cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Soft‐lithography defined coaxial‐like transmission line with 2.5 dimensional features

A novel coaxial-like transmission line is presented in this article that offers many of the advantages of single-mode waveguides but is implemented using conventional lithographic methods. On the basis of full-wave simulations, a prototype “2.5-D MicroCoax” was fabricated using soft-lithography techniques with polydimethylsiloxane serving as the substrate material. In addition to width and gap dimensional control, the structure offers an additional degree of freedom by changing the center conductor's height, thus controlling the characteristic impedance and phase velocity—all without having to compromise performance. Simulation and test results confirm the design's single-mode, low-loss operation up to the de-embedded frequency range of 12.0 GHz. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2827–2830, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23798
Effects of Student-Generated Diagrams versus Student-Generated Summaries on Conceptual Understanding of Causal and Dynamic Knowledge in Plate Tectonics.

This research examines the beneficial effects of student-generated diagrams versus student- generated summaries on conceptual understanding in the domain of plate tectonics. Fifty-eight Grade 5 students read a brief expository text about plate tectonics. During their reading of the text, students were asked to either draw diagrams, produce written summaries, or simply read the text (control). Conceptual understanding was measured by the diagrams and summaries which were generated during students' read- ing of the text, as well as by a posttest which assessed students' understanding of both spatial/static and causal/dynamic knowledge of the domain. Results indicated that the summaries generated during the read- ing of the text contained more domain-related information than the diagrams which were generated dur- ing the reading of the text. However, on the posttest measures, the diagram group outperformed both the summary and text only groups in terms of understanding both the spatial/static as well as causal/dynamic aspects of the domain. Results are discussed with regard to the differential effects that generating diagrams as compared to generating summaries or simply reading has on both on-line comprehension during read- ing and resulting conceptual understanding of the domain. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 36: 39-53, 1999
Web accessibility: a broader view

Web accessibility is an important goal. However, most approaches to its attainment are based on unrealistic economic models in which Web content developers are required to spend too much for which they receive too little. We believe this situation is due, in part, to the overly narrow definitions given both to those who stand to benefit from enhanced access to the Web and what is meant by this enhanced access. In this paper, we take a broader view, discussing a complementary approach that costs developers less and provides greater advantages to a larger community of users. While we have quite specific aims in our technical work, we hope it can also serve as an example of how the technical conversation regarding Web accessibility can move beyond the narrow confines of limited adaptations for small populations.
Soft-landing preparative mass spectrometry

Preparative mass spectrometry has become a diverse field that covers the spectrum of kinetic energy deposition. Of these methods, soft-landing mass spectrometry has many fundamental properties, which make it an advantageous technique for ion isolation and deposition. Its definition implies the preservation of ionic structural integrity after landing, which ensures the structure–function relationship of a molecule remains intact. Here the focus is on the instruments and applications of studying ion–surface landing in the hyperthermal and thermal kinetic energy regimes. Soft-landing preparative mass spectrometry covers the breadth of mass spectrometric ionization sources, instrumental configurations, and molecular families. Due to the diverse nature of soft landing, and to maximize readability, this review has been organized according to instrumental considerations and molecular families, with a discussion of theoretical work at the end.
Simulating quantified class constraints

Defining nontrivial class instances for irregular and exponential datatypes in Haskell is challenging, and as a solution it has been proposed to extend the language with quantified class constraints of the form ∀a. C a ⇒ C' (f a) in the contexts of instance declarations. We show how to express the equivalent of such constraints in vanilla Haskell 98, but their utility in this language is limited. We also present a more flexible solution, which relies on a widely-supported language extension.
A valved responsive hydrogel microdispensing device with integrated pressure source

Stimulus responsive hydrogels provide the actuation pressure required for both valving and dispensing functions in the device presented. The microdispensing device uses an array of responsive hydrogels to deform a flexible membrane above a fluid reservoir chamber. When the microvalve is open, the deformation of the membrane reduces the volume of the reservoir chamber and pushes fluid through the microvalve. When the microvalve is closed, the expanding hydrogel array generates a storable pressure source that will result in fluid dispensing once the microvalve is opened. Experiments determined the pressure generated by this device to be 35 kPa. The device has a stroke volume of 45 /spl mu/L, and is able to hold the pressure for over 24 h.
Using comparative genomic hybridization to survey genomic sequence divergence across species: a proof-of-concept from Drosophila

Genome-wide analysis of sequence divergence among species offers profound insights into the evolutionary processes that shape lineages. When full-genome sequencing is not feasible for a broad comparative study, we propose the use of array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) in order to identify orthologous genes with high sequence divergence. Here we discuss experimental design, statistical power, success rate, sources of variation and potential confounding factors. We used a spotted PCR product microarray platform from Drosophila melanogaster to assess sequence divergence on a gene-by-gene basis in three fully sequenced heterologous species (D. sechellia, D. simulans, and D. yakuba). Because complete genome assemblies are available for these species this study presents a powerful test for the use of aCGH as a tool to measure sequence divergence. We found a consistent and linear relationship between hybridization ratio and sequence divergence of the sample to the platform species. At higher levels of sequence divergence (< 92% sequence identity to D. melanogaster) ~84% of features had significantly less hybridization to the array in the heterologous species than the platform species, and thus could be identified as "diverged". At lower levels of divergence (≥ 97% identity), only 13% of genes were identified as diverged. While ~40% of the variation in hybridization ratio can be accounted for by variation in sequence identity of the heterologous sample relative to D. melanogaster, other individual characteristics of the DNA sequences, such as GC content, also contribute to variation in hybridization ratio, as does technical variation. Here we demonstrate that aCGH can accurately be used as a proxy to estimate genome-wide divergence, thus providing an efficient way to evaluate how evolutionary processes and genomic architecture can shape species diversity in non-model systems. Given the increased number of species for which microarray platforms are available, comparative studies can be conducted for many interesting lineages in order to identify highly diverged genes that may be the target of natural selection.
Mental health of Somali adolescent refugees: The role of trauma, stress, and perceived discrimination.

The primary purpose of this study was to examine relations between trauma exposure, post-resettlement stressors, perceived discrimination, and mental health symptoms in Somali adolescent refugees resettled in the U.S. Participants were English-speaking Somali adolescent refugees between the ages of 11 and 20 (N = 135) who had resettled in the U.S. Participants were administered an interview battery comprising self-report instruments that included the UCLA Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Index, the War Trauma Screening Scale, the Every Day Discrimination scale, the Adolescent Post-War Adversities Scale, and the Acculturative Hassles Inventory. Results indicated that cumulative trauma was related to PTSD and depression symptoms. Further, post-resettlement stressors, acculturative stressors, and perceived discrimination were also associated with greater PTSD symptoms after accounting for trauma, demographic, and immigration variables. Number of years since resettlement in the US and perceived discrimination were significantly related to depressive symptoms, after accounting for trauma, demographic, and immigration variables. Further research elucidating the relations between post-resettlement stressors, discrimination, and mental health of refugee adolescents may inform intervention development.
Impaired Stimulus-Evoked Mucus Secretion in Cystic Fibrosis Bronchi

Baseline and agonist-stimulated secretion of fucose, hexose, and protein (markers of mucus secretion) was investigated in vitro in 45 bronchial segments from 14 patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) (three after heart-lung transplant, the remainder < 4.5 h after autopsy), in 51 segments from 26 patients with carcinoma (24 resection, 2 after autopsy), and in 4 segments from 3 patients with bronchiectasis (resection). Basal rates of secretion of each mucus marker by CF bronchi were not significantly different from those by carcinoma bronchi bronchiectatic bronchi. However, rates of secretion of each marker in response to the cholinomimetic methacholine (10 microM; n = 11-18, depending on marker) and the beta 2-adrenoceptor agonist terbutaline (10 microM; n = 9-11) were significantly (p < .05) increased in carcinoma bronchi (by 50-117% above basal), but not in CF airways (n = 11-14). The secretory response to the sensory neuropeptide substance P (1 nM to 10 microM; n = 5-7) was also reduced in CF compared with carcinoma bronchi. Physiological and morphological data indicated that the reduced response by CF tissue could not be accounted for by inclusion of autopsy tissue in the study. These data suggest a defect in autonomic control of bronchial secretion in CF, not in the basal rate of secretion, but in its response to receptor stimulation.
My Brother’s Keeper: The Double Experience of Refugee Aid-Workers

The language of development and humanitarian ‘interventions’ suggests a binary relationship between an active, intervening agent and a passive victim, a recipient. This article examines what happen...
Domestic understanding of the revised International Health Regulations.

OBJECTIVE: The International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) require countries to report potential public health emergencies of international concern to the World Health Organization. Given that in the U.S. federal system, disease surveillance and reporting is a state, territory, or local-level responsibility, we wanted to discern the level of familiarity at the state and local level with the international obligations for disease reporting under IHR (2005). METHODS: We conducted a multisectoral survey of states, commonwealths/territories, and localities to assess basic knowledge of IHR (2005) and potential impediments to implementation. Respondents included both legal and policy experts from departments of health, agriculture, transportation, and homeland security. RESULTS: Our survey demonstrated that domestic knowledge of IHR (2005) and of the United States' obligations under the regulations is not widespread, particularly in nonhealth sectors. Of the respondents who were familiar with IHR (2005), some noted legal issues as a concern for implementation, but the lack of federal guidance was perceived as a more fundamental impediment. CONCLUSION: Considerably more work needs to be done at the federal level to educate and guide state sectors for the U.S. to ensure its fulfillment of international legal obligations. Language: en
Quantitative Measurements of Elastic Properties with Ultrasonic-Based AFM and Conventional Techniques

A prime motivation for the original development of ultrasonic-based AFM methods was to enable measurements of elastic properties with nanoscale spatial resolution. In this chapter, we discuss the quantitative measurement of elastic modulus with ultrasonic-based AFM methods and compare it to measurement by more conventional or established techniques. First, we present the basic principles of modulus measurement with methods that involve contact resonance spectroscopy, such as atomic force acoustic microscopy (AFAM) and ultrasonic AFM (U-AFM). Fundamental concepts of modulus measurement with more established approaches, especially instrumented (nano-) indentation (NI) and surface acoustic wave spectroscopy (SAWS), are then discussed. We consider the relative strengths and limitations of various approaches, for example measurement accuracy, spatial resolution, and applicability to different materials. Example results for specific material systems are given with an emphasis on studies involving direct intercomparison of different techniques. Finally, current research in this area and opportunities for future work are described.
The Impact of Innovation on Job Satisfaction: Evidence from U.S. Federal Agencies

Organizational innovation has been commonly considered as the strategic means for performance improvement in an organization. However, there is little research regarding how innovative practices influence individual work satisfaction in public organizations. Thus, this paper aims to examine how innovative practices will affect public employees’ job satisfaction using the results of the 2013 U.S. Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS). The findings indicate that organizational practice toward innovation has a positive impact on job satisfaction. On the other hand, supervisors, underrepresented groups such as females and ethnic minorities, and older employees perceive that innovation has a negative impact on job satisfaction. However, employees with a higher level of work experience and payment grade believe that innovation leads to more job satisfaction. Moreover, employees in regulatory agencies perceive that innovation is negatively related to job satisfaction, while employees in distributive agencies perceive that innovation is positively related to job satisfaction.
Modified “Rule N” Procedure for Principal Component (EOF) Truncation

AbstractPrincipal component analysis (PCA), also known as empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis, is widely used for compression of high-dimensional datasets in such applications as climate diagnostics and seasonal forecasting. A critical question when using this method is the number of modes, representing meaningful signal, to retain. The resampling-based “Rule N” method attempts to address the question of PCA truncation in a statistically principled manner. However, it is only valid for the leading (largest) eigenvalue, because it fails to condition the hypothesis tests for subsequent (smaller) eigenvalues on the results of previous tests. This paper draws on several relatively recent statistical results to construct a hypothesis-test-based truncation rule that accounts at each stage for the magnitudes of the larger eigenvalues. The performance of the method is demonstrated in an artificial data setting and illustrated with a real-data example.
Soil quality in mangrove ecosystem deteriorates due to rice cultivation

Abstract In this paper an attempt has been made to quantify and test whether rice cultivation in adjoining areas of mangrove forest by cutting forest tress has brought about significant changes in physicochemical, microbial and enzymatic properties of soils of the mangrove ecosystem. We collected 48 soil samples (24 pairs). We collected paired soil samples from each location, i.e., one soil sample from mangrove forest and its paired soil sample from adjacent rice fields. Various soil physicochemical, microbial and enzymatic properties were analyzed. Total soil organic carbon (TOC), available potassium and Bray P were significantly higher in soils of mangrove forest than soils of cultivated rice fields. Soil pH was in the acidic range at all locations, but was moderated towards neutral in mangrove soils. DTPA extractable concentrations of soil micronutrients (Zn, Mn) were significantly higher under the soils of mangrove than soils under cultivated rice fields. Enzymatic activities (Dehydrogenase, Urease, FDA hydrolysis, Acid Phosphatase) in soils of mangrove forests exceeded than under cultivated rice fields except for acid phosphatase activity which had higher activity in soils of cultivated rice fields. Populations of ammonium oxidizer and nitrite oxidizer were higher in mangrove soils, whereas populations of aerobic hetreotrophs were higher in cultivated rice fields compared to mangrove soils. The study provides a soil quality index based on soil physico-chemical and microbiological properties. This index is a function of the eight soil parameters, which showed the greatest weight in the factorial analysis made with all the parameters analysed. The value of the soil quality index was higher in mangrove soils compared to soils of rice fields at all the four locations of sampling indicating the adverse effect of rice cultivation around the mangrove forests.
Between fact and fiction in cultural heritage

In this chapter I discuss my work on an educationsl computer game mod designed to teach about Depression-era Ybor City, Florida history and culture titled the Turkey Maiden Educational Computer Game (Underberg, 2008). The area is known for its historic cigar industry and Latin immigration population. The game itself is based on a Spanish folktale collected from Ybor City, Florida and was adapted into a video game mod using the popular Role Playing Game (RPG) Neverwinter Nights.
NATURAL SELECTION ON THERMOGENIC CAPACITY OF HIGH-ALTITUDE DEER MICE.

Adaptive explanations that rely on physiological arguments are common, but tests of hypotheses about the significance of whole-animal physiological performance (e.g., aerobic capacities) are rare. We studied phenotypic selection on the thermogenic capacity (i.e., maximal rate of oxygen consumption [VO2 max] elicited via cold exposure) of high-altitude (~3800 m) deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). A high VO2 max equates to a high capacity for heat production and should favor survival in the cold environments prevalent at high altitude. Strong directional selection favored high VO2 max, at least in one year. The selection for increased VO2 max is consistent with predictions derived from incorporating our physiological data into a biophysical model. During another year, we found weak evidence of selection for decreased body mass. Nonlinear selection was not significant for any of the selection episodes we studied. The strong directional selection for VO2 max that we observed suggests that-given ample genetic variation-aerobic metabolism and perhaps endothermy may have evolved rapidly on the geological time scale.
The Surface Plasmon Scattering Patterns of Gold Nanoparticles and Agglomerates

Metallic nanoparticles display considerably different optical properties than those of their bulk counterparts. They have long been of interest in several novel applications, from colored glass production of medieval times to molecular-level sensors of today. Recently, there has been significant interest in characterization of such small particles via surface plasmons, for example for monitoring of the actual self-assembly purposes. For such characterization, we need scattering patterns by different type of particles and agglomerates on or near the surface. Here we present a methodology to predict the required scattering patterns of single particles and agglomerates on or near a surface subjected to surface plasmon waves. We investigate the effect of size, shape and orientation of gold nano particles on their scattering patterns both in the visible spectrum and at resonance wavelengths. The results show that the normalized scattering matrix elements (Mij) at certain observation angles and incident wavelengths provide significant information to monitor self-assembly process of gold nanoparticles on a gold substrate.© 2005 ASME
Beyond Stereotypes of Bedouins as ‘Nomads’ and ‘Savages’: Rethinking the Bedouin in Ottoman Southern Palestine, 1875–1900

This article explores and contests dominant representations of the Bedouin in Historic southern Palestine as nomads and savages, through the study of inter-Bedouin land conflicts in the second half of the nineteenth century. By studying the late Ottoman period, the author seeks to examine Bedouin-State interactions surrounding the question of territoriality and space-making, as well as the long-standing impact of the Ottoman heritage in southern Palestine. The available Ottoman archival resources shed important light on Ottoman representations of the Bedouin, their space and modes of living, and challenge hegemonic representations of the Bedouin as well as the broader pre-Beersheba Bedouin historiography. More specifically, the archival material shows that research categories that are dominant and prevalent in the study of the Bedouin today, such as ‘nomadism’ and ‘pastoralism’, need to be re-thought, and new approaches to the study of the Bedouin need to be employed.
Identification of hepatocyte nuclear factor-3 binding sites in the Clara cell secretory protein gene

To determine the mechanisms of cell-specific gene expression in the developing pulmonary epithelium the Clara cell secretory protein (CCSP) gene promoter was analysed by DNAase I footprinting. A prominent site of protein-DNA interaction was detected from nucleotides -132 to -76 using nuclear extract from mouse lung and human H441 cells. Mobility shift analysis revealed that an oligonucleotide corresponding to this region interacted with multiple proteins from lung and H441 cell nuclear extracts. Analysis of the nucleotide sequence of this region identified two potential binding sites for hepatocyte nuclear factor 3 (HNF-3), and consistent with this finding binding to this CCSP oligonucleotide was specifically competed for by an oligonucleotide corresponding to the HNF-3-binding site from the mouse transthyretin gene. Mobility shift of the CCSP oligonucleotide was supershifted using antisera specific to HNF-3 alpha and HNF-3 beta, and HNF-3 alpha and HNF-3 beta translated in vitro were found to bind specifically to this same oligonucleotide. Co-transfection of HNF-3 alpha- and HNF-3 beta-expression plasmids increased cell-specific reporter gene activity in H441 cells transfected with a CCSP-CAT gene chimeric construct containing this -132 to -76 region. Taken together, these results suggest a role for HNF-3 in mediating cell-specific CCSP gene expression within the bronchiolar epithelium. These findings support the hypothesis that members of the HNF-3 'forkhead' family of transcription factors determine gene expression and cell fate in multiple cell lineages derived from the primitive gut endoderm.
Epilogue: Whither the Romantic Idea of a University?

Were it possible for Fichte, von Humboldt, Whewell or Newman to wander again in the places they helped make great, there would be much that was new to them. Though all these men are revered, much of what they would see, at first glance, would indicate that their spirits (and thoughts) had been absent for many years and that their presence had been reduced to statuary placed in their memory. But has the romantic Idea of a university really gone? And if so, where did it go?
Aerophysics Interpreting Its Potential Pilot Physiology

When a human pilot operates an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), there is a brain body and vision (physiological) coordination taking place between the human and the aircraft. Mainly, the UAV control-position-orientation interactions, referred as the aerophysics (similar to biophysics) take place due to pilot’s physiological interventions. In this context, it becomes important to connect neural network based UAV control, camera vision based sensing, etc., with physiology. A specific problem associated with physiology is obstacle avoidance. When an obstacle is sensed, the human brain instantly dumps the existing thoughts that would steer the vehicle to collide with the obstacle’s geospatial position. Then, other positions are reconfigured to avoid the obstacle for which the UAV is steered with biostability (stable transcriptions of the reconfigurable controllers). Since the controllers are linear, they should be capable of handling the nonlinear UAV at decision points where reconfiguration takes place. In this paper, such nonlinear trajectories with transcriptions at decision points to reconfigure a set of geospatial coordinates are considered. Then tools to interpret potential human physiology that would establish neural networks and camera vision connections are presented.
Peace and Consequences

The level at which Darwinian evolution acts - the gene, the phenotype/individual, or the species - remains an issue of controversy, with proponents for each of those levels (Kincaid, 1986; Dawkins, 1976; Sober, 1984). The arguments largely concern the proper unit for analysis of the selection of new genotypes. There is less controversy that selection per se is operative on many levels . The most important type of selection, because it is the mechanism for a feedback loop that generates creative new variants, is "selection by consequences". Skinner (1981) noted that this evolutionary principle operates at three levels: natural selection of organisms, reinforcement of the responses of organisms, and evolution of cultural practices (the responses of groups of organisms). This paper addresses the issue of selection for peace at each of those levels.
Impact of diabetic ketoacidosis management in the medical intensive care unit after order set implementation.

Objective To determine the rate of compliance to the 2006 and 2009 ADA DKA guidelines in the medical intensive care unit (MICU) at a large academic medical centre after the implementation of a computerised DKA order set and protocol. Methods Retrospective chart review of adult patients with DKA admitted to the MICU. Results of pre-order set (PRE) were compared to those of data post-order set (POST). The primary outcome was a composite administration of intravenous fluid resuscitation in the first 24 h, insulin bolus and initial insulin infusion rate. Key findings Twelve of 60 patients (20%) in the PRE group received treatment compliant with the 2006 guidelines versus 14 of 55 patients (25.5%) in the POST group (OR 1.22 95% CI 0.44 to 3.4, P = 0.51). Compliance to the 2009 guidelines was significantly higher in the POST group (31.7% versus 65.5%, OR 4.44 95% CI 1.8 to 10.92, P = 0.0004). Compliance for individual components was 26.7% versus 70.9% for fluid resuscitation (P = 0.0001), 55% versus 49.1% for insulin bolus (P = 0.58) and 60% versus 81.3% for initial insulin infusion rate (P = 0.014), respectively. Time to DKA resolution was decreased (P = 0.04), and hypoglycaemia was increased (P = 0.0022). Conclusion Implementation of a computerised DKA order set and protocol was associated with improved compliance to the 2009 ADA DKA guidelines, 24-h fluid resuscitation, initial insulin infusion rate, time to DKA resolution and appropriate transition to subcutaneous insulin. However, patients in the POST implementation group were more likely to exhibit hypoglycaemia. Future assessment is warranted.
ThingStore — An Internet of Things Management System

The emerging technologies in IoT unveils various devices for the convenience of users, but comes with the price of streaming and processing a large amount of data for delivering useful and presentable results. Especially the multimedia content can be estimated as the most expensive to compute and distribute in IoT environments due to the data size and complexity of algorithms. This may cause bottlenecks in current Internet and data-center infrastructures, thus affecting the service price and quality. ThingStore is an advanced app-store concept to bring device providers, application software developers, and end-users together in an Internet-scale IoT ecosystem. The concept of smart services in ThingStore allows the distribution of the massive computation on IoT to the edges, thus avoiding data transfers and making services with large computational volume possible. The Event Query Language (EQL) allows software developers without domain knowledge to develop applications over large scales of sensor devices. This study introduces the new event query processing approach in ThingStore, provides a new and more detailed definition of EQL and proposes an Internet architecture based on service-oriented computing.
The immune reconstitution of the skin following sex‐mismatched allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant: a prospective case series utilizing fluorescence in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry

Graft versus host disease (GVHD) is a common, morbid, and potentially fatal complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT).1-3 The exact timing of the arrival of donor-derived immune cells and their profile in the skin have not been well described in humans.4-6 Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) is a technique that has been used to distinguish host versus donor-derived immune cells in patients who have undergone sex-mismatched aHSCT.7 This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Visit Attendance Patterns in Nurse-Family Partnership Community Sites

We examined visit attendance patterns of mothers enrolled in the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) home visitation program and associations between these patterns and characteristics of the families and sites, with the goal of increasing participant engagement. We utilized repeated measures latent class analysis to identify attendance patterns among 66,967 mothers in NFP sites across the USA. Mothers enrolled from 1996 to 2010. Data were collected by home visitors and aggregated by the NFP National Service Office. Five visit attendance patterns were identified. Consistent attenders (22%) remained engaged for the full program and attended 51.3 visits on average. Inconsistent attenders (9%) remained engaged but missed many visits, with an average of 36.4 visits. The remaining patterns were characterized by when participants left the program: early (28%; 6.7 visits), gradually (27%; 19.4 visits), or late (15%; 35.3 visits). Consistent and inconsistent attenders were less likely to use English as their primary language than other participants (R = 0.12; p < .001). Participants with more nurse changes per visit attended were more likely to drop out early (R = 0.11; p < .001). Sites with a higher percent of missing data had smaller portions of mothers who remained consistently engaged in the program over time (b = − 0.032; p < .01) and greater portions in the late (b = 0.007; p < .04) and gradual attrition classes (b = 0.018; p < .01). The large number of participants who dropped out early is concerning. Further exploration of this group may optimize use of resources by improving either retention or targeting of potential participants.
The Violet Experience: Social Interaction through Eclectic Music Learning Practices.

In this qualitative case study, we used participant observation and interviews to examine Violet, a Flemish string youth orchestra. In doing so, we identify the qualities that constitute an ‘eclectic’ ensemble space, herein defined as a musical environment that uses a blend of informal and formal learning practices. Moreover, we emphasize how members benefit musically, socially, and personally from such spaces. Our findings suggest that a blend of eclectic practices create a music space that promotes social engagement, social interaction, and peer learning among members. Additionally, eclectic music spaces allow for personal development and nurture self-appreciation. An eclectic ensemble space thus provides a rich alternative to more traditional forms of music ensemble instruction.
Self-Actualization in the Latino/Hispanic Culture:

The psychological experience of Latinos/as is deeply rooted in a collectivistic culture that values relationships. This provides them with a sense of identity, purpose, and meaning in life. Consequ...
Investigating a magnetically coupled vibration energy harvesting system under impulsive excitations

Magnetically coupled energy harvesters have been demonstrated to achieve broad tuning of nonlinear behaviors and multi-directional dynamic response by adjusting the relative spacing among magnets. Such flexibility permits a wide accommodation to diverse ambient base excitations for energy conversion and capture. Yet, the magnetic coupling of an energy harvesting system has not been examined as a useful means to enhance energy harvesting outcomes when the excitation source contains the impulsive excitations commonly encountered in ambient environments. To obtain new understanding on the effectiveness of magnetic coupling, a nonlinear vibration energy harvesting system is devised and studied for the electrodynamic responses and direct current power charging that are enabled by impulsive excitations. By comparing experimental and numerical simulation results, the energy harvesting system model is firstly validated. The studies demonstrate the sensitivity of total energy collection on change in the impulse characteristics. The findings reveal that nonlinear snap-through behaviors induced by bistable nonlinearities with magnetic coupling are effective for DC power charging, so long as an impulsive excitation threshold is met. Results from this research emphasize the importance of accurately quantifying the magnetic coupling effects towards characterizing the sensitivities the energy harvesting system when subjected to impulsive excitations.
Schülererfahrungen mit Aktivitäten zur Modellentwicklung: Über die Korrektheit hinausgehen, um die Bedürfnisse eines Kunden zu erfüllen

Damit die Schuler durch den heutigen Unterricht auch in der Welt auserhalb der Schule erfolgreich sein konnen, muss ihre mathematische Ausbildung uber einen festgelegten Satz an Fertigkeiten und Routinen hinausgehen. Stattdessen mussen sie in der Lage sein, den in der Schule erlernten Stoff auf subtile Weise anzupassen und anzuwenden, um mit Feingefuhl und Geschicklichkeit bei der Losung von Problemen, die gekennzeichnet sind durch Einschrankungen und Unklarheiten, reagieren zu konnen. In diesem Kapitel beschreiben wir Aktivitaten, die den Lernenden diese Art der Erfahrung ermoglichen. Wir betrachten die Erfahrungen der Schuler mit diesen Aktivitaten und wir zeigen, wie die Ungewissheit uber die Art der Anwendung des erlernten Wissens einen Raum fur die Verwendung von mathematischen Denkweisen zur Interpretation der Welt eroffnet. Wir zeigen dann, wie die Prasenz eines konkreten Kunden fur die Schuler die Moglichkeit bietet, Losungen zu formulieren, die auf die menschlichen Bedurfnisse und die Sichtweise dieses Kunden sowie anderer Menschen, die von der Losung betroffen sind, eingehen.
Systematic b-adjacent symbol error correcting reed-solomon codes with parallel decoding

With technology scaling, the probability of write disturbances affecting neighboring memory cells in nonvolatile memories is increasing. Multilevel cell (MLC) phase change memories (PCM) specifically suffer from such errors which affects multiple adjacent memory cells. Reed Solomon (RS) codes offer good error protection since they can correct multi-bit symbols at a time. But beyond single symbol error correction, the decoding complexity as well as the decoding latency is very high. This paper proposes a systematic b-adjacent symbol error correcting code based on Reed-Solomon codes with a low latency and low complexity parallel one step decoding scheme. A general code construction methodology is presented which can correct any errors within b-adjacent symbols. The proposed codes are compared to existing adjacent symbol error correcting Reed-Solomon codes, and it is shown that the proposed codes achieve better decoder latency. The proposed codes are also shown to achieve much better redundancy compared to symbol error correcting orthogonal Latin square (OLS) codes.
On the existence and uniqueness of solution to a stochastic 2D Allen–Cahn–Navier–Stokes model

We study, in this paper, a stochastic version of a coupled Allen–Cahn–Navier–Stokes model in a two-dimensional (2D) bounded domain. The model consists of the Navier–Stokes equations (NSEs) for the ...
Geologic studies of Yellowstone National Park imagery using an electronic image enhancement system

The image enhancement system is described, as well as the kinds of enhancement attained. Results were obtained from various kinds of remote sensing imagery (mainly black and white multiband, color, color infrared, thermal infrared, and side-looking K-band radar) of parts of Yellowstone National Park. Possible additional fields of application of these techniques are considered.
Territorial, courtship and duet songs of the Cuban Grassquit ( Tiaris canora )

Two song types were described for the Cuban Grassquit,Tiaris canora. A short song characterized by buzzy and harmonic rich syllables increased in the presence of males and was probably primarily aggressive in function. A second, longer song type, characterized by many pure-toned syllables, increased in the presence of females and was probably sexual in function. Pairs also participated in duet singing against territorial rivals, or as greeting ceremonies between mates after a period of separation. Duetting in Cuban Grassquits probably functions in maintenance of the pair bond. Comparisons were made with other avian species having different song types serving different functions.
Complications in Colorectal Surgery

All major abdominal surgeries and especially bowel resection surgeries are fraught with the same potential complications as colorectal surgeries. Common complications of abdominal operations include inadvertent enterotomy, enterocutaneous fistula, small bowel obstruction, surgical site infection, and other postoperative infections, and these are not the focus of this chapter.
A Virtual Multibody and Finite Element Analysis Environment in the Field of Aerospace Crashworthiness

One important concept in crashworthiness analysis is how the contact/impact is treated or modeled. One method for predicting the impact response of multibody mechanical systems is to treat the local deformations as well as the contact forces as continuous. The application of this method requires the knowledge of the variation of the contact and frictional forces. Contact force models, including nonlinear visco-elastic, Hertzian-based, and visco-plastic models are presented. Computer-aided analysis tools typically used in the studies of the aircraft crashworthiness are then described. A methodology is then presented for the entire design cycle from airframe to the cabin, seat, restraint and egress system. The methodology incorporates a combination of multibody modeling and non-linear finite element analysis of the airframe, seat and the occupant as well as component testing in early design stages, and sled and/or full-scale testing in later stages of design evaluations. A Virtual Reality (VR) system is utilized for effective system visualization and to better understand the interaction between the various subsystems. Examples of the use of this methodology for some of the current crash safety issues are presented.
Field Demonstration of Real-Time Optical Network Diagnosis using Deep Neural Network and Telemetry

We demonstrate network diagnosis using deep neural network in the field fiber. Accurate and rapid optical fiber bend estimation is achieved with the help of streaming telemetry implemented in a whitebox packet transponder.
Nutrition-Focused Food Banking in the United States: A Qualitative Study of Healthy Food Distribution Initiatives.

Abstract Background Nutrition-focused food banking is broadly defined as organizational and programmatic efforts to address nutrition-related health disparities among charitable food clients. Additional information is needed to systematically describe how US food banks, as key influencers of the charitable food system, are working to advance nutrition-focused food banking initiatives in their communities. Objective Our aim was to describe food bank leadership–identified organizational strategies, “best practices,” and innovative programs for advancing nutrition-focused food banking in the United States. Design We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews to elicit information about the nutrition-focused food banking practices and processes being employed by US food banks. Participants/setting Participants comprised a purposive sample of food bank executives (n=30) representing a diverse selection of food banks across the United States. Interviews were conducted between April 2015 and January 2017 at national food bank conferences. Analysis Two researchers independently reviewed transcripts to identify themes using code-based qualitative content analysis. Results Executive leader descriptions of specific strategies to support nutrition-focused food banking centered primarily around the following four major themes: building a healthier food inventory at the food bank; enhancing partner agency healthy food access, storage, and distribution capacity; nutrition education outreach; and expanding community partnerships and intervention settings for healthy food distribution, including health care and schools. Conclusions Study findings indicate that food banks are implementing a variety of multilevel approaches to improve healthy food access among users of the charitable food system. Further evaluation is needed to assess the reach, scalability, and sustainability of these various approaches, and their effectiveness in reducing determinants of nutrition-related health disparities.
Finescale Water-Mass Variability from ARGO Profiling Floats

Abstract : My main interests are in small-scale ocean physics processes that contribute to stirring and mixing in order to understand and parameterize their impact on larger scales. This includes phenomena ranging from the microscale (1 cm) up to the mesoscale (10-100 km). These funds are to be used to explore fine-scale water-mass variability in ARGO float data with particular attention to horizontal and temporal coherence in fine-structure and fine-scale density ratios R = Tz/ Sz. ARGO profiling float data is being downloaded from its archive and catalogued. Temperature T and salinity S data will be used to compute density , density ratio R and stratification N2. Time/space means will be computed on isopycnals and water-mass anomaly statistics and vertical wavenumber spectra relative to these means accumulated. Coherence of the spectral quantities will be examined laterally and temporally with the expectation that the finescale will be incoherent on even short horizontal and time scales (Ferrari and Polzin 2005). Given the limited funding available and the effort required for initial cataloging of the data, analysis will focus on the North (Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal) and equatorial Indian Ocean because of ONR s interest in this region, and the Okinawa Trough for comparison with glider data collected by Craig Lee for the Kuroshio QPE. Time and resources permitting, the data cataloging and analysis will expand to the whole Indian Ocean. Profile data from 1999-2011 have been downloaded from the ARGO float website from the Indian Ocean and Okinawa Trough. Software has been written for a first look at the data in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea (Fig. 1).
Optimized Execution of Parallel Loops via User-Defined Scheduling Policies

On-node parallelism continues to increase in importance for high-performance computing and most newly deployed supercomputers have tens of processor cores per node. These higher levels of on-node parallelism exacerbate the impact of load imbalance and locality in parallel computations, and current programming systems notably lack features to enable efficient use of these large numbers of cores or require users to modify codes significantly. Our work is motivated by the need to address application-specific load balance and locality requirements with minimal changes to application codes. In this paper, we propose a new approach to extend the specification of parallel loops via user functions that specify iteration chunks. We also extend the runtime system to invoke these user functions when determining how to create chunks and schedule them on worker threads. Our runtime system starts with subspaces specified in the user functions, performs load balancing of chunks concurrently, and stores the balanced groups of chunks to reduce load imbalance in future invocations. Our approach can be used to improve load balance and locality in many dynamic iterative applications, including graph and sparse matrix applications. We demonstrate the benefits of this work using MiniMD, a miniapp derived from LAMMPS, and three kernels from the GAP Benchmark Suite: Breadth-First Search, Connected Components, and PageRank, each evaluated with six different graph data sets. Our approach achieves geometric mean speedups of 1.16× to 1.54× over four standard OpenMP schedules and 1.07× over the static_steal schedule from recent research.
Overexpression of deltaEmBP, a truncated dominant negative version of the wheat G-box binding protein EmBP-1, alters vegetative development in transgenic tobacco.

As a first step toward elucidating the in vivo function of plant bZIP proteins and their related G-box cis elements, we have introduced a dominant negative inhibitor of G-box-dependent transcriptional activation into tobacco plants by transforming them with a truncated EmBP-1 gene (δEmBP) containing the DNA binding and dimerization domains under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter. Five independent lines of transgenic plants expressing δEmBP were identified, as demonstrated by immunodetection of the transgenic protein in leaf extracts, and the ability of the protein to bind a target G-box DNA sequence. The transgenic plants exhibited an abnormal phenotype characterized by interveinal chlorosis, growth inhibition and weakening of stems and petioles, the severity of which positively correlated with δEmBP expression and G-box DNA binding capability. Furthermore, development of chlorosis and growth inhibition was dependent on growth irradiance. Low light promoted the development of interveinal chlorosis and growth inhibition in the transgenic plants, whereas high light conditions led to near-complete amelioration of the abnormal phenotype. Transgenic plants under both light regimes showed signs of impaired stem and petiole function which was not observed in wild-type tobacco. RbcS gene expression was not significantly altered by δEmBP expression, suggesting that down-regulation of this gene was not responsible for the altered phenotype. The results suggest that G-box elements specific for the EmBP-1 class of bZIP proteins have an important developmental function in vegetative plant tissues, and that the trans-dominant negative mutant approach is a useful tool for continued in vivo functional analysis of bZIP transcription factors and their corresponding cis elements in plants.