cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Causes of disinvestment in New York City's housing

A model of the housing market in cross-sectional disequilibrium is developed and tested with data on New York City census tracts. The sampled tracts experienced substantial declines in the multifamily housing stock. The empirical tests attempt to measure the relative importance of social and economic factors which contribute to disinvestment and abandonment. The findings indicate that social factors such as large concentrations of children from broken homes and low rates of family formation are at least as important as economic factors measured by family income and unemployment.
The effect of user charges on project feasibility: The role of international trade

Abstract In publicly financed transportation projects which involve international trade, careful attention has to be paid to the distribution of gains and losses, especially between the domestic and foreign economies, to ensure that the nation is indeed made better off by such investments. The imposition of user charges can improve the economic feasibility of projects from the national viewpoint, when the foreign trade is a large component of the expected total traffic. The charges can be phased in, starting at “minimum acceptable” levels and gradually moving upwards to “optimum” levels as traffic volume reaches maturity.
A review of the oil and gas sector in Kazakhstan

Abstract Kazakhstan is endowed with significant oil and gas resources and is expected to become one of the world's top 10 oil producers within the next decade. The high cost of doing business in the country, however, means that Kazakhstan will need to improve its institutional framework to successfully compete for Western investment. A large degree of risk and uncertainty continues to plague the oil and gas sector as the government makes significant changes to the petroleum tax legislation and takes an aggressive approach in “rebalancing” contractual arrangements with industry. High levels of bureaucracy, regulatory burden, and corruption persist, and economic factors appear to be subordinated increasingly to geopolitical objectives aimed to strengthen relationships with China and Russia. The rapid pace of change and the high degree of uncertainty present significant challenges and risk to foreign investment. The purpose of this paper is to review the oil and gas sector in Kazakhstan and highlight recent developments in the petroleum legislation, business climate and government policy.
Long-term follow-up of children with renal carcinoma.

Summary— Renal carcinoma is a rare tumour in children. The clinical, histological and follow-up details of 6 patients are presented. Haematuria is confirmed as an important indicator of renal pathology. Long-term follow-up suggests that chemotherapy and radiotherapy have little effect on the prognosis in advanced disease.
Using Ferrocenes to Assist in Voltammetric Characterization of Carbon Fiber Microelectrodes after Electrochemical and Laser Activation

In this report the voltammetry of water-soluble ferrocene derivatives is used to characterize the surface of carbon fiber microelectrodes before and after both electrochemical and laser activation procedures. Activation of carbon electrodes is necessary to produce a reproducible surface that will allow fast electron transfer. However, the activation method that is best suited for a given analysis can differ with analyte. In order to directly compare activation methods and characterize the resulting electrode performance, the voltammetry of a set of ferrocenes which have fast and well-known electrochemistry has been used. As expected, electrochemical activation (0.000 to 2.000 V (vs. SSCE) at 500 V/s for 15 seconds) resulted in a hydrophilic surface with increased surface area. Laser pretreatment (20 Hz pulsed nitrogen laser irradiation for 15 seconds) appeared to remove surface oxides thereby producing a more hydrophobic surface that facilitates the adsorption of neutral analytes. In general, anionic ferrocene derivatives exhibited more quasi-reversible voltammetry and were not as strongly adsorbed as the neutral analyte, particularly with electrochemically activated probes. In addition, neutral analytes show considerable adsorption, particularly at laser-activated electrodes, while the cationic analyte shows significant adsorption at only the electrochemically-pretreated electrodes, indicating surface-specific interactions.
MCNP geometry transformation and plotter equations

Abstract The MCNP Monte Carlo radiation-transport code contains versatile capabilities to develop and plot geometries used in simulations. Although these capabilities have been available in MCNP since the late 1970s, many of the derivational details underpinning these capabilities are not contained in the MCNP manual and do not appear to have been documented in Los Alamos reports or the published literature. Derivations of many of the equations underlying the MCNP geometry transformation and geometry plot utility are presented here. Although this document does not include derivations of all of the expressions contained in MCNP, its contents should nevertheless provide the reader with a deeper understanding of the geometry transformation and plotting features than can be obtained using only the MCNP theory manual.
Gas sorption and transport in miscible blends of tetramethyl bisphenol‐A polycarbonate and polystyrene

The permeability coefficients for He, O2, N2, CH4, and CO2 in miscible blends of polystyrene (PS) and tetramethyl bisphenol-A polycarbonate (TMPC) at 35°C and 1 atm driving pressure are reported. Sorption isotherms for CO2 and CH4 are also presented. The isotherms were fitted to the dual sorption model. The Langmuir capacity factor was found to follow an earlier correlation based on unrelaxed volume. For each gas, the permeability was found to go through a minimum when plotted against blend composition. This behavior is primarily the result of the volume change on mixing observed for this system. The attractive interaction between TMPC and PS is relatively strong as indicated by density and solubility data. The value of the binary interaction parameter was found to be of the same magnitude as that for poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO)-polystyrene (PS) blends. Considering the similarity of structure between PPO and TMPC, it is concluded that similar phenyl-phenyl interactions and conformational changes on blending may prevail in TMPC/PS blends.
PALMORE'S FIRST FACTS ON AGING QUIZ IN A MULTIPLE‐CHOICE FORMAT

A multiple‐choice version and a true‐false version of Palmore's first Facts on Aging Quiz (FAQ1) were tested on a sample of 501 college students. The multiple‐choice version reduced the chances of guessing the correct answer and reduced measurement error for average and above average respondents
Quantum chemical study of mechanisms for oxidative dehydrogenation of propane on vanadium oxide.

We have carried out a hybrid density functional study of mechanisms for oxidative dehydrogenation of propane on the (010) surface of V2O5. The surface was modeled using both vanadium oxide clusters and a periodic slab. We have investigated a Mars-van Krevelen mechanism that involves stepwise adsorption of the propane at an oxygen site followed by desorption of a water molecule and propene, and subsequent adsorption of an oxygen molecule to complete the catalytic cycle. The potential energy surface is found to have large barriers, which are lowered somewhat when the possibility of a triplet state is considered. The barriers for propane adsorption and propene elimination are 45−60 kcal/mol. The highest energy on the potential energy surface at the B3LYP/6-31G(*) level of theory is about 80 kcal/mol above the energy of the reactants and corresponds to formation of an oxygen vacancy after water elimination. Subsequent addition of an oxygen molecule to fill the vacancy is predicted to be energetically downhill...
Retention Behaviors of Block Copolymers in Liquid Chromatography at the Critical Condition

The partitioning of a diblock copolymer (AB) and a triblock copolymer (ABA and BAB) into a pore, at a condition similar to that employed in the experimental liquid chromatography at the critical condition (LCCC), was investigated by lattice Monte Carlo simulations with self-avoiding-walk chains. The B block is set at the predetermined critical condition where the partition coefficient of a homopolymer B has a least dependence on its chain length, and hence becomes chromatographically “invisible”. The A block is set at the size-exclusion mode and is chromatographically “visible”. The partition coefficients of these copolymers were compared with that of a homopolymer A with the same (total) length of the visible A block(s). The partition coefficient of a diblock, KAB, was found to be larger than KA, especially when the A block was short and the B block was long. The difference tends to vanish with an increase in the A block length or a decrease in the B block length. A smaller pore also tends to decrease th...
The effects of concurrent oxygen ion bombardment on ion beam sputtered Y1Ba2Cu3Ox thin films

Abstract We have investigated the effects of substrate ion bombardment and microwave electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) assisted processing on the microstructural and electrical properties of ion beam sputtered Y1Ba2Cu3Ox thin films. Substrate bombardment was performed using a Kaufman-type ion source or a microwave ECR gridless ion source. While substrate bombardment has been found to change the properties of the films, only in the case of ECR-assisted deposition was any sign of superconductivity observed in the as-deposited films. Results indicate that low energy oxygen ion bombardment, at low ambient pressures, simulates a high oxygen pressure ambient.
Circulating Lymphocyte Phenotypic Surface Markers in Anxiety Disorder Patients and Normal Volunteers

Abstract Background: Although the relationship between stress and immune function is an area of active investigation, there have been few reports studying the relationship between anxiety disorders and the immune system. Methods: This study employs flow cytometry to measure circulating lymphocyte phenotypic markers in 20 medication-free patients with panic disorder, 33 medication-free patients with generalized social phobia, and 32 healthy controls. Results: Both patients with panic disorder and patients with social phobia had increased CD16 (natural killer) cell numbers. Panic disorder patients also had increased numbers of CD19 cells (B lymphocytes), human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR-presenting cells, and more cells with the combination of HLA-DR and CD19 surface markers (B lymphocytes with HLA-DR on their surface). Conclusions: These preliminary data suggest that subjects with panic disorder may have alterations in circulating lymphocyte profiles.
Closed form models for dwell point locations in a multi–aisle automated storage and retrieval system

This study investigates the optimal dwell point location of idle server within a multi–aisle automated storage and retrieval system. The objective function herein is to minimise the expected value of the next transaction time for the automated storage and retrieval system. After a brief review of the relevant literature on dwell point location, this research shows that the single server, multi–aisle dwell point location problem can be solved via an application of classical optimisation of a special class of Tchebychev expected distance functions.
Association of p65 and C/EBPβ with HIV-1 LTR modulates transcription of the viral promoter

In human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) latently infected cells, NF-kappaB (NF-kappaB) plays a critical role in the transcriptional induction of the HIV-1 promoter. The trans-activating ability of NF-kappaB can be modified by another nuclear factor C/EBPbeta that can physically bind to NF-kappaB and regulate its activity. Because the HIV-1 promoter also contains a C/EBPbeta site adjacent to the NF-kappaB site, the present study examined cooperative functional in vivo interaction of the p65 subunit of NF-kappaB and C/EBPbeta, and the impact of Tat in this event. We demonstrated that ectopic expression of p65 along with Tat increases p65 binding to HIV-1 LTR, and that this increase correlates with enhanced HIV-1 promoter activity. Further, co-expression of C/EBPbeta and Tat leads to a decrease in p65 binding, which allows C/EBPbeta to bind more efficiently to the LTR. Inhibition of p65 expression by siRNA significantly decreases C/EBPbeta-binding and LTR expression. Using ChIP assay, we confirmed the existence of an interchange between p65 and C/EBPbeta and their abilities to bind to the LTR in vivo. These observations demonstrate that a delicate balance of interaction between p65, C/EBPbeta, and Tat can dictate the level of HIV-1 LTR transcription.
Modeling and analysis of multichip module power supply planes

A method that would allow accurate modeling of arbitrarily shaped planes with bypass capacitors has been developed. It is compatible with a SPICE-based modeling method for the rest of the power supply hierarchy and the devices. A modified SPICE is used to accommodate distributed circuits. The distributed circuits are built with microwave analysis software and connected to SPICE by s-parameter files. The modeling process is described and examples of thick and thin-film power supply planes are presented with comparison to measured results. The method is used to explore potential design choices for a large MCM with many simultaneously switching drivers. >
The reduction of topside ionograms to electron-density profiles

The basic principles of the ionosonde technique for ionospheric electron-density determination are reviewed, with special emphasis on the satellite version. It is shown that the lamination method of data reduction, developed initially for the analysis of ionograms obtained with ground-based ionosondes, can be used to calculate the electron density N versus true height h in the topside ionosphere provided a number of refinements are introduced. These refinements are required because the extraordinary wave data have to be used to obtain N(h) profiles from topside ionograms, and because these data are very sensitive to the magnetic field variation over the great altitude range of topside soundings. A complete procedure for analyzing topside ionograms, based upon a parabolic-in-log N lamination method is presented which incorporates the actual values of the earth's magnetic field at all heights, a change in variable which renders the group path integrand finite at the reflection point, and iteration until successive calculations agree to within 0.01 km. A procedure was also developed to insure and accelerate the convergence of the iteration process. The importance of each refinement is discussed and illustrated quantitatively. It is shown that this new N(h) reduction technique can, in theory, yield topside electron-density profiles with an altitude accuracy of a few kilometers over a 3000 to 400 km altitude range. This theoretical accuracy can be achieved using typically ten to twenty data points per ionogram. In practice, the errors in the N(h) profiles arise primarily from the limited resolution of the ionograms, calibration inaccuracies, and deviations from vertical propagation. The actual accuracy of topside N(h) profiles is discussed in a companion paper [16].
Mercy: In Defense of Caprice

Soulevant le dilemme de l'independance de la pitie par rapport a la justice, le probleme de la difference pertinente entre les personnes auxquelles elle s'applique comme un don et le probleme du criticisme moral, l'A. developpe une analyse de la pitie qui permet de repondre a la question des categories de la permission definies comme: 1) obligation parfaite, 2) acte toujours surerogatoire, 3) acte parfois parfaitement obligatoire et acte parfois surerogatoire, 4) obligation toujours imparfaite
Ten Myths About Affirmative Action

The case against affirmative action rests heavily on myth and misunderstanding. In this paper I discuss ten of the most common myths concerning affirmative action, and I present public opinion poll data suggesting that support for affirmative action is greater than typically assumed.
On the relationship between file sizes, transport protocols, and self-similar network traffic

Measurements of LAN and WAN traffic show that network traffic exhibits variability on different scales. We examine a mechanism that gives rise to self-similar network traffic and discuss performance. The mechanism we study is the transfer of files or messages whose size is drawn from a heavy-tailed distribution. In a realistic client/server network the degree to which file sizes are heavy-tailed can directly determine the degree of traffic self-similarity at the link level. This causal relationship is robust relative to changes in network resources, network topology, the influence of cross-traffic, and the distribution of interarrival times. Properties of the transport layer play an important role in preserving and modulating this relationship. The reliable transmission and flow control mechanisms of TCP serve to maintain the long-range dependency structure induced by heavy-tailed file size distributions. In contrast, if a non-flow-controlled and unreliable (UDP-based) transport protocol is used, the resulting traffic shows little self-similarity: although still bursty at short time scales, it has little long-range dependence. Performance implications of self-similarity are discussed as represented by various performance measures. Increased self-similarity as expected, results in degradation of performance. Queueing delay, in particular is discussed. Throughput-related measures such as packet loss and retransmission rate, however increase only gradually with increasing traffic self-similarity as long as reliable, flow-controlled transport protocol is used.
Single Tube, Six-Color Flow Cytometric Analysis Is a Sensitive and Cost-Effective Technique for Assaying Clonal Plasma Cells

Bone marrow flow cytometric analysis is a powerful and rapid tool for evaluating plasma cell myeloma. By using a noncontrolled patient population in various stages of diagnosis and treatment, we compared 6-color (single-tube) and 4-color (multiple-tube) flow cytometric immunophenotyping protocols. Prospective comparison in 52 cases demonstrated improved ability to detect clonal plasma cells or identical diagnoses in 100% of the cases using 6-color, single-tube analysis. In cases in which 6-color flow cytometric analysis improved detection of a clonal population, concurrent biopsy showed less than 5% involvement by plasma cell myeloma, suggesting that 6-color flow cytometry has an advantage in patients with a low disease burden. In addition, the simplification of the procedure resulted in substantial savings in technologist time and reagent costs. Taken together, this study demonstrates that 6-color flow cytometry is an excellent, cost-effective means to assay for clonal plasma cells in a noncontrolled patient population.
Mouse aorta-derived mesenchymal progenitor cells contribute to and enhance the immune response of macrophage cells under inflammatory conditions

Mesenchymal progenitor cells interact with immune cells and modulate inflammatory responses. The cellular characteristics required for this modulation are under fervent investigation. Upon interaction with macrophage cells, they can contribute to or suppress an inflammatory response. Current studies have focused on mesenchymal progenitors derived from bone marrow, adipose, and placenta. However, the arterial wall contains many mesenchymal progenitor cells, which during vascular disease progression have the potential to interact with macrophage cells. To examine the consequence of vascular-tissue progenitor cell-macrophage cell interactions in an inflammatory environment, we used a recently established mesenchymal progenitor cell line derived from the mouse aorta. Mouse bone marrow-derived macrophage (MΦ) cells and mouse aorta-derived mesenchymal progenitor (mAo) cells were cultured alone or co-cultured directly and indirectly. Cells were treated with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) or exposed to the inflammatory mediators lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon-gamma (IFNγ) or both. A Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4)-deficient macrophage cell line was used to determine the role of the mAo cells. To monitor inflammation, nitric oxide (NO), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) secretions were measured. Mesenchymal progenitor cells isolated from aorta and cloned by high proliferative capacity (mAo) can differentiate into multiple mesenchymal lineages and are positive for several commonly used mouse mesenchymal stem cell markers (that is, CD29, CD44, CD105, CD106, and Sca-1) but are negative for CD73 and ecto-5′-nucleotidase. In co-culture with MΦ cells, they increase MΦ oxidized-LDL uptake by 52.2%. In an inflammatory environment, they synergistically and additively contribute to local production of both NO and IL-6. After exposure to ox-LDL, the inflammatory response of MΦ cells to LPS and LPS/IFNγ is muted. However, when lipid-laden MΦ cells are co-cultured with mAo cell progenitors, the muted response is recovered and the contribution by the mAo cell progenitor is dependent upon cell contact. The resident mesenchymal progenitor cell is a potential contributor to vascular inflammation when in contact with inflamed and lipid-laden MΦ cells. This interaction represents an additional target in vascular disease treatment. The potential for resident cells to contribute to the local immune response should be considered when designing therapeutics targeting inflammatory vascular disease.
Sensitivity and specificity of dosing alerts for dosing errors among hospitalized pediatric patients

Objectives To determine the sensitivity and specificity of a dosing alert system for dosing errors and to compare the sensitivity of a proprietary system with and without institutional customization at a pediatric hospital. Methods A retrospective analysis of medication orders, orders causing dosing alerts, reported adverse drug events, and dosing errors during July, 2011 was conducted. Dosing errors with and without alerts were identified and the sensitivity of the system with and without customization was compared. Results There were 47 181 inpatient pediatric orders during the studied period; 257 dosing errors were identified (0.54%). The sensitivity of the system for identifying dosing errors was 54.1% (95% CI 47.8% to 60.3%) if customization had not occurred and increased to 60.3% (CI 54.0% to 66.3%) with customization (p=0.02). The sensitivity of the system for underdoses was 49.6% without customization and 60.3% with customization (p=0.01). Specificity of the customized system for dosing errors was 96.2% (CI 96.0% to 96.3%) with a positive predictive value of 8.0% (CI 6.8% to 9.3). All dosing errors had an alert over-ridden by the prescriber and 40.6% of dosing errors with alerts were administered to the patient. The lack of indication-specific dose ranges was the most common reason why an alert did not occur for a dosing error. Discussion Advances in dosing alert systems should aim to improve the sensitivity and positive predictive value of the system for dosing errors. Conclusions The dosing alert system had a low sensitivity and positive predictive value for dosing errors, but might have prevented dosing errors from reaching patients. Customization increased the sensitivity of the system for dosing errors.
Contributions of Multiple Binding Sites and Effector-Independent Binding to CodY-Mediated Regulation in Bacillus subtilis

CodY is a branched-chain amino acid-responsive transcriptional regulator that controls, directly or indirectly, the expression of more than 100 genes and operons in Bacillus subtilis. Using DNase I footprinting and gel-shift experiments, we identified two CodY-binding regions upstream of a B. subtilis gene (bcaP, previously known as yhdG) that encodes a transporter of branched-chain amino acids. Mutational analysis revealed that both CodY-binding regions contribute to repression in vivo and do so independently of each other. Thus, a single CodY-binding site is apparently sufficient for substantial CodY-dependent regulation. By analyzing affinities of wild-type and mutant CodY-binding sites for CodY and their regulation by wild-type CodY and forms of CodY with various levels of activation by branched-chain amino acids, we concluded that unliganded CodY cannot repress transcription in vivo and that the level of endogenously produced effectors is sufficient for CodY-mediated regulation of promoters with stronger sites. Because the sites with higher affinity apparently respond to lower concentrations of CodY effectors and saturate faster as the concentrations of effectors increase, having two sites of binding with different affinities for CodY permits a promoter to respond to a wider range of intracellular concentrations of effectors.
A Donor-Nanotube Paradigm for Nonlinear Optical Materials

Studies of the nonlinear electronic response of donor/acceptor substituted nanotubes suggest a behavior that is both surprising and qualitatively distinct from that in conventional conjugated organic species. We find that the carbon nanotubes serve as both electronic bridges and acceptors, leading to a donor-nanotube paradigm for the effective design of large first hyperpolarizabilities. We also find that tuning the donor orientation, relative to the nanotube, can significantly enhance the first hyperpolarizability.
Oxidant stress promotes disease by activating CaMKII

CaMKII is activated by oxidation of methionine residues residing in the regulatory domain. Oxidized CaMKII (ox-CaMKII) is now thought to participate in cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases and cancer. This invited review summarizes current evidence for the role of ox-CaMKII in disease, considers critical knowledge gaps and suggests new areas for inquiry.
Low-energy electron collisions with O2: Test of the molecular R-matrix method without diagonalization

Electron collisions with O${}_{2}$ at scattering energies below 1 eV are studied in the fixed-nuclei approximation for a range of internuclear separations using the ab initio molecular R-matrix method. The ${}^{2}{\ensuremath{\Pi}}_{\mathrm{g}}$ scattering eigenphases and quantum defects are calculated. The parameters of the resonance and the energy of the bound negative ion are then extracted. Different models of the target that employ molecular orbitals calculated for the neutral target are compared with models based on anionic orbitals. A model using a basis of anionic molecular orbitals yields physically correct results in good agreement with experiment. An alternative method of calculation of the R matrix is tested, where instead of performing a single complete diagonalization of the Hamiltonian matrix in the inner region, the system of linear equations is solved individually for every scattering energy. This approach is designed to handle problems where diagonalization of an extremely large Hamiltonian is numerically too demanding.
Influence of Wind and Migrant Aphid Source on the Flight and Infestation Patterns of the Spotted Alfalfa Aphid

Local movement of Therioaphis maculata (Buckton) was studied witli directional sticky traps and correlated with weather conditions monitored with microenvironmental weather stations in the general area of a semi-isolated alfalfa field. The infestation pattern of the spotted alfalfa aphid in the field corresponded with the flight pattern of the aphids occurring during periods of prevailing winds from the northwest. The importance of wind was evident on days with unidirectional winds, when sticky traps facing the wind and in line with the path of aphid flights caught over 95% of the aphids. On days with variable wind directions, aphids were caught in large numbers at all cardinal points of the sticky traps, indicating that the aphid dispersal pattern was as omnidirectional as the wind. The primary factor determining; whether aphids were transported from a migrant aphid source to one sampling site or another was the wind direction. The probability of heavy incoming flights in any field is dependent on the direction of the wind and the location of the migrant source and not on the daily fluctuations of the number of aphids available for flight.
Zur Viskosität von Flüssigkeitsgemischen

Es wird eine modifizierte Form der McAllister Gleichung vorgestellt, die nicht auf dam Eyringschen Modell basiert. Die neue Gleichung wurde mit experimentellen Daten von zahlreichen Zwei- und Dreistoffgemischen uberpruft und hat sich als eine sehr geeignete Korrelationsgleichung erwiesen.
The Limitations of the Constant Photocurrent Method for Determining Subgap Absorption

The subgap absorption αcpm measured by the constant photocurrent method (CPM) was studied between 4.2K and 300K for different dopings and defect concentrations N in hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). We found that αcpm is reduced by up to a factor 100 between 50K and 200K due to infrared selfquenching which changes the charge state of the defects and enhances recombination. The effect is diminished at high N and large doping. The relative change Δα/α reflects ΔN/N both at very low and high temperatures. For undoped samples αcpm is about four times larger at 4.2K than at 300K. For doped samples the two values are essentially the same.
Probing intramolecular CH-π interactions in o-quinodimethane adducts of [60]fullerene using variable temperature NMR.

Several o-quinodimethane adducts of [60]fullerene were synthesized and their intramolecular aryl CH–fullerene π interactions were studied using variable temperature-NMR (VT-NMR). Evaluation of the rate constants associated with the first-order transition states for cyclohexene boat-to-boat inversions enables quantification of ΔG⧧ values for each inversion. A comparison between two constitutional isomers, only one of which is capable of intramolecular CH−π interactions, provides a lower limit of 0.95 kcal/mol for each aryl CH–fullerene π interaction.
Methods for Blattella germanica control in special places

Objective To study effective methods for controlling Blattella germanica in special places. Methods The methods included ecological environmental improvement and insecticides application Results Density of Blattella germanica was controlled quickly in thermal aerosol,and the density decreased over 87.03% .Killing effect was continued and strengthened when using bait. Conclusion According to trait of ecological environment and infestation degree of Blattella germanica, different methods should be used.
OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS AFFECTING THE REMOVEL OF PHOSPHROUS FROM WASTE WATER

In this paper,we tested four operational parameters,reaction time,dosage,agitated intensity and sedimentation time that affected the treatment of phosphorus-containing wastewater.The result showed that phosphorus in the wastewater was removed sufficiently only when the reaction time reached at least 2 hours and added dosage of calcium hydroxide was at least two and a half folders of the theoretical dosage,and that agitated intensity and sedimentation time had little effect on phosphorus removal.
The Expected Number of Matches and its Variance for Matched-pair Designs

SUMMARY A mathematical model for the derivation of the expected number of matched pairs is presented, employing only that information which can be assumed at the planning stage of research. An approximate expression for calculating the sample variance is derived empirically. Using numerical values of the expected number of matches, for varying sample sizes, numbers of matching categories and matching distributions, it is shown that (a) in order to pair match all (or most) of an initial sample of cases the control reservoir has to be at least five to ten times as large in most situations; (b) for two samples of comparable size, the expected number of matches never reaches 100 per cent; and (c) when the number of categories is equivalent to the number in equal initial samples, only 50 per cent of the maximum pairs can be expected. The implications of these results for the planning of research are discussed.
Simultaneous Control of Composition, Size, and Morphology in Discrete Ni2–xCoxP Nanoparticles

A synthetic protocol developed to produce phase-pure, nearly monodisperse Ni2–xCoxP nanoparticles (x ≤ 1.7) is described. The Ni2–xCoxP particles vary in size, ranging from 9–14 nm with standard deviations of <20% (based on transmission electron microscopy analysis), and the actual metal ratios obtained from energy-dispersive spectroscopy closely follow the targeted ratios. With increasing Co, samples with larger size distributions are obtained and include particles with voids, attributed to the Kirkendall effect. To probe the mechanism of ternary phosphide particle formation, detailed studies were conducted for Ni:Co = 1:1 as a representative composition. It was revealed that the P:M ratio, heating temperature, and heating time have a large impact on the nature of both intermediate and final crystalline particles formed. By tuning these conditions, nanoparticles can be produced with different sizes (from ca. 7–25 nm) and morphologies (hollow versus dense).
Record Re-Identification of Swapped Numerical Microdata

Government agencies, researchers, healthcare providers, and other organizations release data for public use. To protect the privacy of the data subjects, these organizations mask the data prior to ...
Efficacy of Turkstra's combination rule for extremes of nonlinearly combined correlated wind load effects

Abstract The performance of Turkstra's combination rule for estimating the mean extremes of nonlinearly combined correlated responses is evaluated. The probability distribution of estimation from the Turkstra's rule is derived, which permits the assessment of its performance for various correlated responses as compared to existing combination rules. The performance of the Turkstra's rule is also examined using simulated response time histories of a high-rise building with coupled three-dimensional mode shapes. The results illustrate that the Turkstra's rule can give good estimations of the nonlinearly combined responses, while it is less accurate for linearly combined responses as pointed out in Chen (2015).
Combining first-principles and data modeling for the accurate prediction of the refractive index of organic polymers

Organic materials with a high index of refraction (RI) are attracting considerable interest due to their potential application in optic and optoelectronic devices. However, most of these applications require an RI value of 1.7 or larger, while typical carbon-based polymers only exhibit values in the range of 1.3-1.5. This paper introduces an efficient computational protocol for the accurate prediction of RI values in polymers to facilitate in silico studies that can guide the discovery and design of next-generation high-RI materials. Our protocol is based on the Lorentz-Lorenz equation and is parametrized by the polarizability and number density values of a given candidate compound. In the proposed scheme, we compute the former using first-principles electronic structure theory and the latter using an approximation based on van der Waals volumes. The critical parameter in the number density approximation is the packing fraction of the bulk polymer, for which we have devised a machine learning model. We demonstrate the performance of the proposed RI protocol by testing its predictions against the experimentally known RI values of 112 optical polymers. Our approach to combine first-principles and data modeling emerges as both a successful and a highly economical path to determining the RI values for a wide range of organic polymers.
Process Improvement Initiatives in Access Services: the Shared Benefits of Shared Work

AbstractIn 2016, Access Services staff attended a professional development course on process improvement offered at Kennesaw State University. Process improvement initiatives have been credited wit...
Prominent winter wheat varieties response to post-flowering heat stress under controlled chambers and field based heat tents

Abstract Post-flowering heat stress shortens grain filling duration and limits resource allocation to grains leading to lower productivity in wheat. Wheat grown in Kansas and US Great Plains, often experiences temperatures of 30 °C during grain filling, leading to lower productivity. Thus, characterizing Kansas prominent and newly released varieties for post-flowering heat stress will define the gap in heat tolerance that will need to be addressed through breeding. In the present study, seven Kansas varieties were phenotyped for heat tolerance under a controlled chamber study and two field experiments. To impose heat stress in the controlled chambers, plants grown at 25 °C were transferred to high day temperature (35 °C) chambers, 10 days after first sign of anthesis. Under field conditions, custom built “heat tents” were placed over the plots ten days after 50% flowering and remained until maturity. Plants grown under heat stress exhibited early senescence indicating a shorter grain filling period compared to control. Early maturing varieties recorded higher percent reduction in grain yield under heat stress. Post-flowering heat stress induced significant reduction in thousand kernel weight, grain number, harvest index and grain yield over control. Percent reduction in yield ranged from 6 to 51% under severe heat stress exposure in controlled environments and 2–27% with heat stress exposure using field based tents. Among the varieties tested SY Monument and Larry performed well under both conditions suggesting that they are relatively better suited for locations that face consistent heat stress exposure during the post-flowering stage. Our findings highlight the need to explore wider genetic diversity including wild wheat to infuse greater heat stress resilience into ongoing wheat breeding programs.
MODE for detecting and estimating genetic causal variants

Determining the genetic causal variants and estimating their effect sizes are considered to be correlated but independent problems. Fine-mapping studies often rely on the ability to integrate useful functional annotation information into genome wide association univariate/multivariate analysis. In the present study, by modeling the probability of a SNP being causal and its effect size as a set of correlated Gaussian/non-Gaussian random variables, we design an optimization routine for simultaneous fine-mapping and effect size estimation. The algorithm is released as an open source C package MODE.
Teaching with the Nightingale Tracker technology in community-based nursing education: a pilot study

Changes in health care delivery are becoming increasingly focused on technology. Nursing students are often expected to travel long distances to suitable community sites for clinical experiences, which challenges nurse educators to design and implement instructional strategies to provide students with optimal clinical practice opportunities, while maintaining preceptor-student supervision and vital communication links. This article reports a pilot evaluation of the Nightingale Tracker system, which included both a server and an innovative, hand-held device designed to accommodate multiple forms of data input and allow timely communication between clinical faculty and students in community-based clinical settings. A sample of 5 nursing students reported that the Nightingale Tracker enhanced learning, particularly in performing and documenting physical assessments, data input and transmissions, and autonomous clinical practice.
Methods for rapid separation and concentration of bacteria in food that bypass time-consuming cultural enrichment.

The rapid detection of pathogenic organisms that cause foodborne illnesses is needed to insure food safety. Conventional methods for the detection of pathogens in foods are time-consuming and labor-intensive. New advanced rapid methods (i.e., polymerase chain reaction, DNA probes) are more sensitive and selective than conventional techniques, but many of these tests are inhibited by food components, rendering them dependent on slow cultural enrichment. The need for alternative methods that will rapidly separate and concentrate bacteria directly from food samples, thereby reducing the time required for these new rapid detection techniques, is evident. Separation and concentration methods extract target bacteria from interfering food components and/or concentrate bacteria to detectable levels. This review describes several methods used to separate and/or concentrate bacteria in food samples. Several methods discussed here, including centrifugation and immunomagnetic separation, have been successfully used, ...
Book Review: God's Joust, God's Justice

Review of John Witte, Jr.'s book God's Joust, God's Justice. This book makes a compelling case for the reintegration of the complimentary disciplines of law and religion and is recommended for both law school and seminary libraries.
Warranty/Performance Text Exploration for Modern Reliability

With the increasing amount of warranty/performance data available to reliability professionals, we have a golden opportunity to learn much more about our designs/products and come up with better reliability/maintainability models. However, this additional info often comes in the form of unstructured text from technicians, researchers, and customers. Inability to find groupings and trends in this data can hide the real impacting issues that our traditional reliability data won't be able to uncover. This session will seek to show how modern analytic software can help provide a way to quickly and easily explore this unstructured text data to gain better insights into our true reliability. We will cover the basics of how to visualize, group, analyze, model and ultimately find trends using warranty/performance unstructured text data.
2018 PLOS Genetics Research Prize: Bundling, stabilizing, organizing-The orchestration of acentriolar spindle assembly by microtubule motor proteins.

Author(s): Barsh, Gregory S; Bhalla, Needhi; Cole, Francesca; Copenhaver, Gregory P; Lacefield, Soni; Libuda, Diana E
Polling Place and Non-polling Place Voting

What are the major obstacles to casting a vote? What steps have government officials taken to enable eligible voters to show up and submit a vote that counts, particularly when certain populations such as the disabled and military/overseas voters face challenges that can impede their ability to show up and/or to submit a vote? In this chapter details various aspects of polling place space and non-polling place voting that factor into voter access and overall election integrity for all voters, including special populations. Spatial and location considerations must be weighed to ensure that local election officials (LEOs) are conforming to legal requirements and ease of voter use. These considerations will significantly impact the overall voter experience, including wait times and the ability to cast a vote.
Abstract 1937: pH-responsive tumor-targeted mesoporous silica nanoparticle for the identification of pancreatic cancer using optoacoustic tomography

Purpose: Due to inadequate early detection and inability to operate at advanced stages, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has remained one of the most difficult types of cancer to treat. A small range of non-specific symptoms coupled with quick metastasis rate result in a poor 5-year survival rate; 14% for those diagnosed within stage IA, and as low as 1% for those diagnosed during stage IV. Nanoparticles have recently emerged as a potential delivery agent for diagnostic and therapeutic agents, and although clinical success has not been ample due to targeting accuracy issues. This work shows a nanoparticle that has been functionalized with a pancreatic cancer-specific targeting ligand and exhibits specific particle release in pancreatic malignant environment (pH 6.6) as compared to non-malignant environments (pH 7.4). Methods: Wormhole-pored mesoporous silica nanoparticles were formed at 80°C using Tetrapropyl orthosilicate (TPOS) and a scaffold of hexadecyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide (CTAB). Acetic acid and ethanol were used in dialysis procedures to remove the CTAB scaffold and create worm-like pores. Chitosan was added to coat the silica particles and serve as a gatekeeper. IR-780 was added before the solution was acidified to load the dye into the worm-hole particles created. Shortly after, the solution pH was raised back to physiological levels (pH=7.4) to trap the dye within the particle. The particle surfaces were functionalized to attach a targeting ligand pH-low insertion peptide (V7) to conjugate the dye-loaded nanoparticles. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells (S2VP10 line) were plated in pH-7.4,6.8, and 6.6 PBS solutions with the loaded particles to assess uptake via near-infrared fluorescence and multispectral optoacoustic imaging. Results: Zeta potential and dynamic light scattering were used to ensure the 63nm size nanoparticle and proper coating. Near-infrared fluorescence imaging showed ~10X increased signal at pH 6.6 as compared to pH=7.4. MSOT imaging ~5X increased signal in the malignant microenvironment environment that is acidic as compared to the non-malignant environment at pH 7.4. Conclusion: The functionalized wormhole mesoporous silica nanoparticles coated with chitosan demonstrated pH-sensitivity in terms of cellular uptake via NIR fluorescence and MSOT imaging. Citation Format: William MacCuaig, Abhilash Samykutty, Molly McNally, Kylie Nairon, Surya Banks, William Grizzle, Lacey R. McNally. pH-responsive tumor-targeted mesoporous silica nanoparticle for the identification of pancreatic cancer using optoacoustic tomography [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1937.
Zn-Alloyed All-Inorganic Halide Perovskite-Based White Light-Emitting Diodes with Superior Color Quality

Recently, lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have gained tremendous attention in optoelectronic devices due to their excellent optical properties. However, the toxicity of lead limits their practical applications. Here, the synthesis of Zn2+-alloyed CsZnxPb1-xX3 (up to 15%) NCs is reported to achieve lead-reduced white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs). The incorporation of Zn2+ into CsPbX3 host NCs results in a lattice contraction, without altering the structure and morphology, which has a direct effect on the optical properties. The blue-shifts in the photoluminescence emission and increase in bandgap is observed while retaining high photoluminescence quantum yield. Then by engineering the different compositions of halides for 15% Zn2+-alloyed CsZnxPb1-xX3 NCs, tunable emission (411–636 nm) is obtained. Notably, the WLEDs are experimentally demonstrated employing the lead-reduced NCs (blue, green, yellow, and red). By varying the ratios of the amount of NCs, white lights with a tunable correlated-color temperature (2218–8335 K), an exemplary color-rendering index (up to 93) and high luminous efficacy of radiation (268–318 lm·W−1) are obtained. Best of our knowledge, these are superior to other reported WLEDs based on CsPbX3 NCs doped with transition metal ions. This work places the halide perovskite NCs one-step closer in designing the environmentally benign and energy-efficient WLEDs.