cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experimental determination of the thermal conductivity of three-phase syntactic foams

Syntactic foams are attractive for applications that require materials with high impact strength and low thermal conductivities. Because syntactic foams are manufactured by dispersing hollow microspheres in a resinous matrix, their characteristics are functions of the type and relative amounts of these materials. In this work, a discussion of an experimental approach to measure the thermal conductivity of three-phase syntactic foams (hollow carbon microspheres in a porous APO-BMI binder, analysis of the data and the comparison to predictive models are presented. The thermal conductivity of three-phase syntactic foams is measured using a Holometrix© steady-state heat flow meter. The experimental data are found to be accurate to within a reasonable range of experimental error and are compared to three of the more reliable predictive models that have been used successfully to estimate the thermal conductivity of similar foams. It is observed that the model predictions at lower temperatures are more accurate as compared to those at higher temperatures. Also, that a model based on the concept of self-consistent field theory better predicts the thermal conductivity of syntactic foams than one based on resistance-in-series. Sensitivity studies indicate a strong dependency of the thermal conductivity of the three-phase foams on the thermal conductivity of the carbon used in the microspheres.
A Model of Individual Accounting Faculty Salaries

ABSTRACT: While much has been written about how to successfully manage an academic accounting career, to date, research has not considered how accounting academics can manage their career to impact their salary. The current study utilizes publicly available individual salary information for over 1,200 tenure-track faculty at over 100 of the largest accounting programs in U.S. public universities. Using this salary data, we create a model of accounting faculty salary using individual and institutional variables for top-ranked doctoral, other doctoral, and non-doctoral programs. Our results offer additional insights into accredited public university accounting faculty salaries beyond the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) publications, which aggregate by public/private schools and accredited/non-accredited programs. We find that Brigham Young University (BYU) 20 faculty research ranking, a financial teaching/research emphasis, being a department chair, and having a named business ...
The Liberal Capitalist West as the New ‘Global State’*

Over the last few decades, especially since the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the collapse of communism, the world is transiting from ‘international’ politics to ‘global’ politics. The transformation comes in the wake of the very old inclusive and constitutive process of expansion of the West, westernization of the international society and that of the globe. This is a compelling phenomenon and has been mainly built on the political, legal and economic ideas (and also the culture) of the liberal capitalist West. The governing structures, organizational patterns and institutional practices of most countries in the world are also inspired by the West. This is the foundation of the nature, extent and form of power the liberal capitalist West led by the US exercises over the rest of the world. This kind of power is increasingly becoming similar in many respects to what the State exercises in the international system. Hence, the liberal capitalist West could be seen as the virtual Global State. Such a...
Relating operational software reliability and workload: results from an experimental study

This paper presents some results from an experimental and analytical study to investigate the failure behavior of operational software for several types of workload. The authors are primarily interested in the so-called highly reliable software where enough evidence exists to indicate a lack of known faults. For purposes of this study, a "gold" version of a well known program was used in the experimental study. Judiciously selected errors were introduced, one at a time, and each mutated program was executed for three types of workload: constant; random; and systematically varying. Analytical analyses of the resulting failures were undertaken and are summarized here. The case when workload is random is of particular interest in this paper. An analytical model for the resulting failure phenomenon based on the Wald equation is found to give excellent results.
Top-k Spatial Joins of Probabilistic Objects

Probabilistic data have recently become popular in applications such as scientific and geospatial databases. For images and other spatial datasets, probabilistic values can capture the uncertainty in extent and class of the objects in the images. Relating one such dataset to another by spatial joins is an important operation for data management systems. We consider probabilistic spatial join (PSJ) queries, which rank the results according to a score that incorporates both the uncertainties associated with the objects and the distances between them. We present algorithms for two kinds of PSJ queries: Threshold PSJ queries, which return all pairs that score above a given threshold, and top-k PSJ queries, which return the k top-scoring pairs. For threshold PSJ queries, we propose a plane sweep algorithm that, because it exploits the special structure of the problem, runs in 0(n (log n + k)) time, where n is the number of points and k is the number of results. We extend the algorithms to 2-D data and to top-k PSJ queries. To further speed up top-k PSJ queries, we develop a scheduling technique that estimates the scores at the level of blocks, then hands the blocks to the plane sweep algorithm. By finding high-scoring pairs early, the scheduling allows a large portion of the datasets to be pruned. Experiments demonstrate speed-ups of two orders of magnitude.
Modeling of charge trapping induced threshold-voltage instability in high-/spl kappa/ gate dielectric FETs

The authors have developed a distributed tunneling model to investigate the threshold-voltage instability induced by charge trapping in field-effect transistors (FETs) using high-/spl kappa/ gate dielectric materials. The charge trapping dynamics in the high-/spl kappa/ layer are modeled based on a rate equation, which is self-consistently incorporated into device-level simulations. The model is used to simulate pulsed operation of HfO/sub 2/ based n-type FETs; good agreement is obtained with pulsed measurements including the dependence of the threshold-voltage shift on pulse heights and durations. The trap-energy-level shift due to the polaron effect is found to be critical to model the pulse-height dependence of the threshold-voltage shift.
The optimal throughput order of wireless ad hoc networks and how to achieve it

We show that, as the number of nodes in the network n tends to infinity, the maximum concurrent flow (MCF) and the minimum cut-capacity scale as Theta(n2r3(n)/k) for a random choice of k ges Theta(n) source-destination pairs, where r(n) is the communication range in the network. In addition, we show that it is possible to attain this optimal order throughput in interference-constrained networks if nodes are capable of multiple-packet transmission and reception. This result provides an improvement of Theta(nr2(n)) over the highest achieved capacity reported to date. Furthermore, in stark contrast to the conventional wisdom that has evolved from the Gupta-Kumar results, our results show that the capacity of ad-hoc networks can actually increase with n while the communication range tends to zero!
Training clinical psychology students in aging.

Many conference reports have urged various strategies to increase the numbers of mental health service providers to the aged. The effectiveness of two strategies-specialized training and the infusion of gerontological content into regular professional curricula-were addressed in a program evaluation. Two groups of clinical psychology doctoral trainees were assessed on knowledge, attitudes, and akills. One group was in a special clinical-aging track; the other had different primary interests but-by virtue of being in the same graduate program-encountered gerontological content. The results support the suggestion that exposure to aging indirectly can contribute to increased knowledge and sophistication.
Interactive Voice Response Self-Monitoring to Assess Risk Behaviors in Rural Substance Users Living with HIV/AIDS

Community-dwelling HIV/AIDS patients in rural Alabama self-monitored (SM) daily HIV risk behaviors using an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, which may enhance reporting, reduce monitored behaviors, and extend the reach of care. Sexually active substance users (35 men, 19 women) engaged in IVR SM of sex, substance use, and surrounding contexts for 4-10 weeks. Baseline predictors of IVR utilization were assessed, and longitudinal IVR SM effects on risk behaviors were examined. Frequent (n = 22), infrequent (n = 22), and non-caller (n = 10) groups were analyzed. Non-callers had shorter durations of HIV medical care and lower safer sex self-efficacy and tended to be older heterosexuals. Among callers, frequent callers had lost less social support. Longitudinal logistic regression models indicated reductions in risky sex and drug use with IVR SM over time. IVR systems appear to have utility for risk assessment and reduction for rural populations living with HIV disease.
It's the information that's important, not the technology.

This issue of JAMIA contains a paper by Dr. Nordyke and Dr. Kulikowski that describes the interplay between a single specialty practice and a structured medical record/computer database over a period of 35 years.1 The story paints a clear picture of the many ways in which access to longitudinal information about a population of like patients can be used to improve practice and to satisfy intellectual curiosity over the course of the day. The …
A Comprehensive Empirical Study of Count Models for Software Fault Prediction

Count models, such as the Poisson regression model, and the negative binomial regression model, can be used to obtain software fault predictions. With the aid of such predictions, the development team can improve the quality of operational software. The zero-inflated, and hurdle count models may be more appropriate when, for a given software system, the number of modules with faults are very few. Related literature lacks quantitative guidance regarding the application of count models for software quality prediction. This study presents a comprehensive empirical investigation of eight count models in the context of software fault prediction. It includes comparative hypothesis testing, model selection, and performance evaluation for the count models with respect to different criteria. The case study presented is that of a full-scale industrial software system. It is observed that the information obtained from hypothesis testing, and model selection techniques was not consistent with the predictive performances of the count models. Moreover, the comparative analysis based on one criterion did not match that of another criterion. However, with respect to a given criterion, the performance of a count model is consistent for both the fit, and test data sets. This ensures that, if a fitted model is considered good based on a given criterion, then the model will yield a good prediction based on the same criterion. The relative performances of the eight models are evaluated based on a one-way anova model, and Tukey's multiple comparison technique. The comparative study is useful in selecting the best count model for estimating the quality of a given software system
Morphometric and electron microscopic analyses of the effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist treatment on arteriole size in uterine leiomyomas.

Abstract Background.—Few studies have been performed on the vascular changes in leiomyomas from patients treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHAs). Objective.—To measure luminal diameter and wall thickness of arterioles in uterine leiomyomas using a quantitative stereologic method of analysis. Design.—Thirty leiomyomas from 3 study groups were used: (1) patients treated with GnRHAs (10 patient samples), (2) age-matched controls (10 patient samples), and (3) postmenopausal women (10 patient samples). Measurements of arteriolar luminal diameter and wall thickness were made using a video-based, computerized system attached to the microscope, for which a morphometric ad hoc program was written. Electron micrographs were made of random arterioles from the first 2 groups (GnRHA-treated patients and age-matched controls). Setting.—Department of Pathology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Patients.—A total of 30 patient samples were studied, with 3 groups comprising 10 samples eac...
Fifteen compilers in fifteen days

Traditional approaches to semester-long projects in compiler courses force students to implement the early stages of a compiler in depth; since many students fall behind, they have little opportunity to implement the back end. Consequently, students have a deep knowledge of early material and no knowledge of latter material. We propose an approach based on incremental development and test-driven development; this approach solves the emphasis problem, provides experience with useful tools, and allows for such a course to be taught in a three or four weeks.
Quantitative live cell imaging reveals a gradual shift between DNA repair mechanisms and a maximal use of HR in mid-S phase

DNA double-strand breaks are repaired by two main pathways: nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR). The choice between these pathways depends on cell-cycle phase; however the continuous effect of cell cycle on the balance between them is still unclear. We used live cell imaging and fluorescent reporters for 53BP1, Rad52, and cell cycle to quantify the relative contribution of NHEJ and HR at different points of the cell cycle in single cells. We found that NHEJ is the dominant repair pathway in G1 and G2 even when both repair pathways are functional. The shift from NHEJ to HR is gradual, with the highest proportion of breaks repaired by HR in mid S, where the amount of DNA replication is highest. Higher proportions of HR also strongly correlate with slower rates of repair. Our study shows that the choice of repair mechanism is continuously adjusted throughout the cell cycle and suggests that the extent of active replication, rather than the presence of a sister chromatid influences the balance between the two repair pathways in human cells.
Nonequilibrium approach to Bloch-Peierls-Berry dynamics

We examine Bloch-Peierls-Berry dynamics under a classical nonequilibrium dynamical formulation. In this formulation all coordinates in phase space formed by the position and crystal-momentum space are treated on an equal footing. Explicit demonstrations of no (naive) Liouville theorem and of the validity of the Darboux theorem are given. Regardless, the explicit equilibrium-distribution function is obtained. Similarities and differences to previous approaches are discussed, and in particular, an interesting singular situation becomes nonsingular in the presence of dissipation. Our results confirm the richness of Bloch-Peierls-Berry dynamics.
Writing good Southerne: Local and supralocal norms in the Plumpton letter collection

The relatively recent application of sociolinguistic methodology to the study of language history offers techniques for approaching regional and social variation and change in earlier stages of English. This article focuses on changes in written norms in the history of English, examining several morphosyntactic variables that were in flux in England in the 15th and 16th centuries: the third person present singular verb endings, the third person plural be , and the Northern Present-Tense Rule for third person plural verbs. These variables are significant because each of them presents two competing forms in the north of England in the Early Modern period: a local form and a supralocal form. The present analysis, after examining the correlation between the linguistic variables and gender and social function, concludes that the results may be understood through a conflict model in which variants supralocalize to accommodate the demands of alternative linguistic markets.
Comparing Normothermic Machine Perfusion Preservation With Different Perfusates on Porcine Livers From Donors After Circulatory Death.

The utilization of normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) may be an effective strategy to resuscitate livers from donation after circulatory death (DCD). There is no consensus regarding the efficacy of different perfusates on graft and bile duct viability. The aim of this study was to compare, in an NMP porcine DCD model, the preservation potential of three different perfusates. Twenty porcine livers with 60 min of warm ischemia were separated into four preservation groups: cold storage (CS), NMP with Steen solution (Steen; XVIVO Perfusion Inc., Denver, CO), Steen plus red blood cells (RBCs), or whole blood (WB). All livers were preserved for 10 h and reperfused to simulate transplantation for 24 h. During preservation, the NMP with Steen group presented the highest hepatocellular injury. At reperfusion, the CS group had the lowest bile production and the worst hepatocellular injury compared with all other groups, followed by NMP with Steen; the Steen plus RBC and WB groups presented the best functional and hepatocellular injury outcomes, with WB livers showing lower aspartate aminotransferase release and a trend toward better results for most parameters. Based on our results, a perfusate that contains an oxygen carrier is most effective in a model of NMP porcine DCD livers compared with Steen solution. Specifically, WB-perfused livers showed a trend toward better outcomes compared with Steen plus RBCs.
Fluids in the crust during regional metamorphism: Forty years in the Waterville limestone

![Figure][1] Research over the last four decades on carbonate rocks of the Waterville limestone, Maine, U.S.A., has contributed to the development of both concepts and methodologies for understanding fluid-rock interaction during regional metamorphism, including: (1) buffering of fluid composition by mineral reactions, (2) infiltration of carbonate rocks by aqueous fluids, (3) petrologic fluid-rock ratios, (4) infiltration-driven metamorphism, (5) one- and two-dimensional continuum models for coupled fluid flow and mineral reaction, (6) time-integrated fluid fluxes, and (7) channelized, horizontal fluid flow in the direction of increasing temperature within chemically isolated layers. Disagreement between the last concept and both hydrodynamic models for metamorphic fluid flow and empirical evidence for homogenization of fluid composition at a scale much larger than layer thickness motivated development of the latest models for coupled fluid flow and mineral reaction in the Waterville limestone. The new models consider a flow medium composed of layers that differ in the initial amounts and compositions of minerals, both horizontal flow in the direction of increasing temperature and vertical flow in the direction of decreasing pressure and temperature, significant but imperfect homogenization of fluid composition across layering by CO2-H2O interdiffusion, and infiltration by fluids that are spatially variable in composition on the kilometer scale with CO2 content increasing with increasing grade of metamorphism. The new models reproduce measured progress of the biotite-forming reaction in the Waterville limestone over a range of spatial scales spanning six orders of magnitude, from differences in reaction progress of up to a factor of ~100 between adjacent centimeter-thick layers to the coexistence of mineral reactants and products over a distance of ~13 km parallel to the metamorphic field gradient. Results imply that the present spatial distributions of reaction progress represent a steady state achieved when rocks closely approached equilibrium with the infiltrating fluid during metamorphism. The new models resolve what for many years appeared to be fundamental discrepancies among petrologic data for regionally metamorphosed carbonate rocks, hydrodynamic models of regional metamorphism, and the length scales of mass transport of volatiles across layering by diffusion. [1]: pending:yes
Ambient Coarse Particulate Matter and Hospital Admissions in the Medicare Cohort Air Pollution Study, 1999-2010.

BackgroundIn recent years a number of studies have examined the short-term association between coarse particulate matter (PM10–2.5) and mortality and morbidity outcomes. These studies, however, hav...
Active oxygen species as factors in multistage carcinogenesis.

AbstractOxygen, a necessary element for the life of a cell, is also the source of active states of oxygen including radicals, which can disrupt cell structure and alter cell function. Increasing evidence indicates that active oxygen species are formed in response to tumor promoters and that the cellular consequences of their actions may play a role in the process of tumor promotion. This report summarizes work from our laboratory that implicates active oxygen species derived in part from phagocytic cells in the tumor promotion process by phorbol esters and other promoters in mouse skin. Work from other laboratories indicates that phorbol ester promoters stimulate the production of active states of oxygen in mouse skin epidermal cells in vivo and in vitro. Oxidative DNA damage in epidermal cells from mice treated topically with the potent promoter phorbol myristate acetate has also been reported. The production of active states of oxygen including free radicals is discussed in relation to the mode of actio...
Ionic strength of homogenizing medium on glutamic dehydrogenase activity of tissues.

SummaryGlutamic-dehydrogenase activity of liver and kidney of the mouse and rat was greater when the tissues were homogenized in water than in .05 M phosphate buffer, or NaCl and KCl of equivalent ionic strength. The decrease in activity could be varied by variations in ionic strength of the medium.
RTCVD growth and applications of epitaxial Si1−xGex alloys

Rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition (RTCVD) is a competing technology for the growth of Si1−xGex strained-layer structures for the development of silicon-based heterojunctions. High-quality epitaxial films with growth temperatures as low as 600°C and 4.5 nm-period superlattices have been demonstrated without the use of ultrahigh-vacuum techniques. Narrow-bandgap-base heterojunction bipolar transistors made of Si/Si1−xGex/Si have been shown to have superior characteristics compared to all-silicon homojunction devices, and extend the scaling limits of bipolar transistors. Finally, RTCVD strained Si1−xGex films exhibit well-resolved band-edge photoluminescence—the first step on the way to developing silicon-based light-emitting devices.
The next stage of the food sovereignty debate

Food sovereignty advocates are only beginning to discuss polemical issues, such as the role of long-distance trade, the implementation of relevant legal norms, and whether agroecological production...
Signal transduction pathways in modulation of ciliary beat frequency by methacholine

The release of endogenous neurotransmitters plays an important role in the airway mucosal defense system. We studied the in vitro effect of methacholine, a beta-methyl ester of acetylcholine, on the ciliary beat frequency (CBF) of human adenoid explants and its mechanism of action. Tissue explants were cultured at 35 degrees C and covered with 1.0 mL of culture medium: minimum essential Eagle's medium (MEM) containing L-arginine (1.2 x 10(-3) mol/L). Methacholine was added to the cultured tissue at concentrations of 10(-10), 10(-8), and 10(-6) mol/L. The CBF was determined by phase contrast microscopy and microphotometry. Methacholine increased CBF in a dose-dependent manner with a maximum increase of 23.0% +/- 1.8% (p < .001). Atropine (10(-6) mol/L) significantly inhibited the ciliostimulatory effects of methacholine (p < .0007). The role of endogenous prostaglandins in methacholine-induced ciliostimulation was determined by treating specimens with a cyclooxygenase inhibitor (diclofenac sodium). Diclofenac (10(-6) mol/L) significantly inhibited the ciliostimulatory effects of methacholine (p < .0007). To determine if nitric oxide (NO) acts as an intermediary in ciliostimulation by methacholine, endogenous NO production was inhibited by treating specimens with an L-arginine analog, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), prior to addition of methacholine. L-NAME (10(-6) mol/L) inhibited the effects of methacholine in L-arginine-free MEM (p < .008), and this inhibition was reversed by L-arginine (10(-3) mol/L). To further examine the actions of NO in methacholine-induced ciliostimulation, a cyclic guanosine 3'5'-monophosphate (cGMP) kinase inhibitor (KT-5823) was used, prior to the addition of methacholine. KT-5823 (10(-6) mol/L) significantly inhibited the effects of methacholine (p < .0001). Ciliostimulation by methacholine in human upper airway mucosa involves both prostaglandin and NO second messengers and activation of a cGMP-dependent kinase.
S100-positive, T-cell chronic lymphoproliferative disease: an aggressive disorder of an uncommon T-cell subset

S100-positive T lymphocytes account for less than 3% of peripheral blood T cells. Rare cases of S100-positive T-cell lymphoma have been previously described. We report four such cases of S100-positive T-cell chronic lymphoproliferative disease. In all cases, hepatosplenomegaly was observed, without prominent lymphadenopathy. Central nervous system (CNS) involvement by the leukemic cells was suggested in three cases by physical symptoms and confirmed in two cases by cerebrospinal fluid studies. Despite treatment, three patients died at 3, 6, and 8 months after diagnosis. Although there was a leukemic presentation, only minimal bone marrow infiltration was evident. Splenectomy showed red pulp infiltration. Liver and lymph node biopsies showed sinusoidal leukemic involvement. In all cases, the leukemic cells expressed mature T-cell- and natural killer cell-associated antigens. Cytoplasmic S100 was detected in the leukemic cells in the blood, spleen, liver, and lymph node. Southern blot studies in two cases showed T-beta, T-gamma, and T-delta gene rearrangements. RNA Northern blots showed T-alpha and T-beta chain transcripts with no T-gamma or T-delta RNA identified. Southern blot analysis showed no hybridization to probes specific for Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, human immunodeficiency virus-1, or human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-1. These findings show that S100-positive T-cell chronic lymphoproliferative disorder is an aggressive, extramedullary-based disease frequently associated with CNS involvement and characterized by short survivals.
Modeling glacial flow on and onto Pluto’s Sputnik Planitia

Abstract Observations of Pluto’s surface made by the New Horizons spacecraft indicate present-day N 2 ice glaciation in and around the basin informally known as Sputnik Planitia. Motivated by these observations, we have developed an evolutionary glacial flow model of solid N 2 ice that takes into account its published thermophysical and rheological properties. This model assumes that glacial ice flows laminarly and has a low aspect ratio which permits a vertically integrated mathematical formulation. We assess the conditions for the validity of laminar N 2 ice motion by revisiting the problem of the onset of solid-state buoyant convection of N 2 ice for a variety of bottom thermal boundary conditions. Subject to uncertainties in N 2 ice rheology, N 2 ice layers are estimated to flow laminarly for thicknesses less than 400–1000 m. The resulting mass-flux formulation for when the N 2 ice flows as a laminar dry glacier is characterized by an Arrhenius–Glen functional form. The flow model developed is used here to qualitatively answer some questions motivated by features we interpret to be a result of glacial flow found on Sputnik Planitia. We find that the wavy transverse dark features found along the northern shoreline of Sputnik Planitia may be a transitory imprint of shallow topography just beneath the ice surface suggesting the possibility that a major shoreward flow event happened relatively recently, within the last few hundred years. Model results also support the interpretation that the prominent darkened features resembling flow lobes observed along the eastern shoreline of the Sputnik Planitia basin may be the result of a basally wet N 2 glacier flowing into the basin from the pitted highlands of eastern Tombaugh Regio.
Commercial Policy Outcomes in the Presence of Integrated Transport Costs: The Importance of Trade Imbalances

As artificial trade barriers continue to fall, the significance of alternative trade costs in the determination of trade rises. In this study, I investigate the heterogeneous implications of maritime trade policy on the patterns of international trade. I find theoretical and empirical evidence that the integration of bilateral transport costs leads to systematic variation in policy induced trade effects across different transport markets, trade imbalances and product groups. The theoretical predictions are based on a model of international trade and transportation that offers a static partial equilibrium framework from which the varying effectiveness of trade policy in the presence of joint production in the transport sector can be considered. Exploiting the negative externalities of an EU environmental policy on international transport costs, the empirical analysis provides evidence in support of the theoretically predicted heterogeneous treatment effects of maritime trade policy. Specifically, I find that US-EU containerized trade experiences significant reductions when facilitated in backhaul rather than fronthaul transport markets. Moreover, this variation in policy outcomes is shown to be increasing in the bilateral trade imbalance and the relative transport costs of differentiated product groups. The suggested heterogeneity concerning maritime trade policy outcomes has notable implications for the trade effects arising from current policies, such as the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) by the World Trade Organization (WTO) or the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and underlines the significance of the international transport sector to the determination of international trade.
Tax reform, fiscal decentralization, and regional economic growth: New evidence from China

Abstract This paper is the first to examine heterogeneous responses to changes in fiscal decentralization policy associated with the 1994 tax reform in China and the nonlinearity of these responses. Using panel data for 29 Chinese provinces over the period 1990–2012, the paper shows that the effects of revenue and expenditure decentralization on economic growth vary across the three main sectors, with the largest impact on the secondary sector. The results also suggest there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between the degree of revenue (expenditure) decentralization and the growth of the secondary sector. In addition, slow-growing and fast-growing provinces respond differently to changes in both revenue and expenditure decentralization with greater responses from fast-growing provinces. The responses from fast-growing provinces appear to be nonlinear, indicating that fast-growing provinces benefit from appropriate revenue (expenditure) decentralization, but the effect turns negative as the degree of decentralization becomes excessively high. The study provides a way to reconcile the contradicting evidence found in the literature. In addition, the finding on heterogeneous responses to fiscal decentralization has important policy implications.
Correlation learning on joint support recovery for more sources than measurements

Consider MMV problem Y M ×L = A M×N X N×L with X being D-row sparse. In this work, we first we analyze the MSBL algorithm by Wipf and Rao, and provide its limit in the M ≤ D regime. To improve support recovery, we further develop Bayesian methods for learning the correlation structures both temporally or spatially. In particular, we use the Inverse Wishart distribution, the conjugate prior for the covariance matrix of a Gaussian vector, to proceed with the Sparse Bayesian inference on the signal support. Simulation studies show that the method is robust, and it outperforms jointly support SBL families such as MSBL or TSBL under some circumstances.
Effect of normal stresses on the results of thermoplastic mold filling simulation

The paper deals with the effect of the normal stresses on the predicted flow front during the filling stage of thermoplastic injection molding. The normal stresses are predicted using the non-linear Criminale-Ericksen-Filbey model (a variant of the second-order fluid rheological model with viscosity, first and second normal stress coefficients dependent upon magnitude of shear rate) incorporated into a comprehensive 3D simulation software for mold-filling analysis. The additional stress term allows the prediction of the so called ear-flow effect (melt racing on the edges of the cavity).
Modeling the Secondary Drying Stage of Freeze Drying: Development and Validation of an Excel-Based Model

Although several mathematical models of primary drying have been developed over the years, with significant impact on the efficiency of process design, models of secondary drying have been confined to highly complex models. The simple-to-use Excel-based model developed here is, in essence, a series of steady state calculations of heat and mass transfer in the 2 halves of the dry layer where drying time is divided into a large number of time steps, where in each time step steady state conditions prevail. Water desorption isotherm and mass transfer coefficient data are required. We use the Excel "Solver" to estimate the parameters that define the mass transfer coefficient by minimizing the deviations in water content between calculation and a calibration drying experiment. This tool allows the user to input the parameters specific to the product, process, container, and equipment. Temporal variations in average moisture contents and product temperatures are outputs and are compared with experiment. We observe good agreement between experiments and calculations, generally well within experimental error, for sucrose at various concentrations, temperatures, and ice nucleation temperatures. We conclude that this model can serve as an important process development tool for process design and manufacturing problem-solving.
Using data indexing for remote visualization of point cloud data

ABSTRACTWe present a new approach for accessing and visualizing point-based data in CAD applications. Instead of developing a traditional database around spatial data structures, our approach augments a data indexing engine to enable quick access to data. The primary advantage of an indexing engine is flexibility. The approach enables both range queries for accessing data spatially and resolution queries to access data at appropriate spatial resolutions. Our approach is robust to very large datasets, naturally supporting remote visualization and near-real-time input data streams. We demonstrate our approach on 2 large datasets, one 45M points, the other 53M points.
Evaluating the Femoral-Side Critical Corner in Posterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: The Effect of Outside-In Versus Inside-Out Creation of Femoral Tunnels on Graft Contact Pressure in a Synthetic Knee Model.

Purpose To characterize and compare the graft contact characteristics of outside-in (OI) and inside-out (IO) femoral tunnels during single-bundle reconstruction of the anterolateral bundle of the posterior cruciate ligament in a synthetic knee model. Methods Femoral tunnels were separately made in 16 synthetic femora (8 OI and 8 IO). Achilles tendon allografts were fixed using suspensory fixation with a pressure sensor between the allograft and femoral tunnel. Grafts were cyclically loaded; force, contact area, contact pressure, and peak pressure at the aperture were measured. This process was repeated using the same allograft to assess the other tunnel angle in a separate specimen. Results IO specimens showed higher mean contact pressure at all loading cycles, with significance shown at 50 N ( P = .02). Peak pressure was also greater in IO specimens at all loading cycles and reached statistical significance at 100 N ( P = .04). IO specimens had a lower contact area at 150 N ( P = .04). No statistically significant differences in force were observed between the 2 groups. Conclusions OI creation of the femoral tunnel for anterolateral bundle reconstruction of the posterior cruciate ligament resulted in decreased mean and peak contact pressures at the femoral aperture compared with IO tunnel creation at the specific trajectories and loading parameters tested in this synthetic femoral model. These biomechanical data suggest that OI creation of the femoral tunnel may help reduce in vivo graft contact pressure at the femoral aperture. Clinical Relevance These data suggest that a tunnel drilled from OI may result in less graft pressure at the femoral aperture, which may prevent graft elongation and optimize graft survival.
Spatial aspects of structural complexity in Sitka spruce – western hemlock forests, including evaluation of a new canopy gap delineation method

Structural complexity in long-lived forests where stand-replacing disturbances are rare is thought to emerge from chronic small-scale disturbances and competitive interactions between trees. We ana...
Computed tomographic measurement of canine urine concentration.

Computed tomography (CT) is able to measure the attenuation of urine in Hounsfield units (HU) on abdominal imaging studies. This study was designed to measure the correlation of urine attenuation with urine specific gravity in urine samples of 40 dogs, providing a noninvasive measure of urine concentration. The HU of urine explained 72% of the variance in measured urine specific gravity [R2 = 0.72, F(1,38) = 95.55, P < 0.001]. This noninvasive measurement can be used to estimate urine concentration in dogs undergoing abdominal CT imaging.
Pelvic pain in the middle of the night: use of MRI for evaluation of pediatric female pathology in the emergent setting

Acute pelvic pain in pediatric female patients is a common cause of emergency room visits. Imaging plays a crucial role in the clinical evaluation of these patients. Pelvic pain in female children can result from various pathologies. Ultrasound is the preferred first line imaging study; however, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a helpful adjunct after hours, as it is available 24/7 in many institutions. Advantages of MRI include superior delineation of anatomy and higher tissue contrast resolution, particularly of the small pelvic structures. Given the lack of ionizing radiation, there is increasing use of MRI in children and adolescents, specifically in an emergent setting. In this pictorial review, we discuss pelvic MRI techniques and illustrate imaging findings of common etiologies of pelvic pain, emphasizing the advantages of MRI as an adjunct imaging modality.
Microbiome and metabolome data integration provides insight into health and disease

For much of our history, the most basic information about the microbial world has evaded characterization. Next-generation sequencing has led to a rapid increase in understanding of the structure and function of host-associated microbial communities in diverse diseases ranging from obesity to autism. Through experimental systems such as gnotobiotic mice only colonized with known microbes, a causal relationship between microbial communities and disease phenotypes has been supported. Now, microbiome research must move beyond correlations and general demonstration of causality to develop mechanistic understandings of microbial influence, including through their metabolic activities. Similar to the microbiome field, advances in technologies for cataloguing small molecules have broadened our understanding of the metabolites that populate our bodies. Integration of microbial and metabolomics data paired with experimental validation has promise for identifying microbial influence on host physiology through production, modification, or degradation of bioactive metabolites. Realization of microbial metabolic activities that affect health is hampered by gaps in our understanding of (1) biological properties of microbes and metabolites, (2) which microbial enzymes/pathways produce which metabolites, and (3) the effects of metabolites on hosts. Capitalizing on known mechanistic relationships and filling gaps in our understanding has the potential to enable translational microbiome research across disease contexts.
Visible-wavelength photonic integrated circuits for trapped-ion quantum computing

We report on work using visible integrated photonics to control trapped ions for quantum information processing. Planar radio frequency traps confine the ions while light is routed via visible waveguides and modulators and delivered to the ion by focusing grating couplers.
Algorithms versus mechanisms: how to cope with strategic input?

Online markets and platforms rely on human user decisions as inputs. This generates the challenge of managing user incentives and misbehaviors as strategic entities. Surprisingly, one can show that designers do not require much additional computational power to overcome this challenge.
Importance of Routine Antihuman/Leukocyte Antibody Monitoring: De Novo Donor Specific Antibodies Are Associated With Rejection and Allograft Vasculopathy After Heart Transplantation.

The significance of de novo donor-specific antibodies (dnDSAs) after heart transplantation (HTx) on alloimmune injury, including acute cellular rejection (ACR), antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), and cardiac allograft vasculopathy, remains unclear. In this study, we examined the importance of routine solid-phase arrays in detecting dnDSA during long-term follow-up of recipients of HTx. The study protocol was approved by the Mayo Clinic Institutional Review Board, and patients gave informed consent. Between January 2009 and December 2013, 86 of 101 consecutive adult recipients of HTx underwent routine serial antihuman leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibody monitoring before and 1 week, 4 months, 1 year, and annually after HTx using a panel of single-antigen beads (LABScreen, One Lambda, Inc.) read on a Luminex (Luminex Corp.) platform. Mean fluorescence intensity levels ≥2000 were considered positive. According to the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation classification, 1546 endomyocardial biopsies scored with severe ACR defined as grade 2R or 3R. Serial 3-dimensional intravascular ultrasound examinations were performed as previously published.1 Cumulative incidences were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox-proportional hazard models were used for analysis of time-to-event data. Variables with a P value <0.10 by univariable …
Patterns and Consequences of Subgenome Differentiation Provide Insights into the Nature of Paleopolyploidy in Plants.

Polyploidy is an important feature of plant genomes, but the nature of many polyploidization events remains to be elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that the evolutionary fates of the subgenomes in maize (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max) have followed different trajectories. One subgenome has been subject to relaxed selection, lower levels of gene expression, higher rates of transposable element accumulation, more small interfering RNAs and DNA methylation around genes, and higher rates of gene loss in maize, whereas none of these features were observed in soybean. Nevertheless, individual gene pairs exhibit differentiation with respect to these features in both species. In addition, we observed a higher number of chromosomal rearrangements and higher frequency of retention of duplicated genes in soybean than in maize. Furthermore, soybean “singletons” were found to be more frequently tandemly duplicated than “duplicates” in soybean, which may, to some extent, counteract the genome imbalance caused by gene loss. We propose that unlike in maize, in which two subgenomes were distinct prior to the allotetraploidization event and thus experienced global differences in selective constraints, in soybean, the two subgenomes were far less distinct prior to polyploidization, such that individual gene pairs, rather than subgenomes, experienced stochastic differences over longer periods of time, resulting in retention of the majority of duplicates.
The Association Between Sarcopenia and Oncologic Outcomes After Radical Prostatectomy.

Abstract Purpose Sarcopenia is associated with inferior perioperative and oncologic outcomes in patients undergoing surgery for multiple malignancies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between sarcopenia and outcomes after radical prostatectomy (RP) for men with prostate cancer. Patients and Methods Using a representative computed tomographic image from the L3 level, preoperative skeletal muscle indices (SMI) calculated for 698 patients who underwent RP between 2007 and 2010. Patients were classified as sarcopenic if they had a SMI Results Sarcopenic patients were older than nonsarcopenic patients (mean age, 63.0 vs. 60.4 years, P Conclusion Sarcopenia was not found to be independently associated with perioperative complications or oncologic outcomes after RP. As such, the presence of sarcopenia may not be prognostic marker for inferior outcomes among men with localized prostate cancer undergoing RP.
The Second Shift: Why it is Diminishing but Still an Issue

This literature review will examine the concept of the second shift by comparing Arlie Hochschild’s classic, The Second Shift, to more recent literature focused on the second shift. There is an obvious contradiction between the amount of work that Hochschild proposed women were performing due to the second shift in the 1970s and 1980s (15 more hours per week than their male counterparts) and the amount of work that the current literature suggests women in today’s society are performing (five more hours per week than their male counterparts). Where is this contradiction coming from? This literature review will focus on concepts discussed by Hochschild and then compare these concepts to issues discussed in the current literature to try to tease out the societal factors that have led to a diminishing second shift. This article is available in The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research: http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/vol14/iss1/7
Not just social sensitivity: Adolescent neural suppression of social feedback during risk taking.

Adolescence is a period of sensitivity to social stimuli. In particular, research has focused on the increased sensitivity to risks and social information seen during adolescence. However, recent evidence also suggests that adolescents can flexibly use information in service of their goals, raising an interesting question: are adolescents able to selectively discount social information if it conflicts with their goals? To test this question, fifty-five children and adolescents (ages 8-17 years) completed a social variant of the Balloon Analogue Risk Task during an fMRI session. Adolescents showed decreased tracking of negative social feedback in regions involved in salience-monitoring (e.g. insula) and social processing (e.g., TPJ, pSTS). Age-related changes in neural processing of risk and social feedback contributed to better performance for older participants. These results suggest that adolescents are able to suppress goal-irrelevant social feedback, rather than being uniformly hyper-sensitive to social information.