cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Visual and Proprioceptive Motion Feedback on Human Control of Targeted Movement

This research seeks to ascertain the relative value of visual and proprioceptive motion feedback during force-based control of a non-self entity like a powered prosthesis. Accurately controlling such a device is very difficult when the operator cannot see or feel the movement that results from applied forces. As an analogy to prosthesis use, we tested the relative importance of visual and proprioceptive motion feedback during targeted force-based movement. Thirteen human subjects performed a virtual finger-pointing task in which the virtual finger's velocity was always programmed to be directly proportional to the MCP joint torque applied by the subject's right index finger. During successive repetitions of the pointing task, the system conveyed the virtual finger's motion to the user through four combinations of graphical display (vision) and finger movement (proprioception). Success rate, speed, and qualitative ease of use were recorded, and visual motion feedback was found to increase all three performance measures. Proprioceptive motion feedback significantly improved success rate and ease of use, but it yielded slower motions. The results indicate that proprioceptive motion feedback improves human control of targeted movement in both sighted and unsighted conditions, supporting the pursuit of artificial proprioception for prosthetics and underscoring the importance of motion feedback for other force-controlled human-machine systems, such as interactive virtual environments and teleoperators.
Predictors of final specialty choice by internal medicine residents

BACKGROUND: Sociodemographic factors and personality attributes predict career decisions in medical students. Determinants of internal medicine residents’ specialty choices have received little attention.
Electronic structures of three phases of zirconium oxide

Abstract The band structures and density of states of zirconium dioxide in the cubic, the tetragonal and the monoclinic phases have been calculated using a first-principles self-consistent orthogonalized LCAO method. Band gaps of 3.84, 4.11 and 4.51 eV are obtained respectively for the three phases. The valence bands and the lower conduction bands are all quite similar but become more flat in going from the cubic to the monoclinic phase. The valence bands are composed of two parts, an O 2s band centered at about −16 eV, and a higher mixed O 2p, Zr 4d band of about 4.97–5.90 eV width. The conduction band is mainly derived from the Zr 4d orbitals. Mulliken charge analysis gives effective charges of about 2.0 electrons for Zr and 7.0 electrons for O.
Cerebrospinal fluid leaks of the anterior skull base: Diagnosis and management

The management of the patient with possible or confirmed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea is both controversial and challenging. Clinical signs and symptoms may be subtle and radiologic studies difficult to interpret, especially if not performed with optimal technique. In this article we will discuss detection and localization of CSF leaks of the anterior skull base and will review options for repair.
Observations on the chemical composition of rain using short sampling times during a single event

Abstract Sequential samples of rain, each corresponding to 0.23 mm of rainfall, were collected during single precipitation events at a site in western Michigan and analysed for specific conductance, pH, SO2−4, NO−3, Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+. A rapid decrease in the concentration of all the measured components except H+ was observed during the initial portion of the event. The H+ concentration of the rainwater generally increased during the initial portion of the event. This converse relationship between the H+ concentration and the SO2−4 and NO−3 concentrations is attributed to the rapid washout of atmospheric particulates containing basic salts. Depending upon the type and duration of the event, this washout can cause 50% of the total SO2−4 and NO−3 deposition to occur during the first 15–20% of the total rainfall.
Performance Evaluation of Hybrid Cellular Manufacturing Systems Using Data Envelopment Analysis

Abstract Hybrid cellular manufacturing (CM) systems are well represented in manufacturing practice and thus constitute a fertile area of research. This work studies the performance of hybrid CM systems by means of data envelopment analysis (DEA). Since DEA allows for simultaneous analysis of multiple inputs and outputs of a system, it provides for a comprehensive investigation of CM performance under a wide variety of experimental conditions. For the purpose of measuring system efficiency, the number of machines and the degree of set up reduction are used as inputs, and flow time, work-in-progress (WIP) inventory and job tardiness are used as outputs. Results indicate that the hybrid systems in the study perform best at a low to intermediate degree of cellularization. ∗ This work was partially supported by NSF Grant Number 9320949 and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Advanced Technology Program Grant Number 003656–036.
Particulate organic carbon flux in the oceans—surface productivity and oxygen utilization

Organic detritus passing from the sea surface through the water column to the sea floor controls nutrient regeneration, fuels benthic life and affects burial of organic carbon in the sediment record1–3. Particle trap systems have enabled the first quantification of this important process. The results suggest that the dominant mechanism of vertical transport is by rapid settling of rare large particles, most likely of faecal pellets or marine snow of the order of >200 μm in diameter, whereas the more frequent small particles have an insignificant role in vertical mass flux4–6. The ultimate source of organic detritus is biological production in surface waters of the oceans. I determine here an empirical relationship that predicts organic carbon flux at any depth in the oceans below the base of the euphotic zone as a function of the mean net primary production rate at the surface and depth-dependent consumption. Such a relationship aids in estimating rates of decay of organic matter in the water column, benthic and water column respiration of oxygen in the deep sea and burial of organic carbon in the sediment record.
A Single-Step Affinity Column for Purification of Serotype-5 Based Adeno-associated Viral Vectors

Here we describe a single-step affinity column for purification of vectors based on adeno-associated virus type 5 (AAV5). A sialic-acid-rich protein called mucin was covalently attached to Sepharose and was found to bind AAV5 vectors. Elution with high salt efficiently recovered highly active vectors of greater purity than what is achieved with CsCl2 sedimentation.
Wave interactions in magnetohydrodynamics, and cosmic-ray-modified shocks

Multiple-scales perturbation methods are used to study wave interactions in magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), in one Cartesian space dimension, with application to cosmic-ray-modified shocks. In particular, the problem of the propagation and interaction of short wavelength MHD waves, in a large-scale background flow, modified by cosmic rays is studied. The wave interaction equations consist of seven coupled evolution equations for the backward and forward Alfven waves, the back-ward and forward fast and slow magnetoacoustic waves and the entropy wave. In the linear wave regime, the waves are coupled by wave mixing due to gradients in the background flow, cosmic-ray queezing instability effects, and damping due to the diffusing cosmic rays. In the most general case, the evolution equations also contain nonlinear wave interaction terms due to Burgers self wave steepening for the magnetoacoustic modes, resonant three wave interactions, and mean wave field interaction terms. The form of the wave interaction equations in the ideal MHD case is also diseased. Numerical simulations of the fully nonlinear cosmic ray MHD model equations are compared with spectral code solutions of the linear wave interaction equations for the case of perpendicular, cosmic-ray-modified shocks. The solutions are used to illustrate how the different wave modes can be generated by wave mixing, and the modification of the cosmic ray squeezing instability due to wave interactions. It is shown that the Alfven waves are couple to the magnetoacoustic and entropy waves due to linear wave mixing, only in background flows with non-zero field aligned electric current and/or vorticity (i.e. if B.⊇xB¬=0 and/or B.⊇xu¬=0, where B and u are the magnetic field induction and fluid velocity respectively).
Elementary Reaction Mechanism for Benzene Oxidation in Supercritical Water

Supercritical water (SCW) benzene oxidation data were modeled using a published, low-pressure ( 220 bar) conditions, new reaction pathways were added, and quantum Rice−Ramsperger−Kassel theory was used to calculate the rate coefficients and, hence, product selectivities for pressure dependent reactions. The most important difference between the benzene oxidation mechanism for SCW conditions and those for combustion conditions is reactions in SCW involving C6H5OO predicted to be formed by C6H5 reacting with O2. Through the adjustment of the rate coefficients of two thermal decomposition pathways of C6H5OO, whose values are unknown, the model accurately predicts the measured benzene and phenol concentration profiles at 813 K (540 °C), 246 bar, stoichiometric oxygen, and 3...
CD40 activation induces p53-dependent vascular endothelial growth factor secretion in human multiple myeloma cells

It was previously demonstrated that p53 status in human multiple myeloma (MM) cells regulates distinct cell cycle responses to CD40 activation. In this study, the production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and migration in MM cells triggered by CD40 activation was examined, and the influence of p53 status in regulating this process was determined. Two human MM cell lines that express wild-type p53 at permissive (28°C) and mutant p53 at restrictive (37°C) temperatures were used as a model system. CD40 activation induces a 4-fold (RPMI 8226) and a 6-fold (SV) increase in VEGF transcripts, respectively, under restrictive, but not permissive, temperatures. VEGF expression is significantly induced after CD40 activation in patient MM cells expressing mutant p53. Increased VEGF transcripts result in increased protein and secretion levels, as evidenced by immunoblotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In a double-chamber transmigration assay, CD40 activation of MM cells induced a 3-fold (RPMI 8226) and a 5-fold (SV) increase in migration under restrictive, but not permissive, conditions. A 2- to 8-fold induction in migration of patient MM cells expressing mutant p53 was similarly observed. Transduction of MM cells with a luciferase reporter under the control of a human VEGF promoter further indicated that CD40-induced VEGF expression was mediated through a transcriptional control mechanism. Finally, adenovirus-mediated wild-type p53 overexpression down-regulated CD40-induced VEGF expression and transmigration in MM cells expressing mutant p53. These studies demonstrate that CD40 induces VEGF secretion and MM cell migration, suggesting a role for CD40 in regulating MM homing and angiogenesis.
Large-area monolithic photonic crystal mirrors with high reflectivity in the 1250–1650nm band patterned by optical lithography

This paper describes large area (500 mum - 500 mum) monolithic 2-D photonic crystals (PC) for applications as high-reflectivity, broad-band mirrors in the near-IR (infra-red) spectrum. These large PC mirrors were patterned using an ASM-L i-line stepper to achieve minimum feature sizes of less than 100 nm. The reflectivity spectrum of the mirrors show that the high reflectivity (>90%) bands can be shifted in wavelength by varying the hole sizes of the photonic crystal to cover the 400 nm near-IR band from 1250 nm-1650 nm.
SOCIAL ECOLOGY AND RECIDIVISM: IMPLICATIONS FOR PRISONER REENTRY*

Despite the marked increase in incarceration over the past 30 years and the fact that roughly two thirds of released offenders are rearrested within 3 years of release, we know little about how the social ecology of the areas to which offenders return may influence their recidivism or whether it disproportionately affects some groups more than others. Drawing on recent scholarship on prisoner reentry and macrolevel predictors of crime, this study examines a large sample of prisoners released to Florida communities to investigate how two dimensions of social ecology—resource deprivation and racial segregation—may independently, and in interaction with specific populations, influence recidivism. The findings suggest that ecology indeed is consequential for recidivism, and it differentially influences some groups more than others. We discuss these findings and their implications for theory, research, and policy.
Observation of the rabbit cornea and lens with a new real‐time confocal scanning optical microscope

A new one-sided tandem scanning microscope (OTSM) has been utilized to optically section a transparent cornea and ocular lens with submicron depth and transverse resolution. Its high resolution, image quality, and contrast, together with color capability, real-time operation, and easy alignment, have advantages over previous confocal systems. Planes within the nuclei of surface epithelial cells, the epithelial basement membrane, nerve fibers, the interior of endothelial cells, and the transverse structure of the lens fibers are readily observed. The utility of real-time microscopic observation of live biological structures provides a new paradigm for cell biology and diagnostic ophthalmology.
Linear and nonlinear regression with stable errors

Abstract In this paper we describe methods and evaluate programs for linear regression by maximum likelihood when the errors have a heavy tailed stable distribution. The asymptotic Fisher information matrix for both the regression coefficients and the error distribution parameters are derived, giving large sample confidence intervals for all parameters. Simulated examples are shown where the errors are stably distributed and also where the errors are heavy tailed but are not stable, as well as a real example using financial data. The results are then extended to nonlinear models and to non-homogeneous error terms.
Coexpression Patterns of σB Regulators in Bacillus subtilis Affect σB Inducibility

RsbT is an essential component of the pathway that activates the Bacillus subtilis sigma(B) transcription factor in response to physical stress. rsbT is located within an operon that includes the genes for its principal negative regulator (RsbS) and the stress pathway component that it activates (RsbU), as immediate upstream and downstream neighbors. In the current work we demonstrate that RsbT's ability to function is strongly influenced by coexpression with these adjoining genes. When rsbT is expressed at a site displaced from rsbS and rsbU, RsbT accumulates but it is unable to activate sigma(B) following stress. RsbT activity is restored if rsbT is cotranscribed at the alternative site with the genes that normally abut it. Additionally, an rsbS allele whose product allows constitutively high RsbT-dependent sigma(B) activity displays this activity in rsbS merodiploid strains only when cotranscribed with rsbT and is recessive to a wild-type rsbS allele only if the wild-type rsbS gene is not cotranscribed with an rsbT gene of its own. The data suggest that RsbS and RsbT are synthesized in equivalent amounts and interact coincidently with their synthesis to form stable regulatory complexes that maintain RsbT in a state from which it can be stress activated.
Design of widely tunable semiconductor lasers using grating-assisted codirectional-coupler filters

The analysis and design of widely tunable semiconductor lasers using grating-assisted codirectional-coupler filtering in a vertical twin-guide structure are considered. An orthogonal coupled mode formalism is applied to obtain the important design parameters for the filter. It is shown that there is a tradeoff between tuning range and spectral purity when using this type of filter as an intracavity mode selector. Practical laser structures are presented, and design considerations and limitations are discussed for GaAs and InP material systems with lasing wavelengths around 0.98 and 1.55 mu m, respectively. >
The many lives of thalidomide

Tumor micro-environment plays a critical role in the survival of leukemic chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells. Several cytokines including interleukin (IL)- 6, vascular endothelial growth fact...
Fecal nickel excretion by healthy adults.

Nickel was measured by atomic absorption spectrometry in three-day collections of feces from healthy hospital workers (age 22-65) who had lived for more than a year in Hartford, Connecticut. None of the 10 subjects (4/♂ , 6/♀.) had occupational exposure to nickel. Fecal nickel averaged 3.3 µg/g (wet weight); SD, ±0.8; and range, 2.1 to 4.4 µg/g. Corresponding figures on a dry-weight basis were 14.2 µg/g; SD, ±2.7; and range, 10.8 to 18.7 µg/g. The fecal excretion of nickel averaged 258 µg/day (SD, ±126; range, 80 to 540 µg/day). Fecal excretion is evidently the major route for elimination of nickel from the human body. Comprehensive evaluations of environmental or occupational exposures to nickel should also include analyses of nickel in serum, urine, and hair.
Case Study for a Cohesive Sediment Transport Model for Matagorda Bay, Texas, with Coupled ADCIRC 2D-Transport and SWAN Wave Models

Tidal current and wave forces are the primary factors causing agitation, suspension, and transport of littoral materials in a bay. This paper presents a study of the circulation patterns of the water and sediment fluxes in a real bay during ordinary natural weather conditions. A coupled hydrodynamic and wave model is developed to support the research. A two-dimensional parallel advanced circulation hydrodynamic model with an extended transport module is used to calculate the water circulation within the bay, while the simulating wave nearshore model is implemented to provide the wave parameter data. The month of March 2003 is selected to represent the test case for the sediment transport model in Matagorda Bay, Tex. The presence of wave action significantly, increases the amount of suspended sediment, and consequently, more deposited sediments occur around the ship channel, where shallow shoals are located. Comparison of the simulated deposited sediments in the Matagorda ship channel with the two selected...
Eolian controlled modification of the martian south polar layered deposits

Data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) and Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) aboard the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) mission and the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) aboard the Mars Odyssey mission have revealed unique surface features in a particular region of the South Polar Layered Deposits (SPLD). The dominant morphology is large-scale quasi-parallel grooves that extend for hundreds of kilometers with only tens of meters of vertical relief, that we have termed here the “Wire Brush” terrain. The grooves are also transected by disjointed, yet roughly continuous, low-relief sinuous ridges that cross roughly perpendicular to the trend-direction of the large-scale grooves and show only tens of meters of relief. We interpret these ridges to be eroded remnants of folded layers. At the northern end of the large-scale grooves there are non-symmetric mounds. They are frequently preceded by a significant depression and/or trailing grooves that are parallel to the Wire Brush trend. We find that a two-stage process involving winds that intermittently remove a low-density crust exposing the underlying ice to ablation is the interpretation that best explains the multitude of features observed here. These features appear to be currently inactive indicating higher winds in previous epochs.
Discovering Price in All the Wrong Places: The Work of Commodity Definition and Price under Neoliberal Environmental Policy

Price plays a unique role in neoliberal economic theory, quantifying value and pro- viding markets with the information needed to produce equilibrium conditions and optimal social welfare. While the role of price is clear, the mechanisms by which prices are discovered, and by which the commodities they value are defined, are left obscure in neoliberal theory. Automatic price discovery, and self-evident commodity identities, are assumed. Observation of newly created markets in ecosystem services suggests that this is a moment of significant ten- sion within neoliberal practice, as potential market participants seek guidance from the state on appropriate commodity measures and pricing practices. Bureaucrats and economists, following the neoliberal preference for governance over government, turn the task back onto civil society. The invocation of abstract rules, instead of the formulation of practical guidance, by policy- makers means that the neoliberal marketization of non-market public goods is a contingent and sometimes rudderless task for those who must make markets work on the ground. This presents many opportunities for constructive engagement on the part of geographers and other critics of neoliberal strategy.
An algorithm for automatically tracking ablating boundaries

An algorithm has been developed which automatically calculates the time-dependent positions of points on the ablating boundaries of two-dimensional continuum structures with geometrially complex shapes. The structural boundary may consist of ablating and non-ablating parts. The initial ablating and non-ablating boundaries are defined by the disjoint union of piecewise linear arcs passing through a finite set of nodal points on the boundary, each defined by a pair of rectangular Cartesian co-ordinates. For a specified ablation rate, the algorithm calculates successive positions of the boundary points at times specifiec by the user. The algorithm is designed such that it may be easily incorporated, along with an automated mesh generation procedure, into existing finite element codes for transient thermal or stress analysis of structures with ablating boundaries. Two examples are presented from the field of solid rocket analysis.
Schizophrenic performance during interpersonal competitive conditions

Two equivalent forms of four standardized tests were administered to 41 schizophrenics, 36 patients with personality disorder diagnoses, and 36 employees at the Wyoming State Hospital. Each diagnostic group was divided into experimental and control groups; the experimental Ss from each diagnostic group took the second form of each test under paired, competitive conditions. The competitive conditions did not affect the experimental Ss' performance on any of the four tests to an acceptably significant level, although the experimental Ss from each diagnostic group performed better on a visual-motor task at a borderline level of significance. The results of the research are interpreted as supporting previous competition research that showed competitive conditions to be highly task-specific. The results do not support the numerous theories and some research studies that suggest that competitive conditions impair schizophrenic functioning.
When My Mom Was a Little Girl … : Gender Differences in Adolescents' Intergenerational and Personal Stories

Narratives about parents may help adolescents navigate their own experiences. Yet, research has not examined what adolescents know about their intergenerational past. Sixty-five 14- to 16-year-old middle-class, racially diverse adolescents narrated two stories about each parent's childhood, and 2 positive personal stories. Narratives were coded for structure (length, elaboration), theme (affiliation, achievement), and internal states. Mothers' stories were more elaborative, affiliative, and emotionally rich than fathers', which were more achievement focused. Girls' personal narratives were longer, more elaborative, and more emotionally rich than boys' and resembled narratives about mothers but not fathers. Adolescents may be narrating parents' experiences through gendered lens of the parent but personal experiences through their own gendered lens. Implications of intergenerational narratives for adolescent identity are discussed.
A Model of Household Heating Demand: Home Production with Satiety and an Endowment

A model of household indoor temperature choice is developed and empirically implemented taking into account that indoor temperature exhibits satiety, that temperature is an output of home production, and that there is a natural endowment of outdoor temperature. The model is applied to home heating choices and the welfare effects of an insulation retrofit requirement.
On the connection between the no free lunch theorem and the trivial property for recursively enumerable languages

We return to the no free lunch theorem, which is one of the most important theorems from the evolutionary computation foundations. We show that the no free lunch theorem can be interpreted as a trivial property of recursively enumerable languages. We demonstrate that if we consider not all problems and cost functions, i.e., a nontrivial property, the problem of finding the best evolutionary algorithm becomes Turing machine undecidable. We also demonstrate, that in spite of this negative result, the task of search for the best evolutionary computation operator is not so futile. In fact, evolutionary computation itself, being nonalgorithmic, may allow to find the best evolutionary operator in infinity, and to increase indefinitely its quality in the finite time.
Brain Stimulation Reward Performance and Sucrose Maintained Behaviors in Alcohol‐Preferring and ‐Nonpreferring Rats

Background: The relation between ethanol (EtOH) preference and sensitivity to brain stimulation reward (BSR) was examined under multiples schedules of reinforcement in the current study. For comparison, the study also examined the relation between EtOH preference and motivation for a sweet, palatable sucrose solution under similar schedules of reinforcement. Methods: To investigate sensitivity to BSR performance, alcohol-preferring and -nonpreferring rats were tested using the curve-shift (rate-frequency) paradigm under several intensity levels during a 20-min session. Animals were first trained under an optimal current intensity, which produced maximal responding (i.e., 100%) across a series of descending frequencies (i.e., 300–20 Hz). BSR was then evaluated at 100%, 75%, and 50% of the optimal current. The sensitivity of the curve-shift method was further evaluated under the animal's optimal current using the FR1, FR6, and FR12 schedules. To examine responding for the sucrose solution, a separate group of alcohol-preferring and -nonpreferring rats was initially stabilized on an FR1 schedule and then subsequently on FR6 and FR12 schedules. Results: The results demonstrated that reducing the reinforcing efficacy of BSR via reduction in current intensity/reinforcement schedule produced marked orderly rightward shifts in the rate-frequency curves relating responding to stimulation frequency in both rat lines. However, no differences were found between the lines with either manipulation. Specifically, both lines demonstrated orderly reductions in response rate and increases in BSR threshold parameters (i.e., half maximal frequency/responding, minimum and maximum frequencies). In contrast to BSR, genetic selection for EtOH preference was highly associated with responding for the sweet, palatable sucrose solution. The association was even more salient as the reinforcement schedule increased (i.e., reward cost). Conclusion: The results demonstrate that responding for BSR is not associated with EtOH preference, insofar as alcohol-preferring and -nonpreferring rats respond similarly under an array of reinforcement schedules and current intensities. In contrast, genetic selection for EtOH preference is highly associated with responding for a palatable sucrose reward, and the relation increases as the reward cost for the sucrose increases. These findings suggest that similar/overlapping mechanisms of action regulate the reinforcing properties of EtOH and sucrose but that overlapping yet distinct neuronal mechanism may modulate the reward characteristics of BSR and EtOH preference.
Multicomponent affinity radial flow chromatography

Abstract Radial flow chromatography can provide high volumetric flow rates with small bed pressures. It is advantageous for use in affinity chromatography in which resolution requirements can be easily achieved because of highly selective biospecific binding. In this work a general multicomponent kinetic rate model has been formulated for the simulation of various aspects of radial flow affinity chromatography. The model accounts for radial dispersion, external mass transfer, intraparticle diffusion, second-order kinetics, and reactions between soluble ligands and the macromolecules in the elution stage of affinity chromatography. The model is solved with an efficient and robust numeric procedure that uses the finite element, the orthogonal collocation, and the Gear's stiff methods. Kinetic effects have been studied and compared with mass transfer effects. The three stages of affinity chromatography—frontal adsorption, wash, and elution—have been simulated. The effects of the concentration and the affinity of the soluble ligands used in the elution stage have been discussed.
Efficient broadcasting via rateless coding in multihop wireless networks with local information

The problem of reliable and energy-efficient one-to-all broadcasting in multihop wireless networks is investigated in this paper and a low-complexity and scalable scheme (referred to as FTS) is proposed. This scheme utilizes rateless coding and the broadcasting nature of wireless channels to reduce the cost of broadcasting. In FTS, raw data is first encoded, and each node requires to send only a fraction of the total encoded packets. We compare our schemes with present energy-efficient methods such as Network Coding (NC), Multipoint Relaying (MPR), Broadcast Incremental Power (BIP), and Collaborative Rateless Broadcast (CRBcast). Our simulations reveal that our scheme performs well in comparison with these strategies, while having lower complexity and higher adaptability in comparison with some of them.
A Regional Model Study of the Importance of Local versus Remote Controls of the 1988 Drought and the 1993 Flood over the Central United States.

Abstract Regional model experiments for the drought period of May-June-July (MJJ) 1988 and the flood period of MJJ 1993 over the Central Plains of the United States are conducted to study the contribution of local versus nonlocal processes to the maintenance and/or enhancement of the conditions. It is found that the effect of local recycling of evaporated water is not important for the overall development of these two extreme climatic regimes as compared to the effect of large-scale moisture fluxes and synoptic cyclonic activity. In fact, sensitivity experiments indicate that in the Upper Mississippi Basin (UMB) the main effect of decreased evaporation associated with dry soil conditions at the beginning of the simulated periods is to increase buoyancy, dynamically sustain convection, and increase precipitation, thereby providing a negative feedback mechanism for the drought-flood conditions. Overall, the model shows a reasonably good performance in simulating various characteristics of surface climatolog...
Geometry models of porous media based on Voronoi tessellations and their porosity-permeability relations

In this paper, we present methods that directly model the random structure of porous media using Voronoi tessellations. Three basic structures were generated and they correspond to porous medium geometries with intersecting fractures (granular), interconnected tubes (tubular), and fibers (fibrous). Fluid flow through these models was solved by a massively parallelized lattice Boltzmann code. We established the porosity-permeability relations for these basic geometry models. It is found that, for granular and tubular geometries, the specific surface area is a critical structural parameter that can bring their porosity-permeability relations together under a unified Kozeny-Carman equation. A connected fracture network, superimposed on the basic Voronoi structure, increases the dimensionless permeability relative to the Kozeny-Carman equation; isolated large pores (vugs), on the other hand, decreases the dimensionless permeability relative to the Kozeny-Carman equation. The Kozeny-Carman equation, however, cannot distinguish a heterogeneous structure with an embedded partially penetrating fracture. The porosity-permeability relation for fibrous geometries in general agrees with those established for simple-cubic, body-centered cubic, and face-centered cubic models. In the dilute limit, however, the dependence on the solid fraction is weaker in Voronoi geometries, indicating weaker hydrodynamic interactions among randomly interconnected fibers than those in the idealized models.
Generating Hypotheses and Upper-Bound Effect Sizes Using a Large Number of School Characteristics and Student Outcomes

ABSTRACTUsing a “naive” specification, this paper estimates the relationship between 36 high school characteristics and 24 student outcomes controlling for students' pre-high school characteristics. The goal of this exploration is not to generate casual estimates, but rather to: (a) compare the size of the relationships to determine which inputs seem most promising and to identify which student outcomes appear most susceptible to being affected; (b) obtain likely upper-bound effect sizes that are useful information for power analyses used to establish minimum sample sizes for more robust designs capable of revealing causal impacts; and (c) illustrate how small effects over many outcomes (which are cumulatively important) can be easily missed. I find that most of the 36 inputs appear to have affected more outcomes than one would expect by chance, but that the apparent effects were generally small. Further, I find a higher frequency of large and significant apparent effects on educational achievement and at...
Avoiding Binary Compounds as Reaction Intermediates in Solid State Reactions

Preparing new ternary compounds via traditional high temperature synthesis techniques is essentially limited to ternary compounds that are thermodynamically more stable than any mixture of binary c...
Effect of Molecular Structure Perturbations on the Performance of the D–A−π–A Dye Sensitized Solar Cells

Three D–A−π–A organic dyes based on 5,6-difluoro-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (DFBTD) were synthesized by sequential direct arylation and characterized by spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques. Compared to 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (BTD) analogue, the presence of two fluorine atoms on DFBTD results not only in a significant increase in the molar absorptivity but also in a blue shift of the onset of the absorption spectra. In the system of DFBTD-based sensitizers, replacing the thienyl unit bridge with disubstituted cyclopenta[1,2-b:5,4-b′]dithiophene (CPDT) further increases molar absorptivity and decreases the oxidation potential of the excited state E(s+/s*). Similarly, changing the indoline donor to 4-butoxy-N-(4-butoxyphenyl)-N-phenylaniline increases the optical band gap and decreases the oxidation potential of the excited state E(s+/s*) of the sensitizer. The correlation between the molecular structure of these sensitizers and the photovoltaic performance of the dye cells were examined using current–v...
Enhancement of Postirradiation Longevity and Mating of the Boll Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) by Regulation of Preirradiation Feeding

Feeding newly emerged male boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman, a standard laboratory diet for 2 consecutive days before treatment with a 10-krad dose of gamma radiation was more detrimental to maintenance of postirradiation longevity than giving them just H2O or a 5% sucrose solution. The postirradiation LT50 for weevils given the standard diet was 9 days compared with 11 days for groups given H2O or sucrose before treatment and 12 days for those given 1% urea in a liquid diet. The mortality rate over a 14-day postirradiation period for the standard diet-fed group was significantly greater than weevils given only liquid diets. Mating propensity of male weevils given the various preirradiation diets did not differ from control mating at 5 days after irradiation. At 10 days after irradiation, reduced mating was exhibited by all treated groups and it ranged from 9% in standard diet-fed group to 42% in the urea/sucrose-fed group. Histological examination of the 14-day postirradiation, midgut pathology of weevils given the different diets revealed a greater survival of the regenerative cells and recovery of the midgut epithelium in groups given liquid diets containing urea. A range of 88–100% of the groups of weevils experiencing epithelial recovery also exhibited varying amounts of abnormal regeneration of the midgut nidi. Comparisons of the midguts of 3-day postemergent weevils given either the standard laboratory diet, H2O, or urea/H2O for 2 days showed significantly less mitotic activity and regeneration occurring in the epithelium of weevils given the two liquid diets before irradiation. The study suggests that weevils bearing an inactive midgut epithelium are more able to withstand the debilitating effects of the radiation treatment.
Magnetic Domain Structure and Magnetic Anisotropy in G a 1 − x M n x A s

Large, well-defined magnetic domains, on the scale of hundreds of micrometers, are observed in ${\mathrm{G}\mathrm{a}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{M}\mathrm{n}}_{x}\mathrm{A}\mathrm{s}$ epilayers using a high-resolution magneto-optical imaging technique. The orientations of the magnetic moments in the domains clearly show in-plane magnetic anisotropy, which changes through a second-order transition from a biaxial mode (easy axes nearly along [100] and [010]) at low temperatures to an unusual uniaxial mode (easy axis along [110]) as the temperature increases above about ${T}_{c}/2$. This transition is a result of the interplay between the natural cubic anisotropy of the GaMnAs zinc-blende structure and a uniaxial anisotropy which attribute to the effects of surface reconstruction.
U.S. Regulation of Cross-Border Banks: Is It Time to Embrace Balkanization in Global Finance?

This paper analyzes the international controversy surrounding the U.S. effort to regulate cross-border banks in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. It proceeds as a case study of the Federal Reserve’s enhanced prudential standards for large banking organizations, implemented in 2014 pursuant to Dodd-Frank mandate. The Fed’s rulemaking has ruffled feathers internationally because a key provision imposes a structural “ring-fencing” requirement on foreign banking organizations that does not apply to domestic ones. The rule requires foreign banks with at least $50 billion in U.S. non-branch assets to place their U.S. operations in an intermediate holding company (IHC) structure in the United States. The IHCs are then subject to prudential regulation by the Fed as standalone entities. Banks, central bankers, and national regulators from around the world have criticized the ring-fencing provision for discriminating against non-U.S. actors, deviating from international norms, and threatening to aggravate — rather than mitigate — global systemic risk.Drawing primarily on comment letters submitted to the Fed during the rulemaking, the paper identifies a deeply held hostility towards “balkanization” in international finance — i.e., the fragmentation of capital and liquidity along geographical lines as well as the proliferation of regulatory bodies charged with overseeing those pools of capital and liquidity. The principal contribution of the paper is to shed light on a serious deficiency in the anti-balkanization rhetoric: namely, that arguments against balkanization implicitly support greater consolidation in global finance. However, that conclusion is problematic because it is in tension with the post-crisis effort to end or mitigate “Too Big to Fail” — the situation in which a bank becomes so large that a government bailout is virtually guaranteed during times of stress. In view of this tension, the paper suggests that the Fed should be applauded for resisting the pro-consolidation ideology that took hold in the decades leading up to the financial crisis. Against the “common sense” view of influential banking jurisdictions and standard-setting bodies like the Basel Committee, the paper ultimately suggests that it may be time to embrace balkanization in global finance.
Binaural Performance and Aging

Binaural performance is a general term that can be applied to a wide range of paradigms that involve listening with both ears. This review samples from across the spectrum of binaural tasks by highlighting recent studies that encapsulate certain aspects of binaural function. Studies of the precedence effect and binaural unmasking suggest that temporal coding in elderly listeners is degraded relative to young listeners and that this decline is not simply a function of reduced audiometric sensitivity . For higher level tasks involving speech recognition in competing noise, the elderly show reduced binaural advantage, particularly when they also exhibit presbyacusic hearing loss. However, it should not be overlooked that the advantages of listening with two ears rather than one remain significant even in the presbyacusic listener .
Electron Enhanced Growth of Crystalline Gallium Nitride Thin Films at Room Temperature and 100 °C Using Sequential Surface Reactions

Low energy electrons may provide mechanisms to enhance thin film growth at low temperatures. As a proof of concept, this work demonstrated the deposition of gallium nitride (GaN) films over areas of ∼5 cm2 at room temperature and 100 °C using electrons with a low energy of 50 eV from an electron flood gun. The GaN films were deposited on Si(111) wafers using a cycle of reactions similar to the sequence employed for GaN atomic layer deposition (ALD). Trimethylgallium (Ga(CH3)3, TMG), hydrogen (H) radicals and ammonia (NH3) were employed as the reactants with electron exposures included in the reaction cycle after the TMG/H and NH3 exposures. A number of ex situ techniques were then employed to analyze the GaN films. Spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements revealed that the GaN films grew linearly with the number of reaction cycles. Linear growth rates of up to 1.3 A/cycle were obtained from the surface areas receiving the highest electron fluxes. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction analysis revealed polycr...
Advantages of Foreignness: Benefits of Creative Institutional Deviance

The liability of foreignness has long been acknowledged as a key concept in international business research. Departing from the cost side of foreignness, this chapter explores intangible benefits of foreignness exclusive to multinational enterprises in a host country in addition to tangible benefits such as preferential tax policies. Intangible benefits of foreignness are defined as advantages of foreignness so as to distinguish from assets of foreignness – tangible benefits of foreignness. Drawing on institutional theory and social comparison theory, we propose that advantages of foreignness can lead to important firm-specific performance-related outcomes, which have been generally underestimated in the international business literature.
The effect of moral intuitions on decisions in video game play: The impact of chronic and temporary intuition accessibility:

The model of intuitive morality and exemplars (MIME) highlights the central influence of innate moral instincts (or intuitions) in media use. Recent experimental research on the MIME found that moral intuitions that are chronically accessible in video gamers are likely to influence players to uphold related moral principles in the game. This study replicated and extended this research to examine the influence of both chronic and temporary accessibility of moral intuitions. Discussion focuses on the prospect that while chronic accessibility should be a better predictor of behavior in most cases, there are proximal in-game instances where environmental cues temporarily increase the accessibility of other moral intuitions. This suggests that (a) players do not necessarily disengage their morals during gameplay, and that moral intuitions influence their in-game decisions, and that (b) this influence is not fixed, but can be continuously modulated by game design features.
Bidirectional Associations Between Disordered Eating and Health-Related Quality of Life in Elementary School-Age Youth.

Objective To examine longitudinal, bidirectional associations between disordered eating and physical/psychosocial health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a nonclinical community sample of elementary school-age youth. Methods Participants included 130 children between the ages of 7 and 10 years ( M age = 8.62). Disordered eating and physical/psychosocial HRQOL were assessed using self-report measures at three time points. The potential bidirectional associations were examined using a longitudinal panel model. Results Higher disordered eating predicted lower psychosocial HRQOL during a 6-month period within the same academic year, and lower HRQOL predicted higher disordered eating during a 6-month period across academic years. Conclusion The current study found longitudinal, bidirectional associations between disordered eating and psychosocial, but not physical, HRQOL. The results provide evidence for psychosocial HRQOL as a potential predictor and consequence of disordered eating attitudes. Limitations, future directions, and implications of this research are discussed.
Thromboelastographic (TEG) Characterization of Patients with Hematologic Malignancy and Chemotherapy Induced Thrombocytopenia (CIT).

The decision to provide prophylactic platelet transfusions to patients with hematologic malignancy and chemotherapy induced thrombocytopenia (CIT) is often based solely on the platelet count being below a somewhat arbitrary threshold. The ability to rapidly assess the overall (net) coagulation status (thrombotic and hemorrhagic tendencies) of these patients may help limit transfusion to those with a measurable bleeding tendency and reduce overall platelet product consumption. We performed pre- and post-platelet transfusion whole blood thromboelastography (TEG) in 20 pts with leukemia (16) or lymphoma (4) and CIT. Citrated venous blood was obtained prior to and 1 hour after single transfusions of 5 units of random donor platelets. Normal ranges were derived from TEG evaluation of 18 normal controls. Correlation between absolute and % changes in maximum TEG amplitude (MA, mm) and time to initial clot formation (R, min) and absolute and % changes in platelet count was assessed. Pts were defined as normal if MA = 45.7 to 64.9 and R = 8.3 to 19.9; hypocoagulable if MA 19.9; hypercoagulable if MA>64.9 and/or R 19.9. Pre-transfusion platelet count correlated with baseline MA (r =.47, p=.038). No statistically significant correlation between absolute and % change in platelet count and absolute change in MA, % change in MA, absolute change in R, and % change in R existed. Post transfusion, 17/20(85%) patients had normal MA. Post transfusion, 7/17(41%) hypocoagulable patients had normal TEG, 7/17(41%) remained hypocoagulable, and 3/17(18%) became hypercoagulable. Both “mixed” patients became hypercoagulable; the hypercoagulable patient became normal. 3/5 patients with poor transfusion response (platelet count increase