cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Investigation of the thermodynamics governing metal hydride synthesis in the molten state process

Complex metal hydrides have been synthesized for hydrogen storage through a new synthetic technique utilizing high hydrogen overpressure at elevated temperatures (molten state processing). This synthesis technique holds the potential of fusing different complex hydrides at elevated temperatures and pressures to form new species with enhanced hydrogen storage properties. Formation of these compounds is driven by thermodynamic and kinetic considerations. We report on investigations of the thermodynamics. Novel synthetic complexes were formed, structurally characterized, and their hydrogen desorption properties investigated. The effectiveness of the molten state process is compared with mechanicosynthetic ball milling.
Magnetic field dependence of CIDNP using delta function pseudopotentials in a stochastic Liouville equation

A stochastic Liouville radical pair density matrix equation using short-range electron-electron interaction delta function pseudopotentials has been solved by treating the parameters describing rad...
An Adornian Theory of Recognition? A Critical Response to Axel Honneth’s Reification: A New Look at an Old Idea

In a recent work, Reification, Axel Honneth develops his version of critical social theory centred on recognition in a direction that evokes fruitful comparison with Adorno’s philosophical and soci...
The solution structure of eglin c based on measurements of many NOEs and coupling constants and its comparison with X-ray structures.

A high-precision solution structure of the elastase inhibitor eglin c was determined by NMR and distance geometry calculations. A large set of 947 nuclear Overhauser (NOE) distance constraints was identified, 417 of which were quantified from two-dimensional NOE spectra at short mixing times. In addition, a large number of homonuclear 1H-1H and heteronuclear 1H-15N vicinal coupling constants were used, and constraints on 42 chi 1 and 38 phi angles were obtained. Structure calculations were carried out using the distance geometry program DG-II. These calculations had a high convergence rate, in that 66 out of 75 calculations converged with maximum residual NOE violations ranging from 0.17 A to 0.47 A. The spread of the structures was characterized with average root mean square deviations ( ) between the structures and a mean structure. To calculate the unbiased toward any single structure, a new procedure was used for structure alignment. A canonical structure was calculated from the mean distances, and all structures were aligned relative to that. Furthermore, an angular order parameter S was defined and used to characterize the spread of structures in torsion angle space. To obtain an accurate estimate of the precision of the structure, the number of calculations was increased until the and the angular order parameters stabilized. This was achieved after approximately 40 calculations. The structure consists of a well-defined core whose backbone deviates from the canonical structure ca. 0.4 A, a disordered N-terminal heptapeptide whose backbone deviates by 0.8-12 A, and a proteinase-binding loop whose backbone deviates up to 3.0 A. Analysis of the angular order parameters and inspection of the structures indicates that a hinge-bending motion of the binding loop may occur in solution. Secondary structures were analyzed by comparison of dihedral angle patterns. The high precision of the structure allows one to identify subtle differences with four crystal structures of eglin c determined in complexes with proteinases.
Moral explanations of moral beliefs

Gilbert Harman and Judith Thomson have argued that moral facts cannot explain our moral beliefs, claiming that such facts could not play a causal role in the formation of those beliefs. This paper shows these arguments to be misguided, for they would require that we abandon any number of intuitively plausible explanations in non-moral contexts as well. But abandoning the causal strand in the argument over moral explanations does not spell immediate victory for the moral realist, since it must still be shown that moral facts do figure in our best global explanatory theory.
Angina caused by a giant coronary artery fistula

A 49-year-old woman presented with 3 weeks of exertional chest pain. A trans-esophageal echocardiogram with color Doppler was suggestive of a large coronary artery fistula ∼3.1 × 2.4 cm in size, originating from the left main coronary artery and emptying into the superior …
Bibliography for antennas: a list of every English-language antenna book ever written

All antenna books ever written in English are listed, along with publication information and current availability. The list is organized by technical area. As appropriate, comments are made on the books. Useful information is also included in the article on how to locate antenna books in the library, and how to locate antenna books to buy (new, used, and out-of-print).
Mean-Field Analysis of Buffer Sizing

Two schools of thoughts have emerged over the recent debate on internet router buffer sizing. One school argues that the presence of a large number of flows leads to traffic desynchronization which therefore requires a small buffer size. The other school, however, argues that doing so creates instability in the network and thus causes degradation in throughput. In this work, we use theoretical analysis based on a mean-field theory to demonstrate that the missing link between the above two arguments is the fairness in packet dropping at the buffer. This mean-field theory provides a simple and yet quantitative tool to analyze the dynamics between the TCP flows and the queue length. Our analysis shows that, for the widely deployed drop-tail queue management scheme, there is a trade-off between the desynchronization among the flows and the fairness in the packet dropping process.
A recursive Otsu thresholding method for scanned document binarization

The use of digital images of scanned handwritten historical documents has increased in recent years, especially with the online availability of large document collections. However, the sheer number of images in some of these collections makes them cumbersome to manually read and process, making the need for automated processing of increased importance. A key step in the recognition and retrieval of such documents is binarization, the separation of document text from the page's background. Binarization of images of historical documents that have been affected by degradation or are otherwise of poor image quality is difficult and continues to be a topic of research in the field of image processing. This paper presents a novel approach to this problem, including two primary variations. One combines a recursive extension of Otsu thresholding and selective bilateral filtering to allow automatic binarization and segmentation of handwritten text images. The other also builds on the recursive Otsu method and adds improved background normalization and a post-processing step to the algorithm to make it more robust and to perform adequately even for images that present bleed-through artifacts. Our results show that these techniques segment the text in historical documents comparable to and in some cases better than many state-of-the-art approaches based on their performance as evaluated using the dataset from the recent ICDAR 2009 Document Image Binarization Contest.
Carbon nanomaterials in biological systems

This paper intends to reflect, from the biophysical viewpoint, our current understanding on interfacing nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes and fullerenes, with biological systems. Strategies for improving the solubility, and therefore, the bioavailability of nanomaterials in aqueous solutions are summarized. In particular, the underlining mechanisms of attaching biomacromolecules (DNA, RNA, proteins) and lysophospholipids onto carbon nanotubes and gallic acids onto fullerenes are analyzed. The diffusion and the cellular delivery of RNA-coated carbon nanotubes are characterized using fluorescence microscopy. The translocation of fullerenes across cell membranes is simulated using molecular dynamics to offer new insight into the complex issue of nanotoxicity. To assess the fate of nanomaterials in the environment, the biomodification of lipid-coated carbon nanotubes by the aquatic organism Daphnia magna is discussed. The aim of this paper is to illuminate the need for adopting multidisciplinary approaches in the field study of nanomaterials in biological systems and in the environment.
Surface Roughness and Structural Inertia in a Mode-Based Mass-Conserving Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication Model

Detailed formulations are presented for a mass-conserving, mode-based computational model which includes effects of structural inertia and surface roughness. Performance evaluation of a big end connecting rod bearing is shown to require only a few mode shapes, from which it is found that body forces arising from structural motion strongly influence film thickness history at operating engine speeds. Surface roughness effects on nominal film thickness are found to he small, even in assumed regions of partial lubrication.
Friend relay: a resource sharing framework for mobile wireless devices

The rising popularity of wireless devices opens exciting possibilities for users to share their resources. However, there exists no end-to-end, general-purpose, resource sharing framework for such devices. Existing resource sharing solutions address only part of the overall challenge and barely consider mobile wireless devices' critical characteristics, such as mobility, CPU capability, and power limitations. Furthermore, they do not have mechanisms to control the degree to which resources are shared. This lack of control likely leads to over-usage of shared resources, therefore, reducing computing capacity and draining the batteries of devices that are sharing resources. In this paper, we present Friend Relay, a resource-sharing framework for mobile wireless devices that offers automatic publishing, discovery and configuration, as well as monitoring and control. Our contribution is to add monitoring and control as mechanisms to manage the utilization of shared resources. To evaluate Friend Relay, we quantify the benefits of monitoring and controlling resource usage for Internet access sharing. For our evaluation, we developed a prototype of Friend Relay. In addition, we prototyped "Internet Sharing", a service to allow users to share the ISP subscription of another user. Our evaluation focuses on the performance of this service with and without the Friend Relay monitoring and control mechanisms. Our results show that mobile devices that either share or use resources can benefit significantly from using our Friend Relay architecture.
Water Vapour Transport Over Africa and the Atlantic Ocean During Summer 1979

The water vapour transport over Africa and the eastern Atlantic Ocean during the 1979 summer is studied. the analysis is based on wind fields from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts and humidity fields derived from a three-layer precipitable water data set. The evolution of the bi-weekly mean fields of water vapour flux in the surface to 850 mb layer shows the progressive penetration of moisture over West Africa during the summer. At low levels during the maximum activity of the African monsoon, the southerly flow penetrates up to 20°N and there is a large belt of westerlies around 10°N. the fluxes between 700 and 500 mb suggest the importance of the African easterly jet (AEJ) as a major artery for moisture for West Africa. Vertically integrated fluxes across different sections have been analysed. Across the equator at the longitudes of the Gulf of Guinea the flux shows a decreasing trend due to the northward propagation of the intertropical discontinuity over west Africa. Near 22°N, the flux is mainly from the north at the beginning of the summer and becomes southerly during surges of the monsoon. the flux from West Africa toward the Atlantic Ocean is large, indicating that moisture from the Gulf is transported upward and advected westward by the AEJ. the fluxes oscillate with two main periods, around 3-5 days and 5-7 days. Water vapour budgets have been estimated for boxes located over the Gulf of Guinea and West Africa. the Gulf of Guinea is a source of water vapour transported northward and westward by the trade winds. Over West Africa at low levels, moisture comes from the Gulf of Guinea. In the mid-troposphere there is a strong easterly moisture flux associated with the AEJ and originating from central Africa. This moisture seems to come initially from the Gulf of Guinea. Because it is mainly divergent, the mid-tropospheric flux may have little influence on rainfall over West Africa. the budget study also emphasizes the importance of evapotranspiration over the belt north of the Gulf of Guinea where water vapour is recycled and transported northward.
Left ventricular mass quantitaton using single-phase cardiac magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been used to measure left ventricular (LV) mass in animals with superior accuracy. However, its use in cardiac patients has been limited by the long total scan times necessitated by imaging the heart at enddiastole at each of 8 to 10 slice locations. Recent canine studies showed that LV mass may be determined accurately, with considerable timesavings, by use of sequential images throughout the cardiac cycle (single-phase MRI). Twenty normal subjects underwent spin-echo MRI to determine the relationship between LV mass computed from single-phase MRI and results obtained from the more time-consuming end-diastolic MRI (which was used as the reference standard for this study). The left ventricle was spanned with 2 interleaved series of S short-axis 1 cm thick slices. 5 images, evenly spaced throughout the cardiac cycle, were obtained at each slice location in all subjects. LV mass ranged from 86 to 198 g. Although end-diastolic LV mass exceeded single-phase results by an average of 5 g (p
Increasing the on-die nodal observability and controllability use of advanced design for debug circuit features

A post-silicon design validation methodology using on-die clock design for debug (DFD) circuits working together with advanced optical silicon probing techniques has been developed. Innovations are on increasing the nodal observability by using an infrared photon-emission (IREM) logic state image (LSI) technique and on increasing the nodal controllability by using a laser assisted device alternation (LADA) technique. This new approach provides a better solution for determining the root causes of marginal circuits associated with process variations or logic cones across multiple clock voltage, and/or temperature operation domains.
YMCA Program for Childhood Obesity: A Case Series

Family-based behavioral interventions for treatment of childhood obesity have rarely been tested for effectiveness in community settings. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a community-based program for obese children designed to stabilize or reduce body weight. Obese children from our pediatric practice who were active in the program were evaluated. Weight gain during the time of the study was compared with mean weight gain for a group of obese-matched controls who did not participate in the program. Mean weight gain for subjects was 0.28 kg/mo compared with a weight gain for controls of 0.62 kg/mo. Between the first and last visits, 43% (15/35) of the subjects experienced clinically significant differences in weight gain compared with controls. Eight patients lost weight. A YMCA weight management program, which included group counseling, nutrition education, physical activity, and gift card incentives, resulted in favorable changes in overweight children.
A Flexible LDPC/Turbo Decoder Architecture

Low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes and convolutional Turbo codes are two of the most powerful error correcting codes that are widely used in modern communication systems. In a multi-mode baseband receiver, both LDPC and Turbo decoders may be required. However, the different decoding approaches for LDPC and Turbo codes usually lead to different hardware architectures. In this paper we propose a unified message passing algorithm for LDPC and Turbo codes and introduce a flexible soft-input soft-output (SISO) module to handle LDPC/Turbo decoding. We employ the trellis-based maximum a posteriori (MAP) algorithm as a bridge between LDPC and Turbo codes decoding. We view the LDPC code as a concatenation of n super-codes where each super-code has a simpler trellis structure so that the MAP algorithm can be easily applied to it. We propose a flexible functional unit (FFU) for MAP processing of LDPC and Turbo codes with a low hardware overhead (about 15% area and timing overhead). Based on the FFU, we propose an area-efficient flexible SISO decoder architecture to support LDPC/Turbo codes decoding. Multiple such SISO modules can be embedded into a parallel decoder for higher decoding throughput. As a case study, a flexible LDPC/Turbo decoder has been synthesized on a TSMC 90 nm CMOS technology with a core area of 3.2 mm2. The decoder can support IEEE 802.16e LDPC codes, IEEE 802.11n LDPC codes, and 3GPP LTE Turbo codes. Running at 500 MHz clock frequency, the decoder can sustain up to 600 Mbps LDPC decoding or 450 Mbps Turbo decoding.
Research priorities in gout: the patient perspective.

To the Editor: Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis in adults1. PubMed publications for gout increased 3-fold from 181 in 2000 to 552 in 2012, indicating an increased interest in gout. The thinking is evolving on how to set the future research agenda for gout. The creation of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), a public-private partnership for funding clinical and patient-oriented research in the United States (www.pcori.org/research-we-support/priorities-agenda/), is an example of this change. PCORI recommends the involvement of patients at every stage of the research activity, including the selection of the research question. Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Clinical Trials (OMERACT), an international consortium of researchers and methodologists, pioneered active patient involvement in the development of disease outcome measures more than a decade ago (www.omeract.org). Including all the involved parties in the research is the way of the future, yet patient participation in prioritizing and conducting research is limited. To our knowledge, there are no studies of patient input into research-agenda setting for gout. Therefore, we aimed to perform a qualitative study and asked patients with gout what research should be done on that topic. Patients of our community-based outpatient clinic who had an International Classification of Diseases , ninth revision, common modification code for gout (274.xx) during 2011–2012 were invited to … Address correspondence to Dr. Singh, University of Alabama, Faculty Office Tower 805B, 510 20th Street S, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, USA. E-mail: Jasvinder.md{at}gmail.com
The Proinflammatory Mediators C3a and C5a Are Essential for Liver Regeneration

Complement has been implicated in liver repair after toxic injury. Here, we demonstrate that complement components are essential for liver regeneration, and mediate their effect by interacting with key signaling networks that promote hepatocyte proliferation. C3- or C5-deficient mice exhibited high mortality, parenchymal damage, and impaired liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy. Mice with dual C3 and C5 deficiency had a more exacerbated phenotype that was reversed by combined C3a and C5a reconstitution. Interception of C5a receptor signaling resulted in suppression of IL-6/TNFα induction and lack of C3 and C5a receptor stimulation attenuated nuclear factor–κB/STAT-3 activation after hepatectomy. These data indicate that C3a and C5a, two potent inflammatory mediators of the innate immune response, contribute essentially to the early priming stages of hepatocyte regeneration.
Encouraging small businesses to adopt effective technologies to prevent exposure to health hazards

Small businesses are heterogeneous and the prospects are low for direct OSHA inspection and enforcement. Opportunities are explored to encourage voluntary adoption of new technology to reduce workplace exposures. The case of radiator repair shops is used in this paper to illustrate an approach to the dissemination of control technology to small businesses that will encourage these companies to adopt controls. Several behavioral theories are applied to the case.
Who cares about polar regions? Results from a survey of U.S. public opinion

What do members of the general public know about polar regions, and how much do they care? Who knows or cares? This paper explores data from the General Social Survey (GSS), which in 2006 questioned a representative sample of more than 1800 U.S. adults about their knowledge and opinions concerning polar regions. The polar survey items were modeled on long-running GSS assessments of general science knowledge and opinions, recently summarized in the U.S. National Science Board's report Science and Engineering Indicators 2008. Polar knowledge proves to be limited but certainly not absent among survey respondents. Polar knowledge, general science knowledge, and education—together with individual background characteristics (age, sex, income)—predict policy-relevant opinions. Political orientation filters the impacts of education, and also shows consistent, significant effects across all the polar opinion questions. These 2006 GSS polar results will provide a baseline for comparison when the questions are repea...
Mathematical model of acetylcholine kinetics in neuroeffector junctions

Acetylcholine (ACh) kinetics in neuroeffector junctions (NEJ) of the sinus node plays a key role in vagal control of heart rate. Prior studies have shown that the concentration of ACh ([ACh]) in NEJ appears to follow first-order linear kinetics. To find out the reason why, we examine mathematically diffusion, degradation, and receptor binding of ACh in NEJ. We identify seven conditions that potentially influence ACh kinetics. Because these conditions are satisfied for NEJ in the sinus node, 1) the nonlinearity of ACh binding to muscarinic receptors has little effect on [ACh]; 2) [ACh] does not depend on the distribution of acetylcholinesterase between the interstitial space and the pacemaker cells; 3) the interval from trough to subsequent peak [ACh] at the pacemaker cells is negligible; 4) the mean [ACh] at the pacemaker cells is proportional to the frequency of vagal activity multiplied by the amount of ACh released per vagal stimulus and divided by the rate coefficient of ACh degradation; and 5) [ACh] at pacemaker cells nearly follows first-order linear kinetics but does not at other sites in the NEJ. We conclude that earlier studies showed that [ACh] follows first-order linear kinetics, because they predicted [ACh] only at pacemaker cells. ACh kinetics at other sites in the NEJ, such as at nerve endings, is different.
Self-care in elders with dementia: a concept analysis.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to analyze the concept of self-care in elders with dementia through a review of nursing literature and to provide more understanding of the definition and perspectives of the concept of self-care notion in elders with dementia. Methods The technique developed by Walker and Avant was used as a guide in analyzing the concept of self-care. Results Attributes of self-care in dementia may include a single or group of actions needed for sustaining life, a personal effort to maintain functional independence while minimizing other's assistance, an outcome behavior from the person's interaction with inter-personal and/or contextual environment, and a functional ability that may decline in parallel to cognitive impairment. Antecedents of self-care in dementia may include at least presence of a certain degree of cognitive appraisal for the self-care needs, self-willingness for the self-care action, spatial and visual orientation, cultural pre-conception of the self-care behavior, presence of environmental context/equipment available for self-care, and sufficient time available. The consequences may include sustaining of life, feel of satisfaction, achieving independence, extended life expectancy, increased self-confidence, decreased caregiver distress and/or burden, savings in health care costs. Discussion Defining attributes and antecedents and consequences of self-care in dementia identified in this study provided empirical ground of a middle-range theory of self-care for a clinical population with dementia and generated possible hypotheses to be tested in future studies.
Early caregiving stress exposure moderates the relation between respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity at 1 month and biobehavioral outcomes at age 3

There is a growing scientific interest in the psychophysiological functioning of children living in low-socioeconomic status (SES) contexts, though this research is complicated by knowledge that physiology-behavior relations often operate differently in these environments among adults. Importantly, such research is made more difficult because SES may be a proxy for a wide range of risk factors including poor caregiving and exposure to parental substance use. We used factor analysis to organize risk-exposure data collected from 827 children-many of whom were raised in low-SES contexts and exposed to substances prenatally-into dissociable components including economic stress, caregiving stress (e.g., stress the caregiver may experience, including parental psychopathology), and postnatal substance exposure. These factors, along with respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity at age 1 month, were used to predict behavior dysregulation and resting RSA at age 3 years. A significant RSA Reactivity × Caregiving Stress interaction indicated that infants who exhibited high RSA reactivity at 1 month experienced the greatest behavior dysregulation at 3 years, but only when they were exposed to high levels of caregiving stress. Among African Americans, the highest resting RSA at 3 years was found in infants with less RSA reactivity, but only if they also experienced less caregiving stress. Our work is consistent with biological sensitivity to context, adaptive calibration, and allostatic load models, and highlights the importance of studying Physiology × Environment interactions in low-SES contexts for predicting behavior and resting RSA.
Innate Immunity: Orchestrating Inflammation and Resolution of Otitis Media

Otitis media (OM) is a common disease in young children, accounting for more office visits and surgeries than any other pediatric condition. It is associated with an estimated cost of five billion dollars annually in the USA. Moreover, chronic and recurrent middle ear (ME) disease leads to hearing loss during critical periods of language acquisition and learning leading to delays in reaching developmental milestones and risking permanent damage to the ME and inner ear in severe cases. Therefore, research to understand the disease pathogenesis and identify new therapeutics is important. Although OM is a multifactorial disease, targeting the molecular mechanisms that drive inflammation and OM resolution is critical. In this review, we discuss the current evidence suggesting that innate immune receptors and effectors play key roles in OM by mediating both the ME inflammatory responses and recovery.
Health Information Management and the EMR

Publisher Summary The electronic medical record (EMR) allows clinical information to be available at the point of care. One important advantage of the EMR is that it allows multiple accesses concurrently. The medical center must define its legal medical record and determine what belongs in the medical record and what doesn’t. The goal for health-care providers is ease of access to locate clinical information needed to monitor and make patient care decisions, which is not easy to achieve. Health-care delivery is complicated with many professionals serving numerous roles. There are countless pieces of data collected and recorded on a patient. The organization and layout of individual notes and the entire medical record is a challenge as well and the number of documents that make up a complicated patient's record is impressive. This chapter describes how patient information is entered into an EMR, emphasizing the fact that this is not an easy process and might take up a lot of time. Finally, it describes the role of the health management department, which includes coding, medical transcription, medical record analysis and completion monitoring, document imaging, master patient index management, release of information, HIM education and training, and documentation abstracting and audits.
Vibrational Mode Assignment of α-Pinene by Isotope Editing: One Down, Seventy-One To Go

This study aims to reliably assign the vibrational sum frequency generation (SFG) spectrum of α-pinene at the vapor/solid interface using a method involving deuteration of various methyl groups. The synthesis of five deuterated isotopologues of α-pinene is presented to determine the impact that removing contributions from methyl group C–H oscillators has on its SFG response. 0.6 cm–1 resolution SFG spectra of these isotopologues show varying degrees of differences in the C–H stretching region when compared to the SFG response of unlabeled α-pinene. The largest spectral changes were observed for the isotopologue containing a fully deuterated vinyl methyl group. Noticeable losses in signal intensities allow us to reliably assign the 2860 cm–1 peak to the vinyl methyl symmetric stretch. Furthermore, upon removing the vinyl methyl group entirely by synthesizing apopinene, the steric influence of the unlabeled C9H14 fragment on the SFG response of α-pinene SFG can be readily observed. The work presented here b...
MY APPROACH to the patient with premature ventricular complexes.

Frequent premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) can lead to a reversible cardiomyopathy. Frequent PVCs can also be a marker for the presence of structural heart disease. Both issues need to be addressed when a patient with frequent PVCs is evaluated. The PVC burden needs to be quantified and a predominant PVC morphology, if present, must be identified. This is best done with a 12-lead 48 h Holter monitor. Left ventricular function and dimensions need to be assessed echocardiographically. In the setting of frequent PVCs, there are three important questions that help to guide therapy:
Supplemental Food and Two Island Populations of Peromyscus leucopus

Supplemental food was supplied to two island populations of Peromyscus leucopus in northwest Arkansas. Females responded to availability of supplemental food with a longer reproductive season. However, with increased reproduction female survival rate decreased and reproduction did not increase in summer months even with supplemental food. With supplemental food males had higher mass compared to males without supplemental food. Non-adult survival to a reproductive age increased with the addition of supplemental food as opposed to non-adults without extra food. Responses of Peromyscus leucopus suggest that food limitation occurred in these populations.
Abstract 862: Network patient navigation: An integrative, longitudinal model to reduce breast cancer disparities

Introduction: Minority breast cancer mortality rates in Washington, DC are among the nation9s highest. To address disparities we instituted the DC Citywide Patient Navigation Research Program (DC-PNRP) - an inter-institutional collaboration that is one of 9 National PNRP sites funded by NCI/ACS to evaluate the effectiveness of patient navigation in reducing barriers to obtaining health care while also addressing psychosocial factors. Study Procedures: More than 1000 minority women have been enrolled from 7 recruitment sites at the point of suspicious finding to investigate whether patient navigation decreases time from suspicious breast finding to diagnostic resolution and time from diagnosis to treatment initiation. Utilizing a non-randomized design, concurrent, medical records-based controls have been identified. Data collection will extend through March 2010. A unique framework of “network navigation” emerged whereby services were integrated across a city-wide network of unaffiliated healthcare sites. Navigators from a broad partnership of clinical and community sites were trained to work collaboratively within a city-wide network to enroll patients in the study and assure each patient receives timely, quality care. This “integrative navigation” model is collecting data addressing not only structural barriers to access to care (i.e., inadequate insurance, lack of transportation, etc.), but also psychosocial barriers (i.e., fear, medical mistrust, acculturation, etc.). Frequent trainings, efforts that promote increased communication between navigators, and sharing of information about community resources were implemented to enhance care coordination and to assure appropriate referral strategies between community outreach, screening, and treatment sites. Results and Conclusion: Implementation of DC-PNRP led us to broaden the original treatment-oriented navigation model to create a “Longitudinal Navigation” paradigm that follows the patient from outreach through survivorship. Data will be shown describing how this model addresses barriers to access and the underlying fragmentation of services that exist in DC for low-income uninsured or under-insured women. Data on the types and distribution of barriers will also be presented. This city-wide program serves as model for inter-institutional cooperation to improve health care access, particularly for the underserved. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 862.
Partial-Wave Analysis of π - +p-->η+n

It is shown that by using the nucleon pole and a sum of direct-channel resonances, a reasonable fit to both the differential and total cross sections, for the process ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}+p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\eta}+n$, is obtained for incident-pion laboratory kinetic energies (${T}_{\ensuremath{\pi}}$) between threshold and 1.3 GeV. Inelastic branching ratios for the $\ensuremath{\eta}n$ channel are predicted with results consistent with experiment. The $\ensuremath{\eta}$-nucleon coupling constant is found to be $\frac{{{g}_{\ensuremath{\pi}\mathrm{NN}}}^{2}}{4\ensuremath{\pi}}\ensuremath{\lesssim}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$. By assuming the spin and parity of the $N(2650)$ to be ${J}^{P}={\frac{11}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$, agreement with the polarization data near the $N(2650)$ is obtained. However, this model can not give a good fit to the differential cross-section data at ${T}_{\ensuremath{\pi}}=2.41 \mathrm{and} 2.93$ GeV.
Underwater Soundbeams Created by Airborne Laser Systems

The configuration and sequencing of laser-induced heating of the ocean surface with an airborne laser can be controlled with judiciously designed optical systems. The present analysis relates the surface heating to the acoustic field at intermediate and large ranges and shows that the spatial and temporal pattern of energy deposition can be selected such that a transient narrow band acoustic pulse of very narrow beamwidth propagates obliquely downward into the water. Existing technology makes it feasible to create easily detectable acoustic signals at distances up to the order of 10 km.
Hanging by a thread, severe mitral regurgitation due to accessory left atrial cord

Accessory left atrial cords are a rare but clinically important finding. If not diagnosed, or left untreated, it can result in severe mitral regurgitation, valvular cardiomyopathy, atrial fibrillation, or interfere with catheter manipulation during ablation. We present a case where the diagnosis of accessory cord was made …
Design and operation of the assembled sealing clamp in petrochemical engineering

By means of taking the sealed point of flange and straight pipe junction, the weakness of simple sealing clamp construction and the necessity of adopting assembled sealing clamp were discussed. Furthmore, the assembled sealing clamp design, manufacture method and seal gum selection were discussed in detail, and an engineering applied case was also given.
Steps in Metagenomics: Let’s Avoid Garbage in and Garbage Out

New technological advances come with their limitations, biases, and drastic improvements on how we can observe life. Metagenomics is no different. This overview focuses on some of the elements that need to be taken into account prior to planning a sequencing experiment. From students and traditional researchers to those involved in citizen science, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Black holes and the limits of quantum information processing

The densest memories and the fastest processors imaginable on computers located billions of light-years away
Corrosion Characteristics of Non-Ferrous Metals in Marine Applications

This paper is intended to describe the corrosion characteristics of aluminum, copper and titanium base alloys in marine applications. Two types of marine exposure will be considered: 1. Exposure to marine atmospheres in the immediate vicinity of the sea, and 2. Immersion either in static or moving sea water.
Fighting Corruption in Education: A Call for Sector Integrity Standards

Education today is a high-stake sector and increasingly vulnerable to corruption. Yet, despite all efforts there is still no certainty on how to best protect it from “harm”. The problem is partially due to a lack of consensus on what constitutes malpractice in education. The article argues in favor of mobilizing new insights from education research and anti-corruption policy for the development of sector standards of integral behavior. It discusses a systemic, service based approach around which this could be done and the responsibility of education practitioners and policy makers in the endeavor. It also suggests that measures to prevent corruption in education should be more sector-specific and target not only criminal offenses, but also “softer”, yet equally harmful forms of malpractice.
Improving the Radiative Efficiency of InGaN Quantum Dots via an Open Top Cavity

A self-aligned, highly tolerant “open top” cavity design is proposed and shown to enhance the spontaneous emission of InGaN quantum dots. Compared to the “closed top” counterpart, removing the metal cap, creating an “open top” cavity, enhances both the emission intensity and recombination rate. The localized surface plasmon resonance of the Ag “open top” cavity was matched to the InGaN quantum dots’ emission wavelength, resulting in an observed final emitter lifetime of 132 ps. The proposed cavity structure exhibits high cavity antenna quantum efficiency, can be self-aligned to the quantum dot, and has good tolerance to quantum dot emission wavelength, polarization, and processing variations.
Building a peaceful Nation: Julius Nyerere and the establishment of sovereignty in Tanzania, 1960–1964

In Building a Peaceful Nation, Paul Bjerk offers detailed insight into the critical first years of Tanganyika as a sovereign nation and the personalities and events that gave rise to the United Rep...
Adaptive Experimental Design Applied to Ergonomics Testing Procedure

University of MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan 48109{msasena, mparkins, goovaert, pyp, mreed}@umich.eduABSTRACTNonlinear constrained optimization algorithms are widelyutilized in artifact design. Certain algorithms also lend them-selves well to design of experiments (DOE). Adaptive designrefers to experimental design where determining where to sam-ple next is inﬂuenced by information from previous experiments.We present a constrained optimization algorithm known as su-perEGO (a variant of the EGO algorithm of Schonlau, Welchand Jones) that is able to create adaptive designs effectively. Itsability to allow easily for a variety of sampling criteria and to in-corporate constraint information accurately makes it well suitedto the needs of adaptive design. The approach is demonstratedon a human reach experiment where the selection of samplingpoints adapts successfully to the stature and perception of the in-dividual test subject. Results from the initial study indicate thatsuperEGO is able to create experimental designs that yield moreaccurate models using fewer points than the original testing pro-cedure.NOMENCLATUREDOE Design of ExperimentsISC Inﬁll Sampling CriterionMLE Maximum Likelihood Estimation
People Management in Social Enterprises: B Corporations

Evaluating people management for organizations with dual social and economic objectives requires learning from the growing pool of social enterprises as well as drawing from the academic frameworks developed for profit driven firms. Thus, the goal of this chapter is first to introduce B Corporations as a rising form of social enterprises. Second, B Corporations’ existing and unique people management framework is evaluated. Third, B Corporations’ framework is connected to the extant academic and practitioner literature in the dominant perspectives, namely strategic human resource management (SHRM). Finally, Winkler and Portocarrero suggest developing a hybrid people management system adapted to social enterprises.
Hey you never know: Selling state lotteries in America

Several US states are exploring selling or leasing lotteries to private operators to plug budget gaps and fund new priorities. Given the long-term implications, governors, budget officials and legislators need a framework for analyzing lottery-sales' decisions. This paper presents such a framework and illustrates it by estimating likely privatization-proceeds and post-sale cash-flows for six states. Our findings are decidedly mixed. We found pricing expectations reasonable for three states and high for three others. However, even at expected pricing levels, sales or leases make, at best, short- to medium-term financial sense. That does not mean states cannot make use of financial markets and private-public partnerships. We offer structural and contracting options that provide a middle ground for policy makers as they consider increasing lottery proceeds or accelerating collections.
Optimal selection of acoustic leak detection techniques for water pipelines using multi-criteria decision analysis

Purpose There has been a sustained interest over the past couple of decades in developing sophisticated leak detection techniques (LDTs) that are economical and reliable. Majority of current commercial LDTs are acoustics based and they are not equally suitable to all pipe materials and sizes. There is also limited knowledge on the comparative merits of such acoustics-based leak detection techniques (ALDTs). The purpose of this paper is to review six commercial ALDTs based on four decisive criteria and subsequently develop guidance for the optimal selection of an ALDT. Design/methodology/approach Numerous publications and field demonstration reports are reviewed for evaluating the performance of various ALDTs in this study to inform their optimal selection using an integrated multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) framework. The findings are validated using interviews of water utility experts. Findings The study approach and the findings will have a broad impact on the water utility industry by identifying a suite of suitable ALDTs for a range of typical application scenarios. The evaluated ALDTs include listening devices, noise loggers, leak-noise correlators, free-swimming acoustic, tethered acoustic, and acoustic emissions. The evaluation criteria include cost, reliability, access requirements, and the ability to quantify leakage severity. The guidance presented in this paper will support efficient decision making in water utility management to minimize pipeline leakage. Originality/value This study attempts to address the problem of severe dearth of performance data for pipeline inspection techniques. Performance data reported in the published literature on various ALDTs are appropriately aggregated and compared using a MCDA, while the uncertainty in performance data is addressed using the Monte Carlo simulation approach.
Toward Continuous Assessment of the Programming Process: (Abstract Only)

Assessment of software tends to focus on postmortem evaluation of metrics like correctness, mergeability, and code coverage. This is evidenced in the current practices of continuous integration and deployment that focus on software's ability to pass unit tests before it can be merged into a deployment pipeline. However, little attention or tooling is given to the assessment of the software development process itself. Good process becomes both more challenging and more critical as software complexity increases. Real-time evaluation and feedback about a software developer's skills, such as incremental development, testing, and time management, could greatly increase productivity and improve the ability to write tested andcorrect code. My work focuses on the collection and analysis of fine-grained programming process data to help quantitatively model the programming process in terms of these metrics. I report on my research problem, presenting past work involving the collection and analysis of IDE event data from junior level students working on large and complex projects. The goal is to quantify the programming process in terms of incremental development and procrastination. I also present a long-term vision for my research and present work planned in the short term as a step toward that vision.
Patterns of Economic Growth

Much of the current discussion of theories of economic growth is coloured by one of two factors which repeatedly crop up in the pertinent literature. The theoretical treatment of economic growth is either too strongly policy-oriented, or it is stated in an overly general form whose results are applicable only with difficulty, and often with grave reservations, to actual cases of economic growth. Since the practical needs of policy-makers in the United Nations and its specialized agencies and in national governments concerned with developmental policies or colonial development have provided a strong impetus for the recent study of economic growth it is not surprising that the literature on this subject should have taken on a strong policy-oriented coloration. What the practitioners needed and continue to need are general guide-lines for their work. What they ask from the theorist, therefore, is to prescribe for them a series of relatively simple formulas which make up the basic equipment of the tool-kits they can take to the four corners of the world and from which they can select, as the situation demands, the appropriate item for application. The result of this situation has been the elaboration of a large amount of knowledge, the parts of which are little integrated. This is especially unfortunate since the concept of technical assistance has tended to embrace knowledge in many fields of social science and has brought together scholars and administrators in various fields and with varied technical competence.
Pathways Taken by New Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income Awardees

We use administrative data to examine the various milestones achieved and pathways followed by new Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) awardees. Our fin...