cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Energy-Aware Adaptive Restore Schemes for MLC STT-RAM Cache

For the sake of higher cell density while achieving near-zero standby power, recent research progress in Magnetic Tunneling Junction (MTJ) devices has leveraged Multi-Level Cell (MLC) configurations of Spin-Transfer Torque Random Access Memory (STT-RAM). However, in order to mitigate the write disturbance in an MLC strategy, data stored in the soft bit must be restored back immediately after the hard bit switching is completed. Furthermore, as the result of MTJ feature size scaling, the soft bit can be expected to become disturbed by the read sensing current, thus requiring an immediate restore operation to ensure the data reliability. In this paper, we design and analyze a novel Adaptive Restore Scheme for Write Disturbance (ARS-WD) and Read Disturbance (ARS-RD), respectively. ARS-WD alleviates restoration overhead by intentionally overwriting soft bit lines which are less likely to be read. ARS-RD, on the other hand, aggregates the potential writes and restore the soft bit line at the time of its eviction from higher level cache. Both of these two schemes are based on a lightweight forecasting approach for the future read behavior of the cache block. Our experimental results show substantial reduction in soft bit line restore operations, delivering 17.9 percent decrease in overall energy consumption and 9.4 percent increase in IPC, while incurring negligible capacity overhead. Moreover, ARS promotes advantages of MLC to provide a preferable L2 design alternative in terms of energy, area and latency product compared to SLC STT-RAM alternatives.
Sampling-based planning algorithms for multi-objective missions

Multiple objective navigation is commonly found in practice, where a path for an autonomous vehicle needs to be generated to simultaneously optimize a number of different objectives such as distance, safety, and visibility. Objectives can be weighted to solve a single objective optimization problem but appropriate weights may not be known a priori. In this paper, we formulate a series of missions for a group of vehicles that need to keep connectivity among themselves, surveil a group of targets, and minimize path lengths. These problems are solved by extending optimal sampling-based algorithms (RRT*) to support multiple objectives, non-additive costs and cooperative conditions. We present several increasingly complicated missions in obstacle-filled environments to illustrate and compare our ideas with existing methods.
Using Brillouin microspectroscopy to characterize adipocytes’ response to lipid droplet accumulation

Obesity and overweight are accompanied by an enlargement of adipocytes, which is commonly related to the increasing number or size of lipid droplets within the cells. Some studies have shown that the accumulation of lipid droplets within adipocytes results in their increased stiffness. Recently, Brillouin microspectroscopy has been introduced as a nondestructive method of imaging the elasticity of cells. Unlike other imaging modalities, it is capable of assessing the elastic properties on both tissue- and cell levels. In this study, Brillouin spectroscopy was used to measure the elasticity changes in response to accumulation of lipid droplets within adipocyte during adipogenesis. The cell line used in the study is 3T3-L1, with chemically-induced differentiation from pre-adipocytes to mature adipocytes. The Brillouin shift measurements of the cells before and after differentiation indicate that the stiffness of adipocytes increases due to accumulation of lipid droplets. The results are in agreement with previous atomic force microscopy (AFM) nanoindentation studies. Brillouin microspectroscopy is a technique suitable for measuring the changes of elasticity of adipocytes in response to lipid droplet accumulation.
Young Hearts Run Free: Therapeutic Potential of Neonatal Human Cardiac Progenitor Cells Secretome.

> An unbridled imagination is the fountain of youth; it’s what keeps us young at heart . > > —Richelle E. Goodrich The burden of cardiovascular disease is one of the greatest health issues facing the United States, with >1 in 3 American adults experiencing at least 1 form of cardiovascular disease. There is an estimated economic cost of $320.1 billion each year, including the 15% of total medical expenditure in the United States attributable to cardiovascular disease.1 Existing therapies for cardiovascular disease prolong the life of the patients but do not actually regenerate the lost cardiac muscle tissue. Accordingly, stem cells have shown a great promise in cardiac repair and regeneration. Among resident cardiac progenitors, c-kit+ cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) sparkled remarkable interest and recent controversy related to their contribution in cardiomyocyte turnover.2 Regardless, several independent laboratories demonstrated transplantation of c-kit+ CPCs improved cardiac function in preclinical models of myocardial injury.3,4 Furthermore, a phase 1 clinical trial using autologous c-kit+ CPC intracoronary infusion in patients with heart failure showed improvement in left ventricular systolic function and reduction in infarct size,5 suggesting that despite negligible cardiomyogenesis potential, c-kit CPCs do exert therapeutic potential. However, as is the case with other adult progenitors, the regenerative potential of CPCs declines with the advancement of age …
Studying time of flight imaging through scattering media across multiple size scales (Conference Presentation)

Light scattering is a primary obstacle to optical imaging in a variety of different environments and across many size and time scales. Scattering complicates imaging on large scales when imaging through the atmosphere when imaging from airborne or space borne platforms, through marine fog, or through fog and dust in vehicle navigation, for example in self driving cars. On smaller scales, scattering is the major obstacle when imaging through human tissue in biomedical applications. Despite the large variety of participating materials and size scales, light transport in all these environments is usually described with very similar scattering models that are defined by the same small set of parameters, including scattering and absorption length and phase function. We attempt a study of scattering and methods of imaging through scattering across different scales and media, particularly with respect to the use of time of flight information. We can show that using time of flight, in addition to spatial information, provides distinct advantages in scattering environments. By performing a comparative study of scattering across scales and media, we are able to suggest scale models for scattering environments to aid lab research. We also can transfer knowledge and methodology between different fields.
Enhanced Risk for Specific Somatic Myeloproliferative Neoplastic Mutations in Patients with Stroke.

Background: Somatic mutations of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2V617F), calreticulin (CALR), and myeloproliferative leukemia virus oncogene (MPL) are the major clonal molecules that drive the pathogenesis of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). It is well recognized that MPN patients carry an excessive risk of thrombohemorrhagic complications. However, little is known about the prevalence of these clonal markers in patients with cerebral vascular disease. Methods: To address this issue, 153 consecutive stroke patients in Taiwan were enrolled in the study. Allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR), real-time AS-PCR, and Illumina paired-end sequencing were employed to detect the presence of MPL, JAK2V617F, and CALR exon 9 mutations, respectively. Results: JAK2V617F mutation was detectable in 13 samples (8.5%), but the allele burdens (AB) were greater than 1% in only six (3.9%) of them. Compared to JAK2-unmutated patients, those with JAK2V617F AB > 1% had significantly higher white blood count (p = 0.01), although four of the six did not exhibit MPN phenotypes. Two patients had a heterozygous CALR exon9 mutation locating outside the coding region and did not alter the amino acid sequence of this protein. On the other hand, there were no patients carrying the MPL mutations. Using patient age, baseline hemogram, and stroke-relevant risk factors, we developed a predictive model that could successfully identify stroke patients at risk of carrying clonal JAK2V617F mutation. Conclusions: The prevalence of JAK2V617F mutation in stroke patients was higher than that seen in general population. Based on our newly developed probability stratification model, genotyping of JAK2V617F mutation in selected patients with stroke might be warranted.
Autokinetic movement of an intermittent luminance

The effects of intermittence on the autokinetic movement of a “point” source of luminance were explored at five flash rates and two levels of brightness with 40 naive Ss. While generally more movement was recorded for the less bright stimulus, the relation of amount of movement to flash rate was curvilinear, with peak movement observed in the 10 cps range. The apparent incongruity of this determination with the expectation of less movement in the “brightness enhancement” range was noted, as was the problem of attributing autokinetic movement to redundancy in the visual world.
Interaction between unilateral transverse disorders and the sagittal dimension: What measures are needed?

Summary Dysfunctional deviations such as dysfunctional swallowing and chewing manifest as transverse arch discrepancies giving rise to positional asymmetry of the condyles and glenoid fossae with a more or less significant skeletal impact. This results almost inevitably in asymmetric occlusion in the sagittal dimension. Drawing on clinical cases, we will show which treatment strategies to adopt and which occlusal criteria to observe for finishing and stability.
Is There a Place for Outpatient Preinduction Cervical Ripening

Induction of labor continues to be one of the most commonly performed tasks in obstetrics. If trials like the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's ARRIVE trial show that delivery for all women at 39 weeks provides a significant advantage in pregnancy outcomes, the number of women who require induction of labor will considerably increase. Strategies to improve patient/family satisfaction, decrease resource allocation and costs, and assure safety are paramount. Although there are many potential candidates, it seems that outpatient preinduction cervical ripening with the Foley catheter meets these criteria in a properly selected group of low-risk women.
Idealization and simulation of single ion channel data.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the idealization and simulation of single ion channel data. The complex behavior of individual ion channels promises to hold the key to a detailed understanding of how they function at the molecular level. Single channel analysis allows functional models to be generated, which can be confronted with available structural information. Ion channels play critical roles in myriad cell physiological processes, including nerve and muscle excitability, synaptic transmission, secretion of salts and hormones, cell–cell contact, and cell cycle progression. For most channels, the statistical distribution of open and closed durations can be accurately described by a sum of exponential components, consistent with the idea that the channel protein moves between a limited set of relatively stable conformations. The objective of an idealization algorithm is to convert a noisy, sampled single channel record into a noise-free series of consecutive current levels with defined amplitudes and durations. It is found that idealization results in a consecutive series of amplitude-duration pairs that represent the single channel data.
Following the law because it’s the law: obedience, bootstrapping, and practical reason

Voluntarists in the early modern period speak of an agent’s following the law because she was ordered to do so or because it’s the law. Contemporary philosophers tend either to ignore or to dismiss...
Integrated tick management: Challenges and opportunities to mitigate tick-borne disease burden

As the chief scientific in-house research agency of the USDA, the ARS finds solutions through research to agricultural problems that affect Americans every day from field to table. Animal production and protection programs of the ARS involve strategic research done at laboratories across the USA to prevent and control pests and animal diseases, including tick and tick-borne diseases (TTBD), that pose a threat to agriculture, public health, and the wellbeing of American citizens. TTBD burden the health of human, livestock, and wildlife populations around the world. Safer and more environmentally friendly technologies are required to manage TTBD. Hypothesis-driven research is advancing scientific knowledge, which can be translated to innovate TTBD control methods. Advancing tests to demonstrate the benefit of using different technologies together will help document that integrated tick management is a viable option to mitigate the burden of TTBD effectively. Here, we summarize recent collaborative research by the USDA-ARS on integrated tick control and eradication. Our research efforts in Puerto Rico on integrated control of cattle fever ticks (CFT) exemplify the benefits of adapting the management strategy to deal with invasive tick vectors and associated TBD such as bovine babesiosis and anaplasmosis as is the case with the CFT Rhipicephalus microplus and R. annulatus. We are adapting the concept of precision agriculture to interdisciplinary research conducted in partnership with wildlife biologists and others to understand aspects of the cattle-white-tailed deer and nilgai interface that are conducive to the spread of CFT across the landscape. This research offers the opportunity to further assess tick-host-landscape interactions and provides the means to assess the efficacy of integrated approaches that could be adopted by the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program of the USA to enhance efforts to keep the national cattle herd CFT-free. Research by the Veterinary Pest Genomics Center of the USDA-ARS is enabling exciting opportunities to translate scientific knowledge into safer and efficacious technologies, such as anti-tick vaccines, that can be integrated to manage TTBD effectively.
Statistical Control of Stochastic Systems Incorporating Integral Feedback: Performance Robustness Analysis

An innovative paradigm for statistical approximation is presented to evaluate performance measure statistics of a class of stochastic systems with integral control. This methodology, which makes use of both compactness from the logic of the state-space model description and quantitativity from the probabilistic knowledge of stochastic disturbances, now allows us to predict more accurately the effect of a chi-squared random variable on the performance uncertainty of the stochastic system with both state feedback and integral output feedback. It is shown that the computational method detailed herein is able to calculate the exact statistics of the performance measure of any orders which are then utilized in the design of an optimal statistical control solution to effectively address the unresolved challenge of closed-loop performance robustness without massive Monte Carlo simulations.
Non-uniform Stress-free Strains in a Spherically Symmetrical Nano-sized Particle and Its Applications to Lithium-ion Batteries

The stress-free strain originated from local chemical composition and phase transformation can significantly alter the microstructures of materials; and then affect their properties. In this paper, we developed an analytical method to calculate stress-strain field due to the non-uniform stress-free strain in a spherically symmetrical particle. Applying the method to a lithium ion (Li-ion) battery electrode, the evolution of Li-ion concentration and strain field during the lithiation process is studied. Our studies reveal that the maximum strain in the electrode generally occurs on surface of sample, and is mainly dependent on the difference of Li-ion concentration of surface and of center in sample. Decreasing the difference of Li-ion concentration can efficiently decrease the maximum strain so that cracks of electrodes can been prevented. Our analytical results provide a useful guidance for practical applications of energy storage materials.
Gender Equality and Trans Issues in Iceland

This paper will explore the complex interconnections of gender equality, gender identity, and sexuality in the Icelandic context by examining the contemporary state of trans inclusion in Iceland. The project includes background research on gender equality and state feminism and the relationship of these movements and architectures with movements for queer and trans inclusion. The project of which this paper is a part also will include original research with the LGBT, feminist, and trans community in Iceland, including interviews with movement leaders from Trans Island and Samtokin ’78 as well as the Icelandic parents’ organization, state feminists, and scholars.
Unusually sharp FTIR ν(OH) bands and very weak OH⋯F hydrogen bonds in M2(H2O)1,2B12F12 hydrates (MNaCs)

Abstract We report attenuated total reflection FTIR spectra of microcrystalline samples of M2(H2O)n(B12F12) (M Na, K, Rb, Cs) and Na2(H2O)6(B12Cl12). The ν(OH) bands are unusually narrow compared to the spectra of other alkali metal salt hydrates, with most full widths at half-max less than 20 cm−1 and some less than 10 cm−1. In addition, these bands are not as redshifted compared to the spectra of other alkali metal salt hydrates. These unusual effects are attributed to extremely weak O H⋯F and O H⋯Cl hydrogen bonding between the coordinated H2O molecules and the B12F122− and B12Cl122− superweak anions. The ν(OH) bands in these compounds are as narrow as the bands in the FTIR spectrum of monomeric H2O absorbed in poly(vinylidene fluoride), in which the only hydrogen bonding is O H⋯F C, or as the bands in the IR photodissociation spectrum of the gas-phase species [(Ar)Na(H2O)2]+. These unusual spectra are compared to the literature spectrum of [NEt4]4[Hg(CB11F11)2]2∙H2O, which also exhibits sharp ν(OH) bands with relatively small redshifts from the ν(OH) values for H2O(g).
Marketing of Media and Information

The marketing of media products and services differ from the marketing of other products in a variety of ways, in particular because it is often two-sided: it requires the promotion of media products to end users and for the promotion of the media outlet to advertisers. The authors discuss the role of marketing in the product design. The analysis of positioning requires demand and audience studies, diffusion models, competitor analysis, and branding. Several dimensions of promotion are then discussed: timing; word of mouth; publicity and public relations; and product placement. The authors then look at advertising: optimal budgets and the mix of media choices. Critical to success is promotion to advertisers, retailers, and distributors, all with their own techniques. These marketing activities have been impacted by the Internet with its new tools and approaches. The authors then analyze the promotion of media products—film, TV channels, music, books, newspapers, magazines, videogames, and technology. Next discussed is the regulation of marketing. The authors conclude by investigating marketing performance tools. The issues are highlighted by a case discussion on the marketing efforts for a planned magazine by Conde Nast.
A Class of Recursive Algorithms Using Non-parametric Methods with Constant Step Size and Window Width: A Numerical Study

Motivated by a wide range of applications in chemical engineering problems, recursive algorithms using nonparametric methods combined with stochastic approximation procedures are developed in this work. Loosely speaking, the problems are to find roots of nonlinear functions provided that only noisy measurements are available. In addition, in the systems under consideration, not only the outputs but also the inputs are noise corrupted. Thus the conventional stochastic approximation algorithms become inapplicable. Algorithms using a kernel function with constant step size and constant window width are proposed and analyzed. After presenting the convergence result of the algorithms under general conditions, effort is directed to the numerical studies. Simulation results and numerical experiments are also given.
Asymmetric total synthesis, x-ray crystallography, and preliminary biological evaluation of 1-(1'-hydroxyethyl)-25-hydroxyvitamin D3 analogs of natural calcitriol

With 3-bromo-2-pyrone as diene and acrolein as dienophile, thermally mild Diels-Alder cycloaddition led to an isolable bicyclic lactone aldehyde that underwhent highly stereocontrolled methyl Grignard addition to form essentially only a single diastereomer of secondary alcohol (±)-8a. This bicyclic lactone alcohol (±)-8a was converted smoothly into A-ring phosphine oxide (±)-15 which was coupled with the enantiomericallg pure C,D-ring chiron 16 to produce separable diastereomers of 1-substituted calcitriol analogs (+)-2 and (-)-3 overall in 15 steps and approximately 4% yield
EVALUATION OF CBCT SCANS WITH METALLIC ARTIFACTS FOR ASSESSMENT OF DIAGNOSTIC QUALITY

Background Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is increasingly being used in dentistry for diagnosis and treatment planning. However, the presence of metals in the form of coronal restorations, implants, and endodontic post and cores results in the generation of artifacts. Beam hardening artifacts, streaks, and scatter are the main types of metallic artifacts and, when present, cause image degradation that may compromise the accuracy of diagnosis. Depending on the severity of the artifact and the diagnostic task, images may be unusable. Objective(s) The objective of this study was to retrospectively evaluate CBCT scans with metallic artifacts and assess whether or not the presence of metal affects diagnosis of a specific entity. Study Design A total of 105 scans from the archives of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology at University of Connecticut, School of Dental Medicine, were evaluated for this study. The scans were divided into 3 groups comprising referrals for implant site evaluation, for endodontic evaluation for root canal morphologies/anatomy, and for crown/root fractures, respectively. Inclusion criteria were scans that had metallic artifacts. The scans were analyzed to determine if these artifacts positively or negatively influenced diagnosis. All images were evaluated by a radiology resident in training (K.B.) and a board certified Oral and Maxillofacial Radiologist (A.T.). Results Of the scans analyzed for implant treatment planning, 100% were deemed to be of diagnostic quality. For root canal morphology and anatomy, 94% were adequate for diagnosis, whereas 6% were not. For evaluation of fractures, 63% were adequate for diagnosis, and 37% were not adequate for diagnosis. Discussion/Conclusions In this study, a large percentage of the scans were adequate for diagnosis despite the presence of metallic artifacts except for root fractures.
Assessing the Influence of Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory 1985-1999

This study utilizes citation analysis to explore the impact and standing of Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory (AJPT) both within the accounting/auditing discipline and in the context of related fields. More specifically, the citations to AJPT from other journals included in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), plus citations appearing in additional, high quality accounting/auditing journals (not included in the SSCI) are combined with self-citations to yield a database of 3,102 citations for the period 1985 through 2000. This database is analyzed to observe trends and to identify journals citing AJPT most frequently. Additionally, articles and authors cited most widely are enumerated. AJPT's growing influence and stature are documented, and the results support the conclusion that the Auditing Section's journal has continued to adhere to its essential objective of promoting communication between auditing research and practice.
Child health as human capital

Child health is increasingly understood to be a critical form of human capital, but only recently have we begun to understand how valuable it is and how its development could be better supported. This article provides an overview of recent work that demonstrates the key role of public insurance in supporting longer term human capital development and points to improvements in child mental health as an especially important mechanism.
Acute Colonic Pseudo-Obstruction (ACPO): Ogilvie’s Syndrome

Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction is defined as massive dilation of the colon without mechanical obstruction. The incidence is approximately 100 cases per 100,000 inpatient admissions, and is most often precipitated by illness or surgery. Perforation is rare; the vast majority of patients recover with conservative measures such as bowel rest and decompression, opioid avoidance, and mobilization. In general, more aggressive intervention should be instituted if cecal diameter is greater than 12 cm, or dilation has persisted beyond 2 days without improvement. Pharmacologic stimulation with neostigmine should be attempted first. If this intervention is unsuccessful, endoscopic decompression should be employed. In the rare cases that all other measures fail, definitive decompression is required.
Joint Cloud Water Path and Rain Water Path Retrievals from ORACLES Observations

Abstract. This study presents a new algorithm that combines W-band reflectivity measurements from the Airborne Precipitation Radar-3rd generation (APR-3), passive radiometric cloud optical depth and effective radius retrievals from the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) to estimate total liquid water path in warm clouds and identify the contributions from cloud water path (CWP) and rainwater path (RWP). The resulting CWP estimates are primarily determined by the optical depth input, although reflectivity measurements contribute ~ 10–50 % of the uncertainty due to attenuation through the profile. Uncertainties in CWP estimates across all conditions are 25 % to 35 %, while RWP uncertainty estimates frequently exceed 100 %. Two thirds of all radar-detected clouds observed during the ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS (ORACLES) campaign that took place from 2016–2018 over the southeast Atlantic Ocean have CWP between 41 and 168 g m−2 and almost all CWPs (99 %) between 6 to 445 g m−2. RWP, by contrast, typically makes up a much smaller fraction of total liquid water path (LWP) with more than 70 % of raining clouds having less than 10 g m−2 of rainwater. In heavier warm rain (i.e. rain rate exceeding 40 mm h−1 or 1000 mm d−1), however, RWP is observed to exceed 2500 g m−2. CWP (RWP) is found to be approximately 30 g m−2 (7 g m−2) larger in unstable environments compared to stable environments. Surface precipitation is also more than twice as likely in unstable environments. Comparisons against in-situ cloud microphysical probe data spanning the range of thermodynamic stability and meteorological conditions encountered across the southeast Atlantic basin demonstrate that the combined APR-3 and RSP dataset enable a robust joint cloud-precipitation retrieval algorithm to support future ORACLES precipitation susceptibility and cloud–aerosol–precipitation interaction studies.
Examining teach for all: International perspectives on a growing global network: edited by Matthew A. M. Thomas, Emilee Rauschenberger and Katherine Crawford-Garrett, Routledge, 2021, 300 pp., $128.00 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-367-33648-6; $39.16 (eBook), ISBN 978-0-429-33169-5

Matthew Thomas, Emilee Rauschenberger, and Katherine Crawford-Garrett’s new book, Examining Teach for All: International Perspectives on a Growing Global Network is the first of its kind, bringing ...
Effect of sodium loading on Pt/ZrO2 during ethanol steam reforming

Abstract Ethanol steam reforming (ESR) was investigated on unpromoted and several sodium promoted Pt/ZrO2 catalysts. From DRIFTS experiments, the following steps during ESR were inferred: dissociation of ethanol to produce ethoxy species; oxidative dehydrogenation of ethoxy species to acetate; and acetate decomposition. Acetate decomposition depends on the catalyst formulation. Decarboxylation is the most favored route at high sodium loading (2.5 and 5 wt.%); acetate decomposes in the forward direction to CH4 and a carbonate, which further decomposes to CO2. In contrast, decarbonylation is prevalent for the unpromoted catalyst or catalysts having low sodium loading. Acetate likely decomposes to CH3OH and CO. Adsorbed methanol may undergo further steam reforming by oxidative dehydrogenation to formate species, which decarbonylates via reverse decomposition to CO and H2O. Temperature programmed desorption/reaction and activity data confirmed that alkali promotion, especially at 1.8 %Na and higher loading, facilitates the forward acetate decomposition step, favoring decarboxylation over decarbonylation.
Direct Geometry Processing for Tele-Fabrication

This paper presents a new approach for tele-fabrication where a physical object is scanned in one location and fabricated in another location. This approach integrates three-dimensional (3D) scanning, geometric processing of scanned data, and additive manufacturing technologies. In this paper, we focus on a set of direct geometric processing techniques that enable the tele-fabrication. In this approach, 3D scan data is directly sliced into layer-wise contours. Sacrificial supports are generated directly from the contours and digital mask images of the objects and the supports for Stereolithography Apparatus (SLA) processes are then automatically generated. The salient feature of this approach is that it does not involve any intermediate geometric models such as STL, polygons or non-uniform rational B-splines that are otherwise commonly used in prevalent approaches. The experimental results on a set of objects fabricated on several SLA machines confirms the effectiveness of the approach in faithfully tele-fabricating physical objects.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Urban heat island (UHI) variations within a city boundary: A systematic literature review

Abstract Urban heat islands (UHI) in a city tend to vary with changes in time and space. To effectively cope with the accelerating intensity of UHI due to global warming and the resulting damage, it is essential to accurately analyze and understand the spatial and temporal variations of UHI. This study conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) to better understand how existing studies have classified and analyzed UHI variations. Research trends and limitations related to UHI variation were reviewed focusing on 55 studies extracted through a five-stage protocol to identify critical studies. The selected studies were analyzed and synthesized in detail. The results showed that studies use different research ranges, data collection methods, analysis, and prediction models depending on the type of UHI variation. These results also indicate that studies have not used universal and specific protocols that apply to UHI variations. To address the limitations of these studies, it is necessary to develop more specific UHI research design methods and an analytical model that reflects the three-dimensional elements of the collected data. In addition, researchers should develop indexes to explain the spatial and temporal variations of UHIs. Further studies can help establish policies and planning codes to counter the spatiotemporal variability of UHIs.
Technology, Social Media, and Telemedicine Utilization for Rural Hand and Upper-Extremity Patients.

Purpose To define technology and social media use among rural upper-extremity patients. In addition, we aimed to assess how patients use social media in relation to health care and their willingness to participate in telemedicine programs. Methods An anonymous multiple-choice written survey was administered to 550 upper-extremity patients at 4 rural outreach clinics. Demographic information was obtained, as was social media use, habits and interests. We compared both users and nonusers of social media to define demographic differences between these groups. Results A total of 412 patients completed surveys and were included in our analysis (75%); 225 reported using social media (55%). Of the respondents, 67% had a high school education or less and 60% reported an income of less than $50,000/y with an unemployment rate of 58%. In addition, 28% reported not owning a smartphone and 20% lacked home Internet access. Multivariable regression demonstrated that age, female sex, and home Internet access were all independently associated with increased social media use. Facebook was the most frequently used social media platform. Moreover, 42% were interested in telemedicine and social media users were significantly more likely to be interested in telemedicine programs compared with non-social media users. Conclusions Within a population of rural and economically disadvantaged upper-extremity patients, 55% currently use social media; 32% used these platforms to research health conditions. Whereas younger female patients with home Internet access were more likely to use social media, older patients were more likely to use these platforms to research health conditions. Clinical relevance As more health information moves on-line and as telemedicine programs continue to evolve, some rural upper-extremity patients may still have technological barriers in the form of smartphone and computer ownership as well as a lack of home Internet access.
L-Arginine Alleviates Hyperglycemia-Induced Vascular Inflammation In Diabetic Mice

Cardiovascular complications of diabetes are associated with a decrease in nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that enhancing NO production with L-arginine (A...
Geographic Information Systems in Support of Wind Energy Activities at NREL

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to further the development of wind energy resources in support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Energy Program and its Wind Powering America Initiative. A GIS consists of computer hardware and software that inputs, stores, maintains, manipulates, analyzes, and outputs geographically referenced data. Some of the elements of NREL's GIS data used in wind energy activities include wind measurement sites, transmission lines, federal facility information, and modeled wind resources. A relatively simple GIS analysis technique involves combining data layers to summarize spatial information. This type of analysis is used to identify areas with strong potential for wind resource development using potential wind resource availability, electricity rate, and federal electricity load information. More complex GIS analyses can define relationships among the mapped wind energy resources, potential energy load characterization, and utility integration problems. A GIS is an outstanding tool for wind energy activities because data can be readily updated and the results of the GIS analyses can be expressed as charts, tables, and maps. These outputs are in digital formats that allow the results of GIS analyses to be quickly and efficiently distributed to the wind energy industry.
Transatlantic Conflict and Cooperation Concerning Trade Issues

The United States and the European Union are major players in the global economy. Economic relations between them are both extensive and deep. They account for about 45 percent of world Gross Domestic Product, 30 percent of world foreign direct investment flows, and 70 percent of world FDI stocks. Given their importance in the world economy, and their importance to each other’s economies, it is critical that they cooperate with each other and keep conflict to a minimum. Fortunately, their trade disputes have been relatively few and have for the most part been settled amicably. Attempts to attain deeper economic integration have met with mixed success. The current negotiations for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership have potential for deepening their economic relationship, but care should be taken not to push beyond what is politically feasible.
Manifold Learning for Multi-classifier Systems via Ensembles

Statistical classification of hyperspectral data is challenging because the inputs are high in dimension, while the quantity of labeled data is typically limited. The resulting classifiers are often unstable and have poor generalization. Nonlinear manifold learning algorithms assume that the original high dimensional data actually lie on a low dimensional manifold defined by local geometric differences between samples. Recent research has demonstrated the potential of these approaches for nonlinear dimension reduction and representation of high dimensional observations. Nonlinear scattering phenomena associated with processes observed in remote sensing data suggest that these may be useful for analysis of hyperspectral data. However, computational requirements limit their applicability for classification of remotely sensed data. Multi-classifier systems potentially provide a means to exploit the advantages of manifold learning through decomposition frameworks, while providing improved generalization. This paper reports preliminary results obtained from an ensemble implementation of Landmark Isomap in conjunction with a kNN classifier. The goal is to achieve improved generalization of the classifier in analysis of hyperspectral data in a dynamic environment with limited training data. The new method is implemented and applied to Hyperion hyperspectral data collected over the Okavango Delta of Botswana.
An Analysis of Property-Flow View vs Individual-Flow View of Inheritance

In [Touretzky et al., 1987] and [Selman and Levesque, 1989], a brief comparison between upward and downward view of inheritance reasoning is given. In this paper, we review the evolution of inheritance networks, and analyze systematically, the downward (property flow) and upward (individual flow) views of inheritance for different categories of networks. We observe that both these views assign the same meaning to tree-structured hierarchies, and explain the divergence in the interpretation of more general inheritance networks in terms of their expressive power. This simple analysis sheds light on the inherent nature of nonmonotonic inheritance. In addition, we also describe the notion of preferential inheritance to specify additional conflict resolution information, which can be integrated smoothly with the upward view of inheritance.
Risk-Neutral Option Pricing for Log-Uniform Jump-Amplitude Jump-Diffusion Model

Reduced European call and put option formulas by risk-neutral valuation are given. It is shown that the European call and put options for log-uniform jump-diffusion models are worth more than that for the Black-Scholes (diffusion) model with the common parameters. Due to the complexity of the jump-diffusion models, obtaining a closed option pricing formula like that of Black-Scholes is not tractable. Instead, a Monte Carlo algorithm is used to compute European option prices. Monte Carlo variance reduction techniques such as both antithetic and optimal control variates are used to accelerate the calculations by allowing smaller sample sizes. The numerical results show that this is a practical, efficient and easily implementable algorithm.
Observations on the luminescence of alpha-Al2O3 /synthetic sapphire/ in a reactor environment

Optical components made of α-Al2O3 (synthetic sapphire) are used in optical systems (nuclear-pumped lasers, fission cells, etc.) to operate in a reactor in-core environment. Absorption and luminesc...
Direction of elongation of poly(ADP-ribose) chains. Addition of residues at the polymerase-proximal terminus.

Abstract The mechanism of elongation of poly(ADP-ribose) on poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase was examined in two ways. The first technique involved a pulse-chase protocol. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase was labeled with radioactive NAD, excess precursor was removed by rapid gel filtration chromatography, and nonradioactive NAD was supplied for a second incubation. The products were released with alkali and digested with venom phosphodiesterase which generates AMP uniquely from the distal terminus. The distal residue that was labeled during the pulse remained at the distal terminus and was not converted to an internal residue during the chase. The second technique employed the NAD analog, 2'-deoxyNAD (dNAD), which can engage in mono-ADP-ribose addition reactions but lacks the 2'-OH that is required for polymer formation. dNAD inhibits ADP-ribose incorporation competitively but is not incorporated at the enzyme-distal chain terminus. These findings are inconsistent with a model of poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis in which new residues are added to the 2'-OH terminus of the growing chain, distal to the polymerase attachment. They are consistent with the alternative possibility that new residues are added at the 1" terminus, adjacent to the polymerase. Any such "proximal addition" model requires that there be at least two active center sites (akin to the ribosomal A and P sites), which at a certain stage of each elongation cycle will be occupied by ADP-ribose monomers and ADP-ribose polymers, respectively. Although dNAD does not enter poly(ADP-ribose), it does engage in a slow side reaction whereby a single dADP-ribose residue is added covalently to the polymerase itself, thereby inactivating the enzyme.
Intracellular proteolytic activity in developing myxospores of Myxococcus xanthus

1. Cell-free extracts from vegetative cells and developing myxospores of Myxococcus xanthus were found to contain similar amounts of proteolytic activity, approximately 80% of which was due to one or more neutral metal proteases. 2. Sixty per cent of the proteolytic activity was particulate. 3. The specific activity of the proteases was high throughout all stages of myxospore formation and displayed small increases in activity at two stages of development: (1) during cell shortening and (2) immediately following the conversion to spheres. The first peak in activity was apparent in assays conducted at pH 8 or 10 whereas the second peak was obvious only at pH 6. 4. A mutant which develops into myxospores only after a lag of approximately 7–8 h possessed levels of proteases similar to the wild type and displayed a peak in proteolytic activity after a delay of 7–8 h. 5. Low levels of serine protease activity were occasionally detected in both vegetative cells and myxospores; no sulfhydryl proteases were detectable in either cell type. 6. Extracellular proteases accumulated in the medium throughout myxospore development but differed from the intracellular proteases in pH optima and sensitivity to inhibitors.
Stress test development on a processor system

Thermal cycling and vibration tests were carried out on an intermediate processor family of machines to investigate the benefits of controlled stressing as a means of screening manufacturing defects, and to provide data for return on investment calculations. Major items to be considered were (a) low cost of test programme (b) complete unit to be stressed (complex interactions between subassemblies) (c) relatively low expected failure rate (d) limited field reporting. Stress techniques used were mild thermal cycling and pseudo-random vibration. Analysis of field data from the stressed population showed an overall reliability improvement of 24 per cent during the first 30 days of customer operation.
MRI-powered Closed-loop Control for Multiple Magnetic Capsules

Control of multiple magnetic particles inside the human body may have many potential applications, such as drug delivery in places where conventional procedures cannot reach. A natural candidate for powering as well as tracking these magnetic particles is the MRI scanner. Although it offers the means to control the particles, it also poses difficulties: the magnetic field is applied uniformly to the group, thus making the independent control of each particle a challenging issue, while the actuation and the tracking are interleaved which can result to delays in actuation and measurement. The closed-loop control of a group of millimeter-scale particles, immersed in fluid, driven by the MRI scanner is studied in this paper. More specifically, this problem is presented in a unified manner, handling such issues as delays, constraints, as well as disturbances, and results in a robustly stable controller. We also propose a condition that effectively answers when the system should be in tracking mode versus actuation mode. In addition to theoretical results, the capability of the proposed controller is illustrated through simulation results.
What's your number?: Navigating the shifting landscape of ICT carbon footprint labels and standards

Firms may have a number of motivations for understanding the carbon footprint of an information and communication technology product. Meeting corporate sustainability targets, complying with emissions reductions mandates, or achieving “green” products rankings are frequent motivators, but, increasingly, eco-label schemes are beginning to pressure early adopters and laggards alike to calculate and understand their product's carbon footprints. However, the rules by which carbon footprints are calculated continue to evolve as the understanding of the science behind calculations improves. This document provides an overview of several leading information technology labels and standards, as well as the European Union's efforts to refine and validate the associated measurement methodologies.
The impact of past dating relationship solidarity on commitment, satisfaction, and investment in current relationships

The purpose of this study was to determine how previous romantic relationships impact subsequent romantic relationships. Specifically, this study examined if past relationship solidarity is related to current relationship commitment, satisfaction, and investment among individuals in dating relationships. Participants were 204 undergraduates at an Eastern university who were currently in a dating relationship. Results indicated that past relationship solidarity is significantly and negatively related to current relationship commitment and satisfaction, but not significantly related to current investment. Several moderating variables were also examined, including the nature and attribution of individuals' breakups, the length of past and current relationships, and participant sex. Results revealed that the nature and style of past breakups were particularly salient moderating variables, such that past solidarity was related to future relationship commitment and satisfaction only when breakups were mutual an...
Optical properties of Nd-doped vitreous silica

Neodymium doped vitreous silica was prepared by the sol-gel method. We report optical properties fluorescence lifetimes and microstructure of glasses containing as much as 5. 0 wt neodymia. Some of the spectral features are discussed and compared with those of glasses containing neodymia which are known to show laser action. 1.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.