cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantum-dot infrared photodetectors: a review

Quantum-dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs) are positioned to become an important technology in the field of infrared (IR) detection, particularly for high-temperature, low-cost, high-yield detector arrays required for military applications. High-operating temperature (150 K) photodetectors reduce the cost of IR imaging systems by enabling cryogenic dewars and Stirling cooling systems to be replaced by thermo-electric coolers. QDIPs are well-suited for detecting mid-IR light at elevated temperatures, an application that could prove to be the next commercial market for quantum dots. While quantum dot epitaxial growth and intraband absorption of IR radiation are well established, quantum dot non-uniformity remains as a significant challenge. Nonetheless, state-of-the-art mid-IR detection at 150 K has been demonstrated using 70-layer InAs/GaAs QDIPs, and QDIP focal plane arrays are approaching performance comparable to HgCdTe at 77 K. By addressing critical challenges inherent to epitaxial QD material systems (e.g., controlling dopant incorporation), exploring alternative QD systems (e.g., colloidal QDs), and using bandgap engineering to reduce dark current and enhance multi-spectral detection (e.g. resonant tunneling QDIPs), the performance and applicability of QDIPs will continue to improve.
Enhancement of Thermoelectric Figure-of-Merit by a Bulk Nanostructuring Approach

Recently a significant figure-of-merit (ZT) improvement in the most-studied existing thermoelectric materials has been achieved by creating nanograins and nanostructures in the grains using the combination of high-energy ball milling and a direct-current-induced hot-press process. Thermoelectric transport measurements, coupled with microstructure studies and theoretical modeling, show that the ZT improvement is the result of low lattice thermal conductivity due to the increased phonon scattering by grain boundaries and structural defects. In this article, the synthesis process and the relationship between the microstructures and the thermoelectric properties of the nanostructured thermoelectric bulk materials with an enhanced ZT value are reviewed. It is expected that the nanostructured materials described here will be useful for a variety of applications such as waste heat recovery, solar energy conversion, and environmentally friendly refrigeration.
Predictors of Survival in Severe, Early Onset COPD

Study objectives: Multiple risk factors for mortality in patients with COPD have been described, but most studies have involved older, primarily male subjects. The purpose of this study was to determine the mortality rate and predictors of survival in subjects with severe, early onset COPD. Design, setting, and participants: The cohort of 139 probands in the Boston Early-Onset COPD Study was recruited from lung transplant and general pulmonary clinics between September 1994 and July 2002. Subjects were < 53 years old, had an FEV1 of < 40% of predicted, did not have severe 1-antitrypsin deficiency, and had not undergone lung transplantation. The initial evaluation included a standardized respiratory questionnaire, spirometry, and a blood sample. A follow-up telephone interview was conducted between May and December 2002. Measurements and results: Subjects were young (mean age at enrollment, 47.9 years) and had severe airflow obstruction (mean baseline FEV1, 19.4% predicted). A total of 72.7% of the subjects were women (p < 0.0001 [comparison to equal gender distribution]). The median estimated survival time was 7.0 years from the time of study enrollment, determined by the Kaplan-Meier method. The majority of deaths were due to cardiorespiratory illness. In a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model, adjusting for age, gender, and baseline FEV1, lifetime cigarette consumption (hazard ratio [HR], 1.20 [per 10 pack-years]; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02 to 1.40) and recent smoking status (HR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.03 to 6.05) were both significant predictors of mortality. Conclusion: In this cohort, recent smoking status predicted increased mortality independent of the effects of lifetime smoking intensity. Smoking cessation may confer a survival benefit even among patients with very severe COPD. (CHEST 2004; 126:1443–1451)
Covalent and Noncovalent Modification of Thin Filament Action: The Essential Role of Troponin in Cardiac Muscle Regulation

Troponin is essential for the regulation of cardiac contraction. Troponin is a sarcomeric molecular switch, directly regulating the contractile event in concert with intracellular calcium signals. Troponin isoform switching, missense mutations, proteolytic cleavage, and posttranslational modifications are known to directly affect sarcomeric regulation. This review focuses on physiologically relevant covalent and noncovalent modifications in troponin as part of a thematic series on cardiac thin filament function in health and disease.
Effects of Diet and Larval Trematode Parasitism on Lipids in Snails as Determined by Thin-Layer Chromatography

This review examines the use of thin-layer chromatography (TLC) for the analysis of neutral lipids and phospholipids in medically and economically important gastropod molluscs (snails). It discusses methods for isolating lipids from snails, and the use of layers, mobile phases, and detection reagents for the TLC analysis of snail neutral lipids and phospholipids. Quantitative densitometric studies are reviewed, with particular emphasis on class separations of neutral lipids and phospholipids. The review considers significant findings on the effects of diet and larval trematode parasitism on lipids in snails as determined by TLC.
Design of Grid-Side Electromagnetic Interference Filters in AC Motor Drives With Motor-Side Common Mode Active Compensation

The aim of this paper is to analyze how the introduction of a motor-side common mode (CM) active filter, in a power drive system, influences the CM disturbance propagation. A circuit model of the whole drive, including the active filter, is used as an investigation tool. The accuracy of all simulated results is validated by experimental measurements. Both the electromagnetic interference (EMI) toward the grid and the internal CM disturbance propagation are analyzed. These phenomena are compared when the power drive system is operated both with and without the active filter at the inverter output. An additional effect of the motor-side CM active filter is a slight reduction of EMI toward the grid at lower frequencies. This condition allows a reduction in the size of the power grid CM EMI filter necessary to achieve electromagnetic compatibility requirements compliance for the drive.
The emerging concept of clinical immunology.

Suffice it to say that clinical immunology is the immunology of man and his diseases. A clinical immunologist can be identified as that person who is knowledgeable of and skilled in the theories and techniques of immunology and who utilizes these in the investigation or care of patients. The clinical immunologist can be subclassified as a clinician or a clinical pathologist, depending upon whether the chief investment of time of the individual is at the bedside or the bench side. I do not give the clinical investigator a separate category for he generally will fall into either the clinician or the clinical pathologist classification. The disorders to which a clinical immunologist addresses himself fall within the general categories indicated in Table I. The clinical allergist was the first clinical immunologist. He did and has continued to address himself to the classical hypersensitivity diseases, especially the atopic allergies. With the recognition that hematologic, rheumatologic, and renal problems often are of immunologic nature, a broader field of clinical immunology began to emerge, and practitioners and teachers in these three subspecialties had to take on an expertise not previously known to them. The categories designated “immunodeficiency diseases and transplantation” are entirely new categories for clinical medicine, born out of our expanding base of information and capability in the fundamentals of immunology. Cancer is put in parentheses because there has been as yet little impact of the immunology of cancer on management of cancer, a situation which most of us suspect will not last much longer. Finally, I show a miscellaneous group of subspecialties in internal medicine, including gastroenterology, cardiology, and pulmonary diseases, in which the impact of immunology has been restricted to a quite small proportion of the total array of
Selective tyrosine kinase inhibition by imatinib mesylate for the treatment of autoimmune arthritis

Tyrosine kinases play a central role in the activation of signal transduction pathways and cellular responses that mediate the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. Imatinib mesylate (imatinib) is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor developed to treat Bcr/Abl-expressing leukemias and subsequently found to treat c-Kit-expressing gastrointestinal stromal tumors. We demonstrate that imatinib potently prevents and treats murine collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). We further show that micromolar concentrations of imatinib abrogate multiple signal transduction pathways implicated in RA pathogenesis, including mast cell c-Kit signaling and TNF-alpha release, macrophage c-Fms activation and cytokine production, and fibroblast PDGFR signaling and proliferation. In our studies, imatinib attenuated PDGFR signaling in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) and TNF-alpha production in synovial fluid mononuclear cells (SFMCs) derived from human RA patients. Imatinib-mediated inhibition of a spectrum of signal transduction pathways and the downstream pathogenic cellular responses may provide a powerful approach to treat RA and other inflammatory diseases.
Effect of Race on the Outcome of Pediatric Patients With Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Purpose Some cooperative groups have found a survival disadvantage in black children with various childhood cancers. We examine the effects of race on clinical outcomes among children with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) treated with contemporary therapy at a tertiary care children's hospital. Patients and Methods Retrospective analysis of 327 children and adolescents diagnosed with HL between 1990 and 2005. Patients were treated with risk-directed multimodal therapy regardless of race, ethnicity, or ability to pay. Event-free and overall survival rates were compared for black and white children. Clinical characteristics, socioeconomic factors, and biologic features were analyzed for prognosis of treatment failure. Results The 262 white and 65 black patients did not differ significantly in presenting features, clinical characteristics, or enrollment in a clinical trial. More black patients (71% v 45%) resided in poor counties (P < .001). While black and white children were equally likely to have progressive disea...
Elasticity and Equations of State of Olivines in the Mg2SiO4-Fe2SiO4 System

Summary Presented first in this paper are the elasticity data of seven olivines as a function of pressure, temperature, and Fe/Mg ratio. The elasticity data include (i) P and S wave velocities and their first derivatives with respect to pressure and temperature, (ii) the shear and bulk moduli and their first pressure and temperature derivatives, and (iii) Poisson’s ratio and its pressure and temperature derivatives (all evaluated at zero pressure and at ambient temperature). The critical thermal gradients for density and for P and S wave velocities are presented for olivine with different Fe/Mg ratios. Also presented are the Debye temperature and Gruneisen’s parameters yG and 6, for olivine as a function of Fe/Mg ratio. Next, incorporating these elasticity data with theories, equations-of-state parameters of olivine and olivine-transformed spinel as a function of Fe/Mg are found. The equations of state of olivine are then presented; a pressure-volume-temperature (PVT) relation for olivine is examined as a function of temperature and Fe/Mg ratio. Finally, based on F. Press’s recent Monte Carlo solutions, the present elasticity data are related to the Earth’s upper mantle within the framework of a peridotitic model, Typically, for 100 Fo, 50 Fo, and 100 Fa olivines, values of density po (in g~m-~), the P and S wave velocities (in km s-’), the adiabatic bulk modulus K, (in mb) and its pressure derivative dKJdp, Gruneisen’s parameters yc and 6,, the Debye temperature OD (in OK), and the critical thermal gradients Gi, where i stands for density and P and S wave velocities, are as follows:
Flytrap, a database documenting a GFP protein-trap insertion screen in Drosophila melanogaster

Flytrap is a web-enabled relational database of transposable element insertions in Drosophila melanogaster. A green fluorescent protein (GFP) artificial exon carried by a transposable P-element is mobilized and inserted into a host gene intron creating a GFP fusion protein. The sequence of the tagged gene is determined by sequencing inversePCR products derived from genomic DNA. Flytrap contains two principle data types: micrographs of protein localization and a cellular component ontology, based on rules derived from the Gene Ontology consortium (http://www.geneontology.org), describing protein localization. Flytrap also has links to gene information contained in Flybase (http:// flybase.bio.indiana.edu). The system is designed to accept submissions of micrographs and descriptions from any type of tissue (e.g. wing imaginal disk, ovary) and at any stage of development. Insertion lines can be searched using a number of queries, including Berkeley Drosophila Genome Project (BDGP) numbers and protein localization. In addition, Flytrap provides online order forms linked to each insertion line so that users may request any line generated from this project. Flytrap may be accessed from the homepage at http://flytrap.med. yale.edu.
Optimization of filtering in soliton fiber lasers

Experiments with varying filter bandwidth in a soliton fiber laser are reported. Continuous tuning over 50 nm was obtained for pulses of >
“Click” Dielectrics: Use of 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloadditions to Generate Diverse Core‐Shell Nanoparticle Structures with Applications to Flexible Electronics

We have synthesized a "universal ligand" incorporating a phosphonate surface anchor and a terminal alkyne moiety which binds to TiO 2 nanoparticles and exhibits excellent dispersity in organic solvents. The alkyne functionality permits attachment of azide terminated polymer shells using "click" chemistry. Thus TiO 2 core nanoparticles have been encapsulated with both polystyrene and poly(t-butyl acrylate) shells. The TiO 2 -poly(t-butyl acrylate) core shell nanoparticles are amenable to further chemical transformation into TiO 2 -poly(acrylic acid) nanoparticles through ester hydrolysis. These TiO 2 -polyacrylic acid nanoparticles are dispersible in aqueous solution. The resulting core-shell nanoparticles have been incorporated as high K dielectric films in capacitor and organic thin film transistor devices and are promising new materials for flexible electronics applications.
Flooding and Watershed Management

Major floods, whether local flash floods or regionally extensive major floods, present a significant challenge to watershed management and managers (not to mention to people directly affected by the flooding). Management challenges such as the appropriate role for and approaches to flood “control,” effects of land-use modifications, and floodplain regulation all require an understanding of the frequency and magnitude of flooding events and how these may have changed through time. These issues are particularly salient in the context of the record Susquehanna River flooding of 2006 in the Binghamton, NY area. We first review aspects of the Binghamton flooding and then summarize discussions that have ensued since the event on the broader topic of flooding and on management options.
Maximizing availability: a commitment heuristic for oversubscribed scheduling problems

In this paper we reconsider a "task-swapping" procedure for improving schedules in the face of resource oversubscription. Prior work has demonstrated that use of a retraction heuristic to determine which tasks to rearrange in an existing schedule allows for addition of new tasks which would otherwise fail to be scheduled. The existing task swap procedure employs a variable ordering heuristic for task insertion that is the same as the retraction heuristic, but scored in the reverse. That is, the least constrained tasks are retracted, and of these the most constrained are committed first. Value selection for commitment is defaulted to a task's earliest feasible start time. We have found that by applying a value selection heuristic, max-availability, to the choice of where to assign the retracted tasks, both solution quality and runtime performance of task swap can be improved greatly. Max-availability considers resource contention for an unassigned task and places it where availability is predicted to be maximal over the range of that task. This heuristic is applicable not only in a repair context, but can also promote resource levelling in the context of constructive task allocation. Finally, we show that use of max-availability in task swapping promotes schedule stability when compared to the prior greedy task insertion policy.
Novel Integrable 80V Silicon Lateral Trench Power MOSFETs for High Frequency DC-DC Converters

We propose novel integrable 80V silicon lateral trench power MOSFETs with low Figures of Merit (Ron times Qg and Ron times Qgd) proving very attractive for high frequency DC- DC converter applications. The performance of these lateral trench power MOSFETs was simulated using a 2-D device simulator, and an analytical model was developed and implemented in MAST HDL. Circuit simulations indicate a 4X reduction in the switching losses over a comparable commercial device, especially at high switching frequencies ( >500kHz).
Modifying a charge density wave transition by modulation doping: ferecrystalline compounds ([Sn1−xBixSe]1.15)1(VSe2)1 with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.66

A series of alloyed ferecrystals ([Sn1−xBixSe]1.15)1(VSe2)1 with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.66 was synthesized via the modulated elemental reactants technique. X-ray diffraction of the compounds reveals systematic changes of the lattice parameter and the intensities of the Bragg peaks confirming the successful alloying of the compounds corroborated by Rietveld refinements. Interestingly, both constituents of the intergrowth compounds exhibit systematic structural changes as a function of the Bi-content indicating interlayer interaction. The a-axis lattice parameter of the VSe2 layer expands with increasing Bi-content, which signifies changes in the electronic structure of this constituent. Electrical resistivities, Hall and Seebeck coefficients of compounds with a varying Bi-content present a complex scenario. At low Bi-contents an enhancement of the charge density wave transition is observed, whereas further substitution results in a suppression of the effect. At Bi-contents exceeding x = 0.55 minority carriers from the Sn1−xBixSe layer contribute to the transport properties.
The Legacy of Deferred Compensation in Korea's Administrative Reforms*

While New Public Management is becoming an established program for improving the quality of public administration, this study redirects our attention to the merits of an older system. Some of the public administration mechanisms that were reformed with the advent of democratization and globalization are argued in this study to have worked better than their newer versions. Using the Korean example, this study demonstrates that liberal political reforms may be harmful for public management, contrary to the usual expectations about their benefits. In the Korean bureaucracy, the disruption of deferred compensation-attractive post-retirement employment as a reward for policy performance during one`s tenure as a civil servant-impaired its organizational capacity, as policy autonomy dropped and corruption increased within the bureaucracy.
Hip Pain: Differential Diagnosis

This review discusses the many etiologies of hip pain and how to clinically evaluate. Both primary hip disorders and conditions that refer pain to the hip are included in the differential diagnosis. The key components to a history are reviewed with clinically relevant examples. A comprehensive physical exam is described that includes disease and injury-specific tests. Imaging studies and diagnostic tests available are outlined. Conditions of bursitis, snapping hip syndromes, myofascial pain, fibromyalgia, arthropathies, fractures, neurogenic pain, metabolic diseases, and neoplastic disorders will be discussed.
First human case of avian influenza A (H5N6) in Yunnan province, China.

Objective:To report clinical, virological, and epidemiological features of the first death caused by a H5N6 avian influenza virus in Yunnan Province, China.Method:The case was described in clinical...
Influence of hypophysectomy on porphyrin synthesizing enzyme activity of rat harderian glands and livers.

Summary and Conclusions1. A quantitative study was made of porphyrin-producing enzyme activities of Harderian glands and livers of normal and hypophysectomized albino rats. 2. Buffer-saline extracts were made from weighed quantities of each homogenized tissue. Measured amounts of extracts were mixed with 0.01 M solution of δ-amino-levulinic acid and incubated at 37° for 24 hours. 3. Extract of Harderian glands of normal and hypophysectomized rats showed approximately equal amounts of porphyrin-producing enzyme activity. The hypophysis appears to have little or no influence on this phase of activity of the Harderian gland. 4. Extracts of livers of hypophysectomized animals exhibited approximately twice as much porphyrin-producing enzyme activity as extracts of liver of normal animals. Extracts of liver from hypophysectomized rats also showed greater activity than extracts of Harderian glands. 5. It was concluded that the hypophysis exerts a relatively potent influence on porphyrin production by the liver.
Does intravenous induction dosing among patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgical procedures follow current recommendations: a study of contemporary practice.

Abstract Study objective It is recommended to correct intravenous induction doses by up to 50% for patients older than 65 years. The objectives were to determine ( a ) the degree to which anesthesia providers correct induction doses for age and ( b ) additionally adjust for American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status (ASA-PS) class (severity of illness) and ( c ) whether postinduction hypotension is more common among patients aged >65. Design Retrospective chart review. Setting Academic medical center. Patients A total of 1869 adult patients receiving general anesthesia for GI surgical procedures from February 2013 to January 2014. Measurements Patients were divided into 3 age groups (age t tests for continuous variables to determine whether dosing was different for the older groups vs the younger group; separate analyses were performed within and across ASA-PS class. This approach was also used to determine differences in mean arterial pressure change in the older groups vs the younger group, whereas the rates of hypotension among different age groups were compared by Cochran-Armitage trend test. Main results No significant decrease in dosing between age groups was observed for fentanyl and midazolam. For propofol, there was a significantly lower dosing for older patients: 17% for patients aged 65-79 and 29% for those aged >80, which was still in less than the recommendations. An inverse relationship was observed between propofol dosing and ASA-PS class, but no consistent relationship was noted for fentanyl and midazolam. There were a significantly larger drop in mean arterial pressure and a greater likelihood of hypotension following induction in patients aged 65-79 years and >80 years as compared with those aged Conclusions This study shows that the administered dose of anesthetic induction agents is significantly higher than that recommended for patients older than 65 years. This failure to age-adjust dose may contribute to hypotensive episodes.
Mechanical analysis of paint film stripping from aluminum plate surface by means of nanosecond laser

In order to study the laser stripping mechanism,paint film stripping from aluminum plate surface experiments were demonstrated using the radiation of 1064nm nanosecond pulse laser. According to thermal conductivity theory,the temperature distribution of the film and the aluminum surface under laser irradiation were simulated. The separating force generated by the aluminum plate at the interface due to thermal expansion was calculated. The formation of the plasma shock wave on the removal of the paint film was also analyzed. The result shows that the effect of force is the key factor for nanosecond laser removal of the film,separation force due to thermal expansion provides necessary condition for the removal of the film,and the constraint of the film on the laser plasma eventually leads to its own cracking and spalling.A conclusion was made that thermodynamic theory can be used for analysis of removal mechanism of metal surface coating with nanosecond laser.
An Aesthetic of Learning Environment Design

In this paper I discuss research on LOGO-based microworlds for constructing robots as a means of articulating constructionist interactivity, an aesthetic of learning environment design and evaluation. In this way self-regulation can be recursively linked to learning, the environment of learning and the development of environments of learning.
Tradeoffs and Compatibilities Among Ecosystem Services: Biological, Physical and Economic Drivers of Multifunctionality

Abstract Balancing the joint production of multiple ecosystem services, also referred to as the ‘multifunctionality’ of an ecosystem or landscape, requires understanding of the ecological processes that produce and economic processes that evaluate those services. Here, we review the ecological tradeoffs and compatibilities among ecosystem processes that influence ecosystem multifunctionality with respect to ecosystem services, including variation in functional strategies, constraints on community assembly and direct effects of the abiotic environment. We then review how different valuation methods may alter the magnitude of tradeoffs and compatibilities in monetary terms. Among communities, functional diversity increases ecosystem multifunctionality, but community-average trait values are emerging as important drivers of ecosystem services with greater potential to produce tradeoffs when compared to functional diversity. However, research that links organismal functional strategies to community assembly rules in real, heterogeneous landscapes demonstrate that predictable tradeoffs among species do not consistently scale up to the community level, necessitating further research on trait-based community assembly in order to develop general predictive models of biotic effects on ecosystem multifunctionality. Abiotic factors are frequently incorporated into mapping assessments of multifunctionality, but the emergent tradeoffs and compatibilities in ecosystem services driven by those factors are rarely assessed, despite a number of studies that have demonstrated their clear importance in ecosystem multifunctionality. Finally, while a variety of valuation methods are used to quantify the joint production of ecosystem services, only provisioning services are typically directly valued and assumed to have fixed correlations with other ecosystem services that can lead to inaccurate valuation, and potentially inappropriate prioritisation, of multiple ecosystem services.
How does climate change affect combined sewer overflow in a system benefiting from rainwater harvesting systems

Abstract Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) infrastructure are conventionally designed based on historical climate data. Yet, variability in rainfall intensities and patterns caused by climate change have a significant impact on the performance of an urban drainage system. Although rainwater harvesting (RWH) is a potential solution to manage stormwater in urban areas, its benefits in mitigating the climate change impacts on combined sewer networks have not been assessed yet. Hence, the goal of the present study was set to evaluate the effectiveness of RWH in alleviating the potential impacts of climate change on CSOs. To do so, first, future rainfall was achieved through the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) based on modified historical record. Then, rainfall-runoff modeling was employed using the U.S. EPA Stormwater management model (SWMM) to study the response of CSO outfalls to future rainfall. The study site was the combined sewer network of the City of Toledo, Ohio. Results showed that under the maximum impact scenario in the near future, climate change might cause up to approximately 12–18% increase in CSOs occurrence, volume and duration in Toledo. However, an RWH plan with the capacity of 0.76 m3 (200 gal) implemented on half on the buildings throughout the area, appeared to be able to mitigate the potential future impacts, and showed a remarkable controlling performance in the peak flow periods. This plan also met toilet flushing demands. Therefore, RWH can be considered as a feasible solution to mitigate future climate change impacts on CSOs and supply water demands.
Physical Metallurgy of 7XXX Alloys

A detailed discussion on the physical metallurgy of 7XXX series Al alloys are presented in this chapter. First, a comprehensive analysis of precipitate characteristics of various precipitate phases is detailed. Cu and Ag alloying additions do not alter the precipitation sequence. The effect of microalloying and predeformation on precipitation is also discussed briefly. These become the foundation for microstructural evolution during friction stir welding and postweld heat treatment.
Clustering and Energy Consumption Minimization

A large number of SNs are deployed in a WSN, and SNs need to route data to BS. This creates a volume of data at BS and efforts need to be made to reduce the size of data. One effective approach is to explore the use of clustering WSN such that cluster members can send data to selected CH where data are aggregated and a single packet is forwarded by each CH. This leads to drastic reduction in data size.
Midwest State’s Non-Igbo Minorities’ Responses to the Biafran Occupation and Federal Liberation in the Nigerian Civil War, 1967–1970

During the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970), the secessionist state of Biafra overran Midwest State and occupied it for six weeks under the guise of liberation of the Midwest from the Northern Nigerian military junta domination. Biafra secessionists later declared the Midwest as the new Republic of Benin. But the predominantly minority ethnic groups that make up the Midwest Region celebrated neither the “liberation” nor their new republic. Rather, the minorities of the Midwest later joined the federal army in routing Biafran troops and carried out revenge killings of the Igbos. This chapter argues that both the Igbo and the non-Igbo peoples were victims of Biafran atrocities and post-occupation killings, which were spontaneous, being neither planned nor organized. It further argues that the non-Igbo peoples’ attitude towards Biafra and Igbos during and immediately after the occupation was influenced by pre-existing tensions over inter-ethnic relations in the former Midwest Region and the collaboration of the Igbo minority of Midwest State in the invasion and occupation. The chapter will substantiate this argument with both primary and secondary source materials from documents and newspapers of the period.
Effects of Climate Oscillations on Wildland Fire Potential in the Continental United States

The effects of climate oscillations on spatial and temporal variations in wildland fire potential in the continental U.S. are examined from 1979 to 2015 using cyclostationary empirical orthogonal functions (CSEOFs). The CSEOF analysis isolates effects associated with the modulated annual cycle and the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The results show that, in early summer, wildland fire potential is reduced in the southwest during El Nino but is increased in the northwest, with opposite trends for La Nina. In late summer, El Nino is associated with increased wildland fire potential in the southwest. Relative to the mean, the largest impacts of ENSO are observed in the northwest and southeast. Climate impacts on fire potential due to ENSO are found to be most closely associated with variations in relative humidity. The connections established here between fire potential and climate oscillations could result in improved wildland fire risk assessment and resource allocation.
TongueToSpeech (TTS): Wearable wireless assistive device for augmented speech

Speech is an important aspect of human communication; individuals with speech impairment are unable to communicate vocally in real time. Our team has developed the TongueToSpeech (TTS) device with the goal of augmenting speech communication for the vocally impaired. The proposed device is a wearable wireless assistive device that incorporates a capacitive touch keyboard interface embedded inside a discrete retainer. This device connects to a computer, tablet or a smartphone via Bluetooth connection. The developed TTS application converts text typed by the tongue into audible speech. Our studies have concluded that an 8-contact point configuration between the tongue and the TTS device would yield the best user precision and speed performance. On average using the TTS device inside the oral cavity takes 2.5 times longer than the pointer finger using a T9 (Text on 9 keys) keyboard configuration to type the same phrase. In conclusion, we have developed a discrete noninvasive wearable device that allows the vocally impaired individuals to communicate in real time.
Homing of B-lymphocytes to follicles: specific retention of immunologically committed cells.

The periarteriolar sheath of the mammalian spleen and mid-cortex of lymph node have been designated as “thymus-dependent” partially because they become depleted of small lymphocytes after thymectomy (1) and also because labeled thymus cells (2) and recirculating long-lived lymphocytes home to these regions (3) while assiduously avoiding follicular areas of the same peripheral lymphoid tissues.
Biochemical Aspects of Acclimation to a Cold Environment

Recent ENACT Teach-Ins at The University of Michigan, and elsewhere, have made it frighteningly apparent that our atmosphere is so endangered as to make life, as we know it, impossible on our planet in the forseeable future. One of the insidious aspects of the pollution problem involves the possibility of extreme alterations of the earth’s ambient temperature, a problem which appears difficult to analyze and extrapolate to future decades. A continued increase in the carbon dioxide concentration of the earth’s atmosphere would cause a “greenhouse effect”, i.e. infra red radiated from the surface of the earth would be absorbed increasingly by atmospheric carbon dioxide, resulting in a progressive warming of the atmosphere (Plass, 1959; Keeling, 1970). On the other hand, scattering of the suns radiation by an increased atmospheric dust content would cause a loss of heat and light reaching the surface of the earth, resulting in a cooling of our atmosphere (Wexler, 1952). Of particular concern in this context is the possibility that in the mid-1980’s approximately 500 American-built SST’s, not to mention the French-British Concorde and the Soviet SST, will be flying at about 1800 miles per hour at between 65,000 and 70,000 feet. An MIT-Sponsored “Study of Critical Environmental Problems” (The Global Environment, 1970) reports “that the SST’s may cause water vapor in the atmosphere to increase by 10 percent globally, or by as much as 60 percent over the North Atlantic, where SST traffic is expected to be heaviest.” In addition, the SST’s may cause stratopheric smog as a result of engine discharge of soot, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and sulfate particles. The fine particles thus formed could act to absorb and scatter radiations from the sun. Some geophysicists predict the coming of a new ice age. Assuming a pessimistic attitude toward the ability of our society to bring about realistic changes in public attitudes and governmental action with regard to air pollution it would appear to be highly desirable for this and future generations to be armed with an understanding of the basic responses of living systems to significant and chronic alterations in the temperature of the environment.
Digoxin therapy in chronic heart failure

Digitalis has been used for more than 250 years, but its role in the treatment of chronic heart failure has been intensively investigated only during the past two decades. Digoxin increases cardiac output both at rest and during exercise, alone or in combination with ACE inhibitors, and these hemodynamic effects are sustained during chronic therapy. A daily dose of digoxin that achieves a serum concentration of approximately 1.2 ng/ml is associated with a significant improvement in central hemodynamics, particularly in patients with impaired cardiac function despite pretreatment with diuretics and ACE inhibitors. Acute administration of digoxin in patients with chronic heart failure has an immediate sympathoinhibitory effect, and chronic therapy is associated with a sustained decrease in serum norepinephrine concentration. Discontinuation of digoxin in patients with chronic heart failure resulted in hemodynamic deterioration, which was reversed when the drug was readministered. Randomized withdrawal of digoxin in patients receiving only diuretics (PROVED study), or its withdrawal in patients receiving diuretics and ACE inhibitors (RADIANCE study), was associated with worsening of the clinical evidence of heart failure and a decrease in left ventricular systolic function in both studies. In the only large-scale, placebo-controlled mortality study reported thus for (DIG Trial), 7788 patients received standard drug treatment for chronic heart failure in addition to either digoxin or placebo. Digoxin had no impact on survival over the 37 months of follow-up, but the incidence of hospitalizations due to worsening heart failure was significantly reduced in patients receiving the drug compared with those receiving placebo.
Shift-Reagent-Aided 23Na NMR Spectroscopy in Cellular, Tissue, and Whole-Organ Systems

Nondestructive observation of intracellular sodium (Nai) levels is of utmost clinical and biochemical importance. In viable cells, a 10- to 20-fold concentration gradient between Nai and extracellular sodium (Na0) is maintained. Deviation from this gradient is an important indicator of detrimental processes. Therefore, it may be a valuable parameter for the assessment of cell viability and reversibility of normal function following damage, e.g., an ischemic insult.
Implementation of a double-hurdle model

Corner solution responses are frequently observed in the social sciences. One common approach to model phenomena that give rise to corner solution responses is to use the tobit model. If the decision to participate in the market is decoupled from the consumption amount decision, then the tobit model is inappropriate. In these cases, the double-hurdle model presented in Cragg (1971, Econometrica 39: 829�844) is an appropriate alternative to the tobit model. In this article, I introduce a command, dblhurdle, that fits the double-hurdle model. The implementation allows the errors of the participation decision and the amount decision to be correlated. The capabilities of predict after dblhurdle are also discussed.
It Is Known

We close this special issue with a Postlude designed to serve as both an ending and an invitation for continued re-imagining. Using It is Known from Game of Thrones as both a theoretical and rhetor...
Asymptotic Expansion: Irreducible Generators

This chapter is concerned with the analysis of the probability distributions of singularly perturbed Markov chains having weakly irreducible generators.
Comparison of U.S. Manufacturing Locations for Solar PVs

Abstract The market for solar renewable energy has expanded extensively due to decreased levelized cost of energy and the appeal of zero carbon emissions during generation. Solar PV systems provide low-cost, flexible opportunities for utilizing renewable energy in manufacturing sectors, which globally consume 33% of all primary energy and produce 37% of carbon dioxide emissions. This study explores three U.S. states (California, New Jersey, and Texas) for economic and environmental consequences of mounting onsite solar PV systems at manufacturing facilities. The objective of the study is to measure the effect of various financial incentives and locational differences on the economic viability and environmental performance of solar PV systems.
Measurement Beyond the Firm

Financial management is often criticized for its short-term orientation. Marketing’s emphasis on meeting customer needs over the long term makes marketing a natural counter-balance to a short-term orientation. This chapter focuses on the constructive role marketing can and should play in triple bottom-line reporting that focuses on both immediate profitability and the long-term sustainability of businesses and the society of which they are a part.
The Evolution of the Reproductive Unit in the Class Mammalia

I heard Daniel Lehrman lecture for the first time in 1957. The subject was ring doves and the hypotheses concerned the interrelationship of physical objects (nests and eggs), behavior (courtship), and induction and phasing of hormonal secretions. It was and is an elegant story. Although I have studied mammalian reproduction and social behavior from the perspective of a phyleticist, the paradigm proposed by Lehrman has never been forgotten. Some years later, in 1970, I was invited to present a lecture on the reproduction patterns of tenrecoid insectivores at the Institute of Animal Behavior. Lehrman’s interest, penetrating questions, and courtesy made me realize that even though we worked from widely different points of view, a zoologist such as myself had much to gain and perhaps something to offer to the active, experimental group at Rutgers. I am both touched and honored to have been invited to contribute to this first symposium honoring Daniel Lehrman, phyleticist at heart, who founded the active, experimentalist group which hosted us today.
P146 Cleaning products and respiratory health outcomes in professional cleaners: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction/objectives There is consistent evidence of increased respiratory health effects in professional cleaners; however, uncertainty remains on underlying causal agents, mechanisms, and respiratory phenotypes. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available literature to characterise and quantify the impact of the cleaning-related respiratory health burden. Methods We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE database and included studies that evaluated the association of at least one respiratory health outcome with exposure to cleaning products in adult professional cleaners. GRADE was used to appraise the quality of included studies. Results We retrieved in total 897 articles, and after applying our inclusion criteria, 33 remained in the final review. The meta-analyses of population based cross-sectional and cohort studies showed positive associations between cleaning exposure and asthma risk: odds ratio (OR)=1.38 (95%CI: 1.06–1.79) (I2=0.0%) and OR=1.53 (95% CI: 1.29–1.82) (I2=0.0%), respectively (figure 1). Workforce studies were of lower precision with no overall statistically significant risk. Risk estimates were generally higher for self-reported, than for objectively assessed asthma. Very limited association was observed for exposure to cleaning products and rhinitis risk, whereas a significant association was found for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) risk in two large cross-sectional studies. There was conflicting evidence for an association of bronchial-hyper-responsiveness (BHR) with cleaning agent exposure which was particularly prominent to ex-smokers. Cleaners did not show a typical atopic respiratory phenotype, nor increased fractionated exhaled nitric oxide (FENO). Conclusions All studies lacked quantitative exposure assessment to cleaning products, but inclusion of such measures in further large prospective studies would help elucidate underlying causal mechanisms.
Application of Dielectric and Magnetic Layered Substrate in Antenna Gain Enhancement

In this paper we propose a method to improve antenna gain using magnetic and dielectric layers. The use of Artificial Magnetic Conductors (AMC) and Magneto-Dielectric (MD) for increasing gain was proposed before. The method we are proposing has similar effect on gain with a simpler structure. We suggest using layers of dielectric and magnetic materials in sequence as the antenna substrate. This method offers less complexity and easier fabrication than AMC and MD methods. For proof of concept, different monopole antenna configurations are investigated and their performances are evaluated at the resonance frequency. The proposed monopole antennas based on dielectric/magnetic materials layered substrate have showed a superior radiation performance compared to previously studied monopole on dielectric or MD substrate. The sequence of the materials can be optimized in terms of materials’ properties and physical dimensions in order to achieve the desired operating frequency band and antenna radiation characteristics.
Chapter Twenty-Eight – Rotavirus

This chapter discusses Rotaviruses, basic microbiology, natural history of the organism, clinical features, and epidemiology of waterborne outbreaks, including transmission, distribution and persistence in the environment, removal by treatment and waterborne outbreaks. Rotaviruses are relatively large icosahedral virus particles with a triple layer of protein. Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhoea among children in developing countries. This can become a life-threatening illness if severe dehydration develops. Other symptoms can include vomiting and fever, especially in young children. The development of vaccines has greatly decreased the incidence of rotavirus gastroenteritis among children in developed countries. Transmission is by the faecal–oral route, either directly from person-to-person or via fomites. Zoonotic transmission of rotaviruses, from wild animals, pets and livestock animals has been documented to occur. Rotavirus has been detected in sewage, surface waters and ground water. Rotaviruses have been implicated in waterborne outbreaks, but the viruses are typically detected in clinical specimens, rather than in the water.
UNA ADMINISTRACIÓN PÚBLICA ADISCIPLINARIA PARA UNA SOCIEDAD DIVERSA: REFLEXIONES HISTÓRICAS, ONTOLÓGICAS, EPISTEMOLÓGICAS Y AXIOLÓGICAS

This article aims to answer the question what is the nature of the study of public administration? The first section explores the historical development of government, as well as the study of public administration. Upon that basis, I turn in section two to the study of public administration in its contemporary academic setting, as well as show that its status is evaluated differently depending upon narrower and broader definitions of scholarship. In section three, I will discuss how these perspectives determine whether public administration can be regarded as a discipline in the nineteenth century sense, and if not, what the alternative(s) could be. Upon this basis the disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and a-disciplinary modes of operation of, for, and in the study are explored- that is, an exploration of what the study’s challenges are when regarded as a disciplinary, as an interdisciplinary, and as an a-disciplinary endeavor. Once that is done, I will briefly outline in section four some of the generally neglected interdependencies among ontological, epistemological, and axiological foundations of the study. Upon this argument, the fifth section is devoted to the question of what the study of public administration is. The concluding section presents a challenge to anyone who seeks to break out of the mold of “puzzle-solving” research and wishes to contribute something of value to the good society.