cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Linear quadratic air-path control for diesel engines with regenerative and assisted turbocharger

Diesel engines are of great challenges due to stringent emission and fuel economy requirements. Compared with the conventional turbocharger system, regenerative assisted system provides additional degree of freedoms for the turbocharger speed control. Hence, it significantly improves control capability for exhaust-gas-recirculation (EGR) and boost pressure. This paper focuses on control design for the diesel engine air-path system equipped with an EGR subsystem and a variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) coupled with a regenerative hydraulic assisted turbocharger (RHAT). The challenges lie in the inherent coupling among EGR, turbocharger performance, and high nonlinearity of engine air-path system. A linear quadratic (LQ) controller design approach is proposed in this paper for regulating the EGR mass flow rate and boost pressure simultaneously and the resulting closed-loop system performance can be tuned by properly selecting the LQ weighting matrices. Multiple LQ controllers with integral action are designed based on the linearized system models over a gridded engine operational map and the final gain-scheduling controller for a given engine operational condition is obtained by interpreting the neighboring LQ controllers. The gain-scheduling LQ controllers for both traditional VGT-EGR and VGT-EGR-RHAT systems are validated against the in-house baseline controller, consisting of two single-input and single-output controllers, using the nonlinear plant. The simulation results show that the designed multi-input and multi-output LQ gain-scheduling controller is able to manage the performance trade-offs between EGR mass flow and boost pressure tracking. With the additional assisted and regenerative power on turbocharger shaft for the RHAT system, engine transient boost pressure performance can be significantly improved without compromising the EGR tracking performance, compared with the baseline control.
Genetic impacts of a commercial aquaculture lease on adjacent oyster populations

Abstract Commercial aquaculture leases typically support dense aggregations of shellfish that may contribute to wild populations through their reproductive efforts. Aggregations are thought to facilitate successful spawning and fertilization, potentially producing large numbers of larvae that may recruit to wild populations. We investigated the reproductive contribution of cultured oysters (Crassostrea virginica) to wild populations around a commercial aquaculture lease in Stump Sound, North Carolina. Through the late 1990s, the lease was stocked with oysters that originated from remotely set larvae that were produced in a hatchery in Louisiana using oysters from the Gulf of Mexico, which are genetically distinguishable from North Carolina oysters. We sequenced 359-bp of the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal (16S) gene to identify oysters exhibiting mitochondrial DNA haplotypes characteristic of Gulf Coast-derived oysters. An initial evaluation in 2001 of oysters collected from seven natural beds in and around the lease site showed a significantly elevated frequency of oysters exhibiting the 16S Gulf Coast (GC) haplotype than typically observed in NC oyster populations. When the same sites around the lease were resampled in 2015, the 16S GC haplotype was not detected, suggesting the elevated frequency of this haplotype in 2001 was transient. A variant of the 16S GC haplotype, not observed in the aquaculture stock, was observed at higher frequency in the second sampling period relative to the first. The detection of a mitochondrial haplotype with Gulf Coast ancestry not associated with recent aquaculture activities suggests that the genetic impacts on wild oyster populations may vary with the fitness of cultured oysters to local environmental conditions.
Electrochemical Properties of Vanadium Oxide Aerogels and Aerogel Nanocomposites

The electrochemical properties of high surface area transition metal oxide aerogels are extremely interesting because aerogels serve to amplify surface effects. As a result, the electrochemical properties are dominated by surfaces rather than by bulk behavior. In the case of vanadium oxide aerogels this leads to extraordinary electrochemical properties, including an extremely high capacity for lithium and electrochemical responses that are both battery-like and capacitor-like. By exploiting sol-gel synthesis, it is possible to synthesize nanocomposite electrodes in which aerogels are in intimate contact with carbon nanotubes. The resulting nanocomposites exhibit superior electrochemical properties, especially at high discharge.
Salt (Sodium) Supplementation of Range Beef Cows in California

Summary The need for supplying supplemental salt to beef cows grazing unseeded, partially cleared Californian range was investigated with two groups of 22 Hereford cows each. Treatments began when the cows had been lactating about 5 months and continued through the subsequent two pregnancies and lactations. One group of cows received supplemental salt ad libitum, while the other group received no salt. Groups were alternated between two fields to reduce effect of pasture variation. Despite low concen- trations of Na in the dry pasture du.ring summer, there were no significant differences between salt treatments in the body weight changes of the cows, number of calves born or birth or weaning weights of the calves. A higher percent- age of cows not receiving salt had narrow parotid salivary Na:K ratios during lactation. However, all cows had "normal" ratios after their calves had been weaned, The concentration of Na in the drinking water, and hence its contribution to total intake of Na, was inversely related to pasture Na concentration, and could have significantly contributed to the Na econo- my of the cows. The rationale for universally supplying salt free choice to grazing cattle is questioned. The mean intake of supplemented salt was 27 g/cow/day, but over 7-day periods, it varied from 0 to 65
Trends and Quality of Decentralized Public Investment

Around the world state and local governments have an important and growing role in the provision of public infrastructure services. Subnational governments presently account for an average of 63 percent of public fixed capital formation in OECD countries and approximately for 40 percent in developing countries. However, to date, the subnational dimension of public investment has been largely overlooked and it is not as well documented as other local responsibilities in service delivery.
Whole Body Skeletal Muscle Transduction in Neonatal Dogs with AAV-9

Gene therapy of muscular dystrophy requires systemic gene delivery to all muscles in the body. Adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors have been shown to lead to body-wide muscle transduction after a single intravascular injection. Proof-of-principle has been demonstrated in mouse models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and limb girdle muscular dystrophy. Before initiating clinical trials, it is important to validate these promising results in large animal models. More than a dozen canine muscular dystrophy models have been developed. Here, we outline a protocol for performing systemic AAV gene transfer in neonatal dogs. Implementing this technique in dystrophic dogs will accelerate translational muscular dystrophy research.
Effect of ankle braces on lower extremity muscle activation during functional exercises in participants with chronic ankle instability.

Background Ankle bracing and rehabilitation are common methods to reduce the rate of recurrent ankle sprain in participants with chronic ankle instability (CAI). CAI participants utilize less muscle activity when performing functional exercises compared to healthy controls. The effect of ankle braces on muscle activity during functional exercises in participants with CAI has not been previously studied. Purpose To determine the effect of bracing on motor output as demonstrated by surface EMG amplitudes in participants with CAI during single limb, eyes closed balance, star excursion balance, forward lunge, and lateral hop exercises. Methods A descriptive laboratory study was performed. Fifteen young adults with CAI performed functional exercises with and without ankle braces while surface EMG signals were recorded from the tibialis anterior, peroneus longus, lateral gastrocnemius, rectus femoris, biceps femoris, and gluteus medius. The main outcome measures were normalized surface EMG amplitudes (root mean square area) for each muscle, muscles of the shank (distal three muscles), muscles of the thigh (proximal three muscles), and total muscle activity (all six muscles) of the lower extremity. A paired t-test was performed for each dependent variable to compare conditions. The level of significance was set a priori at p ≤ 0.05 for all analyses. Results During the forward lunge, bracing significantly reduced muscle activity pre-initial contact in the lateral gastrocnemius and post-initial contact in the peroneus longus. During the star excursion balance anterior reach the peroneus longus, lateral gastrocnemius, rectus femoris, and gluteus medius had significantly less muscle activity during braced trials. Bracing significantly reduced thigh and total muscle activity during the anterior reach and gluteus medius activity during the posterolateral reach. There were no differences between braced and unbraced conditions during the single limb eyes closed balance, star excursion balance posteromedial reach, or during lateral hop exercises. Conclusions Clinicians should be aware of the decreased muscle activity that occurs during common rehabilitation exercises when patients with CAI complete those activities while wearing ankle braces. Level of evidence Level III.
Apparent digestibility of amino acids, gross energy and starch in corn, sorghum, wheat, barley, oat groats and wheat middlings for growing pigs.

Apparent nutrient digestibilities of yellow-dent corn, low-tannin sorghum, hard red winter wheat, barley, oat groats and wheat middlings were determined near the end of the small intestine and over the total digestive tract of growing pigs. Gross energy digestibilities for corn, sorghum and oat groats were similar; wheat had a slightly lower (P less than .05) digestibility, followed by barley (P less than .05), with wheat middlings being the least (P less than .05) digestible. About 7% of the gross energy in corn, sorghum, wheat and oat groats was digested in the large intestine, compared with 11% for barley and 17% for wheat middlings. The starch in all products was essentially 100% digestible by the end of the small intestine. Ileal amino acid digestibilities tended to be highest for wheat and oat groats, followed by corn, sorghum, barley and wheat middlings. The range in ileal digestibilities was 73.8 (sorghum) to 84.2% (wheat) for lysine, 69.6 (corn) to 81.4% (wheat) for tryptophan and 63.4 (wheat middlings) to 77.9% (oat groats) for threonine. Amino acid digestibilities determined over the total tract were generally higher than ileal digestibilities; however, values for lysine, methionine and phenylalanine were generally lower, indicating a net synthesis of these amino acids in the large intestine.
What Is Optimal Control Theory

Many management science applications involve the control of dynamic systems, i.e., systems that evolve over time. They are called continuous-time systems or discrete-time systems depending on whether time varies continuously or discretely. We will deal with both kinds of systems in this book, although the main emphasis will be on continuous-time systems.
Pseudo-turbulence in inviscid simulations of shock interacting with a bed of randomly distributed particles

Particle-resolved 3-D inviscid simulations of a planar shock interacting with a bed of randomly distributed spherical particles are carried out. The aim of this study is to investigate the importance of flowfield fluctuations caused by a random distribution of particles during shock–particle interaction. We present the volume-averaged governing equations. The volume-averaging process results in the appearance of the Reynolds stress term in the momentum equation, and similar terms also arise in the energy equation. These terms are generally neglected in the Euler–Lagrange or the Euler–Euler simulations of shock–particle interaction, and hence, the motivation for this study is to determine the importance of these stresses. The spatiotemporal evolution of the flow inside the particle bed is studied by presenting the mean and the fluctuating flow properties. We compute the RMS velocity, the magnitude of pseudo-turbulent Reynolds stress, and the magnitude of fluctuations in the pressure and total energy. We compare our results with previous studies involving shock interaction with a curtain of cylindrical particles. It is found that the strength of the fluctuating field is much weaker for the spherical particle case compared with the cylindrical particle case. Our results are also in good agreement with the recent study on a planar shock interacting with a random bed of spherical particles under viscous conditions.
Toward an Expanded Focus for Occupational Safety and Health: A Commentary

Powerful and ongoing changes in how people work, the workforce, and the workplace require a more holistic view of each of these. We argue that an expanded focus for occupational safety and health (OSH) is necessary to prepare for and respond rapidly to future changes in the world of work that will certainly challenge traditional OSH systems. The WHO Model for Action, various European efforts at well-being, and the Total Worker Health concept provide a foundation for addressing changes in the world of work. However, a paradigm expansion to include the recognition of worker and workforce well-being as an important outcome of OSH will be needed. It will also be vital to stimulate transdisciplinary efforts and find innovative ways to attract and train students into OSH professions as the paradigm expands. This will require active marketing of the OSH field as vibrant career choice, as a profession filled with meaningful, engaging responsibilities, and as a well-placed investment for industry and society. An expanded paradigm will result in the need for new disciplines and specialties in OSH, which may be useful in new market efforts to attract new professionals. Ultimately, to achieve worker and workforce well-being we must consider how to implement this expanded focus.
Maximum Correntropy Criterion Kalman Filter with Adaptive Kernel Size

Kernel size plays a significant role in the performance of the maximum correntropy Kalman filter (MCC-KF). Kernel size is usually chosen by trail and error. If the kernel size is large, the MCC-KF reduces to the Kalman filter (KF). However, if the kernel size is small, the MCC-KF may diverge, or converge slowly. We propose a novel method for adaptive kernel size selection. We calculate kernel size as a weighted sum of the innovation term and the covariance of the filter-indicated estimation error at each time step. We call this filter the "MCC with adaptive kernel size filter" (MCC-AKF). We analytically prove that the true mean square error (TMSE) of the MCC-AKF is less than or equal to that of the MCC-KF under certain conditions. A simulation example is provided to illustrate the analytical results.
Linking Members to Leaders: How Civic Associations Can Strengthen Members’ External Political Efficacy:

Americans’ sense of external political efficacy—their belief in their ability to influence government decisions—has declined precipitously in recent decades, eroding the public’s confidence in our ...
Hexagonal (CoCrCuTi)100-xFex multi-principal element alloys

Abstract High-entropy and multiprincipal element alloys (HEAs/MPEAs) show considerable promise for engineering applications due to their unique microstructures and tendencies for solid solutions with multiple components. Whereas one of the core thrusts of HEA development is the search for stable single phase solid solutions, MPEA development leaves the door open for alloys with multiple phases and novel microstructures. In that vein, alloys of (CoCrCuTi)100−xFex were made via arc-melting to determine the critical Fe concentration for the formation of a hexagonal Laves C14 phase in these alloys. It was observed that with no Fe addition, the equiatomic CoCrCuTi alloy solidified into two body-centered cubic dendritic phases and an face-centered cubic interdendritic phase. In contrast, additions of 5 at. % Fe or more resulted in the formation of a primary dendritic hexagonal Laves C14 phase. Aside from the majority phases, all of the alloys also contained small Ti-rich dendrites that appeared to be randomly dispersed throughout the microstructure. At higher concentrations of Fe in the CoCrCuTi base ( ≥ 15 at. % Fe), the melt separated in to Cu-rich and Cu-lean liquid phases, which were characterized postmortem in the solid form as previously liquid phase separated microstructure. Vickers hardness measurements of the alloys indicated that the addition of Fe increased hardness up to 541 HV 1 for 15 at. % Fe, then decreased to 482 HV 1 for the 20 at. % Fe alloy. However due to the significant liquid phase separation that occurred for the 15 and 20 at. % Fe alloys, the microstructure present is significantly heterogeneous. Therefore, the standard deviation of the hardness values increased drastically due to this heterogeneity. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was utilized to determine the atomic concentrations of each phase in the alloys. Using the elemental concentration obtained from the Laves C14 phase, an alloy consisting of Co23Cr22Cu3Ti28Fe24 was arc-melted and characterized for comparison to the multiphase (CoCrCuTi)100−xFex alloys. The hardness of the Co23Cr22Cu3Ti28Fe24 alloy was determined to be 784 HV 1. However, the alloy showed significant cracking from the Vickers hardness test indentations. A direct comparison of the indentation cracks between Co23Cr22Cu3Ti28Fe24 and (CoCrCuTi)90Fe10 demonstrated that the Cu-rich matrix present in the 10 at. % Fe alloy was more effective in arresting crack growth.
Incorporating Patents into the Chemistry Curriculum: Insights from the Design of an Interdisciplinary Course on Patenting Chemical Innovations.

An interdisciplinary course was designed to educate students about the important role of patents in the economy and society through the lens of chemical innovations. The course consisted of six units that covered a wide variety of topics including an overview of the patent system and the importance of patents in a knowledge economy, career options for chemistry students in the patent field, the process for getting a patent, how to read and understand chemical patents, developing a patentable idea, ethics and biotechnology patents, drug patents, and public policy issues. A diverse range of chemical innovations were analyzed, including fragrances, pharmaceuticals, nicotine chewing gum, hair dyes, toner compositions, vaping formulations, and pesticides. Suggestions and examples are provided for incorporating patents into existing chemistry courses to teach fundamental chemistry concepts, emphasize the real-world applications of chemistry, examine the role of chemistry in society, encourage entrepreneurial identification, and explore how chemistry is linked with many other contexts including law, business, ethics, and public policy.
OVERVIEW OF THE IMPACT OF SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER ON TRAFFIC CRASHES: A CASE OF BOTSWANA

Addictions to drug and alcohol, which stem from substance abuse (SA), are universal public health problems and cause a significant burden to individuals and societies resulting in a multitude of physical, social, economic and legal problems including transport crashes. In spite of epidemic levels of substance abuse in society, many individuals do not receive treatment at all let alone adequate treatment. This continues to make substance use disorder a major cause of transport crashes (with the attendant menace) in developing countries. Research suggests that counsellors (and other helping professionals) are disinterested in SA counselling, and have SA training, attitude, and skill deficits. There is a dearth of empirical research particularly in developing countries that addresses counsellors’ (or trainee counsellors’) knowledge and attitudes in relation to substance use and substance users. This paper therefore reviewed the effect of substance abuse, the overall burden of which could have been reduced, had there been adequate and appropriate exposure to treatment, on highway traffic crashes.
A Hospital-Wide Intervention to Improve Compliance With TNM Cancer Staging Documentation.

BACKGROUND Accurate oncologic staging meeting clinical practice guidelines is essential for guideline adherence, quality assessment, and survival outcomes. However, timely and uniform documentation in the electronic health record (EHR) at the time of diagnosis is a challenge for providers. This quality improvement project aimed to increase provider compliance of timely clinical TNM (cTNM) or pathologic TNM (pTNM) staging for newly diagnosed oncologic patients. METHODS Providers in the following site-specific oncologic teams were included: head and neck, skin, breast, genitourinary, gastrointestinal, lung and thoracic, gynecologic, colorectal, and bone marrow transplant. Interventions to facilitate timely cTNM and pTNM staging included standardized EHR-based workflows, learning modules, stakeholder meetings, and individualized provider training sessions. For most teams, staging was considered compliant if it was completed in the EHR within the first 7 days of the calendar month after the date of the patient visit. Factors associated with staging compliance were analyzed using logistic regression models. RESULTS From January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2018, 7,787 preintervention and 5,152 postintervention new patient visits occurred. During the preintervention period, staging was compliant in 5.6% of patients compared with 67.4% of patients after intervention (P<.001). In the final month of the postintervention period, the overall staging compliance rate was 78.1%. At most recent tracking, staging compliance was 95%, 97%, and 93% in December 2019, January 2020, and February 2020, respectively. Logistic regression found that increasing years of provider experience was associated with decreased staging compliance. CONCLUSIONS High rates of staging compliance in complex multidisciplinary academic oncologic practice models can be achieved via comprehensive quality improvement and structured initiatives. This approach serves as a model for improving oncologic documentation systems to facilitate clinical decision-making and multidisciplinary coordination of care.
Graphene/MoS2 Thin Film based Two Dimensional Barristors with Tunable Schottky Barrier for Sensing Applications

In this work, a large-area MoS2/graphene barristor device, with an electrically tunable Schottky barrier height, has been studied for detection of various gaseous analytes. The Schottky barrier height could be modulated by over 0.65 eV, allowing the drain current to be tuned by many orders of magnitude. Using diluted NO2 and NH3 gases as analytes, the performance of the barristor device was compared with individual MoS2 and graphene based planar FETs, where the barristor device outperformed its counterparts in terms of response magnitude and limit of detection. Due to the atomically thin nature of MoS2 and graphene, electric field applied to one material could not be fully screened from the other one, which allowed both materials to act as a composite structure when analyte molecules interacted with the barristor device. This apparently reversed the dopant behavior of NO2 and NH3, while increasing the device sensitivity through subthreshold operation. Both conductance and capacitance based measurements are presented to highlight the charge transfer and barrier height modulation, to support the unique sensing mechanism observed in the 2D barristor device. A lower limit of detection in low ppb is established for NO2 and low ppm for NH3, which could be further tuned by altering gate-drain bias conditions.
Evaluation of space–time point process models using super‐thinning

Rescaling, thinning, and superposition are useful methods for the residual analysis of spatial-temporal point processes. These techniques involve transforming the original point process into a new process that is a homogeneous Poisson process if and only if the fitted model is correct, so that one may inspect the residual process using standard tests for homogeneity as a means of assessing the goodness-of-fit of the model. Unfortunately, when the modeled conditional intensity of the original process is volatile, tests of homogeneity performed on residuals on the basis of these three residual methods tend to have low power. For such circumstances, we propose the method of super-thinning, which combines thinned residuals and superposition. This technique involves the use of a tuning parameter, k, which controls how much thinning and superposition are performed to homogenize the process. The method is applied to the assessment of a parametric space–time point process model for the origin times and epicentral locations of recent major California earthquakes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Temporal Verification by Diagram Transformations

This paper presents a methodology for the verification of temporal properties of systems based on the gradual construction and algorithmic checking of fairness diagrams. Fairness diagrams correspond to abstractions of the system and its progress properties, and have a simple graphical representation.
Interrogating privilege: Reflections of a second language educator, by Vandrick, S.

In an article that discusses the issue of language, difference, and identity, Poynton (1997) writes that everyone is raced, gendered, classed, generationed, sexualised, and so on. Individuals may n...
Individual variation and lateral asymmetry of the rat primary somatosensory cortex

We have evaluated the interindividual variability and lateral symmetry of a major cortical area by comparing the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) of adult rats. Our choice of the rat was dictated by the accuracy with which one can measure S1 and its component representations in the rodent brain; the importance of such measurements lies in understanding the rules that govern the allocation of cortical space and, ultimately, the consequences of differential allocation for behavior. With respect to interindividual differences, the major somatic representations in S1 are surprisingly variable in size. The area of the whiskerpad representation, for example, ranged from 3.72 to 6.84 mm2 in a sample of 53 rats; other components of S1 showed comparable differences among animals. With respect to lateral symmetry, the average area of each major representation was similar for the right and left hemispheres; thus, we found no consistent bias in the size of S1 or its elements in the sample as a whole. Within individual animals, however, the sizes of the major somatic representations were often quite different in the two hemispheres. The magnitude of the lateral differences averaged 7.9 +/- 0.8% (mean +/- SEM) for the whisker pad representation, 11.6 +/- 1.3% for the upper lip, 15.4 +/- 1.6% for the furry buccal pad, 13.9 +/- 1.4% for the lower jaw, and 13.3 +/- 1.2% for the forepaw. These results show that the amount of cortical space allocated to corresponding functions in individual rats--or in the two hemispheres of a particular rat--are often different. Such variations are likely to be reflected in somatosensory performance.
Practitioners' Views on Useful Knowledge for Climate Change Adaptation Projects

In countries like Bolivia and Colombia, increased pressures on freshwater supplies are putting millions at risk, and effective adaptation strategies will be critical to mitigating the worst impacts in these regions. Transdisciplinary knowledge production frameworks can account for the interactions of natural and human-made environments, and provide a potential solution for those in developing regions. Recent scholarship has reconciled common perceptions of transdisciplinary knowledge within the literature; however, little is known about how practitioners define transdisciplinary knowledge, and whether this type of knowledge production is favored. Using the Q-methodology, this study examines the role of transdisciplinary knowledge among 22 practitioners from non-governmental organizations working on climate change adaptation projects in Bolivia and Colombia. Four statistically different perspectives emerged: 1) Engaged Multi-Dimensional Problem-Solver, 2) User-Focused Advocate, 3) Ivory Tower Producer, and 4) Development Traditionalist. These results and recommendations for using a transdisciplinary knowledge production framework to address climate change adaptation in developing regions will be discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment
The protein product of the neurofibromatosis type 1 gene is expressed at highest abundance in neurons, Schwann cells, and oligodendrocytes

von Recklinghausen's neurofibromatosis (NF1) is a common inherited human disease. The events leading to patient symptoms from inheritance of a defective NF1 gene are unknown. Since knowledge of the distribution of the normal NF1 gene product should improve understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease, we raised antibodies against peptides coded by portions of the recently cloned human NF1 cDNA. These antibodies specifically recognize a 220 kd protein (neurofibromin) in both human and rat spinal cord. Neurofibromin is most abundant in the nervous system. Immunostaining of tissue sections indicates that neurons, oligodendrocytes, and nonmyelinating Schwann cells contain neurofibromin while astrocytes and myelinating Schwann cells do not. These results suggest a function for neurofibromin in the normal nervous system. Some NF1 disease manifestations, such as Schwann cell tumors and learning disabilities, may result from abnormalities in the cells that express neurofibromin.
Thermal magnetic relaxation in quasi-two-dimensional Fe films.

Several Fe(110)/Ag(111) superlattices with the Fe component 2 monolayers thick and the Ag component of varying thickness were produced by molecular-beam epitaxy. The Curie temperature was found to be higher than 500 K and a central feature in the M\"ossbauer spectra is shown to come from thermal magnetic relaxation of Fe islands. The magnetic hyperfine field has a linear temperature dependence and this is explained by a simple model based on the island structure of the Fe.
Transport spin polarization of high Curie temperature MnBi films

We report on the study of the structural, magnetic and transport properties of highly textured MnBi films with the Curie temperature of 628K. In addition to detailed measurements of resistivity and magnetization, we measure transport spin polarization of MnBi by Andreev reflection spectroscopy and perform fully relativistic band structure calculations of MnBi. A spin polarization from 51\pm1 to 63\pm1% is observed, consistent with the calculations and with an observation of a large magnetoresistance in MnBi contacts. The band structure calculations indicate that, in spite of almost identical densities of states at the Fermi energy, the large disparity in the Fermi velocities leads to high transport spin polarization of MnBi. The correlation between the values of magnetization and spin polarization is discussed.
Gender Differences in Short-Term Cardiovascular Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Interventions

Recent studies have been inconsistent in demonstrating a decrease in the gender gap in short-term post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) outcomes. We sought to determine gender differences in outcomes in younger and older patients who underwent PCI during the current stent era. We studied 4,768 elective PCI procedures performed at Emory University Hospital from 2001 to 2004. The baseline characteristics, periprocedural complications, angiographic success, procedural success, and major in-hospital complications (death, myocardial infarction, and emergency coronary artery bypass graft surgery) after PCI were compared between men and women. Women were more likely to be nonwhite and older, with a greater prevalence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus (all p 55 years (OR 1.32, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.99, p = 0.047 for gender–age interaction). The adjusted odds of bleeding complications were also higher in women than in men (≤55 years OR 5.39, 95% CI 2.26 to 12.8, >55 years OR 2.55, 95% CI 1.68 to 3.87, p = 0.121 for gender–age interaction). No significant gender differences were present in a combined end point of death, myocardial infarction, and emergency coronary artery bypass graft surgery. In conclusion, among patients who have undergone PCI, women, particularly younger women, are more likely than men to experience coronary vascular injury and bleeding complications unaccounted for by coronary artery size and other patient characteristics. No differences were found in major in-hospital complications by gender.
Cervical disc herniation presenting with neck pain and contralateral symptoms: a case report

Introduction Cervical disc herniation often results in neck and arm pain in patients as a result of direct impingement of nerve roots and associated inflammatory processes. The clinical presentation usually corresponds with the side of herniation and ipsilateral symptoms predominate the clinical picture.
COMPUTER-ASSISTED TEST ASSEMBLY USING OPTIMIZATION HEURISTICS

Numerous algorithms and heuristics have be en in-troduced that allow test developers to simultan eously generate multiple test forms that match quali tative constraints, such as content blueprint s, and titative targets, such as test information func tions. A variation of a greedy algorithm is presente d here that can be used in a wide range of test as sembly problems. The algorithm selects items to have a locally optimal fit to a moving set of average criterion values. A normalization procedure is used to allow the heuristic to work simultaneously with numerous qualitative and quantitative constraints. A complex sample application is demonstrated.
Cooperative optical transitions in CaF2:Yb3+

Abstract We have studied cooperative absorption and upconversion processes involving Yb3+ ions in CaF2:Yb using tunable laser spectroscopy.
Experimental and Numerical Study on the Effect of Construction Defects on the Stability of Tunnel

The influence of the tunnel construction defects on the tunnel stability is one of the important research problems. This thesis would take the tunnel project in Liaoning as an example to analyze the influence of the tunnel construction defects on the tunnel stability. Models with the hole in different range are carried out to study the influence of the tunnel construction defects on the tunnel stability. On the basis of the model test results, the thesis makes the numerical simulation analysis. According to the model test and numerical analysis, models with the different range hole are different in damage trend. The thesis puts forward some construction defect prevention measures for the tunnel project.
Changes in ergonomic exposures of nursing assistants after the introduction of a safe resident handling program in nursing homes.

We evaluated the effect of a nursing home safe resident handling intervention on the ergonomic exposures of nursing assistants. The healthcare version of the Postures, Activities, Tools and Handling (PATH) method was used by 12 observers to examine postures, manual handling, and resident handling pre-intervention and at three months, 12 months, 24 months, and 36 months post-intervention. There were marked downward trends in proportion of work time spent repositioning and transferring residents, and an increased use of handling equipment in transferring (CochraneArmitage tests: all p-values <0.001). While resident handling, nursing assistants were also more likely post-intervention to be in neutral trunk postures, walking rather than standing still, working with both arms below 60 � , and less likely to lift loads greater than 22.7 kg. Lateral transfer devices were infrequently observed in use for repositioning; additional training on the use of this equipment is recommended to increase the benefits from the intervention program. Relevance to industry: The study describes reductions in postural and manual handling loads of nursing assistants in nursing homes resulting from increased use of resident handling equipment following equipment installation with training and administrative support.
Spectra calculations for the positive-parity states of doubly even nuclei in the 2s, 1d shell

Abstract The energy spectra of 18 O, 20 Ne, 24 Mg, 26 Mg and 28 Si are calculated for a Yukawa interaction potential with Serber mixing by approximating the nuclear wave functions as being the lowest-lying SU 3 states. The potential strength and length parameters are varied to obtain best fits to experimental data. Using the concept of interchanging particles and “holes”, these results are reflected into the upper half of the 2s, 1d shell and spectra of 30 Si, 32 S, 34 S, 36 Ar and 38 Ar are obtained.
The Bible and psychology: New directions in biblical scholarship.

Part One, “Historical Retrospect on the Bible and Psychology,” documents the development of psychological biblical criticism as an emerging discipline within biblical studies since the 1960's. Part Two, “An Agenda for the Bible and Psychology,” advances a definition of the goal of psychological biblical criticism, enumerating ten areas of research: (a) recognizing the biblical text and biblical interpretation as part of a psychic process in which conscious as well as unconscious factors are at work; (b) meta-rational dimensions of hermeneutics; (c) the psychological polyvalence of biblical symbols; (d) the archetypal depth of biblical images and stories; (e) levels of meaning a text can evoke in readers and different modes of “actualizing” a text; (f) psycho-dynamic factors at work in biblical texts; (g) psychological insight into biblical personality characterizations and types; (h) the psychological description and analysis of biblical religious phenomena; (i) psycho-critical analysis of biblical “effects” as part of “biblical history;” (j) the reclamation of “biblical psychology” as a rubric in biblical scholarship, in conversation with models of the self in the psychological disciplines.
In vitro and in vivo noise analysis for optical neural recording

Laser diodes (LD) are commonly used for optical neural recordings in chronically recorded animals and humans, primarily due to their brightness and small size. However, noise introduced by LDs may counteract the benefits of brightness when compared to low-noise light-emitting diodes (LEDs). To understand noise sources in optical recordings, we systematically compared instrument and physiological noise profiles in two recording paradigms. A better understanding of noise sources can help improve optical recordings and make them more practical with fewer averages. We stimulated lobster nerves and a rat cortex, then compared the root mean square (RMS) noise and signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of data obtained with LED, superluminescent diode (SLD), and LD illumination for different numbers of averages. The LED data exhibited significantly higher SNRs in fewer averages than LD data in all recordings. In the absence of tissue, LED noise increased linearly with intensity, while LD noise increased sharply in the transition to lasing and settled to noise levels significantly higher than the LED's, suggesting that speckle noise contributed to the LD's higher noise and lower SNRs. Our data recommend low coherence and portable light sources for in vivo chronic neural recording applications.
The International Wanderings of a Liberal Idea, or Why Liberals Can Learn to Stop Worrying and Love the Balance of Power

Scholars in international relations have failed to note a paradox about the balance of power: the concept of checks and balances and equilibria underlie classical Liberal constitutional and economic theory. Interest balancing interest lies at the core of the Liberal solution to the problem of anarchy, power, and human nature, whether in politics, economics, or the international sphere. Liberal scholars have adopted instead a rationalist utilitarian or a normative democratic approach. At the same time, Realists in international relations predict a balance, which realist scholars in domestic politics, like Schattschneider, have effectively questioned. This intellectual confusion denies Liberal theory a robust view of international politics, not least because the balancing principle is erroneously rejected as conservative. The confusion also undermines the coherence of Realist theory, which has hitherto tried to accommodate opposing predictions (balance of power and power concentrations) under one paradigm. I offer an explanation of how this conflation of theories arose. Conflating Liberalism with idealism leaves Realism as the only prudent alternative in international politics. The relation between the two theories is not zero-sum: both capture important aspects of international dynamics, and each can ignore the other only at serious cost.Deborah Boucoyannis is Lecturer in Social Studies at Harvard University (boucoyan@fas.harvard.edu). For comments and suggestions over the time the article has been in gestation, the author thanks Bear Braumoeller, Tim Crawford, Daniel Drezner, Nisha Fazal, David Grewal, Arman Grigorian, Mark Haas, Russ Hamilton, Michael Heaney, Jacques Hymans, Seth Jones, Andreas Kalyvas, Jacob Levy, Jack Levy, John Mearsheimer, Jennifer Mitzen, Kevin Narizny, Jacob Schiff, Jack Snyder, Kenneth Waltz, Alex Wendt, Bill Wohlforth, and the participants at the Political Theory and PISP workshops at the University of Chicago. Special thanks are due to Monica Toft, John Ikenberry, and Jennifer Hochschild for their support of the article; it was mostly written with the generous support of the Olin Institute for Strategic Studies at Harvard University.
Two Sources of Genetic Error in Sire Proofs

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the importance of genetic improvement and differences among mates as sources of error in sire proofs. The annual genetic improvement in the population expressed as a per cent of the average production was .26% for milk and .24% for milk fat. There were significant differences among sires in the production of their mates when ten mates were considered, but not when 20 or 40 mates were considered. It was concluded that at the present time these two factors are relatively unimportant in the selection of sires but, in certain situations, either factor may cause inaccurate selections.
Analysis of symmetric Y-junction laser arrays with uniform near-field distribution

The analysis of a Y-junction laser array is presented. It is shown that the lowest-order cavity mode of this array has the lowest threshold gain and is thus preferentially excited. This mode has a uniform near-field distribution. Compared with the sinusoidal near-field distribution of the supermodes of the evanescently coupled laser arrays, this uniformity not only can delay the onset of the spatial-hole burning, which is the source of unstable far-field characteristic at high power level, it also allows for higher total power output before catastrophic mirror damage.
Specific contributions of the small GTPases Rho, Rac, and Cdc42 to Dbl transformation.

Dbl is a representative prototype of a growing family of oncogene products that contain the Dbl homology/pleckstrin homology elements in their primary structures and are associated with a variety of neoplastic pathologies. Members of the Dbl family have been shown to function as physiological activators (guanine nucleotide exchange factors) of the Rho-like small GTPases. Although the expression of GTPase-defective versions of Rho proteins has been shown to induce a transformed phenotype under different conditions, their transformation capacity has been typically weak and incomplete relative to that exhibited by dbl-like oncogenes. Moreover, in some cases (e.g. NIH3T3 fibroblasts), expression of GTPase-defective Cdc42 results in growth inhibition. Thus, in attempting to reconstitute dbl-induced transformation of NIH3T3 fibroblasts, we have generated spontaneously activated ("fast-cycling") mutants of Cdc42, Rac1, and RhoA that mimic the functional effects of activation by the Dbl oncoprotein. When stably expressed in NIH3T3 cells, all three mutants caused the loss of serum dependence and showed increased saturation density. Furthermore, all three stable cell lines were tumorigenic when injected into nude mice. Our data demonstrate that all three Dbl targets need to be activated to promote the full complement of Dbl effects. More importantly, activation of each of these GTP-binding proteins contributes to a different and distinct facet of cellular transformation.
SU-E-J-105: Evaluating Auto-Contouring of Prostate KV Conebeam CTs.

Purpose: Auto‐contouring of daily kV conebeam CTs (kVCBCT) is critical for online adaptive radiotherapy. We surveyed a set of geometric and dosimetric measures to determine which best assess the suitability of kVCBCT contouring algorithms for use in prostate region adaptive planning. Methods: Six patients with daily kVCBCT undergoing IMRT of the prostate to 78 Gy were selected. Dose was recalculated with patient density forced to water. Contours were generated on nine kVCBCT for each patient using ABAS (Elekta Ltd.) and also by a physician. The prostate mean dose, D100, D98, where determined and V70 (% and cc) and mean dose for the bladder and rectum for both physician and auto contours. The Dice's Coefficient (DC) was calculated between auto and physician contours, as well as a restricted DC (rDC) which combines geometric and dosimetric information by comparing only the volume within a high dose region. Results: Prostate accuracy can only be discerned with D100, additionally there is no correlation (R2=0.036) between D100 and DC. For all organs, mean dose does not reflect contour suitability. There is large variation in V70 (% and cc) for rectum and bladder, implying V70 is a sensitive indicator of contour suitability. There is however no correlation of V70 with DC. A dose region (>57 Gy) to calculate rDC was chosen to provided optimal correlation (R2>0.81) to V70 (% and cc, rectum and bladder). Conclusions: V70 for rectum and bladder shows the most sensitivity to contour suitability, by concentrating on where accuracy is most vital. Prostate contouring is less critical due to treatment margins, D100 provides the most discerning metric. DC and mean dose are not useable. In lieu of V70, rDC could be used. The rDC can be approximated by limiting to within 2–3 cm of the prostate contour, alleviating the need to calculate dose. A research version of ABAS was provided by Elekta.
Stability of expressive and instrumental traits in an adolescent female population

A sample of adolescent females were followed longitudinally from the sophomore to the senior year in high school. The personality traits of expressivity and instrumentality as measured by the Bem Sex Role Inventory were assessed yearly in order to determine trait stability. Both expressivity and instrumentality were very stable across grades. Correlation coefficients were statistically significant (p less than .001) for both traits across grades. Subjects were further categorized as androgynous, sextyped, undifferentiated, or cross-sextyped using a median split procedure. A transition matrix was constructed in order to tabulate shifts between categories across grades. Again, trait stability was reflected, approximately half (48%) of the response patterns never shifted categories during the high school years.