cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Linearized cluster assignment via spectral ordering

Spectral clustering uses eigenvectors of the Laplacian of the similarity matrix. They are most conveniently applied to 2-way clustering problems. When applying to multi-way clustering, either the 2-way spectral clustering is recursively applied or an embedding to spectral space is done and some other methods are used to cluster the points. Here we propose and study a K-way cluster assignment method. The method transforms the problem to find valleys and peaks of a 1-D quantity called cluster crossing, which measures the symmetric cluster overlap across a cut point along a linear ordering of the data points. The method can either determine K clusters in one shot or recursively split a current cluster into several smaller ones. We show that a linear ordering based on a distance sensitive objective has a continuous solution which is the eigenvector of the Laplacian, showing the close relationship between clustering and ordering. The method relies on the connectivity matrix constructed as the truncated spectral expansion of the similarity matrix, useful for revealing cluster structure. The method is applied to newsgroups to illustrate introduced concepts; experiments show it outperforms the recursive 2-way clustering and the standard K-means clustering.
GENDER EFFECTS ON THE MATURATION OF THE EPIDERMAL BARRIER TO WATER LOSS IN THE FETAL RAT. • 1268

GENDER EFFECTS ON THE MATURATION OF THE EPIDERMAL BARRIER TO WATER LOSS IN THE FETAL RAT. • 1268
Linear Control Techniques Applied to the Omnicopter MAV in Fixed Vertical Ducted Fan Angle Configuration

In this paper, linear control techniques are applied to a novel Omnicopter MAV design. This design is unique in its ability to withstand external disturbance and translate horizontally with more stable attitude. A dynamic model of the Omnicopter MAV has been developed using the Newton-Euler formalism. Based on a linearized version of the model with a fixed vertical ducted fan angle configuration, three different control schemes, namely PD control, Lyapunov-based control and optimal LQ control have been designed and proposed. Comparisons and relations between the three control schemes are discussed and simulations are presented. Finally, details on the Omnicopter prototype and initial test flights are presented. Controlled flights with vertical take-offs and landings have been achieved utilizing the PD control scheme.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Station keeping of small outboard-powered boats

Three station keeping controllers have been developed which work to minimize displacement of a small outboard-powered vessel from a desired location. Each of these three controllers has a common initial layer that uses fixed-gain feedback control to calculate the desired heading of the vessel. A second control layer uses a common fixed-gain feedback controller to calculate the net forward thrust, one of two algorithms for controlling engine angle (Fixed-Gain PID or PID with Adaptively Augmented Gains), and one of two algorithms for differential throttle control (Fixed-Gain PID and PID with Adaptive Differential Throttle gains), which work together to eliminate heading error. The three selected controllers are evaluated using a numerical simulation of a 33-foot center console vessel with twin outboards that is subject to wave, wind, and current disturbances. Each controller is tested for its ability to maintain position in the presence of three sets of environmental disturbances. These algorithms were tested with current velocity of 1.5 m/s, significant wave height of 0.5 m, and wind speeds of 2, 5, and 10 m/s. These values were chosen to model conditions a small vessel may experience in the Gulf Stream off of Fort Lauderdale. The Fixed-gain PID controller progressively got worse as wind speeds increased, while the controllers using adaptive methodologies showed consistent performance over all weather conditions and decreased heading error by as much as 20%. Thus, enhanced robustness to environmental changes has been gained by using an adaptive algorithm.
Maximal dimensional partially ordered sets I. Hiraguchi's theorem

In this paper, I give a new proof of Hiraguchi's Theorem that the dimension of an n-element partially ordered set is at most [frcase|1/2n]. The significant feature of the proof is the lemma which states that a partially ordered set has either a cover of rank 0 or a pair of covers with elements of one incomparable with elements of the other.
PHYSIOLOGICAL ONTOGENY : A. CHICKEN EMBRYOS. VII. THE CONCENTRATION OF THE ORGANIC CONSTITUENTS AND THE CALORIFIC VALUE AS FUNCTIONS OF AGE.

1. The water, ash, glycogen, nitrogen, and ether extract content of the tissues of chicken embryos were determined between the 5th and the 19th days of incubation. 2. It was found that the concentration of solid substance changed from approximately 5 to 17 per cent during this interval. The chief change in the organic substances involved a relative decrease in the nitrogen as compared with the fat. 3. Bomb calorimetric estimations confirmed these findings. It was shown that the calorific value of the dried substance increased with age. 4. The rate of growth of the total solids, and of the potential energy of the tissues was estimated. 5 Various theoretical considerations were brought forward dealing chiefly with the order in which the chief organic substances, carbohydrate, protein, and fat could be ranged when judged by various criteria.
A fluid divide: Domestic and international factors in US trade policy formation

The history of US trade policy from the 1930s to the present shows that an adequate analysis of policy outcomes necessitates the inclusion of both domestic and international factors. The analysis also requires an exploration of the conditions shaping the relative explanatory significance of domestic and international factors, and of how this relative significance changes over time. Drawing on historical institutionalist analysis, and applying it to a field of action that encompasses both political levels, I argue that institutions account for the historically specific balance between domestic and international factors. By altering the political influence of actors in and across the two dimensions, institutional arrangements determine whether domestic or international factors are prioritized. The image of a Great Divide between two distinct fields is hence replaced with an image of a fluid divide between different levels of a unified field of action.
Enacting Actions in Simulated Environments

The past decade has witnessed incredible advances in building highly realistic and richly detailed simulated worlds. We readily endorse the common-sense assumption that people will be better equipped for solving real-world problems if they are trained in near-life, even if virtual, scenarios. The past decade has also witnessed a significant increase in our knowledge of how the human body as both sensor and as effector relates to cognition. Evidence shows that our mental representations of the world are constrained by the bodily states present in our moment-to-moment interactions with the world. The current study investigated whether there are differences in how people enact actions in the simulated as opposed to the real world. The current study developed simple parallel task environments and asked participants to perform actions embedded in a stream of continuous events (e.g., cutting a cucumber). The results showed that participants performed actions at a faster speed and came closer to incurring injury to the fingers in the avatar enacting action environment than in the human enacting action environment.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Investigation of the Ordered Structures of Dialkylamino Hydroxylated Squaraines Adsorbed on Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite

Squaraine dyes form aggregates in solution and in the solid state. We have found that squaraines form two-dimensional (2D) ordered layers when adsorbed onto HOPG from phenyloctane and from liquid crystalline solvents. We investigated with scanning tunneling microscopy the 2D structures of the adsorbed phases of five bis(4-alkylamino-2-hydroxyphenyl) squaraines (both symmetric and asymmetric) and mixtures of these squaraines. Differences in the stability of the 2D structures and molecular packing are observed when the alkyl tail length and symmetry are varied. A transition in the 2D structure from a herringbone packing to a lamellar packing occurs between the tail lengths of 4 carbons and 8 carbons. Many of the compounds form a number of 2D polytypes on HOPG. Multilayers of squaraine molecules were observed for most of the studied molecules. Squaraines with tail lengths of 12 carbons exhibited a tendency toward registry with the HOPG substrate whereas all other squaraine compounds investigated showed a lac...
Low roost-site fidelity in pallid bats: associated factors and effect on group stability

Despite potential costs of changing roost or densites, many animals frequently move between roosts or dens. Pallid bats (Antrozous pallidus) change diurnal roost sites frequently and also reportedly have a variety of cooperative social behaviors, many of which are associated with the care of developing offspring. Roost switching is likely to increase the costs of maintaining the group stability expected with social cooperation. Pallid bats roosting in rock crevices in central Oregon were studied with radiotelemetry to (1) examine characteristics of day roosts, (2) determine what ecological factors were correlated with low roost fidelity, and (3) examine the temporal stability of roosting groups of pregnant and lactating bats. Pallid bats changed roosts an average of once every 1.4 days throughout the summer. The bats exhibited seasonal shifts in roost use, occupying roosts behind thin slabs of rock in cool weather and roosts in deep rock crevices in warm weather. Roost switching was not correlated with daily variations in weather conditions or with structural characteristics of the diurnal roosts, although switching may have allowed bats to maintain familiarity with several roosts that vary in microclimate. Roost switching was positively correlated with ectoparasite load. High ectoparasite levels were correlated with lower body weights in lactating females (Fig. 3), suggesting that parasites may be costly to the bats. Roost switching may be a strategy to decrease ectoparasite loads by interrupting the reproductive cycles of those parasites that spend at least part of their life cycle on the walls of the roost. Both pregnant and lactating pallid bats frequently changed their diurnal roost location, but lactating bats tended to travel shorter distances between consecutive roosts. Lactating bats were more likely to continue to associate with particular roostmates despite changes in the location of the diurnal roost (Fig. 4) and were less likely to roost alone. Although the stability of groups of lactating bats was not absolute, evidence supported the prediction that such groups are more cohesive than are those of pregnant bats.
Using Games to Demonstrate Competency

Providing annual mandatory safety training while finding ways to assess the competency of staff creates several challenges. Meeting staff's needs, especially when working with diverse staff of various educational levels, languages, and learning abilities, as well as meeting the institution's needs for training and assessment can be especially difficult. The author describes a gaming strategy that promotes learning, self-efficacy, and assesses staff competency using a cooperative and interactive learning approach.
Psychosocial predator-based animal model of PTSD produces physiological and behavioral sequelae and a traumatic memory four months following stress onset

We have a well-established animal model of PTSD composed of predator exposure administered in conjunction with social instability that produces PTSD-like behavioral and physiological abnormalities one month after stress initiation. Here, we assessed whether the PTSD-like effects would persist for at least 4months after the initiation of the psychosocial stress regimen. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to either 2 or 3 predator-based fear conditioning sessions. During each session, rats were placed in a chamber for a 3-min period that terminated with a 30-s tone, followed by 1h of immobilization of the rats during cat exposure (Day 1). All rats in the stress groups received a second fear conditioning session 10days later (Day 11). Half of the stress rats received a third fear conditioning session 3weeks later (Day 32). The two cat-exposed groups were also exposed to daily unstable housing conditions for the entire duration of the psychosocial stress regimen. The control group received stable (conventional) housing conditions and an equivalent amount of chamber exposure on Days 1, 11 and 32, without cat exposure. Behavioral testing commenced for all groups on Day 116. The stress groups demonstrated increased anxiety on the elevated plus maze, impaired object recognition memory and robust contextual and cued fear conditioned memory 3months after the last conditioning session. Combined data from the two stress groups revealed lower post-stress corticosterone levels and greater diastolic blood pressure relative to the control group. These findings indicate that predator-based psychosocial stress produces persistent PTSD-like physiological and behavioral abnormalities that may provide insight into the neurobiological and endocrine sequelae in traumatized people with PTSD.
Dispersion-managed (3+1)-D optical solitons for ultrafast switching and wavelength conversion

Dispersion management of bulk nonlinear materials for generating (3+1)-D optical soli-tons is achieved by use of negative dispersive mirrors. Ultrafast switching and wavelength conversion based on these dispersion managed solitons are proposed and demonstrated numerically.
The Paradox of Rules: Rules as Resources and Constraints

There is limited scholarship considering how social status factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, and age frame rules in public organizations. Using data collected from semistructured interviews with 49 local government officials, the author argues that there is a paradox of rules. Women and people of color are increasingly entering the ranks of local bureaucracies, but they experience their authority differently than white men. Their claim to authority is chal- lenged more often. Unable to rely on implicit rank and social status as a de- fense, they must rely instead on official rights and rules. The very meaning of their authority is therefore different: It is more rule and rights based, more formal than informal, more explicit than implicit. Yet, because it is more rule based, formal, and explicit, their authority is also more open to question and challenge, and more resented as an artifice. People of color and women in positions of authority thus face the paradox of rules: They must rely on formal rules as a key basis for their authority, but relying on rules makes their author- ity seem more artificial than real.
Diffuse lamellar keratitis after small-incision lenticule extraction

Purpose To determine the incidence and clinical features of diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK) after small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE). Setting Department of Ophthalmology, Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Design Retrospective case control study. Methods Small-incision lenticule extraction for myopia was performed from September 1, 2011, to October 31, 2013. Preoperative clinical characteristics; treatment parameters; and intraoperative and postoperative complications, including the incidence, severity, clinical outcome, and resolution of DLK, were recorded. The independent t test, chi-square test, univariate repeated measures, and multivariate linear regression analysis were used to make statistical comparisons between eyes that developed DLK and those that did not. Results The study enrolled 1112 eyes (590 patients). Eighteen eyes (1.6%) (11 patients) developed DLK. These patients presented 1 to 3 days postoperatively with mild to moderate inflammation. Thirteen eyes (72.2%) had stage 1 DLK, 4 (22.2%) had stage 2, and 1 (5.6%) had stage 3. After intensive treatment with topical corticosteroids, the stage 1 and stage 2 cases resolved within 3 weeks and the stage 3 case resolved in 1 month. The postoperative corrected distance visual acuity was the same or better than preoperatively in all eyes. There was a statistically significant increase in the incidence of DLK with thinner lenticules (P = .02) and larger diameter lenticules (P = .01), although multifactorial analysis showed lenticule thickness to be the only factor (P = .03). Conclusions Diffuse lamellar keratitis is a potential complication after small-incision lenticule extraction, although it had a low incidence. The risk factors for DLK must be further elucidated. Financial Disclosure No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Instantaneous clockless data recovery and demultiplexing

An alternative architecture for instantaneous data recovery for burst-mode communication is introduced. The architecture can perform 1:n demultiplexing without additional clock recovery phase-locked loop or sampling blocks. A finite-state machine (FSM) is formed with combinational logic and analog LC transmission line delay cells in a feedback loop. The FSM responds to input data transitions instantaneously and sets the outputs. The system reduces unit interval jitter by a factor of n. The new architecture is demonstrated via a SiGe 1:2 clockless demultiplexer circuit that operates at 7.5 Gb/s.
In Defense of Citizen Evaluations as Performance Measures

Urban scholars have engaged in a debate about whether citizen perceptions of service delivery are accurate and useful in assessing the performance of public agencies. This article examines this debate, presents a model of influences on citizen evaluations of service delivery, and analyzes the model using data on police response time gathered in Fort Worth, Texas.
Investigating social dynamics and global connectivity: an agent-based modeling approach

Social scientists have been exploring the factors that contribute to the assimilation and standardization of population as they affect a populace over a period of time. Research in this field has made the case for employing agent-based models to investigate this social phenomena. This research builds on the basic tenants of these previous approaches as a way to investigate the nature of global connectivity as it affects the standardization of a strong central culture of a specific region. The simulation runs conducted in this study make clear that the more cultural features that "characterize" agents, the less likely it is for their cultures to assimilate. The simulations also indicate that even when a culture has a 50%-60% chance of being attracted to the features of an outside culture, almost total cultural migration is possible. The paper presents an agent-based modeling approach to analyze dynamic (fluid) cultural change vis-a-vis global connectivity.
Tacit Collusion in Price-Setting Oligopoly: A Puzzle Redux

We study tacit collusion in price setting duopoly games with strategic complements and substitutes. A recent paper by Anderson, Freeborn, and Holt (2010) …nds that pricing games with strategic substitutes tend to foster more tacit collusion when compared to games with strategic complements. This …nding is in contrast with previous studies and seems to be driven by a failure of their study to control for strategic incentives across treatments (via the absolute slope of the …rms’reaction functions). We correct this issue and …nd no signi…cant
Comparison of the ages of tachycardia onset in patients with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia and accessory pathway—mediated tachycardia

Atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia and accessory pathway-mediated tachycardia may have different ages of tachycardia onset. Symptom onset data were obtained in 519 patients (atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia, 231, accessory pathway-mediated tachycardia, 288). The mean age of the patients at the time of evaluation was 47 +/- 17 years (atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia) and 37 +/- 15 years (accessory pathway-mediated tachycardia). The mean age of symptom onset was 32 +/- 18 years for atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia and 23 +/- 14 years for accessory pathway-mediated tachycardia. A significantly greater proportion of patients with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia had the initial onset of symptoms after the age of 20 years (atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia, 67% vs accessory pathway-mediated tachycardia, 41%, p < 0.001). In summary, there is a different mean age of symptom onset for patients with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia and accessory pathway-mediated tachycardia.
Local balance and cross-scale flux of available potential energy

Gravitational available potential energy is a central concept in an energy analysis of flows in which buoyancy effects are dynamically important. These include, but are not limited to, most geophysical flows with persistently stable density stratification. The volume-integrated available potential energy E ap is defined as the difference between the gravitational potential energy of the system and the potential energy of a reference state with the lowest potential energy that can be reached by adiabatic material rearrangement; E ap determines how much energy is available for conservative dynamical exchange with kinetic energy E k . In this paper we introduce new techniques for computing the local available potential energy density E ap in numerical simulations that allow for a more accurate and complete analysis of the available potential energy and its dynamical balances as part of the complete energy cycle of a flow. In particular, the definition of E ap and an associated gravitation disturbance field A permit us to make a spectral decomposition of its dynamical balance and examine the cross-scale energy flux. Several examples illustrate the spatial structure of E ap and its evolutionary influences. The greatest attention is given to an analysis of a turbulent-equilibrium simulation Eady-like vertical-shear flow with rotation and stable stratification. In this regime E ap exhibits a vigorous forward energy cascade from the mesoscale through the submesoscale range ― first in a scale range dominated by frontogenesis and positive buoyancy-flux conversion from E Zap to E k and then, after strong frontal instability and frontogenetic arrest, in a coupled kinetic-potential energy inertial-cascade range with negative buoyancy-flux conversion ― en route to fine-scale dissipation of both energy components.
Incumbency Reconsidered: Prospects, Strategic Retirement, and Incumbent Quality in U.S. House Elections

Fundamental questions about incumbent safety have been difficult to answer because of the absence of adequate measures of incumbent prospects and incumbent quality. If incumbents retire because they are vulnerable, high reelection rates do not necessarily mean that electoral accountability is absent. Moreover, if the electoral success of incumbents reflects their high quality, high reelection rates do not necessarily indicate pathology in the system. Using explicit measures of incumbent prospects and personal quality based on district informant ratings, we find evidence of strategic retirement by incumbents in the 1998 elections, when standard prospects measures show no evidence of strategic withdrawal by incumbents. We also find an impact of incumbent quality on vote share consistent with the idea that high quality incumbents are rewarded in the electoral process. Although many are skeptical about the implications of incumbent safety in House elections, our results suggest a more optimistic reconsiderati...
Income, education, and inflammation: differential associations in a national probability sample (The MIDUS study).

Objective:To examine the associations between income and education and three markers of inflammation: interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and fibrinogen. Socioeconomic status is inversely linked with health outcomes, but the biological processes by which social position “gets under the s
Identifying the Failure-Tolerant Workspace Boundaries of a Kinematically Redundant Manipulator

In addition to possessing a number of other important properties, kinematically redundant manipulators are inherently more tolerant to locked-joint failures than non-redundant manipulators. However, a joint failure can still render a kinematically redundant manipulator useless if the manipulator is poorly designed or controlled. This paper presents a method for identifying a region of the workspace of a redundant manipulator for which task completion is guaranteed in the event of a locked-joint failure. The existence of such a region, called a failure-tolerant workspace, will be guaranteed by imposing a suitable set of artificial joint limits prior to a failure. Conditions are presented that characterize end-effector locations in this region. Based on these conditions, a method is presented that identifies the boundaries of the failure-tolerant workspace. Optimized failure-tolerant workspaces for a three degree-of-freedom planar robot are presented.
Teachers and students, students and teachers: An ever-evolving partnership

This article provides a historical overview of Modern Language Journal (MLJ) articles that describe the teacher-learner relationship. From the earliest issues of the MLJ, authors have noted the importance of recognizing and responding to individual learner differences. This review focuses on how language learners have been portrayed in the MLJ and the implications of these portrayals for language teaching. It, thus, addresses the characteristics that language learners have been seen to possess and how language teachers have been urged to respond to these characteristics. Specific topics include foreign language aptitude, motivation and other emotional responses to language learning, reasons for student attrition, and advice for modifying instruction for different learner-types. This review also considers a number of articles written by language learners and addressed to their language teachers. Several recommendations are offered, including reinstitution of learner-authored articles in the MLJ and closer attention to the learner's voice in reports of classroom-based research.
Perceptions of Leadership: An Examination of College Students' Understandings of the Concept of Leadership.

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine how college students define the concept of leadership and to identify gender, racial, and age differences within these definitions. Participants were 1100 undergraduate students drawn from a national sample. Participants were asked to detail their definitions of leadership, which were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The definitional themes served as dependent variables in determining differences by gender, race, and age. Ten leadership themes describing the relationship between the leader and followers, leader characteristics, and leadership outcomes were identified, and the frequency of themes reflected fairly hierarchical perceptions of leadership. Findings by gender, race, and age emerged for nine of the ten themes. More contemporary understandings of leadership were demonstrated by women than by men, and the interaction of gender and age for three themes suggested more contemporary understandings of leadership for traditionally-aged students than non-traditionally aged students.
Design of a Human-Like Range of Motion Hip Joint for Humanoid Robots

For a humanoid robot to have the versatility of humans, it needs to have similar motion capabilities. This paper presents the design of the hip joint of the Tactical Hazardous Operations Robot (THOR), which was created to perform disaster response duties in human-structured environments. The lower body of THOR was designed to have a similar range of motion to the average human. To accommodate the large range of motion requirements of the hip, it was divided into a parallel-actuated universal joint and a linkage-driven pin joint. The yaw and roll degrees of freedom are driven cooperatively by a pair of parallel series elastic linear actuators to provide high joint torques and low leg inertia. In yaw, the left hip can produce a peak of 115.02 [Nm] of torque with a range of motion of −20° to 45°. In roll, it can produce a peak of 174.72 [Nm] of torque with a range of motion of −30° to 45°. The pitch degree of freedom uses a Hoeken’s linkage mechanism to produce 100 [Nm] of torque with a range of motion of −120° to 30°.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Antioxidant enzymes of larvae of the cabbage looper moth, Trichoplusia ni: subcellular distribution and activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione reductase.

In the mid-fifth instar larvae of the cabbage looper moth, Trichoplusia ni, the subcellular distribution of total superoxide dismutase was as follows: 3.05 units (70.0%), 0.97 units (22.3%), and 0.33 units (7.6%) mg−1 protein in the mitochondrial, cytosolic and nuclear fractions, respectively. No superoxide dismutase activity was detected in the microsomal fraction. Catalase activity was unusually high and as follows: 283.4 units (47.3%), 150.1 units (25.1%). 142.3 units (23.8%), and 22.9 units (3.8%) mg−1 protein in the mitochondrial, cytosolic, microsomal (containing peroxisomes), and nuclear fractions. No glutathione peroxidase activity was found, but appreciable glutathione reductase activity was detected with broad subcellular distribution as follows: 3.86 units (36.1%), 3.68 units (34.0%). 2.46 units (23.0%). and 0.70 units (6.5%) mg−1 protein in the nuclear, mitochondrial, and cytosolic fractions, respectively. The unusually wide intracellular distribution of catalase in this phytophagous insect is...
Bending Moments in the Walls of Rectangular Tanks

An attempt is made herein to obtain a theoretical solution for the deflection and moments in the vertical side walls of a rectangular tank which is open at the top. More precisely, a formal analysi...
Agents Providing Nonenzymic Prothrombin Activation

SummarySynthetic polyORN, polymyxin B, and protamine activate horse prothrombin by processes resembling the nonenzymic activation with polyLYS. Neomycin and streptomycin may function to a slight degree in the same mechanism. Nonenzymic prothrombin activation with polyLYS is inhibited by heparin, polyGLU, and polyASP. The capacity of protamine preparations to activate prothrombin is stable to heat, DFP, and dialysis. Prothrombin consumption in prothrombin-protamine-DFP mixtures is concomitant with thrombin formation in DFP-free systems. Nonenzymic prothrombin activation may be associated with some drug toxicities as well as with physiologic hemostasis.
Wavelength dependence of high-performance AlGaAs/GaAs depletion-edge-translation waveguide phase modulators

Single-mode phase modulators with high efficiency are important for coherent optical communications systems operating in the 1.0-1.6-μm wavelength range. We report on the characteristics of a very efficient AlGaAs/GaAs channel waveguide phase modulator which uses a combination of reversebiased effects (including the plasma effect, electrooptic effect, and dispersion characteristics due to absorption edge shift) that both provide efficient phase modulation and have the potential of being very fast, limited only by the RC.1
Interval to estrus in sows and performance of pigs after alteration of litter size during late lactation.

The effects of altering litter size during the 5 days before weaning on interval to estrus of sows and postweaning performance of pigs were examined. Litters averaged 8.3 +/- .7 pigs from parturition until 5 days before weaning. Litters were then adjusted so that sows (five per group) nursed small- (three pigs), average- (eight pigs) or large-sized (13 to 14 pigs) litters during the last 5 days of lactation. Weaning occurred 27.4 +/- .7 days postpartum. Interval from weaning to estrus (days) and duration of estrus (hours) for sows that weaned small-, average- and large- sized litters averaged 1.1 +/- .4 and 38 +/- 4, 4.1 +/- .4 and 60 +/- 4, an 4.0 +/- .4 and 61 +/- 4, respectively. Interval to estrus and to ovulation and duration of estrus were decreased (P less than .01) in sows that nursed only three pigs before weaning. Pigs weaned from foster sows weighed less (P less than .05) at weaning than pigs weaned from their dams. However, by 3 weeks after weaning, body weights were similar. Body weight at weaning and at 3 weeks postweaning and average daily gains during the 3 weeks after weaning were similar for pigs weaned from small-, average- and large-sized litters. Reducing the litter size before weaning resulted in earlier postweaning estrus and ovulation and had no adverse effects on the performance of weanling pigs.
Sexually transmitted diseases in adolescents.

SUMMARY Sexually transmitted organisms cause significant morbidity in adolescents, their sexual partners, and their offspring. The primary care physician may be effective in reducing the prevalence and sequelae of STDs in teenagers by being aware of the scope of this problem in the adolescent population as well as treatment options.
Intraocular pressure measurement through two types of plano therapeutic soft contact lenses in dogs.

Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured by use of Mackay-Marg applanation tonometry in 8 normal, manometrically controlled, enucleated, canine eyes with and without 1 of 2 plano therapeutic soft contact lenses (1 and 2) covering the cornea. Differences were not significant between measurements made without a contact lens and those made through either lens at manometer IOP or = 30 mm of Hg, use of a contact lens tended to result in a statistically greater (P < 0.05) estimate of IOP than when a lens was not used. This difference, however, achieved only a maximum of 2.6 mm of Hg at the 80 mm of Hg value, and was not regarded as clinically important. Measurements obtained through lens 1 were not significantly different from those obtained through lens 2. The IOP can be accurately estimated in dogs, using the Mackay-Marg tonometer, without removing either type of bandage soft contact lens, thereby avoiding potential disruption of an already compromised cornea.
Grounding the Principle of Sufficient Reason: Leibnizian Rationalism and the Humean Challenge

This paper concerns the philosophical justifications of the Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR) and the main challenge to the PSR. Leibniz is most often associated with the PSR, and it is usually assumed that Leibniz accepts the PSR as simply an obvious principle of all our reasoning, one that requires no justification. This paper, however, reveals and analyzes two arguments that Leibniz gives purporting to justify or establish the truth of the Principle of Sufficient Reason: the first from one of his earliest pieces; the second from his work in the 1680s, principally from the Primary Truths. It then treats arguments given by his rationalist successors Wolff and Baumgarten—arguments that have generally been considered abject failures. Finally, the paper examines Hume’s challenge to the Universal Causal Principle. It is shown that Hume’s argument does not rule out all of the rationalist arguments for the PSR. Ultimately, it is argued that the acceptance of “brute facts” (other than in perhaps matters of quantum physics) is due mainly to a faux metaphysical machismo that even Hume rejected. If the results of this paper are correct, then the PSR has more going for it than is usually suggested in contemporary discussions.
Making the Unseen Seen: Discovering Discrepancies and Shedding Light on Automated E-Resource Reconciliation

ABSTRACTTwo characteristics that seemingly define electronic resources now are their dynamic, unstable nature and their overwhelming abundance. To address these issues, The North Carolina State University (NCSU) Libraries Acquisitions & Discovery Department created two databases to facilitate and automate e-resource reconciliation processes. The first, our ebook reconciliation database, ensures that all purchased content from our ebook packages is discoverable and creates title lists that definitively describe the entitlements for those packages. The second, our ejournal reconciliation database, automates matching integrated library system title lists with publisher and knowledgebase title lists in order to easily generate and distribute work tasks. Both databases help manage the abundance of titles and discrepancies that arise from the varied sources of metadata used during the reconciliation process.
Tunable Primary and Secondary Encapsulation of a Charged Nonspherical Nanoparticle: Insights from Brownian Dynamics Simulations

Surface properties of encapsulated nanoparticles play a central role in colloidal stability and in diverse applications of colloidal nanomaterials. In this paper, by employing Brownian dynamics simulations, we simulate the environment-dependent primary encapsulation of a charged nonspherical nanoparticle (NSNP) by Janus particles (JPs). We propose and determine, for the first time, the secondary encapsulation (i.e., reconfiguration of encapsulants on the surface of the NSNP), which also depends on the environment. The adsorption phase behavior and configuration transformation are strongly correlated with temperature and Bjerrum length. Bjerrum-length-induced order–order structural transitions and temperature-induced disorder–order/order–order structural transitions are found. Interestingly, electric double layers on the surfaces of the NSNP can form upon changing the environment. Our detailed results of primary encapsulation and secondary reconfiguration of encapsulants on the surface of the NSNP indicate...
Postoperative Imaging Findings Associated with Transpalpebral Craniotomy Approach to Anterior Cranial Fossa.

Background and Purpose The transpalpebral “eyelid” approach is a novel alternative to the traditional ciliary or supraciliary incision for supraorbital frontal craniotomy and access to the anterior cranial fossa. Though a prior publication from our institution has described the surgical approach in detail along with cosmetic and clinical outcomes, postoperative imaging findings have not yet been described. As this surgical technique becomes more widely practiced, it is essential for neuroradiologists, oculoplastic surgeons, and skull base neurosurgeons to be familiar with the expected postoperative imaging findings, especially those that prompt subsequent intervention. Materials and Methods A retrospective, institutional review board approved review was performed of 102 patients who underwent transpalpebral surgical approach at Allegheny General Hospital from June 2007 through May 2015. Operative reports, pathology reports, preoperative imaging, postoperative imaging, and postoperative clinical documentation were reviewed. Results Forty-nine percent of patients had solely benign expected postoperative imaging findings, 37% had various atypical findings not requiring further intervention (most commonly asymmetric globe protrusion and bone cement in a paranasal sinus), 6% had findings prompting minimally invasive bedside procedures (most commonly pseudomeningocele), and 8% had findings requiring surgical intervention. Conclusion The majority of imaging following the transpalpebral approach showed typical, benign findings, such as minimal pneumocephalus and asymmetric globe protrusion. Nonetheless, members of the clinical team should be aware of the small number of findings requiring intervention, especially pseudomeningocele.
The apoptotic crypt abscess an underappreciated histologic finding in gastrointestinal pathology

Objectives To differentiate apoptotic crypt abscesses (ACAs) from neutrophilic crypt abscesses (NCAs). Methods Cases with crypt abscesses were classified as containing ACAs, NCAs, or mixed crypt abscesses (MCAs) by HE n = 33), acute cellular rejection (n = 5), graft vs host disease (GVHD; n = 14), cytomegalovirus (n = 5), and drug reaction (n = 2). Concordance was seen in 59%, with most reclassifications resulting from a change of ACAs to MCAs. When cases were classified as having NCA vs those with apoptosis (ACA and MCA), there was 85% agreement (P < .01). NCAs were present in IBD (96%) and not in GVHD or drug injury. Crypt abscesses with apoptosis were seen in 18% of IBD and 96% of non-IBD cases. Conclusions ACAs and MCAs can be distinguished from NCAs and may be a diagnostically useful finding.
Nonfatal occupational injuries in the United States Part I – overall trends and data summaries

Abstract This is the first of a three-part paper focusing on key overall nonfatal occupational injury trends in the United States; Part II of the paper focuses on back injuries, while Part III focuses on injuries to the upper extremities. In general, data on nonfatal occupational injuries in the United States are scattered and present in different formats. The primary goal of this work was to extract information from massive and voluminous databases of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the National Safety Council (NSC), and present it in usable form to ergonomics researchers and practitioners. A secondary goal was to make ergonomics and safety professionals aware of the existence and usefulness of the newly redesigned BLS injury reports. The data reveal the following: (i) The number of occupational injuries in the United States showed a slightly decreasing trend between 1980 and 1991. It is likely that the numbers reported earlier may have been gross underestimates. (ii) The overall BLS-reported incidence rates for all private US industry increased substantially in 1994 compared to 1984, but decreased in comparison to the rates in 1992 and 1993. (iii) In 1994, the manufacturing industry had the highest incidence rates followed by the construction industry. (iv) The total cost of occupational injuries continued to increase between 1972 and 1994. The sudden and large increment in total cost in 1992 (nearly $60 billion), from 1991, indicates a change in injury reporting and recording practices. The total cost of occupational injuries in the United States in 1996 was slightly more than $120 billion. (v) Lost time due to work injuries has continued to increase in the 1990s. More than 122 million workdays were lost due to work injuries in the United States in 1996 alone. (vi) The back was the most affected body part in work injuries. Relevance to industry This paper provides an occupational injury profile of the American industry. Knowledge of injury trends is essential for instituting efforts to control them.
Catatonia in an Adolescent Girl with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Complexity of Diagnosis, Treatment, and 3-Year Outcome

Catatonia has been resurrected as a diagnosis over the past 30 years and is now known to occur in a wide variety of psychiatric and medical scenarios. Increased emphasis has also been placed on recognizing this striking clinical entity in special populations including children and adolescents, and those with developmental disorders. Here we present a case of an adolescent female with inflammatory bowel disease who experienced a succession of provoking factors eventually culminating in catatonia. Her course was complicated by difficulty distinguishing catatonia from delirium, but she responded well once specific treatment was provided. Her case illustrates the importance of considering catatonia in medically complex patients.
Does the Spiritual Values/Religion Subscale of the Self-Description Questionnaire III Function Differentially Across Heterosexual and Non-Heterosexual Young Adults? A Measurement Invariance Study

We evaluated the dimensionality and measurement invariance of the Spiritual Values/Religion (SVR) subscale from the Self-Description Questionnaire III across heterosexual and non-heterosexual young...
A high-salt meal does not augment blood pressure responses during maximal exercise

Augmented blood pressure (BP) responses during exercise are predictive of future cardiovascular disease. High dietary sodium (Na+) increases BP responses during static exercise. It remains unclear ...
Characterization of AlN-based ceramic composites for use as millimeter-wave susceptor materials at high temperature: Dielectric properties of AlN:Mo with 0.25 vol% to 4.0 vol% Mo from 25 to 550 °C

Microstructural analysis and bulk dielectric property analysis (real and imaginary permittivity at 95 GHz) were performed at temperatures ranging from 25 to 550 °C for ceramic composites comprising a hot-pressed aluminum nitride matrix (containing yttria and trace carbon as sintering additives) with molybdenum powder as a millimeter-wave radiation-absorbing additive. Loading percentages in the range of 0.25 vol% to 4.0 vol% Mo were characterized. For the temperature regime evaluated, the temperature-related changes in real and imaginary components of permittivity were found to be relatively modest compared with those driven by Mo loading. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analysis of Mo grains and surrounding regions showed the presence of a mixed-phase layer, containing Mo2C, at the AlN–Mo interface. The Mo2C-containing mixed-phase layer, typically a few micrometers thick, surrounded the Mo grains. Further characterization of this mixed-phase layer is required to determine its contribution to the dielectric properties of the composite.
Re-enforce, Not Re-Define Health Literacy—Moving Forward with Health Literacy 2.0

In the development of Healthy People 2030, a vibrant discussion about a “default new definition” of health literacy emerged. We coauthored the definition used in Healthy People 2010 and 2020, which...
The Straumann Short Implants

Prosthetic rehabilitation using dental implants in edentulous and partially edentulous patients with adequate bone condition is usually a safe treatment with predictable results, showing success rates around 98% (Buser D, Janner SFM, Wittneben J-G, Bragger U, Ramseier CA, Salvi GE. 10-Year survival and success rates of 511 titanium implants with a sandblasted and acid-etched surface: a retrospective study in 303 partially edentulous patients. Clin Implant Dent Relat Res. 2012;14(6):839–51). Anatomical limitations, such as reduced bone width and height, generate significant surgical difficulties in the installation of dental implants. In situations involving limited remaining bone, advanced surgical techniques were developed to make possible the installation of the implant, in a simultaneous or staged fashion (Aghaloo TL, Moy PK. Which hard tissue augmentation techniques are the most successful in furnishing bony support for implant placement? Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants. 2007;22(Suppl):49–70). These advanced surgical techniques bring additional trauma, treatment time and risks for the patient, and require a higher level of expertise from the clinician. The use of short implants is a safer option for edentulous areas with limited bone height, when compared to the advanced and complex vertical augmentation techniques. Our chapter discusses the use of the Straumann short implants.