cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pump chip and phosphor reliability of broadband light-emitting diodes

Abstract We present a study of the degradation of phosphor-based broadband (~ 90 nm spectral peak width) colour and white LEDs. Specifically, our study looked at the reliability of the blue-emitting GaN/InGaN pump chip and the overlying phosphor in these LEDs. We have investigated thermal degradation arising from heat generation in both the pump chip and the colour-converting phosphor. The robustness of the pump chip in 1 W broadband power LEDs was examined by driving them with various dc and pulsed waveforms at different temperatures. Both catastrophic and long term degradation of pump chips was investigated. Long term degradation behaviour of phosphors was studied by both ex situ and in situ heating of phosphors for hundreds of hours while their total light output was monitored. Optical energy storage in phosphors and its bearing on phosphor degradation is also discussed.
Effects of Nitrogen Application on Leaf Chlorophyll Content in Post-transplanting Growing Stages of Medium Hybrid Rice in Winter Water Logged Fields

Using 18 medium hybrid rice varieties as the materials,the sensitive stages and leaf positions of leaf chlorophyll content to nitrogen application were studied in growing stages after transplanting of medium hybrid rice in winter water logged fields in Sichuan.In the experimental design,the nitrogen fertilizer containing 150 kg/hm~2 of pure nitrogen was applied before transplanting for the treatment of nitrogen application(AN),while no nitrogen fertilizer was applied for the control(NN).The results showed that the leaf chlorophyll contents(SPAD) of AN were significantly higher than those of NN in the periods from the 7~th to 28~th days after transplanting(DAT)(tillering stage),from the 63~rd to 77~th DAT(jointing to heading stages) and from 98~th to 112~th DAT(mid to late grain filling stage),indicating these stages were sensitive to nitrogen application.In these periods,the difference of leaf chlorophyll content between AN and NN had a highest value from 9~th to 11~th DAT,indicating that it is the optimum time to determine the amount of nitrogen to be applied by measuring seedlings.Moreover,the lower leaves had a bigger difference between AN and NN in chlorophyll content than the higher leaves.The 4~th leaf from the top had the highest difference value between AN and NN,so it can be the best marker leaf for the nitrogen nutrition of rice plants.
Paradox of Criminal Investigation

Paradox has the difference between generalized and strict,accordance with the investigation of this distinction,there exists the generalized paradox between procedural justice and substantive justice,investigation procedures and protection of human rights,mandatory investigation and other investigations.In accordance with the dispersion of paradox,the investigation process should strictly follow the principles of due process,to achieve social sustainable and healthy development with minimal infringement,divided investigation into warrants investigation,no warrant investigation,and warrant investigation exception,so as to dispel paradox digestion,and make the development of detection more clear.
Bird diversity within and among Australian heathlands

Regional bird diversity is higher in northeastern than in southwestern Australia, owing to the larger area of forests in the northeast and its proximity to New Guinea, a source of speciation via repeated invasions. In protead heathlands bird species are autochthonously produced, and the habitat is more common in southwestern and southern Australia than in the northeast. Bird α-diversity (within-habitats) is the same in southwestern and northeastern heathlands, but β-diversity (among habitats) is higher in the southwest, and γ-diversity (between sites) is higher over shorter distances in the southwest. There are more peripheral species in the northeastern heathlands, and these are drawn primarily from adjacent woodlands, although rainforest and sclerophyll forest species also invade opportunistically.
Lineage analysis using retroviral vectors.

Publisher Summary A genetic and clonal solution to lineage mapping is through the use of retrovirus vectors. The basis for this technique is summarized in this chapter, and the strategies and current methods in use in laboratory are described. A retrovirus vector is an infectious virus that transduces a nonviral gene into mitotic cells in vivo or in vitro . These vectors use the same efficient and precise integration machinery of naturally occurring retroviruses to produce a single copy of the viral genome stably integrated into the host chromosome. Those that are useful for lineage analysis have been modified so that their replication is incompetent, and thus cannot spread from one infected cell to another. They are, however, faithfully passed on to all daughter cells of the originally infected progenitor cell, making them ideal for lineage analysis. Retrovirus vector particles are essentially identical to naturally occurring retrovirus particles. They enter the host cell through interaction of a viral envelope glycoprotein (a product of the viral env gene) with a host cell receptor. The murine viruses have several classes of env glycoprotein that interact with different host cell receptors. The most useful class for lineage analysis of rodents is the ecotropic class.
May the Rule of Law Be Retroactive? Berlusconi's Case Before the ECtHR

On November 22, 2017 the European Court of Human Rights held a hearing on a curious petition: the notorious former Prime Minister of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi, claimed that he suffered an injustice by the application of the new Italian anti-corruption legal framework. Indeed, Berlusconi had lost his seat in Parliament as a consequence of his criminal conviction, as provided by the anti-corruption legislation. Berlusconi alleged that the loss of his Parliament seat was in substance a criminal sanction and thus, according to Article 7(1) of the European Charter of Human Rights, should have been subject to the principle of non-retroactivity. According to the Italian legal system, instead, the measure was considered to be an administrative law measure and thus it could have been applied also to events occurring in the past, such as the criminal acts committed by Berlusconi, which predated the adoption of the law. The questions that the ECtHR have to address, beginning with Berlusconi’s highly visible case whose judgment is expected for Spring 2018, will provide an interesting insight of the relationships between the normative concept of the rule of law and its temporal application, as well as with individual rights and Parliamentary autonomy. A complete and revised version of this paper is published on the Italian Journal of Public Law (no.2/2019) - free access at http://www.ijpl.eu/archive/2019/issue-28/may-the-law-rule-the-past-what-if-the-ecthr-had-decided-berlusconis-case
The Spontaneous Mutation Rate

Inasmuch as heritable changes are primarily caused by mutations affecting individual cistrons within the genome, the accurate estimation of the spontaneous mutation rate is of the utmost importance in understanding evolution. Furthermore, in view of the fact that a mutation randomly affects a single base pair of any cistron and that only some of the mutations are permitted by natural selection to accompany the process of speciation, we should also have some idea about relative proportions with regard to forbidden versus tolerable mutations. In practice, it is convenient to consider the spontaneous mutation rate either in terms of per locus per generation or per base pair per generation.
Long-term isothermally aged concerns for SAC lead-free solder in harsh environment applications

Harsh environment industries, such as automotive, aerospace, and military have enjoyed exemptions with the industry conversion from SnPb to lead free solder materials. However, most of these exemptions have expired, and the limited availability of SnPb compatible components have now forced most of these industries into using lead free solders. Previous thermal cycle and vibration testing have shown acceptable levels of reliability for industry standard lead free materials (SAC). However, few of these tests have included long-term isothermal aging within the testing environment. This paper discusses the long-term (over 1-year exposure at temperature) thermal cycle and vibration reliability performance of SAC (lead free) solder when exposed to higher temperature (75°C and above) aging (exceeding one year). The research performed investigates the reliability of a wide variety of grid array and leadless devices when exposed to long-term isothermal aging. ENIG, ImAg, and OSP, surfaces finishes are investigated for their impact on aging and reliability properties. The paper also explores “doping” SAC solders with industry available solder paste to improve solder joint performance for thermal cycling and vibration testing. Specific industry needs and the relationship with the reliability performance are addressed.
A weak Galerkin least-squares finite element method for div-curl systems

Abstract In this paper, we introduce a weak Galerkin least-squares method for solving div–curl problem. This finite element method leads to a symmetric positive definite system and has the flexibility to work with general meshes such as hybrid mesh, polytopal mesh and mesh with hanging nodes. Error estimates of the finite element solution are derived. The numerical examples demonstrate the robustness and flexibility of the proposed method.
Sums of polygons

Polygonal numbers are nonnegative integers constructed geometrically from the regular polygons. The triangular numbers, or triangles, count the number of points in the triangular array
Structure and Transformation. Clusters as Models for Condensed Phases

The special advantages and characteristic limitations of molecular clusters in investigations of the properties of condensed phases are evaluated. Clusters naturally lend themselves to the exploration of (1) the possible ways molecules can pack while undergoing various degrees of thermal agitation, and (2) the cooperative behavior of molecules in transitions between phases. Clusters can be studied experimentally, in expanding supersonic jets, or computationally, in molecular dynamics simulations. Of particular interest are clusters of polyatomic molecules because their structural diversity is much richer than that of atomic clusters. Novel phases not seen in the bulk have been generated, and explained. Extraordinarily rapid nucleation rates have been observed at the extremely high supercoolings that can be attained. Interfacial free energies of boundaries between liquid and solid phases have been inferred. Clusters are versatile and effective model systems of great promise in research on condensed matter.
Goal Programming Model Formulation Strategies

Controversy is a part of any modeling effort, particularly goal programming (GP) modeling. Unfortunately controversy in the way GP models are formulated and presented in the literature has undoubtedly lead to many useful and potentially great models being rejected in the review process for publication. There is need for both the creators of GP models and journal reviewers to understand some of the basics and confusing issues of GP model formulation that exist in the literature.
Metal impacts on microbial biomass in the anoxic sediments of a contaminated lake

Little is known about the long-term impacts of metal contamination on the microbiota of anoxic lake sediments. In this study, we examined microbial biomass and metals (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, and zinc) in the sediments of Lake DePue, a backwater lake located near a former zinc smelter. Sediment core samples were examined using two independent measures for microbial biomass (total microscopic counts and total phospholipid-phosphate concentrations), and for various fractions of each metal (pore water extracts, sequential extractions, and total extracts of all studied metals and zinc speciation by X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS). Zinc concentrations were up to 1000 times higher than reported for sediments in the adjacent Illinois River, and ranged from 21,400 mg/kg near the source to 1,680 mg/kg near the river. However, solid metal fractions were not well correlated with pore water concentrations, and were not good predictors of biomass concentrations. Instead, biomass, which varied among sites by as much as two-times, was inversely correlated with concentrations of pore water zinc and arsenic as established by multiple linear regression. Monitoring of other parameters known to naturally influence biomass in sediments (e.g., organic carbon concentrations, nitrogen concentrations, pH, sediment texture, and macrophytes) revealed no differences that could explain observed biomass trends. This study provides strong support for control of microbial abundance by pore water metal concentrations in contaminated freshwater sediments.
Some aspects of strange baryon decays

The SU(3) relations of the baryons’ semileptonic decays and the baryons magnetic moments are compared in a model to illustrate how SU(3) breaking effects will appear. The baryon magnetic moments break SU(3) through the explicit quark mass-dependence whereas the g A/gV SU(3) breaking-effects are not so apparent.
Hardware Implementation of R-Goose for Wide-Area Protection and Coordination

With the evolution of substation automation standards (IEC61850), it is possible to share protection and control information over wide-area network (WAN). The modern microprocessor based intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) equipped with IEC61850 communication capability allows implementation of wide-area protection and coordination between different substations with the help of virtual local area network (VLAN). IEC 61850-90-1/90-5 offers detailed guidelines on implementing VLAN based communication between substations that would enable to transmit GOOSE messages over WAN. In this paper, the implementation of inter substation coordination via routable GOOSE (R-GOOSE) is demonstrated and distance protection with permissive under reaching transfer trip (PUTT) and interlocking applications between two substations are studied. The main goal of the study is to demonstrate basic R-GOOSE message implementation at a laboratory level for wide-area protection and coordination applications.
Autism Research: An Objective Quantitative Review of Progress and Focus Between 1994 and 2015

The nosology and epidemiology of Autism has undergone transformation following consolidation of once disparate disorders under the umbrella diagnostic, autism spectrum disorders. Despite this re-conceptualization, research initiatives, including the NIMH's Research Domain Criteria and Precision Medicine, highlight the need to bridge psychiatric and psychological classification methodologies with biomedical techniques. Combining traditional bibliometric co-word techniques, with tenets of graph theory and network analysis, this article provides an objective thematic review of research between 1994 and 2015 to consider evolution and focus. Results illustrate growth in Autism research since 2006, with nascent focus on physiology. However, modularity and citation analytics demonstrate dominance of subjective psychological or psychiatric constructs, which may impede progress in the identification and stratification of biomarkers as endorsed by new research initiatives.
Integrated Metamaterial Interfaces for Self-Aligned Fiber-to-Chip Coupling in Volume Manufacturing

Improving the scalability and cost efficiency of photonic packaging is central to fulfilling the silicon photonic promise of low-cost devices with unprecedented optical complexity. A key enabler toward this goal is an efficient, large-mode, integrated fiber coupler and mode converter. Using standard fiber modes at fiber-to-chip junctions avoids expensive in-fiber mode conversion and relaxes alignment tolerances for low-cost assembly and improved reliability. Metamaterial waveguides, also called subwavelength gratings, are particularly useful for such structures. They provide unmatched design flexibility and, counter-intuitively, are more forgiving to fabrication tolerances than solid-core waveguides. Here, we summarize our work on interfacing self-aligned, standard cleaved fibers to rectangular Si routing waveguides. Fiber V-grooves are integrated on chip with metamaterial converters embedded in suspended oxide membranes to prevent coupler-mode leakage to the substrate. We show optical results from first integration of V-grooves with metamaterial converters to commercial structures fabricated in 300 mm CMOS production facilities. We demonstrate a peak transmission of −0.7 dB on the TE polarization and –1.4 dB on the TM polarization with a respective spectral roll-off of 0.3 and 0.4 dB over the 60 nm bandwidth measured.
Application of transfer learning for cancer drug sensitivity prediction

In precision medicine, scarcity of suitable biological data often hinders the design of an appropriate predictive model. In this regard, large scale pharmacogenomics studies, like CCLE and GDSC hold the promise to mitigate the issue. However, one cannot directly employ data from multiple sources together due to the existing distribution shift in data. One way to solve this problem is to utilize the transfer learning methodologies tailored to fit in this specific context. In this paper, we present two novel approaches for incorporating information from a secondary database for improving the prediction in a target database. The first approach is based on latent variable cost optimization and the second approach considers polynomial mapping between the two databases. Utilizing CCLE and GDSC databases, we illustrate that the proposed approaches accomplish a better prediction of drug sensitivities for different scenarios as compared to the existing approaches. We have compared the performance of the proposed predictive models with database-specific individual models as well as existing transfer learning approaches. We note that our proposed approaches exhibit superior performance compared to the abovementioned alternative techniques for predicting sensitivity for different anti-cancer compounds, particularly the nonlinear mapping model shows the best overall performance.
A Failure of Collective Intelligence

This paper examines the impact of social influence on collective intelligence that causes the divergence of individual decisions from the expected collective decision. An important application of collective intelligence is national election predictions, which may encounter spectacular failures. While experts have provided various explanations, this paper posits that such influence among different types of voters is the primary reason. The 2015 UK Election as a case was studied, which demonstrates that such influence is intrinsic to collective intelligence. This paper then proposes a social influence-based prediction model to remedy these failures. Experiments demonstrate that the new model can account for the existence of such social influence.
Maternal titanium dioxide nanomaterial inhalation exposure compromises placental hemodynamics.

Abstract The fetal consequences of gestational engineered nanomaterial (ENM) exposure are unclear. The placenta is a barrier protecting the fetus and allowing transfer of substances from the maternal circulation. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of maternal pulmonary titanium dioxide nanoparticle (nano-TiO2) exposure on the placenta and umbilical vascular reactivity. We hypothesized that pulmonary nano-TiO2 inhalation exposure increases placental vascular resistance and impairs umbilical vascular responsiveness. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed via whole-body inhalation to nano-TiO2 with an aerodynamic diameter of 188 ± 0.36 nm. On gestational day (GD) 11, rats began inhalation exposures (6 h/exposure). Daily lung deposition was 87.5 ± 2.7 μg. Animals were exposed for 6 days for a cumulative lung burden of 525 ± 16 μg. On GD 20, placentas, umbilical artery and vein were isolated, cannulated, and treated with acetylcholine (ACh), angiotensin II (ANGII), S-nitroso-N-acetyl-DL-penicillamine (SNAP), or calcium-free superfusate (Ca2+-free). Mean outflow pressure was measured in placental units. ACh increased outflow pressure to 53 ± 5 mmHg in sham-controls but only to 35 ± 4 mmHg in exposed subjects. ANGII decreased outflow pressure in placentas from exposed animals (17 ± 7 mmHg) compared to sham-controls (31 ± 6 mmHg). Ca2+-free superfusate yielded maximal outflow pressures in sham-control (63 ± 5 mmHg) and exposed (30 ± 10 mmHg) rats. Umbilical artery endothelium-dependent dilation was decreased in nano-TiO2 exposed fetuses (30 ± 9%) compared to sham-controls (58 ± 6%), but ANGII sensitivity was increased (−79 ± 20% vs −36 ± 10%). These results indicate that maternal gestational pulmonary nano-TiO2 exposure increases placental vascular resistance and impairs umbilical vascular reactivity.
Circadian communication between unicells? Effects on period by cell-conditioning of medium.

Populations ofGonyaulax polyedra, in two different phases, about 11 h apart, were mixed, and the intensity of their spontaneous bioluminescence glow recorded for about 2 wk under conditions of constant dim (35±3 μE/m2/s) white light and constant temperature (19.0±0.3°C). The phases and amplitudes of glow signals recorded from mixed cultures were compared with those obtained from the arithmetic sum of the intensity data from two control vials. Peaks in control cultures generally remained separate, but there was a spontaneous increase in the period beginning 6–11 d after the onset of constant conditions. This did not occur in cultures in which the medium was exchanged with fresh medium every 2 d. In the actual mixes of two cultures there was a merging of the two subpeaks in the signal, which did not occur when the medium was exchanged. The results indicate that conditioning of the medium by cells may affect the period of the circadian rhythm and that this might result in a type of communication.
Classic dynamic fracture recovered as the limit of a nonlocal peridynamic model: The single edge notch in tension

A simple nonlocal field theory of peridynamic type is applied to model brittle fracture. The fracture evolution is shown to converge in the limit of vanishing nonlocality to classic plane elastodynamics with a running crack. The kinetic relation for the crack is recovered directly from the nonlocal model in the limit of vanishing nonlocality. We carry out our analysis for a single crack in a plate subject to mode one loading. The convergence is corroborated by numerical experiments.
Cardiovascular contributions to dementia: beyond individual risk factors.

Dementia poses a serious public health threat worldwide. The number of people living with dementia more than doubled between 1990 and 2016, from 20.2 million to 43.8 million individuals, primarily due to an increasingly older population (Nichols et al., 2019). Dementia is the fifth leading cause of death globally and causes substantial disability (Nichols et al., 2019). With no cure, these trends are projected to continue for the foreseeable future. Thus, we desperately need a better understanding of dementia risk mechanisms to advance prevention strategies for this devastating disease.
Empirical investigation of the relationship of privacy, security and trust with behavioral intention to transact in e-commerce

Privacy and security concerns of consumers have been touted as one of the hindrances in the growth of e-commerce. These concerns increase risk perception of consumers. Understanding the consequences of privacy and security concerns, and their relationship to risk perceptions may provide a solution. The relationship between privacy and security is investigated using the Theory of Planned Behavior. The model proposed in this study, investigates the relationship of trust, privacy and security concerns to the risk perception adoption of e-commerce. The results from a field study validate the model.
Interrogating Practice or Show and Tell?: Using a Digital Portfolio to Anchor a Professional Learning Community of Science Teachers.

Teachers continuously engage in the relational work of sensemaking with students, but they generally do so isolated from colleagues, making individual decisions about their classrooms. Professional...
A comparison of deterministic refinement techniques for wind farm layout optimization

Abstract With over 200 wind farm projects underway in 33 states in America, now more than ever, innovation and precision are necessary in wind farm design. The Wind Farm Layout Optimization Problem (WFLOP) calls for optimally positioning turbines within a wind farm so that a particular objective function is optimized in the presence of wake effect. To make the WFLOP tractable, many solution methods begin by modeling the wind farm as a n x n square grid where the centers of each of the n 2 cells serve as potential locations for wind turbines. After making this modeling assumption, there are 2 n 2 potential layouts to consider, and so heuristic algorithms are often employed in order to search the solution space and generate a near-optimal layout. In this paper, we propose a local, continuous refinement technique that seeks to improve the layouts generated by these heuristic algorithms. In particular, we consider the objective function Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) and capture wake using the simple, yet effective, Jensen Model. Given the anemometer data for two potential wind farm sites, we begin by generating initial layouts using a specific heuristic algorithm (the Distributed Genetic Algorithm) and then refine these layouts using our proposed continuous, deterministic refinement scheme. We compare the performance of this deterministic refinement technique to another deterministic refinement technique in the space: a Heuristic Hill-climbing approach. Results suggest that our refinement technique outperforms the compared refinement technique by generating layouts that increase overall energy production, consequently reducing the LCOE. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to compare refinement techniques in wind farm layout optimization, and in doing so, we employ a simulation framework that examines the energy production of the generated wind farm layouts for 10 min intervals.
Market Manipulation Schemes at Option Expiration

This paper discusses market manipulation schemes on option expiration dates. We show that under ordinary circumstances, writers, but not holders, would have an incentive to manipulate the expiration of standard options, but both are incentivized to manipulate cash-settled options. Using our baseline results, we examine profits and incentives for a number of common option strategies. We then discuss a number of novel changes in modern option markets, such as automatic (as opposed to optional) exercise, different methods of calculating settlement prices, and passive exit strategies, and how these innovations affect the incentives to manipulate. Finally, we discuss manipulation for positional as opposed to profit-taking motives and examine several recent regulatory cases involving option manipulation.
Phenotypic and Phylogenetic Characterization of Cu Homeostasis among Xylella fastidiosa Strains.

Xylella fastidiosa is a bacterial pathogen causing severe diseases and asymptomatic colonization in more than 600 plants worldwide. Copper (Cu) is a widely used antimicrobial treatment for various plant diseases, including those affecting X. fastidiosa hosts. Cu homeostasis among X. fastidiosa strains from different geographical locations and host species has not been characterized. Here, we assessed minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Cu for 54 X. fastidiosa strains. We observed strain-level variation in MIC values within each subspecies. We hypothesized that these differences could be explained by sequence variation in Cu homeostasis genes. Phylogenies based on copA, copB, copL, and cutC were created using 74 genomes (including 43 strains used in vitro) of X. fastidiosa, showing that the phylogenetic clustering of Cu homeostasis associated with clustering was based on core genome phylogenies, rather than on pattern of MIC. No association was found among Cu MIC, subspecies classification, and host and location of isolation, probably due to uneven and limited group of strains whose genomes are available. Further analysis focused on a subgroup of isolates from Georgia’s vineyards that shared similar Cu-related phenotypes. Further research is needed to better understand the distribution of Cu homeostasis for this pathogen.
PROCESS TOMOGRAPHY FOR MODEL FREE ADAPTIVE CONTROL (MFAC) VIA FLOW REGIME IDENTIFICATION IN MULTIPHASE FLOWS

Abstract Multiphase flows are frequently found with oil/gas/water/sand in the oil & gas industries, in processes handling dry particulates such as fluidized bed and particulate flow and slurries and sedimentation, to quote a few industrial applications. All these processes have different flow regimes with characteristic distribution of the different materials in the flow. With increasing sensor data from processes and associated possibilities for data fusion, process tomography offers non-intrusive real time sensing methods for identifying these flow regimes, which in certain cases can lead to hazards to personnel and plants in the process industries. In this paper, two scenarios of control using process tomography are presented from the oil and gas industries and powder technology. Twin plane Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT) with a plethora of other sensors for measuring pressure, flow rate in two phase flow involving water and air is one application. The other is particulate flow in a fluidized bed. In the case of water and air, ECT was used in a multiphase flow loop with different combinations of air and water mass flow rates enabling the generation of different flow regimes. In the case of particulate flow, different scenarios of flow conditions were generated using particulates and observing the flow regimes based on the distribution and flow rate of the particulates. For the identification of flow regimes, capacitance values from the 12-electrode ECT module at a rate of 100 frames in 200ms, were logged in for data analytics. In the final stages of using the processed data, in the case of two-phase flow 5 outputs consisting of the identified flow regimes, viz. plug, slug, annular, stratified and wavy flows were used as inputs for control and decision making. Similarly, in particulate flow ECT data were used to estimate the air velocity for fluidization as well as in identifying slug and plug flow, which are valuable to the process engineer in determining the range of air velocities for safe operation of the system used for particulate transport, often involving fluidization bed and pipelines. Tomography is used to discern features and tomometry is used in implementing the algorithms.
Compressive sensing for polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography

In this work, we reported on the implementation of compressive sensing (CS) and sparse sampling in polarization - sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) to reduce the number of B-scans (frames consisting of an array of A-scans, where each represents a single depth profile of reflections) required for effective volumetric (3D dataset composed of an array of B-scans) PS-OCT measurements (i.e., OCT intensity, and phase retardation) reconstruction. Sparse sampling of PS-OCT is achieved through randomization of step sizes along slow-axis of PS-OCT imaging, covering the same spatial ranges as those with equal slow-axis step sizes, but with a reduced number of B-scans. Tested on missing B-scan rates of 25%, 50% and 75%, we found CS could reconstruct reasonably good (as evidenced by a correlation coefficient > 0.6) PS-OCT measurements with a maximum reduced B-scan rate of 50%, thereby accelerating and doubling the rate of volumetric PS-OCT measurements.
Responding to Children’s Diverse Gender Expression: Validation of a Parent-Report Measure of Gender-Related Conditional Regard

Epidemiological studies suggest that more youth are identifying as gender expansive (e.g., transgender, gender nonconforming) than ever before. However, due to stressors like discrimination, gender...
Teaching Presence in Online Courses: Similar Perceptions but Different Experiences from Multiple Instructor Perspectives

Online course instructors’ perceptions and perspectives regarding their teaching presence as a key presence in online learning environments significantly influence, if not determine, their online teaching practices, which in turn influence the quality of online students’ learning experiences. Although gaining deeper insights into online course instructors’ perceptions and experiences of teaching presence is quite important and valuable for online education, there is still limited qualitative inquiry into this critical presence across diverse online teaching contexts. The purpose in this qualitative, multiple case study was to explore and understand online course instructors’ perceptions and experiences regarding their own presence in their online courses. We explored the perceptions and experiences of eight course instructors teaching undergraduate and graduate-level online courses at a midwestern U.S. college. Our findings indicated that teaching presence was uniformly considered important and necessary by the instructors although their applications and priorities regarding their teaching presence varied. We discussed our themes that emerged from our interview data and offered several theoretical and practical implications regarding teaching presence in online learning environments.
Optimization of a low noise detection circuit for probing the structure of damage cascades with IBIC

Abstract Optimal detector / pre-amplifier combinations have been identified for the use of light ion IBIC (ion beam induced charge) to probe the physical structure of electrically active defects in damage cascades caused by heavy ion implantation. The ideal detector must have a sufficiently thin dead layer that incident ions will produce the majority of damage cascades in the depletion region of the detector rather than the dead layer. Detector and circuit noise must be low enough to detect the implantation of a single heavy ion as well as the decrease in the light ion IBIC signal caused by Shockley-Read-Hall recombination when the beam scans regions of the detector damaged by the heavy ion. The IBIC signals from three detectors irradiated with 750 keV He + ions are measured with commercial and bespoke charge sensitive pre-amplifiers to identify the combination with the lowest noise.
Light-stable rhodopsin. II. An opsin mutant (TRP-265—-Phe) and a retinal analog with a nonisomerizable 11-cis configuration form a photostable chromophore.

In order to prepare a completely light-stable rhodopsin, we have synthesized an analog, II, of 11-cis retinal in which isomerization at the C11-C12 cis-double bond is blocked by formation of a cyclohexene ring from the C10 to C13-methyl. We used this analog to generate a rhodopsin-like pigment from opsin expressed in COS-1 cells and opsin from rod outer segments (Bhattacharya, S., Ridge, K.D., Knox, B.E., and Khorana, H. G. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 6763-6769). The pigment (lambda max, 512 nm) formed from opsin and analog II (rhodospin-II) showed ground state properties very similar to those of rhodopsin, but was not entirely stable to light. In the present work, 12 opsin mutants (Ala-117----Phe, Glu-122----Gln(Ala, Asp), Trp-126----Phe(Leu, Ala), Trp-265----Ala(Tyr, Phe), Tyr-268----Phe, and Ala-292----Asp), where the mutations were presumed to be in the retinal binding pocket, were reconstituted with analog II. While all mutants formed rhodopsin-like pigments with II, blue-shifted (12-30 nm) chromophores were obtained with Ala-117----Phe, Glu-122----Gln(Ala), Trp-126----Leu(Ala), and Trp-265----Ala(Tyr, Phe) opsins. The extent of chromophore formation was markedly reduced in the mutants Ala-117----Phe and Trp-126----Ala. Upon illumination, the reconstituted pigments showed varying degrees of light sensitivity; the mutants Trp-126----Phe(Leu) showed light sensitivity similar to wild-type. Continuous illumination of the mutants Glu-122----Asp, Trp-265----Ala, Tyr-268----Phe, and Ala-292----Asp resulted in hydrolysis of the retinyl Schiff base. Markedly reduced light sensitivity was observed with the mutant Trp-265----Tyr, while the mutant Trp-265----Phe was light-insensitive. Consistent with this result, the mutant Trp-265----Phe showed no detectable light-dependent activation of transducin or phosphorylation by rhodopsin kinase.
Catalogs, indexes, and full text databases : An integrative approach to accessing government literature

Abstract Persistent themes in modern librarianship have included the importance of online catalogs in recording local holdings, the ability of indexes to extend the subject and descriptive analysis of these catalogs, and the desirability of mainstreaming government publications with non-governmental literature. These themes have been reaffirmed, but in another sense challenged by recent developments in online public access catalogs (OPACs), commercial indexing services such as Lexis/Nexis, and government produced full text databases such as GPO Access. records in an OPAC centering on the use of direct links to online resources is one of the more concrete and practical forms of such integration. However, the required maintenance may not be a cost effective or desirable use of Staff time.
Unemployment, underemployment, and mental health: conceptualizing employment status as a continuum.

The economy is one of the most important social environments that affect well-being, and community psychologists have long studied the social costs of one key economic stressor—job loss. But economically inadequate employment has received much less research attention than unemployment in regard to mental health effects. This paper contrasts these two literatures and considers factors that might account for their differential growth including actual rates of unemployment and underemployment. Recent panel studies offer no support for another possible basis for this differential growth—the assumption that inadequate employment is more like adequate employment than unemployment. Implications of a paradigm shift from a dichotomous perspective (employment vs. unemployment) to a continuum perspective with variations of both unemployment and employment are discussed for research and prevention. Another implication is the need to expand standard labor force statistics to reflect better the degree of underemployment.
Legal discovery: Does domain expertise matter?

The study investigates whether legal expertise matters to find more relevant documents during the discovery phase of a request for information.
Antigenic and structural studies on the transforming proteins of Rous sarcoma virus and Yamaguchi 73 avian sarcoma virus.

Abstract A widely cross reactive antiserum raised against denatured pp60 v-src the transforming protein encoded by Rous sarcoma virus, was used to test antigenic relationships with the transforming gene products encoded by other avian sarcoma viruses. The results showed that P90 gag-yes , the transforming protein of a representative of Class III avian sarcoma viruses, is antigenically related to pp60 v-src . Tryptic phosphopeptide analysis of P90 gag-yes revealed two phosphotyrosine-containing peptides and one phosphoserine-containing peptide. One of the phosphotyrosine-containing peptides comigrated with the phosphotyrosine-containing tryptic peptide from pp60 v-src .
Analysing disequilibrium exchange-rate systems in developing countries

Abstract Many developing economies have imposed quantitative restrictions on their international trade and tight control on capital movements. Disequilibrium balance-of-payments models developed to capture this restrictive trade regime demonstrate that the effects of a devaluation from an initial situation of disequilibrium with rationing can differ substantially from those predicted by traditional balance-of-payments models. Recent extensions to such models show that the effects of any policy measures depend critically on the initial disequilibrium conditions. Attempts at liberalizing trade and payments regimes have stimulated further analysis on the process of ‘opening up’ a developing economy. This work highlights the interaction between balance-of-payments current and capital accounts.
Trends in near-infrared analysis

Abstract There has been a renewed interest in the near-infrared spectroscopic region. The use of multivariate mathematical techniques have allowed the spectroscopist to overcome the disadvantages inherent in the near-infrared, which include low absorptivities and overlapping of bands. The present activity and future trends of near-infrared analysis are discussed.
The influence of context and UCS intensity on the UCS preexposure effect in a flavor aversion paradigm

Abstract Three studies were conducted to evaluate the influence of environmental context and UCS preexposure intensity on the acquisition of a flavor aversion. In the first study, rats were exposed to two UCS-alone presentations at one of three dose levels of LiCl. The rats were given the two UCS preexposures in one of two contexts (familiar or novel). Following the UCS-alone treatment, all of the subjects received two pairings of sucrose and LiCl (1.25 meq) in the familiar context. Animals receiving UCS preexposures in the same context as used during conditioning consumed significantly more sucrose than did saline control animals. In contrast, the influence of prior UCS preexposure was not evident when UCS preexposure was experienced in a context different from that experienced during conditioning. In Experiment 2, all animal received UCS preexposure and conditioning in the novel room. Animals received either two or four preexposures at 0, 1.25, or 3.75 meq dose of LiCl. Two UCS preexposures at 3.75 meq dose produced a stronger UCS preexposure effect than did the 1.25 meq dose. Animals in Experiment 3 received two exposures to either 0-, 1.25-, or 3.75-meq LiCl in one of two contexts, followed by conditioning with the 1.25-meq LiCl dose in the same context as preexposure. Greater UCS interference occurred in animals preexposed to LiCl in the novel rather than familiar environment, with no specific dose effects in either context. These observations are discussed in terms of context blocking and generalization decrement models of the UCS preexposure effect.
Plasma gonadotropins in prenatal and prepubertal female mice: disorganization of pubertal cycles in the absence of a male.

Plasma concentrations of FSH and LH were determined in prenatal and prepubertal female mice. FSH titers were already higher than adult diestrous levels before birth, peaked at over 3 times adult proestrous-estrous levels at 10 days of age, and decreased steadily thereafter. Circulating LH averaged somewhat higher than adult diestrous levels from days –2 to IS of life. Vagmal opening and the first cornified smear occurred later among females weaned and grouped at 21 days of age than among females isolated at that time. The first vaginal and uterine cycles of isolated females were studied in more detail and were found to be out of phase with each other, to be exceptionally prolonged, and sometimes anovulatory as shown both by the absence of oviductal eggs and the lack of normal pre- and postovulatory changes in circulating gonadotropins. Anovulatory cycles were more common among younger females than among those achieving their first full vaginal cycle at a more advanced age. (Endocrinology 94: 492, 1974)
Comments from the Center for Biosecurity of UPMC on proposed revisions to federal quarantine rules.

On November 30, 2005, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) proposed changes to federal quarantine regulations (42 CFR Parts 70 and 71). As stated in the proposed rules, the intent of changes is "to clarify and strengthen existing procedures to enable CDC to respond more effectively to current and potential communicable disease threats."1 Parts 70 and 71 of 42 CFR authorize the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make and enforce regulations "as in his judgement are necessary to prevent the introduction, transmission, and spread of communicable diseases" from foreign countries (Part 71) and between states (Part 70).1 The Center for Biosecurity of UPMC reviewed the proposed revisions to the quarantine regulations and submitted to CDC the following analysis as its official comments on the revised rules.
Climate and habitat reconstruction using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of collagen in prehistoric herbivore teeth from Kenya

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios have been determined for tooth collagen of 27 prehistoric herbivores from a rock shelter in the central Rift Valley of Kenya. Collagen samples whose isotope ratios were not altered by diagenesis were identified using several analytical methods. During the later Holocene, when the climate was as dry or drier than at present, the isotopic compositions of individual animals are similar to those of modern individuals of the same species. During the earlier Holocene, when the climate was wetter than at present, the δ15N and δ13C values are lower than those for their modern counterparts. When diagenetic factors can be discounted and adequate modern comparative data are available, stable isotope analysis of herbivore teeth and bones can be used to evaluate prehistoric climate and habitat conditions.
Emerging market hedge funds in the United States

Abstract This paper compares the performance and capital flow to emerging market hedge funds located in the US with those of the funds located in other countries. I find that the US funds on average provided neither a positive risk-adjusted return nor a liquidity premium to compensate for the stronger share restrictions they imposed than the other funds during 1994–2012. Quarterly flow to the US funds was 1.25 to 7.88 times higher but it was less sensitive to past performance. Smart money effect was observed among the Caribbean funds, Hong Kong funds and Singapore funds, but not among the US funds.
Suprastomal collapse complicating pediatric tracheotomy

Decannulation after long-term tracheotomy in children can fail because of suprastomal tracheal collapse. Management of such acquired lesions is difficult and various techniques have been described. Internal stenting and pexing procedures are disappointing in severe cases. External stenting using costal cartilage grafting is preferred.
Differential interactions between strains of Rhizorhapis, Sphingobium, Sphingopyxis or Rhizorhabdus and accessions of Lactuca spp. with respect to severity of corky root disease

Over 100 isolates of Rhizorhapis suberifaciens, Sphingobium (Sb.) sp., Sb. mellinum, Sb. xanthum, Rhizorhabdus sp., and Sphingopyxis sp. (Sphingomonodaceae) were tested for pathogenicity on lettuce (Lactuca sativa) cultivars Salinas and Green Lakes, susceptible and resistant, respectively, or their resistant descendent breeding line (B.L.) 440-8, to R. suberifaciens type strain CA1T. Rhizorhabdus sp. CA15 and NL2, R. suberifaciens CA3, and Sphingopyxis CA32 were equally virulent to Green Lakes or B.L. 440-8 and Salinas. Over 40 accessions from four Lactuca species were tested for resistance to R. suberifaciens CA1T/CA3 or Rhizorhabdus sp. CA15/NL2. All lettuce accessions with resistance to CA1T were susceptible to isolates CA15, NL2 and/or CA3. None of the Lactuca lines were highly resistant to all four isolates. There was a significant differential interaction between eight Lactuca lines and ten isolates of Rhizorhapis and related genera with respect to corky root severity. Three strains of isolates were distinguished: (i) isolates with a similar virulence pattern as R. suberifaciens CA1T, (ii) isolates with a virulence pattern similar to that of R. suberifaciens CA3 and Sphingopyxis sp. CA32, and (iii) isolates of Rhizorhabdus being moderately aggressive to all Lactuca lines. Thus, strains belonging to several genera can cause similar symptoms (a rare phenomenon) but have different virulence patterns on Lactuca species and cultivars.