is based on symbolic representation, and global shape analysis is performed by extracting the skeleton from the decomposed object. This extracted skeleton is used to locate and measure global shape characteristics, thus allowing the system to perform geometry-based simulation of the solidification process automatically. The extracted skeleton is regarded as a set of final freezing points in the solidification process. For knowledge acquisition, binary syntactic primitive pairs have been established to aid in high-level symbolic geometric reasoning. Symbolic reasoning tables based on binary primitive pairs provide five stages for proper knowledge invocation. >
Subharmonic growth by parametric resonance

An experimental investigation is conducted in order to quantify the nonlinear and parametric resonance mechanisms that are associated with the subharmonic growth in the transition to turbulence in plane mixing layers. Higher-order digital statistical analysis techniques are used to investigate the nonlinear and parametric mechanisms responsible for the energy transfer to the subharmonic. The results show that the dominant interaction is a parametric resonance mechanism between the fundamental and the subharmonic modes which leads to a pronounced growth of the subharmonic. Measurements also indicate that the fundamental, besides interacting with the subharmonic, is also engaged in redistributing its energy to the other Fourier components of the flow via nonlinear three-wave interactions. Local wavenumber measurements verify that frequency—wavenumber resonance matching conditions exist between the fundamental and subharmonic in the region where the subharmonic gains its energy by parametric resonance. The results are in general agreement with theoretical models by Kelly (1967), and Monkewitz (1988) on subharmonic growth.
Estimating the House Foreclosure Discount Corrected for Spatial Price Interdependence and Endogeneity of Marketing Time

∗∗∗ Most previous empirical research estimates a greater than 20% discount associated with the sale of foreclosed properties. Under the assumption that the real estate market is somewhat efficient, such a large discount would be counterintuitive. We argue, and empirically show, that the estimated foreclosure coefficients in most of the previous research are upward biased because they do not control for variables such as the physical condition of the property and the relationship between marketing time and price. Accounting for these factors and correcting for two types of spatial price interdependence, our results show that estimates of foreclosure discount reported by previous studies are about one-third higher than the true discount caused by foreclosure per se. To date there have been several research efforts designed to estimate the effect of foreclosure status on the price of single-family residences. Generally, the empirical results have revealed about a 20% discount associated with foreclosure status. However, it is often not clear whether researchers claim the discount is due to a “stigma effect” of foreclosure or a “proxy effect” for other property characteristics. A stigma effect refers to a discount for no other reason than the status of the property as foreclosed. No characteristics of the property differentiate foreclosed from nonforeclosed properties. Potential buyers see the foreclosure as a stigma, purchase the property with a large discount and resell it immediately, capturing a large windfall. The real estate market, however, while not perfectly efficient, is not likely to be so inefficient as to allow for such excess returns. Even if foreclosed properties are offered by motivated sellers, competition among buyers would mitigate opportunities for excess returns. The proxy effect refers to a discount because a foreclosed property may have other characteristics that affect price negatively, such as deteriorated physical condition and/or neighborhood characteristics. In this article, we develop a
Glancing Angle Deposited Platinum Nanorod Arrays for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

In this work, we investigated the electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity of vertically aligned, single-layer, carbon-free, and single crystal Pt nanorod arrays utilizing cyclic voltammetry (CV) and rotating-disk electrode (RDE) techniques. A glancing angle deposition (GLAD) technique was used to fabricate 200 nm long Pt nanorods, which corresponds to Pt loading of 0.16 mg/cm 2 , on glassy carbon (GC) electrode at a glancing angle of 85 o as measured from the substrate normal. An electrode comprised of conventional carbon-supported Pt nanoparticles (Pt/C) was also prepared for comparison with the electrocatalytic ORR activity and stability of Pt nanorods. CV results showed that the Pt nanorod electrocatalyst exhibits a more positive oxide reduction peak potential compared to Pt/C, indicating that GLAD Pt nanorods are less oxophilic. In addition, a series of CV cycles in acidic electrolyte revealed that Pt nanorods are significantly more stable against electrochemically-active surface area loss than Pt/C. Moreover, room temperature RDE results demonstrated that GLAD Pt nanorods exhibit higher area-specific ORR activity than Pt/C. The enhanced electrocatalytic ORR activity of Pt nanorods is attributed to their larger crystallite size, single-crystal property, and the dominance of (110) crystal planes on the large surface area nanorods sidewalls, which has been found to be the most active plane for ORR. However, the Pt nanorods showed lower mass specific activity than the Pt/C electrocatalyst due to the large diameter of the Pt nanorods.
The Growth of Women's Representation in the Canadian House of Commons and the Election of 1984: A Reappraisal*

In the 1980s, Canada went from having one of the lowest levels of female representation in its national legislature to having one of the highest among countries with single-member district electoral systems. The authors examine the common assertion that this increase was largely due to the surprising Progressive Conservative landslide in the 1984 federal election. By simulating plausible alternative election results they find there would have been a substantial increase in the number of women in the parliament, regardless of how the vote split in 1984. The simulations are followed by probit analyses for 1980, 1984 and 1988 which examine what factors affected the probability a major-party candidate would be a woman and what factors affected the probability that a successful candidate would be a woman.
Sedentary behavior and blood pressure control among osteoarthritis initiative participants

Summary Objective To examine the association between sedentary behavior and blood pressure (BP) among Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) participants. Design We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the OAI 48-month visit participants whose physical activity was measured using accelerometers. Participants were classified into four quartiles according to the percentage of wear time that was sedentary ( Results For this study cohort ( N = 707), mean BP was 121.4 ± 15.6/74.7 ± 9.5 mm Hg and 33% had elevated BP. SBP had a graded association with increased sedentary time ( P for trend = 0.02). The most sedentary quartile had 4.26 mm Hg higher SBP (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.69–7.82; P = 0.02) than the least sedentary quartile, adjusting for age, moderate-to-vigorous (MV) physical activity, and other demographic and health factors. The probability of having elevated BP significantly increased in higher sedentary quartiles ( P for trend = 0.046). There were no significant findings for DBP. Conclusion A strong graded association was demonstrated between sedentary behavior and increased SBP and elevated BP, independent of time spent in MV physical activity. Reducing daily sedentary time may lead to improvement in BP and reduction in cardiovascular risk.
COMPUTATIONAL METHODS AND MODELS NEEDED FOR SUSTAINABILITY RESEARCH BASED ON A CARBON-DIOXIDE BALANCE THEORY

This short article introduces first a Carbon-dioxide Balance Theory for sustainability of creatures living in the Earth atmosphere. A brief discussion then is presented on the importance of such a theory in policy making. An appeal is issued to all IJCM readers and author for making more efforts in creating computational methods and models to deal with sustainability issues.
Observed Tropical Cyclone Eye Thermal Anomaly Profiles Extending above 300 hPa

AbstractAs recently pointed out by Stern and Nolan, much of our knowledge of the warm core structure of the tropical cyclone eye has come from composites of in situ data taken from multiple aircraft studies of three storms in the late 1950s and 1960s. Further observational confirmation of eye thermal structure has been lacking, since much of the dropsonde data analyzed to date have been limited to pressure levels of 500 hPa or lower. However, there exist a number of dropsonde eye profiles extending to near 250 hPa; these profiles were acquired from NASA aircraft during various field campaigns. Here, the author uses these data to calculate eye temperature anomaly profiles. These data are supplemented by several surface-based radiosonde releases in tropical cyclone eyes over the period 1944–2003. The author finds that the pressure altitude of the maximum anomaly varies between 760 and 250 hPa. The author also finds positive correlations between the maximum anomaly level and storm intensity, size, upper-leve...
New bounds on the total squared correlation and optimum design of DS-CDMA binary signature sets

The Welch lower bound (see Welch, R.L., IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, vol.IT-20, p.397-9, 1974) on the total squared correlation (TSC) of signature sets is known to be tight for real-valued signatures and loose for binary signatures whose number is not a multiple of four. We derive new bounds on the TSC of binary signature sets for any number of signatures K and any signature length L. Then, for almost all K, L in {1,2,...,256}, we design optimum binary signature sets that achieve the new bounds. The design procedure is based on simple transformations of Hadamard matrices.
Metabolic flux-based modularity using shortest retroactive distances.

Background Graph-based modularity analysis has emerged as an important tool to study the functional organization of biological networks. However, few methods are available to study state-dependent changes in network modularity using biological activity data. We develop a weighting scheme, based on metabolic flux data, to adjust the interaction distances in a reaction-centric graph model of a metabolic network. The weighting scheme was combined with a hierarchical module assignment algorithm featuring the preservation of metabolic cycles to examine the effects of cellular differentiation and enzyme inhibitions on the functional organization of adipocyte metabolism.
Drosophila Omi, a mitochondrial-localized IAP antagonist and proapoptotic serine protease

Although essential in mammals, in flies the importance of mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization for apoptosis remains highly controversial. Herein, we demonstrate that Drosophila Omi (dOmi), a fly homologue of the serine protease Omi/HtrA2, is a developmentally regulated mitochondrial intermembrane space protein that undergoes processive cleavage, in situ, to generate two distinct inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) binding motifs. Depending upon the proapoptotic stimulus, mature dOmi is then differentially released into the cytosol, where it binds selectively to the baculovirus IAP repeat 2 (BIR2) domain in Drosophila IAP1 (DIAP1) and displaces the initiator caspase DRONC. This interaction alone, however, is insufficient to promote apoptosis, as dOmi fails to displace the effector caspase DrICE from the BIR1 domain in DIAP1. Rather, dOmi alleviates DIAP1 inhibition of all caspases by proteolytically degrading DIAP1 and induces apoptosis both in cultured cells and in the developing fly eye. In summary, we demonstrate for the first time in flies that mitochondrial permeabilization not only occurs during apoptosis but also results in the release of a bona fide proapoptotic protein.
Decreasing Supermarket Tantrums by Increasing Shopping Tasks Advantages of Pre-Teaching

A brief training package consisting of pre-teaching of appropriate grocery item–gathering skills and reinforcement for appropriate behavior was used to teach a child diagnosed with autism to remain...
Dynamic modeling and linear model predictive control of gas pipeline networks

A linear model predictive control (LMPC) strategy is developed for large-scale gas pipeline networks. A nonlinear dynamic model of a representative pipeline is derived from mass balances and the Virial equation of state. Because the full-order model is illconditioned, reduced-order models are constructed using time-scale decomposition arguments. The first reduced-order model is used to represent the plant in closed-loop simulations. The dimension of this model is reduced further to obtain the linear model used for LMPC design. The LMPC controller is formulated to regulate certain pipeline pressures by manipulating production setpoints of cryogenic air separation plants. Both input and output variables are subject to operational constraints. Three methods for handling output constraint infeasibilities are investigated. # 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
The effects of acute hypoxia and hypercapnia on oxygen consumption of the freshwater European eel

Marine Biological Laboratory University of Copenhagen, Strandpromenaden 5, DK-3000, Helsingor
The Political Economy of Trade Policy

International trade seems to be a subject where the advice of economists is routinely disregarded. Economists are nearly unanimous in their general opposition to protectionism, but the increase in U.S. protection in recent years in such sectors as automobiles, steel, textiles and apparel, machine tools, footwear and semiconductors demonstrates that economists lack political influence on trade policy. The type of protectionism chosen does not follow economists' advice, either. A frequently asked question on undergraduate trade exams is why a small country's welfare losses are less when it curtails imports with a tariff rather than by negotiating "voluntary" export-restraint agreements (VEAs) with foreign suppliers. Even though generations of students have correctly pointed out that the equivalent of the domestic tax revenues raised by a tariff is transferred as a windfall gain to foreign countries when VEAs are introduced, these agreements are now the preferred means by which countries pursue protectionism. Moreover, if the purpose of protection is to redistribute income to producers, production subsidies (financed by lump-sum taxes) dominate both tariffs and import quotas on efficiency grounds, since the consumption costs of protection are avoided. Yet governments generally prefer to assist industries by providing import protection rather than production subsidies. Economists have tended to attribute such disregard for their policy conclusions to a lack of economic education. However, while many consumers still do not seem to
A multiresolution approach to computer verification of handwritten signatures

We took a multi-resolution approach to the signature verification problem. The top-level representation of signatures was the global geometric features. A multi-resolution representation of signatures was obtained using the wavelet transformation. We built VQ and network classifiers to demonstrate the advantages of the multi-resolution approach. High verification rates were achieved based on a limited database. >
Resources for the design of CRISPR gene editing experiments

CRISPR-based approaches have quickly become a favored method to perturb genes to uncover their functions. Here, we review the key considerations in the design of genome editing experiments, and survey the tools and resources currently available to assist users of this technology.
Renal artery revascularization: is there a rationale to perform?

Renal artery stenosis is a common finding in patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease ([1][1]). Among patients with renal artery stenosis, more than 90% are atherosclerotic in nature, which typically involves the ostium and the proximal portion of the main renal artery with plaque extending
A Joint Gaussian Process Model for Active Visual Recognition with Expertise Estimation in Crowdsourcing

We present a noise resilient probabilistic model for active learning of a Gaussian process classifier from crowds, i.e., a set of noisy labelers. It explicitly models both the overall label noise and the expertise level of each individual labeler with two levels of flip models. Expectation propagation is adopted for efficient approximate Bayesian inference of our probabilistic model for classification, based on which, a generalized EM algorithm is derived to estimate both the global label noise and the expertise of each individual labeler. The probabilistic nature of our model immediately allows the adoption of the prediction entropy for active selection of data samples to be labeled, and active selection of high quality labelers based on their estimated expertise to label the data. We apply the proposed model for four visual recognition tasks, i.e., object category recognition, multi-modal activity recognition, gender recognition, and fine-grained classification, on four datasets with real crowd-sourced labels from the Amazon Mechanical Turk. The experiments clearly demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed model. In addition, we extend the proposed model with the Predictive Active Set Selection Method to speed up the active learning system, whose efficacy is verified by conducting experiments on the first three datasets. The results show our extended model can not only preserve a higher accuracy, but also achieve a higher efficiency.
Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model and thermalization on the boundary of many-body localized fermionic symmetry-protected topological states

The Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model is a quantum mechanical model for randomly interaction fermions in a quantum dot. This paper studies the properties of the many-body spectrum of the SYK model and finds a periodicity of the spectral properties in term of the number of fermion modes in the quantum dot. In particular, the level statistics of SYK spectrum are investigated. It is found that the many-body level spacing of the SYK model follows Wigner-Dyson statistics, consistent with the thermalizing nature of the SYK model. Interestingly, the level statistics goes through those of different random matrix ensembles periodically. The periodicity can be explained by viewing the SYK model as an effective model for the boundary of 1D interacting fermionic symmetry-protected topological states. The periodicity in the SYK spectrum is therefore tied to the classification of fermionic topological states in one dimension.
Family Rejection of the Aged and Nursing Home Utilization

Changes in the structure and function of the modern American family have created a need for alternative means of caring for the elderly who cannot be accommodated in the nuclear family. The “sick role” and the nursing home provide a socially acceptable means of caring for the elderly while removing them from the family setting. Using data from national morbidity surveys, it is demonstrated that a large proportion of the elderly already in nursing homes do not need this type of long-term health care. This is placing strains upon the total health care system.
AN EFFICIENT ALGORITHM FOR LINEAR SEMI-INFINITE PROGRAMMING OVER POSITIVE POLYNOMIALS

This paper describes an efficient implementation of a form of linear semi-infinite programming (LSIP). We look at maximizing (minimizing) a linear function over a set of constraints formed by positive trigonometric polynomials. Previous studies about LSIP are formulated using semi-definite programming (SDP), this is typically done by using the Kalman Yakubovich Popov (KYP) lemma or using a trace operation involving a Grammian matrix, which can be computationally expensive. The proposed algorithm is based on simplex method that directly solves the LSIP without any parameterization. Numerical results show that the proposed LISP algorithm is significantly more efficient than existing SDP solvers using KYP lemma and Grammian matrix, in both execution time and memory.
Designing patient throughput and task management innovations in orthopaedics

The Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Clinics of the University of Virginia Health System are collocated in the Fontaine Research Park. The two departments operate in separate clinics, but share a Radiology Department. Collectively, the clinics serve about 42,000 outpatient visits annually. With patient visits projected to increase substantially in the coming years, the clinics seek process improvements that will accommodate growth and sustain strong patient satisfaction well into the future. This paper describes a simulation study of patient flows in the clinics under various future demand scenarios, including alternative patient volumes and no-show rates. The study explored the impact of best practices for in-clinic task management, patient and staff scheduling, and patient communications. Key performance measures included patient waiting times, total time in clinic, facility utilization, and on-time clinic closings. The model was developed based on patient schedule and tracking data. The results of the simulation model and clinic observations provided evidence to support multiple process improvements within the clinics. Introducing an additional front desk attendant in each clinic during busy times to assist with incoming phone calls and patient check-ins will allow for patients to be seen sooner and for more efficient appointment scheduling. Altering appointment time slots from 15 minutes to 10 minutes and distributing scheduled appointments more evenly throughout the day will allow providers to see more patients and reduce the need for overbooking, effectively decreasing patient waiting time. Based on the results of our analysis, implementing these changes to the clinics may allow for future growth while preserving patient satisfaction.
Nastassia, A Video-based Image Processing System For Torsional Eye Movements Analysis

Eye movements have been studied for over 40 years. Various image processing methods have been applied. These range from low sampling mMl(al measurements on 35 mm photographs [I] to sophisticated infrored digitized images processed by dedicated way processors driven bypvefd computers [Z]. Each method introduces constraints on the experiment conditions (lighring. head fwtion. eye discomfort, iral lardmarks) as well as on the processing time. We present a video-based computerized method imposing minimal experimental constraints and exhibiting encouraging performance while utilizing reasonable off-ihe-sherf hardware and software remwces.
A SELECTIVE MEDIUM AND PRESUMPTIVE PROCEDURE FOR DETECTION OF SALMONELLA IN DAIRY PRODUCTS

A culture medium and testing procedure were developed to detect and differentiate Salmonella in pure culture study and for presumptive detection of Salmonella in dairy products. Most pure cultures of Salmonella were easily differtiated from other members of the Enterobacteriaceae group after 18 hr incubation at 37 C in a neutral red-lysine-iron-cystine broth. Salmonella changed neutral red in the medium from red to yellow and most strains turned the medium black through formation of a massive black precipitate. Species of Enterobacter, Citrobacter, Proteus, Shigella, and Pseudomonas intensified the red color of the medium and failed to blacken it. Species of Klebsiella and Escherichia usually changed the medium from red to yellow in 18 hr but none developed a black precipitate. The few nonhydrogen sulfide producing strains (no medium blackening) of salmonellae were differentiated from Escherichia and Klebsiella sp. by continued incubation to a total of 42 hr followed by the use of a second indicator, brom...
Changes in Residence Time due to Large-Scale Infrastructure in a Coastal Plain Estuary

ABSTRACT Meyers, S.D.; Moss, A.J., and Luther, M.E., 2017. Changes in residence time due to large-scale infrastructure in a coastal plain estuary. The alteration of residence time in a coastal plain estuary due to dredging and building of barrier-type structures is found to vary with freshwater conditions. Two identical 3-year simulations with realistic boundary conditions were performed using numerical circulation models of Tampa Bay, Florida, that differ only in their bathymetry. The first simulation used present-day bathymetry. The second used bathymetry based on depth soundings from the preconstruction year 1879. Both models were seeded evenly with over 456,000 passive tracers at the beginning of three separate 90-day time periods. These times were initially chosen according to the relative change in subtidal circulation but found to correspond to different vertical mixing conditions. Two types of Lagrangian residence time were studied: The first, baywide residence time (TR), is based on the total num...
Acquisition of a 3 Min, Two-Dimensional Glacier Velocity Field with Terrestrial Radar Interferometry

Outlet glaciers undergo rapid spatial and temporal changes in flow velocity during calving events. Observing such changes requires both high temporal and high spatial resolution methods, something now possible with terrestrial radar interferometry. While a single such radar provides line-of-sight velocity, two radars define both components of the horizontal flow field. To assess the feasibility of obtaining the two-dimensional (2-D) flow field, we deployed two terrestrial radar interferometers at Jakobshavn Isbrae, a major outlet glacier on Greenland's west coast, in the summer of 2012. Here, we develop and demonstrate a method to combine the line-of-sight velocity data from two synchronized radars to produce a 2-D velocity field from a single (3 min) interferogram. Results are compared with the more traditional feature-tracking data obtained from the same radar, averaged over a longer period. We demonstrate the potential and limitations of this new dual-radar approach for obtaining high spatial and temporal resolution 2-D velocity fields at outlet glaciers.
Spatial welfare effects of shared taxi operating policies for first mile airport access

Abstract With increasing availability of alternative mobility options for first/last mile, it is necessary to better understand how shared taxis are impacting airport access demand and consumer surplus. However, no study has been conducted to evaluate the welfare effects of the range of shared taxi matching and fare allocation policies for airport access. Using several data sources primarily from Port Authority of NY and NJ and The Taxi and Limousine Commission, a mode choice model is estimated for access to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. The baseline model and data show that passengers have a value of time of $101 per hour, consistent with Harvey’s study from 1986. Airport taxi travelers are also elastic to cost in a similar manner to public transit. The model is used to evaluate two policies: a first (we call this wait-share policy) where taxis can offer shared rides for two passengers from the same zip code, incorporating an endogenous expected wait time variable; and a second (we call this space-share policy) where taxis match randomly arriving passengers from any zip codes in the city. These two policies reflect extreme ends of a spectrum of policies between waiting and detouring. Findings suggest that having a shared taxi option benefit passengers in NYC going to JFK airport by at least 10% increase in consumer surplus. However, the increase in taxi ridership comes at a cost to transit ridership. Furthermore, the population in NYC that benefits most is highly dependent on the type of shared taxi policy. A wait-share policy benefits passengers from the dense parts of Manhattan most, while a space-share policy distributes the benefits more to other boroughs. These insights can help policymakers set regulations in providing first/last mile ride-sharing taxi options in different cities around the world.
Homeschool Background, Time Use and Academic Performance at a Private Religious College.

We study the effects of homeschool background and time use on academic performance among students at Patrick Henry College, a private religious institution with a 63-credit core classical liberal a...
On multilinear equations

In this paper, we improve existing conditions for finding solutions of multilinear equations in Banach space using the contraction mapping principle. We also provide alternative methods for approximating the solutions of such equations.
Why is Ice Slippery? Simulations of Shear Viscosity of the Quasi-Liquid Layer on Ice

The temperature and depth dependence of the shear viscosity (η) of the quasi-liquid layer (QLL) of water on ice-Ih crystals was determined using simulations of the TIP4P/Ice model. The crystals display either the basal {0001} or prismatic {1010} facets, and we find that the QLL viscosity depends on the presented facet, the distance from the solid/liquid interface, and the undercooling temperature. Structural order parameters provide two distinct estimates of the QLL widths, which are found to range from 6.0 to 7.8 A, and depend on the facet and undercooling temperature. Above 260 K, the viscosity of the vapor-adjacent water layer is significantly less viscous than the solid-adjacent layer and is also lower than the viscosity of liquid water.
Toxicity of Lithium to Three Freshwater Organisms and the Antagonistic Effect of Sodium

Lithium (Li) is the lightest metal and occurs primarily in stable minerals and salts. Concentrations of Li in surface water are typically <0.04 mg l(-1) but can be elevated in contaminated streams. Because of the general lack of information concerning the toxicity of Li to common toxicity test organisms, we evaluated the toxicity of Li to Pimephales promelas (fathead minnow), Ceriodaphnia dubia, and a freshwater snail (Elimia clavaeformis). In the laboratory, the concentration of Li that inhibited P. promelas growth or C. dubia reproduction by 25% (IC25) was dependant upon the dilution water. In laboratory control water containing little sodium (approximately 2.8 mg l(-1)), the IC25s were 0.38 and 0.32 mg Li l(-1) and in ambient stream water containing approximately 17 mg Na l(-1), the IC25s were 1.99 and 3.33, respectively. A Li concentration of 0.15 mg l(-1) inhibited the feeding of E. clavaeformis in laboratory tests. Toxicity tests conducted to evaluate the effect of sodium on the toxicity of Li were conducted with fathead minnows and C. dubia. The presence of sodium greatly affected the toxicity of Li. Fathead minnows and Ceriodaphnia, for example, tolerated concentrations of Li as great as 6 mg l(-1) when sufficient Na was present. The interaction of Li and Na on the reproduction of Ceriodaphnia was investigated in depth and can be described using an exponential model. The model predicts that C. dubia reproduction would not be affected when animals are exposed to combinations of lithium and sodium with a log ratio of mmol Na to mmol Li equal to at least 1.63. The results of this study indicate that for most natural waters, the presence of sodium is sufficient to prevent Li toxicity. However, in areas of historical disposal or heavy processing or use, an evaluation of Li from a water quality perspective would be warranted.
Note on the shape of a slip zone in planar frictional sliding

Effect of Poisson’s ratio on the evolution of planar sliding in the vicinity of a local drop in frictional resistance under remotely applied uniform shear load is discussed. The local reduction of frictional resistance may be caused by various factors (for example, variability of the friction coefficient). We demonstrate that under these mixed mode conditions the shape of the slip zone may be circular for the frictional resistance with non-axisymmetric distribution and non-circular for the frictional resistance with an axisymmetric distribution. Distortion of the shape is found to be related to Poisson’s ratio. Sliding propagation in the vicinity of the parabolic drop of the frictional resistance is studied in detail.
Imaging Distant Galaxies in the K Band

Using the results of a large K band imaging survey of distant galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts, we argue quantitatively that deep K band galaxy surveys require: (1) high-precision photometry to contribute substantial new information about the spectral energy distributions (SED) of galaxies at z 0.5. Surveys with these attributes will provide unique information about the nature of distant galaxies. We also quantify the relative efficiency of detecting galaxies in the K band versus red-optical bands for all galaxy types as a function of redshift. We conclude that while it is 10x more efficient (per unit survey area) to detect the reddest galaxies at z=1.1 in the K band than in the I band, it is never more efficient to detect the bluest galaxies at any redshift (to z=3) in the K band from warm, ground-based sites.
Advancing Theories of Ecosystem Development through Long-Term Ecological Research

Decades of place-based, long-term ecological research have generated important insights into patterns and processes among ecosystems. Here, we extend a theoretical framework based on Odum's “strategy of ecosystem development”—which predicted distinct attributes of developing and mature ecosystems—in the context of more recent theoretical advancements that predict how long-term changes in the presses (long-term, gradual changes) and pulses (abrupt changes) of drivers that regulate ecosystem functions (press–pulse regimes) can influence their trajectories of development. Our modifications to ecosystem development theories (a) illustrate how press–pulse regimes can cause ecosystems to continue to develop or oscillate around a stable state (pulsed stability) or cause them to decline if the press–pulse regime changes faster than species and communities can adapt, (b) use examples from long-term ecological research of how attributes interact to affect development, and (c) suggest how revised and new theoretical frameworks can integrate long-term ecological research and observatory networks.
The Disposition Effect and Motivated Reasoning in Investor Reaction to Corporate News

The disposition effect, or investors' tendency to hold losing stocks too long and to sell winning stocks too quickly, has been widely documented in the behavioral finance literature (e.g., O'Dean, 1998; Shefrin & Statman, 1985). I study whether the preference of current investors to realize gains (avoid losses) and, in turn, sell winning stocks (hold losing stocks) influences their interpretation of ambiguous corporate news. Using executive M.B.A. students as proxies for non-sophisticated investors, I employ a 2x2 factorial, between-subjects experiment in which I manipulate investment status (i.e., current versus prospective) and price change (i.e., appreciated versus depreciated). The prospective investor condition provides an appropriate baseline against which to measure the influence of preferences on current investors' judgments, as the prospective investors are not expected to possess any particular preferences regarding an investment action. I find that current investors experiencing an unrealized gain interpret the news less favorably than current investors experiencing an unrealized loss. This finding is supported by motivated reasoning theory (Kunda, 1990), which suggests that individuals' preferences lead to directional goals that can be supported through biased interpretations of information.
Bias-corrected estimates of reduction of post-surgery length of stay and corresponding cost savings through the widespread national implementation of fast-tracking after liver transplantation: a quasi-experimental study.

Background: Fast-tracking is an approach adopted by Mayo Clinic in Florida’s (MCF) liver transplant (LT) program, which consists of early tracheal extubation and transfer of patients to surgical wa...
Comparative Analysis on Performance of Power Quality Improvement of Grid-Connected Inverters

This paper presents a comparative analysis of grid-connected inverters (GCI) to improve voltage-based power quality in distributed generation and microgrid applications. Different GCIs considered for comparison are shunt, series, hybrid with two inverters, and proposed hybrid with one inverter. Required kVA ratings of different GCIs are compared for voltage quality problem. The performances are examined including the maximum voltage quality problem that can be mitigated. Also, power electronic design considerations including a number of switches, number of inverters, control complexity, relative transient risk are evaluated. Theoretical analysis and experimental results are presented to evaluate performances comparatively.
RECENT TRENDS IN RIGHT HEART MECHANICAL SUPPORT STRATEGIES IN CHILDREN REQUIRING LVAD SUPPORT

While most children can be supported with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) alone, a minority require BIVAD support. We sought to examine recent trends in BIVAD support in children to support decision-making. OPTN data were used to identify all children ≤21 years who underwent BIVAD while