cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of Mental Representations in Problem Solving: Students' Approaches to Nondirected Tasks.

In this paper, we report on a project concerned with the role of cognition during problem solving. We specifically explore the categories of mental representations that students work with during problem solving of different representational task formats. The sample, consisting of 19 engineering students taking a calculus-based physics course, attempted tasks from the topics of kinematics and work. Profiles were designed to capture the overall actions and reasoning of individual students across the various tasks. Two main profiles emerged from each topic under consideration. They were related to the Johnson-Laird cognitive framework to infer about the kinds of mental constructs. The results indicate that, for both topics, students work primarily at the level of propositional mental representation. When handling the kinematics tasks, a few students construct mental images and none of them can be categorized as using a mental model. In contrast, in the context of work, none of the participants generated a mental image while a minority of the sample was classified as using a mental model. Moreover, a comparison across the two topics indicates the predominance of propositional mental representation.
EXAFS comparison of the dimanganese core structures of manganese catalase, arginase, and manganese-substituted ribonucleotide reductase and hemerythrin.

The solution structures of the binuclear Mn centers in arginase, Mn catalase, and the Mn-substituted forms of the Fe enzymes ribonucleotide reductase and hemerythrin have been determined using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra for these proteins were compared to those obtained for Mn(II) models. The Mn model spectra show an inverse correlation between the XANES peak maximum and the root-mean-square (RMS) deviation in metal−ligand bond lengths. For these complexes, the XANES maxima appear to be more effective than the 1s → 3d areas as an indicator of metal-site symmetry. Arginase and Mn-substituted ribonucleotide reductase have symmetric nearest neighbor environments with low RMS deviation in bond length, while Mn catalase and Mn-substituted hemerythrin appear to have a larger RMS bond length deviation. The 1s → 3d areas for arginase and Mn-substituted ribonucleotide reductase are consistent with six coordinate Mn, while the 1s → 3d areas for Mn catal...
Food protein functionality: A comprehensive approach

Food protein functionality has classically been viewed from the perspective of how single molecules or protein ingredients function in solutions and form simple colloidal structures. Based on this approach, tests on protein solutions are used to produce values for solubility, thermal stability, gelation, emulsifying, foaming, fat binding and water binding to name a few. While this approach is beneficial in understanding the properties of specific proteins and ingredients, it is somewhat restricted in predicting performance in real foods where the complexities of ingredients and processing operations have a significant affect on the colloidal structures and therefore overall properties of the final food product. In addition, focusing on proteins as just biopolymers used to create food structures ignores the biological functions of proteins in the diet. These can be beneficial, as in providing amino acids for protein synthesis or bioactive peptides, or these can be detrimental, as in causing a food allergic response. This review will focus on integrating the colloidal/polymer and biological aspects of protein functionality. This will be done using foams and gels to illustrate colloidal/polymer aspects and bioactive peptides and allergenicity to demonstrate biological function.
Syngeneic transplantation of the fetal rat pancreas IV. Dissociated versus whole organ implantation

Reversal of insulinopenia, hyperglycemia, glycosuria, and polyuria associated with severe alloxan diabetes in the rat was accomplished by syngeneic transplantation of whole late-gestation fetal rat pancreata. Intravenous glucose tolerance test (GTT) revealed an improved yet still abnormal glucose and insulin response in reversed recipients reconstituted with as few as two pancreata from fetal donors. Eight fetal donors were sufficient to return glucose and insulin response following GTT to normal. Seventy to eighty percent fewer donors were required when the pancreata were transplanted in their entirely as opposed to transplantation of pancreata subjected to prior enzymatic and mechanical dissociation. The facility and simplicity of the whole fetal pancreas implantation technique makes it an appealing model for further study of islet growth and differentiation at the transplant site and of its effect on the metabolic state of the recipient.
A Fully Coupled Finite Element Formulation for Elastically Supported Foil Journal Bearings

Foil gas journal bearings consist of a compliant metal shell structure that supports a rigid journal by means of a gas film. The prediction of steady operating characteristics such as minimum film thickness, load capacity, and drag require the coupled solution of the shell structure and the gas flow. A general fully coupled finite element approach is presented. A single four noded finite element that incorporates the elastically supported shell structure of the foil and the gas film modeled by a compressible Reynolds equation is developed. The resulting system of nonlinear finite elements is solved by the Newton Raphson method. Presented at the 58th Annual Meeting in New York City April 28–May 1, 2003
Analysis of double edge-cracked iosipescu specimens under biaxial loads

Abstract This paper addresses the possibility of using the biaxial losipescu test fixture, employing double edge-cracked specimens, for characterizing the intralaminar mixed-mode fracture properties of unidirectional polymer matrix composite materials. The finite element method has been used in conjunction with the modified crack closure integral method for computing the crack tip strain energy release rates under mixed-modes I and II. For cracked specimens loaded under shear and compression, the structurally non-linear contact problem has been combined with the linear fracture analysis in order to evaluate the effects of crack face friction, loading angle, and applied external load on the crack tip energy release rates.
Anatomy of the Normal Diaphragm

The thoracic diaphragm is a dome-shaped septum, composed of muscle surrounding a central tendon, which separates the thoracic and abdominal cavities. The function of the diaphragm is to expand the chest cavity during inspiration and to promote occlusion of the gastroesophageal junction. This article provides an overview of the normal anatomy of the diaphragm.
Mn-Substituted Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Materials Based on ZnSe: Nanostructures That May Lead to Magnetic Semiconductors with a Strong Quantum Confinement Effect

Nanomaterials that make use of both electron charge and spin are highly desirable and extremely attractive in the development of new multifunctional devices for optoelectronics and information storage technology. In this study, we demonstrate that the hybrid nanostructures Zn1-xMnxSe(L)0.5 (L = ethylenediamine, 1,3-propanediamine) can be assembled with the substitution of Zn for Mn in the ZnSe(L)0.5 systems. The latter are composed of perfectly ordered ZnSe semiconductor nanolayers interconnected via organic molecules coordinately bonded to act as “linkers” or “spacers”. These hybrid nanostructures possess magnetically active periodic crystalline structures, which exhibit large blue shifts in their optical absorption edges (∼1.0−1.2 eV). Such shifts are a direct result of a very strong quantum confinement effect (QCE).
Four years of experimental results from the New Mexico ACTS propagation terminal at 20.185 and 27.505 GHz

The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) propagation experiment has collected four years of propagation data at 20.185 and 27.505 GHz. The objective of the experiment is to develop long-term statistics and modeling techniques for predicting atmospheric propagation effects in the Ka band. The experiment includes seven identical earth stations at different locations in North America. Each location is meant to characterize a unique rain region. This paper presents the data collected in White Sands, NM. The data from this site provide an excellent resource for validating rain attenuation models due to its unique arid climate with occasional high rain-rate storms. The seasonal and cumulative four-year attenuation statistics for the 20.2 and 27.5 GHz beacons are presented. The attenuation with respect to clear air (ACA) is compared to five different rain attenuation models and seven different frequency scaling models. The results illustrate how well each model predicts rain attenuation in a desert climate region.
Programmable 3D Stochastic Fluidic Assembly of cm-scale modules

Self-reconfiguring modular robotic systems offer a potential route to achieving programmable matter, i.e. a substance the shape and properties of which can be tuned as required to achieve a variety of tasks. However, most modular robotic system designs rely on deterministic module motions which place significant power, control, and actuation requirements on the individual modules. This leads to relatively large modules and low target structure resolution. Here we experimentally demonstrate an alternative approach based on stochastic assembly, in which modules assemble into target structures in a fluidic tank. This system employs ambient fluid motion for module transportation. Assembly is directed by controlling the fluid flow through an active assembly substrate with an array of valves. Different valving programs are used with feedback from pressure sensors to achieve the completely automated hierarchical assembly of non-planar 3D structures.
The potential of metabolomic approaches for investigating mode(s) of action of xenobiotics: Case study with carbon tetrachloride

Abstract Both experimental animals and humans exhibit complex cellular responses upon exposure to xenobiotics and may undergo similar types of metabolic changes leading to adverse outcomes. Exposure to xenobiotics results in perturbation of many cellular events (e.g. oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, inflammation, genotoxicity, cytotoxicity, etc.), and during this process biochemicals (endogenous metabolites) of a given metabolic pathway are increased, decreased or unaffected. Metabolomics is an emerging medium to high-throughput technology that can automatically identify, quantify and characterize hundreds to thousands of low molecular weight biochemicals simultaneously, using targeted or global analytical approaches, yielding a metabolic fingerprint and understanding of biochemical pathway perturbations. Herein, we illustrate how metabolomics can be utilized to explore the mechanisms of action of xenobiotics which affect different ‘key events’ contributing to different mode(s) of action. The extensively studied hepatotoxicant carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is specifically described.
THE PLUMAGE AND OVIDUCT RESPONSE TO THE FEMALE HORMONE IN FOWLS

We have reported in detail (Juhn and Gustavson, 1) the first observations on the assumption of female plumage by male fowls and the functional development of the oviduct of immature pullets subsequent to injections of female hormone prepared from human placentae. Since, we have repeated these findings, with entirely comparable results with female hormone prepared from human pregnancy urine, using both the immature oviduct and the plumage as tests, and with female hormone prepared from cow placenta and with untreated human pregnancy urine, using the feathering alone as test. These experiments, recorded here, thus further corroborate the original observations and extend the source for female hormone, effective in modifying the secondary sex characters of birds.
EFFECT OF CATECHOLAMINE DEPLETION ON AN INDEX OF MYOCARDIAL CONTRACTILITY IN ISOLATED RABBIT HEARTS.

SummaryIsolated hearts from 11 untreated rabbits, 9 pretreated with 10 mg/kg guanethidine, 12 pretreated with 20 mg/kg guanethidine and 6 pretreated with 3 mg/kg reserpine were subjected to graded, moderate stretch by means of a clip attached to the apex of the left ventricle. Active tension de-deloped by the ventricles as a function of stretch was measured. The low dose of guanethidine depressed tension development but reserpine and the higher dose of guanethidine did not interfere conspicuously with tension development. The drugs produced 70 to 94% reduction in catecholamine content of the left ventricle. It is concluded that drastic reduction in catecholamine content of the left ventricle of the rabbit does not necessarily result in severe impairment of its contractility.
Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography as an adjunct to carcinoembryonic antigen in the management of patients with presumed recurrent colorectal cancer and nondiagnostic radiologic workup.

Abstract Background. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) in localizing disease in patients with colorectal cancer with radiologically occult symptomatology or increases in carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level. Methods. Two hundred seventy-seven patients with colorectal cancer underwent PET scanning between November 1998 and September 2000 prompted by (1) increasing CEA level and nondiagnostic imaging or (2) symptoms with normal CEA level and nondiagnostic imaging. PET results were correlated with operative findings/histology, clinical follow-up data, and CEA level to determine PET's accuracy in determining the source of symptoms or CEA. Results. Fifteen patients had increasing CEA levels, and 14 had abnormal PET. Two of these 14 were denied exploration because PET suggested widely metastatic disease. Nine patients underwent exploration with curative intent. In 1 patient, recurrence was not pathologically confirmed (false-positive rate, 8%). Two had disease beyond that predicted by PET, and 6 underwent complete resection and normalized their CEA levels. Four symptomatic patients with normal CEA levels and negative x-rays had abnormal PET; at exploration, 3 had no evidence of recurrence. Conclusions. PET imaging can often accurately localize the source of radiologically occult increases in CEA level and select that subset of patients eligible for therapeutic laparotomy. Symptomatic, PET-positive patients with normal CEA levels frequently undergo nontherapeutic laparotomy, and PET findings should be interpreted with caution in these patients. (Surgery 2001;130:636-44.)
Close linkage of genes encoding glutamine synthetases I and II in Frankia alni CpI1.

Abstract Frankia alni CpI1 has two glutamine synthetases (GSs), GSI and GSII. The GSI gene (glnA) was isolated from a cosmid library of F. alni CpI1 DNA by heterologous probing with glnA from Streptomyces coelicolor. The glnA gene was shown to be located upstream of the GSII gene (glnII) by DNA-DNA hybridization. The nucleotide sequences of the 1,422-bp CpI1 glnA gene and of the 449-bp intervening region between glnA and glnII were determined, and the glnA amino acid sequence was deduced. In common with GSIs from other organisms, CpI1 GSI contains five conserved regions near the active site and a conserved tyrosine at the adenylylation site. F. alni CpI1 glnA complemented the glutamine growth requirement of the Escherichia coli glnA deletion strain YMC11 but only when expressed from an E. coli lac promoter. While the functional significance of maintaining two GSs adjacent to one another remains unclear, this arrangement in F. alni provides support for the recently proposed origin of GSI and GSII as resulting from a gene duplication early in the evolution of life.
Conjunctiva-associated lymphoid tissue (CALT) in normal and Bordetella avium-infected turkeys.

Conjunctiva-associated lymphoid tissue (CALT) was characterized in normal and Bordetella avi- um-infected turkey poults during the first 5 weeks of life. At 1, 5, 12, 19, 25, and 33 days post-hatching (DPH), upper and lower eyelids were examined by gross, histologic, and electron microscopic techniques. CALT was confined to the proximal part of the lower eyelid near the conjunctival fornix; it appeared by 5 DPH as individual lymphoid nodules and as dense masses by 19 DPH. In the upper eyelid, CALT was present only as isolated nodules. Histologically, CALT was composed of dense lymphocyte infiltrates within subepithelial connective tissue, intraepithelial lymphocytes, and flattened lymphoid-associated epithelium that lacked goblet cells. Ger- minal centers were in CALT by 19 DPH. By scanning electron microscopy, epithelial cells over lymphoid areas were flat and had short, irregular microvilli; non-lymphoid areas were covered by cells with tall, regular microvilli. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that with increasing age of birds, the epithelium over conjunctival lymphoid infiltrates became progressively flattened and infiltrated by lymphocytes. Some blood vessels in CALT had high endothelial cells; lymphocytes were in the lumen and between or beneath endothelial cells. In B. avium- infected poults, CALT was increased, developed earlier, and contained more germinal centers than in normal poults. We conclude that CALT of turkeys closely resembles other mucosal lymphoid tissues and may serve as a site for local antigen uptake.
It Takes Two to Tango: Dual Inhibition of PI3K and MAPK in Rhabdomyosarcoma

The PI3K/AKT/mTOR and RAS/RAF/MAPK pathways play essential roles in rhabdomyosarcoma. Singular targeting of each pathway is ineffective due to extensive crosstalk and compensatory feedback between these two pathways. Dual blockade with inhibitors of PI3K and MAPK in combination synergistically inhibit growth of rhabdomyosarcoma both in vitro and in vivo.
Beyond the second skin: an experimental approach to addressing garment style and fit variables in the design of sensing garments

Garment-integrated body sensing is a crucial element for many compelling ubiquitous computing and pervasive health care monitoring applications. However, the trade-off between garment comfort and s...
Dynamic rejection of multiple co-site interferers through wideband RF photonic notch filter

Antennas in congested RF environments are susceptible to co-site interference. Interfering signals are usually stronger than the signal of interest by several orders of magnitude, and offset in frequency but within the bandwidth of the antenna. We present an optical technique to mitigate interfering signals by generating nulls at specific frequencies using a dual-output Mach-Zehnder modulator, optical delay, and balanced detectors. We demonstrate the nulling of interfering signals by over 40 dB without attenuating the signal of interest.
The Chemical Composition and Gas-to-Dust Mass Ratio of Nearby Interstellar Matter

We use recent results on interstellar gas toward nearby stars and interstellar by-products within the solar system to select among the equilibrium radiative transfer models of the nearest interstellar material presented in Slavin & Frisch. For the assumption that O/H - 400 parts per million, models 2 and 8 are found to yield good fits to available data on interstellar material inside and outside of the heliosphere, with the exception of the Ne abundance in the pickup ion and anomalous cosmic-ray populations. For these models, the interstellar medium (ISM) at the entry point to the heliosphere has n(H(sup 0)) = 0.202-0.208/cu cm, n(He(sup 0) = 0.0137-0.0152/cu cm, and ionizations X(H) = 0.29-0.30, X(He) = 0.47-0.51. These best models suggest that the chemical composition of the nearby ISM is approx.60%-70% subsolar if S is undepleted. Both H(0) and H(+) need to be included when evaluating abundances of ions found in warm diffuse clouds. Models 2 and 8 yield an H filtration factor of approx.0.46. Gas-to-dust mass ratios for the ISM toward epsilon CMa are R(sub gd) = 178-183 for solar abundances of Holweger or R(sub gd) = 611-657 for an interstellar abundance standard 70% solar. Direct observations of dust grains in the solar system by Ulysses and Galileo yield R(sub gd) appr0x. 115 for models 2 and 8, supporting earlier results (Frisch and coworkers). If the local ISM abundances are subsolar, then gas and dust are decoupled over small spatial scales. The inferred variation in R(sub gd) over parsec length scales is consistent with the fact that the ISM near the Sun is part of a dynamically active cluster of cloudlets flowing away from the Sco-Cen association. Observations toward stars within approx.500 pc show that R(sub gd) correlates with the percentage of the dust mass that is carried by iron, suggesting that an Fe-rich grain core (by mass) remains after grain destruction. Evidently large dust grains (>10(exp -13) g) and small dust grains (<10(exp -13) g) are not well mixed over parsec length spatial scales in the ISM. It also appears that very small C-dominated dust grains have been destroyed in the ISM within several parsecs of the Sun, since C appears to be essentially undepleted. However, if gas-dust coupling breaks down over the cloud lifetime, the missing mass arguments applied here to determine R(sub gd) and dust grain mineralogy are not appropriate.
Comparison among U.S. industrial sectors by DEA environmental assessment: Equipped with analytical capability to handle zero or negative in production factors

Abstract A green image is recently an important component of corporate sustainability in modern business. By extending the two previous works (i.e., Wang et al., 2014; Sueyoshi and Wang, 2014a), this study discusses a new use of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for environmental assessment by incorporating an analytical capability to handle zero and/or negative in a data set. The proposed approach provides us with not only new quantitative assessment on unified (operational and environmental) performance of firms but also information regarding how to invest for eco-technology innovation for abating an amount of their industrial pollutions. According to the previous studies, the energy industry is an attractive investment target if desirable outputs are measured by Return on Assets (ROA) as a short-term concern and an amount of CO 2 emission reduction. The selection on a desirable output combination is important in understanding the corporate sustainability of the energy industry because it is the largest emitter among seven industry sectors examined in the previous studies. However, if the ROA is replaced by a corporate value, measured by Tobin's q ratio as a long-term concern, the energy industry is not so attractive because it uses a very large production process so that green investment does not immediately increase the corporate value. An empirical problem of these previous studies is that they have investigated only successful companies with positive ROA or Tobin's q ratios. The analytical feature clearly indicates a methodological drawback of their studies. In contrast, this study pays attention to both successful companies with positive net incomes and unsuccessful companies with negative net incomes, so being able to measure all aspects of their performance in a short-term concern. This study finds that the energy industry exhibits a high level of potential on green investment. However, the energy industry may be not attractive even in the short-term concern (i.e., net income), partly because governmental regulations on their operation and pollution prevention efforts are stricter than the other industrial sectors. This result may be seemingly inconsistent with Wang et al. (2014). Rather, the result indicates that successful energy firms can attain the corporate sustainability by investing eco-technology innovation, but unsuccessful ones cannot attain the sustainability, even in the short-term concern, because they do not have large capital accumulation for eco-technology investment whose importance has been first discussed by Sueyoshi and Goto (2010a). In other words, the eco-technology investment for enhancing a high level of corporate sustainability depends upon an amount of net income generated by each energy firm.
Impact of broiler egg storage on the relative expression of selected blastoderm genes associated with apoptosis, oxidative stress, and fatty acid metabolism

Cool temperature storage of eggs prior to incubation is a frequent practice by commercial broiler hatcheries. However, continued storage beyond 7 d leads to a progressive increase in the rate of early embryonic mortality. In this study, we examined the relative expression of 31 genes associated with fatty acid metabolism (8), apoptosis (7), and oxidative stress (16) pathways to better understand the basis of embryo mortality during egg storage. A total of 642 broiler eggs in 2 separate trials were subjected to the following egg treatments: stored 4 d (Control 1, C1); stored 21 d but subjected to short periods of incubation during egg storage (SPIDES); stored un-manipulated 21 d (NonSPIDES, NS); and stored 4 d then incubated for 10 h to advance the embryos to the same developmental stages as the SPIDES embryos (Control 2, C2). Hatchability trials (277 eggs) confirmed the efficacy of SPIDES compared to NS treatments in both trials. To determine relative expression of 31 selected genes, 365 blastoderms were isolated, staged, and flash frozen in batches of 5 to 10 blastoderms per vial (7 vials per egg treatment) prior to RNA extractions. Analysis of gene expression was performed using qRT-PCR and the results presented as relative expression normalized to C1. The relative expression of genes in which the SPIDES and C2 treatments were significantly up- or down-regulated in tandem indicated that the stage-specific expression of those genes was maintained by the SPIDES treatment. This study provides the relative gene expressions of blastodermal cells before and after prolonged egg storage as well as insight as to how SPIDES impacts blastodermal cell gene expression.
Predicting the Deployment Pressure in an Ascending Pumpkin Balloon

During the initial research and development stages of a large super-pressure pumpkin balloon system, physical testing with small (i.e., less than 4 meter diameter) scale-models proved to be an unreliable means for predicting the deployment behavior of large-scale real balloons. Early analytical methods suggested that stability of the symmetric shape might be a dependable indicator of deployment. However, an analytical criterion that could be used to determine if a particular design was likely to deploy or not was not available. In 2010, a method called the Deployment Pathway Portrait (DPP) was proposed to predict the lowest di erential pressure when a pumpkin balloon would deploy. The DPP method considers a xed boundary condition and a free boundary condition for the top end-plate tting for a quasi-static balloon xed at its nadir. The smallest nadir di erential pressure where the Top Free boundary condition yields two unstable modes and the Top Fixed boundary condition yields no unstable modes, we de ne to be the Deployment Pressure: PDep. The value PDep computed in this fashion was found to agree with observed deployment pressures, as validated in ight data and in ation test data that was available up though 2009. In this paper, we apply the DPP method to predict the deployment pressure for the January 2011 Flight 616-NT in Antarctica. The DPP method predicted deployment at a nadir pressure of 19 Pa and Flight 616-NT was observed to deploy at 25 Pa. We will discuss this result and applications to other in atable structures.
“Confucianism-Taoism”and“Buddhist-ideal”in Qi Jiguang's Wushu Theories

Based on the methods of literature review,history and logical analysis,through theoretical investigation on the connotations of Qi Jiguang's Wushu theories,this paper studies on the Confucian origin of Qi's Wushu theories and the appliance of Yangming"conscience"and " knowledge and action" theory to specific military management and marching activities,as well as the inner spirit of Chinese Buddhism.It also analyzes how Qi applied his theory system to the real world through Wushu practice.It concludes that Qi's theory of integrating military and Confucianism is the appliance of mind philosophy,where he creatively applied Wang Shouren's philosophy of the mind to military training and even to specific battles,and established the military philosophy of the mind by integrating Wushu theory with mind philosophy.Although originated from Confucianism and the appliance of Yangming's theories,Qi's Wushu theories exhibit the thinking pattern of Buddhism in essence.Qi's Wushu approach is the appliance of"Confucianism-Taoism"and"Buddhist-ideal"by nature.
Application and research of a novel polymer in high density drilling fluid

One of the main technical problems of water based drilling fluid for deep wells is the rheological characteristics. In high temperature wells, drilling fluid viscosity is difficult to control, and sometimes gelatification may occur. So hydrophbically associating water-soluble polymer was developed to improve the fluid’s suspension stability at high temperature, which could take the place of conventional high molecule polymers in low-solid drilling fluid. lab tests evaluated the influence of hydrophbically associating water-soluble polymer addition on drilling fluid properties, especially the influence on rheological property of fluids with different bentonite concentration. Results showed that, when hydrophbically associating water-soluble polymer was added into a low-solid drilling fluid, the fluid provides good suspension and stability at high temperature. For example, when it was used in a high density water-base drilling fluid in which the bentonite concentration is 3%,and the viscosity is low, the suspension is still excellent.
The Lords of Northern Persia (1907–1917)

The ink had hardly dried on the second constitutional document when Mozaffar ed-Din Shah died in January 1907 and was succeeded by his son, Mohammad-Ali Shah (ruled 1907–1909). Mohammad-Ali’s short and turbulent rule witnessed the ever-increasing Russian control of the Persian kingship and complete lordship over northern Persia, including the Caspian littoral. As early as 1900 a British foreign service officer had noted, “Do what we like, Russia could annex that part of Persia without our being able to effectively resist her.”1
Evaluating multipulse integration as a neural-health correlate in human cochlear-implant users: Relationship to spatial selectivity

The decrease of psychophysical detection thresholds as a function of pulse rate for a fixed-duration electrical pulse train is referred to as multipulse integration (MPI). The MPI slopes correlate with anatomical and physiological indices of cochlear health in guinea pigs with cochlear implants. The aim of the current study was to assess whether the MPI slopes were related to the spatial spread of activation by electrical stimulation. The hypothesis was that MPI is dependent on the total number of excitable neurons at the stimulation site, with broader neural excitation producing a steeper threshold decrease as a function of stimulation rate. MPI functions were measured at all stimulation sites in 22-site electrode arrays in human subjects. Some sites with steep MPI functions and other sites with shallow functions were assessed for spatial spread of excitation at 900 pps using a forward-masking paradigm. The results showed a correlation between the slopes of the forward-masking functions and the steepness of MPI, with broader stimulation predicting greater integration. The results are consistent with the idea that integration of multiple pulses in a pulse train relies on the number of excitable neurons at the stimulation site.
Individual Differences in Group Loyalty Predict Partisan Strength

The strength of an individual’s identification with their political party is a powerful predictor of their engagement with politics, voting behavior, and polarization. Partisanship is often characterized as primarily a social identity, rather than an expression of instrumental goals. Yet, it is unclear why some people develop strong partisan attachments while others do not. I argue that the moral foundation of Loyalty, which represents an individual difference in the tendency to hold strong group attachments, facilitates stronger partisan identification. Across two samples, including a national panel and a convenience sample, as well as multiple measures of the moral foundations, I demonstrate that the Loyalty foundation is a robust predictor of partisan strength. Moreover, I show that these effects cannot be explained by patriotism, ideological extremity, or directional effects on partisanship. Overall, the results provide further evidence for partisanship as a social identity, as well as insight into the sources of partisan strength.
Political Institutions and Economic Reforms: Britain and Germany

This chapter focuses on the behavior of relevant political and economic actors in the United Kingdom and Germany during the 1980s in the face of major global pressures to adopt more neoliberal economic reforms. Although both countries faced similar and significant pressures, the outcomes differed. Britain made drastic moves toward greater market deregulation, a severe weakening of labor, and other neoliberal reforms. While facing similar pressures, Germany ultimately made much less far-reaching adjustments. I find the variation in political institutions between Britain and Germany served as a constraint on the relevant political and economic actors, and subsequently constrained or furthered reform.
Three-dimensional eye movement recordings during magnetic vestibular stimulation

Human subjects placed in strong magnetic fields such as in an MRI scanner often feel dizzy or vertiginous. Recent studies in humans and animals have shown that these effects arise from stimulation of the labyrinth and are accompanied by nystagmus. Here, we measured the three-dimensional pattern of nystagmus using video eye tracking in five normal human subjects placed in a 7T MRI to infer which semicircular canals are activated by magnetic vestibular stimulation. We found that the nystagmus usually had a torsional as well as a horizontal component. Analysis of the relative velocities of the three eye movement components revealed that the lateral and anterior (superior) canals are the only canals activated, and by a similar amount.
Models of Prevention

In this chapter, four specific, powerful models of prevention currently in use are presented, together with the effective intervention strategies that have developed out of these models. First, underlying theoretical concepts are described. Prochaska and DiClemente (1984) have delineated a five-stage model as a transtheoretical approach to understanding how human beings change behavior. The five stages (precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance) are described here, along with the implications of this model for changing high-risk sexual behavior. Other cognitive behavioral constructs are then described which have been shown to be effective in designing effective intervention strategies, including the Theory of Reasoned Action (Azjen & Fishbein, 1980) and the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) Model developed by Fisher and Fisher (1992) specifically for HIV prevention work. Various applications of the IMB Model are described, including the use of Natural Opinion Leaders (NOLs; Kelly et al., 1991) who generate support for the intervention among their peers. Next, “Reducing the Risk,” a school-based intervention to decrease high-risk sexual behavior (Kirby, Barth, Leland, & Fetro, 1991), is described. Models for preventing teen pregnancy are then discussed, which include attention to the effects of personality factors, cognitive components, and social and environmental elements.
Primary Total Knee Replacement

With the long-term success of total knee arthroplasties performed for osteoarthritis, and the availability of factor concentrates allowing safe major surgical procedures to be performed in hemophilia, total knee arthroplasty is considered the procedure of choice for the patient with chronic hemophilic arthropathy of the knee. The primary indication for total knee arthroplasty in a person with hemophilia is severe disabling pain. Deformity and poor functional range of motion are contributing indications, and may by themselves be the main indication when severe pain is not present.
How to Create Witty, Anti-Semitic Jokes: A Primer for Nitwits

This paper examines anti-Semitic humor, which, like most bigoted humor, is not very witty and often relies on ridiculous stereotypes. This is not unexpected from people whose family tree does not fork. Those who tell bigoted jokes should, at the very least, attempt to ensure that their humor is funny and contains a kernel of truth. A primer, containing four simple steps, is offered for bigots who clearly are not intelligent enough to tell a good joke without assistance. Hopefully, they will benefit from this paper and the world will be spared from any more of this pathetic so-called humor.
Preparation and emission study of divalent samarium formed in air fired samples of Sm:Ba2B10O17

Abstract Trivalent samarium has been found to be reduced to the divalent state during the air firing process of the preparation of 5% Sm:Ba2B10O15. This is the first time that the formation of divalent samarium has been reported as a function of the preparation of this material. The product was prepared from a co-precipitated borate which was fired at 750 °C with an additional 30% boric acid. The resulting product was confirmed by x-ray analysis and exhibited only divalent samarium emission. Based upon the observed emission, the primary samarium site can be assigned a site symmetry of C2v. The emitting samarium ion appears to occupy a tetrahedral boron site in this material.
Factoring Integers With a Brain-Inspired Computer

The bound to factor large integers is dominated by the computational effort to discover numbers that are B-smooth, i.e., integers whose largest prime factor does not exceed B. Smooth numbers are traditionally discovered by sieving a polynomial sequence, whereby the logarithmic sum of prime factors of each polynomial value is compared to a threshold. On a von Neumann architecture, this requires a large block of memory for the sieving interval and frequent memory updates, resulting in O(ln ln B) amortized time complexity to check each value for smoothness. This paper presents a neuromorphic sieve that achieves a constant-time check for smoothness by reversing the roles of space and time from the von Neumann architecture and exploiting two characteristic properties of brain-inspired computation: massive parallelism and constant time synaptic integration. The effects on sieving performance of two common neuromorphic architectural constraints are examined: limited synaptic weight resolution, which forces the factor base to be quantized, and maximum indegree, which forces the factor base to be partitioned. Strategies for dealing with both constraints are introduced and the approach is validated by modifying msieve , which implements the multiple polynomial quadratic sieve, to use the IBM Neurosynaptic System as a coprocessor for integer factorization.
Prescription Opioid Use and Satisfaction With Care Among Adults With Musculoskeletal Conditions

PURPOSE In the current payment paradigm, reimbursement is partially based on patient satisfaction scores. We sought to understand the relationship between prescription opioid use and satisfaction with care among adults who have musculoskeletal conditions. METHODS We performed a cross-sectional study using nationally representative data from the 2008-2014 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. We assessed whether prescription opioid use is associated with satisfaction with care among US adults who had musculoskeletal conditions. Specifically, using 5 key domains of satisfaction with care, we examined the association between opioid use (overall and according to the number of prescriptions received) and high satisfaction, defined as being in the top quartile of overall satisfaction ratings. RESULTS Among 19,566 adults with musculoskeletal conditions, we identified 2,564 (13.1%) who were opioid users, defined as receiving 1 or more prescriptions in 2 six-month time periods. In analyses adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and health status, compared with nonusers, opioid users were more likely to report high satisfaction with care (odds ratio = 1.32; 95% CI, 1.18-1.49). According to the level of use, a stronger association was noted with moderate opioid use (odds ratio = 1.55) and heavy opioid use (odds ratio = 1.43) (P <.001 for trend). CONCLUSIONS Among patients with musculoskeletal conditions, those using prescription opioids are more likely to be highly satisfied with their care. Considering that emerging reimbursement models include patient satisfaction, future work is warranted to better understand this relationship.
Medical YouTube Videos and Methods of Evaluation: Literature Review

Background: Online medical education has relevance to public health literacy and physician efficacy, yet it requires a certain standard of reliability. While the internet has the potential to be a viable medical education tool, the viewer must be able to discern which information is reliable. Objective: Our aim was to perform a literature review to determine and compare the various methods used when analyzing YouTube videos for patient education efficacy, information accuracy, and quality. Methods: In November 2016, a comprehensive search within PubMed and Embase resulted in 37 included studies. Results: The review revealed that each video evaluation study first established search terms, exclusion criteria, and methods to analyze the videos in a consistent manner. The majority of the evaluators devised a scoring system, but variations were innumerable within each study’s methods. Conclusions: In comparing the 37 studies, we found that overall, common steps were taken to evaluate the content. However, a concrete set of methods did not exist. This is notable since many patients turn to the internet for medical information yet lack the tools to evaluate the advice being given. There was, however, a common aim of discovering what health-related content the public is accessing, and how credible that material is.
The Origins of Chikungunya and Zika Viruses—History of the Discoveries

Abstract The first half of the 20th century was the golden age for arboviral discovery. Beginning in 1913–16, the International Health Commission and the Yellow Fever Commission were founded to promote knowledge of scientific medicine and eradicate yellow fever. A number of national and international agencies, such as the Rockefeller Foundation (RF), were involved in this effort through the 1930s in laboratories developed and expanded around the world (one such laboratory was the Yellow Fever Research Institute in Entebbe, Uganda). With the closing of the RF yellow fever program in the late 1930s, the scientists involved with this work turned their efforts to further virus discovery, characterization, and classification. Their broader work with arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) began in earnest in 1951 with the establishment of a program to determine “what may be out there.” RF scientists, among others, working in collaboration with scientists at labs such as the Entebbe virus laboratory (then called the East African Virus Research Institute and later the Uganda Virus Research Institute) isolated and characterized numerous arboviruses. It was due to the efforts of programs such as these that viruses including chikungunya (CHIKV) and Zika (ZIKAV) were first isolated and initially described. Mosquito and animal studies were undertaken to characterize zoonotic cycles and efforts made to determine the risk to humans from these agents. Some pathogens, such as CHIKV, were identified during outbreaks while others, including ZIKAV, were discovered during earlier studies but were not shown to be the cause of human disease for years or even decades. It was the outstanding work of these pioneering field and lab researchers at this global network of institutes that set the foundation for much of the current arboviral field work. These investigators not only found dozens of novel arboviruses but performed extensive viral and serological characterization that provided an understanding of the basic relationships among all these agents that would be used for decades to come and aid in the identification of novel emergence events.
Elastically Collective Nonlinear Langevin Equation Theory of Glass-Forming Liquids: Transient Localization, Thermodynamic Mapping, and Cooperativity.

We analyze multiple new issues concerning activated relaxation in glassy hard sphere fluids and molecular and polymer liquids based on the elastically collective nonlinear Langevin equation (ECNLE) theory. By invoking a high-temperature reference state, a near universality of the apparent dynamic localization length scale is predicted for liquids of widely varying fragility, a result that is relevant to recent simulation studies and quasi-elastic neutron-scattering measurements. In contrast, in the same format, a strongly nonuniversal behavior is found for the activation barrier that controls long-time relaxation. Two measures of cooperativity in the ECNLE theory are analyzed. A particle-level total displacement associated with the alpha relaxation event is found to be only of order 1–2 particle diameters and weakly increases with cooling. In contrast, an alternative cooperativity length is defined as the spatial scale required to essentially recover the full barrier and bulk alpha time. This length scale...
Resistance to Systemic Oppression by Students of Color in a Diversity Course for Preservice Teachers

In a diversity course for preservice teachers, we explored coursework by students of color to uncover instances in which they resisted the existence systemic oppression in K–12 schools. First, we e...
31st Annual APRN Legislative Update: Improving state practice authority and access to care

The Annual Legislative Update describes recent legislative and regulatory changes to practice, reimbursement, and prescriptive authority that have the most impact on NPs and other advanced practice registered nurses across the country.
The Effect of Insurance Status on Surgical Outcomes in Gynecologic Cancer Patients

Abstract Objective: The aim of this research was to determine the impact of insurance status on 30-day surgical outcomes for the treatment of gynecologic cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospect...
Mathematical Modeling of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract The main objective of this chapter is to describe the different components of a macroscopic-scale first-principles dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) mathematical model. It starts from the optical absorption and photoresponse of panchromatic dye sensitizers. The photogeneration rate, along with transport dynamics and recombination kinetics, forms the transport-conservation equations, which are the heart of the phenomenological diffusion-recombination model and diffusion-drift model. These device-level models regard DSSC as a homogeneous medium and aim to describe the device’s current-voltage performance. Based on this methodology, a number of simulators have been developed to model the DSSC in 1D, 2D, and 3D configurations. The validity of the simulation mainly depends on the accuracy of kinetic parameters such as the apparent diffusion coefficient and the electron lifetime, which are strongly influenced by the intrinsic properties of the disordered semiconductor medium and its morphology. The dispersive electron transport can be understood from a fundamental point of view by multiple trapping or hopping transport.