cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using local correction and mutation with memory to improve convergence of evolutionary algorithm in image registration

The modified versions of the basic genetic operations - reproduction, crossover and mutation - in evolutionary algorithm are proposed in relation to 2D grayscale image registration problem. Two modifications of the reproduction phase include deletion of clones and genes with the same or similar parameter values, and local correction of the reproduction pool. Local correction is implemented as two consecutive stages - random search and local refinement. The RC-crossover is introduced that takes advantage of the best genes of the population while avoiding a direct replacement of the worse parameter values with their better counterparts. Mutation with memory aims to explore all poorly represented areas of the search space in order to eliminate the possibility of overlooking a better (or the best) solution. Computational experiments show that proposed modifications can improve convergence of evolutionary procedure when they are applied to 2D grayscale image registration problem.
Attitudes Towards Food Safety and the Environment: A Comparison of Conswners in Japan and the U.S.1

Numerous studies have demonstrated dwindling consumer confidence in the safety of the food supply and growing interest in purchasing "safe" foods. However, this research has painted no consistent picture of those concerned about food safety, nor has it investigated the relationship between environmental and food safety attitudes. A mail survey of Japanese and the United States consumers is used to evalulate whether selected environmental attitudes can explain food safety concerns and behavior. Findings indicate high concern about food safety in both countries, but income, age, education, and attitudes about the impacts of fossil fuel use explain little of the variance. Instead, that concern appears to be prompted largely by an interest in obtaining a healthy diet. It is also noted that Japanese consumers are more concerned about both food safety and the impacts of fossil fuel use, perhaps because of Japan's lack of natural resources and high food import levels.
Circadian Rhythm Abnormalities in Totally Blind People: Incidence and Clinical Significance

When people are completely isolated from environmental time cues, their circadian rhythms free run with a nearly 24-h cycle, generated by an internal body clock. Free-running temperature, cortisol, and melatonin rhythms have also been described in totally blind people, even though they were living in normal society and had access to abundant time cues; thus an intact visual system may be essential for synchronization of the circadian system. However, because of the small numbers of subjects studied, the incidence and clinical significance of circadian rhythm abnormalities among the blind has remained uncertain. In this study, plasma melatonin (n = 20), cortisol (n = 4), and sleep propensity (n = 1) were measured in serial samples taken from totally blind subjects for 24 h. Most totally blind subjects had circadian rhythm abnormalities. In about half of the subjects, the rhythms were free-running. Some blind subjects suffered recurrent insomnia and daytime sleepiness that were maximal when the internal rhy...
Facile synthesis of 3-oxo-1,2,5-thiadiazoles; 7β-s̆ (3-oxo-1,2,5-thiadiazol-2-yl) cephalosporins

Abstract A simple procedure is described for the preparation of 3-oxo-1,2,5-thiadiazoles under mild conditions. This procedure has provided hitherto unknown 7β-s (3-oxo-1,2,5-thiadiazol-2-yl) cephalosporins.
Conformal Mappings for Filter Transfer Function Synthesis

In a previous paper the author outlined a general method for synthesis of filter and amplifier transfer functions by setting up fictitious electrostatic problems. This paper shows that techniques utilizing conformal mappings provide practical ways for solving these electrostatic problems. Analysis in the mapped plane also yields convenient methods for predetermining the number of poles and zeros required to meet given design specifications.
Radiotherapy-induced pacemaker and implantable cardioverter defibrillator malfunction

It is well known that ionizing radiation can interfere with circuits in permanent pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators. Contemporary implantable cardiac devices use complementary metal-oxide silicon in combination with other very sensitive transistors. These sensitive components are especially susceptible to electromagnetic and ionizing radiation, which can potentially cause permanent damage. Electromagnetic interference is, in general, a transient phenomenon. Radiologic imaging tests have been implicated in rare cases of implantable device dysfunction and these events have been mostly transient. The American Association of Physicists in Medicine last published recommendations regarding irradiation of pacemakers in 1994. This publication is outdated and may not be pertinent for the current technology used both in the field of artificial cardiac pacing and defibrillation and in the field of radiation oncology. Updated guidelines are definitely needed.
Life cycle assessment of ISPRA Mark 9 thermochemical cycle for nuclear hydrogen production

The nuclear energy driven thermochemical cycle is one of the potential water-splitting processes for producing hydrogen, presumed to be the transportation fuel of the future. A life cycle assessment (LCA) of one such system, which utilizes nuclear energy to drive the ISPRA Mark 9 thermochemical cycle, is presented in this paper. The results of the LCA are presented in terms of the emissions of greenhouse gases (CO2-equivalent) and acid gases (SO2-equivalent). The contributions of the thermochemical plant to the emissions were determined through the estimation of material and energy requirements for chemical inventory, raw materials consumption and plant fabrication/installation. The greenhouse gas emissions from the system are 2515 g CO2-equivalent kg−1 H2 produced and acid gas emissions 11.252 g SO2-equivalent kg−1 H2 produced. A comparison of this hydrogen production route with other routes, including steam reforming of methane and high-temperature electrolysis, is also presented in the paper. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry
A ranking of supply chain management journals based on departmental lists

The issue of journal rankings has been an issue of frequent debate, likely due to the effect rankings can have on academic careers. While many rankings have been done over the years, few, if any, take into account what really matters to academics’ careers, how their own departments evaluate their research. This study collected department journal ranking lists from top international supply chain programmes. The resulting data, approximately 70% US and 30% international, presents a diverse perspective on the journals considered when analysing research productivity. A cluster analysis is performed and the results are compared with impact factors for select journals; we also discuss the differences highlighted between perceived rankings based on the departments’ geographic location. The results show that the field still has some divisions.
Restricting access to neonatal intensive care : Effect on mortality and economic savings

Objective. Neonatal intensive care for very low birth weight (VLBW) infants is expensive, and cost-containment policies have been proposed that would restrict care according to birth weight. We examined the potential reduction in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) VLBW charges and the impact on survivors if care were not offered to infants of extremely low birth weights or gestational ages. Design. We reviewed hospital charges for a retrospective cohort of VLBW infants born during the 5-year period from 1988 to 1992. Local charges and survival statistics were applied to national VLBW birth statistics to estimate the national effects of a birth weight-based rationing program. Setting. A high-risk perinatal referral center. Patients. A consecutive sample of 1361 VLBW infants was tracked from birth to discharge home, transfer to a level II nursery, or death. Main Outcome Measures. Hospital charges and survival. Results. Mean charges per survivor ranged from $250 654 for infants weighing <500 g to $74 101 for those weighing 1000 to 1500 g. Policies denying care to infants born at <500, 600, or 700 g would lead to total NICU care savings of 0.8%, 3.2%, and 10.3%, respectively. Applying the local birth weight-specific survival rates, such policies applied nationally would not have offered care to 136, 575, and 2689 potential survivors annually. Birth weight-based rationing schemes also are shown to increase further the racial disparity of NICU deaths. Conclusions. To attain significant reduction in NICU charges, policies offering care to the larger or more mature VLBW infants only will result in denying care to many infants who would otherwise survive.
Fibronectin stimulates human lung carcinoma cell proliferation by suppressing p21 gene expression via signals involving Erk and Rho kinase

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21(WAF-1/CIP1/MDA-6) (p21) plays a key role in cell cycle inhibition and apoptosis, and is negatively regulated during cell proliferation. Extracellular matrices can affect cellular proliferation, but their effects on p21 have not been entirely elucidated. Herein, we explore the effects of the matrix glycoprotein fibronectin on p21 expression in human lung carcinoma cells. Our studies show that fibronectin stimulates cell proliferation, and that this effect is associated with suppression of p21 and stimulation of cyclin D1 mRNA and protein levels in human lung non-small lung cell carcinoma cells (H1838). In contrast, the matrix protein collagen type 1 had no effect. The suppression of p21 by fibronectin was blocked by inhibitors of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway (PD98095), and the Rho-kinase pathway (Y-27632). Fibronectin stimulated the phosphorylation of Erk and increased Rho protein expression. To determine the molecular mechanism(s) responsible for the inhibitory effects of fibronectin on p21 expression, transient transfection assays were performed with cells expressing a wild-type human p21 promoter construct. In these cells, fibronectin reduced p21 gene promoter activity. Finally, electrophoresis mobility shift experiments revealed that fibronectin decreased nuclear Sp1 binding activity in the promoter region of the p21 gene promoter, and a Sp1 competing oligonucleotide inhibited the fibronectin response. Taken together, our results suggest that fibronectin stimulates lung cancer carcinoma cell growth by reducing the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 and by inducing cyclin D1 gene expression. The reduction of p21 by fibronectin appears to be mediated through Erk and Rho-kinase signaling and DNA-protein interactions at the Sp1 site in the p21 gene promoter. These observations unveil a novel mechanism for p21 gene regulation by fibronectin in lung carcinoma cell growth that represents a potential target for therapy.
Effective thermoelastic constants of short-fiber composites

Abstract This paper studies the effective thermal stress and thermal expansion coefficients of unidirectional short-fiber composites. The thermoelastic constants in the form of infinite series are obtained based upon the known local elastic field solution derived by the perturbation expansion of the Green's tensor function. Approximations of the series expansions are presented for multi-phase short-fiber composites such as hybrids. The results are further reduced to binary systems and the upper and lower bound predictions of effective thermoelastic constants are given.
Identifying microbial diversity in the natural environment: A molecular phylogenetic approach

Our knowledge of microbial biodiversity has been severely limited by relying on microorganisms that have been cultured; these represent only a tiny fraction of the microbial diversity in the environment. Recently, however, recombinant DNA and molecular phylogenetic techniques have provided methods for characterizing natural microbial communities without the need to cultivate organisms. These techniques have allowed a glimpse of the complexity of microbial communities and the huge, largely untapped, biotechnological resource that they represent.
Experience with the EM-60 electromagnetic system for geothermal exploration in Nevada

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL) conducted controlled-source electromagnetic (EM) surveys at three geothermal prospects in northern Nevada. Over 40 soundings were made in Panther Canyon (Grass Valley), near Winnemucca; Soda Lakes, near Fallon; and McCoy, west of Austin, to test and demonstrate the applicability of LBL's EM-60 system to geothermal exploration. The EM-60 is a frequency-domain system using three-component magnetic detection. Typically, +-65 A is applied to an 100-m-diameter four-turn horizontal loop, generating a dipole moment >10/sup 6/ MKS over the frequency range 10/sup -3/ to 10/sup -3/ Hz. With such a source loop, soundings were made, at transmitter-receiver separations of up to 4 km, providing a maximum depth of penetration of 4 km.
Toll-like receptor 7-induced immune response to cutaneous West Nile virus infection

The Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7 response represents a vital host-defence mechanism in a murine model of systemic West Nile virus (WNV) infection. Here, we investigated the role of the TLR7-induced immune response following cutaneous WNV infection. We found that there was no difference in susceptibility to WNV encephalitis between wild-type and TLR7−/− mice upon intradermal injection or infected mosquito feeding. Viral load analysis revealed similar levels of WNV RNA in the peripheral tissues and brains of these two groups of mice following intradermal infection. There was a higher level of cytokines in the blood of wild-type mice at early stages of infection; however, this difference was diminished in the blood and brains at later stages. Langerhans cells (LCs) are permissive to WNV infection and migrate from the skin to draining lymph nodes upon intradermal challenge. Our data showed that WNV infection of TLR7−/− keratinocytes was significantly higher than that of wild-type keratinocytes. Infection of wild-type keratinocytes induced higher levels of alpha interferon and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6 and IL-12, which might promote LC migration from the skin. Co-culture of naive LCs of wild-type mice with WNV-infected wild-type keratinocytes resulted in the production of more IL-6 and IL-12 than with TLR7−/− keratinocytes or by cultured LCs alone. Moreover, LCs in the epidermis were reduced in wild-type mice, but not in TLR7−/− mice, following intradermal WNV infection. Overall, our results suggest that the TLR7 response following cutaneous infection promotes LC migration from the skin, which might compromise its protective effect in systemic infection.
A Model for the Force Exerted on A Primary Cilium by An Optical Trap and The Resulting Deformation

Cilia are slender flexible structures extending from the cell body; genetically similar to flagella. Although their existence has been long known, the mechanical and functional properties of non-motile ("primary") cilia are largely unknown. Optical traps are a non-contact method of applying a localized force to microscopic objects and an ideal tool for the study of ciliary mechanics. We present a method to measure the mechanical properties of a cilium using an analytic model of a flexible, anchored cylinder held within an optical trap. The force density is found using the discrete-dipole approximation. Utilizing Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, we then integrate this force density and numerically obtain the equilibrium deformation of the cilium in response to an optical trap. The presented results demonstrate that optical trapping can provide a great deal of information and insight about the properties and functions of the primary cilium.
Using acoustics to estimate the fish-length selectivity of trawl mesh

Somerton, D. A., Williams, K., von Szalay, P. G., and Rose, C. S. 2011. Using acoustics to estimate the fish-length selectivity of trawl mesh. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 1558–1565.Estimation of the retention probability of a trawlnet traditionally involves conducting experiments during which the fish escaping through the meshes are recaptured using either small-mesh pocketnets attached to the outside of the net or by enclosing the entire trawlnet in a small-mesh net. A new method of estimating the length selectivity of trawl mesh is demonstrated; it does not require the recapture of escaping fish but instead uses standard acoustic methods to estimate the abundance of fish entering the net before mesh selection. The method was applied to the 83–112 eastern otter trawl used by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) to conduct bottom-trawl surveys in the eastern Bering Sea (EBS), and the Aleutian wing trawl used by the AFSC to collect midwater biological samples of walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) during fishery acoustic surveys of the EBS and Gulf of Alaska. The length selectivities of both trawls were also estimated using standard recapture experiments. For both, the estimated lengths at 50% selection (L 50 ) from the acoustic method were similar to the estimates from the recapture experiments, but the estimated selection ranges were narrower. The advantages of the acoustic method are that it is simpler to use than traditional fish-recapture methods and it does not alter normal trawl performance.
Good Bye Lenin, Hello Movie Industry! Eine Unterrichtseinheit zur DDR

Im Artikel wird eine Unterrichtseinheit zum Thema DDR vorgestellt, deren Ziel es ist, den StudentInnen einen Uberblick uber verschiedene Themenbereiche zu geben. Die Unterrichtseinheit behandelt nicht nur die geschichtlichen Ereignisse, sondern auch das Alltagsleben in der DDR, die Stasi und die Wende. Die Unterrichtseinheit verbindet bekannte Filme wie Das Lebender Anderen, Good Bye, Lenin! und Sonnenallee mit anderen Materialien wie Webseiten, Filmbucher und Artikel, an Hand derer die StudentInnen diese Themen erarbeiten konnen.
“Tsunami: The Underrated Hazard” by Edward Bryant

In Tsunami: The Underrated Hazard (Cambridge University Press, 2001), Edward Bryant proposes “to cover all aspects of modern tsunami research.” This is a monumental task that covers many disciplines: hydrodynamics, oceanography, geomorphology, sedimentology, engineering, seismology, numerical modeling, social sciences, and more. The book should be a welcome addition to the academic literature, as tsunami research has experienced a burst in the past two decades, driven by advances in numerical modeling, recent damaging tsunamis, paleoseismological studies of prehistoric tsunami events, and reassessment of tsunami sources and global tsunami risk. The book is intended to bring the reader “up to steam” in all these areas; unfortunately, it falls short of the mark. The book is attractive with many photographs and figures that are well laid out with respect to the text. At first glance, the scope is indeed comprehensive. There are four main sections: “Tsunami as Known Hazards” (legends, tsunami dynamics and wave theory, and run-up and inundation), “Tsunami-formed Landscapes” (tsunami deposits, erosional features, and landscape evolution), “Causes of Tsunami” (earthquakes, landslides, volcanism, impacts), and finally “Modern Risk of Tsunami” (risk, warning systems, scenario events). Unfortunately, the book is riddled with problems. The foremost is the failure to integrate the many different topics and disciplines into a coherent whole. Bryant has attempted to cover so many different research areas that many sections seem unrelated or even contradictory. The 1946 Aleutian earthquake …
Disability in Basic and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living is Associated with Faster Rate of Decline in Cognitive Function of Older Adults

COGNITIVE decline in old age is common and is strongly associated with increased risk of cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and death (1–5). With the U.S. population getting older, this problem of decline in cognitive function is expected to increase in future, underscoring the need to identify substrates contributing to cognitive decline and strategies to reduce their impact. Physical disability is one such adverse health condition that may be related to cognitive decline in older persons through neurodegenerative processes. Some studies have shown a relationship between self-reported physical disability and cognitive function (6,7), whereas others do not (8,9). In addition to physical disability, common chronic health conditions, such as diabetes (10,11) and pulmonary disease (12–15), and general indicators of demographic and anthropometric variables, such as education (16–18) and body mass index (19,20) have been shown to be associated with late-life cognitive decline. The relationship between physical disability and cognitive function is not well established, and understanding this association is likely to require a thorough understanding of the temporal course of change in cognitive function with respect to the temporal change in physical disability. Previous research either used a set cutoff point to define cognitive decline or focused on the relationship between baseline physical disability and cognitive decline. However, physical disability is a dynamic process that can be defined in terms of transitions and progression toward more severe disability. In this article, we focus on one transition defined by the onset of physical disability and severity of physical disability at the time of reported onset. Many previous studies have been limited in their ability to study temporal change in cognitive function in terms of temporal changes in physical disability due the insufficient longitudinal data. This study examines change in cognitive function before and after onset of disability in older persons using data from the Chicago Health and Aging Project (21) to test the hypothesis that onset of physical disability is associated with an increased rate of cognitive decline. Participants were 6,678 older residents of a geographically defined neighborhood in Chicago. During a mean of 12.6 years of observation of participants not disabled at baseline, cognitive function was assessed 2–6 times at 3-year intervals and their difficulties with activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) were ascertained at the same time. We used mixed-effects change point regression models to test the hypothesis that cognitive decline accelerates after onset of ADL and IADL disability.
Managing behavior of intelligent environments

It has become increasingly important to support agile organizations with easily re-configurable work environments. This paper describes an on-going work on a platform for managing behavior of intelligent environments. The platform promotes the development of futuristic workspaces that support people's work practices in an unobtrusive, context-aware, and personalized manner. The platform accommodates individual preferences and organizational policies in a way that allows rapid and impromptu customizations. There are several advantages to this, in particular, the ability to represent users' preferences about their work environments separately from the actual configurations of the physical spaces they occupy at a given time, thus supporting emerging workplace needs such as hoteling and impromptu group settings.
Multiple Selves and Culpability

Challenging problems for moral and legal culpability, as Jennifer Radden has impressively brought to our attention, are generated when people suffering from dissociative-identity disorder commit various transgressions. In the type of case of interest in this paper, “Self2” of a two-self multiple is unaware that “Self1” has committed a crime and has played no role in Self1's commission of the crime. This case generates, among others, the following pressing problems. Is Self2 morally to blame for Self1's deed, and is the multiple itself either morally or legally culpable for this deed? In this paper, after critically discussing some of Radden's views on these issues, I defend negative responses to both these questions by appealing to central constituents of a theory of moral responsibility.
Susceptibility of oral bacteria to an antimicrobial decapeptide.

Naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides have emerged as alternative classes of antimicrobials. In general, these antimicrobial peptides exhibit selectivity for prokaryotes and minimize the problems of engendering microbial resistance. As an alternative method to search for more effective broad-spectrum peptide antimicrobials, investigators have developed peptide libraries by using synthetic combinatorial technology. A novel decapeptide, KKVVFKVKFK (KSL), has been identified that shows a broad range of antibacterial activity. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of this antimicrobial peptide in killing selected strains of oral pathogens and resident saliva bacteria collected from human subjects. Cytotoxic activity of KSL against mammalian cells and the structural features of this decapeptide were also investigated, the latter by using two-dimensional NMR in aqueous and DMSO solutions. MICs of KSL for the majority of oral bacteria tested in vitro ranged from 3 to 100 μg ml−1. Minimal bactericidal concentrations of KSL were, in general, within one to two dilutions of the MICs. KSL exhibited an ED99 (the dose at which 99 % killing was observed after 15 min at 37 °C) of 6.25 μg ml−1 against selected strains of Lactobacillus salivarius, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus gordonii and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. In addition, KSL damaged bacterial cell membranes and caused 1.05 log units reduction of viability counts of saliva bacteria. In vitro toxicity studies showed that KSL, at concentrations up to 1 mg ml−1, did not induce cell death or compromise the membrane integrity of human gingival fibroblasts. NMR studies suggest that KSL adopts an α-helical structure in DMSO solution, which mimics the polar aprotic membrane environment, whereas it remains unstructured in aqueous medium. This study shows that KSL may be a useful antimicrobial agent for inhibiting the growth of oral bacteria that are associated with caries development and early plaque formation.
Undercompressive shocks in thin film flows

Abstract Equations of the type ht+(h2−h3)x=−ϵ3(h3hxxx)x arise in the context of thin liquid films driven by the competing effects of a thermally induced surface tension gradient and gravity. In this paper, we focus on the interaction between the fourth order regularization and the nonconvex flux. Jump initial data, from a moderately thick film to a thin precurser layer, is shown to give rise to a double wave structure that includes an undercompressive wave. This wave, which approaches an undercompressive shock as ϵ→0, is an accumulation point for a countable family of compressive waves having the same speed. The family appears through a series of bifurcations parameterized by the shock speed. At each bifurcation, a pair of traveling waves is produced, one being stable for the PDE, the other unstable. The conclusions are based primarily on numerical results for the PDE, and on numerical investigations of the ODE describing traveling waves. Fourth order linear regularization is observed to produce a similar bifurcation structure of traveling waves.
The association between maternal parity and birth defects

BACKGROUND Previous studies observed that first birth is associated with an increased risk of some categories of birth defects. However, multiple statistical tests were conducted and it was unclear which of these associations would be replicated in a larger study. We used a large database to assess the association between maternal parity and 65 birth defects including birth defects that have not been previously studied. METHODS Using data from the Texas Birth Defects Registry for years 1999–2009, the risk of a birth defect occurring in a first, third, or fourth or higher birth was compared to the risk of a birth defect occurring in a second birth. RESULTS Women having their first birth had significantly increased odds of having an infant with 24 of 65 categories of birth defects when compared to women having their second birth. We also observed associations between first birth and an increased risk of five birth defects not previously reported (small penis, preaxial polydactyly, anomalies of the thoracic vertebrae, anomalies of the lumbar vertebrae, and sacroccygeal anomalies). Women having their third or fourth or higher birth had significantly increased odds of giving birth to infants with five of 65 birth defects when compared to second births. CONCLUSIONS Our observations regarding the categories of birth defects that were associated with first births were highly consistent with observations from two previous studies. Research into biological, behavioral, and environmental factors that may increase the risk of specific birth defects among first births is needed to further explore these associations. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 103:144–156, 2015 © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Addicted to technology

Can new technology provided by a company to boost productivity cause workers to become addicted? If yes, who's responsible: workers or management?Nada Kakabadse, Gayle Porter and David Vance see an uncharted legal frontier emerging. Is any company prepared?
The Impact of Shrouded Fees: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in the Indian Mutual Funds Market

We study a natural experiment in the Indian mutual funds sector that created a 22 month period in which closed-end funds were allowed to charge an arguably shrouded amortized fee whereas open-end funds were forced to charge standard entry loads. We find that allowing closed-end funds to charge the shrouded type of fee led to a proliferation of closed-end funds in the market; 45 new closed-end funds were started over this 22 month period collecting 9.1 billion $U.S, whereas only two closed-end funds were started in the 66 months prior to this period collecting .42 billion $U.S., and no closed-end funds were started in the 20 months after this period. We argue that other theoretical determinants of the closed versus open ended organizational form did not change discretely around the natural experiment and thus are unlikely to explain the sudden emergence and disappearance of closed-end funds. We find closed-end funds did not perform better in terms of raw or risk-adjusted returns. If all the investors in closed-end funds during this period had invested in the lower fee open fund variety instead they would have paid 4.25 percent less in fees over this 22 month period, equal to approximately 500 million dollars in extra fees.
SPRAY-DRYING CELLULOSE NANOFIBRILS: EFFECT OF DRYING PROCESS PARAMETERS ON PARTICLE MORPHOLOGY AND SIZE DISTRIBUTION

Spray-drying was chosen as an appropriately scalable manufacturing method to dry cellulose nanofibril (CNF) suspensions. Spray-drying of two different types of CNF suspensions—nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC)—was carried out using a laboratory-scale spray dryer. Effects of three spray-drying process parameters on particle morphology and particle size distribution were evaluated: 1) gas flow rate; 2) liquid feed rate; and 3) suspension solids concentration. Particle morphology was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a morphology analyzer. SEM showed that spray-drying of NFC formed fibrous particles and fibrous agglomerates, whereas spray-drying CNCs pro- duced spherical and mushroom cap (or donut)-shaped particles. Particle morphology formation mecha- nisms are proposed for spray-drying nanocellulose suspensions. The effect of the three spray-drying process parameters on particle size distribution depended on the drying nature of the materials. The three parameters interacted to significantly affect particle size of CNC suspensions, whereas they did not interact to affect particle size of NFC suspensions. For the CNC suspension, a higher gas flow rate produced smaller particle sizes. The gas flow rate did not affect particle size for NFC suspensions. The effect of liquid feed rate and solids concentration on CNF particle size was negligible in this study. The smallest mean circle equivalent diameters produced in this study were 3.95 mm for NFC and 3.64 mm for CNC.
Echoes of Universalist Testament Literature in Christian and Rabbinic Texts

The ancient text known as the Testament of Abraham is preserved in Coptic in the same codex as two other works, the Testament of Isaac and the Testament of Jacob. These testaments were probably written in the late first or early second centuries CE by Jewish writers, although the manuscript of the Coptic codex containing them is dated to 962. These books were considered part of the “testament” literary genre, which featured a biblical hero imparting his last words of religious wisdom to his family gathered at his bedside. Scholars agree that the stylistic and theological differences among these three testaments indicate that they were not written by the same author. Yet a close reading reveals that the Testament of Isaac is dependent on the Testament of Abraham, and that the Testament of Jacob is dependent on the two earlier texts. Moreover, the Testament of Abraham and the Testament of Isaac share similarities that distinguish them from the Testament of Jacob: unlike the Testament of Jacob, the Testament of Abraham and the Testament of Isaac reflect a universalist worldview that depicts a God concerned for all humankind, not only for his chosen people. This God reigns over all people, and themes specific to the Christian and Jewish faiths are virtually absent. Later Christian and Jewish literature concerning the theme of divine judgment exhibits elements that may reflect an awareness of a written or oral tradition that appears in the Testament of Abraham and the Testament of Isaac. The images of judgment and punishment, especially those in the Testament of Abraham, appear in the second-century Apocalypse of Peter and the fourth-century Vision of Paul, which is also known as the Apocalypse of Paul. Likewise, midrashic traditions regarding Abraham and Moses are reminiscent of traditions found in these testaments, particularly the Testament of Abraham. The possibility that early Christian apocalyptic texts were aware of these testaments is grounded in the fact that scholars give these texts a common place of origin, Egypt. The provenance of the midrashic texts is more difficult to identify, but because they share literary elements and theological concerns with the Testament of Abraham and the Testament of Isaac, I suggest that the authors of these midrashic traditions had access to written or oral traditions prominent in these testaments. This paper will examine early Christian apocalyptic and early Jewish midrashic texts that modify some of the traditions prominent in these testaments in order to accommodate their nonuniversalist rabbinic or early Christian worldviews.
Open Anatomic Reconstruction of the Medial Collateral Ligament and Posteromedial Corner

Injuries to the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and posteromedial corner can occur in isolation or in the setting of multiligamentous knee injuries. Reconstruction of the MCL and posteromedial corner is indicated in the setting of a multiligamentous knee injury. Isolated cases failing nonoperative treatment may also undergo surgical treatment. Our preferred technique for anatomic medial-sided knee reconstruction is an open anatomic MCL reconstruction using an Achilles tendon allograft along with direct repair of all associated medial and posteromedial structures.
Rates of Bicycle Helmet Use in an Affluent Michigan County

Bicycle helmet use in the United States has remained low despite clear demonstration of its beneficial effect on reducing the incidence of serious head injury. Several interventions have been reported, with variable results and costs. Much of the recent literature has focused on child cyclists and on demographic factors associated with helmet use. This paper reports on helmet use by children and adults in a sample of 652 riders in an affluent southeast Michigan region, chosen to minimize the effect of previously recognized socioeconomic negative predictors that are not readily changed by intervention. Subjects were classified by age, sex, location, riding surface, type of bicycle, child bicycle seat use, child bicycle trailer use, and helmet use by companions. Overall helmet use was 24 percent; infants and toddlers had the highest rate of helmet use at 61 percent, followed by adults at 26 percent and school-aged children at 17 percent. The strongest predictor of helmet use in all age categories was the presence of a helmeted companion. Adult helmet use was also positively predicted by riding in the street and by riding a racing-type bicycle. The use of a city-type bicycle negatively predicted helmet use. For non-adults, female sex and the use of a child seat or trailer were positive predictors. Fostering peer pressure to increase helmet use may be an effective yet relatively inexpensive way to achieve the goal of widespread use of bicycle helmets.
Finances of Employee Benefits, 1950-2006

Financing of the U.S. employee benefit system is a joint effort by employers and employees. Both employers and employees make payments to voluntary employee benefit programs that provide health insurance coverage, retirement benefits, and other benefits. In addition, employers and employees make payments to mandatory government social insurance programs - most notably Social Security and Medicare - which provide retirement income and health care coverage, respectively, for elderly and disabled workers and their dependents. Whether voluntary or mandatory, each of these systems is employment-based and financed primarily from earmarked employment-based contributions by the employer and/or the workers. This paper uses the latest data (for 2006) from the Bureau of Economic Analysis' (BEA) National Income and Product Accounts of the United States. A key finding is that retirement benefits are still the top source of benefit expenditures among both public and private employers, but that health benefits are catching up fast and are likely to outstrip retirement as the major benefit expense. The PDF for the above title, published in the January 2008 issue of EBRI Notes, also contains the fulltext of another January 2008 EBRI Notes article abstracted on SSRN: Retirement Annuity and Employment-Based Pension Income, Among Individuals Age 50 and Over: 2006.
Intimate Partner Violence Within Military Families Intervention Guidelines for Relational Aggressors

Intimate partner violence (IPV) represents a destructive relationship pattern within military families. This article provides an overview of IPV offender characteristics at large, followed by milit...
Promoting Russia abroad: Russia's post-Cold war national identity and public diplomacy

ABSTRACTAs the Soviet Union fell, the ideological glue that was the source of national unity and identity was no longer present in post-Cold War Russia. Recently, however, Russia has made attempts to redefine itself in the post-Cold War world, establish a new national identity, and project it to the world. Russia's exercise of public diplomacy and soft power differ starkly from most Western countries, as the Russian approach is defined by a top-down, centralized nature that emphasizes a nationalist message to its target audiences. The Russian approach has been marked by a tendency to locate and mobilize sympathetic Russian diaspora populations, but an aversion to building networks among those who do not presently share Russia's foreign policy goals. This approach has led to significant limitations on Russia's ability to persuade foreign publics and build new partnerships. Such tendencies are especially evident through an examination of Russia's public diplomacy in Ukraine, where attempts are made to mobil...
Towards all-optical quantification of force- and power-based performance metrics in cilia-driven fluid flow physiology (Conference Presentation)

In pulmonary ciliary physiology, most tissue-level measures of performance focus on flow velocity. However, as with the heart, fluid transport performance requires an understanding of force and power generation under various loading conditions. Here, we present our initial work in quantifying shearing force and net power dissipation from OCT-based cilia-driven fluid flow velocimetry. Typical measurements of force require invasive contact with the ciliated surface, while measurements of power rely on metabolic consumption that reflect energy consumption not just from cilia, but from the entirety of cellular processes. We will present two different approaches to non-contact, all-optical shear force and power dissipation physiology. First, we developed a lumped-parameter model of flow driven by a ciliated surface. The lumped-parameter model yields semi-quantitative, Ohm’s law-type relationships (F=U*R and P=U*F) between flow velocity (U), shear force (F), viscous resistance (R), and power dissipation (P). This model allows a lumped (spatially averaged) approach to evaluate force and power performance under viscous loading, an approach we demonstrated using ciliated Xenopus embryos. Second, we numerically estimate shear force and power dissipation using flow velocity fields acquired using OCT. Specifically, the velocity gradient tensor estimated from the flow velocity field contains the required information to estimate both shear force and net power dissipation. We have preliminary data using this numerical approach in Xenopus. Our results support the feasibility of an all-optical approach to estimating mesoscopic measures of force and power in ciliary physiology.
Analysis of the epidemiological characteristics and the prediction of HFRS in Baoji City

[Objective]To understand the epidemiological characteristics of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome(HFRS)in Baoji City from 2005-2013,and establish the prediction model for HFRS incidence.[Methods]Descriptive epidemiology was conducted on the incidence data of HFRS in Baoji City from 2005-2013,then the prediction model was established.[Results]A total of 2 233 HFRS cases were reported from 2005 to 2013. The incidence rate was 6.67/100 000,and the overall fatality was 0.54%.The seasonality characteristics of the HFRS was obvious. Most cases were peasants(1 799),accounting for 88.54%,and the 40-59 years age group had the highest incidence(50.52%,1 128 cases). The male to female ratio of the HFRS was 3 ∶1. Prediction model was established by the autoregressive integrated moving average(ARIMA) model which showed that the HFRS was on a rising trend in recent years. [Conclusion]There is a tendency of rising in the prevalence of HFRS in Baoji City,therefore some prevention and control measures should take in key areas and groups. The ARIMA model has practical values in the prediction of the HFRS.
Multidisciplinary Systems Engineering

Multidisciplinary Engineering will be a requirement for designers of modern systems in the near future. Much of the undergraduate Systems Engineering education is not effective in preparing engineers for the multidisciplinary approaches that will be required for system-of-systems integration and system optimization in the future. Commercial companies are becoming increasingly aware of the need for systems engineers, particularly systems engineers that understand a host of disciplines required to design, implement, and manage complex Information Technology systems. Engineering students must learn and adopt a breadth of disciplines to be ready for the systems engineering challenges of the future. Not only will Systems Engineering skills be required, but a host of other skills like Business Intelligence, Human Factors, Technology Integration, along with a working knowledge of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) skills. Systems Engineers can no longer become a stovepipe of systems engineering knowledge, and assume someone else will handle making sure their designs conform to the needs of other disciplines. Figure 2.1 below illustrates the confluence of these skills into the field of Multidisciplinary Systems Engineering [25].
Technology and Generational Learners: From Baby Boomers to Next Generations, to Millennials, to Generation Zs, to Guess What Is Coming!

On a beautiful May morning in 1979, I walked across the steps of Wilson Hall at James Madison University to receive my first college degree. I heard my father’s cheering voice bouncing off the surrounding buildings when my name was read. I shook the president’s hand, waved at my family, then smiled, waved again, and thanked my professors in the Department of Library Science and Educational Media. After I walked past them, the head of the department turned to the rest of the faculty and said, “There goes the most unorthodox Library Science major in the history of our program.”
Overview: What Lies Ahead?

This chapter presents an overview of some previous artificial intelligence research efforts on game trees. The model opens with the definition of a node's expected-outcome value as the expected value of the leaves beneath it. Game trees have long been viewed in a strictly deterministic context; leaves have exact values corresponding to their payoffs, and internal nodes have exact values determined by the minimax algorithm. Under the expected-outcome model, only leaf values are exact. Internal nodes are viewed as random variables whose expected values depend on the distribution of leaves beneath them. Rather than performing a full-width search as deeply as possible, sampling strategies rely on as many full-depth searches as time permits. By searching a randomly chosen subset of the paths between the node being evaluated and the leaves, full-depth searches suggest some directions in which valid justifications of backup algorithms and criteria for setting search frontiers may lie. Unfortunately, although the new model addresses some major issues left hanging by the standard definitions, it also introduces its own set of problems.
Tracer test to constrain CO 2 residual trapping and plume evolution

CO2 residual trapping, post-injection plume extent, and time for plume stabilization for CO2 geological storage highly depend on the hysteresis process which is the discrepancy between drainage and imbibition processes. CO2 flow in the injection zone during the injection period is mainly controlled by the drainage process during which the non-wetting CO2-rich phase replaces the wetting aqueous phase. Using data collected over the injection period may be insufficient in constraining the hysteresis parameters required to predict the post-closure plume evolution. Long-term data collection over the post-injection period to determine the residually trapped CO2 and to predict the CO2 plume evolution and stabilization can be very expensive. Here, we introduce a tracer test to enable the determination of the residually trapped CO2 and prediction of the CO2 plume evolution and stabilization in a temporal manner. The tracer test is introduced at the end of an injection period to obtain information on the residual trapping parameters including imbibition/drainage discrepancy (hysteresis) and critical CO2-rich phase saturation. The sensitivity of the proposed tracer test to residual trapping parameters is evaluated with respect to the tracers’ peak times at the injection well (which serves as observation well during post-injection period) as well as an offset location at an updip distance from the injection well. The effect of residual trapping on the plume evolution and tracer test response is studied considering reservoir properties representative of a real project.