cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cause Analysis for Low Reheat Steam Temperature and Transformations of 300-MW Boilers

For the 300-MW subcritical boiler in a power plant,the steam temperature at the outlet of the reheater has always been lower than the designed value after the turbine through-flow transformation.Through the analysis on the data from the reheat steam temperature adjustment test,it is observed that the steam temperature at the inlet of the reheater is much lower than the designed value.Based on the thermal balance calculation,three schemes for increasing the capacity of the reheater are proposed.After comparison,the most reasonable one is selected and put into practice.The performance test after the transformation indicates that the reheat steam temperature at the outlet of the reheater is improved significantly,reaching the designed value of 541 ℃ with the economic efficiency of the plant also improved greatly.
Vertical Electronic Transport in Semiconductor Nanostructures

he investigation of vertical electronic transport in semiconductor heterojunction systems has recently undergone a renaissance due to improved epitaxial techniques in a number of material systems. Presented in this paper are investigations into a number of novel vertical transport systems. Recent advanced in microfabrication techniques have allowed the realization of structures where lateral dimensions approach those achievable with epitaxial technology. Results of transport through structures with reduced dimensionality will be presented.
Assessing the Influence of Property Tax Delinquency and Foreclosures on Residential Property Sales

We examine the influence of property tax delinquency on the sale price of nearby homes from 2002 to 2013 using more than 46,000 residential property sales in a representative midwestern central city—Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After controlling for a number of property and neighborhood characteristics including nearby foreclosures, we find property tax delinquency has a significant influence on nearby home sales. The relationship is negative; one additional tax delinquent property within 250 m of a home sale is associated with a discounted sale price of 0.79% or approximately $1,085 on average. In addition, the influence of tax delinquent properties on home sale prices diminishes with distance, suggesting blight is the source of the discount. Based on these findings, the negative influence of tax delinquency is likely to be exacerbated in central cities where housing density is greater and delinquency is higher and more persistent than the surrounding suburbs, which has the potential to lead to fiscal distress ...
How Attention Enhances Spatial Resolution: Preferential Gain Enhancement of High Spatial Frequency Neurons.

How we experience the world around us strongly depends on behavioral states. We are constantly confronted with an overwhelming amount of sensory input, much more than our brain, limited in resources, can process at a given instant. To efficiently manage limited resources, neural activity is tightly
Vertebroplasty: A Simple Solution to a Difficult Problem

Abstract Vertebroplasty is the percutaneous injection of bone cement into a symptomatic fractured vertebral body under fluoroscopic guidance. It is a safe and simple outpatient procedure. We discuss patient selection, the techniques, and the results based on our experience and that of our radiology colleagues.
Robust transformer tap estimation

The methods currently used for transformer tap estimation are not robust against measurement errors, while the well-documented Least Absolute Value (LAV) State Estimator (SE) is not robust against transformer tap errors. This paper addresses these shortcomings by introducing the so-called Sparse Extended Least Absolute Value (SELAV) SE. By strategically modifying the formulation of LAV SE, the “sparse” nature of l 1 optimization is exploited for the tap estimation problem. The transformer tap positions can be reliably estimated, while the simultaneously produced state estimates (bus voltage angles and magnitudes) remain robust against tap errors. Case studies done using IEEE 57-bus test system are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Comparing psychological burden of orthopaedic diseases against medical conditions: Investigation on hospital course of hip, knee, and spine surgery patients

Abstract Retrospective review of National Inpatient Sample (2000–2012) revealed that 31.28% of musculoskeletal (MSK) patients were found to have in-hospital psychological burdens (PBs). Adult spinal deformity (ASD), degenerative disc disease (DDD) and lung cancer patients had highest PB-prevalence. MSK patients with PB were more often young, white females with increased Deyo index compared to no-PB patients. Patients who underwent spinal revision procedures had higher PB rates than with primary procedures; a converse trend was observed for total hip/knee arthroplasty. Psychological disorders were identified as significant predictors of increased total-hospital charges. Augmenting counseling with psychological screening/support is recommended to complement MSK management.
A generalised modelling discussion for portable wireless base stations during emergencies

The occurrence of natural disasters and emergencies creates the need for communication between and among emergency responders, the region's population, and other governmental and non-governmental agencies and organisations. Key information that is to be disseminated among these groups must rely on communication networks that may have been rendered partially or fully inoperable. In these scenarios, temporary wireless telecommunications infrastructure can be utilised to provide the links necessary for critical communications. While the deployment of temporary mobile networks and other wireless equipment during the aftermath of disasters has been successfully accomplished by governmental agencies and network providers following previous disasters, there appears to be little optimisation effort involved with respect to maximising key performance measures of the deployment or minimising overall cost to deploy. This work does not focus on the question of what entity will operate the portable base stations or wireless equipment utilised during a disaster, only the question of optimising placement for planning and real time management. I examine the modelling and optimisation of the deployment of a wireless infrastructure prior to, during, and after an emergency or crisis.
Women Don't Run: Gender Differences in Candidate Entry

We investigate the role of gender in the choice of whether or not to run for political office. In order to control for confounding factors that might affect the relative propensities for women and men to enter politics, we take the question of the choice to enter elections to the laboratory. The key features of our experimental design involve: (1) a task that represents policymaking ability in which there is population heterogeneity but that is also gender neutral, (2) monetary rewards that ensure that all subjects, regardless of gender, face the same incentives (conditional only on their own task ability) to run for office and to elect a representative with the highest task ability. Preliminary evidence indicates that there are gender differences in choices to run for office, with women less likely to run than men with similar abilities, and that such differences are specific to the competitive and strategic context of campaigns and elections.
A Multilevel in Space and Energy Solver for 3-D Multigroup Diffusion and Coarse-Mesh Finite Difference Eigenvalue Problems

AbstractThe Multilevel in Space and Energy Diffusion (MSED) method accelerates the iterative convergence of multigroup diffusion eigenvalue problems by performing work on lower-order equations with...
Assessing the potential impact of Medicaid work requirements on African-Americans via a welfare reform analysis: a systematic review

Abstract The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are currently approving Medicaid demonstration projects involving work and community engagement requirements. The fear among public health professionals and policymakers is that these work requirements will disproportionately limit access to health insurance for African-Americans. To investigate these new work requirements for Medicaid, we conducted a systematic review of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, the last major welfare program to have such work requirements. We used the ProQuest database and selected scholarly journal studies in English and published between January 1991-August 2018. Our selection strategy yielded 14 eligible studies, eight of which focused on caseload movements and six focused on sanctions. We found that African-Americans entered TANF at a higher rate than Whites, remained on TANF longer, and were subject to sanctions more frequently and stringently than Whites were. These results suggest that African-Americans may disproportionately experience reduced access to care through sanctioning such as lockout periods. Recommended policy changes include prohibiting work activities as a condition of Medicaid coverage, strengthening Medicaid in other ways, combating discriminatory hiring practices, and easing burdensome reporting requirements.
Towards individualized therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Over the past decade, the treatment landscape for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has evolved dramatically. The therapeutic options available have expanded and now include immune-checkpoint inhibitors, novel targeted agents and combination strategies, and thus optimal patient selection and treatment sequencing are increasingly pertinent for optimizing clinical outcomes. A better understanding of the underlying biology of the tumour and its microenvironment continues to drive the inception of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Furthermore, many biomarkers robustly associated with treatment and disease-specific outcomes have been identified, and their integration into clinical decision-making for patients with advanced-stage disease will soon become a reality. Herein, we review relevant aspects of the molecular biology of metastatic RCC, with an emphasis on predictive and prognostic biomarkers, and suggest tailored algorithms to individualize and guide treatment approaches for specific subgroups of patients.
Self-Aware Computing: A Primer

The term self-awareness has been adopted from biology and cognitive science. It refers to the capability of a system to obtain and react upon certain knowledge. It has been proposed as a means for advance autonomous adaptive behavior for complex systems. Self-aware computing is a paradigm for structuring and simplifying the design and operation of complex, dynamic computing systems. This paper provides a brief introduction to self-aware computing.
Generation of Anti-Leukemia Reactive T-Cells by Costimulation with Established B-ALL Cell Lines Expressing Costimulatory Molecules.

Activated B cells expressing the B7 family of molecules are efficient antigen presenting cells. However, most of B-lineage leukemia cells do not fullfill these criteria, having lost their immunostimulatory potential both in vivo and in vitro. We have established 3 human B-ALL(L3) cell-lines (BA-25, BA-78 and BA91) which in comparison with an established pre-B-ALL cell line (BA-127) and other patients-derived pre-B-ALL blast cells do express the costimulatory molecules CD80 and/or CD86, as well as other critical costimulatory molecules for T-cell stimulation such as: CD40, ICAM-I, LFA-3 and CD72. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrate that these B-ALL cells have an activated B-cell phenotype (CD19+, CD20+, CD22+, CD38+, CD71+, CD75+, DR+, HLA-class-I and HLA-class-II). Chromosomal translocations consistent with B-ALL (L3) were determined in BA-25 [t(2;28)(p12;q24)], BA-78 [t(8;14)(q24,q32)] and BA-91 [t(8;14) (q24,q32)]. No EBV DNA sequence was found in these B-ALL cell lines by Southern blot analysis with a probe for EBV genome. In mixted lymphocyte reaction (MLR) assay, Allogeneic T cells were stimulated by BA-25 and BA-91 cells at a B : T cells ratios of 1/30, 1/100, 1/300 and 1/1000. The BA-25 and BA-91 demonstrated 1-2 logs higher ccpm than the control pre-B-ALL cells (BA-127) which with no expression of B7 family molecules. The dose response curves for the B-cell mixture ratio display a linear pattern between 2 17 -2 13 log2 ccpm. To determine T cell stimulation potential of the B-ALL cells, we co-cultured allogeneic PBMC with irradiated (3,000 Rad x-ray) BA-25 cells at 30:1 effector/stimulator ratio and achieved a 3–4 fold expansion of T cells after one round 7-day stimulation. Stimulation of allogeneic PBMC with BA-25 elicited proliferation of the T-cells and lysis of BA-25 as an target in a 4h Cr51 release assay, demonstrating BA-25 as an antigen presenting cell. Studies also show that the BA-25 cells could stimulate allo-cytolytic reactions by CTLs against other human leukemic target cells which lack these molecules and fail to stimulate T cell responses by themselves. Thus, BA-25 and other similar lines may prove useful for the provision of costimulatory signal needed to stimulate T-cell response against leukemias lacking these molecules.
Cautionary study on the effects of pay for performance on quality of care: a pilot randomised controlled trial using standardised patients.

Background Due to the difficulty of studying incentives in practice, there is limited empirical evidence of the full-impact pay-for-performance (P4P) incentive systems. Objective To evaluate the impact of P4P in a controlled, simulated environment. Design We employed a simulation-based randomised controlled trial with three standardised patients to assess advanced practice providers’ performance. Each patient reflected one of the following: (A) indicated for P4P screenings, (B) too young for P4P screenings, or (C) indicated for P4P screenings, but screenings are unrelated to the reason for the visit. Indication was determined by the 2016 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services quality measures. Intervention The P4P group was paid $150 and received a bonus of $10 for meeting each of five outcome measures (breast cancer, colorectal cancer, pneumococcal, tobacco use and depression screenings) for each of the three cases (max $300). The control group received $200. Setting Learning resource centre. Participants 35 advanced practice primary care providers (physician assistants and nurse practitioners) and 105 standardised patient encounters. Measurements Adherence to incentivised outcome measures, interpersonal communication skills, standards of care, and misuse. Results The Type a patient was more likely to receive indicated P4P screenings in the P4P group (3.82 out of 5 P4P vs 2.94 control, p=0.02), however, received lower overall standards of care under P4P (31.88 P4P vs 37.06 control, p=0.027). The Type b patient was more likely to be prescribed screenings not indicated, but highlighted by P4P: breast cancer screening (47% P4P vs 0% control, p Limitations A small sample size and limited variability in patient panel limit the generalisability of findings. Conclusions Our findings caution the adoption of P4P by highlighting the unintended consequences of the incentive system.
Improving Energy Efficiency and Productivity at Industrial Plants Using Dynamic Voltage Management

This article presents a practical approach to realize demand and energy savings in large industrial plants through behind-the-meter conservation voltage reduction implementation. Requirements of a device that can implement conservation voltage reduction in harsh industrial environments are identified. Based on the requirements, a device called stacked isolated voltage optimization module is discussed. Issues concerning the design and operation of the device are explained. Experimental results from a prototype unit are presented.
Circularly-Polarized SIW Antenna for Novel Backscattering-based X-band Communication Systems

RFID-inspired backscattering modulation implemented over other technologies promises low-power identification and communication among things. Recently, the feasibility of RFID over 10.525 GHz Microwave Motion Sensor (MMS) has been proved through the design and realization of a prototype of both reader and transponder. The former was provided with a simple and not particularly miniaturized 4-element array of patch antennas. In this work, a compact 10.525 GHz antenna in SIW technology conceived for MMS-compatible X-band transponder is presented. Both antenna directivity and circular polarization have been optimized to guarantee a robust communication while saving power. The antenna shows a very satisfying performance, with a -10 dB input matching frequency bandwidth equal to 130MHz, high efficiency, and an Axial-Ratio 3 dB bandwidth of lower than 5%.
Self-organization of cortical areas in the development and evolution of neocortex: a network growth model

While the mechanisms generating the topographic organization of primary sensory areas in the neocortex are well-studied, what generates secondary cortical areas is virtually unknown. Using physical parameters representing primary and secondary visual areas as they vary from monkey to mouse, we derived a growth model to explore if characteristic features of secondary areas could be produced from correlated activity patterns arising from V1 alone. We found that V1 seeded variable numbers of secondary areas based on activity-driven wiring and wiring density limits within the cortical surface. These secondary areas exhibited the typical mirror-reversal of map topography on cortical area boundaries and progressive reduction of the area and spatial resolution of each new map on the caudorostral axis. Activity-based map formation may be the basic mechanism that establishes the matrix of topographically-organized cortical areas available for later computational specialization.
Nutrient-conditioned intake stimulation does not require a distinctive flavor cue in rats.

Abstract The postoral actions of nutrients in rodents can stimulate intake and condition flavor preferences through an appetition process. Appetition is revealed in rodents by their increased intake of and preference for a flavored solution paired with intragastric (IG) nutrient infusions. Here we determined if IG 16% maltodextrin (MD) infusions can stimulate intake and preference in the absence of a distinctive flavor cue. Rats implanted with IG catheters were given chow and water 2 h/day followed, 2 h later, by 20-h oral access to water paired with IG MD infusions. Other rats were given bitter sucrose octaacetate solution (SOA) paired with IG MD infusions 20 h/day. Over 8 test days, the SOA rats increased their total 20-h fluid intake (oral + IG) from 26 to 119 g/20 h and Water rats increased their intake from 31 to 96 g/20 h. When infused IG with water instead of MD in a 4-day extinction test, the SOA and Water groups reduced their fluid intakes to 45–48 g/20 h. When oral fluids were again paired with IG MD infusions, the SOA and Water groups increased their intakes to 115 and 109 g/20 h, respectively. In two-bottle tests, the SOA rats drank more SOA paired with IG MD than water paired with IG water. Water rats given the choice of a water bottle paired with IG MD and water bottle paired with IG water did not consistently prefer the H2O/ID MD bottle. Instead they displayed side or sipper tube preferences although neither cue was consistently paired with IG MD during one-bottle training.
Analyzing the Association between Student Weight Status and School Meal Participation: Evidence from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study

Childhood obesity remains a pressing public health concern. Children consume a substantial amount of their caloric intake while in school, making the passage of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) in 2010 and the subsequent improvements to the school meal standards a key policy change. Using data from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study, this paper seeks to re-examine the association between students' (N = 1963) weight status and participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) since the implementation of these policy changes to determine whether, and how, this relationship has changed. After controlling for a wide array of student characteristics and school-level fixed effects, findings from the multivariate regression analyses indicate that usual participation in the school meal programs has no clear association with students' weight status, which contradicts findings from earlier studies conducted prior to the passage of the HHFKA. These findings are discussed in relation to changes in the demographic composition of usual NSLP participants over time.
Institutional Experience With Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Massive Pulmonary Embolism: A Retrospective Case Series.

Objective Despite advances in treatment, massive pulmonary embolism (PE) remains associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The role of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) in the setting of massive PE is evolving and includes potential roles both in initial management and as a rescue strategy. Design Single-center case series that reported demographics and outcomes for patients with massive PE who underwent VA ECMO. Setting This investigation was performed at a quaternary referral center with several hospitals throughout the greater Atlanta, GA, area. Participants The study comprised adult patients (age ≥18 y) admitted to the authors’ hospital system. Patients were identified using an internal registry of ECMO patients that contains basic demographic information (age, weight, treatment dates and times, ECMO configuration) and primary diagnosis. Interventions No interventions were performed. Measurements and Main Results Seventeen patients who met the inclusion criteria were identified, with 16 patients cannulated peripherally and one patient cannulated centrally for VA ECMO. Survival to hospital discharge was 80% for patients who underwent VA ECMO as an initial approach versus 42% for those in whom it was used as a rescue modality. Conclusions The results suggested that patients placed on VA ECMO earlier during their course of massive PE may have improved mortality. Additional investigation is needed to clarify the optimal sequence and timing of therapies surrounding the initiation of VA ECMO in patients with massive PE.
Associations Between Mental and Physical Health Conditions and Occupational Impairments in the U.S. Military.

Introduction Prior studies have identified associations between specific health conditions and occupational impairments in the U.S. military, but little is known about the relative magnitude of impairments associated with different mental and physical health conditions among military service members. The goal of this study is to comparatively assess occupational impairment associated with mental and physical conditions among active duty military service members. Materials and methods Data on 11,055 U.S. active duty service members were from the Department of Defense 2015 Health Related Behaviors Survey, an anonymous online health survey. Items assessed common mental and physical health conditions. Absenteeism was assessed as number of lost work days and presenteeism was assessed as number of work days with impaired functioning in the past 30 days. This research was approved by the RAND Human Subjects Protections Committee. Results Back pain (23%) and anxiety (14%) were the most prevalent conditions in the sample. Mental health conditions (anxiety, depression, and PTSD) were associated with more absentee and presentee days than physical conditions. Adjusting for physical health conditions, anxiety, depression, and PTSD showed robust associations with both absenteeism and presenteeism. Conclusions Common mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD showed robust associations with absenteeism and presenteeism among active duty U.S. military service members. Efforts to rigorously evaluate and improve existing military screening programs and reduce barriers to accessing and engaging in mental healthcare may help to reduce work absenteeism and presenteeism among active duty service members.
Sarcopenia predicts perioperative adverse events following complex revision surgery for the thoracolumbar spine

Abstract Background Context Sarcopenia measured by psoas muscle index (PMI) has been shown to predict perioperative mortality and adverse events (AEs) after various surgical procedures. However, this relationship has not been studied in complex revision thoracolumbar spine surgery. Purpose This study aimed to determine the relationship between sarcopenia and perioperative AEs among patients undergoing complex revision thoracolumbar spine surgery. Study Design Retrospective cohort study Patient Sample A retrospective analysis was performed at a single institution between May 2016 and February 2020 of patients undergoing complex revision thoracolumbar spine surgery by three board certified fellowship-trained orthopaedic spine surgeons. Outcome Measures Perioperative adverse events including postoperative anemia requiring transfusion, cardiac complication, sepsis, wound complication, delirium, intra-operative dural tear, acute kidney injury, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, urinary retention, epidural hematoma, and deep vein thrombosis. Secondary outcome measures were 30-day readmission rates, 30-day re-operation rates, in-hospital mortality rates, discharge disposition, and postoperative length of stay (LOS). Methods Sarcopenia was analyzed using PMI, calculated at the L3 vertebral body measured on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) normalized to height2 (mm2/m2). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and Youden index were used to determine gender-specific PMI cut-off values for predicting perioperative AEs. Sarcopenia was defined as PMI below the cut-off values. Complex revision surgery was defined as Spine Surgical Invasiveness Index >10. Results A total of 114 consecutive patients were included in the study. ROC curve analysis demonstrated PMI Conclusions Sarcopenia measured by PMI is associated with higher perioperative AEs, 30-day readmission rates, 30-day reoperation rates, rate of discharge to a facility, and longer LOS among patients undergoing complex revision thoracolumbar spine surgery.
Human Leukemia T-Cell Lines as Alternatives to Animal Use for Detecting Biologically Active Staphylococcal Enterotoxin Type B.

Staphylococcal enterotoxin type B (SEB) is associated with food poisoning. Current methods for the detection of biologically active SEB rely upon its ability to cause emesis when administered to live kittens or monkeys. This technique suffers from poor reproducibility and low sensitivity and is ethically disfavored over concerns for the welfare of laboratory animals. The data presented here show the first successful implementation of an alternative method to live animal testing that utilizes SEB super-antigenic activity to induce cytokine production for specific novel cell-based assays for quantifiable detection of active SEB. Rather than using or sacrificing live animals, we found that SEB can bind to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules on Raji B-cells. We presented this SEB–MHC class II complex to specific Vβ5.3 regions of the human T-cell line HPB-ALL, which led to a dose-dependent secretion of IL-2 that is capable of being quantified and can further detect 10 pg/mL of SEB. This new assay is 100,000 times more sensitive than the ex vivo murine splenocyte method that achieved a detection limit of 1 µg/mL. The data presented here also demonstrate that SEB induced proliferation in a dose-dependent manner for cells obtained by three different selection methods: by splenocyte cells containing 22% of CD4+ T-cells, by CD4+ T-cells enriched to >90% purity by negative selection methods, and by CD4+ T-cells enriched to >95% purity by positive selection methods. The highly enriched and positively isolated CD4+ T-cells with the lowest concentration of antigen-presenting cells (APC) (below 5%) provided higher cell proliferation than the splenocyte cells containing the highest concentration of APC cells.
Genetic variability for mineral element concentrations in smooth bromegrass related to dairy cattle nutritional requirements

Breeding for increased mineral element concentrations may be a method of improving the nutritional value of forage grasses. Genetic variability among 9 polycross families of smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) was investigated for the concentration of 11 mineral elements and 3 elemental ratios. Estimates were obtained for smooth bromebrass forage at 7 spring growth stages, in pure stands and in binary mixtures with alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Family differences were generally significant for Ca and Ca/P, but generally were not for K, B, Mn, and Fe. Expected selection responses indicated selection in pure stands of smooth bromegrass could increase Cu and Ca P, and decrease N/S and K/(Ca + Mg) to adequate levels for a moderately-producing dairy cow. Other elements did not have high enough mean values or sufficient genetic variability to warrant selection. An 80% alfalfa/20% smooth bromegrass mixture, deficient in P, Zn, and Cu, but excessive in the N/S ratio, could not be improved enough to make breeding for these minerals a viable objective for either component of the mixture. The alfalfa/grass mixture was usually adequate for all other elements.
Wide-Baseline Dense Feature Matching for Endoscopic Images

Providing a feature-matching strategy to accurately recover tracked features after a fast and large endoscopic-camera motion or a strong organ deformation, is key in many endoscopic-imaging applications, such as augmented reality or soft-tissue shape recovery. Despite recent advances, existing feature-matching algorithms are characterized by limiting assumptions, and have not yet met the necessary levels of accuracy, especially when used to recover features in distorted or poorly-textured tissue areas. In this paper, we present a novel feature-matching algorithm that accurately recovers the position of image features over the entire organ’s surface. Our method is fully automatic, it does not require any explicit assumption about the organ’s 3-D surface, and leverages Gaussian Process Regression to incorporate noisy matches in a probabilistically sound way. We have conducted extensive tests with a large database of more than 100 endoscopic-image pairs, which show the improved accuracy and robustness of our approach when compared to current state-of-the-art methods.
On the steady state fractionation of multicomponent and complex mixtures in an ideal cascade: Part 5. The extension to packed columns

Abstract In previous papers the computations, both theoretical and numerical, involved in rectification for multicomponent and complex mixtures in cascades, were considered. The formulae may be extended to performance in packed columns so that the calculation of the number of transfer units for a given separation may be obtained with ease.
Superstars “like” me: The effect of role model similarity on performance under threat

Past work has shown that in-group role models buffer stereotyped targets from stereotype threat. What is less clear is what makes an effective in-group role model. Accordingly, we conducted a study to examine whether increasing the similarity of in-group role models will enhance their effectiveness in stereotype threat situations. Female participants in this study were either exposed to a more or less similar (on the basis of school affiliation, life experiences, and interests) female job candidate who was either high or low in math competence. Afterwards, participants took a math exam under stereotype threat conditions. Results revealed that similarity moderated the effect of job candidate math competence: Female participants’ math performance improved more after exposure to a more similar compared with a less similar, high math-competent candidate. No effects of similarity occurred for the low math-competent candidates. We further found that feelings of intimidation partially mediated the performance effects. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. I take it very seriously. I didn’t have the role models these girls have. Most of my athletic role models were men. There’s only so much you can identify with.
Traffic analysis against low-latency anonymity networks using available bandwidth estimation

We introduce a novel remotely-mounted attack that can expose the network identity of an anonymous client, hidden service, and anonymizing proxies. To achieve this, we employ single-end controlled available bandwidth estimation tools and a colluding network entity that can modulate the traffic destined for the victim. To expose the circuit including the source, we inject a number of short or one large burst of traffic. Although timing attacks have been successful against anonymity networks, they require either a Global Adversary or the compromise of substantial number of anonymity nodes. Our technique does not require compromise of, or collaboration with, any such entity. To validate our attack, we performed a series of experiments using different network conditions and locations for the adversaries on both controlled and real-world Tor circuits. Our results demonstrate that our attack is successful in controlled environments. In real-world scenarios, even an under-provisioned adversary with only a few network vantage points can, under certain conditions, successfully identify the IP address of both Tor users and Hidden Servers. However, Tor's inherent circuit scheduling results in limited quality of service for its users. This at times leads to increased false negatives and it can degrade the performance of our circuit detection. We believe that as high speed anonymity networks become readily available, a well-provisioned adversary, with a partial or inferred network "map", will be able to partially or fully expose anonymous users.
Prolonged readout using two-defect species in SBN

Summary form only given. Holographic data storage offers various advantages, such as high storage density and rapid transfer rates, and short access time. An essential criterion for this method to be practical is the ability to retain information after many readout cycles. Several fixing techniques have been investigated, including thermal fixing, electric fixing, two-photon recording; and multiple species participating in grating formation in photorefractive crystals. Because of its high sensitivity and strong electro-optic coefficient, SBN is an important candidate for holographic storage medium. Recently, increase of absorption attributed to a two species system at longer wavelengths after illumination of green light in SBN was discovered. We report here new evidence of prolonged readout involving two species in SBN, which results in prolonged readout of holographic gratings. Experiments are performed on an SBN crystal using a dye laser tuned to 602 nm. Grating buildup and erasure behaviors were studied with external incident angles ranging from 200 and 600, and an average power of 30 mW in each writing beam in a standard transmission recording geometry.
Support-limited extrapolation of offset Fourier data

We investigate the usefulness of support-limited extrapolation as a tool for improving the estimate of the magnitude of a finite extent complex-valued signal from samples of its Fourier transform that are offset from the origin. The motivating application is spotlight mode synthetic aperture radar where the complex-valued signal to be recovered is microwave reflectivity and the measured Fourier samples of this reflectivity constitute the signal to be extrapolated. Both analytical and simulation results are presented supporting an earlier conjecture that extrapolation will be of little benefit unless the width of the known Fourier data is less than or equal to the bandwidth of just the magnitude of the reflectivity.
HORSES AND CORSETS: BLACK BEAUTY , DRESS REFORM, AND THE FASHIONING OF THE VICTORIAN WOMAN

WHEN ENGLISHWOMAN ANNA SEWELL died in 1878 of an indeterminate chronic illness, she left a modest note among her papers which read: “I have for six years been confined to the house and to my sofa, and have from time to time, as I was able, been writing what I think will turn out a little book, its special aim being to induce kindness, sympathy and an understanding treatment of horses” (qtd. in Chitty 178). Published in 1877 just months before her death, the “little book” that Sewell wrote proved to be the sixth most popular work printed in the English language1; she entitled it Black Beauty: The Autobiography of a Horse. Sewell’s sentimental tale charts the rise and fall of a beautiful thoroughbred gelding, Black Beauty, from the wholesome pastoral bliss of his early life on a landed estate to his ultimate degradation as a cab horse working the dirty, crowded streets of London. From among the many instances of physical abuse depicted in Black Beauty, Sewell isolates those incurred in the name of “Fashion” as the most pernicious, and her narrative passionately participates in what was at the time a heated public controversy: the application of the curb-bit and the bearing rein, two popular harnessing devices which held the horse’s head tightly erect, compelling the animal into contrived and painful postures for the purpose of appearances alone.
Aluminium‐containing agents may be toxic in predialysis chronic renal insufficiency patients

Objective. To investigate the possible toxic effects of long-term low dose aluminium (Al) exposure in predialysis chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) patients (serum creatinine >1.4 mg dL-1). Design. An open, random, and prospective clinical study. Setting. The study was carried out at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, a medical centre of Chang Gung Medical College. Subjects. Seventy CRI patients who have regularly attended a nephrology out-patient department participated in this study. After a 3-month wash-out period 50 were given an Al loading test and 20 received no Al-containing agents. Interventions. We used a low dose of Al(OH)3 (one tablet three times day-1, about 302 mg aluminium day-1) for 3 months as an Al loading test. Main outcome measures. The study was divided into two phases: phase 1, a basal study to measure serum Al, iron, ferritin, daily urinary Al excretion and renal function status; and phase 2, in which an Al loading test was performed. The phase 1 parameters were measured again after the Al loading test to compare the differences between pre- and post-study in the two groups. Results. We found significant increments of serum Al and daily urinary Al excretion in all study group patients afterthe Al loading test. The increments of serum Al correlated with basal creatinine clearance (Ccr: r=–0.352, P<0.05) and basal serum ferritin (r=–0.302, P<0.05). Serum ferritin was significantly reduced after the Al loading tests, and the reduction (r=0.357, P<0.05) positively correlated with the increments of daily urinary Al excretion in the study group patients. However, no significant changes of serum Al, ferritin, and daily urinary Al excretion were noted in the control group patients. Conclusions. A long-term low dose Al exposure can cause significant Al accumulation and iron store depletion in CRI patients. Therefore, Al-containing agents should be used with caution in patients with CRI.
ICEPIC Simulation of a Strapped Nonrelativistic High-Power UHF Magnetron With a Transparent Cathode Operating in the Explosive Electron Emission Mode

The operation of a high-power nonrelativistic strapped ultra-high-frequency (UHF) multicavity magnetron with transparent cathode is simulated using the Improved Concurrent Electromagnetic Particle-in-Cell (ICEPIC) code. Results of the simulations are compared with simulations of the same magnetron with a solid cylindrical cathode. Both cathodes are explosive-emission electron sources that operate in the space-charge-limited mode of the electron extraction from the cathode. Simulations are part of an effort searching for methods and technologies that enable an increase of output microwave power of strapped nonrelativistic high-power UHF magnetrons by replacing thermionic direct-heated cathodes with a non-thermionic-emission cathode. Results of the simulations show that the anode current Ia and the output power Pout of the magnetron with the transparent cathode are higher than Ia and Pout of the same magnetron with a solid cathode. At the same time, the electronic efficiency ηe of the magnetron with the transparent cathode is less, and the startup time ts is shorter than ηe and ts of the magnetron with the solid cathode.
Multiple domain protein diagnostic patterns

We have implemented an iterative algorithm for the identification of diagnostic patterns from sets of multiple-domain proteins, where domains need not be common to all the proteins in the defining set. Our algorithm was applied to sequences gathered using a variety of methods, including BLAST, common keywords, and common E.C. numbers. In all cases, useful diagnostic patterns were obtained, possessing both high sensitivity and specificity. The patterns were found to correlate in several cases with both functional and structural domains. Patterns generated from a large number of sequence families were analyzed for probable multiple-domain structure.
Nicotine as a discriminative cue in rats: inability of related drugs to produce a nicotine-like cueing effect.

Rats were trained to enter one arm of a T-maze after the subcutaneous administration of 0.4 mg/kg and to enter the opposite arm following the injection of an equal volume of saline. Administration of 0.4 mg/kg nicotine isomethonium iodide hydroiodide, 0.4–10.0 mg/kg lobeline sulfate, 2.0 and 4.0 mg/kg d-amphetamine sulfate and 0.25–2.0 mg/kg arecoline hydrobromide produced responses which resembled the established saline effect. Pretreatment with 10.0 mg/kg lobeline had no significant effect on the nicotine-cued response. The inability of these structurally and/or functionally similar drugs to produce a nicotine-like discriminative effect is discussed.
Musial: From Stash to Stan the Man

Musial: From Stash to Stan the Man is the most comprehensive assessment of baseball legend Stan Musial's life and career to date. Musial, better known as Stan the Man, was born Stanislaus Frank Musial in 1920 to Polish immigrants in Donora, Pennsylvania. As a youth, however, he went by the nickname Stashu, soon shortened to Stash, which his closest friends have continued to call him. In this first scholarly biography of Musial, James N. Giglio places the St. Louis Cardinal star within the context of the times - the Great Depression and wartime and postwar America - and the issues then prevalent in professional baseball, particularly race and the changing economics of the game. Giglio seeks to illuminate how the times shaped Musial and to delve further into his popular image as a warm, unfailingly gracious role model known for good sportsmanship and devotion to family. One of America's most popular professional athletes, Musial began his baseball career in 1938 as a minor league pitcher, switching to the outfield after he injured his arm. He began playing for the Cardinals in 1941, and in his twenty-two-year career with them (1941 to 1963, with an interruption for military service during World War II), he established himself as one of the game's greatest hitters, with a lifetime batting average of.331. He held major league records for extra-base hits and total bases. He also held National League records for games played, consecutive games played, times at bat, runs scored, runs batted in, and hits. Musial retired from the playing field in 1963, but returned as general manager of the Cardinals in 1967, a year in which his team won the World Series. In 1969, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Through extensive research in newspapers, the Musial collection at the Baseball Hall of Fame Library, the Sporting News Archives, and manuscript collections at the Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy libraries, along with in-depth interviews, Giglio has provided the real story of Stan Musial as not only a baseball hero, but also a youth, a young man, a husband, and a father - a regular guy. Baseball fans everywhere will join with diehard Cardinal fans in welcoming this well-crafted and compelling biography of Stan the Man.
Vestibular, vaginal and urethral relationships in spayed and intact normal dogs.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the urogenital anatomy in sound spayed and intact dogs. Fourteen intact and 12 spayed sound dogs had their lower urogenital tract evaluated with conventional vaginourethrography, computed tomography (CT) vaginourethrography and uroendoscopy under general anesthesia. Measurements for each of the three imaging modalities were made. Measurements included vaginal length, vaginal height, vaginal width, vestibule length, vestibule height, vestibule width, cingulum height, cingulum width, cingulum area, urethral length, urethral height, urethral width, angle of urethra to vestibule and angle of vagina to vestibule. Group comparisons were made between sound spayed and intact dogs. In general, most measurements were greater in intact dogs compared to spayed dogs regardless of imaging modality utilized. Group–weight interactions (P < 0.01) were found on conventional vaginourethrograms (vaginal height and length and vestibule height, length and width) and CT vaginourethrograms (vaginal length, vestibule height, length and width, cingulum area, urethral width and angle of vagina to vestibule). A three-way interaction (P < 0.01) for vaginal length, vaginal height and vestibule height was also identified. Vestibule length and height, cingulum height and urethral length were larger (P < 0.01) with increasing dog weight and in intact dogs for both conventional and CT vaginourethrograms. No difference in vestibulovaginal ratio was observed between intact dogs and spayed dogs (P = 0.0221). One of 14 intact dogs and 8 of 12 spayed dogs had vestibulovaginal ratios <0.33 on conventional vaginourethrograms. Anatomical differences in the lower urogenital tract between spayed and intact dogs emphasizes the need to establish normal reference ranges for spayed and intact dogs.
Nonparametric Image Segmentation Using Rényi’s Statistical Dependence Measure

In this paper, we present a novel nonparametric active region model for image segmentation. This model partitions an image by maximizing the similarity between the image and a label image, which is generated by setting different constants as the intensities of partitioned subregions. The intensities of these two images can not be compared directly as they are of different modalities. In this work we use Renyi’s statistical dependence measure, maximum cross correlation, as a criterion to measure their similarity. By using this measure, the proposed model deals directly with independent samples and does not need to estimate the continuous joint probability density function. Moreover, the computation is further simplified by using the theory of reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces. Experimental results based on medical and synthetic images are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.