cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A 1.5-V 2.4 GHz Differential CMOS Low Noise Amplifier for Bluetooth and Wireless LAN Applications

This paper describes a CMOS LNA for Bluetooth/IEEE802.11b front-end receiver in a TSMC 0.18-mum process. The LNA provides a 50Omega input impedance and utilizes a tuned load to provide high selectivity. The LNA achieves a maximum small signal gain of 18.9 dB within 1-dB compression point (iCP1dB) of -13.2 dBm. The LNA acquires an NF of 2 dB with an input return loss of -10.62 dB and an output return loss of -9.6 dB. In the linearity response, the LNA's IIP3 is 2.42 dBm. The LNA consumes 4.3 mA of current from a 1.5-V supply
DIVERGENCE ACROSS AUSTRALIA'S CARPENTARIAN BARRIER: STATISTICAL PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF THE RED‐BACKED FAIRY WREN (MALURUS MELANOCEPHALUS)

Multilocus analysis of phylogeography and population history is a powerful tool for understanding the origin, dispersal, and geographic structure of species over time and space. Using 36 genetic markers (29 newly developed anonymous nuclear loci, six introns and one from mitochondrial DNA, amounting to over 15 kb per individual), we studied population structure and demographic history of the red-backed fairy wren Malurus melanocephalus, a small passerine distributed in the northern and eastern part of Australia across the Carpentarian barrier. Analysis of anonymous loci markers revealed large amounts of genetic diversity (π= 0.016 ± 0.01; average number of SNPs per locus = 48; total number of SNPs = 1395), and neither nuclear nor mitochondrial gene trees showed evidence of reciprocal monophyly among Cape York (CY), Eastern Forest (EF), and Top End (TE) populations. Despite traditional taxonomy linking TE and CY populations to the exclusion of EF, we found that the CY population is genetically closer to the EF population, consistent with predicted area cladograms in this region. Multilocus coalescent analysis suggests that the CY population was separated from the other two regions approximately 0.27 million years ago, and that significant gene flow between the ER and the CY populations (∼2 migrants per generation) suggests geographic continuity in eastern Australia. By contrast, gene flow between the CY and the TE populations has been dampened by divergence across the Carpentarian barrier.
Binary phase only joint transform correlator

A joint transform hybrid optical correlator as applied to binary phase only filtering for pattern recognition is proposed. The interference fringes of the joint Fourier transformation, due to the reference and the input targets, are captured by a CCD camera feeding into a microcomputer for binarization. A binarized phase only filter, in principle, can be written onto a spatial light modulator (SLM). By simple coherent illumination of SLM, correlation operation of the reference and the input targets can be obtained. A computer simulation for the target embedded in an additive Gaussian noise is provided.
Essay: The Most Sarcastic Justice

Justice Scalia is the most sarcastic Justice on the Supreme Court. He has been for at least the last thirty years, and there is good reason to believe no other Justice in history has come close to his level of sarcasm. Now your first reaction to this claim, if you are a (sarcastic) Supreme Court aficionado or reader of the Green Bag (the two categories overlap almost perfectly), is probably: “Well, duh!” And your second reaction is likely: “Oh really? Well how can you prove that?”In this short essay, I do four things. First, I present empirical evidence showing that Justice Scalia’s opinions are magnitudes of order more likely to be described in law journals as sarcastic compared to any other Justice’s opinions. The numbers are quite remarkable, and do not vary whether Justice Scalia is compared to liberal or other conservative Justices who have served with him on the Court since his 1986 confirmation. Second, I consider some methodological quibbles. Third, I present some illustrative examples of Justice Scalia’s sarcasm from a list of 75 sarcastic opinions from 1986-2013. His ability (and willingness) to engage in nastiness, particularly directed at other Justices’ opinions, is unparalleled. Finally, I opine that Justice Scalia’s sarcasm is a mixed blessing. On the one hand sarcasm makes his opinions punchy and interesting, clarifying where he stands in a case and why and gaining attention for his ideas. On the other hand, such heavy use of sarcasm can demean the Court, and it arguably demonstrates Justice Scalia’s lack of respect for the legal opinions of his colleagues. In the end, his sarcasm may be one of his most enduring legacies.
The Effect of Antioxidants and a Vitamin B12 Concentrate on the Utilization of Carotenoid Pigments by the Chicks

Abstract DAM et al. (1948, 1951) have shown that the addition of certain anti-oxidants to vitamin E-low rations containing large amounts of highly unsaturated fatty acids afforded protection of the chick against exudative diathesis and encephalomalacia comparable to that obtained with the use of alpha tocopheryl acetate. More recently, Singsen et al. (1955) and Bunnell et al. (1955) have found several other antioxidants, including N,N’ diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPPD) and 2,6 di-tertiary-butyl-4-methyl phenol (BHT), which prevent encephalomalacia in chicks fed a vitamin E-low diet containing 2% fish oil. Matterson et al. (1955) have shown that adding DPPD to a chick ration containing fish oil as a source of vitamin A produced a substantial increase in the utilization of this vitamin. From the results of these experiments, it is postulated by the authors that some antioxidants may have a direct effect upon the utilization of carotenoid pigments by the chicks. To investigate this possibility, …
A finer tuning of G-protein signaling through regulated control of RGS proteins

Regulators of G-protein signaling (RGS) proteins are GTPase-activating proteins (GAP) for various Gα subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins. Through this mechanism, RGS proteins regulate the magnitude and duration of G-protein-coupled receptor signaling and are often referred to as fine tuners of G-protein signaling. Increasing evidence suggests that RGS proteins themselves are regulated through multiple mechanisms, which may provide an even finer tuning of G-protein signaling and crosstalk between G-protein-coupled receptors and other signaling pathways. This review summarizes the current data on the control of RGS function through regulated expression, intracellular localization, and covalent modification of RGS proteins, as related to cell function and the pathogenesis of diseases.
A review and perspective of efficient hydrogen generation via solar thermal water splitting

Solar thermal water splitting (STWS) produces renewable hydrogen from water using concentrated sunlight. Because it utilizes energy from the entire solar spectrum to directly drive the redox reactions that split water, it can achieve high theoretical solar-to-hydrogen efficiencies. In two-step STWS, a metal oxide is first heated by concentrated sunlight to high temperatures to reduce it and produce O2. In the second step, the reduced material is exposed to H2O to reoxidize it to its original oxidation state and produce H2. Various aspects of this process are reviewed in this work, including the reduction and oxidation chemistries of the active redox materials, the effects of operating conditions, and the solar thermal reactors in which the STWS reactions occur, and a perspective is given on the future optimization of STWS. WIREs Energy Environ 2016, 5:261–287. doi: 10.1002/wene.174 This article is categorized under: Concentrating Solar Power > Science and Materials Energy and Climate > Science and Materials Energy Research & Innovation > Science and Materials
Conformal Rectification of Omnidirectional Stereo Pairs

A pair of stereo images are said to be rectified if corresponding image points have the same y-coordinate in their respective images. In this paper we consider the rectification of two omnidirectional cameras, specifically two parabolic catadioptric cameras. Such systems consist of a parabolic mirror and an orthographically projecting lens. We show that if the image coordinates are represented as a point z in the complex plane, then the rectification is specified by coth -1z. This rectification is shown to be conformal, in that it is locally distortionless, and furthermore, it is unique up to scale and transformation. We show an experiment in which two real images have been rectified and a stereo matching performed.
Fresco: a Web services based framework for configuring extensible SLA management systems

A service level agreement (SLA) is a service contract that includes the evaluation criteria for agreed service quality standards. Since agreeable specifications on the evaluation criteria cannot be limited in practice, competitive SLA management products must be extensible in terms of their support for contract-specific SLA compliance evaluations. While the need of running and managing those software products as services increases, we have found that developing a good solution for configuring them as per contractual terms is a challenging task. This paper presents the Fresco framework, which facilitates configuring extensible SLA management systems using Web services. An XML-based specification of SLA management related data called SCOL will also be presented to show how the framework supports contract-specific SLA terms and contract-specific extensions of the deployed SLA management software. The paper furthermore shows how the Fresco system uses a template-based approach to communicate with other Web services applications with support for various input and output formats. Our experience with implementing the Fresco framework for a leading commercial SLA management software product demonstrates that the framework facilitates the creation of effective and efficient solutions for configuring extensible SLA management systems.
A method for dynamic system characterization using hydraulic series resistance

The pressure required to drive flow through a microfluidic device is an important characteristic of that device. We present a method to measure the flow rate through microfluidic components and systems, including micropumps and microvalves. The measurement platform is composed of two pressure sensors and a glass tube, which provides series resistance. The principle of the measurement is the fluid dynamical equivalent of Ohm's law, which defines the relationship between current, resistance, and voltage that are analogues to flow rate, hydraulic resistance, and pressure drop, respectively. Once the series resistance is known, it is possible to compute the flow rate through a device based on pressure alone. In addition, the dynamic system characteristics of the device-resistance and capacitance-can be computed. The benefits of this method are its simple configuration, capability of measuring flow rate accurately from the more easily measured pressure, and the ability to predict the dynamic response of microfluidic devices.
The Short Form of the Task-Specific Occupational Self-Efficacy Scale

Occupationally relevant skills were selected from the 66 GOE Categories of the Selected Characteristics of Occupations Defined in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (U.S. Department of Labor, 1981). These skills were then translated into items and reduced to 230 self-efficacy statements. Subjects were asked to respond to each item in terms of their confidence in their ability to perform the task. Test-retest reliability for the 230 items was .77 over a 2- to 3- week period.The responses of 1,265 subjects were factor analyzed using a principle components method and promax rotation. The result was four, clean, non-overlapping factors. By eliminating some items, the instrument was reduced to a 60-item scale with four, 15 item subscales reflecting the four factors. Factor 1 describes language and interpersonal skills; factor 2 emphasizes quantitative, logical, scientific, and business skills; factor 3 describes physical strength and agility; factor 4 reflects aesthetic skills. Cronbach-Alphas describing in...
Using Social Contextual Information to Match Criminal Identities

Criminal identity matching is crucial to crime investigation in law enforcement agencies. Existing techniques match identities that refer to the same individuals based on simple identity features. These techniques are subject to several problems. First, there is an effectiveness trade-off between the false negative and false positive rates. The improvement of one rate usually lowers the other. Second, in some situations such as identity theft, simple-feature-based techniques are unable to match identities that have completely different identity feature values. We argue that the information about the social context of an individual may provide additional information for revealing the individuals identity, helping improve the effectiveness of identity matching techniques. We define two types of social contextual features: role-based personal features and social group features. Experiments showed that social contextual features, especially the structural similarity and the relational similarity, significantly improved the precision without lowering the recall of criminal identity matching tasks.
Efficient Directional Network Backbone Construction in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

In this paper, we consider the issue of constructing an energy-efficient virtual network backbone in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) for broadcasting applications using directional antennas. In directional antenna models, the transmission/reception range is divided into several sectors and one or more sectors can be switched on for transmission. Therefore, data forwarding can be restricted to certain directions (sectors), and both energy consumption and interference can be reduced. We develop the notation of directional network backbone using the directional antenna model, and form the problem of the directional connected dominating set (DCDS) which is an extreme case of the directional network backbone using an unlimited number of directional antennas. The minimum DCDS problem is proved to be NP-complete. A localized heuristic algorithm for constructing a small DCDS and two extensions of the algorithm are proposed. Performance analysis includes an analytical study in terms of an approximation ratio and a simulation study on the proposed algorithms using both a custom simulator and ns2.
A combined fuzzy pixel-based and object-based approach for classification of high-resolution multispectral data over urban areas

In this paper, we present an object-based approach for urban land cover classification from high-resolution multispectral image data that builds upon a pixel-based fuzzy classification approach. This combined pixel/object approach is demonstrated using pan-sharpened multispectral IKONOS imagery from dense urban areas. The fuzzy pixel-based classifier utilizes both spectral and spatial information to discriminate between spectrally similar road and building urban land cover classes. After the pixel-based classification, a technique that utilizes both spectral and spatial heterogeneity is used to segment the image to facilitate further object-based classification. An object-based fuzzy logic classifier is then implemented to improve upon the pixel-based classification by identifying one additional class in dense urban areas: nonroad, nonbuilding impervious surface. With the fuzzy pixel-based classification as input, the object-based classifier then uses shape, spectral, and neighborhood features to determine the final classification of the segmented image. Using these techniques, the object-based classifier is able to identify buildings, impervious surface, and roads in dense urban areas with 76%, 81%, and 99% classification accuracies, respectively.
Glucocorticoids Inhibit the Cerebral Microvascular Dysfunction Associated with Sepsis in Obese Mice

Objectives: Obesity is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. It is unclear whether this increase is due to exaggerated inflammatory response alone or due to lack of response to therapeutic agents used. The objective of this study was to determine whether low-dose steroid therapy, which has proven effective in clinical setting, affords any benefit in the increased morbidity to sepsis in genetically obese (ob/ob) mice.Methods: Intravital videomicroscopy was used to monitor and quantify the adhesion of platelets and leukocytes in the brain microcirculation of lean (WT) and ob/ob mice subjected to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) with or without dexamethasone 4 mg/kg within 15 min of surgery. The dual radiolabeled monoclonal antibody method was used to measure P-selectin expression in the microcirculation, while the sepsis-induced behavioral deficit was quantified using a multicompartment chamber test.Results: Dexamethasone completely prevented the accumulation of adhe...
A Weak Completeness Theorem for Infinite Valued First-Order Logic

This paper contains some results concerning the completeness of a first-order system of infinite valued logicThere are under consideration two distinct notions of completeness corresponding to the two notions of validity (see Definition 3) and strong validity (see Definition 4). Both notions of validity, whether based on the unit interval [0, 1] or based on linearly ordered MV-algebras, use the element 1 as the designated truth value. Originally, it was thought by many investigators in the field that one should be able to prove that the set of valid sentences is recursively enumerable. It was first proved by Rutledge in [9] that the set of valid sentences in the monadic first-order infinite valued logic is recursively enumerable.
School Quality, Neighborhoods, and Housing Prices

We study the relationship between school characteristics and housing prices in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, between 1994 and 2001. During this period, the school district was operating under a court-imposed desegregation order and drew school boundaries so that students living in the same neighborhoods were often sent to very different schools in terms of racial mix and average test scores of the students. We use differences in housing prices along assignment zone boundaries to disentangle the effect of schools and other neighborhood characteristics. We find systematic differences in house prices along school boundaries although the impact of schools is only one-quarter as large as the naive cross-sectional estimates would imply. Part of the impact of school assignments is mediated by differences in the characteristics of the population and the quality of the housing stock that have arisen on either side of the school assignment boundary.
Computational Modeling of Rolling Cams for Wave-Energy Capture in a Viscous Fluid

The performance of an unsymmetrical rolling cam as an ocean-wave energy extractor was studied experimentally by Salter (1974) and then analyzed from the hydrodynamics standpoint by a number of workers in the 70’s (e.g. Evans, 1976). The analysis was carried out on the basis of inviscid-fluid theory and the energy-absorbing efficiency was found to approach 100%. This well-known result did not account for the presence of viscosity, which alters not only fluid damping but also, to some extent, the added-inertia characteristics. How fluid viscosity may alter these conclusions and reduce the energy-extraction effectiveness is examined in this paper, for two rolling-cam shapes: a smooth “Eyeball Cam” with a simple mathematical form and a “Keeled Cam” with a single sharp-edged bilge keel. The solution methodology involved the Free-Surface Random-Vortex Method (FSRVM), reviewed by Yeung (2002). Frequency-domain solutions in inviscid fluid were first sought for these two shapes as baseline performance metrics. As expected, without viscosity, both shapes perform exceedingly well in terms of extraction efficiency. The hydrodynamic properties of these two shapes were then examined in a real, viscous fluid, under a high Reynolds-number assumption. The added moment of inertia and damping are noted to be changed, especially for the Keeled Cam. With the power-take-off (PTO) damping chosen based on the viscous-fluid results, time-domain solutions are developed to understand the behavior of the rolling motion, the effects of PTO damping, and the effects of the cam shapes. These assessments can be effectively made with FSRVM as the computational engine, even at motion of fairly large amplitude, for which an actual system may need to be designed.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
The Atmospheric Hydrologic Cycle over the Arctic Basin from Reanalyses. Part I: Comparison with Observations and Previous Studies*

The atmospheric moisture budget is evaluated for the region 708N to the North Pole using reanalysis datasets of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF; ERA: ECMWF Re-Analysis) and the collaborative effort of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). For the forecast fields of the reanalyses, the ERA annually averaged P 2 E (precipitation minus evaporation/sublimation) field reproduces the major features of the basin perimeter as they are known, while the NCEP‐NCAR reanalysis forecast fields contain a spurious wave pattern in bothP and E. Comparisons between gauge data from Soviet drift camp stations and forecast P values of the reanalyses show reasonable agreement given the difficulties (i.e., gauge accuracy, translating location). When averaged for 708‐ 908N, the ERA and NCEP‐NCAR forecast P 2 E are similar in the annual cycle. Average reanalysis forecast values of E for the north polar cap are found to be 40% or more too large based on comparisons using surface latent heat flux climatologies. Differences between a synthesized average moisture flux across 70 8N from rawinsonde data of the Historical Arctic Rawinsonde Archive (HARA) and the reanalysis data occur in the presence of rawinsonde network problems. It is concluded that critical deficiencies exist in the rawinsonde depiction of the summertime meridional moisture transport. However, it remains to be seen whether the rawinsonde estimate can be rectified with a different method. For 708‐908N, annual moisture convergence (P 2 E) values from the ERA and NCEP‐NCAR are very similar ; for both reanalyses, annual P 2 E values obtained from forecast fields are much lower than those obtained from moisture flux convergence by about 60%, indicating severe nonclosure of the atmospheric moisture budget. The nonclosure primarily results from anomalously large forecast E values. In comparison with other studies, reanalyses moisture convergence values are much more reasonable. A synthesis of the reanalysis moisture convergence values and more recent studies yields a value of 18.9 6 2.3 cm yr21 for the north polar cap.
Certification of elements in and use of standard reference material 3280 multivitamin/multielement tablets

Standard Reference Material 3280 Multivitamin/ Multielement Tablets was issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in 2009, and has certified and reference mass fraction values for 13 vitamins, 26 elements, and two carotenoids. Elements were measured using two or more analytical methods at NIST with additional data contributed by collaborating laboratories. This reference material is expected to serve a dual purpose: to provide quality assurance in support of a database of dietary supplement products and to provide a means for analysts, dietary supplement manufacturers, and researchers to assess the appropriateness and validity of their analytical methods and the accuracy of their results.
Adhesion and Communication Between Lymphocytes and Endothelial Cells

The task of protecting the body from a neverending barrage of infectious agents and pathogens is a daunting one indeed. Bacteria, viruses, parasites and foreign substances can penetrate protective barriers such as the skin and mucous membranes, and are thus capable of entering the body virtually anywhere. Lymphocytes, which form the backbone of the adaptive immune response, confront this challenge with both singularity of purpose and boundless tenacity.
Not Just Whether, but How: Third-Party Intervention Strategy and Civil War Outcomes

One of the most frequently employed policy tools to address the turmoil wrought from civil wars are military interventions. Past studies of military interventions have disagreed about what effect military interventions will have on the duration and outcome of civil wars. I argue that part of this difficulty stems from the assumption that military interventions will affect civil war outcomes through affecting the balance of capabilities in a conflict. In contrast, I argue that not all military interventions are alike, and that depending on the strategy a third party employs, a military intervention may or may not have the primary effect of altering the balance of resources. Thus by aggregating all military interventions together, previous studies have obscured important differences in the causal mechanisms through which interventions operate and the effect that interventions have on conflict outcomes. As a result, I develop a three party typology of military interventions based upon the strategy that the third party employs. Importantly, I find that interventions that target civilians have no significant effect on conflict outcomes. Conversely, I find that arms transfers and training of opposition groups significantly increase the likelihood of a rebel victory and a negotiated settlement, whereas similar support for the government has little effect. Finally, I find that interventions employing a conventional use of force do increase the likelihood of a victory by the supported side, but that this effect varies substantially over time, providing, for example, only a narrow window early in a conflict in which direct military support for the opposition will help them achieve a military victory, whereas direct support for the government only increases the odds of victory once a conflict has become protracted.
Intermolecular Vibrations in Fullerene Systems

Intermolecular vibrations in a variety of fullerene systems are reported that provide information on C 60 -C 60 and alkali-metal - C 60 interactions and disorder effects. Low frequency Raman scattering in laser polymerized C 60 films are shown to exhibit additional modes not reported for bulk materials. This result is consistent with recent dimer calculations. Raman scattering and HREELS measurements are shown to provide complementary information on alkali-metal motions in K 3 C 60 . In FCC Na 6 C 60 both octahedral site disorder effects and reduced Na-C bond lengths account for changes in the Raman spectrum relative to Na 3 C 60 .
A Comment on “Intragenerational Occupational Mobility and Visiting with Kin and Friend”

Klapper, J. 1967 "Mass Communication, Attitude Stability and Change." In Carolyn Sherif and Muzafer Sherif (eds.), Attitude, EgoInvolvement and Change. New York: Wiley. Kluckhohn, C. 1958 "Have There Been Discernible Shifts in American Values During the Past Generation?" In Elting Morison (ed.), The American Style. New York: Harper. Kluckhohn, Florence, and Fred Strodtbeck 1961 Variation in Value Orientations. Evanston: Row Peterson.
The β-decay of 91Sr

Abstract Both the continuous β-mray spectrum and the internal conversion electron spectrum of 91 Sr have been studied with a π √2 magnetic spectrometer. The measurements yield an intensity of 30.8% for the first-forbidden unique β-decay to the ground state and a Q -value of 2.684 ± 0.004 MeV. The measured internal conversion coefficient of the 555.6 keV isomeric transition in 91 Y is in excellent agreement with the theoretical value for an M4 transition. Seven less intense internally converted transitions were also studied. The results verify the J π assignments of earlier studies and also provide new information for the transitions from which level structure configurations can be proposed.
Bonhoeffer's Concept of the West

As Clifford Green helpfully notes in his introduction to the English translation of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Ethics, Bonhoeffer hoped in this book “to contribute to the reconstruction of life in Germany and the West in the peace that would follow the [second world] war.” The phrase “Germany and the West” is significant, of course, because it names the context of Bonhoeffer’s ethical reflection. But more than this, the phrase “Germany and the West” is significant because it points to the object of Bonhoeffer’s ethical reflection. An aspect of Bonhoeffer’s task in Ethics is to think ethically and theologically about the meaning of Germany, the West, and their relationship to each other. Bonhoeffer turns to this task, for example, in the Ethics fragment “Heritage and Decay,” where he presents an image of a post-war West grounded in a historical narrative of the West.Bonhoeffer was not alone in offering a vision of the post-war West. Various members of the international ecumenical community, with which Bonhoeffer was well connected, published plans for a politically and culturally integrated West. But this international, ecumenical vision of the West was in competition with an alternative to which Bonhoeffer was also attached – the vision of Europe offered by cultured Germans. Here the emphasis was not on a common Western heritage, but on a distinctively German cultural tradition. For Bonhoeffer, thinking about Germany and the West required negotiating these competing visions. In “Heritage and Decay,” Bonhoeffer does this by offering a vision of the West that both acknowledges the distinction between Germany and its western neighbors, and points beyond it.
Research of the Perpetrating Act of Bribery Crime of Influence

The perpetrating act of bribery crime of influence consists of two parts: the use of influence,and soliciting or accepting trustees of the property.Although "seeking illegitimate interests for others" is requisite to constitute the crime,it is not part of the implementation of perpetrating act of bribery crime of influence.If the act of the use of influence and the act of soliciting or accepting trustees of the property across the Amendment VII to the Criminal Law,the Amendment VII to the Criminal Law shall also be applied.
Life stage sensitivity of the marine mussel Mytilus edulis to ammonia.

Ammonia is an important contaminant to consider in all toxicity tests. It is especially important to consider the impacts of ammonia in test methods that use sensitive water column organisms exposed to sediments or sediment extracts, such as porewater and elutriate toxicity tests. Embryo-larval development toxicity tests, such as the 48-h method using Mytilus mussel species, are particularly sensitive to ammonia. To better understand the effect thresholds across different life stages of these mussels, 6 short-term (48-h) development toxicity tests and 3 21-d toxicity tests with different-sized juvenile mussels were conducted. Two of the juvenile mussel tests involved 21-d continuous chronic exposure to ammonia, whereas the third involved an acute 2-d ammonia exposure, followed by a 19-d recovery period. The embryo-larval development test method (50% effect concentration [EC50] = 0.14-0.18 mg/L un-ionized ammonia) was 2.5 times more sensitive than the juvenile mussel 21-d survival endpoint (50% lethal concentration = 0.39 mg/L un-ionized ammonia) and 2 times more sensitive than the most sensitive sublethal juvenile mussel endpoint (EC50 = 0.26 mg/L un-ionized ammonia). Further, it was found that the juveniles recovered from a 48-h exposure to un-ionized ammonia of up to 1.1 mg/L. The data generated suggest that the embryo development endpoint was sufficiently sensitive to un-ionized ammonia to protect the chronically exposed (21 d) juvenile mussels. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:89-95. Published 2016 Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of SETAC. This article is a US government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.
Candidate Vulnerability and Exposure to Counterattitudinal Information: Evidence From Two U.S. Presidential Elections

Politically motivated selective exposure has traditionally been understood through the lens of long-standing attitudes and beliefs, but the role of environment in shaping information exposure practices merits further consideration. Citizens might respond to the political environment in their information-seeking behavior for numerous reasons. Citizens who believe their position is politically vulnerable have specific cognitive and affective needs that may make them uniquely attuned to counterattitudinal information. In the context of a presidential election, this means that as the defeat of a supported candidate appears more likely, attention to counterattitudinal content will increase. Data collected in the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Presidential elections support this prediction, although this relationship was observed primarily among supporters of the Republican candidate in both elections.
HIV Antibody Detection in Serum

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is caused by a human retrovirus termed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV infection is now recognized worldwide and represents a major public health problem. Antibodies raised against HIV in a patient’s serum provide the most common methods of determination of HIV exposure. Concern regarding the accuracy and the proper use of serologic tests for HIV antibodies in serum has been alleviated by data that have shown a variety of serologic tests to now be accurate [1], and useful both as diagnostic tools [2], and as research tools [3].
Charge transfer and negative curvature energy in magnesium boride nanotubes

Using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory, we study the energetics and charge transfer effects in ${\mathrm{MgB}}_{x}$ nanotubes and two-dimensional (2D) sheets. The behavior of adsorbed Mg on 2D boron sheets is found to depend on the amount of electron transfer between the two subsystems. The amount is determined by both the density of adsorbed Mg as well as the atomic-scale structure of the boron subsystem. The degree of transfer can lead to repulsive or attractive Mg-Mg interactions. In both cases, model ${\mathrm{MgB}}_{x}$ nanotubes built from 2D ${\mathrm{MgB}}_{x}$ sheets can display negative curvature energy: a relatively unusual situation in nanosystems where the energy cost to curve the parent 2D sheet into a small-diameter nanotube is negative. Namely, the small-diameter nanotube is energetically preferred over the corresponding flat sheet. We also discuss how these findings may manifest themselves in experimentally synthesized ${\mathrm{MgB}}_{x}$ nanotubes.
‘Formal Realism’: the Importance of Ian Watt’s The Rise of the Novel

In 1957, Ian Watt published The Rise of the Novel. It was viewed as a response to the New Critical orthodoxy of the day, although we now see that it was more of a modification than a refutation of formalism. To appreciate its impact, we need to recall the supremacy of New Criticism in 1957, and its insistence upon the autonomy of the text. Furthermore, it is also important to recall the distinction the New Critics and the Scrutiny group encouraged between criticism and scholarship, a term that became increasingly associated in the minds of younger professors and graduate students with the editing of texts, philological inquiry, and rather remote and antiquarian activities. In a 1968 retrospective essay in Novel, Watt expressed the credo that informs The Rise of the Novel, ‘The whole question of the historical, institutional and social context of literature is very widely ignored, to the great detriment not only of much scholarly and critical writing, but of the general understanding of literature at every educational level.’
Implementation of secure 6LoWPAN communications for tactical wireless sensor networks

Tactical wireless sensor networks (WSN) consist of power constrained devices spread throughout a region of interest to provide data extraction in real time. The main challenges to the deployment of tactical WSNs for mission-centric operations are limited nodal energy and information security. In this paper we develop security mechanisms to be implemented on a tactical WSN using the 6LoWPAN protocol for use by the United States Marine Corps (USMC). Specifically, we develop an architectural framework for tactical WSNs by studying security gaps and vulnerabilities within the 6LoWPAN security sublayer which is based on IEEE 802.15.4. We develop a key management scheme that is non-broadcast but that is also feasible in an operational scenario. In addition, we modify the 6LoWPAN packet structure to facilitate the newly developed keying mechanism. The tactical WSN architecture is designed to defend against a variety of network attacks that can potentially occur. Simulations will be conducted via MATLAB to show the effectiveness of the developed keying and communication mechanisms.
Weed Management in Strip Tillage Corn

Field studies were conducted in 2000 and 2001 to determine if differences exist in weed emergence patterns, weed control, corn (Zea mays L.) plant population, and grain yield in strip tillage, conventional tillage, and no-tillage production. Weed emergence peaked at 2 and 4 wk after planting (WAP) in 2000 and 2001, respectively. Weed emergence at 2 WAP in 2000 was greater in conventional tillage compared with no-tillage and strip tillage. Tillage system did not affect total weed species emergence in 2001. In both years, lower control of giant foxtail (Setaria faberi Herrm.) and common waterhemp (Amaranthus rudis Sauer) occurred following acetochlor ([2-chloro-N-(ethoxymethyl)-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)acetamide]} plus atrazine {[6-chloro-N-ethyl-N'-(1-methylethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine]} applied pre-emergence in no-tillage compared with conventional tillage. Control of common waterhemp in 2001 and giant foxtail in both years was similar with glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)glydne] applied postemergence regardless of tillage system. Corn population was greater in conventional tillage compared with no-tillage in 2000 and greater than the population in no-tillage and strip tillage in 2001. When averaged across weed management strategies, corn yield was greatest in strip tillage in 2000 and conventional tillage in 2001.
Power losses and efficiency of buck PWM DC-DC power converter

This paper derives an expression for efficiency of the buck converter that is obtained by determining the power loss in each component of a power converter. The expression for efficiency is derived as a function of the DC voltage transfer function and the circuit parameters. For a selected design, the derived expression is validated using a PSpice simulation. The expression is used to predict the variation in efficiency as well as the duty cycle of the design for two conditions: with varying input voltage and a fixed load; and with a fixed input voltage and a varying load
Functional Relationships Between Gene Pairs in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

We developed a novel method for the discovery of functional relationships between pairs of genes based on gene expression profiles generated from microarrays. This approach examines all possible pairs of genes and identifies those in which the relationship between the two genes changes in different diseases or conditions. In contrast to previous methods that have focused on differentially expressed genes, this method attempts to find changes in the correlation between genes. These changes may be indicative of the functional relationships related to a disease mechanism. We demonstrate the utility of this approach by applying it to an oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) microarray data set. Our results suggest new directions for future experimental investigations.
Outcomes of physician patients after non-cardiac surgery: a registry analysis

When physicians become patients, they may expect special privileges, extra attention from caregivers, and non-routine treatments. Consequently, physician patients may not be treated per routine—which possibly worsens care rather than improving it. We thus tested the primary hypothesis that in-hospital mortality and major complications after non-cardiac surgery are more common in physician patients than in non-physician patients. Perioperative data were extracted for patients who had non-cardiac surgery at the Cleveland Clinic between 2005 and 2013. We used propensity score matching to identify comparable groups of physician and non-physician patients. Matched physician and non-physician patients were compared on a composite of in-hospital mortality and major postoperative complications using a generalized equation average relative effects model. Secondly, the matched patients were also compared on reoperation using logistic regression and on duration of hospitalization using Kaplan–Meier analysis with the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression. Among 21,173 qualifying patients, we matched 522 physician patients to 2448 non-physician controls. There were no significant differences between physician and non-physician patients in the composite of in-hospital mortality and major complications, with an estimated odds ratio across the outcome components (average relative effect) of 1.20 (95% confidence interval 0.77–1.87) for physicians vs. non-physicians, P = 0.41. There was also no difference in the risk of re-operation or duration of hospitalization. A variety of important outcomes were similar in physician patients and matched non-physician patients after non-cardiac surgery.
A visibility optimization study for grating-based X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging

An X-ray phase contrast grating interferometer consists of three gratings in the beam line to generate interference patterns and acquire phase shift information if an object is placed into the beam. These gratings have a pitch of a few micrometers and therefore very accurate alignment is needed to acquire phase information reliably. In this work we have investigated different setup parameters and environmental influences on the detected signal quality by Six Sigma methods. We have used this information to optimize our setup and established a semi-automatic alignment procedure to reproduce a stable signal quality.
Cellular and Molecular Analysis of Dendritic Morphogenesis in a Retinal Cell Type That Senses Color Contrast and Ventral Motion

As neuronal dendrites develop, they acquire cell-type-specific features including characteristic size, shape, arborization, location and synaptic patterns. These features, in turn, are major determinants of type-specific neuronal function. Because neuronal diversity complicates the task of relating developmental programs to adult structure and function, we analyzed dendritic morphogenesis in a single retinal ganglion cell (RGC) type in mouse called J-RGC. We documented the emergence of five dendritic features that underlie J-RGC physiology: (1) dendritic field size, which approximate receptive field size; (2) dendritic complexity, which affects how J-RGCs sample space; (3) asymmetry, which contributes to direction-selectivity; (4) restricted lamination within the inner plexiform layer (IPL), which renders J-RGCs responsive to light decrements; and (5) distribution of synaptic inputs, which generate a color-opponent receptive field. We found dendritic growth in J-RGCs is accompanied by a refinement in dendritic self-crossing. Asymmetry arises by a combination of selective pruning and elaboration, whereas laminar restriction results from biased outgrowth toward the outermost IPL. Interestingly, asymmetry develops in a protracted dorsoventral wave, whereas lamination does so in a rapid centrifugal wave. As arbors mature, they acquire excitatory and inhibitory synapses, with the latter forming first and being concentrated in proximal dendrites. Thus, distinct mechanisms operate in different spatiotemporal dimensions of J-RGC dendritic patterning to generate the substrate for specific patterns of synaptogenesis. Finally, we asked whether the defining molecular signature of J-RGCs, the adhesion molecule JAM-B, regulates morphogenesis, and showed that it promotes dendro-dendritic interactions. Our results reveal multiple mechanisms that shape a dendritic arbor.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Visual perception begins in the retina, where distinct types of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are tuned to specific visual features such as direction of motion. The features to which each RGC type responds are determined largely by the number and type of synaptic inputs it receives, and these, in turn, are greatly influenced by the size, shape, arborization pattern, and location of its dendrites. We analyzed dendritic morphogenesis in a functionally characterized RGC type, the J-RGC, demonstrating distinct mechanisms that operate in different dimensions to generate the dendritic scaffold and synaptic patterns for feature detection. Our work elucidates cellular and molecular mechanisms that shape dendritic arbors and synaptic distribution, enabling J-RGC connectivity and thus, function.
Effects of flipping the principles of microeconomics class: Does scheduling matter?

Abstract Flipping the principles of microeconomics classroom significantly improves student-learning outcomes compared to traditionally taught lectures; however, it remains unclear as to if the effect differs depending upon the spacing and scheduling of class meetings. This paper investigates if the quantitative effects of flipping on student outcomes differ by scheduling. It further evaluates if student perceptions about flipping vary depending on the spacing of class meetings. This paper shows that students in flipped classes scored significantly higher on final exams compared to those in a traditional setting, and the effect of flipping did not vary with class spacing. Students in the flipped class setting reported significantly more active learning and were significantly more likely to recommend the professor to other students than those in a traditional setting; however, those in the flipped class that met twice a week for 80 min reported significantly less active learning and were significantly less likely to recommend the professor than those in the traditional setting. The results documented in this study suggest that while the effects of flipping on student learning do not vary with class spacing, student satisfaction does differ with spacing. Therefore, when considering the scheduling of a flipped course, instructors need not worry about the impact of flipping on learning outcomes, but they should consider the importance of student satisfaction.