cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using Embedded Xinu and the Raspberry Pi 3 to Teach Parallel Computing in Assembly Programming

The 2013 ACM/IEEE curriculum guidelines highlight the importance of teaching parallel computing to undergraduates in higher education. Universities have responded to this need, but there remains a hole in most curricula. While techniques for parallelizing code and using tools such as MPI and OpenMP seem to be well covered, concepts of shared versus distributed memory and race conditions are often taught only at an abstracted level. Using the educational operating system Embedded Xinu, students can write ARM assembly code that makes use of instructions meant specifically for multicore interaction. By having students implement exercises such as the coupon collector's problem, they can gain a much deeper understanding of potential issues with sharing memory and maintaining cache coherence. This added curriculum fits with existing computer organization courses and helps to prepare students for future work in parallel computing. This paper presents specific enhancements used with the Embedded Xinu operating system and its associated ARM Playground, as well as a pilot study using the new curriculum with undergraduates in a typical hardware systems course.
Improving Performance of Multi-Area State Estimation Using Spectral Clustering

This paper investigates the problem of dividing a large power system into several areas to be solved by a state estimator which coordinates locally obtained decentralized estimates. By applying automatic partitioning to the utility system, the performance of the distributed state estimator can be improved as compared to the pre-defined utility control areas. The presented approach utilizes the spectral properties of the un-directed graph formed by assigning a vertex to every bus and an edge to every pair of buses connected by a line. The graph Laplacian matrix and associated eigenvectors and eigenvalues are used to cluster the graph vertices in such a way that each area has a large number of internal connections, but a small number of external connections. This approach is demonstrated using the IEEE 118 bus system.
The 400-year natural history of a tropical coastal mangrove-fringed lagoon: What can we learn?

Coastal lagoon ecosystems are important natural carbon sinks but are threatened by both climate change and direct human disturbances. By reconstructing the environmental change and carbon dynamics of the past 400 years for a tropical mangrove-fringed lagoon system in Java, Indonesia, Hapsari et al. provide important insights into how climate change and human land use co-regulate the vegetation and carbon cycles of a tropical lagoon system and its catchment. This article is a commentary on Hapsari et al. 26, 1414-1431.
Investigation on the running status and influencing factors of the water-improving projects in Gansu Province

Objective To evaluate the running status of the water-improving projects in Gansu Province in order to further improve the supervising mechanism and raise the efficiency of defluoridation in drinking water.Methods The water-improving projects,either being normal,or intermittent,or discarded and the cause of abnormal running in 33 counties in Gansu Province were surveyed with unified standard method.Fluoride content in water was determined by F-ion selective electrode.Results 993 water improving projects covering 3389 fluorosis villages were surveyed,682 projects worked well[68.68%(682/993)]and had supplied water with normal fluoride contents to 2174 villages[64.15%(2174/3389)]and benefited 116.56 hundred thousand populations.And the rest 311[31.32%(311/993)]projects worked abnormally or supplied unqualified fluoride water.The main causes were the exceeded lasting life,insufficiency of water resources,high fluoride content in water and unqualified administration.Conclusions Most of the water-improving projects in Gansu Province are basically running normally,but about 1/3 of the projects do not function well,so the management of the projects must be improved and consummated. Key words: Fluoride poisoning; Water; Data collection
Radiation-induced conductivity of Al 2 O 3 : Experiment and theory

The steady-state radiation-induced conductivity (RIC) has been measured in single-crystal ${\mathrm{Al}}_{2}$${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ samples maintained at elevated temperatures during continuous irradiation with 1.5-MeV electrons. As the temperature increases from 300 to 1300 K there are regions in which the RIC increases rapidly, with activation energies between 0.6 and 4.3 eV, and regions in which it slowly decreases with an activation energy of approximately 0.1 eV. A theoretical model is presented in which the rapid increases observed in the RIC are correlated with the thermal detrapping of electrons. In undoped Meller and Linde samples the RIC is controlled by trapping and detrapping from high concentrations of shallow (0.57 and 0.72 eV) electron traps. In 0.004- and 0.03-wt.%-${\mathrm{Cr}}_{2}$${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$-doped samples there is a sufficient concentration of 1.2-eV ${\mathrm{Cr}}^{3+}$ electron traps to prevent the RIC from increasing at low temperatures. To account for the decreases in the RIC, additional rate equations describing the thermal quenching of the conductivity by hole release are considered. The RIC data of the undoped samples indicate that hole release from 0.77-eV ${V}_{\mathrm{OH}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ centers may be thermally quenching the conductivity. The results of an isochronal annealing study of the ${\mathrm{Cr}}^{4+}$ EPR signal intensity in a 0.004-wt.%-${\mathrm{Cr}}_{2}$${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$-doped sample and an undoped Linde sample are correlated with thermally-stimulated-current (TSC) measurements to show that electron release from the 0.72-eV trap at low temperatures is followed by hole release from the 0.77-eV ${V}_{\mathrm{OH}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ centers at higher temperatures, in agreement with the assumptions of the thermal-quenching model. The RIC data of a 0.004-wt.%-${\mathrm{Cr}}_{2}$${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$-doped sample indicate that the bulk electron-hole recombination rate at room temperature is less than 9 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}11}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{3}$/sec (electron-capture cross section 7 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}18}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$) assuming an electron mobility of 1 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$/V sec. Since this recombination rate is significantly lower than the Langevin rate of 2 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}7}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{3}$/sec for diffusion controlled bulk recombination, it is likely that bulk electron-hole recombination occurs predominantly at repulsive hole centers such as ${V}_{\mathrm{OH}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ centers. There are several mechanisms other than thermal quenching which could account for the weak decreases in the RIC. These are the LO-phonon scattering of conduction electrons ("large-polaron" mobility) and bulk electron-hole recombination occurring through multiphonon emission.
Cefepime is Associated with Acute Encephalopathy in Critically Ill Patients: A Retrospective Case-Control Study.

Acute encephalopathy (AE) is a common complication of critical illness and is associated with increased short and long-term mortality. In this study, we evaluated the role of cefepime in causing AE. Retrospective case–control study involving consecutive patients enrolled in the intensive care units (ICUs) of Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN between July 1, 2004 and December 31, 2015. AE was defined by the presence of delirium or depressed level of consciousness in the absence of deep sedation. Controls were identified as patients not developing AE and were matched by propensity score for age, Charlson Comorbidity Index, 24-h Apache III score and invasive ventilation use. The total number of eligible ICU admissions during our study period was 152,999. AE was present in 57,726 (37.7%) with a median AE duration of 17 (interquartile range [IQR] 4.0–51.8) hours. We matched 14,645 cases with AE with the same number of controls. Cefepime was used in 1241 (4.2%) patients and its use was associated with greater incidence of AE [713 (4.9%) vs 528 (3.6%), p < 0.001] and duration [unit estimate 0.73; (95% CI 0.542–0.918)]. On multivariate analysis, cefepime was associated with an increased likelihood of AE after controlling for shock, midazolam infusion and acute kidney injury [OR 1.24 (95% CI 1.10–1.27)]. These associations were also present after controlling for prior chronic kidney disease. The use of cefepime is associated with increased likelihood and duration of AE. These associations are stronger among patients with impaired renal function, but can also occur in patients without renal impairment.
TextDecepter: Hard Label Black Box Attack on Text Classifiers.

Machine learning has been proven to be susceptible to carefully crafted samples, known as adversarial examples. The generation of these adversarial examples helps to make the models more robust and gives us an insight into the underlying decision-making of these models. Over the years, researchers have successfully attacked image classifiers in both, white and black-box settings. However, these methods are not directly applicable to texts as text data is discrete. In recent years, research on crafting adversarial examples against textual applications has been on the rise. In this paper, we present a novel approach for hard-label black-box attacks against Natural Language Processing (NLP) classifiers, where no model information is disclosed, and an attacker can only query the model to get a final decision of the classifier, without confidence scores of the classes involved. Such an attack scenario applies to real-world black-box models being used for security-sensitive applications such as sentiment analysis and toxic content detection.
Mitigating Voltage Unbalance Using Distributed Solar Photovoltaic Inverters

Maintaining balanced voltages across distribution networks is becoming more challenging with increasing deployment of single-phase distributed generation and larger single-phase loads. The paper develops a reactive power compensation strategy that uses distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) inverters to mitigate such voltage unbalance. The proposed strategy takes advantage of Steinmetz design and is implemented via both decentralized and distributed control. The latter coordinates PV inverters through a communication network. We demonstrate the performance of the controllers on the IEEE 13-node feeder and a much larger taxonomy feeder (617 nodes and 1196 triplex nodes), and consider different connections of loads and PV systems. Simulation results demonstrate the trade-offs between the controllers. It is observed that the distributed controller achieves greater voltage unbalance reduction than the decentralized controller, but requires communication infrastructure.
Organizational Leadership Analysis: 4th Armored Brigade Combat Team Scenario

The organizational cultural problems in this particular unit have manifested themselves as a result of prior leadership failures to address them coupled with the crucible of operational stress than exacerbated the display of these bad trends in the overarching organizational culture of the Army in general. The new incoming commander has little time to effect change, and little hope of mitigating much of the operational pressure and stress that will continue to be placed upon his unit. His only recourse and solution in this situation is quickly identify the problem and to set a vision for the organization that is simple, clear and strikes directly at the heart of the cultural issue.
Improved Gonorrhea and Chlamydia Testing Among Men Who Have Sex With Men Living With HIV Through Implementation of Self-Collected Tests.

ABSTRACT We implemented self-collected gonorrhea/chlamydia testing in 17 medical centers in California serving men who have sex with men living with HIV. From 2012 to 2018, gonorrhea/chlamydia testing increased from 45.2% to 63.4%. Among those tested, rectal testing increased from 42.0% to 77.3%; pharyngeal testing increased from 31.0% to 79.9% (all, Ptrend < 0.0001).
Advances in code summarization

Several studies have suggested that comments describing source code can help mitigate the burden of program understanding. However, software systems usually lack adequate comments and sometime even when present, they may be outdated. Researchers have addressed this issue by automatically generating comments from source code, a task referred to as Code Summarization. In this technical presentation, we take a deeper look at some of the significant, recent works in the area of code summarization and how each of them attempts to take a new perspective of this task including methods leveraging RNNs, Transformers, Graph neural networks and Reinforcement learning. We review individual methods in detail and discuss future avenues for this task.
A picture is worth a thousand words: exploring the roles of caregivers and the home environment of ventricular assist device patients.

AIMS Caregivers of persons living with ventricular assist devices (VADs) are integrally involved in both medical and non-medical care. We sought to understand tasks caregivers perform after surgical recovery, ways the home is adapted for those tasks, and presence of home safety hazards. METHODS AND RESULTS We conducted semi-structured interviews with persons living with a VAD and their caregivers. Pictures were taken of areas in the home where: (i) caregiving activities occurred, (ii) VAD or medical supplies were kept, and (iii) home adaptations were made for VAD care. Pictures were described in written detail and analysed. A qualitative descriptive approach was used for analysis. The sample consisted of 10 dyads, with mostly spousal relationships (60%) between male patients (60%) and female caregivers (80%). Three themes were identified: (i) Evolution of Caregiving and Support: Patients gain independence, but caregivers are still needed, (ii) Adapting the Home Environment: Changes are focused on functional needs, and (iii) Hidden Dangers: Illumination of safety concerns by photographs. Assistance with bathing, driveline care, and medication management were common caregiving tasks. Most home adaptations occurred in the bathroom and bedroom including sleeping recliners, shower chairs, removable shower heads, and hanging hooks to hold VAD equipment. Safety hazards included minimal space for safe ambulation, infection risk, and home-made adaptations to the environment. CONCLUSIONS These findings describe key home caregiving tasks, home adaptations, and safety concerns that require further education and support. Utilizing pictures may be a feasible method for assessing VAD teaching, caregiving needs, and identifying potential risks.
Engineering Selectivity for Reduced Toxicity of Bacterial Kinase Inhibitors Using Structure-Guided Medicinal Chemistry

Tuberculosis is a major global public health concern, and new drugs are needed to combat both the typical form and the increasingly common drug-resistant form of this disease. The essential tubercu...
A Systematic Review of Definitive Treatment for Inverted Papilloma Attachment Site and Associations With Recurrence.

ObjectiveInverted papilloma (IP) is the most common benign neoplasm of the nasal cavity with known risk of recurrence. There is no standardized approach to definitive treatment for attachment sites...
New Essays on The Education of Henry Adams

This volume in The American Novel series addresses the established reputation of The Education of Henry Adams as a classic work of American autobiography and canonical work of American literature. Examining The Education in terms of early twentieth-century American attitudes to education, gender, US foreign policy, and historiography, these essays add considerably to our understanding of the Education as an expression of its time. The approaches of the four contributors - John Carlos Rowe, Brook Thomas, Martha Banta, and Howard Horwitz - complement each other, even though the specific topic explored by each scholar is distinctly different from the others. The result is a remarkably coherent volume that explains in original ways the continuing importance of The Education of Henry Adams as literature and history.
Automated detection of cavities present in the high explosive filler of artillery shells

Initial research has been conducted into the use of digital image analysis techniques for automated detection and characterization of piping cavities present in the high explosive (HE) filler region of 105-mm artillery shells. Experimental work utilizing scene segmentation techniques followed by a sequential similarity detection algorithm for cavitation detection have yielded promising initial results. A description of this work is shown with examples of computer-detected defects.
Birkeland Currents in Cosmic Plasma

An electromotive force ϕ = ∫ v × B⋅ dl giving rise to electrical currents in conducting media is produced wherever a relative perpendicular motion of plasma and magnetic field lines exist (Sect. 3.5.2). An example of this is the sunward convective motion of the magnetospheric plasma that cuts the earth’s dipole field lines through the equatorial plane, thereby producing a Lorentz force that drives currents within the auroral circuit. The tendency for charged particles to follow magnetic lines of force and therefore produce field-aligned currents has resulted in the widespread use of the term “Birkeland Currents” in space plasma physics.
Precedent and Principles of WTO Panel Jurisprudence

The central pillar of the GAT1/WTO multilateral trading system is the dispute settlement mechanism codified in the WTO Agreement. However, forty-five years after the adoption of the first GAT panel report, the legal status of GATT interpretations underlying panel decisions remains controversial. In light of the substitution of legal for political legitimacy in the Dispute Settlement Understanding, this issue has assumed importance for the credibility of the W1O system. This paper examines these implications and addresses the legal status of panel interpretations from constitutional, political and practical perspectives. It illustrates the legal effect of panel decisions with a critical analysis of the panel-created competitive conditions principle and its related rules.
Laryngeal dystonia gravidarum: Sudden onset of adductor spasmodic dysphonia in pregnancy

Objectives/Hypothesis The purpose of this study was to identify the presence or absence of known factors related to onset of adductor spasmodic dysphonia (ADSD) in a population with sudden onset during or after pregnancy. Study Design Retrospective review. Methods A review of 350 patient records identified five patients with sudden onset of ADSD related to pregnancy. An age-matched group with sudden onset of ADSD not related to pregnancy served as controls. All subjects completed a 20-question survey of risk factors relevant to ADSD. Results The average age of onset in both groups was 31 years. Three had onset of ADSD in the postpartum period, the other two during pregnancy. Significantly increased avocational voice use was found in the pregnant group compared to the control group. There was a significant difference in the two groups regarding cumulative risk factors traditionally associated with ADSD. Conclusions Sudden onset of ADSD can occur in pregnancy in women with clinical profiles that differ from traditional ADSD patients. Level of Evidence 3b Laryngoscope, 123:3127–3130, 2013
Research on image retrieval based on formal concept analysis

Based on the theory of form concept analysis, gives the definition of image context, and generating the concept lattice image. At the same time, the related knowledge of graph matching is also presented. Generation of concept lattice base on the formal context of images, and draw the Hasse diagram which correspond with the concept lattice, then use the graph match method to find images witch similar to an example image, last The concept lattice similarity calculation method are used to graph matching. The formal concept analysis (mainly the concept of grid) is applied to To calculate the similarity of image features.
Factor-dependent transcription termination by vaccinia RNA polymerase : kinetic coupling and requirement for ATP hydrolysis

Transcription termination during synthesis of vaccinia early mRNAs occurs downstream of a UUUUUNU signal in the nascent transcript and requires a virus-encoded termination factor (VTF), which is identical with the vaccinia mRNA capping enzyme. Using purified transcription complexes halted at defined sites on linear DNA templates, we have examined the order and timing of events during a single round of elongation and termination. We find that although cap synthesis occurs by the time the nascent RNA is 31 nucleotides long, capping enzyme is not stably associated with the elongation complex at this stage. Stable interaction, defined by the formation of a termination-competent complex, requires a longer nascent RNA, e.g. 51 nucleotides, but does not depend on prior transcription of the termination signal. The acquisition of termination competence correlates temporally with the physical association of capping enzyme/VTF with the elongation complex, as revealed by UV cross-linking of the capping enzyme large subunit to the nascent RNA chain. Subsequent induction of termination and transcript release by capping enzyme requires energy, specifically the hydrolysis of ATP. The choice of termination site is flexible and is determined by a kinetic balance between the rate of polymerase elongation and the rate of signaling. Signaling rate is related directly to the concentration of hydrolyzable ATP. An apparent lower limit of 33 nucleotides between the 5' boundary of the termination signal and the most proximal termination site implies that the UUUUUNU signal must be extruded from the RNA polymerase before it can be acted upon by VTF. Similarities between VTF-dependent termination and rho-dependent termination underscore an evolutionarily conserved mechanism for RNA signal transduction to the elongating RNA polymerase.
Consent Procedures and American Federalism

Cooperative federalism programs and spending grants are like contracts. There is a federal offer and a state acceptance; there are terms and conditions, obligations and penalties. And there is a “meeting of the minds” — a moment when the states consent to a federal offer and the deal is done. But because the states are not monolithic actors — and many officials, acting through many different political processes, could conceivably speak for the state — the federal government establishes procedures that dictate which state actors may consent on the state’s behalf and how.I call these “consent procedures.” These procedures are ubiquitous: they appear in every program and facilitate every grant that requires voluntary state participation. But they are not innocuous. Some require a particular state officer to serve as the state’s spokesperson. Others require the states to express their consent by proceeding through certain state-level processes. Still others automatically enroll the states and infer their ongoing consent from their failure to opt out. In Professors Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein’s popular framing, Congress controls the “choice architecture” within which states make the decision to join or reject voluntary cooperative programs. Like “choice architecture,” consent procedures do more than operate as processes for registering state consent. Many also shape how states internally discuss, deliberate, and decide whether to join federal programs. They affect the formation as much as the expression of state consent.This Article is the first to identify and critically analyze these procedures. It canvasses their many forms and features. It contextualizes them in the Court’s federalism jurisprudence and identifies potential constitutional concerns. It asks whether and under what conditions they are consistent with the core values of American federalism. And it describes ways that different stakeholders — Congress, federal agencies, and the states — can navigate them going forward. The federal government’s largely unnoticed ability to set consent procedures is a consequential feature of twenty-first-century federalism. Federal-state collaboration is increasingly Congress’s regulatory model of choice, and the terms of these collaborations will be the federalism fight of this new century. Consent procedures force to the forefront fundamental questions about the degree of autonomy, self-determination, and respect the states deserve when they are negotiating, defining, and agreeing upon the terms of their cooperative ventures — questions that become more pressing with each legislative session.
What Causes Men's Violence against Women?

What Causes Men's Violence against Women? Michele Harway and James M. O'Neil. eds. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1999. 296pp.
Black Educational Activism for Community Empowerment: International Leadership Perspectives

This article discusses themes emerging from studies of Black educational activism conducted in London, Toronto, and Detroit. An analysis of narrative data reveals that Black educational activists resist racism and other forms of oppression; act as border crossers and/or boundary spanners as they navigate complex community- based, institutional, and political terrains; serve as change agents from the grassroots to institutional level; and develop and enact distinct types of social capital to yield community versus individual uplift. The authors conclude that activists should be valued as leaders and strategically engaged in K-12 public school systems to combat racism and build effective school-community alliances.
Reasoning about Social Conflicts in Different Cultures: Druze and Jewish Children in Israel.

This study examined how children of different cultural backgrounds weigh competing considerations in complex social situations. 351 children from Druze and Jewish communities in Israel (mean ages 8-10, 10-9, 12-11, 14-11, and 16-8) were presented with conflicts between 2 concerns: (a) Justice-Authority, (b) Justice-Interpersonal, (c) Personal-Interpersonal, and (d) Personal-Authority. For each conflict, subjects selected the course of action to be followed and evaluated the desirability of each behavioral alternative. Both similarities and differences were found in the ways children from each group weigh social concerns and change their priorities with age. Furthermore, judgments in both groups were complex and heterogeneous. These findings demonstrated that the weighing of social concerns in conflict situations is not done solely according to an overriding cultural orientation.
A new path to the waterfall: A narrative on a use of entrepreneurial narrative

The limitations of the paradigmatic mode of thought as an approach for describing and understanding the nature of entrepreneurial intentions and actions and their interrelationships with circumstance is explored by showing how the author’s previous empirical scholarship often fails to offer insights into the intention/action/circumstance condition (IACC) in entrepreneurship. As a way to understand and describe the IACC in entrepreneurship, the rubric ‘narrative’ is offered as a ‘solution.’ The author suggests a particular narrative gambit (the ‘new path’) for studying entrepreneurship.
Four Empirical Models for Pelleting of Cellulosic Biomass

Cellulosic biofuels are one of the substitutes for fossil fuels. However, cellulosic biomass materials possess inherently low bulk densities, so it is difficult to efficiently transport and store large quantities of feedstocks. In order to combat the negative handling, storage and transportation aspects of bulk biomass, pelleting is often required. The mechanisms existing in pelleting process play a key role to understand the pelleting of cellulosic biomass. This paper reviews four empirical models for pelleting of cellulosic biomass. The basic pelleting mechanisms of powder and the four models used for pelleting study are provided. Then the comparisons between the four models through experiments are presented.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Structural determinants of HscA peptide-binding specificity.

The Hsp70-class molecular chaperone HscA interacts specifically with a conserved 99LPPVK103 motif of the iron−sulfur cluster scaffold protein IscU. We used a cellulose-bound peptide array to perform single-site saturation substitution of peptide residues corresponding to Glu98−Ile104 of IscU to determine positional amino acid requirements for recognition by HscA. Two mutant chaperone forms, HscA(F426A) with a DnaK-like arch structure and HscA(M433V) with a DnaK-like substrate-binding pocket, were also studied. Wild-type HscA and HscA(F426A) exhibited a strict preference for proline in the central peptide position (ELPPVKI), whereas HscA(M433V) bound a peptide containing a Pro→Leu substitution at this location (ELPLVKI). Contributions of Phe426 and Met433 to HscA peptide specificity were further tested in solution using a fluorescence-based peptide-binding assay. Bimane-labeled HscA and HscA(F426A) bound ELPPVKI peptides with higher affinity than leucine-substituted peptides, whereas HscA(M433V) favored bi...
Understanding the relationship between actual:ideal discrepancies and depressive symptoms: a developmental examination.

Abstract Self-discrepancy theory (SDT) is one framework for understanding how goal failure is associated with depressive symptoms. The present studies sought to examine the variance in depressive symptoms explained by actual:ideal discrepancies, beyond what is accounted for by actual-self ratings. Additionally, gender and grade were examined as potential moderators in the relationship. In Study 1 ( N = 228), discrepancies accounted for additional variance in the level of depressive symptoms beyond what was explained by actual-self ratings in a college sample. In Study 2 ( N = 192), while similar global patterns were found, gender and grade differences emerged. For boys, the relationship between actual:ideal discrepancies and depressive symptoms was due to actual-self ratings. For girls, a developmental pattern suggested that actual:ideal discrepancies become more important to the prediction of depressive symptoms among older girls. Implications for the emergence of the discrepancy–depression association are discussed.
Sex differences: Differential access to power or sex-role socialization?

Contradictory hypotheses are tested to determine if access to power or sex-role socialization is the crucial factor in determining sex differences. Experimental procedures established a status hierarchy consisting of a superordinate and two subordinates. Males and females in 64 groups were compared in similar subordinate positions. A 2×2 factorial design manipulated two independent variables: subordinate alternatives (equal vs. unequal) and sex of a subordinate advisor. Power affected a distribution of resources and participation in negotiations; sex affected supportive behavior, assessments of influence, and conflict-avoidance motivation. Neither interpersonal power relations nor sex-role socialization adequately explains the sex differences that occurred. The necessity for considering social stratification in research and theory regarding sex differences is discussed.
Factors influencing the prevalence of Pleospora bjoerlingii on sugar‐beet seed

SUMMARY Pleospora bjoerlingii was more prevalent on the seed of some sugar beet cultivars than others following both a dry seed harvest when infection was scarce and a wet harvest when superficial infection of seed was common. Methods of cultivation and harvesting that delayed ripening and increased the exposure of the seed to rainfall in a wet season increased the incidence of seed-borne P. bjoerlingii but the incidence of the fungus on the seed of different cultivars was independent of the effect of cultivar on the time of ripening of the crop.
Canonical-like transformation method and exact solutions to a class of diffusion equations

Abstract A new method named canonical-like transformation method is proposed to find the exact solutions to nonlinear diffusion equations. By this method, the exact traveling wave solutions to a class of diffusion equations are obtained. As special cases, some exact solutions to Fisher equation, Burgers–KdV equation and Newell–Whitehead equation are given.
Time-resolved PIV of lean premixed combustion without and with porous inert media for acoustic control

Abstract In the past, we have documented the efficacy of the ring-shaped porous inert media (PIM) to passively mitigate combustion noise and thermo-acoustic instabilities in lean premixed (LPM) swirl-stabilized combustion systems, although the underlying mechanisms involved have not been understood. The present study utilizes time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) to measure the turbulent flow field in a LPM combustion system without and with PIM placed on the dump plane. Measurements of instantaneous and average flow fields, vorticity, and turbulent kinetic energy are presented to gain insight into the flow structure. Results are analyzed using the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) to identify the effect of PIM on the coherent turbulent structures in the flow field. The addition of PIM removes the recirculation zones and the dominant coherent turbulent structures formed in the shear layers are convected downstream of the reaction zone. Harmonic reconstruction of the flow field is performed at the frequency of thermo-acoustic instability to identify the relationship between the flow and acoustic fields of the system. Without PIM, the vortical modes in the corner recirculation zone are shown to be the driving source for the instability. PIM alters the flow field from global instability to convective instability, which effectively eliminates the feedback mechanism for thermo-acoustic instabilities in the present LPM swirl-stabilized combustion system.
Accountability for Resources and Outcomes: An Introduction

This special issue furthers the conversation begun in the August 2014 of edition of Education Policy Analysis Archives in the article Accountability for College and Career Readiness: Developing a New Paradigm by Linda Darling-Hammond, Gene Wilhoit, and Linda Pittenger. That paper posits that as schools across the country take on the challenge of preparing all children for success in college, career, and life, states must in turn move toward creating more aligned systems of assessment and accountability. The authors recommend, “an accountability approach that focuses on meaningful learning, enabled by professionally skilled and committed educators, and supported by adequate and appropriate resources, so that all students regardless of background are prepared for both college and career when they graduate from high school” (p. 1). In this, the third of three focused volumes of EPAA, we hope to further that discussion and debate by focusing, one issue at a time, on each of the three elements of a truly responsible accountability system: 1) meaningful learning, 2) professional capacity and accountability, and 3) equitable and wisely used resources.
Manufacture of nanoparticles from bone: a preliminary study

This study investigated a mechanical processing method using vibratory milling to reduce the particle size of bone ash to produce hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles from bovine bone. Bovine femurs were cleaned of soft tissue, cut into small pieces, heated to 600 deg for 24 h, and ground into a coarse powder. A 50 wt% suspension was prepared, vibratory milled for 18 h, and then the milled suspension was filter pressed, dried, and ground into powder. The powder was analyzed with scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, which confirmed the particle size and the chemical composition of the powder-matched HA. The results of this study qualitatively showed that it is possible to produce HA nanoparticles from bone. This research explores a "green" manufacturing process that reuses a scrap material from the food industry and reduces the use of chemical precursors for synthetic nanoparticle synthesis. Such HA powder can potentially be used as a bone substitute and for coating orthopedic and dental implants.
On the capacity of binary input symmetric q-ary output channels with synchronization errors

In this paper, we develop several lower bounds on the capacity of binary input symmetric q-ary output channels with synchronization errors, e.g., substitution/erasure channels with synchronization errors. More precisely, we show that if a channel with synchronization errors can be decomposed into a cascade of two independent channels where only the first one suffers from synchronization errors, a lower bound on its capacity related to the capacity of the one with only synchronization errors can be given. We present several examples with the new approach and demonstrate that for certain channels, e.g., deletion/substitution channel, it is possible to derive tighter capacity lower bounds than the existing ones.
An elliptic curve test for Mersenne primes

Abstract Let l ⩾ 3 be a prime, and let p = 2 l - 1 be the corresponding Mersenne number. The Lucas–Lehmer test for the primality of p goes as follows. Define the sequence of integers x k by the recursion x 0 = 4 , x k = x k - 1 2 - 2 . Then p is a prime if and only if each x k is relatively prime to p, for 0 ⩽ k ⩽ l - 3 , and gcd ( x l - 2 , p ) > 1 . We show, in the Section 1, that this test is based on the successive squaring of a point on the one-dimensional algebraic torus T over Q , associated to the real quadratic field k = Q ( 3 ) . This suggests that other tests could be developed, using different algebraic groups. As an illustration, we will give a second test involving the sucessive squaring of a point on an elliptic curve. If we define the sequence of rational numbers x k by the recursion x 0 = - 2 , x k = ( x k - 1 2 + 12 ) 2 4 · x k - 1 · ( x k - 1 2 - 12 ) , then we show that p is prime if and only if x k · ( x k 2 - 12 ) is relatively prime to p, for 0 ⩽ k ⩽ l - 2 , and gcd ( x l - 1 , p ) > 1 . This test involves the successive squaring of a point on the elliptic curve E over Q defined by y 2 = x 3 - 12 x . We provide the details in Section 2. The two tests are remarkably similar. For example, both take place on groups with good reduction away from 2 and 3. Can one be derived from the other?
Raman spectroscopy in bioanalysis

Recent advances in instrument design have allowed researchers to use smaller, more efficient components in designing Raman spectrometers. Advances in instrumentation have increased the performance of Raman instruments and increased their usage in bioanalysis. This paper reviews recent improvements in instrument design and discusses several applications of Raman spectroscopy to diagnosis in biology, chemistry and medicine.
Neutralizing antibodies to nucleoside diphosphate kinase inhibit the enzyme in vitro and in vivo: evidence for two distinct mechanisms of activation of atrial currents by ATPγS

Abstract Nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDPK) participates in multiple cellular functions, yet the molecular mechanisms of its involvement are often unknown, given that there are no specific inhibitors for the enzyme from vertebrates. We developed antibodies against NDPK by immunization of rabbits with the enzyme from bullfrog skeletal muscle. The antibodies specifically recognized the enzyme from frog tissues, and cross-reacted with NDPK from Xenopus . In contrast to mammalian NDPK, the amphibian enzyme elicited antibodies that inhibit potently its catalytic function. We utilized the inhibitory properties of these immunoglobulins to examine the role of NDPK on the ATPγS-induced stimulation of Ca 2+ and K + currents of cardiac myocytes. Injection of NDPK-neutralizing Fab fragments into atrial cells reduced considerably the effect of ATPγS on muscarinic K + currents, but not on Ca 2+ currents. Therefore, ATPγS increases calcium and potassium currents of atrial cells by two distinct mechanisms. NDPK is essential for the conversion of ATPγS into GTPγS which leads to muscarinic K + channel activation but not for the stimulation of Ca 2+ currents by ATPγS. The results demonstrate that antibodies to frog NDPK block the activity of the enzyme in vivo and in vitro, and can be used to determine the relevance of NDPK and its catalytic activity to the function of vertebrate cells.
Lactose USP (Beadlets) and Dextrose (PAF 2011):Two New Agents for Direct Compression

Abstract Lactose USP (beadlets) and dextrose (PAF 2011) have been evaluated and compared with two commonly used agents for direct compression—spray-dried lactose USP and anhydrous lactose USP—as to their relative physical properties and stability for tableting by direct compression.The compression characteristics of all four materials were defined with the aid of a rotary tablet machine instrumented with strain gauges.Compression and ejection forces were monitored continuously and correlated with tablet hardness, friability, weight variation, and disintegration times.It was concluded that the two new agents are generally superior to the other materials tested for use as fillers for direct compression.Both exhibited excellent flow and compressional characteristics.Neither agent represents an improvement over the older materials with regard to physical stability.
Dielectric Relaxation in Amorphous Poly(ethylene terephthalate) and Poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate) and Their Copolymers

The dielectric loss spectra of poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthylene dicarboxylate) (PEN) and several copolymers of 2,6-naphthylene dicarboxylic acid and terephthalic acid with ethylene glycol have been studied over a wide range of frequency and temperature. Previously, Ezquerra, Balta-Calleja, and Zachmann have reported the presence, in isochronal temperature scans of dielectric loss, of a subglass process (β*) in PEN homopolymer in addition to the subglass process (β) similar to that in poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). In the present work both the β and β* processes in PEN and PET/PEN copolymers are resolved and characterized in isothermal frequency scans. It was found that the lower temperature β loss peak in PEN and the copolymers has a complex or composite frequency domain structure requiring two Cole-Cole processes in its representation. The β* process in the copolymers is found to shift to higher frequency isothermally (or lower temperature isochronally) with increasing terephthalic acid content. Analysis of previous dielectric data for PET shows that its β subglass process is also complex in the log frequency axis but must be represented by three Cole-Cole processes. The two higher frequency components are essentially identical to the two Cole-Cole processes making up the β process in PEN. The third and lowest frequency component is interpreted as of the same origin as the β* process in PEN and the copolymers but shifted to higher frequency isothermally (or lower temperature isochronally) to where it overlaps with the β process.
A kinetic method to determine the cell cycle times of chick skin fibroblast subpopulations.

. We have inferred, from computer simulations of clonal growth data, mean cell cycle time (Tc) for putative subpopulations of fibroblastic cells having unique replicative potentials. the growth kinetics of chick embryo fibroblast clones can be accounted for if it is assumed that: (1) there is a transient, and rather substantial, decline in mean Tc (from 34 to 12 hr) immediately following the commitment of a ‘stem’ cell daughter to a limited replicative lifespan; (2) the mean Tc increases progressively (from 12 to 48 hr) as ‘committed’ cells exhaust their remaining replicative potential; and (3) the daughters of committed cells may occasionally become abruptly post-mitotic.
Filtration of chain aggregate aerosols by model screen filter

A screen type diffusion battery was used as a model screen filter for studying the filtration of chain aggregate aerosols. The aerosols, with well-defined diameter and length, were generated with a system that included a flame aerosol generator and a differential mobility analyzer. Particle sizes were characterized using transmission electron microscopy and a digital image processing technique. The penetration efficiency of the aerosols through even stages of the diffusion battery at certain flow velocities were measured using a condensation nucleus counter (CNC). Quantitative data were obtained by operating the CNC in count mode simultaneously with a laser aerosol spectrometer. Results indicated that penetration efficiency decreased exponentially with the number of screens and increased with flow velocity. In addition, theoretical analysis of filtration mechanisms based on the fan model theory has been made and compared with the measurements of penetration efficiency. Results showed that the collection o...
THE ACCESSIBLE SETS OF QUADRATIC FREE NILPOTENT CONTROL SYSTEMS

We consider the problem of describing the accessible set of some simple control systems, the free nilpotent ones. We review what is known about linear free nilpotent control sys- tems and the simplest quadratic free nilpotent control system. In these cases the accessible sets are cell complexes and the boundary cells are completely known. We are particularly interested in a quadratic free nilpotent system that is a extension of the famous system of Fuller. In this case the accessible sets are harder to describe because there are boundary points that can only be reached by chattering bang bang trajectories. A bang bang trajectory is chattering if it has an infinite number of switches in finite time. We oer some insights and conjectures about the accessible sets of the extended Fuller system.
On a circle-cover minimization problem☆

Abstract Given a set of n circular-arcs A 1 , A 2 ,...,A n , we consider the problem of finding a minimum number of circular-arcs whose union covers the circle. Specifically, if the endpoints of these n arcs are given, we show that O(n log n) is both sufficient and necessary for solving the minimum cover problem. Furthermore, with O(n log n) preprocessing time we find the minimum cover in O(n) time.
Aspects of the Polymorphic Phase Transformation in p-Diiodobenzene

Abstract Interest in solid p-diiodobenzene has focused on the characterization and properties of the material before and after the phase transformation at around 51°C and, more recently, on the nature of the transformation itself. Our initial attention was drawn by the discovery by Schwartz. et al.,1 that the hole carrier mobility of the photoconductive room temperature material drops sharply in the vicinity of 50°C.
A Modified Liquid Medium for Higher Production of Aflatoxins

Summary: A modified synthetic liquid medium for the production of aflatoxin was evaluated. The medium stimulated a higher production of aflatoxins expecially B1. The substitution of glucose with sucrose resulted into a significant increase in the production of the toxic metabolite. It seemed that sucrose provided a superior source of energy and carbon atoms that are needed by the fungus for the conversion of nutrients into secondary metabolites under the used condition. Zusammenfassung: Ein modifiziertes synthetisches flussiges Nahrmedium wurde fur die Aflatoxin-Produktion erprobt. Das Nahrmedium stimulierte eine hohere Toxinbildung besonders von Aflatoxin B1. Der Ersatz von Glukose durch Sukrose fuhrte zu einer signifikanten Zunahme in der Toxinbildung. Es schien, das Sukrose eine bessere Quelle fur Energie und Kohlenstoffatome darstellt, die der Pilz fur die Umformung der Nahrstoffe zu Metaboliten benotigt.