cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Treatment patterns, testicular loss and disparities in inpatient surgical management of testicular torsion in boys: a population-based study 1998-2010.

Objectives To examine temporal trends in inpatient testicular torsion (TT) treatment and testicular loss (TL), and to identify risk factors for TL using a large nationally representative paediatric cohort, stratified to established high prevalence TT cohorts (neonatal TT [NTT]; age Methods Boys (age ≤17 years, n = 17 478) undergoing surgical exploration for TT were identified within the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (1998-2010). Temporal trends in inpatient TT management (salvage surgery vs orchiectomy) and TL were examined using estimated annual percent change methodology. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify risk factors for TL. Results Teaching hospitals treated 90% of boys with NTT, compared with 55% with ATT (P Conclusions There has been a gradual decrease in inpatient surgical treatment for both NTT and ATT, presumably as a result of increased outpatient and/or non-operative management of these children. Concerningly, TL patterns have not improved; targeted interventions such as parental and adolescent male health education may lead to timely recognition/intervention in children at-risk for ATT. We noted no regional/racial disparities in contrast to earlier studies.
Altering the Gut Microbiome for Cognitive Benefit

Dietary factors, probiotics, and prebiotics are a means by which the human gut microbiota may be altered for cognitive benefit. Inflammatory bowel diseases, functional disorders of the gut, and metabolic disorders including diabetes and obesity are associated with intestinal dysbiosis and frequently manifest with psychological disturbances, including impaired learning and memory and elevated anxiety and depression. Although the mechanism by which altered microbiota could induce cognitive changes is not well characterized and likely multifactorial, several neuronal, humoral, and hormonal factors have been linked to this process. This chapter serves to survey the existing literature and summarize how altering the microbiota via dietary manipulation and probiotic or prebiotic administration may be of cognitive benefit while also discussing potential mechanisms by which the gut microbiota communicates with the brain to potentially mediate these effects.
Optical absorption spectroscopy of high voltage, cold atmospheric pressure plasmas

Room temperature atmospheric plasma offers an efficient, inexpensive method for treating produce to enhance shelf-life and eradicate microorganisms that may cause illness1. One approach for produce treatment involves creating plasmas within a package2 and varying the fill gas within the container to optimize microorganism deactivation3. While optimization may be possible, the impact of the package material on the plasma remains poorly understood. We performed optical emission spectroscopy (OES) to assess the impact of the package material on the plasma generated within the package for applied voltages from 45kV to 88kV. Replacing the standard packaging with a sealed low-density polyethylene bag reduced the intensity of the OES measurement, but did not significantly impact species generation in the packaging. Similar behavior arose for other fill gases. We observed molecular OH species from 200 to 300 nm and molecular N2 species from 315 to 379 nm for both package types using air as a fill gas while a Ha peak from 647 to 682 nm could not be fully resolved due to limited instrument resolution. Voltage and current measurements enabled quantification of the power delivered to the target, which provides a benchmark for standardizing plasma treatments across samples. The impact of packaging, fill gas, and power on species generation, as well as the potential impact of these results on treatment efficacy and system optimization, will be discussed.
Hospice Value-Based Purchasing Program: A Model Design.

Abstract With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the U.S. government committed to a transition in payment policy for health care services linking reimbursement to improved health outcomes rather than the volume of services provided. To accomplish this goal, the Department of Health and Human Services is designing and implementing new payment models intended to improve the quality of health care while reducing its cost. Collectively, these novel payment models and programs have been characterized under the moniker of value-based purchasing (VBP), and although many of these models retain a fundamental fee-for-service (FFS) structure, they are seen as essential tools in the evolution away from volume-based health care financing toward a health system that provides "better care, smarter spending, and healthier people." In 2014, approximately 20% of Medicare provider FFS payments were linked to a VBP program. The Department of Health and Human Services has committed to a four-year plan to link 90% of Medicare provider FFS payments to value-based purchasing by 2018. To achieve this goal, all items and services currently reimbursed under Medicare FFS programs will need to be evaluated in the context of VBP. To this end, the Medicare Hospice benefit appears to be appropriate for inclusion in a model of VBP. This policy analysis proposes an adaptable model for a VBP program for the Medicare Hospice benefit linking payment to quality and efficiency in a manner consistent with statutory requirements established in the Affordable Care Act.
T Cell-Derived Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor Contributes to Dry Eye Disease Pathogenesis by Promoting CD11b+ Myeloid Cell Maturation and Migration.

Purpose Growing evidence suggests that granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) contributes to T helper 17 (Th17) cell-associated immunoinflammatory diseases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of T cell-derived GM-CSF on CD11b+ myeloid cell function in dry eye disease (DED). Methods In a murine model of DED, quantitative real-time PCR and ELISA were used to measure GM-CSF expression at the ocular surface, and flow cytometry was used to enumerate GM-CSF producing Th17 cells. A granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor neutralizing antibody was used topically in vivo and in an in vitro culture system to evaluate the role of GM-CSF in recruiting and maturing CD11b+ cells. Clinical disease severity was evaluated after topical administration of GM-CSF neutralizing antibody. Results In dry eye disease, GM-CSF is significantly upregulated at the ocular surface and the frequency of GM-CSF producing Th17 cells is significantly increased in the draining lymph nodes. In vitro neutralization of GM-CSF from CD4+ T cells derived from DED mice suppresses major histocompatibility complex II expression by CD11b+ cells and CD11b+ cell migration. Topical neutralization of GM-CSF in a murine model of DED suppresses CD11b+ maturation and migration, as well as Th17 cell induction, yielding a reduction in clinical signs of disease. Conclusions T helper 17 cell-derived GM-CSF contributes to DED pathogenesis by promoting CD11b+ cell activation and migration to the ocular surface.
Noninvasive Imaging of the Vulnerable Myocardium: Cardiac MRI and CT Based

Multiple noninvasive imaging modalities can be used for the evaluation of the vulnerable myocardium. In this chapter, the applications of advanced cardiac imaging with cardiac MRI and cardiac CT are reviewed for the assessment of myocardial perfusion, viability, infarct size, and myocardium at risk. The accurate characterization of the vulnerable myocardium can provide important information that can guide therapeutics by detection of myocardial ischemia under stress conditions, the detection and characterization of myocardial infarct (size, transmural and circumferential extent), or the assessment of myocardium at risk (myocardial edema, microvascular obstruction, “grey zone”). Modalities with high spatial resolution and excellent tissue characterization, such as cardiac MRI and CT, will permit to obtain this type of information. Animal and human data will be reviewed and will be placed in clinical perspective, taking into account the limitations of each modality. Finally, we aim to demonstrate that the search and characterization of the vulnerable myocardium can help and provide important information in the overall characterization and management of the vulnerable patient.
Exodus from Europe: Jewish Diaspora Immigration from Central and Eastern Europe to the United States (1820-1914)

This article examines one of the largest exoduses in human history. In less than three decades, over five million Jews from Poland, Germany, and Russia journeyed to what they considered to be the “American Promised Land.” This study serves five main purposes: first, to identify social, political, and economic factors that encouraged this unprecedented migration; second, to examine the extensive communication and transportation networks that aided this exodus, highlighting the roles that mutual aid societies (especially the Alliance Israelite Universelle in Paris, the Mansion House Fund in London, and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society in New York City) played in the success of these migrations; third, to analyze this diaspora’s impact on the cultural identity of the Jewish communities in which they settled; fourth, to discuss the cultural and economic success of this mass resettlement; and finally, fifth, identify incidents of anti-Semitism in employment, education, and legal realms that tempered economic and cultural gains by Jewish immigrants to America.
Comparison of experimental, mantis, and hybridmantis x-ray response for a breast imaging csi detector

Simulations have become a very important tool in studying the details of the physical processes underlying imaging systems. With the current generation of many-core computer architectures, it has become possible to have realistic simulations in reasonable computing times. In this work, we briefly describe hybridmantis, a fast Monte Carlo tool for simulating indirect x-ray detectors that uses a hybrid approach to maximize the utilization of CPUs and GPUs in a workstation. hybridmantis is based on the mantis code with an improved geometrical model. Moreover, hybridmantis can run on GPUs for maximum computational efficiency. We compare hybridmantis results on point response and modulation transfer function for a CsI scintillator screen against experimental and mantis results. For quantitative analysis, we calculate the root mean square (RMS) difference and Swank factors for simulated and experimental data. We find that hybridmantis matches the experimental results as good as or better than mantis, especially in the high spatial frequency range. The RMS values were lower (0.025, 0.028 for 40 and 70 kVp input spectra respectively) for hybridmantis than for mantis (0.049, 0.075 respectively) when compared to experimental data. The comparison of Swank factors suggests that hybridmantis and mantis are both consistent with the experimental data. Our models of detector response are useful tools for the design and optimization of breast imaging systems and for improved description of the forward problem in reconstruction algorithms.
Role of Hydrogen Bonding in Photoinduced Electron-Proton Transfer from Phenols to a Polypyridine Ru Complex with a Proton-Accepting Ligand.

Electron–proton transfer (EPT) from phenols to a triplet metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT)-excited Ru polypyridine complex containing an uncoordinated nitrogen site, 1(T), can be described by a kinetic model that accounts for the H-bonding of 1(T) to phenol, 1(T) to solvent, and phenol to solvent. The latter plays a major role in the kinetic solvent effect and commonly precludes simultaneous determination of the EPT rate constant and 1(T)-phenol H-bonding constant. A number of these quantities previously reported for similar systems are shown to be in error due to inconsistent data analysis. Control experiments replacing either 1(T) by its structural isomer with a sterically screened nitrogen site or phenol by its H-bonding surrogate, trifluoroethanol, and the observation of negative activation enthalpies for the overall reactions between 1(T) and phenols lend support to the proposed model and provide evidence for the formation of a precursor H-bonded complex between the reactants, which is a prerequ...
The Development and applications of a novel PWM spectral analysis technique

Existing PWM analysis techniques are mathematically intensive processes and are not directly compatible with the analysis of methods that feature variations in the switching frequency and/or complex commands. This paper presents a powerful and computationally efficient analysis technique of single phase and multi-phase systems that is suitable for any method of PWM, including standard, fixed switching period methods and those with some elements of variation or randomization in either the switching period or the PWM method. The method is evaluated using existing analysis techniques, and novel applications are explored.
Plasmonic nanohole array for enhancing the SERS signal of a single layer of graphene in water

We numerically design and experimentally test a SERS-active substrate for enhancing the SERS signal of a single layer of graphene (SLG) in water. The SLG is placed on top of an array of silver-covered nanoholes in a polymer and is covered with water. Here we report a large enhancement of up to 2 × 105 in the SERS signal of the SLG on the patterned plasmonic nanostructure for a 532 nm excitation laser wavelength. We provide a detailed study of the light-graphene interactions by investigating the optical absorption in the SLG, the density of optical states at the location of the SLG, and the extraction efficiency of the SERS signal of the SLG. Our numerical calculations of both the excitation field and the emission rate enhancements support the experimental results. We find that the enhancement is due to the increase in the confinement of electromagnetic fields on the location of the SLG that results in enhanced light absorption in the graphene at the excitation wavelength. We also find that water droplets increase the density of optical radiative states at the location of the SLG, leading to enhanced spontaneous emission rate of graphene at its Raman emission wavelengths.
Preventing and Responding to Sexual Misconduct: Preliminary Efficacy of a Peer-Led Bystander Training Program for Preventing Sexual Misconduct and Reducing Heavy Drinking Among Collegiate Athletes:

Sexual misconduct occurs with disproportionate frequency on college campuses, and alcohol is involved in most sexual assaults. Importantly, collegiate athletes are at risk for both heavy drinking and sexual misconduct. Thus, the current study evaluated the efficacy of a novel, 2.5-hr, peer-facilitated, interactive, group-based bystander intervention program for student athletes that integrated information on sexual misconduct and risky drinking (Preventing and Responding to Sexual Misconduct [PRSM]). In all, 205 athletes completed 25-min surveys immediately before and after the training, and 76 (of 94 invited) completed a 3-month follow-up. Participating in the workshop was associated with significant increases in acknowledgment that sexual misconduct is a problem on campus, knowledge of where to get help if sexual misconduct occurs, knowledge about the college's procedures for addressing sexual misconduct, confidence that the college's procedures for addressing sexual misconduct are fair, bystander confidence, and engagement in a range of bystander activities. A significant decrease in rape myths also was observed. Participating in the workshop also produced changes in alcohol-related beliefs and behaviors. After participating in PRSM, athletes reported increased expectations that drinking alcohol can produce negative effects including aggression and acute intoxication. Participating in the workshop also was associated with significant reductions in drinking frequency, the total number of drinks consumed per month, the maximum drinks consumed in 24 hours, the frequency of binge-drinking episodes, and the experience of alcohol-related problems. In sum, the PRSM program evidenced preliminary efficacy as a program designed to increase prosocial bystander behavior and decrease high-risk drinking among collegiate athletes; changes in beliefs and behaviors consistent with reducing risk for sexual misconduct and problem drinking were observed after workshop participation. Future research should evaluate whether the PRSM program is effective for use with other high-risk populations like fraternity members or more diverse institutions of higher education including large universities.
New Perspectives on the Mode of Action of Benzoylphenyl Urea Insecticides

Chitin is a major constituent of insect cuticle that contributes to the structural integrity of the exoskeleton. It is synthesized as part of a chitin-protein complex during the molt/intermolt cycle. The current view of chitin synthesis (see review by Retnakaran and Oberlander 1993) is that oligosaccharides are transported across the cell membrane with assistance from a dolichol carrier, while assembly involves a lectin protein. Generally, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20-OHE) is needed to program chitin synthesis which commences in the epidermis after the fall in hormone titer. Manifestly, such a system that is so critical a part of the insect exoskeleton, as well as being specific to arthropods among the animals, can provide a significant opportunity for the development of biologically rational pesticides.
Independent ratios X/Z,Y/Z when X,Y are (in)dependent but (X,Y),Z are dependent

Abstract Consider the ratios U = X / Z , V = Y / Z where X , Y , Z are random variables. We first propose examples where X , Y are independent and ( X , Y ) , Z are dependent, but U , V are independent. This is followed by an example where X , Y are dependent and ( X , Y ) , Z are dependent, but U , V are independent. These examples broaden the scope of Mukhopadhyay and Son (2013).
What were they thinking? Adolescents' interpretations of DSM-IV alcohol dependence symptom queries and implications for diagnostic validity.

Abstract Objective: DSM-IV alcohol dependence criteria of tolerance to alcohol and drinking more or longer than intended have relatively high prevalence among youth, and may be vulnerable to false positive symptom assignments that degrade diagnostic validity. We conducted a methodological study of DSM-IV symptom queries used to assess alcohol tolerance and impaired control over drinking to determine potential sources of measurement error. Method: Adolescents recruited from addictions treatment participated in either a focus group (n = 9) or an individual interview (n = 41) to provide data on their interpretation of selected items contained in a semi-structured diagnostic interview. Results: When alcohol tolerance is operationally defined as a change in quantity to obtain the same effect, large individual differences in the change in quantity that represents a high level of tolerance limit the utility of this operational definition as an indicator of dependence. The symptom “drinking more or longer than intended”, includes the embedded assumption that a limit on use had been set. Teens, however, typically intended to become intoxicated, rather than to keep to a limit. Conclusions: Adolescents’ understanding of symptom queries suggests how validity of DSM-IV alcohol symptoms and diagnoses can be improved through greater attention to developmental considerations affecting assessment.
Bateson, Gregory (1904–1980)

Although he was not a linguist, Gregory Bateson's studies of communication, learning, play, and fantasy have been a major influence on sociolinguists, anthropological linguists, and other students of discourse, conversational interaction, and pragmatics. Salient among the concepts developed in his work are the frame, logical types, metacommunication, and the double bind.
Strategies Used to Enhance Parent Involvement on Performance of Early Childhood Education in Kisii, Nyamira and Homabay Counties, Kenya

The study sought to establish investigate the strategies that enhance parent involvement on performance of Early Childhood Education in Kisii, Nyamira and Homabay counties. The study was based on Epstein’s theory of overlapping spheres of influence. This study employed a convergent parallel design. Data was collected from 223 respondents who included parents, head teachers, ECD teachers and programme officers from the three counties. The respondents were sampled using probability and non- probability sampling procedures. Questionnaires, interview guide and observation schedules were used to collect primary data. A pilot test was conducted in five schools in Kisii South Sub-County to assess validity of the research instruments whereas split half method used to ascertain the reliability of questionnaire, dependability and credibility determined the reliability of interview guide. Quantitative data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics while qualitative data was analyzed thematically. From the findings, collaboration with community strategy contributed the highest percentage to the performance of Early Childhood Education followed by communication from school and to school, decision-making and volunteering. The study recommended that is necessary that parents track their children’s academic progress by consulting with the teachers and checking the report books.
Word-based Probabilistic Phonetic Retrieval for Low-resource Spoken Term Detection

Two problems make Spoken Term Detection (STD) particularly challenging under low-resource conditions: the low quality of speech recognition hypotheses, and a high number of out-ofvocabulary (OOV) words. In this paper, we propose an intuitive way to handle OOV terms for STD on word-based Confusion Networks using phonetic similarities, and generalize it into a probabilistic and vocabulary-independent retrieval framework. We then reflect on how several heuristics and Machine Learning based methods can be incorporated into this framework to improve retrieval performance. We present experimental results on several low-resource languages from IARPA’s Babel program, such as Assamese, Bengali, Haitian, and Lao.
The Benefits and Perils of Globalization

This chapter lays out the main theses of the book as regards the significant net benefits of globalization that have accrued to the United States as the leading advanced economy in the global system and the policy adjustments that need to be made to ensure that adequate assistance is provided to those most adversely affected by its effects. The chapter also defines the key features of globalization in the current era and examines how it differs from an earlier period of globalization in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The main thematic content of each of the following chapters of the book is summarized.
Psychological resilience: Significance for pediatric and adult congenital cardiology

Abstract While the survival of children with congenital heart disease to adulthood has increased over the years, few are considered cured and most continue living with chronic disease, facing lifelong challenges. Psychological resilience is a dynamic process that can be acquired and modified, reflects an interaction between internal and external risk and protective factors, and can be defined as one's ability to face adversity in ways that may preserve well-being and quality of life. Resilience correlates with both physical and psychological outcomes, as individuals with greater resilience tend to experience more positive emotions, engage in more physical activity, and have improved physical functioning. In congenital heart disease, fostering resilience is important not only for adults, adolescents, and children, but also for parents of affected children. Promoting positive protective factors, particularly self-efficacy, self-esteem, humor, optimism, and positive affect, is important throughout the lifespan of patients with congenital heart disease. Resilience can be the focus of structured interventions and may also be fostered during regular clinical encounters by all members of the care team.
Does “Politicizing” Gun Violence Increase Support for Gun Control? Experimental Evidence from the Las Vegas Shooting

Objective Gun control advocacy regularly escalates in the aftermath of a mass shooting. But is the American public more susceptible to pro‐gun‐control arguments in the wake of mass gun violence? Methods We analyze a survey experiment fielded immediately before and after the 2017 Las Vegas shooting. Results Pro‐gun‐control arguments were not effective at increasing support for or confidence in expanded background checks before or after the Las Vegas shooting. Anti‐gun‐control arguments were less effective at reducing support for expanded background checks after the Las Vegas shooting. Conclusion Even the largest mass shooting in American history was insufficient to mobilize public opinion on gun control in a way that would affect federal policy.
A Statistical Comparative Study on Image Reconstruction and Clustering With Novel VAE Cost Function

Deep clustering achieves unprecedented levels of accuracy with unsupervised feature extraction on rich datasets where the joint statistics of the latent space is learned via highly nonlinear compression. This paper has two separate contributions to this field. First, we conduct an extensive and first-of-its-kind empirical study on the statistical relationship between the clustering accuracy and image reconstruction quality of a state-of-the-art deep clustering topology in the form of a convolutional variational autoencoder (VAE) with a K-means back end. We change the latent variable $z$ at the bottleneck of the network to create different latent dimensions and explore how clustering performance metrics and reconstruction metrics are statistically related. Secondly, based on our data-driven statistical findings, we also propose a novel cost function for the VAE which includes the structural similarity index measure to jointly optimize image quality and latent statistics for improved clustering. The preliminary results show significant increases in clustering accuracy of as much as 10.76% on two popular benchmark datasets. The TensorFlow implementation for the experimental framework can be found here: https://github.com/alla15747/IEEE-Comparitive-Study-VAE-Paper- (Python code will be available at the time of publication).
Direct-Write Printing Copper-Nickel (Cu/Ni) Alloy with Controlled Composition from a Single Electrolyte Using Co-Electrodeposition.

Although various processes for metal printing at micro- and mesoscale has been demonstrated, printing functional devices such as thermocouples, thermopiles, and heat flux sensors that function base...
Ultra-Elastic CGRAs for Irregular Loop Specialization

Reconfigurable accelerator fabrics, including coarse-grain reconfigurable arrays (CGRAs), have experienced a resurgence in interest because they allow fast-paced software algorithm development to continue evolving post-fabrication. CGRAs traditionally target regular workloads with data-level parallelism (e.g., neural networks, image processing), but once integrated into an SoC they remain idle and unused for irregular workloads. An emerging trend towards repurposing these idle resources raises important questions for how to efficiently map and execute general-purpose loops which may have irregular memory accesses, irregular control flow, and inter-iteration loop dependencies. Recent work has increasingly leveraged elasticity in CGRAs to mitigate the first two challenges, but elasticity alone does not address inter-iteration loop dependencies which can easily bottleneck overall performance. In this paper, we address all three challenges for irregular loop specialization and propose ultra-elastic CGRAs (UE-CGRAs), a novel elastic CGRA that accelerates true-dependency bottlenecks and saves energy in irregular loops by overcoming traditional VLSI challenges. UE-CGRAs allow configurable fine-grain dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) for each of potentially hundreds of tiny processing elements (PEs) in the CGRA, enabling chains of connected PEs to “rest” at lower voltages and frequencies to save energy, while other chains of connected PEs can “sprint” at higher voltages and frequencies to accelerate through true-dependency bottlenecks. UE-CGRAs rely on a novel ratiochronous clocking scheme carefully overlaid on the inter-PE elastic interconnect to enable low-latency crossings while remaining fully verifiable with commercial static timing analysis tools. We present the UE-CGRA analytical model, compiler, architectural template, and VLSI circuitry, and we demonstrate how UE-CGRAs can specialize for irregular loops and improve performance ($ 1.42-1.50\times$) or energy efficiency $(1.24-2.32\times)$ with reasonable area overhead compared to traditional inelastic and elastic CGRAs, while also improving performance ($ 1.35-3.38\times$) or energy efficiency (up to $1.53\times$) compared to a RISC-V core.
Reading seismograms with digital computers

A device that permits direct input of seismic traces into electronic digital computers is described. Examples of its use and its several merits are presented. The device makes feasible numerical analysis of data recorded in analog form on photographic film or paper. (auth)
The Assymetrical Remodelling of Two Neurosurgical Burr Holes: A Case Study

A human skull identified as that of a 16-year-old female who had been reported missing about 3 years before the discovery of the specimen displayed evidence for the assymetrical remodelling of bilateral neurosurgical burr holes. While one of the holes retained its original size and shape, gross evidence for the contralateral lesion had virtually disappeared. Initially, the open lesion was mistakenly suspected to be a recent bullet hole.
4-D PET-MR with Volumetric Navigators and Compressed Sensing

Hybrid PET-MR scanners acquire multi-modal signals simultaneously, eliminating the requirement of software alignment between the MR and PET imaging data. However, the acquisition of high-resolution MR and PET images requires long scanning times, therefore movement of the subject during the acquisition deteriorates both the PET and the MR images. In this work we have developed an approach for tightly integrated PET-MR imaging, making use of volumetric MR navigators to inform, in real-time, both the MR acquisition and the PET reconstruction. The integrated imaging procedure that we describe exploits the simultaneity of MR and PET in hybrid PET-MR systems, producing inherently-aligned motion-free MR and PET images. We describe the system setup, the algorithm for motion-corrected reconstruction, an adaptive sinogram binning algorithm and software design decisions aimed at integrating tightly the MR and PET subsystems. Application of the integrated motion-corrected acquisition procedure to a phantom study and to a volunteer subject demonstrates the validity of the approach for a variety of motion patterns.
Modeling and experimental analysis of n-dodecane oxidation in platinum-coated channels

Abstract In this work, a boundary layer fluid dynamics model is used to numerically investigate the heterogeneous/homogeneous combustion of n -dodecane in a platinum coated channel. An elementary lumped surface chemistry model is used to describe the oxidation of n -dodecane and its intermediates on Pt. A parallel plate microcombustor with Pt-coated walls was designed based on findings from the model. Experimental analysis of the n -dodecane/air fueled parallel plate microcombustor with Pt-coated walls shows that the combustor is capable of complete oxidation while operating at high temperatures (>1100 K) relevant to next generation thermal-to-electric power conversion. Chemiluminescence imaging in the combustor suggests that a weak flame exists, which is capable of driving oxidation to completion while avoiding extreme temperatures. This reactor shows promise as a heat source for high temperature compact thermal-to-electric power conversion.
The fractionation of arginine-rich histones from fetal calf thymus by exclusion chromatography.

The arginine-rich histone complex from fetal calf thymus was found to contain 12 or more histone components by electrophoretic analysis on polyacrylamide gels. The arginine-rich histone complex was resolved into five distinct peaks b,y exclusion chromatography on Sephadex G-100 columns 300 cm in height and 7.6 cm in diameter, with 0.01 m HCl as the eluent. Of the five peaks obtained, two (Peaks 3 and 5) contained arginine-rich histone fractions. Peak 4 contained slightly lysine-rich histones. In Peaks 1 and 2, the arginine and lysine contents were almost equal. The last peak (Peak 5) contained a glycine-rich, arginine-rich histone in high purity as evidenced by electrophoretic homogeneity and peptide mapping.
Teaching Ethical Decision Making: Adding a Structuration Dimension

This paper proposes that structuration theory provides a useful framework for analyzing ethical dilemmas. Traditional deontological and teleological approaches to case analysis focus on identification and resolution of ethical dilemmas through a prioritization of rights and/or consequences. These approaches can be complemented by structuration theory, which provides a framework for understanding how structural forces of meaning, power, and social norms influence, and are influenced by, the actions of individuals. We develop an approach for using structuration theory to analyze an ethical dilemma, and present handouts that can be used by students to apply this approach. We demonstrate the approach by applying it to a standard ethical dilemma. We believe that a structuration perspective can contribute to flstudents' understanding of ethical dilemmas by highlighting the dynamic and evolving nature of ethics, and their own roles in creating work and professional environments that promote ethical behavior.
In search of the Fraeb battlefield and trading post, August 1841

During the late 1830s and early 1840s, trading posts in Wyoming were relocating to major waterways and trail systems to capture the burgeoning indigenous bison robe and overland Euroamerican emigrant trade. Recent research discovered references to a “Fraeb's trading post” operating in southern Wyoming during the 1830s. Wyoming cultural records also contain a site form for 48CR1184, the “Bridger and Fraeb trading post,” located in south-central Wyoming. The construction of a post in southern Wyoming during the 1830s would have been at odds with developing economic models. Historical references describe a battle between Euroamerican trappers and Native Americans near the supposed Fraeb's trading post. However, reliable references to the nature of the structure associated with the battle have not been discovered. In 2011, the authors conducted archaeological investigations in an effort to locate the battle site and possible remains of the post to gain insight into historic activities at this location.
Catalytic co-pyrolysis of biomass and polyethylene in a tandem micropyrolyzer

Abstract In the present study, catalytic fast co-pyrolysis of biomass and polyethylene (PE) was studied in a tandem micro-pyrolyzer using HZSM-5 as the catalyst. Cellulose, xylan and milled wood lignin were co-pyrolyzed with PE in both the presence and absence of catalyst to investigate the interaction between biomass and PE during thermal depolymerization and the following catalytic upgrade of the pyrolysis vapor. Co-pyrolysis with PE was found to increase the yields of furans and double anhydrosugar from cellulose up to 45%. Co-pyrolysis of xylan and PE increased not only the yields of furans and double anhydrosugar, but also the yield of acetic acid by 45%. Depolymerization of lignin was strongly promoted by PE as the yields of various phenolic monomers increased up to 43%. It was also found that the amounts of pyrolysis char and carbon oxides produced from biomass compounds decrease when co-pyrolyzed with PE. The presence of cellulose, xylan or lignin, on the other hand, facilitated depolymerization of PE by increasing the yields of olefins and alkanes with shorter carbon chains. When the pyrolysis vapor was upgraded by HZSM-5 zeolite catalyst, synergy increased the yields of hydrocarbons and suppressed the formation of catalytic coke, compared to when biomass compounds and PE were independently converted. During catalytic co-pyrolysis of cellulose and PE, the increase of the aromatic hydrocarbon yield was accompanied by the decrease in the selectivity of ethylene and propylene and no significant increase of total aliphatic hydrocarbons (i.e., the sum of olefins and alkanes), suggesting Diels–Alder reaction as the dominant reaction. On the other hand, catalytic co-pyrolysis of PE with xylan or lignin increased both the yields of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons. The yield of alkanes decreased most significantly in the mixture of lignin and PE, suggesting that phenolic compounds act as strong hydrogen acceptors when they are deoxygenated. In the present study, red oak and PE were also catalytically co-pyrolyzed and the effects of pyrolysis temperature and catalyst temperature on product distribution and the extent of synergy were investigated. Both higher pyrolysis temperature and catalyst temperature were able to reduce the formation of catalytic coke and increase the yield of aromatic hydrocarbons monotonically. However, the maximum yield of aliphatic hydrocarbons was obtained at the intermediate pyrolysis temperature or catalyst temperature. Synergy between biomass and PE was consistent, regardless of changing pyrolysis temperatures. In comparison, the synergy became less significant when catalytic temperature was increased.
Tracking Silurian eustasy: Alignment of empirical evidence or pursuit of deductive reasoning?

Abstract Sea level is not static, but liable to fluctuations due to addition or subtraction of water in the world's oceans, as well as changes to the shape and holding capacity of ocean basins. Relative changes in sea level are well supported by the rock record on a regional scale. Whether or not global (eustatic) changes are evident and how frequently they occurred during any given interval of time is a matter of contention among stratigraphers. Opinions have evolved over the last century with arguments based on refinements in biostratigraphy, chemostratigraphy, radiometric dating, and conceptual advances in sequence stratigraphy derived from technological advances in seismic stratigraphy. The Pulsation Theory of A.W. Grabau (1936) attributed to Paleozoic strata a global history of 11 highstands distributed through a sequence with 21 subdivisions. In 1977, Peter Vail and associates from the Exxon Production Research Company independently interpreted a similar Paleozoic history showing 10 second-order highstands but distributed over 19 subdivisions. Vail's approach was model-based and followed a deductive path, while Grabau's was based on inductive reasoning. Recent refinements in a Paleozoic sea-level curve by Haq and Schutter (2008) are based on the same deductive approach taken by the Vail group, but pinned to patterns in sequence stratigraphy. Drawing on the Silurian System as a Paleozoic sample, the timing, frequency, and magnitude of sea-level highstands deduced by Haq and Schutter are compared with those promulgated by the author from the mid-1980s onward using empirical evidence more in line with Grabau's methodology. Both apply the concept of geographic reference areas, but Haq and Schutter identify 50% more Silurian highstands over an interval lasting 27.7 million years. Eight out of 10 Silurian highstands identified by this author match or overlap 8 out of 15 highstands recognized by Haq and Schutter. At issue is which, if any, qualify as eustatic signals with respect to current databases for biostratigraphic correlation. Evaluation is based on evidence reviewed from Iowa, New York, Norway, Estonia, and Austria in the paleogeographic context of three independent Silurian continents.
A single residue change leads to a hydroxylated product from the class II diterpene cyclization catalyzed by abietadiene synthase

Class II diterpene cyclases catalyze bicyclization of geranylgeranyl diphosphate. While this reaction typically is terminated via methyl deprotonation to yield copalyl diphosphate, in rare cases hydroxylated bicycles are produced instead. Abietadiene synthase is a bifunctional diterpene cyclase that usually produces a copalyl diphosphate intermediate. Here it is shown that substitution of aspartate for a conserved histidine in the class II active site of abietadiene synthase leads to selective production of 8α-hydroxy-CPP instead, demonstrating striking plasticity.
Pride at Work Organizing at the Intersection of the Labor and LGBT Movements

Collaborations between labor and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) organizations represent opportunities for both movements to increase their membership base, expand their circle of influence, and more fully embrace an intersectional framework for understanding social and economic justice. Drawing from interviews and participation with Pride at Work, an LGBT labor organization, we explore how coalitions that include LGBT and labor organizations can potentially benefit and strengthen both the labor movement and the movement for LGBT rights.
A microstructure and sonic fatigue investigation of Ti–TiB functionally graded materials

The microstructure and high-cycle sonic fatigue behavior of 3- and 25-mm-thick titanium–titanium boride (Ti–TiB) functionally graded plates were evaluated. The TiB content had a significant effect on the microstructure. A needle-like TiB phase existed at low TiB phase volume percentages (< 33.8%), while higher volume percentages resulted in TiB-phase clustering. For larger layer thicknesses, the transition or interface region between the layers was more evident. Fracture surface images of the fatigue specimens indicated that high TiB content regions exhibited brittle fracture characteristics while the Ti-rich layers exhibited ductile failure characteristics. A Ti–85%TiB alloy was also investigated and this material exhibited TiB clustering and sporadic fatigue lives as well as brittle fracture characteristics.
Search Space Pruning Constraints Visualization

The field of software optimization, among others, is interested in finding an optimal solution in a large search space. These search spaces are often large, complex, non-linear and even non-continuous at times. The size of the search space makes a brute force solution intractable. As a result, one or more search space pruning constraints are often used to reduce the number of candidate configurations that must be evaluated in order to solve the optimization problem. If more than one pruning constraint is employed, it can be challenging to understand how the pruning constraints interact and overlap. This work presents a visualization technique based on a radial, space-filling technique that allows the user to gain a better understanding of how the pruning constraints remove candidates from the search space. The technique is then demonstrated using a search space pruning data set derived from the optimization of a matrix multiplication code for NVIDIA CUDA accelerators.
The effect of right ventricular compression on cardiac function in pediatric pectus excavatum

Background Pectus excavatum can cause right ventricular (RV) dysfunction due to extrinsic compression. Assessment of ventricular function by echocardiography is often suboptimal due to technical limitations. We utilized cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) to assess pectus severity and RV systolic function in relation to the site of RV compression in a large pediatric pectus cohort. Methods All CMR studies performed for clinical evaluation of pediatric pectus excavatum at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. CMR analysis included evaluation of Haller index, left ventricular (LV) and RV ejection fractions (EF), and indexed LV and RV end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes. The site of maximal compression of the right ventricle (no compression, atrioventricular (AV) groove, or free wall) was assessed. The relationships of age, BSA, Haller index, and ln(Haller) to LVEF, RVEF, and indexed RV end-diastolic volume were assessed using linear regression. The relationships of patient gender and RV compression site to LVEF, RVEF, and indexed RV end-diastolic volume were evaluated using ANOVA with post-hoc Tukey comparisons. Results We analyzed CMR studies from 197 patients with pectus excavatum (163 males, 34 females, age 2.67-24.9 yrs). 28 patients (14.2%) had RVEF<50%. 75 patients had no RV compression, 104 had compression of the RV free wall, and 18 had compression of the AV groove. The Haller index, ln(Haller), and age did not show linear relationships to LVEF, RVEF, or indexed RV end-diastolic volume. The LVEF was significantly lower in patients
SU‐E‐T‐265: Presage Thin Sheet Dosimeter Characterization

Purpose: To quantify the sensitivity and stability of the Presage dosimeter in sheet form for different concentrations of chemicals and for a diverse range of clinical photon energies. Methods: Presage polymer dosimeters are formulated to investigate and optimize their sensitivity and stability. The dosimeter is composed of clear polyurethane base, leucomalachite green reporting dye, and bromoform radical initiator in 1mm thick sheets. The chemicals are well mixed together, cast in an aluminum mold, and left to cure at 60 psi for a minimum of 2 days. Dosimeter response will be characterized at multiple energies including Co-60, 6 MV, 15 MV, 50 kVp, and 250 kVp. The dosimeters are read by an Epson 10000 XL scanner at 800 dpi, 2^16 bit depth. Red component images are analyzed with ImageJ. Results: Analysis of optical density verse dose for Co-60 energies indicates that the bromoform containing Presage was able to quantify dose from 0 to 300 Gy, with saturation beyond 300 Gy. Initial results show two regions of linear response, 0–100 Gy and 150–300 Gy. The 150–300 Gy region has a sensitivity of 0.0024 net OD/Gy. Further results on other energies are still in progress. Conclusions: This work shows the potential for use of thin sheets of Presage dosimeter as a dosimeter capable of being analyzed with a flatbed scanner.
POSTNATAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE HYPOXIC VENTILATORY RESPONSE IN THE LAMB

The ventilatory response time of the fetal lamb to a hypoxic stimulus is relatively slow and appears to be centrally mediated (Woodrum, et al., J. App. Physiol., in press). To ascertain when the rapid peripheral chemoreceptor response appears postnatally, the hypoxic response was studied in unanesthesized newborn lambs before and after carotid body denervation. The response time was defined as the time from ↓ in aortic arch SaO2 (fiber optic catheter) to a sustained increase in tidal volume or frequency. Twenty-three studies were done on 5 animals immediately following birth and 46 studies were done on 7 animals during the 2nd week of life. Prior to denervation the tidal volume response time decreased from 5.7 ± 4 sec. on day 1 to 1.8 ± .8 sec. during days 9-12 (P < .025). Following denervation the hypoxic response persisted (75% trials), occurring after a delay of 29 ± 32.5 sec. on day 1 and 12 ± 6 sec. in the older group. The frequency response was similar but more delayed than the volume response. The data indicate a maturational change in the hypoxic ventilatory response time of the newborn lamb over the first two weeks of life. There is a definite central hypoxic response in the newborn lamb up to 12 days of age. The mechanism of this response is unknown but may involve a specific central hypoxic receptor, or a CNS response to factors associated with hypoxemia (↑ cerebral blood flow, acidosis or altered arousal).