cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A socio-environmental monitoring system for a UNESCO biosphere reserve

To identify potentially critical changes in an area's ongoing ability to produce multiple ecosystem services, a monitoring system was designed and implemented for the Mornington Peninsula and Westernport Biosphere Reserve in southeast Australia. The system is underpinned by an "environmental vital signs" (EVS) approach that was adopted to provide early warning of critical changes in human and natural characteristics of the area. The six themes monitored are non-coastal water, land including vegetation, biodiversity, natural heritage, built environment (including human population and economic activity), and coasts. These are monitored for the entire area, and each of its five constituent town council areas. After a critical change in any of these is identified, further investigation is required to identify causal factors and, if required, determine an appropriate response. The system relies on data available from external (third-party) organisations to monitor the natural and human characteristics of the area that were important in its designation as a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Strengths and weaknesses associated with the use of third-party data are discussed. These include adoption of baseline years and data reporting periods for different factors, costs, and data quality.
Surveillance Echocardiography for LVAD Patients

Guidelines have been previously published for the use of echocardiography during each of the various phases of care for left ventricular assist device (LVAD) patients [1]. This chapter focuses on the use of surveillance echocardiography either before hospital discharge or during routine scheduled follow-up appointments. Surveillance examinations can confirm individual patients’ baseline echo parameters, which can later be used for problem solving if the patient presents with new abnormal signs or symptoms. Also, surveillance examinations can detect abnormalities of the native heart and pump malfunctions that might otherwise remain occult, particularly in less active patients.
The Relation Between Familial Factors and the Future Orientation of Urban, African American Sixth Graders

This study examined the relations between familial and environmental factors and five dimensions of future orientation in a sample of urban, African American early adolescents from low-income families. A new multidimensional interview measure, the Future Orientation Interview, was designed for this study to expand on available measures. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to examine the unique contribution of each familial and environmental factor to each dimension of future orientation. The independent variables significantly predicted three of the five dimensions of future orientation: salience, detail, and control beliefs. The pattern of significance varied for each dimension of future orientation, with mother involvement, kinship social support, and socialization of future orientation emerging as important predictors of various dimensions of future orientation. Results are discussed in terms of theoretical issues related to future orientation and implications for intervention.
Developmental Factors Influencing Effective Leaders

This research investigates developmental experiences of executive leaders that result in effective capabilities over time. We conduct a qualitative study by interviewing 31 C-Suite and Director/VP-...
On Streaming and Communication Complexity of the Set Cover Problem

We develop the first streaming algorithm and the first two-party communication protocol that uses a constant number of passes/rounds and sublinear space/communication for logarithmic approximation to the classic Set Cover problem. Specifically, for n elements and m sets, our algorithm/protocol achieves a space bound of O(m ·n δ log2 n logm) using O(41/δ ) passes/rounds while achieving an approximation factor of O(41/δ logn) in polynomial time (for δ = Ω(1/logn)). If we allow the algorithm/protocol to spend exponential time per pass/round, we achieve an approximation factor of O(41/δ ). Our approach uses randomization, which we show is necessary: no deterministic constant approximation is possible (even given exponential time) using o(m n) space. These results are some of the first on streaming algorithms and efficient two-party communication protocols for approximation algorithms. Moreover, we show that our algorithm can be applied to multi-party communication model.
Involutional entropion repair combining the modified Bick quick strip procedure with Quickert rotational sutures

ABSTRACTPurpose: The purpose of the study was to determine the results of involutional entropion repair by combining the modified Bick strip procedure with Quickert rotational sutures.Methods: A re...
Complications of Immunosuppression in Glomerular Disease

Most glomerular diseases are immunologically mediated disorders of the kidney and are common causes of ESKD. In addition to supportive therapy, a wide range of immunosuppressive agents are used in the management of patients with these conditions. Immunosuppression requires a careful balance of risk and benefits, and many of these agents have a narrow therapeutic window and require close monitoring. This review describes the side effects of immunosuppressive agents used in recent randomized, controlled trials of glomerular disease, and highlights some of the key adverse events that determine the choice and prescription of these medications.
Displacement field potentials for deformation in elastic Media: Theory and application to pressure-loaded boreholes

Abstract This study demonstrates how analytical solutions for displacement field potentials of deformation in elastic media can be obtained from known vector field solutions for analog fluid flow problems. The theoretical basis is outlined and a geomechanical application is elaborated. In particular, closed-form solutions for deformation gradients in elastic media are found by transforming velocity field potentials of fluid flow problems, using similarity principles. Once an appropriate displacement gradient potential is identified, solutions for the principal displacements, elastic strains, stress magnitudes and stress trajectories can be computed. An application is included using the displacement gradient due to the internal pressure-loading of single and multiple wellbores. The analytical results give perfect matches with results obtained with an independent discrete element modeling method.
Correct Interpretations of Fixed-effects Models, Specification Decisions, and Self-reports of Intended Votes: A Response to Mutz:

The author thanks Professor Mutz for her informative reaction to his article. In this six-part response, the author first addresses Professor Mutz’s new claim that “Morgan’s interpretation suggests...
Agents of Change in a Changing World: Treaty Port Nagasaki and the Limitations of Local Resilience:

In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the small port city of Nagasaki went from the primary gateway for international trade in Japan to a failed treaty port with dismal economic prospects. ...
In situ and selective area etching of GaN by tertiarybutylchloride (TBCl)

In situ etching (ISE) of gallium nitride (GaN) can enable lateral and vertical junctions through selective area etching (SAE) and regrowth. We report the study of ISE and SAE of GaN using an organometallic precursor, tertiarybutylchloride (TBCl), in a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition reactor. Compared to the conventional etching in hydrogen, the use of TBCl allows in situ etching at a much lower temperature (<850 °C), likely due to a more reactive etchant and a more efficient desorption rate of the etching products. The TBCl etching is near equilibrium and can be significantly changed with the change of the NH3 flow rate. We also report initial results of SAE on SiO2 patterned GaN samples. An important finding is the need to control the desorption of the reaction products in order to achieve smooth surfaces. TBCl etching is crystallographically anisotropic with low etch rates on N-terminated facets. The use of TBCl and possibly other organometallic halogen precursors is expected to enable the design and implementation of III-nitride lateral junction devices that have not been possible.
Point-of-care Testing versus Central Laboratory Testing of Electrolytes in Neonates

Introduction: Point-of-care (POC) testing is routinely used in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) due to its ease of use, rapid availability of results, and small blood volume requirements. Yet despite these advantages, an underutilization of POC testing exists due to a large discrepancy between central laboratory testing of electrolytes and POC testing of electrolytes. Laboratory analysis utilizes indirect ion-selective electrodes (ISE), which dilutes samples prior to analysis, and thus relies on assumption of …
CDIA: A Feasible Community Detection Algorithm Based on Influential Nodes in Complex Networks

Community detection is a fundamental research in network science, which has attracted researchers all over the world to devoting into this work. However, the existing algorithms can hardly hold performance and efficiency simultaneously. Aiming at addressing the problem, and inspired by the force in physics, this paper defines the node influence from a network perspective. Afterwards, a novel approach to detect communities in terms of influential nodes is proposed. Furthermore, the vital nodes and overlapping nodes can be obtained. Series of experiments on synthetic and real-world networks are conducted, and the experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is capable and effective, which provides a reliable solution for analyzing network structure in-depth.
Traditional Machismo, Caballerismo, and the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Cascade Among a Sample of Latino Sexual Minority Men

Between 2010 and 2017, HIV diagnoses increased 17% among Latino sexual minority men (SMM) while decreasing 19% among White SMM and stabilizing among African American SMM. Traditional machismo is ch...
Effects of growth temperature on electrical properties of GaN/AlN based resonant tunneling diodes with peak current density up to 1.01 MA/cm2

Identical GaN/AlN resonant tunneling diode structures were grown on free-standing bulk GaN at substrate temperatures of 760 °C, 810 °C, 860 °C, and 900 °C via plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Each sample displayed negative differential resistance (NDR) at room temperature. The figures-of-merit quantified were peak-to-valley current ratio (PVCR), yield of the device with room-temperature NDR, and peak current density (Jp). The figures-of-merit demonstrate an inverse relationship between PVCR/yield and Jp over this growth temperature series. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy were used to determine the growth rates, and layer thicknesses were used to explain the varying figures-of-merit. Due to the high yield of devices grown at 760 °C and 810 °C, the PVCR, peak voltage (Vp), and Jp were plotted vs device area, which demonstrated high uniformity and application tunability. Peak current densities of up to 1.01 MA/cm2 were observed for the sample grown at 900 °C.
Towards Collaborative Obstacle Avoidance using Small UAS in Indoor Environments

This paper proposes an intuitive and collaborative human-robot approach to perception and navigation for sUAS operating in unknown indoor environments, such as disaster response scenarios. The complexity of indoor environments coupled with the urgency of first responder missions make most available obstacle avoidance solutions too complex, unpredictable, impractical or ineffective. This paper presents a human-robot collaborative obstacle avoidance approach with real-time performance. Multiple RGB-D cameras are combined with a front-facing stereo pair to achieve robust localization and 3D perception around the aircraft. Obstacle avoidance is accomplished by dynamically prioritizing mapping data along the desired navigational path, projecting 3D obstacles onto a virtual plane, representing complex obstacle data with filtered geometric clusters and performing geometrical extrusion analysis to generate a collision-free solution. Collaboration with the Pilot-In-Command (PIC) is opportunistic and bidirectional allowing the PIC to control the aggressiveness of the obstacle avoidance solution on-the-fly easily adapting to the complexity of unknown indoor environments.
Atypical Presentation of COVID-19 Leading to ARDS

A 60-year-old male was brought into the emergency department by EMS after he was found unresponsive by his neighbors. He was initially admitted to the hospital for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation secondary to pneumonia. However, due to a sudden, rapidly progressing course of events, the patient was evaluated for COVID-19.
Dim Light at Night Exacerbates Stroke Outcome

Circadian rhythms are endogenous biological cycles that synchronize physiology and behaviour to promote optimal function. These ~24-hr internal rhythms are set to precisely 24 hr daily by exposure to the sun. However, the prevalence of night-time lighting has the potential to dysregulate these biological functions. Hospital patients may be particularly vulnerable to the consequences of light at night because of their compromised physiological state. A mouse model of stroke (middle cerebral artery occlusion; MCAO) was used to test the hypothesis that exposure to dim light at night impairs responses to a major insult. Stroke lesion size was substantially larger among animals housed in dLAN after reperfusion than animals maintained in dark nights. Mice housed in dLAN for three days after the stroke displayed increased post-stroke anxiety-like behaviour. Overall, dLAN amplified pro-inflammatory pathways in the CNS, which may have exacerbated neuronal damage. Our results suggest that exposure to LAN is detrimental to stroke recovery.
Coronavirus Impacts on Midwest Row-Crop Agriculture.

Impacts from the coronavirus pandemic have depressed market returns to corn and soybean farmers in the Midwest, extending pressures that have existed since 2013 and which were made worse by trade disputes with China. Without large ad hoc Federal aid, income on Midwest grain farms would have been quite low and the ongoing cash flow crunch much worse. Farmland prices have not adjusted downward, in part due to continuing ad hoc Federal aid, but also because interest rates have been historically very low. The financial (solvency) position of Midwest grain farms is surprisingly strong because of the strength in land values. However, the financial condition of Midwest row-crop agriculture could deteriorate markedly if recent and large infusions of ad hoc Federal aid dissipates or if interest rates rise sharply.
An immersed boundary method for rigid bodies

We develop an immersed boundary (IB) method for modeling flows around fixed or moving rigid bodies that is suitable for a broad range of Reynolds numbers, including steady Stokes flow. The spatio-temporal discretization of the fluid equations is based on a standard staggered-grid approach. Fluid-body interaction is handled using Peskin's IB method; however, unlike existing IB approaches to such problems, we do not rely on penalty or fractional-step formulations. Instead, we use an unsplit scheme that ensures the no-slip constraint is enforced exactly in terms of the Lagrangian velocity field evaluated at the IB markers. Fractionalstep approaches, by contrast, can impose such constraints only approximately, which can lead to penetration of the flow into the body, and are inconsistent for steady Stokes flow. Imposing no-slip constraints exactly requires the solution of a large linear system that includes the fluid velocity and pressure as well as Lagrange multiplier forces that impose the motion of the body. The principal contribution of this paper is that it develops an efficient preconditioner for this exactly constrained IB formulation which is based on an analytical approximation to the Schur complement. This approach is enabled by the near translational and rotational invariance of Peskin's IB method. We demonstrate that only a few cycles of a geometric multigrid method for the fluid equations are required in each application of the preconditioner, and we demonstrate robust convergence of the overall Krylov solver despite the approximations made in the preconditioner. We empirically observe that to control the condition number of the coupled linear system while also keeping the rigid structure impermeable to fluid, we need to place the immersed boundary markers at a distance of about two grid spacings, which is significantly larger from what has been recommended in the literature for elastic bodies. We demonstrate the advantage of our monolithic solver over split solvers by computing the steady state flow through a two-dimensional nozzle at several Reynolds numbers. We apply the method to a number of benchmark problems at zero and finite Reynolds numbers, and we demonstrate first-order convergence of the method to several analytical solutions and benchmark computations.
Ytterbium implanted lithium niobate ring resonators on insulator: Fabrication and Characterization

We investigate the fabrication of lithium niobate micro-ring resonators on insulator and characterize the optical properties of ytterbium ions implanted in LN thin-film. The photoluminescence lifetime of ytterbium ions and linewidth change of the cavity around the 918nm ytterbium absorption peak were measured at 4K.
Changes in Internal Auditing During the Time of the Major US Accounting Scandals

We examine changes in internal auditing during the time of the Enron and WorldCom disasters and the related legislative and media focus on internal control and corporate governance. Data gathered from 271 mid-sized US public companies reveal that internal audit budgets, staffing levels, meetings with the audit committee, and meeting length increased markedly during this time. Regression analyses provide some evidence of (a) larger budget increases among smaller companies, (b) larger budget and staff increases in companies with greater financial resources (i.e., stronger operating cash flows) or with greater liquidity risk (i.e., lower current ratios), and (c) industry differences in the change in internal auditing. We encourage additional research on recent changes in internal auditing, including research in other countries.
Effectiveness of vaccination of feedlot cattle with bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV)

In 1984, 96 calves of approximately 500 pounds body weight were kept in a feedlot in 6 pens (16 calves/pen). 48 of the calves in 3 pens were vaccinated with an attenuated BRSV vaccine. At the start of the trial 62% calves in the vaccination treatment group and 50% in the non-vaccinated group were seropositive to BRSV and at the end of the trial 92% of calves in both groups were seropositive. In 1985 the experiment was repeated with a similar group of calves. 50% and 23% calves respectively were seropositive at the start of the trial and 92% and 75% were seropositive respectively at the end of the trial. The average daily weight gain of the vaccinated cattle was 12% greater than the non-vaccinated cattle during the 32 day trial in 1984 and 74% greater during the 28 day trial in 1985. In both trials the pounds of feed consumed per pound of weight gained was higher in the non-vaccinated cattle. The incidence of cattle with respiratory diseases requiring treatment was 33% in the vaccinated groups in both years and 44% and 46% in the non-vaccinated groups in 1984 and 1985.
Labor Dis-Unity: A 1920’s Source of Left-Wing anti-Communism

The Communist Party’s (CP) “Third Period” shift in labor policy from the Trade Union Education League (TUEL) effort of “boring from within” mainstream unions to the Trade Union Unity League (TUUL) ...
Overcoming the Diversity-Consistency Dilemma in EU Rule of Law External Action

The development of a coherent EU Rule of Law external action strategy requires that the Union overcome two "diversity dilemmas" and one "consistency dilemma". The three dilemmas are interrelated and ought to be approached holistically. The first diversity dilemma pertains to the great divergence in the current uses and understandings of the concept of the Rule of Law. The second emanates from empirical reality, rather than conceptual challenge. In the contemporary global system the EU faces a broad, possibly widening, set of political regimes which pose distinctly different Rule of Law challenges. A meaningful Rule of Law external action strategy therefore cannot be based on uniformity of conceptualization or policy prescriptions, but must contend squarely with a reality of great, and arguably growing, variance. Grappling with diversity while maintaining conceptual and policy coherence represents the third key challenge to the development of a coherent EU Rule of Law external action strategy. Resolving the consistency dilemma necessitates accommodating diversity within a coherent conceptual and policy framework. This, in turn, requires that in its external action the EU approach the Rule of Law as a central pillar of a broader, liberal political-development agenda and that it adopts a vertical (rather than the traditional horizontal) understanding of the concept, involving broadly progressive, cumulative and hierarchical spheres of Rule of Law conditions.
The Role of Palliative Care in COPD.

Abstract Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and is a serious respiratory illness characterized by years of progressively debilitating breathlessness, high prevalence of associated depression and anxiety, frequent hospitalizations, and diminished wellbeing. Despite the potential to confer significant quality of life benefits for patients and their care partners and to improve end-of-life care, specialist palliative care is rarely implemented in COPD and when initiated it often occurs only at the very end of life. Primary palliative care delivered by frontline clinicians is a feasible model, but is not routinely integrated in COPD. In this review, we discuss the following: 1) the role of specialist and primary palliative care for patients with COPD and the case for earlier integration into routine practice; 2) the domains of the National Consensus Project Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care applied to people living with COPD and their care partners; and, 3) triggers for initiating palliative care and practical ways to implement palliative care using case-based examples. In the end, this review solidifies that palliative care is much more than hospice and end-of-life care and demonstrates that early palliative care is appropriate at any point during the COPD trajectory. We emphasize that palliative care should be integrated long before the end of life to provide comprehensive support for patients and their care partners and to better prepare them for the end of life.
Modeling Frailty in Manufacturing Processes

The expected service life of respirator safety devices produced by different manufacturers is determined using frailty models to account for unobserved differences in manufacturing process and raw materials. The gamma and positive stable frailty distributions are used to obtain survival distribution estimates when the baseline hazard is assumed to be Weibull. Frailty distributions are compared using laboratory test data of the failure times for 104 respirator cartridges produced by 10 different manufacturers. Likelihood ratio tests results indicate that both frailty models provide a significant improvement over a Weibull model assuming independence. Results are compared to fixed effects approaches for analysis of this data.
Guiding Gulliver: Challenges for Ethical Engineering

One challenge for ethical engineering is persuading engineers to do the right thing in their day-to-day jobs. More fundamental challenges arise when we consider the vast power of their knowledge in the first place. What ends should this power serve? Is it for health? National greatness? Ameliorating the lives of the poor? Providing entertainment? Generating jobs for the next generation? And hard on the heels of this massive theoretical question is the practical one: in a world ruled by individuals with selfish interests and imperfect wisdom, how can engineering be guided toward its best possible uses? Like Gulliver among the Lilliputians, or Oppenheimer among the Americans, scientific engineering is deeply impressive and larger than life. Nevertheless, understanding its proper goals is a philosophical question of the first order, and guiding its ambiguous power in practice is a constant challenge. Alas, this paper will not solve these twin problems, but it will illuminate them. It will do so by assessing the regulated marketplace as one means of guiding the direction of future engineering innovations. Second, it will note the epistemological challenges brought to the fore especially by David Hume and Max Weber , both of whom stressed the difficulty of ever knowing what ought to be done. We can learn from the power of engineering that the knowledge of ends is logically prior to the knowledge of means, even as we marvel at the difficulty of acquiring this knowledge and putting it to use.
Pakistan's Internal Security Environment

Pakistan faces numerous internal security challenges including sectarian, communal, and ethno-nationalist violence as well as terrorist and insurgent violence. The varied groups engaging in this wide array of political violence have targeted ordinary citizens; political leaders and government officials, as well as Pakistan’s security forces. Here, I argue that many of these threats — but no means all — stem from Pakistan’s founding ideology, the Two Nation Theory, and the particular ways in which the Pakistani state — under civilian and military governance — has sought to employ stylized versions of Islamism to manage Pakistan’s religious, sectarian, and ethnic differences. While the communal appeal of Two-Nation Theory had utility in generating support for an independent Pakistan to be carved from the detritus of the Raj, once Pakistan came into being the same ideology became dangerous because the new state was home to many minorities, including Hindus, Parsees, Christians, and Sikhs. Arguably, the divisive rhetoric that successfully tweezed apart the subcontinent, after 1947, should have been tempered if not outright jettisoned if Pakistan’s varied peoples were to live harmoniously within a new nation with a precarious political geography and strained resources. However, the political elites of the new country opted not “to promote an inclusive Pakistani nationalism that would have accommodated the divisive forces of ethnic and cultural diversity of the people of the new country” (Hassan 2014: 42). The consequences of this enduring choice and the enormous failures of managing the deleterious outcomes of this choice have been — and are — horrendous. In this background paper, I first aim to provide a historical overview of political violence in Pakistan’s recent past. Second, I provide a thumb-nail sketch of the key organizations providing this violence. Third, I exposit how Pakistan’s internal and external security environment are intrinsically interlinked. Here, I detail what is known (or suspected in most cases) about the linkages between these groups and Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies and even political parties as appropriate. I contend that this linkage between external security policy and domestic security management poses enduring problems for the Pakistani state unless it adopts fundamental changes in the ways in which it manages its external security environment and even the fundamentally ideology of the state. Fourth, I provide an overview of security governance in Pakistan and the key roadblocks that prevent Pakistan from better managing its internal security despite systematic impediments operating in Pakistan (e.g. Pakistan’s commitment to jihad under its nuclear umbrella as a tool of foreign policy). I conclude with a discussion of implications.
Multiresolution image compression using Gaussian Markov random fields

This paper presents a new scheme for image compression that is based on a multiresolution Gaussian Markov random field (GMRF) model. Given an image, compression is achieved by using a resolution-invariant GMRF to parsimoniously capture the spatial correlation present in the image, and then supplementing this information by adding to it a coarse-resolution decomposition of the image. The given image is reconstructed from this information by expressly minimizing the expected mean-squared error (MSE). The algorithm used to obtain the minimum MSE reconstruction has several attractive features: (1) It is non-recursive, (2) It involves only linear operations, (3) It is exactly implementable, and (4) It can provide optimum reconstruction at multiple resolutions. The experimental results obtained by applying the scheme to a variety of images seem to indicate that this methodology of compressing images has potential, and it illustrates the usefulness of MRF models in compressing images. >
Occupy the Tax Code: Using the Estate Tax to Reduce Inequality and Spur Economic Growth

Inequality has been increasing in the United States. We should care about this increase because inequality contributes to a variety of adverse social consequences that persist across generations. There is also substantial empirical evidence that inequality has a long-term negative impact on economic growth. For many decades, federal tax policy has played an important role in reducing inequality, although the impact of federal taxes on inequality has waxed and waned depending on the focus of elected officials. We argue that the estate tax is a particularly apt vehicle to reduce inequality because inheritances are a major source of wealth among the rich, and studies suggest that inherited wealth has a more deleterious impact on economic growth than inequality caused by self-made wealth. Although there are loopholes in the estate tax, it is still effective in moderating the amount of wealth that is passed within a family from generation to generation. The major criticism about the estate tax — that it discourages savings — is inaccurate. Standard tax theory cannot predict the impact of the estate tax on savings and the empirical evidence is mixed. Moreover, the estate tax has a less harmful impact on savings than the income tax for two reasons. First, the event that triggers estate tax liability — death — is ignored by taxpayers during the period of life in which they are likely to be most productive. Second, the expected value of the estate tax’s effective rate is quite low during the period of life in which most taxpayers create wealth. This article was published as part of a symposium sponsored by the Pepperdine Law Review and Tax Analysts, Tax Advice for the Second Obama Administration, 40 Pepp. L. Rev. 1143-1440 (2013). The Introduction to the Symposium, 40 Pepp. L. Rev. 1143 (2013), together with the Table of Contents, is available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=2220496.
Wittgenstein on the Place of the Concept “Noticing an Aspect”

Seeing aspects is a dominant theme in Wittgenstein's 1940s writings on philosophy of psychology. Interpreters disagree about what Wittgenstein was trying to do in these discussions. I argue that interpreting Wittgenstein's observations about the interrelations between “noticing an aspect” and other psychological concepts as a systematic theory of aspect-seeing diminishes key lessons of Wittgenstein's explorations: these interrelations are enormously complicated and “noticing an aspect” resists neat classification. Further, Wittgenstein invites us to engage in his “placing activity,” and by doing so we are building a skill that is valuable for enabling us to help ourselves when we encounter conceptual difficulties.
No-reference multi-scale blur metric

In recent years, digital cameras have been widely used for image capturing. These devices are equipped in cell phones, laptops, tablets, webcams, etc. Image quality is an important characteristic for any digital image analysis. Historically, techniques to assess image quality for these mobile products require a standard image to be used as a reference image. In this case, Root Mean Square Error and Peak Signal to Noise Ratio can be employed to measure the quality of the images. However, these methods are not valid if there is no reference image. Recent studies show that a Contourlet is a multi-scale transformation - which is an extension of two dimensional wavelet transformations - that can operate on an image at different noise levels without a reference image. In this paper, we develop a no-reference blur metric for digital images based on edges and noises in images. In our approach, a Contourlet transformation is applied to the blurred image, which applies a Laplacian Pyramid and Directional Filter Banks to get various image representations. The Laplacian Pyramid is a difference of Gaussian Pyramids between two consecutive levels. At each level in the Gaussian Pyramid, an image is smoothed with two Gaussians of different sizes then subtracted, subsampled and the input image is decomposed into directional sub-bands of images. Directional filter banks are designed to capture high frequency components representing directionality of the images which is similar to detailed coefficient in wavelet transformation. We focus on blur-measuring for each level and directions at the finest level of images to assess the image quality. Using the ratio of blur pixels to total pixels, we compare our results, which require no reference image, to standard full-reference image statistics. The results demonstrate that our proposed no reference metric has an increasing relationship with the blurriness of an image and is more sensitive to blur than the correlation full-reference metric.
Electrical properties of anionically synthesized conducting block copolymer from the precursor polystyrene-block-poly(phenyl vinyl sulfoxide)

Abstract A series of styrene-phenyl vinyl sulfoxide diblock copolymers was prepared using the ‘living’ anionic polymerization technique. The thermally labile phenyl vinyl sulfoxides undergo an elimination process to yield acetylene moieties at 150°C. The weight and volume of the iodine-doped conducting fractions were adjusted by changing the length of the styrene block. A sigmoidal composition-dependent conductivity and a maximum in the dielectric constant measurement near the threshold composition suggested a ‘percolation-like’ conducting process. In addition to electrical measurement, the block copolymers were also characterized by infra-red spectroscopy, thermal analysis, 1 H n.m.r., and size exclusion chromatography.
Gill Sphaerosporosis in Goldfish (Carassius auratus)

Infections caused by a Sphaerospora sp. resembling S. chinensis are reported for the first time in goldfish (Carassius auratus) from North America. The myxosporean was found in the respiratory epithelium of the gill of pond-reared fish. Spores from stained tissue sections were spherical with an equal mean length and width of 6.3 μm. Spore valves were thickened at the suture which lies in a plane perpendicular to two prominent pyriform polar capsules. The polar capsules were 4.0 × 2.8 μm in length and width. Both monosporous and disporous development within a surrounding “pseudoplasmodium” was detected. Infections caused moderate hyperplasia and occasional necrosis of the respiratory epithelial cells of the gill.
Quantification of the Limulus polyphemus CNS chromatophorotropin

Assays of the Limulus polyphemus CNS material active as a chromatophorotropin in Uca pugilator (i.e., LUC) revealed LUC presence in larval, immature, and mature CNS, and in the CNS of both sexes of postlarval animals. No sexual difference in LUC levels was demonstrable. Assays of immature and mature CNS demonstrated higher LUC levels/mg CNS in the former, and assays of CNS from specific immature molt cycle stages showed LUC levels/mg CNS to be highest in postmolt and lowest in premolt. A unit of LUC activity was defined. Evidence suggesting that LUC may be a neurosecretory hormone in Limulus is discussed.
Using cost management for sustainability efforts

Many organizations are concerned about how the public and policymakers see them. So, they often issue corporate responsibility reports—which have been expanded to include the company's efforts to promote environmental sustainability. But exactly what is sustainability, and how can cost management tools help a company achieve it? © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Renal glomerular steroid hormone binding. Detection by fluorescent microscopy.

Abstract Fluoresceinated estrogen, progesterone and testosterone ligand-conjugates have been utilized to detect hormone binding sites in renal tissue. Fluorescent microscopic study revealed the localization of binding to be predominantly glomerular. This suggests a role for steroid hormones in the mediation of hormonal influence at the glomerular level.
The solubility of gases and volatile liquids in polyethylene and polyisobutylene at elevated temperatures

The solubility of gases and volatile liquids in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polyisobutylene (PIB) at elevated temperatures has been correlated, using the experimental data available in the literature. In the present study, a Henry's constant Kp at a total pressure of approximately 1 atm defined as P1 = KPV, where P1 is the partial pressure of the solute in the vapor phase and V is the solubility (cm3 solute/g polymer at 273.2 K and 1 atm), is correlated for nonpolar solutes with the following expressions: (1) For LDPE, ln(1/KP) = −1.561 + (2.057 + 1.438ω) (Tc/T)2; (2) For PIB, ln(1/Kp) = −1.347 + (1.790 + 1.568ω) (Tc/T)2, in which ω is the acentric factor and Tc the critical temperature of the solute. In obtaining the above correlations we have used 27 solutes covering 115 data points for LDPE, and 18 solutes covering 148 data points for PIB. We have calculated values of 1/Kp from the literature data reported in terms of the retention volume (V), weight-fraction Henry's constant (H1), activity coefficient at infinite dilution (Ω), Flory–Huggins interaction parameter (χ), or V/P obtained from high pressure sorption experiments. The correlations obtained in this study permit one to estimate with reasonable accuracy the solubility of gases and volatile liquids in either LDPE or PIB, with information on the acentric factor (ω) and critical temperature (Tc) only. The relationship for LDPE is also applicable for solubilities in high-density polyethylene. Relationships for the heat of vaporization of solutes from infinitely dilute LDPE or PIB solutions are also derived from the temperature variation of 1/Kp.
Technical Specifications of an Information Database

Abstract Construction of an information database involves translation from traditional printed media to electronic media. Electronic form inherently increases the functionality of the original information. Unique features and functionality of each element type must be fully exploited. The element types include text, outline, picture, line art, graph, schematic, work sheet, table, database, equation, video, and sound. A common nomenclature for key words, data fields, graph titles, graph labels, table headings, variable names, and input labels is necessary to enable integration of all elements. Common functions include opening and closing files, displaying an element, processing user input, exchanging data among elements, and matching element content to a search key.
A kinetic and morphological study of mineralization of bovine tooth enamel surfaces

Abstract A new constant composition method was used to study the kinetics of remineralization of enamel surfaces. The labial enamel surfaces were treated with 20 per cent phosphoric acid, 0.05 M HCl, EDTA (2 per cent, pH 4.0) yielding Type I etched surface and with EDTA (1–2 per cent, pH 7.0) to give a Type II etched surface. Remineralization experiments were made in stable supersaturated calcium phosphate solutions undersaturated with respect to dicalcium phosphate dihydrate and octacalcium phosphate phases, at pH 7.40 and 37 °C. Type I-etched surfaces yielded similar remineralization rates, but these were greater than those for Type II surfaces. Confirmation of hydroxyapatite as the exclusive remineralizing phase was made by various physico-chemical methods. Scanning electron microscopy of the remineralized phase, suggested various sites for remineralization.
Lithium aluminum hydride-N-methylpyrrolidine complex. 1. Synthesis and reactivity of lithium aluminum hydride-N-methyplyrrolidine complex. An air and thermally stable reducing agent derived from lithium aluminum hydride

Abstract A 1:1 lithium aluminum hydride-N-methylpyrrolidine complex (LAHNMP), obtained by the reaction of lithium aluminum hydride with N-methylpyrrolidine, is a powerful reducing agent, comparable to lithium aluminum hydride in its reducing properties. LAHNMP reduces esters, lactones, anhydrides and carboxylic acids to the corresponding alcohols. Test reductions show that LAHNMP also reduces a wide range of functional groups, including amides, epoxides, oximes, nitriles, nitro compounds and halides. LAHNMP can be safely transferred in air with the use of a plastic spatula and used in an open container without the need for an inert atmosphere, provided that hydrogen is not evolved during the reduction.
Superlattice ordering in graphite-IC1 single crystals and fibers

Abstract By using X-ray diffraction, a 3-fold or 6-fold twinned monoclinic √(301) × 2 (−3.3°, 0°) superlattice ( a = 4.92 A , b = 42.68 A , c = 7.0 A , γ = 93.3°) was observed in stage-1 graphite-IC1 single crystals intercalated in IC1 vapor. This in-plane superlattice was also observed in stage-1 and stage-2 graphite-IC1, which were based on Thornel P-100 graphite fibers and prepared by the two-bulb method, in which liquid IC1 was at 95°C while graphite was at 100°C for stage 1 and 130°C for stage 2. This work provides the first observation of in-plane intercalate ordering in intercalated graphite fibers and the first X-ray diffraction evidence of IC1 intercalation in graphite fibers. A different in-plane superlattice was observed in stage-1 graphite-IC1 single crystals intercalated in IC1 liquid.
Molecular Epidemiology of Genogroup II Noroviruses Infection in Outpatients with Acute Gastroenteritis in Nanjing, China (2010–2013)

Objective. Human noroviruses (NoVs) of genogroup II are the most common strains detected in sporadic cases of acute nonbacterial gastroenteritis in outpatients in Nanjing. To gain insight into the molecular epidemiology of GII strains, we analyzed 75 positive NoV cases from 2010 to 2013. Methods. The sporadic cases were detected by real-time PCR with specific primers and probes to human NoVs of genogroup I or II, human sapovirus, human rotavirus, human astrovirus, and human enteric adenovirus. Human NoVs of genogroup II were further studied by VP1 amplification (RT- PCR), cloning, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis. Results. Rotavirus and human NoVs were more frequently detected in all the cases from 2010 to 2013. Human NoVs infection was more frequent since 2011 and more frequent than rotavirus infection after 2012. Out of the 75 NoV cases of genogroup II, there were 5 GII.6, 11 GII.3, and 59 GII.4. Of the 59 GII.4, 27 cases were previous GII.4.2006b strains that circulated between 2010 and 2012; while 32 cases were the newly emerging GII.4 strains GII.4.2012 from 2011 to 2013. Conclusion. Our data confirm other studies on the rapid emergence and displacement of highly virulent GII.4 strains.
Too much of a good thing: Long-term treatment with salicylate strengthens outer hair cell function but impairs auditory neural activity

Aspirin has been extensively used in clinical settings. Its side effects on auditory function, including hearing loss and tinnitus, are considered as temporary. A recent promising finding is that chronic treatment with high-dose salicylate (the active ingredient of aspirin) for several weeks enhances expression of the outer hair cell (OHC) motor protein (prestin), resulting in strengthened OHC electromotility and enhanced distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE). To follow up on these observations, we carried out two studies, one planned study of age-related hearing loss restoration and a second unrelated study of salicylate-induced tinnitus. Rats of different strains and ages were injected with salicylate at a dose of 200 mg/kg/day for 5 days per week for 3 weeks or at higher dose levels (250–350 mg/kg/day) for 4 days per week for 2 weeks. Unexpectedly, while an enhanced or sustained DPOAE was seen, permanent reductions in the amplitude of the cochlear compound action potential (CAP) and the auditory brainstem response (ABR) were often observed after the chronic salicylate treatment. The mechanisms underlying these unexpected, permanent salicylate-induced reductions in neural activity are discussed.
Efficacy and safety of dofetilide in patients with atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter

Dofetilide, an IKr blocker has been demonstrated to be effective in terminating persistent atrial fibrillation and flutter (AF/AFL), and in maintaining sinus rhythm after direct current cardioversion (CV). It is not known, however, whether pharmacological conversion with dofetilide predicts maintenance of sinus rhythm. In addition, there is limited information comparing the efficacy of dofetilide in persistent versus paroxysmal AF/AFL. Eighty consecutive patients with AF/AFL (51 persistent, 29 paroxysmal) admitted for initiation of dofetilide were studied. Termination of persistent AF/AFL occurred in 61% of patients while 39% required CV. After 21 ± 19 months of follow-up, 37% of patients with persistent AF/AFL were free of recurrence. Acute conversion with dofetilide did not predict long term efficacy. Dofetilide was more effective in maintaining sinus rhythm in patients with AFL (65%) than in those with AF (25%) (p < 0.05). Dofetilide was more likely to maintain sinus rhythm in patients with persistent than paroxysmal AF/AFL (37 vs. 14%; p < 0.05). Torsades de Pointes developed in two patients despite careful dosing and monitoring of QT changes. Dofetilide is more effective in patients with persistent than in those with paroxysmal AF/AFL. Importantly, short-term response does not necessarily predict long-term efficacy. Significant proarrhythmia can occur even with careful in-hospital monitoring.
Temperature scaling of CMOS circuit power consumption

Abstract We have analyzed fundamental physical limitations on power consumption of prospective semiconductor digital integrated circuits based on nanoscale silicon MOSFETs, using simple models of these devices and power dissipation. Results show that the temperature dependence of the power is determined by circuit speed requirements. For high-speed operation, both power P and power supply voltage VDD saturate when T is reduced below approximately 100 K . In the low-speed limit, P scales as T2, while VDD drops linearly with T. However, thermal fluctuations may alter this scaling, leading to P∝T and VDD∝T1/2, at low temperatures and/or large circuit densities. We compare this scaling with that of superconductor RSFQ logic.
Classics in chemical neuroscience: clozapine.

Clozapine was the first true breakthrough in schizophrenia treatment since the discovery of chlorpromazine in 1950, effectively treating positive, negative, and some cognitive symptoms, as well as possessing unprecedented efficacy in treatment-resistant patients. Despite over 30 years of intense study, the precise molecular underpinnings that account for clozapine’s unique efficacy remain elusive. In this Viewpoint, we will showcase the history and importance of clozapine to neuroscience in general, as well as for the treatment of schizophrenia, and review the synthesis, pharmacology, drug metabolism, and adverse events of clozapine.
Critical dynamics of nonconserved Ising-like systems

We show that the dynamical fixed point of Ising-like models, characterized by a single scalar, nonconserved ordering field, is stable near four dimensions with respect to all dynamic perturbations, including those of a nonequilibrium nature.