cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Density of states and other quantum properties of a spherical cavity

The density of states and other closely allied quantum properties of a particle in a spherical cavity are formulated. Germane to this study is the degeneracy of states which, when plotted versus energy, reveals a quasiperiodic array of points. These points define two sets of intersecting curves of constant l and n, respectively, where ${\mathit{z}}_{\mathit{l}\mathit{n}}$ is the nth zero of ${\mathit{j}}_{\mathit{l}}$(z). Graphical analysis further suggests that slopes of curves of constant n asymptotically approach that of the envelope n=1 curve. Differentiation of the cumulative sum of the number of states, with increase in energy, gives an approximate expression for the smooth component of the density of states, D(E)=0.088${\mathit{E}}^{0.63}$ (where E is nondimensional energy). A histogram of the difference of nearest-neighbor eigenenergies roughly indicates a Poissonian form. This finding is consistent with theories concerning the properties of quantum systems with integrable classical counterparts. Application of these results was made in evaluation of the Fermi energy for mesoscopic spherical metallic particles.
The Significance of Language and Cultural Education on Secondary Achievement: A Survey of Chinese-American and Korean-American Students

Abstract This study attempted to answer the question: What is the significance of language and cultural orientation on academic achievement? This study examined the relationship between the students’ level of interest in maintaining their heritage language and culture and their achievement in school. The subjects for this study were 105 U.S.-born, Chinese-American and Korean-American students attending public high schools in Southern California. The study found that those who valued the acculturation process, adapting to the mainstream culture while preserving their language and culture, had superior academic achievement levels to those who were most interested in the assimilation process and who adopted the values and lifestyles of the dominant culture. In light of the implementation of the “English Only” policy in California’s public schools, this study has important implications in public education—that curriculum and instruction should focus on helping language and cultural minority students to develo...
Marketing Science: The Corporate Faces of Genetic Engineering

The controversy over genetically engineered foods can be seen as a struggle over knowledge, whose version of truth will be accepted. Drawing off frameworks from social studies of science, the follo...
Characterization of a novel subtype of hippocampal interneurons that express corticotropin‐releasing hormone

A subset of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons was previously identified in the hippocampus with unknown function. Here we demonstrate that hippocampal CRH neurons represent a novel subtype of interneurons in the hippocampus, exhibiting unique morphology, electrophysiological properties, molecular markers, and connectivity. This subset of hippocampal CRH neurons in the mouse reside in the CA1 pyramidal cell layer and tract tracing studies using AAV-Flex-ChR2-tdTomato reveal dense back-projections of these neurons onto principal neurons in the CA3 region of the hippocampus. These hippocampal CRH neurons express both GABA and GAD67 and using in vitro optogenetic techniques, we demonstrate that these neurons make functional connections and release GABA onto CA3 principal neurons. The location, morphology, and importantly the functional connectivity of these neurons demonstrate that hippocampal CRH neurons represent a unique subtype of hippocampal interneurons. The connectivity of these neurons has significant implications for hippocampal function.
THE ADAPTED COMPLEXIFICATION OF AN ELLIPSOID

We show that an n-dimensional real ellipsoid in ℝn+1 with the induced Riemannian metric does not admit an unbounded adapted complexification in the sense of Lempert/Szőke and Guillemin/Stenzel, unless it is a round sphere. In other words, an ellipsoid whose (maximal) Grauert tube has infinite radius must be a round sphere. For the proof we take advantage of the integrability of the geodesic flow and use a classical theorem on umbilic geodesics. We carry out an extension of this result to Liouville metrics elsewhere.
N-acetylcysteine inhibits post-impact chondrocyte death in osteochondral explants.

Background: Chondrocyte death has been linked to injury-induced oxidative damage, suggesting that antioxidants could substantially improve viability. However, since reactive oxygen species play roles in normal physiology, there are concerns that antioxidants may have deleterious side effects. To address these issues, we studied the effects of N-acetylcysteine, a potent free radical scavenger, on chondrocyte viability and cartilage proteoglycan content in an in vitro cartilage injury model. We hypothesized that treatment with N-acetylcysteine soon after an impact injury would have significant chondrocyte-sparing effects and would prevent injury-induced proteoglycan losses. Methods: Bovine osteochondral explants were subjected to a single impact load with use of a drop-tower device. Chondrocyte viability was measured at multiple time points post-impact with use of fluorescent probes and confocal microscopy. Forty-eight hours after impact, the effects on viability of immediate post-impact treatment with N-acetylcysteine were compared with the effects of the caspase inhibitor N-CBZ-Val-Ala-Asp(O-Me) fluoromethyl ketone and those of the cell-membrane-stabilizing surfactant poloxamer 188. The effect of N-acetylcysteine on proteoglycan content was determined at seven and fourteen days post-impact. Results: Chondrocyte viability declined sharply within an hour and reached a steady state within six to twelve hours after impact. Immediate treatment with N-acetylcysteine doubled the number of viable chondrocytes assayed forty-eight hours after impact, and this effect was significantly greater than that of N-CBZ-Val-Ala-Asp(O-Me) fluoromethyl ketone. Even when N-acetylcysteine treatment was delayed for up to four hours after injury, it still had significant positive effects on cell viability at forty-eight hours. Moreover, N-acetylcysteine treatment significantly improved proteoglycan content at the impact sites at both seven and fourteen days after injury. Conclusions: Treatment with N-acetylcysteine soon after a blunt impact injury can reduce chondrocyte death and proteoglycan loss measured seven to fourteen days after injury. Clinical Relevance: These findings suggest that antioxidant protection in the early aftermath of joint injury may help to reduce chondrocyte death and stabilize the articular cartilage.
Quantifying the cluster speedup behavior in the realm of internode communication

Networked clusters of computers are commonly used to either process multiple sequential jobs concurrently, or to execute complex scientific and commercial parallel applications that are based on a message passing paradigm. In some areas, these clusters represent a cost-effective alternative to the more expensive supercomputers that are in use today. However, workstation clusters normally lack the high-powered interconnect fabric, as well as the more optimized protocol system architecture that is an integral part of commercial supercomputer systems. This study quantifies the speedup of parallel applications in a cluster environment in an analytical model that takes parallel processing, internode communication, and I/O latency into consideration. The model illustrates the (relative) impact that CPU and I/O parallelism has on the speedup behavior based on the 3 different inter-node communication scenarios: broadcast, nearest-neighbor, and request-response. This work revealed that it is important to consider the performance impact that the application has with regard to features such as remote memory access, completion notification, and address translation issues.
Mitochondrial phylogeny and systematics of baboons (Papio).

Baboons (Papio, s.s.) comprise a series of parapatric allotaxa (subspecies or closely related species) widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite exten- sive studies of their ecology, morphology, and behavior, disagreement about their phylogenetic relationships con- tinues, as expressed in the current coexistence of at least three major, competing taxonomic treatments. To help resolve this situation, we sequenced 900 bases of mito- chondrial DNA of 40 individuals from five of the widely recognized "major" allotaxa. Total sequence diversity (5%) is high compared to most primate species. Major mitochondrial clades correspond to recognized allotaxa, with the important exception that haplotypes from yellow and olive baboons form a single, monophyletic clade within which the two allotaxa do not comprise mutually exclusive clusters. The major clades fall unambiguously into the pattern: (chacma (Guinea (hamadryas (yellow olive)))). This phylogeny does not support taxonomies that oppose hamadryas to all other baboons ("desert" vs. "sa- vanna"), but is compatible with the view that all definable allotaxa should be recognized as coordinates, either as "phy- logenetic" species or "biological" subspecies. The close rela- tionship and unsegregated distribution of haplotypes from Kenyan and Tanzanian yellow and olive baboons are unex- plained, but may reflect introgression across the documented hybrid zone. The overall phylogeny, when combined with paleontological data, suggests a southern African origin for extant Papio baboons, with all extant lineages sharing a common mitochondrial ancestor at approximately 1.8 Ma. Am J Phys Anthropol 124:17-27, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Commentary on: clinical trial outcomes of high- and extra high-profile breast implants.

It is my pleasure to discuss the article entitled “Clinical Trial Outcomes of High- and Extra High–Profile Implants.” To begin, I must disclose that I personally know several of the authors of the article, and my comments are directed at the scientific validity of this study; I hope my constructive criticism is taken at face value. I must also say that I was surprised to see this article accepted for publication, because I believe the study design does not provide meaningful data to support the conclusions. In the article, the authors base their conclusions on 2 separate Premarket Approval (PMA) studies; however, these studies were not initially designed to assess the performance of high-profile implants compared with low- to moderate-profile devices. In fact, the PMA studies cited in the article were broad-based studies designed to examine safety and efficacy in groups of implants. Due to their size and broad objectives, the studies generated data that can help to answer general questions such as: Are these implants effective? Are they safe? How many reoperations or revisions were there? Unfortunately, the authors have attempted to use the data to answer a much more specific question that was not directly investigated in the source studies: What is the risk of adverse events with high- and extra high–profile breast implants compared with low- to moderate-profile breast implants? This is the fatal flaw. While data mining is always possible, it is important to understand that “over-mining”—although easy to perform with the right resources—results in scientifically invalid data. Several statements in the article deserve a focused discussion, and each is discussed in turn below. The authors state, “Personal and anecdotal experiences of plastic surgeons … have suggested that high- and extra high–profile breast implants may be associated with higher risks of adverse events (AE) such as …
Optimizing production work flow using OpEMCSS

A graphical discrete event simulation library is proposed for system simulation that is based on interacting concurrent processes. This library works with EXTEND (Imagine That Inc), an inexpensive yet capable and easy to use simulation software package, and it is called Operational Evaluation Modeling for Context-Sensitive Systems (OpEMCSS). Context-Sensitive Systems (CSS) is a systems theory, based on finite state machines, that can assist a systems engineering manager, business operations manager, or manufacturing production manager in understanding, evaluating, and optimizing production work flow, represented as communicating concurrent (parallel) processes. CSS theory can be expressed using the OpEM graphical modeling language. Thus, OpEMCSS is a graphical simulation library that can model systems based on CSS theory and the OpEM language. A simple part production problem is discussed that is an example of applying the Classifier Event Action block, which is a rule based classifier contained in OpEMCSS, to discover optimal rules to manage the workflow.
Oxygen Saturation Screening for Critical Congenital Heart Disease

Critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) refers to lesions of the cardiovascular system, present at birth, which if left untreated in early infancy, will severely compromise the infant’s well-being and survival. Transposed great arteries, hypoplastic left heart, total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage, coarctation of the aorta, and interrupted aortic arch account for more than 70% of CCHD. Until recently, clinical examination followed by blood gas analysis (100% oxygen challenge) and echocardiogram have been the mainstays for diagnosis. However, these methods are unsatisfactory in preventing missed diagnosis before discharge in hospital-born infants. Prenatal diagnosis results in 25% to 50% detection of CCHD in the United States at the present time. In the last 10 to 15 years, noninvasive transcutaneous pulse oximetry has provided the means and impetus for blood oxygen saturation screening as an adjunct to traditional screening methods. It now seems that sufficient evidence exists to embrace universal oxygen saturation screening as one of the newborn screening tests before discharge from the hospital. The optimal method for universal oxygen saturation screening remains debatable, continues to be studied, and is evolving. Nevertheless, the current state of universal oxygen saturation screening should help provide reassurance to the scientific, medical, and health policy communities that this is yet another example of good preventive medicine at work in pediatrics and newborn medicine.
Order handling rules, tick size, and the intraday pattern of bid–ask spreads for Nasdaq stocks

In this study we perform a before-and-after analysis of intraday variation in bid}ask spreads surrounding two recent Nasdaq market reforms. We "nd that spreads declined signi"cantly after the order handling rule changes and the magnitude of the decline is largest during midday. The results are consistent with our conjecture that, like on the NYSE, limit-order traders on Nasdaq play a signi"cant role in the quote-setting process. Our empirical results also show that the magnitude of the spread reduction associated with the tick-size change is largest (smallest) during the last ("rst) hour of trading. We interpret these results using inventory and information models of the spread. ( 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. JEL classixcation: G14; G18
Low-loss high power RF switching using multifinger AlGaN/GaN MOSHFETs

We demonstrate a novel RF switch based on a multifinger AlGaN/GaN MOSHFET. Record high saturation current and breakdown voltage, extremely low gate leakage current and low gate capacitance of the III-N MOSHFETs make them excellent active elements for RF switching. Using a single element test circuit with 1-mm wide multifinger MOSHFET we achieved 0.27 dB insertion loss and more than 40 dB isolation. These parameters can be further improved by impedance matching and by using submicron gate devices. The maximum switching power extrapolated from the results for 1A/mm 100 /spl mu/m wide device exceeds 40 W for a 1-mm wide 2-A/mm MOSHFET.
Effect of a reduced postpartum length of stay program on primary care services use by mothers and infants.

Objective. To determine the impact of reduced postpartum length of stay (LOS) on primary care services use. Methods. Design: Retrospective quasiexperimental study, comparing 3 periods before and 1 period after introducing an intervention and adjusting for time trends. Setting : A managed care plan. Intervention: A reduced obstetrical LOS program (ROLOS), offering enhanced education and services. Participants : mother-infant dyads, delivered during 4 time periods: February through May 1992, 1993, and 1994, before ROLOS, and 1995, while ROLOS was in effect. Independent Measures: Pre-ROLOS or the post-ROLOS year. Outcome Measures: Telephone calls, visits, and urgent care events during the first 3 weeks postpartum summed as total utilization events. Results. Before ROLOS, LOS decreased gradually (from 51.6 to 44.3 hours) and after, sharply to 36.5 hours. Although primary care use did not increase before ROLOS, utilization for dyads increased during ROLOS. Before ROLOS, there were between 2.37 and 2.72 utilization events per dyad; after, there were 4.60. Well-child visits increased slightly to .98 visits per dyad, but urgent visits did not. Conclusion. This program resulted in shortened stays and more primary care use. There was no increase in infant urgent primary care utilization. Early discharge programs that incorporate and reimburse for enhanced ambulatory services may be safe for infants; these findings should not be extrapolated to mandatory reduced LOS initiatives without enhancement of care.
Effects of cubic nonlinearity on frequency doubling of high-power laser pulses

The effects of the phase mismatch due to cubic nonlinearity in the equations for second-harmonic generation are investigated. We show that the phase mismatch induced by the nonlinear refractive index of a doubling crystal can dramatically reduce the conversion efficiency of high-peak-power laser pulses. Simple, analytic expressions are derived for the conversion efficiency of cw radiation and for the estimation of the dispersion in the nonlinear refractive index of the doubling crystal, which is quite important in the determination of the magnitude of the nonlinear effects on maximum conversion. The consequences that these nonlinearities have on the frequency doubling of ultrashort (≤100 fs) pulses, including the additional effects of group-velocity walk-off between the pulses, are then numerically calculated.
The Dynamics of Political Control of the Bureaucracy.

A new paradigm of political-bureaucratic relations emerged through the 1980s holding that U.S. democratic institutions continuously shape nonelective public bureaucracies. Several empirical studies support the paradigm with evidence suggestive of political manipulation but none reveals the scope or specific mechanisms of political control. We explore the dynamics of political control of the bureaucracy explicitly to determine the scope and mechanisms. We examine output time series from seven different public bureaucracies for responsiveness to political tools applied in the late Carter and early Reagan administrations. We find responsiveness in all seven cases. The evidence also shows that political appointments—a shared power of the president and Congress—is the most important instrument of political control; changing budgets, legislation, congressional signals, and administrative reorganizations are less important. These findings confirm intuitive assertions by institutional scholars and suggest a method of “policy monitoring” that could enhance future democratic control of the bureaucracy.
MicroRNAs and their putative targets in Brassica napus seed maturation

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are 20–21 nucleotide RNA molecules that suppress the transcription of target genes and may also inhibit translation. Despite the thousands of miRNAs identified and validated in numerous plant species, only small numbers have been identified from the oilseed crop plant Brassica napus (canola) – especially in seeds. Using next-generation sequencing technologies, we performed a comprehensive analysis of miRNAs during seed maturation at 9 time points from 10 days after flowering (DAF) to 50 DAF using whole seeds and included separate analyses of radicle, hypocotyl, cotyledon, embryo, endosperm and seed coat tissues at 4 selected time points. We identified more than 500 conserved miRNA or variant unique sequences with >300 sequence reads and also found 10 novel miRNAs. Only 27 of the conserved miRNA sequences had been previously identified in B. napus (miRBase Release 18). More than 180 MIRNA loci were identified/annotated using the B. rapa genome as a surrogate for the B.napus A genome. Numerous miRNAs were expressed in a stage- or tissue-specific manner suggesting that they have specific functions related to the fine tuning of transcript abundance during seed development. miRNA targets in B. napus were predicted and their expression patterns profiled using microarray analyses. Global correlation analysis of the expression patterns of miRNAs and their targets revealed complex miRNA-target gene regulatory networks during seed development. The miR156 family was the most abundant and the majority of the family members were primarily expressed in the embryo. Large numbers of miRNAs with diverse expression patterns, multiple-targeting and co-targeting of many miRNAs, and complex relationships between expression of miRNAs and targets were identified in this study. Several key miRNA-target expression patterns were identified and new roles of miRNAs in regulating seed development are suggested. miR156, miR159, miR172, miR167, miR158 and miR166 are the major contributors to the network controlling seed development and maturation through their pivotal roles in plant development. miR156 may regulate the developmental transition to germination.
Dietary Fats and Health: Dietary Recommendations in the Context of Scientific Evidence

Although early studies showed that saturated fat diets with very low levels of PUFAs increase serum cholesterol, whereas other studies showed high serum cholesterol increased the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), the evidence of dietary saturated fats increasing CAD or causing premature death was weak. Over the years, data revealed that dietary saturated fatty acids (SFAs) are not associated with CAD and other adverse health effects or at worst are weakly associated in some analyses when other contributing factors may be overlooked. Several recent analyses indicate that SFAs, particularly in dairy products and coconut oil, can improve health. The evidence of ω6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) promoting inflammation and augmenting many diseases continues to grow, whereas ω3 PUFAs seem to counter these adverse effects. The replacement of saturated fats in the diet with carbohydrates, especially sugars, has resulted in increased obesity and its associated health complications. Well-established mechanisms have been proposed for the adverse health effects of some alternative or replacement nutrients, such as simple carbohydrates and PUFAs. The focus on dietary manipulation of serum cholesterol may be moot in view of numerous other factors that increase the risk of heart disease. The adverse health effects that have been associated with saturated fats in the past are most likely due to factors other than SFAs, which are discussed here. This review calls for a rational reevaluation of existing dietary recommendations that focus on minimizing dietary SFAs, for which mechanisms for adverse health effects are lacking.
Social determinants of tuberculosis case rates in the United States.

Abstract Background Social capital has been related to a number of important public health variables such as overall mortality, health status, and sexually transmitted infections (including AIDS case rates). However, the relationship of social capital to tuberculosis has received little attention. Because social capital may be related to the constructs of poverty and income inequality, any exploration of the correlation between social capital and tuberculosis should include examination of the interrelationships with poverty and income inequality as well. Objective This study examined the state-level relationship between social capital, poverty, income inequality, and tuberculosis case rates. Methods The design was state-level, correlational analysis (including bivariate linear correlational analysis, and multivariate linear stepwise regression analysis). Main outcome measures were 1999 state-level case rates of tuberculosis. Results In bivariate analyses, poverty, income inequality, and social capital were all significantly correlated with tuberculosis case rates. In stepwise multiple regression analyses predicting tuberculosis case rates from this set of three predictor variables, social capital and income inequality entered the regression equation (with social capital being the strongest predictor variable). Conclusions These results suggest that social capital is highly predictive of tuberculosis at the state level. The results indicate the need for further research into this potentially causal relationship, including the examination of structural interventions designed to increase social capital.
Learning Effects Associated With the Least Stable Level of the Biodex® Stability System During Dual and Single Limb Stance

The Biodex® Stability System (BSS) has high test-retest reliability when stable (high) resistance levels are used. However, reliability data for lower stability levels, associated with more pronounced learning curves, are rare in the existing literature. Thus, it is likely that BSS scores obtained from lower stability levels require greater familiarization (i.e. practice) to achieve a stable score both within and between test sessions. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to determine if a commonly reported 6 trial sequence (3 practice trials, 3 test trials) used with the BSS can achieve a stable within session score on the lowest stability level (i.e. level 1). The secondary purpose was to evaluate the test-retest reliability of the lowest BSS resistance level over a 10-week period. Twenty sedentary university students (11 male, 9 female; age: 21.5 ± 1.9 years, height: 1.7 ± 0.1 m, weight: 66.3 ± 12.1 kg, BMI: 22.4 ± 2.3) voluntarily participated. Participants completed two test sessions separated by 10-weeks. Twelve, 20-second trials (six dual limb stance, six single limb stance on the dominant limb) on the lowest stability level were completed during both test sessions by all participants. A stable within session dual and single limb stance score was achieved with a maximum of 3 familiarization trials. Reliability ranged between poor and good across all outcomes but all outcomes had large minimal detectable change scores. At least 3 stance specific familiarization trials are needed to achieve a stable BSS score within a single test session on the lowest resistance level. However, the inconsistent reliability and high minimal detectable changes scores suggest that the lowest resistance level should not be used as an objective marker of rehabilitation progress over extended periods of time (e.g. 10-weeks). Key points Level 1 BSS scores should not be used as a test setting to assess rehabilitation. Familiarization trials should not be underestimated by researchers/clinicans. Lower stability levels on the BSS may not be appropriate for use as an objective marker of progression due to poor reliability of the scores over time.
Admission Data Predict High Hospital Readmission Risk

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify data available at the time of hospital admission that predict readmission risk. Methods: We performed a retrospective multiple regression analysis of 958 adult, nonpregnant patients admitted to the Family Medicine Service between June 2012 and October 2013. Data were abstracted from hospital administrative sources and electronic medical records. The outcome was 30-day hospital readmission. Candidate readmission predictors included polypharmacy (≥6 medicines), Charlson comorbidity index, age, sex, insurance status, emergency department use, smoking, nursing report of cognitive issues, patient report of social support or financial issues, and a history of heart failure, pneumonia, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Results: Patients at the Family Medicine Service had a 14% readmission risk. Bivariate analysis showed that high Charlson scores (≥5), polypharmacy, heart failure, pneumonia, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease each increased readmission risk (P Conclusions: Polypharmacy and higher Charlson score at admission predict readmission risk as well as or better than published risk prediction models. The model could help to conserve limited resources and to target interventions for reducing readmission among the highest-risk patients.
The Expanding Universe

If you go out on a clear, moonless autumn night and look up to the constellation Andromeda, your eyes may catch a glimpse of a faint, diffuse smudge of light. In appearance it cannot compete with some of the more spectacular sights of the sky, such as the surface of the moon or the rings of Saturn, and even a telescope will not reveal much detail: you can make out the outline of an elliptical structure with a central condensed core, but that is about all. Yet before you dismiss this object as insignificant, stop and think: you are looking at the Great Nebula in Andromeda, a sister galaxy to our own Milky Way which, at a distance of 2,000,000 light-years, is the farthest object the unaided human eye can see. To all purpose and extent, you are looking at infinity.1
A Critical Study of the Mycetozoa of Long Island

(1936). A Critical Study of the Mycetozoa of Long Island. Mycologia: Vol. 28, No. 6, pp. 547-622.
The Utilization of Social Scientists in the Overseas Branch of the Office of War Information

Many social scientists employed by the government or in the armed services during the war found their research and scientific wisdom not eagerly accepted, wisely interpreted, or sensibly followed by policy-makers. Unlike some of the old-line departments, the war agencies had no established procedure for utilizing social science. Social scientists had a place on the ever-changing organization charts, sometimes merely because it was somewhat vaguely felt that all kinds of brains, even academic, were necessary to win a total war. Often they had to carve out for themselves the specific roles they wished to play. They functioned, not in accordance with the charts, but within what Mansfield and Marx call informal organizations of their own making. In many situations, there was a discrepancy between what social scientists thought they could do and what the policy-makers were prepared to let them do. Some sought deliberately to bridge the gap by promoting and marketing their disciplines and themselves. Like their colleagues in the natural sciences, they wished to be consulted when problems involving their own expertness were involved. The informal techniques that social scientists employed in behalf of social science and themselves are worth recording because certainly similar ones must often be utilized whenever social scientist meets policy-maker. They should be mentioned to any social scientist about to enter government service, so that he can at least be aware of the problem and more easily survive the initial period of disillusionment and misery. They belong, it seems, within the purview of the student of public administration.
Constructing two phonological systems: A phonetic analysis of /p/, /t/, /k/ among early Spanish–English bilingual speakers:

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions:Many early Spanish-English bilingual speakers in the USA learn Spanish as their first language at home and English in school. This paper seeks to eluc...
Performance analysis for serial production lines with Bernoulli Machines and Real-time WIP-based Machine switch-on/off control

In recent years, achieving high energy efficiency has become one of the primary goals in manufacturing, along with maintaining high productivity and quality. In many manufacturing systems, it is sometimes possible to temporarily switch off a machine to reserve energy, and switch it back on when a certain condition is met. Indeed, production control-based shop floor continuous improvement is recognised as one of the most cost-effective ways to achieve energy-efficient production. In this paper, we study serial production lines with Bernoulli machines and finite capacity buffers and assume that some of the machines in the line can be switched on and off during the production process according to a state-based feedback control policy. Mathematical models for the system under consideration are derived and analytical methods are developed for calculating the system performance measures during transients. Specifically, exact Markovian analysis is used for two- and three-machine lines in which the switch-on/off ...
The Fetus in Utero Including Twins and the Placenta

By definition, the fetus is a developing mammal or other vivparous vertebrate. In humans, this is the unborn from the eighth week of pregnancy following fertilization (or 10 weeks after the onset of the last menstrual period), when in the embryo the major organs have been formed and continue their development until the moment of birth. At this time, the fetus is about 5 cm (2 in.) in length, weighs ~8 g, and the developing head constitutes about one-half the total mass. The word fetus derives from Latin, bearing, bringing forth, or hatching of young. From weeks 11–17 of pregnancy the brain, heart, and other organs continue to develop, and subtleties appear in the various structures such as development of the genitalia and centers of ossification in bones. At about 16 weeks, a woman who has been pregnant previously will feel fetal movements, “quickening;” this may not occur, however, until about 20 weeks in those women who are nulliparous (having not delivered before). From weeks 18–27, development continues with the appearance of many structures such as the eyelashes and eyebrows, finger and toe nails, and a fine lanugo hair covering the body. From weeks 28–40 (term), nerve growth with myelinization continues, the amount of body fat increases, the cerebral electrocorticogram takes on cyclic activity, e.g., low voltage high frequency, during which metabolism of the brain increases, (and which is associated with rapid eye movements and other muscular activity), versus a high voltage low frequency sleep state. At this time, the fetus is capable of life independent of the mother’s womb; survival for the most immature has been enhanced greatly by advances in neonatal intensive care. At the end of the 36th weeks of gestation almost all infants born can survive independently of neonatal intensive care.
From Ticks and Tocks to Budges and Nudges: The Smartwatch and the Haptics of Informatic Culture

This article uses the emergence of smartwatch models from 2012 to 2015—including the Pebble Watch, Android Wear, and Apple Watch—to explore the relationship between “instants” and “information.” Th...
“Blue Jay Way”: The Imagery of Pure Consciousness in Selected Beatles songs

There is much delightful interplay between the lyrical and aural imagery in the Beatles songs that sing of the natural world. The auditory imagery, with or without sound effects in the Beatles songs, is primarily mimetic in nature, augmenting the lyric and secondary to the lyric. However, there is a second type of aural imagery in the Beatles’ songs that is symbolic rather than allegorical or mimetic in function. The aural symbolism in songs such as “Tomorrow Never Knows” and “Blue Jay Way” has more in common with the imagery of “Revolution” and “I Am the Walrus.” These songs articulate a logical overdetermination of sound and music to arrive at an experience of “pure sound” as an experience and expression of certain elevated levels of consciousness. These avant-garde and experimental songs present sound as indexical, and point towards the sounds themselves as a concrete fact, regardless of interpretive possibility. In their emphasis on music’s ability to weave a web of interrelationships not only between words and music, but also between musical and non-musical sounds, these avant-garde songs of the Beatles negotiate an ethical balance of life reflecting on the deep origins of the universe, and of human consciousness, and the flow of energy between the two.
Semiconductor Surface and Interface States

The investigation and understanding of the atomic structure and electronic properties of semiconductor surfaces and interfaces is a challenging area of current research. Because properties at surfaces are often drastically different from those in the bulk, many fundamental aspects of physics and chemistry are involved. Achieving a better understanding is also important for the related technology. In presenting the material in this chapter, we will continually stress the interdependence of the atomic structure and the electronic structure of surfaces. In almost all cases, the development of surface and interface states is accompanied by a self-consistent atomic rearrangement. Particular examples of this are the many spatial reconstructions that arise on clean semiconductor surfaces. The examples reviewed in this chapter are typical of some of the efforts to provide insight into the atomic and electronic structure of semiconductor surfaces and interfaces. As will be evident, considerable success in determining the atomic and electronic structure of semiconductor surfaces and interfaces has been achieved in the last decade. The application of synchrotron radiation–based techniques has played an important role in this achievement.
Macro Theory within a Diachronic, Non-Equilibrium Motif

The relation between micro theory and macro theory is necessarily one between the parts of something and the whole of that thing. This simple recognition entails numerous analytical complexities which contemporary macro theories do more to conceal than to reveal, mostly out of a concern with constructing theories that are analytically tractable. I don’t deny the value of analytical tractability, but I also think that from time to time it is good to probe whether some of the analytical fictions invoked in the name of tractability might be overcome thorough some alternative scheme of analysis. In this paper I seek to sketch some contours of a possible bypass. In doing this, I follow up on three joint efforts (Lewis and Wagner 2017), Veetil and Wagner (2015), Caton and Wagner (2015) along with my earlier effort (Wagner 2012a) to treat a macro economy as an ecology of plans. This paper also seeks to extend George Shackle (1972, 1974) and Ludwig Lachman (1956, 1977) by working within a diachronic and non-equilibrium analytical motif.
Medium-term assessment of cardiac function in pediatric cancer survivors. Comparison of different echocardiographic methods, cardiac MRI and cardiac biomarker testing in adolescent cancer survivors

Purpose To evaluate the feasibility and correlation of 3D echocardiography (echo) and cardiac biomarkers with cardiac MRI, in surveillance of cardiac function for cancer survivors. Methods Subjects ≥10 years of age who have survived >2 years after completion of cancer treatment from a single center were enrolled. Cardiac MRI and 3D echo images were obtained on the same day when routine echo was obtained. On the same day, along with annual routine blood test, cardiac biomarkers N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels (NT-proBNP) and troponin-I levels were also measured. Results Cardiac MRI was feasible in all 50 subjects. Three-dimensional echo and 2D echo images were of poor quality in four subjects. With a median duration of remission of 10 years, there were four subjects with mild LV dysfunction (cardiac MRI LV EF of<53%). None had MRI EF <50%, and nine subjects had LVEF <55%. M-mode echo overestimated EF more than 2D and 3D echo. Two-dimensional and 3D echo methods had much tighter limits of agreement for LV EF. For measurement of LVEF, 3D echo had a lower % error than 2D echo or M-mode echo. One subject had an abnormal troponin-I level and another one had an elevated NT-proBNP. Conclusions Three-dimensional echo can be performed in most adolescent cancer survivors, and it correlates well with MRI. Further large-scale research is required in assessing utility of cardiac biomarkers in pediatric cancer survivors.
Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis: Influence of Acid Treatment and Preparation Method on Carbon Nanotube Supported Ruthenium Catalysts

The influences of nitric acid treatment on a carbon nanotube (CNT) support and the preparation method, incipient wetness impregnation (IWI) versus chemical vapor deposition (CVD), on catalytic performance during Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis were examined using a slurry phase reactor. Acid treated CNT (ACNT) supported Ru catalysts exhibited higher activities compared to Ru supported on untreated CNTs (UCNTs). The acid-treated CVD catalyst had higher initial CO conversion (smaller average Ru particle size) but sintered more due to a greater tendency for Ru to be deposited exterior to CNT channels relative to IWI. After the initial decline and leveling off period, the ACNT IWI catalyst had the highest steady activity among the catalysts tested. The ACNT IWI catalyst also displayed greater oxygenate selectivity (∼17%) compared to ACNT CVD (∼12%) and UCNT IWI (∼10%) catalysts at similar conversions. Acid treatment created adsorption sites on the CNT surface that anchor Ru precursors and promote CO insertion ...
Performance of selection DF scheme for a relay system with non-identical Rician fading

In this paper, we investigate the performance of a generic relay system for small cells. The main features include the selection decode-and-forward (DF) scheme, Rician and Rayleigh fading, single or repeated transmissions in direct link, and maximal-ratio combining at destination. We are able to derive a set of closed-form expressions for the end-to-end performance. Based on these formulas, we define a metric, called the differential outage probability (DOP), to characterize the differential performance due to repetition coding. It is shown that the benefit of repetition diminishes quickly when the components of line-of-sight (LOS) increase.
A DECADE OF PASSIVE COOLING: A Perspective from the U.S.A.

ABSTRACT Passive cooling activities and their documentation from the last decade are reviewed and evaluated from the perspective of the U.S.A. World activity has been divergent. In some developing countries the results of a bioclimatic design approach has expanded. In others modern buildings completely ignore local climate. Directed research has been sparse and uneven. Similarly the program of research and development of the U.S. Department of Energy and its predecessors have made an uneven impact in a country of high technology high performance building. Although significant strides have been made in the availability of appropriate climatic data and in the prediction of performance potentials, the impact on professional building design practice has been more modest. In general the differentiation of phenomena and the specializations of task that characterize research have been counter productive to the integration that typifies good architectural design practice and that is especially necessary for passive cooling. Simultaneously the dependence on standard packaged refrigeration systems is an established standard of highly industrialized economies. Thus increasing the performance capability of buildings by passively coupling their cooling needs to natural heat sinks has a challenging future everywhere.
Amylase Levels in Semen and Saliva Stains

Amylase levels were determined for 148 semen samples and 20 saliva samples as well as for their corresponding stains. The effect of aging on the detectability of amylase activity in these stains was also investigated. The Phadebas® amylase test was used for the quantitative assay of amylase. High levels of amylase in fluid saliva resulted in high levels being detected in saliva stains. Lower levels present in most seminal fluids produce little or no detectable amounts of amylase in stains. Interpretations are made as to the possible sources of amylase activity found in stains from laboratory casework based on both the amylase concentration and the elapsed time between collection and analysis. The evidential value of the presence or absence of amylase activity in casework stains is also discussed.
Learning Based Leadership in Swarm Navigation

Collective migration in biological species is often guided by distributed leaders that modulate their peers’ motion behaviors. Distributed leadership is important for artificial swarms, but designing the leaders’ controllers is difficult. A swarm control strategy that leverages trained leaders to influence the collective’s trajectory in spatial navigation tasks was formulated. The neuro-evolutionary learning based control method was used to train a few leaders to influence motion behaviors. The leadership control strategy is applied to a rally task with varying swarm sizes and leadership percentages. Increasing the leadership representation improved task performance. Leaders moved quickly when the swarm had a higher percentage of leaders and slowly when the percentage was small.
Recidivism and Neighborhood Governance

Recent research on recidivism emphasizes the importance of neighborhoods to successful prisoner reentry. This research analyzes two ways in which institutions of neighborhood governance affect reen...
Leveraging chemical actinometry and optical radiometry to reduce uncertainty in photochemical research

Abstract Subtle aspects of illumination sources and their characterization methods can introduce significant uncertainty into the data gathered from light-activated experiments, limiting their reproducibility and technology transition. Degradation kinetics of methyl orange (MO) and carbamazepine (CM) under illumination with TiO2 were used as a case study for investigating the role of incident photon flux on photocatalytic degradation rates. Valerophenone and ferrioxalate actinometry were paired with optical radiometry in three different illumination systems: xenon arc (XE), tungsten halogen (W-H), and UV fluorescent (UV-F). Degradation rate constants for MO and CM varied similarly among the three light systems as k W - H k U V - F k X E , implying the same relative photon flux emission by each light. However, the apparent relative photon flux emitted by the different lights varied depending on the light characterization method. This discrepancy is shown to be caused by the spectral distribution present in light emission profiles, as well as absorption behavior of chemical actinometers and optical sensors. Data and calculations for the determination of photon flux from chemical and calibrated optical light characterization is presented, allowing us to interpret photo-degradation rate constants as a function of incident photon flux. This approach enabled the derivation of a calibrated ‘rate-flux’ metric for evaluating and translating data from photocatalysis studies.
Does Causal Coherence Predict Online Spread of Social Media

Online misinformation is primarily spread by humans deciding to do so. We therefore seek to understand the factors making this content compelling and, ultimately, driving online sharing. Fuzzy-Trace Theory, a leading account of decision making, posits that humans encode stimuli, such as online content, at multiple levels of representation; namely, gist, or bottom-line meaning, and verbatim, or surface-level details. Both of these levels of representation are expected to contribute independently to online information spread, with the effects of gist dominating. Important aspects of gist in the context of online content include the presence of a clear causal structure, and semantic coherence – both of which aid in meaning extraction. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that causal and semantic coherence are associated with online sharing of misinformative social media content using Coh-Metrix – a widely-used set of psycholinguistic measures. Results support Fuzzy-Trace Theory’s predictions regarding the role of causally- and semantically-coherent content in promoting online sharing and motivate better measures of these key constructs.