cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The safe handling of large quantities of tritium gas at the Los Alamos Tandem Accelerator Facility

Abstract Since June 1965, the Los Alamos Tandem Accelerator Facility has been accelerating triton beams to energies over 20 MeV for unique and interesting experiments in nuclear physics. The use of tritium gas has increased to over 100 000 curies in a year through two electrostatic accelerators having extensive and complicated vacuum systems. The safe handling of these quantities of gas has been accomplished by using closed vacuum systems including cryogenic adsorption of the tritium gas. This system has allowed the recovery of 80% of the tritium gas for reuse and has greatly reduced personnel exposure to tritium.
One-dimensional particle simulations of Knudsen-layer effects on D-T fusion

Particle simulations are used to solve the fully nonlinear, collisional kinetic equation describing the interaction of a high-temperature, high-density, deuterium-tritium plasma with absorbing boundaries, a plasma source, and the influence of kinetic effects on fusion reaction rates. Both hydrodynamic and kinetic effects influence the end losses, and the simulations show departures of the ion velocity distributions from Maxwellian due to the reduction of the population of the highest energy ions (Knudsen-layer effects). The particle simulations show that the interplay between sources, plasma dynamics, and end losses results in temperature anisotropy, plasma cooling, and concomitant reductions in the fusion reaction rates. However, for the model problems and parameters considered, particle simulations show that Knudsen-layer modifications do not significantly affect the velocity distribution function for velocities most important in determining the fusion reaction rates, i.e., the thermal fusion reaction rates using the local densities and bulk temperatures give good estimates of the kinetic fusion reaction rates.
Disintegrated control for energy-efficient and heterogeneous memory systems

A mix of emerging technologies promises qualitatively new memory system capabilities. However, today's memory controllers and channels constrain heterogeneity. Today's integration of controllers on processor dies prevents systems from accommodating diverse, technology-specific protocols and schedulers in a modular manner; memory design decisions must be made during processor design. Moreover, today's channel architectures are not flexible enough to accommodate diverse demands for bandwidth and capacity. To address these challenges, we present strategies for scalability and heterogeneity, which include (i) disintegrating memory controllers to support heterogeneous command protocols in a modular manner; (ii) adding buffers to ensure signal integrity; and (iii) organizing buffers hierarchically to reduce latency. We apply these strategies to architect a novel heterogeneous DRAM / PCM system. Finally, we present mechanisms for power-efficient data movement.
The Empirical Angular Function Approach: Testing Sea Surface Temperature Satellite Retrievals

Abstract Recently, a statistical procedure was proposed to analyze the angular effect in the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) brightness temperatures. The estimated empirical angular functions (EAF) over the oceans allow one to check the algorithms for the sea surface temperature (SST) and the column water vapor content when the observation geometry is variable, as well as to test angular methods of SST retrieval. The EAF approach has been previously applied to the analysis of the AVHRR brightness temperatures in channels 3 and 4 and dual-window SST over the tropical Atlantic in June 1987 and December 1988 from NOAA-10 and NOAA-11, respectively. Here, it is extended to estimate the accuracy of the split-window sea surface temperature and atmospheric water vapor retrievals from NOAA-9 over the tropical and North Atlantic in July 1986. The authors confirm the previously drawn conclusion that in a general case no angle-independent coefficients in a linear SST retrieval algorithm can prov...
Preservation of amino acid accumulation by frozen renal cortical tissue.

Abstract Accumulation in vitro of α-aminoisobutyric acid by rat renal cortical slices was studied in the presence of cryoprotective agents. The uptake was normal in the presence of 15% dimethylsulfoxide, but was impaired by 15% glycerol. In the presence of dimethylsulfoxide, cortical slices could be frozen to −30° and thawed with no impairment of α-aminoisobutyric acid accumulation. Freezing to−70° was associated with a reduction of amino acid uptake. Assessment of membrane transport phenomena may be applied as a viability assay of successful preservation of frozen renal tissue.
Cowpox virus induces interleukin-10 both in vitro and in vivo

Cowpox virus infection induces interleukin-10 (IL-10) production from mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) or cells of the mouse macrophage line (RAW264.7) at about 1800 pg/ml, whereas infections with vaccinia virus (strains WR or MVA) induced much less IL-10. Similarly, in vivo, IL-10 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids of mice infected with cowpox virus were significantly higher than those after vaccinia virus infection. However, after intranasal cowpox virus infection, although dendritic and T-cell accumulations in the lungs of IL-10 deficient mice were greater than those in wild-type mice, weight-loss and viral burdens were not significantly different. IL-10 deficient mice were more susceptible than wild-type mice to re-infection with cowpox virus even though titers of neutralizing antibodies and virus-specific CD8 T cells were similar between IL-10 deficient and wild-type mice. Greater bronchopneumonia in IL-10 deficient mice than wild-type mice suggests that IL-10 contributes to the suppression of immunopathology in the lungs.
Melatonin receptors and signal transduction during development in Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus)

Abstract Maternal melatonin communicates daylength information to the fetus in Siberian hamsters. Fetal sensitivity to melatonin declines near birth. In this report, we describe melatonin receptor distribution and a second messenger response to melatonin in Siberian hamsters during the perinatal period. The sites of high-affinity 2-[ 125 I]iodomelatonin ([ 125 I]MEL) binding were generally similar throughout the perinatal period. The non-hydrolyzable GTP analog, guanosine-5′- O -(3-thiotriphosphate) (100 μM) inhibited [ 125 I]MEL binding at each age, suggesting the melatonin receptors are associated with guanine nucleotide binding proteins (G proteins). Furthermore, melatonin (10 nM) inhibited forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation in median eminence/pars tuberalis (ME/PT) explants as early as 4 days before birth, when sensitivity to melatonin in vivo is high. The cAMP regulatory system appeared disrupted on the day of birth, in that forskolin (10 μM) stimulation of cAMP accumulation was reduced, and melatonin did not inhibit cAMP accumulation stimulated by forskolin. A higher forskolin dose (100 μM) elevated cAMP levels more clearly on the day of birth, and melatonin inhibited forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation. These results suggest that the decreased physiological responsiveness to melatonin at the end of gestation may be due to alterations in the cAMP regulatory system.
Rate-distortion-based scheduling of video with multiple decoding paths

We present a general rate-distortion based scheduling framework that can accommodate cases where multiple encoded versions for the same video are available for transmission. Previous work on video scheduling is mostly focused on those encoding techniques, such as layered coding, which generate only one set of dependent packets. However, it is sometimes preferred to have a codec that produces redundant video data, where multiple different decoding paths are possible. Examples of these scenarios are multiple description layered coding and multiple independently encoded video streams. A new source model called Directed Acyclic HyperGraph (DAHG) is introduced to describe the relationship between different video data units with multiple decoding paths. Based on this model, we propose two low-complexity scheduling algorithms: the greedy algorithm and the M-T algorithm. Experiments are made to compare the performance of these algorithms. It is shown that, in the case of multiple decoding paths, the M-T algorithm outperforms the greedy algorithm by taking into account some of the transmission possibilities available in the near future before making a decision.
Ray tracing to get 3D fixations on VOIs from portable eye tracker videos

Our portable video-based monocular eye tracker contains a headgear with two cameras that capture videos of the observer's right eye and the scene from the observer's perspective (Figure 1a). With this eye tracker, we typically obtain a position -- that represents the observer's point of regard (POR) -- in each frame of the scene video (Figure 1b without bottom left box). These POR positions are in the image coordinate system of the scene camera, which moves with the observer's head. Therefore, these POR positions do not tell us where the person is looking in an exocentric reference frame. Currently, the videos are analyzed manually by examining each frame. In short, we aim to automatically determine how long the observer spends fixating specific objects in the scene and in what order these objects are fixated.
Simultaneous and independent acquisition of multisensory and unisensory associations.

Although humans are almost constantly exposed to stimuli from multiple sensory modalities during daily life, the processes by which we learn to integrate information from multiple senses to acquire knowledge of multisensory objects are not well understood. Here, we present results of a novel audio – visual statistical learning procedure where participants are passively exposed to a rapid serial presentation of arbitrary audio – visual pairings (comprised of artificial/synthetic audio and visual stimuli). Following this exposure, participants were tested with a two-interval forced-choice procedure in which their degree of familiarity with the experienced audio – visual pairings was evaluated against novel audio – visual combinations drawn from the same stimulus set. Our results show that subjects acquire knowledge of visual – visual, audio – audio, and audio – visual stimulus associations and that the learning of these types of associations occurs in an independent manner.
Preparation of Fruit Essences for Gas Chromatography

SUMMARY A large-scale continuous liquid-liquid extractor, designed for efficiently extracting large volumes of extremely dilute essence with minimal quantities of solvent, is described. Chromatograms are compared that were obtained on Bartlett pear essences prepared by: 1) direct fruit extraction; 2) extraction of laboratory steam distillates; and 3) extraction and 4) adsorption techniques applied to a commercial deaerator effluent.
Multi-potentiality of a new immortalized epithelial stem cell line derived from human hair follicles

We previously demonstrated that keratin 15 expressing cells present in the bulge region of hair follicles exhibit properties of adult stem cells. We have now established and characterized an immortalized adult epithelial stem cell line derived from cells isolated from the human hair follicle bulge region. Telogen hair follicles from human skin were microdissected to obtain an enriched population of keratin 15 positive skin stem cells. By expressing human papillomavirus 16 E6/E7 genes in these stem cells, we have been able to culture the cells for >30 passages and maintain a stable phenotype after 12 mo of continuous passage. The cell line was compared to primary stem cells for expression of stem cell specific proteins, for in vitro stem cell properties, and for their capacity to differentiate into different cell lineages. This new cell line, named Tel-E6E7 showed similar expression patterns to normal skin stem cells and maintained in vitro properties of stem cells. The cells can differentiate into epidermal, sebaceous gland, and hair follicle lineages. Intact β-catenin dependent signaling, which is known to control in vivo hair differentiation in rodents, is maintained in this cell line. The Tel-E6E7 cell line may provide the basis for valid, reproducible in vitro models for studies on stem cell lineage determination and differentiation.
Photoelectron spectroscopic evidence for superconducting gap isotropy in the basal-plane of the high-temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8

Abstract High-resolution angle-resolved photoelectron spectra were obtained at 20K (below T c ) and 90K (above T c ) at several points on the Fermi surface of Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 in the basal plane. These points were of different wave function character (CuO, BiO) according to one-electron band calculations. The same value of the superconducting gap Δ was obtained for all these points. Additional points in k-space were examined less extensively, and all were consistent with the same gap. The lack of basal plane gap anisotropy puts a constraint on theories of the superconducting pairing mechanism.
Establishment of survivable connections in WDM networks using partial path protection

As a generalization of the traditional path protection scheme in WDM networks where a backup path is needed for each active path, the partial path protection scheme uses a collection of backup paths to protect an active path, where each backup path in the collection protects one or more links on the active path such that every link on the active path is protected by one of the backup paths. While there is no known polynomial time algorithm for computing an active path and a corresponding backup path using the path protection scheme for a source-destination node pair, we show that an active path and a corresponding collection of backup paths using the partial path protection scheme can be computed in polynomial time, whenever they exist, under each of the following two network models: (a) dedicated protection in WDM networks without wavelength converters; and (b) shared protection in WDM networks without wavelength converters. Under each of the two models, we prove, that for any given source s and destination d in the network, if one candidate active path connecting s and d is protectable using partial path protection, then any candidate active path connecting s and d is also protectable using partial path protection. This fundamental property leads to efficient shortest active path algorithms that can find an active path and its corresponding partial path protections whenever they exist. Simulation results show that shared partial path protection outperforms shared path protection in terms of blocking probability.
Residential treatment for smokeless tobacco use: a case series.

Abstract We developed and implemented a novel 8-day residential treatment program for smokeless tobacco (ST) use. A multidisciplinary team delivered behavioral treatment, nicotine patches were adjusted to achieve 100% replacement of baseline peak serum nicotine concentrations, and bupropion sustained-release was prescribed. Mean participant age (± SD ) was 47.4 ± 18.2 years. Mean nicotine patch dose at program end was 43.2 mg/day ± 13.9 (range 14 to 66 mg/d). Median percent replacement by serum nicotine concentrations was 86.6% (IQR: 75–113.8%). At 1 year, the biochemically-confirmed (urine anabasine
Practice patterns and potential solutions to the shortage of providers of older adult mental health services.

Little is known about the contribution of advanced practice nurses (APNs) to the mental health care of older adults. This study describes mental health services to older adults by APNs compared wit...
Epinephrine, vasopressin and steroids for in-hospital cardiac arrest: the right cocktail therapy?

Citation Mentzelopoulos SD, Malachias S, Chamos C, Konstantopoulos D, Ntaidou T, Papastylianou A, Kolliantzaki I, Theodoridi M, Ischaki H, Makris D, Zakynthinos E, Zintzaras E, Sourlas S, Aloizos S, Zakynthinos SG: Vasopressin, steroids, and epinephrine and neurologically favorable survival after in-hospital cardiac arrest: a randomized clinical trial.JAMA 2013, 310:270–279.
Evolution and life-history correlates of female song in the New World blackbirds

Female song is much more prevalent in tropical than in temperate songbirds but, we know surprisingly little about the evolutionary origins of this striking latitudinal difference. Here I reconstruct the evolution of female song in the New World blackbird family (Icteridae) and compare historical changes in this trait to changes in several other life-history characters: social mating system, nesting pattern, and migratory behavior. Reconstructions using both parsimony and maximum likelihood methods show that female song has been lost repeatedly in this clade and that tropical ancestors with frequent female song almost invariably were monogamous, had dispersed nest sites, and were nonmigratory. Losses of female song were not consistently associated with changes in any single life-history characteristic across the family, but rather appear to have occurred for different reasons in different lineages, including the evolution of migration in the oriole genus (Icterus), the evolution of brood parasitism in the cowbirds (Molothrus), and the evolution of polygynous, colonial breeding in the oropendolas (Psarocolius, Gymnostinops) and caciques (Cacicus). These results support previous suggestions that the prevalence of female song in the tropics is largely explained by the life-history traits associated with tropical habitats. Key words: ancestral state reconstruction, comparative methods, duetting, female bird song, life history, phylogeny. [Behav Ecol]
Comments and Summary on the Cosmic Background Radiation

This session on the cosmic background radiation is remarkable for the quality of the interesting new results presented and the controversy over substantive issues. This paper reviews the status of measurements of the spectrum and anisotropy of the cosmic background and summarizes what is known of the properties of the cosmic background radiation: its spectrum, anisotropy, polarization, and statistics.
Association of Serum Phosphate with Vascular and Valvular Calcification in Moderate CKD

Within the normal range, higher serum phosphate concentrations are associated with cardiovascular events and mortality in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and in those with normal kidney function. Experimental models suggest that phosphate has a direct calcifying effect on vascular smooth muscle. We examined associations of serum phosphate concentrations with vascular and valvular calcification in 439 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis who had moderate CKD and no clinical cardiovascular disease. Serum phosphate concentrations were within the normal range (2.5 to 4.5 mg/dl) in 95% of study participants. The prevalence of calcification in the coronary arteries, descending thoracic aorta, aortic valve, and mitral valve was 67, 49, 25, and 20%, respectively, measured by electron-beam or multi-detector row computed tomography. After adjustment for demographics and estimated GFR, each 1-mg/dl increment in serum phosphate concentration was associated with a 21% (P = 0.002), 33% (P = 0.001), 25% (P = 0.16), and 62% (P = 0.007) greater prevalence of coronary artery, thoracic, aortic valve, and mitral valve calcification, respectively. Adjustment for traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis, parathyroid hormone, or 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels did not alter these associations. In conclusion, higher serum phosphate concentrations, although still within the normal range, are associated with a greater prevalence of vascular and valvular calcification in people with moderate CKD. It remains to be determined whether lowering phosphate concentrations will impact calcification risk in the setting of kidney disease.
Effects of Added Plasmin on the Formation and Rheological Properties of Rennet-Induced Skim Milk Gels

Elevated plasmin enzyme activity has been suggested as a likely cause of impaired functional properties that occur in milk from cows either in their late-lactational period or that are experiencing mastitis. However, there are conflicting reports on the impact of plasmin on rennet coagulation properties of milk. The effects of added plasmin on the rheological properties, at small and large deformation, of rennet-induced gels were investigated. The microstructure of rennet-induced gels was studied, using confocal scanning laser microscopy. Porcine plasmin was added to reconstituted milk, and samples were incubated at 37 degrees C for between 0.5 to 8 h. The hydrolysis reaction was terminated using soybean trypsin inhibitor. The extent of degradation of caseins was determined with SDS-PAGE. The extent of breakdown of alpha(s)- and beta-caseins increased with incubation time with plasmin. Storage modulus of rennet gels decreased linearly with increasing degradation of caseins. There was an increase in the loss tangent parameter of the gels with increasing casein degradation, indicating a more liquid-like gel character. Gelation time decreased until approximately 3 h of incubation with plasmin (when the amounts of intact alpha(s)- and beta-caseins were approximately 46 and 50%, respectively); thereafter, gelation time increased considerably. Yield stress of rennet-induced gels decreased with increasing casein breakdown. When the level of casein hydrolysis was high (<40% of intact caseins), the microstructure of rennet-induced gels was drastically altered. Even when there were low levels of casein hydrolysis, the rheological properties of rennet gels were altered, which could have negative impacts on cheese yield and texture.
Continuous models for production flows

We model high volume, multi-stage continuous production flow through a re-entrant factory. We approximate production volume through a continuous density variable and production stages through a continuous completion variable. Ideas from traffic modeling and gas dynamics are adapted to generate a hierarchy of PDE models. All of these models are variations of nonlinear nonlocal hyperbolic conservation laws. They allow extremely fast and accurate simulations. Large scale discrete event simulation based on an INTEL factory are presented. The data are analyzed to generate a parameterization for the PDE model of this factory. A diffusion coefficient is determined by looking at the spread of throughput times in a factory run at steady state.
Scanned-beam assisted mild tumor heating using a dual-functional ultrasound linear array

A commercial ultrasound scanner, a customized co-linear array ultrasound transducer and a real-time temperature feedback controller have been combined to generate controlled mild hyperthermia. Previous studies have shown that single beam-based image-guided local drug delivery can improve the treatment of small tumors. In this study, a scanned-beam based insonation mode was developed to achieve uniform therapy over a larger region. A color-region of interest (ROI) was used to define the scanned area, while periodic B-mode imaging was used to visualize the tumor. In this study, a thermal strain algorithm was also examined for temperature estimation and this algorithm will be applied for temperature control in the future.
Indexability of Restless Bandit Problems and Optimality of Whittle Index for Dynamic Multichannel Access

In this paper, we consider a class of restless multiarmed bandit processes (RMABs) that arises in dynamic multichannel access, user/server scheduling, and optimal activation in multiagent systems. For this class of RMABs, we establish the indexability and obtain Whittle index in closed form for both discounted and average reward criteria. These results lead to a direct implementation of Whittle index policy with remarkably low complexity. When arms are stochastically identical, we show that Whittle index policy is optimal under certain conditions. Furthermore, it has a semiuniversal structure that obviates the need to know the Markov transition probabilities. The optimality and the semiuniversal structure result from the equivalence between Whittle index policy and the myopic policy established in this work. For nonidentical arms, we develop efficient algorithms for computing a performance upper bound given by Lagrangian relaxation. The tightness of the upper bound and the near-optimal performance of Whittle index policy are illustrated with simulation examples.
Advanced sensor-computer technology for urban runoff monitoring

The paper presents the project team's advanced sensor-computer sphere technology for real-time and continuous monitoring of wastewater runoff at the sewer discharge outfalls along the receiving water. This research significantly enhances and extends the previously proposed novel sensor-computer technology. This advanced technology offers new computation models for an innovative use of the sensor-computer sphere comprising accelerometer, programmable in-situ computer, solar power, and wireless communication for real-time and online monitoring of runoff quantity. This innovation can enable more effective planning and decision-making in civil infrastructure, natural environment protection, and water pollution related emergencies. The paper presents the following: (i) the sensor-computer sphere technology; (ii) a significant enhancement to the previously proposed discrete runoff quantity model of this technology; (iii) a new continuous runoff quantity model. Our comparative study on the two distinct models is presented. Based on this study, the paper further investigates the following: (1) energy-, memory-, and communication-efficient use of the technology for runoff monitoring; (2) possible sensor extensions for runoff quality monitoring.
Influence of small-scale disturbances by kangaroo rats on Chihuahuan desert ants.

Banner-tailed kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis) are prominent ecosystem engineers that build large mounds that influence the spatial structuring of fungi, plants, and some ground-dwelling animals. Ants are diverse and functionally important components of arid ecosystems; some species are also ecosystem engineers. We investigated the effects of patch disturbances created by D. spectabilis mounds on ant assemblages in a Chihuahuan Desert grassland in southern New Mexico by using pitfall traps in a paired design (mound vs. matrix). Although the disturbances did not alter species richness or harbor unique ant communities relative to the matrix, they did alter species composition; the abundances of 6 of 26 species were affected. The disturbances might also act to disrupt spatial patterning of ants caused by other environmental gradients. In contrast to previous investigations of larger-scale disturbances, we detected no effects of the disturbances on ants at the functional-group level. Whether ant communities respond to disturbance at a functional-group or within-functional-group level may depend on the size and intensity of the disturbance. Useful functional-group schemes also may be scale-dependent, however, or species may respond idiosyncratically. Interactions between disturbance-generating mammals and ants may produce a nested spatial structure of patches.
Cross-checking and good scores go together: students shrug

Students can acquire greater confidence in their work by cross-checking their answers, but it seems that they seldom do so. Based on the premise that engineering instructors can and should be training students to acquire this skill as a habit, this paper reports on a one-semester experiment designed to provide substantial motivation for cross-checking and to measure how frequently students did so. In addition, evidence was gathered that establishes a positive correlation between good scores and crosschecking. Alas, despite continued emphasis throughout the term and updates on the correlation between cross-checking and good scores, the number of students who attempted to check their work remained remarkably low throughout the semester. The authors' results establish that time pressure is not a dominant reason that students do not check their answers. Implications of this puzzling resistance to (or apathy towards) cross-checking, possible reasons for it, and suggestions for combating it are discussed.
A Production Line that Balances Itself

In "bucket brigade" manufacturing, such as recently introduced to the apparel industry, a production line has n workers moving among m stations, where each worker independently follows a simple rule that determines what to do next. Our analysis suggests and experiments confirm that if the workers are sequenced from slowest to fastest then, independently of the stations at which they begin, a stable partition of work will spontaneously emerge. Furthermore, the production rate will converge to a value that, for typical production lines, is the maximum possible among all ways of organizing the workers and stations.
On the creeping motion of two arbitrary-sized touching spheres in a linear shear field

The Stokes equations describing the creeping motion of two arbitrary-sized touching spheres are solved exactly through the use of tangent-sphere coordinates. For the case of a linear shear field at infinity, explicit results covering the entire range of size ratios are presented for: (a) the forces and torques on the aggregate; (b) the hydrodynamic forces on the individual spheres comprising a freely suspended aggregate, which are in general non-zero; (c) the contribution of the pair to the bulk stress of a dilute suspension; and (d) under free suspension conditions, the velocity of any material point relative to that of the undisturbed flow.
Financial reporting, tax, and real decisions: toward a unifying framework

This paper provides a first step toward joint evaluation of taxation and financial reporting in the standard economic analyses of corporate behavior. It develops a framework that formalizes the idea that the attractiveness of some investment decisions is enhanced because they provide managers with discretion over the timing of taxable income and/or book income. It then examines from this perspective several current examples of tax and accounting issues.
Commercializing Property Rights in Inventions: Lessons for Modern Patent Theory from Classic Patent Doctrine

At the start of the Industrial Revolution, patentees created many novel and complex transactions to commercialize their property: they maximized their profits through sophisticated agreements that imposed restrictions on manufacturing, sales, and other uses of their inventions. When these restrictions were challenged as invalid restraints on property, courts consistently upheld them. They did so by employing the same concepts and doctrines used by common law courts to validate the creation of lesser estates or restrictive covenants for real property. In sum, early American courts incorporated into patent law the same legal doctrines governing conveyances of real estate, even going so far as adopting the common law property concepts of "assignments" and "licenses." Given widespread confusion today concerning patent conveyance doctrines, this chapter explains the structure and content of this now-forgotten doctrinal framework. This analysis is descriptive (or positive, in economic parlance), but patent theorists today can draw at least two important lessons from it. First, it reveals how traditional property theory is determinative in patent law. Early American courts secured to patentees the same conveyance rights as owners of real estate because patents were "property." Thus, by definition, patentees enjoyed the same rights as those of landowners – the exclusive rights of use, enjoyment and disposal. Courts applied to patentees the same legal rules for conveying estates, and thereby permitted patent-owners to sue downstream infringers if there was a properly created reversionary interest. Second, patents are now defined as securing only a right to exclude, and this has unhinged patent conveyance doctrines from their firm conceptual grounding in property law. When novel issues are presented to courts concerning complex conveyances of patent rights, the result is indeterminacy and confusion in both the Federal Circuit's and the Supreme Court's decisions. Perhaps it is time to rethink how the hoary concept of property was essential to the successful commercialization of property rights in inventions in the nineteenth century.
A Study of the Usefulness of Producer/Consumer Synchronization

In the early 1980s, shared memory mini-super-computers had buses and memory whose speeds were relatively fast compared to processor speeds. This led to the widespread use of various producer/consumer (post/wait) synchronization schemes for enforcing data dependences within parallel doacross loops. The rise of the “killer micro”, instruction sets optimized for serial programs, and rapidly increasing processor clock rates driven by Moore’s law, led to special purpose synchronization instructions being replaced by software barriers combined with loop fission (to allow the barriers to enforce dependences.) One cost of this approach is poorer cache behavior because variables on which a dependence exists are now accessed in separate loops. With the advent of the multicore era, producer/consumer synchronization again appears plausible. In this paper we compare the performance of hardware and software synchronization schemes to barrier synchronization, and show that either hardware or software based producer/consumer synchronization can provide applications with superior performance.
The Zar in the Persian Gulf: Performative dimensions

This article explores the performative dimensions of the Zar ceremony as carried out throughout the Persian Gulf. This ceremony is mirrored by similar ones throughout North and East Africa, suggesting that the Zar may have resulted from cultural diffusion along historical trade routes. The Zar practitioners, the baba and the mama, have extensive demands in musical performance, movement and coordination in order to affect a palliative relief for persons affected by spirit ‘winds’ that inhabit them. The analysis in this paper uses the framework of ritual structure developed by Arnold Van Gennep and Victor Turner to show how the practitioners skilfully guide the person at the centre of the ceremony and the community of the ‘People of the Wind’ to a successful conclusion by bringing persons under treatment from a ‘normal’ state through a ‘liminal’ state to an eventual ‘reincorporated’ state in which relief is experienced. The performative aspects of the ceremony move those who are being treated through stages in which the inhabiting spirit is addressed: induction, movement into a trance state both for the practitioner and the person being treated, addressing of the spirit by the practitioners and return of the person being treated to normal life. All of these stages are marked by special music, chanting and movement. The Zar ceremony is an important method of non-allopathic treatment for emotional disorders that might elsewhere be treated through psychiatry in clinical settings.
Fast and reversible thermoresponsive polymer switching materials for safer batteries

Safety issues have been a long-standing obstacle impeding large-scale adoption of next-generation high-energy-density batteries. Materials solutions to battery safety management are limited by slow response and small operating voltage windows. Here we report a fast and reversible thermoresponsive polymer switching material that can be incorporated inside batteries to prevent thermal runaway. This material consists of electrochemically stable graphene-coated spiky nickel nanoparticles mixed in a polymer matrix with a high thermal expansion coefficient. The as-fabricated polymer composite films show high electrical conductivity of up to 50 S cm−1 at room temperature. Importantly, the conductivity decreases within one second by seven to eight orders of magnitude on reaching the transition temperature and spontaneously recovers at room temperature. Batteries with this self-regulating material built in the electrode can rapidly shut down under abnormal conditions such as overheating and shorting, and are able to resume their normal function without performance compromise or detrimental thermal runaway. Our approach offers 103–104 times higher sensitivity to temperature changes than previous switching devices. Safety is a major issue in the development of lithium-ion batteries. Now, a thermoresponsive polymer composite embedded into electrodes is shown to rapidly shut down batteries at overheating but quickly resume function at normal conditions.
Association between insurance gaps and continued antihypertension medication usage in a US national representative population.

BACKGROUND Medication persistence is important for adequate control of blood pressure. In this article, we assess the association between gaps in insurance coverage and continued antihypertensive medication using a US national representative sample. METHODS We used three recent panels from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Our sample included hypertensive individuals 18-65 years of age. We identified four insurance categories: (i) continuous coverage by private insurance, (ii) continuous coverage by public insurance, (iii) single or multiple gaps in coverage, and (iv) continuously uninsured. Binary logit models were used to analyze the association between interruptions in medication and insurance after controlling for socioeconomic factors. Patients with continuous private insurance were used as the reference group. Results were weighted to adjust for oversampling and clustering in the survey. RESULTS There was no statistically significant difference in the probability of medication persistence between individuals with continuous private insurance (the reference group) and individuals with continuous public insurance (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.324, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.774-2.266, P = 0.304). Compared to the reference group, individuals with insurance gaps had lower odds of continuing their medication (AOR 0.636, 95% CI 0.418-0.0.969, P = 0.035). Continuously uninsured individuals had even lower odds of medication persistence (AOR 0.462, 95% CI 0.282-0.757, P = 0.002). Age, marital status, body mass index (BMI) change, and years of education were also associated with continued medication usage. CONCLUSION Studies focusing on current insurance status may underestimate the impact of health insurance gaps and the population at risk. Continuous insurance coverage is needed to increase continued antihypertensive medication usage.
Collaboration as process: A case study of Michigan's watershed permit

Collaborative watershed management has been heavily promoted and widely implemented to address a variety of natural resource concerns, resulting in the adoption and adaptation of the approach to management by regulatory agencies. Although several characteristics or indicators of success for watershed partnerships have been identified in the literature, these often portray a direct cause and effect relationship between partnership characteristics and outcomes. However, partnerships involve dynamic processes that can be influenced by both form and function (internally and externally) throughout various stages of the partnerships9 existence. Our study presents an evaluation framework from the group process and evaluation literature to highlight the importance of evaluating ‘intermediate measures of partnership effectiveness’ in watershed partnerships, using the case of Michigan9s voluntary watershed-based stormwater permit. Given the increasing use of watershed partnerships in a regulatory setting that is constantly in flux and the difficulty in assessing the effects of such groups on water quality, results suggest the utility of ‘intermediate measures of partnership effectiveness’ for assessing partnership process in order to provide ongoing feedback and incentives to ensure long-term success.
Synthesis of Novel Branched Trialkylbenzene

Six new kinds of branched 1,2,4-trialkylbenzene(3a~3f) were synthesized by Friedel-Crafts reaction,Grignard reaction and reducation(Pd/C) from p-xylene.The optimal conditions for synthesizing hendecyl xylyl ketone(1a) at 15 ℃ for 6 h were as follows: n(p-xylene) ∶n(acylchloride) ∶n(AlCl3) was 3.0 ∶1.0 ∶1.1.The yield of 1a was 69.7% under the optimal conditions.The structures were characterized by IR.
Progress of pathogenesis and treatment in childhood hypoproteinemia

Hypoproteinemia is a common clinical manifestation,which could affect prognosis of many diseases.It is an important prediction index of mortality,morbidity in critically ill children.Serum albumin level is closely related to the severity and mortality.In pediatric practice,hypoalbuminemia is also seen as a common feature of acute infection.Therefore,the clinical interventions of hypoalbuminemia in critically ill children should be emphasized,which plays a crucial role in reducing the mortality rate.At present,the pathogenesis of hypoalbuminemia has not yet been fully clarified,so the treatment of hypoproteinemia still remains controversy.In this article,the clinical significance,pathogenesis and treatment of childhood hypoalbuminemia are reviewed.
Design and Implementation of Breaker Operating Circuit with Trip Circuit Status Monitoring

Breaker operating circuit plays an important role in the breaker operation system.And its main function is to issue the circuit breaker tripping and closing pulse,prevent breaker "jump" phenomenon,and monitor on the status of breaker tripping and closing circuit.A reasonable designed operating circuit can effectively improve the reliability of the breaker operation.This paper describes the functions of breaker operating circuit and the main part of the circuit.Furthermore,a practical solution and its application for the issue of the trip circuit monitoring are proposed and discussed.
Current and future developments in laser surgery

Following the first application of the laser in surgery, the development of its instrumentation and techniques in many surgical disciplines has been rapid. An overview is provided of the present and future use of surgical lasers. New laser systems and developments include high-output argon lasers; more miniaturization and flexibility; combinations of lasers; copper and gold head lasers; and selection beam lasers.
In memoriam: Julian M. Davidson.

1220 California Avenue, Suite 115, Palo Alto, California 94306. 2Department of Psychology, California State University – Stanislaus, 801 W. Monte Vista Avenue, Turlock, California 95380. Born in Dublin, Ireland, on April 15, 1931, to an Orthodox Jewish family, Julian was the third of four sons. At age 4, Julian’s family moved to Glasgow, his mother’s home of origin, where his father, a native of Lodz, Poland, developed a knitwear manufacturing business. Several experiences in Julian’s younger years set the stage for his adult life. First, his father lost his entire family at the Treblinka concentration camp, inspiring Julian’s life-long support for human rights and social justice. Second, while an excellent student, Julian rebelled against the restrictive
Nonparametric multivariate anomaly analysis in support of HPC resilience

Large-scale computing systems provide great potential for scientific exploration. However, the complexity that accompanies these enormous machines raises challeges for both, users and operators. The effective use of such systems is often hampered by failures encountered when running applications on systems containing tens-of-thousands of nodes and hundreds-of-thousands of compute cores capable of yielding petaflops of performance. In systems of this size failure detection is complicated and root-cause diagnosis difficult. This paper describes our recent work in the identification of anomalies in monitoring data and system logs to provide further insights into machine status, runtime behavior, failure modes and failure root causes. It discusses the details of an initial prototype that gathers the data and uses statistical techniques for analysis.
Sharks in the Jungle: Real and Imagined Sea Monsters of the Maya

Representations and remains of sharks are found in Mesoamerican art and archaeology from the first millennium BC onwards. They appear at coastal sites, but also remarkably far inland, hundreds of kilometres from the waters where they were sighted or hunted. For the Maya of the interior of the Yucatan Peninsula, encounters with live sharks would have been an exceedingly rare occurrence. Yet the animals arrived inland in piecemeal fashion—as chunks of meat and sets of teeth—and via stories. By following the procurement, transportation, representation and ritual use of sharks from the sea to the jungle, the author shows how the ancient Maya drew on both evidence and myth to imagine and explain these unfamiliar marine creatures.
Communication games: dating coaches, masculinity, and working at play in Seduction Communities

ABSTRACTThis article examines the work of affective labor in remediating experiences of inhibition and insecurity among heterosexual men in ‘seduction communities’: communities of men who train each other in embodying seductive masculinity to pick up women. Considering how men in seduction communities construct and enact symbolic boundaries in their performances of seduction, this paper will seek to answer the following question: what do seduction communities reveal about the vulnerabilities and frailties of masculinity in the US today? Based on original ethnographic fieldwork carried out in New York City, I examine the ways in which men experience states of cognitive absorption, affective license, and also of disability and abjection in fashioning themselves as objects of female desire through rituals of shared affective labor among men. I argue that men experience culturally based ambivalences around norms of self-help – including ideas of freedom, dependency, and addiction – in ways that complicate het...
Evaluating a seed technology for sagebrush restoration across an elevation gradient: Support for bet hedging

Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) restoration is needed across vast areas, especially after large wildfires, to restore important ecosystemservices. Sagebrush restoration success is inconsistent, with a high rate of seeding failures, particularly at lower elevations. Seed enhancement technologies may overcome limitations to restoration success. Seed pillows are one such technology designed to improve seed-soil contact in broadcast seedings by providing a favorable medium for seedling establishment and growth. Seed pillows have shown promising results in greenhouse studies; however, they have not been evaluated in the field. We compared broadcast-seeding seed pillows with broadcast-seeding bare seed in 2 yr across a large, burned elevation gradient. Compared with bare seed, we found no evidence that seed pillows improved sagebrush establishment and growth across the elevation gradient. Though our results suggest that seed pillows do not increase the likelihood of successful sagebrush restoration, they were successful at times when bare seeds were not, and the same was true for bare seeds. At least one of the two treatments was successful at 50% of the elevations over the 2 seeding yr. This suggests that a bet hedging approach, seeding both bare seed and seed pillows, may increase the probability of success. Further supporting the use of bet hedging, if both methods were used and seeding occurred in both years, success would have been 86%. Sagebrush density and cover varied by elevation. In the first-yr seeding, sagebrush density and cover generally increased with increasing elevation. In the second-yr seeding, sagebrush density and cover were greatest at the lowest and highest elevations. We speculate that at the lower elevations an unusually wet spring combined with limited herbaceous vegetation provided an ideal environment for sagebrush establishment and growth. Our results also demonstrate, counter to common assumptions, that lower elevations sagebrush seedings can be successful.
'Troll' Check? A Proposal for Administrative Review of Patent Litigation - Online Appendix

This is an Online Appendix to accompany: “Troll” Check? A Proposal for Administrative Review of Patent Litigation (Cohen, Golden, Gurun, and Kominers (2017)), published in the Boston University Law Review.