cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of pressure on the phase behavior and structure of water confined between nanoscale hydrophobic and hydrophilic plates

We perform systematic molecular dynamics simulations of water confined between two nanoscale plates at $T=300\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$. We investigate the effect of pressure $(\ensuremath{-}0.15\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{GPa}\ensuremath{\leqslant}P\ensuremath{\leqslant}0.2\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{GPa})$ and plate separation $(0.4\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}\ensuremath{\leqslant}d\ensuremath{\leqslant}1.6\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm})$ on the phase behavior of water when the plates are either hydrophobic or hydrophilic. When water is confined between hydrophobic plates, capillary evaporation occurs between the plates at low enough $P$. The threshold value of $d$ at which this transition occurs decreases with $P$ (e.g., $1.6\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}$ at $P\ensuremath{\approx}\ensuremath{-}0.05\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{GPa}$, $0.5\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}$ at $P\ensuremath{\approx}0.1\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{GPa}$), until, at high $P$, no capillary evaporation occurs. For $d\ensuremath{\approx}0.6\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}$ and $P\ensuremath{\geqslant}0.1\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{GPa}$, the system crystallizes into a bilayer ice. A $P$-$d$ phase diagram showing the vapor, liquid, and bilayer ice phases is proposed. When water is confined by hydrophilic (hydroxylated silica) plates, it remains in the liquid phase at all $P$ and $d$ studied. Interestingly, we observe for this case that even at the $P$ at which bulk water cavitates, the confined water remains in the liquid state. We also study systematically the state of hydration at different $P$ for both kinds of plates. For the range of conditions studied here, we find that in the presence of hydrophobic plates the effect of $P$ is to enhance water structure and to push water molecules toward the plates. The average orientation of water molecules next to the hydrophobic plates does not change upon pressurization. In contrast, in the presence of hydrophilic plates, water structure is insensitive to $P$. Hence, our results suggest that upon pressurization, hydrophobic plates behave as ``soft'' surfaces (in the sense of accommodating pressure-dependent changes in water structure) while hydrophilic walls behave as ``hard'' surfaces.
Seed desiccation tolerance and storability: Dependence on flatulence-producing oligosaccharides and cyclitols—review and survey

Stachyose, raffinose and related flatulence-producing oligosaccharides (α-galactosyl derivatives of sucrose) are associated with desiccation tolerance and storability of seed germplasm. Orthodox seeds of species with a sucrose-to-oligosaccharide ratio of 10 years while those >1.0 have a storability half-viability period <10 years. Seeds vary in their composition of oligosaccharides and some accumulate α-galactosyl derivatives of cyclitols. Known and proposed pathways for biosynthesis of soluble oligosaccharides, cyclitols and galactosyl derivatives of cyclitols are presented. Axes, cotyledons, embryos or seeds of 19 species in 7 families (all orthodox seeds) were analysed for sucrose, galactosyl derivatives of sucrose, cyclitols and galactosyl derivatives of cyclitols by high resolution gas chromatography. Sucrose and myo-inositol are universally present and galactinol is present in seeds accumulating stachyose series oligosaccharides. Seeds of some species of Leguminosae accumulate mostly stachyose series oligosaccharides, whereas seeds of other species accumulate varying levels of galactosyl derivatives of cyclitols in addition. Castor bean (Euphorbiaceae) seeds accumulate galactinol and buckwheat (Polygonaceae) embryos accumulate galacto-chiro-inositol instead of the stachyose series oligosaccharides. The mass ratio of sucrose:non-sucrose is related to storability and is applicable to seeds accumulating cyclitol derivatives. Galactinol and galacto-chiro-inositol are proposed to function in the same role as raffinose and stachyose in facilitating desiccation tolerance and storability.
Robust control design for uncertain sampled data systems

The authors present a procedure for designing a full state feedback linear control law that guarantees stability of an uncertain sampled data system. A continuous-time system with matched time-invariant uncertainties in the system matrix is sampled at an interval T. A discrete linear controller that uses the sampled states is designed. The controller is designed neglecting O(T/sup 2/) uncertainty terms in the discretized state space model. It is then verified that the system is stable for this choice of T with the O(T/sup 2/) terms included. A sufficiently small positive T that assures stability is guaranteed to exist. >
Impact of network subsystem on reliable transport protocol performance over wireless links

We consider the impact of system-related overheads on the performance of two reliable transport protocols (TCP and XCP) over wireless links. Our measurement results indicate that various components providing networking support at a wireless host collectively have significant impact on transport layer performance. Furthermore, the relative performance of protocols is dependent on the host's network subsystem configuration. These results highlight the importance of considering system-dependent behaviors in wireless network protocol evaluations
Precipitation of Oxygen and Intrinsic Gettering in Silicon

In this review, dislocations introduced by prismatic punching at SiO2 precipitate sites in Czochralski silicon are shown to act as metal adsorption centers. Conditions necessary to localize SiO2 precipitate and dislocation complexes in wafer regions remote from semiconductor devices are discussed. This localization achieves an intrinsic gettering effect. The application of the intrinsic gettering mechanism to bipolar and MOS device technologies is shown to improve device performance and leakage limited yields.
Evolutionary Biology and Classical Teleological Arguments for God's Existence

Much has been made of how Darwinian thinking destroyed proofs for the existence of God from ‘design’ in the universe. I challenge that prevailing view by looking closely at classical ‘teleological’ arguments for the existence of God. One version championed by Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas stems from how chance is not a sufficient kind of ultimate explanation of the universe. In the course of constructing this argument, I argue that the classical understanding of teleology is no less necessary in modern Darwinian biology than it was in Aristotle's time. In fact, modern biology strengthens the claims that teleological arguments make by vindicating many of their key features. As a consequence, I show how Aristotle and Aquinas' teleological argument for an intelligent First Cause remains valid.
ETHNIC GROUP DIFFERENCES IN COGNITIVE ABILITY IN EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS: A META‐ANALYSIS

The cognitive ability levels of different ethnic groups have interested psychologists for over a century. Many narrative reviews of the empirical literature in the area focus on the Black-White differences, and the reviews conclude that the mean difference in cognitive ability (9) is approximately 1 standard deviation; that is, the generally accepted effect size is about 1.0. We conduct a meta-analytic review that suggests that the one standard deviation effect size accurately summarizes Black-White differences for college application tests (e.g., SAT) and overall analyses of tests of g for job applicants in corporate settings. However, the 1 standard deviation summary of group differences fails to capture many of the complexities in estimating ethnic group differences in employment settings. For example, our results indicate that job complexity, the use of within job versus across job study design, focus on applicant versus incumbent samples, and the exact construct of interest are important moderators of standardized group differences. In many instances, standardized group differences are less than 1 standard deviation. We conduct similar analyses for Hispanics, when possible, and note that Hispanic-White differences are somewhat less than Black-White differences.
Public procurement design: Lessons from the private sector ☆

Abstract Public procurement regulations put constraints on the contracts and award mechanisms that public procurement agencies can use. These constraints are not present in the private sector, and recent studies suggest that the added flexibility in private sector procurement offers efficiency advantages. This paper offers a short progress report of these recent studies, and argues for the need to enhance the tools that are currently at the disposal of public sector procurement offices.
Improving image contrast using coded excitation for ultrasonic imaging

A method for improving the contrast resolution while maintaining the −6 dB axial resolution of ultrasonic B-mode images is proposed. The technique proposed is known as eREC-FC, which enhances a recently developed REC-FC technique. REC-FC is a combination of the coded excitation technique known as resolution enhancement compression (REC) and the speckle-reduction technique frequency compounding (FC). In REC-FC, the speckle is reduced and the contrast is improved but at the expense of a reduction in axial resolution. However, by compounding various REC-FC images made from various subband widths the tradeoff between axial resolution and contrast enhancement can be extended. Simulations and experimental measurements were conducted with a single-element transducer (f/2.66) having a center frequency of 2.25 MHz and a −3-dB bandwidth of 50%. Measurements of tissue-mimicking targets of various contrast levels and diameters were imaged. The image quality metrics used to compare eREC-FC to conventional pulsing (CP), REC, and REC-FC were contrast-to-noise, and histogram overlap. Maximum and minimum increases in CNR of 189% and 88% were observed when comparing eREC-FC to CP for the 12 mm in diameter +6 dB and −3dB targets, respectively. Image histrogram analysis between the target and background regions suggested that improved lesion detectability was observed by using eREC-FC as the overlap between the two histograms was minimized. With eREC-FC technique the axial resolution was preserved (i.e., same axial resolution that would be typically observed with conventional excitation with a pulse).
Efficient, Feature-based, Conditional Random Field Parsing

Discriminative feature-based methods are widely used in natural language processing, but sentence parsing is still dominated by generative methods. While prior feature-based dynamic programming parsers have restricted training and evaluation to artificially short sentences, we present the first general, featurerich discriminative parser, based on a conditional random field model, which has been successfully scaled to the full WSJ parsing data. Our efficiency is primarily due to the use of stochastic optimization techniques, as well as parallelization and chart prefiltering. On WSJ15, we attain a state-of-the-art F-score of 90.9%, a 14% relative reduction in error over previous models, while being two orders of magnitude faster. On sentences of length 40, our system achieves an F-score of 89.0%, a 36% relative reduction in error over a generative baseline.
Dynamic Spectrum Management With the Competitive Market Model

Ye [?Competitive Communication Spectrum Economy and Equilibrium,? 2008, working paper] and Lin [?Budget Allocation in a Competitive Communication Spectrum Economy,? EURASIP J. Adv. Signal Process., Article ID: 963717, vol. 2009, p. 12, Sep. 2009] have shown that dynamic spectrum management (DSM) using the market competitive equilibrium (CE), which sets a price for transmission power on each channel, leads to better system performance in terms of the total data transmission rate (by reducing cross talk), than using the Nash equilibrium (NE). But how to achieve such a CE is an open problem. We show that the CE is the solution of a linear complementarity problem (LCP) and can be computed efficiently. We propose a decentralized tatonnement process for adjusting the prices to achieve a CE. We show that under reasonable conditions, any tatonnement process converges to the CE. The conditions are that users of a channel experience the same noise levels and that the crosstalk effects between users are low-rank and weak.
Millimeter-Wave Transmittance Measurements on Ferrites Near Ferromagnetic Resonance

This paper presents complex dielectric permittivity and magnetic permeability measurements of pure and diluted barium ferrites in the millimeter-wave frequency range. A broadband quasi-optical millimeter-wave spectroscopy with backward-wave oscillators as high-power tunable sources of coherent radiation has been utilized. The real and imaginary parts of the dielectric permittivity and magnetic permeability as functions of frequency are computed from the transmittance spectra. A magneto-optical approach in millimeter waves has been successfully employed for the separation of the dielectric and magnetic effects and the simultaneous determination of the magnetic and dielectric parameters of barium ferrite materials near ferromagnetic resonance.
Threshold Logic Gene Regulatory Networks

Gene regulation is an important modeling problem in biology. The deluge of data generated by improved techniques of gene sequencing will not be of much use until we develop accurate and efficient gene regulatory network (GRN) models. In this paper a novel threshold logic gene regulatory model is proposed. This model has been demonstrated to be powerful enough to explain gene interaction and cellular processes. A novel programmable hardware implementation to speed up the gene network simulation is presented. Some insights into the extension of this model are provided.
Inhibitory effect of caffeine on pacemaker activity in the oviduct is mediated by cAMP-regulated conductances.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Spontaneous electrical activity, termed slow waves, drives rhythmic, propulsive contractions in the smooth muscle of the oviduct (myosalpinx). Myosalpinx contractions cause egg transport through the oviduct. Agents that disrupt slow wave pacemaker activity will therefore disrupt myosalpinx contractions and egg transport. Caffeine is commonly used as a ryanodine receptor agonist and has been previously associated with delayed conception. Here we assessed the effects of caffeine on pacemaker activity in the murine myosalpinx. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH The effects of caffeine on electrical pacemaker activity were studied using intracellular microelectrode and isometric force measurements on intact oviduct muscle preparations. Responses to caffeine were compared with responses caused by 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) and forskolin. KEY RESULTS Caffeine caused hyperpolarization of membrane potential and inhibited slow wave generation and myosalpinx contractions. The effects of caffeine could be mimicked by the KATP channel agonist pinacidil and antagonized by the KATP channel antagonist glibenclamide. Caffeine is known to inhibit cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs), leading to an increase in cytosolic cAMP and stimulation of downstream cAMP-dependent mechanisms. The effects of caffeine were mimicked by the PDE inhibitor, IBMX, and the adenylyl cyclase activator forskolin. These effects were also reversed by glibenclamide. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS These results suggest that caffeine activates KATP channels in oviduct myosalpinx. Since caffeine abolishes slow waves and associated contractions of the myosalpinx, it would have a negative effect on egg transport through the oviduct and may contribute to the documented delayed conception in women consuming caffeinated beverages.
Re-thinking non-rigid structure from motion

We present a novel approach to non-rigid structure from motion (NRSFM) from an orthographic video sequence, based on a new interpretation of the problem. Existing approaches assume the object shape space is well-modeled by a linear subspace. Our approach only assumes that small neighborhoods of shapes are well-modeled with a linear subspace. This constrains the shapes to belong to a manifold of dimensionality equal to the number of degrees of freedom of the object. After showing that the problem is still overconstrained, we present a solution composed of a novel initialization algorithm, followed by a robust extension of the Locally Smooth Manifold Learning algorithm tailored to the NRSFM problem. We finally present some test cases where the linear basis method fails (and is actually not meant to work) while the proposed approach is successful.
Mycorrhizal fungi enhance accumulation and tolerance of chromium in sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

Summary Chromium (Cr) is a heavy metal risk to human health, and a contaminant found in agricultural soils and industrial sites. Phytoremediation, which relies on phytoextraction of Cr with biological organisms, is an important alternative to costly physical and chemical methods of treating contaminated sites. The ability of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AM),Glomus intraradices, to enhance Cr uptake and plant tolerance was tested on the growth and gas exchange of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Mycorrhizal-colonized (AM) and non-inoculated (Non-AM) sunflower plants were subjected to two Cr species [trivalent cation (Cr3+) {Cr(III)}, and divalent dichromate anion (Cr2O7−) {Cr(VI)}]. Both Cr species depressed plant growth, decreased net photosynthesis (A) and increased the vapor pressure difference; however, Cr(VI) was more toxic. Chromium accumulation was greatest in roots, intermediate in stems and leaves, and lowest in flowers. Greater Cr accumulation occurred with Cr(VI) than Cr(III). AM enhanced the ability of sunflower plants to tolerate and hyperaccumulate Cr. At higher Cr levels greater mycorrhizal dependency occurred, as indicated by proportionally greater growth, higherA and reduced visual symptoms of stress, compared to Non-AM plants. AM plants had greater Cr-accumulating ability than Non-AM plants at the highest concentrations of Cr(III) and Cr(VI), as indicated by the greater Cr phytoextraction coefficient. Mycorrhizal colonization (arbuscule, vesicle, and hyphae formation) was more adversely affected by Cr(VI) than Cr(III), however high levels of colonization still occurred at even the most toxic levels. Arbuscules, which play an important role in mineral ion exchange in root cortical cells, had the greatest sensitivity to Cr toxicity. Higher levels of both Cr species reduced leaf tissue phosphorus (P). While tissue P was higher in AM plants at the highest Cr(III) level, tissue P did not account for mycorrhizal benefits observed with Cr(VI) plants.
Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents in Anemia: Use and Misuse

Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) have been in use for 2 decades. After the initial introduction for their use in anemia of end-stage renal disease, indications for the use of ESAs have widened to anemia of predialysis chronic kidney disease, cancer chemotherapy, HIV disease and orthopedic surgery. Along with the considerable benefits associated with the use of ESAs, adverse events have become apparent, in large part from overcorrection of the anemia. Data from recent studies have prompted several FDA warnings imposing the health provider to follow stringent criteria for the use of ESAs; these include close follow-up of patients, along with use of specific laboratory tests and criteria for dosing. Although adverse effects may partly relate to misuse, when appropriately administered, ESAs are useful agents in the medication armamentarium in the treatment of certain forms of anemia, with potential to improve outcomes and quality of life in some anemic individuals.
An intelligent tutor for diagnostic problem solving in complex dynamic systems

An intelligent tutoring system (ITS) is discussed that helps to organize system knowledge and operational information, including symptom-cause relationships, to enhance operator performance. The ITS incorporates the structure, function and behavior of the controlled system in an appropriate form that achieves cognitive compatibility with the operators. In addition, the ITS contains a normative task model that provides it with the ability to infer the trainee's misconceptions. The example system considered is an intelligent tutor to be used for training operators to troubleshoot large dynamic systems. >
An elastic-plastic contact model for a rough surface with an ion-plated soft metallic coating

An elastic-plastic asperity contact model for surfaces with an ion-plated soft metallic coating is presented. The model reflects the experimental observations that the wear mechanism for the coating is microcutting and that for the substrate is adhesive. The Greenwood-Williamson asperity model is used as a basis for a rough surface analysis. A modified elastic-plastic contact model is used for the asperities having contact with the substrate, and a plastic contact model is used for the asperities having contact with the soft coating. The results indicate that a fully plastic contact model might be sufficient for prediction of the contact area for a surface with a high plasticity index. The contact area and the normal contact load of a surface with a higher plasticity index are less sensitive to the coating thickness than those of a surface with a lower plasticity index. When the surfaces are lightly loaded, a thin coating could potentially increase the contact stiffness of the surfaces owing to the increase in the contact area because of plastic deformation of the coating.
A Mixed Methods Analysis of the Place-Related Risk and Protective Factors for Hospital Admissions and Emergency Department Visits among Children with Complex Chronic Conditions

Purpose: Children with complex chronic conditions (CCC) have high health care needs and utilization. The purpose of this study was to identify place-related risk and protective factors associated with hospital utilization among children with CCC. Methods: A mixed methods study was conducted to generate a risk profile of place-related factors associated with hospital utilization. The quantitative phase of the study consisted of retrospective review of 216 urban hospital medical records of infants and young children with CCC. The qualitative phase of the study included interviews with parents/caregivers and focus groups with health care providers (HCPs) of children with CCC. Results from multiple regression modeling and directed content analysis were merged using a side-by-side table organized by ecological level. Findings: Place-related risk and protective factors on multiple ecological levels were identified. Key place-related factors associated with hospital utilization were more complex conditions, positive relationships with HCPs, more parent/family resources, and having fewer place-related resources. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest patterns of health care utilization among infants and young children with CCC are influenced by place-related factors. Parent relationships with HCPs and comfort with care, hospital resources, and parent resources determine location of care. Results of this study also imply place-related disparities in access to care, especially among children in smaller metropolitan areas and rural-dwelling children. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/ 10.14574/ojrnhc.v15i2.364 Keywords: Rural population, Rural health services, Infant, Child, Preschool, Chronic disease
Multilevel TLIF for Spinal Deformity

Adult spinal deformity (ASD) refers to an abnormal spinal curvature in the coronal, axial, and sagittal plane in adult patients. Most ASDs are de novo degenerative deformities that are caused by asymmetric disc and facet degeneration or osteoporotic spine insufficiency fracture [20]. Recent publications have indicated that the prevalence of any radiographic evidence of ASD can be as high as 60 % in adults older than 60 years of age [19, 24] and symptomatic scoliosis is seen in 6–30 % of the elderly population. Patients with ASD most commonly seek treatment due to pain and disability from the deformity and its associated disc degeneration, spinal stenosis, nerve roots compression, lateral listhesis, spondylolisthesis, and the overall loss of spinopelvic balance. Most symptomatic ASD patients are initially treated with conservative measures such as physical therapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication, and narcotic analgesics. When conservative treatment fails, operative procedures aiming to decompress lumbar nerve roots and the thecal sac stabilize unstable motion segments, reestablish global spinal balance in all planes, and prevent deformity progression are indicated.
Stone Damage Modes During Piezoelectric Shock Wave Delivery

Using stone phantom models made of plaster of Paris, different modes of stone damage were observed during piezoelectric lithotripter shock wave delivery. A stone phantom in the configuration of a square slab (80 mm by 80 mm by 8 mm) was positioned in water with its horizontal midsurface placed at the geometric focal plane of a Wolf Piezolith 2300 lithotripter. After shock wave exposure, damage was seen at both the lower surface (the surface facing the wave arrival) and the upper surface (the surface distal from the wave arrival) of the stone. The fracture surfaces of the residual pieces of plaster were examined by scanning electron microscopy at 10X, 100X and 1000X magnification. Two different modes of stone damage were observed: damage due to cavitation microjets and damage secondary to spalling. At the surface of the phantom directly facing the incident wave, damage of a cavitation type was observed. The cavitation damage was a deep crater (approximately 3 mm diameter) surrounded by an annular zone (approximately 6 mm diameter) of flake-off failure. Under magnification, surface erosion with scattered pits (ranging from 10 to 300 microns) was observed. The surface erosion was caused by repeated loading, whereas the pits were caused by the high velocity penetration of microjets formed from freshly collapsed cavitation bubbles. At the distal surface of the stone phantom, damage of a spalling type was observed. The spalling damage was characterized by separation of a spherical cap from the pellet surface. Irregular but fine grain texture was found on the fracture surface, a pattern commonly seen on brittle materials after tensile failure. The incident compression wave was reflected as tensile wave at the distal surface of the phantom due to the lower wave impedance of the neighboring water. The separation of the cap occurred when the reflected tension exceeded the tensile strength of the stone.
A Novel Technique for Viable Cell Determinations

We have developed a simple method to determine cell viability using two fluorescent dyes, Hoechst 33258 and acridine orange. When these dyes are used in combination, dead cells fluoresce brilliant ...
Formal Devices for Design

Many of the formal devices used in mechanical design are also used in architecture. This is probably no accident. These subjects — mechanical design and architecture — have parallel histories that can be traced at least to Vitruvius. Vitruvius counts mechanical design as one of the three departments of architecture, and devotes an entire book to the design and construction of machinery. The importance of this exposition is confirmed by Ernst Mach, who turns admiringly to Vitruvius in The Science of Mechanics for an account of ancient practice. History, however, may be gratuitous. Substantive links between mechanical design and architecture are more compelling, and are not hard to find. Both subjects are concerned with making things that are described according to form and function.
Working Towards a Deeper Understanding of Digital Safety for Children and Young People in Developing Nations

This exploratory study is a first output of an ongoing collaboration between the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and UNICEF. It is intended as a contribution towards building a deeper understanding of children’s safety in a digital context in developing nations. More specifically, the objectives of the paper are threefold: First (and foremost), it seeks to raise awareness about issues related to digital safety for youth in developing nations. Second, it aims to provide a tentative map of these issues and give insights into the current state of the respective research based on an exploratory literature review. Third, the paper seeks to outline the contours of a research framework through a series of working hypotheses that might inform subsequent research efforts on these issues by connecting efforts in developing and industrialized nations. The topic of this paper is challenging along a number of dimensions, including the complexity of the subject of investigation, cultural expectations and tolerance, language barriers, the highly limited availability of data, and limited access to scholarship from developing nations to the extent that it exists. We therefore decided not only to take a collaborative approach to research this paper (see methodology paragraph in paper), but also to release it as a “learning document” by soliciting feedback, comments, pointers to additional materials, etc. At the end of such a participatory period and after additional research on our end, the hope is to publish a revised and extended version of this paper in the format of a white paper.
Anti-American Behavior in the Middle East: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Lebanon

Based on public opinion data, anti-Americanism of one form or another is endemic in the Middle East. This paper examines the extent to which hostility generalizes beyond opposition to American foreign policy but is unique to the United States. It conducts a field experiment in Lebanon that manipulates the putative sponsor of a survey and draws on a simple behavioral outcome: do people refuse to be interviewed based on who they think is asking the questions? Results show that academic sponsors do not affect participation rates but that refusals spike under government sponsorship of multiple nationalities—behavioral patterns which replicate in communities that vary widely in their a priori levels of hostility to the United States. Ironically, systematic opt-outs by political opponents make people in the government conditions appear more rather than less supportive of US-favored policies compared to their peers in the other treatment groups.
Review of the subgenus Geron ( Geron ) Meigen in the Nearctic Region (Diptera: Bombyliidae: Toxophorinae)

The bombyliid subgenus Geron ( Geron ) Meigen as it occurs in the Nearctic Region is reviewed. A total of 28 species are found to comprise the subgenus in the Nearctic. The following 16 new species are described and illustrated: Geron albipilosus Hall & Evenhuis, sp . nov ., G. borealis Hall & Evenhuis, sp . nov ., G. confusus Hall & Evenhuis, sp . nov ., G. cressoni Hall & Evenhuis, sp . nov ., G. elachys Hall & Evenhuis, sp . nov ., G. eriogonae Hall & Evenhuis, sp . nov ., G. halli Evenhuis, sp . nov ., G. infrequens Hall & Evenhuis, sp . nov ., G. monticola Hall & Evenhuis, sp . nov ., G. nevadensis Hall & Evenhuis, sp . nov ., G. notios Hall & Evenhuis, sp . nov ., G. painteri Hall & Evenhuis, sp . nov ., G. peucon Hall & Evenhuis, sp . nov ., G. prosopidis Hall & Evenhuis, sp . nov ., G. stenos Hall & Evenhuis, sp . nov ., and G. weemsi Hall & Evenhuis, sp . nov . The following are found to be new junior synonyms: Geron perplexus Tabet, 2001 = Geron argutus Painter, syn . nov ., G. saxosus Tabet, 2001 = G. holosericeus Walker, syn . nov ., and G. antologos Tabet, 2001 = G. senilis (Fabricius, 1794), syn . nov .
Growth Rate and Flame Structure of Turbulent Premixed Flame Kernels in Supersonic Flows

A fundamental study of the radial growth and flame surface characteristics of freely propagating spherical flames is conducted in a 50 × 50 mm, M = 1.5 supersonic wind tunnel. Free stream turbulence is enhanced via passive and active turbulence generators upstream of the converging-diverging nozzle. Methane-air flame kernels are ignited via a single pulse of a frequency doubled green (532 nm) Nd:YAG laser. Simultaneous stereoPIV/OH PLIF measurements and asynchronous Schlieren and OH chemiluminescence are collected at several downstream locations to evaluate the flame kernel evolution. Time averaged parameters: turbulent displacement velocity, mean and rms velocities, turbulence autocorrelation and energy spectra are presented. Extra consideration is given to the terms pertinent to numerical model evaluation in supersonic flows.
Anomalous structure-property relationships in metallic glasses through pressure-mediated glass formation

Metallic glasses are commonly found to favor denser packing structures and icosahedral order in experiments, simulations, and theoretical models. Here we present a molecular dynamics simulation study of Cu-Zr metallic glasses, prepared through a pressure-mediated pathway. The resulting glasses exhibit anomalous structure-property relationships; these glasses are less energetically stable, concomitant with a denser atomic packing and a significant increase in icosahedral short-range order. The enhanced icosahedral order is shown to be accompanied by a pressure-mediated change in chemical short-range order. The results demonstrate that in amorphous alloys (nonmonatomic), theoretical frameworks of the two-order-parameter model must be generalized to account for chemical degrees of freedom.
Discussion on Microwave Digestion and GFAAS Method for As in Foods

AAS analytical method for As with NiNO3-BdCl2 as matrix modifier after microwave digestion was studied.The result showed that the method had no distinct difference with national standard method for As,not only with high sensibility for the requirement of sanitation standard of As moniter,but also with rapid,easy and accurate characters.This method was satistactory for health satandard.
Family studies of MZ twins discordant for schizophrenia: neurological findings.

Over the past six years the Section on Twin and Sibling Studies, NIMH, has conducted intensive studies of 16 families with MZ twins discordant for schizophrenia. In addition, 3 families in which both twins were schizophrenic and 4 with no known psychiatric illness have been similarly investigated. Each family is admitted to the Clinical Center, NIH, for two weeks of multi-disciplinary investigation. In the hope of shedding light on the question of neurologic findings in schizophrenic patients and their role in this disorder, detailed neurological examinations are performed on the twins by two neurologists. Patients with gross neurologic disturbance are screened out by our selection criteria. The examiners are therefore explicitly seeking minor deviations in neurologic status, rather than patterns of symptoms and signs leading to a specific neurologic diagnosis. Given this context, the neurologists recorded substantial numbers of signs. Yet, in none of the twins was there sufficient evidence to warrant a neurologic diagnosis. The pairs of neurologic reports were subjected to a variety of procedures, in an attempt to quantify the results. For example, 11 of the first 13 index schizophrenic twins, as compared with 1 of 13 cotwin controls, were rated as having “probable” or “definite” neurologic abnormality, based upon the senior author's analysis of the number and type of signs recorded and the degree of agreement between the examiners. Significant group differences on number of signs reported were found between schizophrenics and nonschizophrenics, schizophrenic indexes and their cotwin controls, and schizophrenics and normals. In contrast, there were no significant group differences in the number of signs found between the nonschizophrenic cotwin controls and the normal twins.
Epidermoid cyst of the floor of the mouth

The characteristics and incidence of dermoid cysts of the floor of the mouth are reviewed. The epidermoid cyst in the sublingual (genioglossal) position is unique because of its size and the advanced age of presentation. The use of preoperative lateral xerography was beneficial in determining the extent of the lesion and in visualizing the partial obstruction of the upper airway. An intraoral surgical technique was used to treat the cyst.
Cloud migration using automated planning

Cloud migration transforms company's data, applications and services to (or between) one or more other Cloud environments. Enterprises are increasingly migrating their IT infrastructures to Cloud, given the appeal of (pay-per-use) elastic resources. Yet, existing IT infrastructures are complex, heterogeneous and dynamic ecosystems. As a result, there is no single standardized process to seamlessly manage migration at enterprise scale, and often significant level of manual intervention is required, both in reasoning about migration and during its execution. This paper presents a system that automates the process of migration to Cloud. It embeds a Metric-FF Artificial Intelligence (AI) planning algorithm to dynamically assemble migration plans based on the properties of source and target environments, as well as available migration tooling. The paper describes the challenges in migration planning, AI domain design for migration. This work demonstrates that the system provides an effective and scalable solution to generating plans based on the source environment of 700 servers, and varying size of the migration service requests.
Voices From the Field: The Higher Education Community

As a licensed psychologist, educator, and researcher, my primary focus is on twice-exceptional individuals. I am interested in identifying their multifaceted needs, both in their talent domains and...
Empirical force field-based kinetic Monte Carlo simulation of precipitate evolution and growth in Al-Cu alloys

Ability to accelerate the morphological evolution of nanoscale precipitates is a fundamental challenge for atomistic simulations. Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) methodology is an effective approach for accelerating the evolution of nanoscale systems that are dominated by so-called rare events. The quality and accuracy of energy landscape used in KMC calculations can be significantly improved using DFT-informed interatomic potentials. Using newly developed computational framework that uses molecular simulator LAMMPS as a library function inside KMC solver SPPARKS, we investigated formation and growth of Guiner–Preston (GP) zones in dilute Al–Cu alloys at different temperature and copper concentrations. The KMC simulations with angular dependent potential (ADP) predict formation of coherent disc-shaped monolayers of copper atoms (GPI zones) in early stage. Such monolayers are then gradually transformed into energetically favored GPII phase that has two aluminum layers sandwiched between copper layers. We analyzed the growth kinetics of KMC trajectory using Johnson–Mehl–Avrami (JMA) theory and obtained a phase transformation index close to 1.0. In the presence of grain boundaries, the KMC calculations predict the segregation of copper atoms near the grain boundaries instead of formation of GP zones. The computational framework presented in this work is based on open source potentials and MD simulator and can predict morphological changes during the evolution of the alloys in the bulk and around grain boundaries.
An ensemble of one-class SVMs for fingerprint spoof detection across different fabrication materials

A fingerprint recognition system is vulnerable to spoof attacks, where a fake fingerprint is used to circumvent the system. To counter such attacks, an automated spoof detector is used to distinguish images of fake fingerprints from those of real live fingerprints. Most spoof detectors adopt a machine learning approach, where a classifier is trained to distinguish between “spoof” and “live” samples. Such approaches require training samples from both classes. However, there are two fundamental concerns. Firstly, the number of spoof samples available during the training stage is typically much less than the number of live samples, resulting in imbalanced training sets. Secondly, the spoof detector may encounter spoofs fabricated using materials that were not “seen” in the training set, thereby failing to detect them. In order to alleviate some of these concerns, we adopt a One Class Support Vector Machine (OC-SVM) approach that predominantly uses training samples from only a single class, i.e., the live class, to generate a hyper sphere that encompasses most of the live samples. The goal is to learn the concept of a “live” fingerprint. The boundary of the hyper sphere is refined using a small number of spoof samples. The proposed method uses an ensemble of such OC-SVMs based on different feature sets. Experimental results on the LivDet2011 database show the advantages of the proposed ensemble of OC-SVMs for detecting spoofs generated from previously “unseen” materials.
Methodology to evaluate performance of pavement structure using soil moisture profile

Variation of moisture content in the subgrade layer of a flexible pavement may play a significant role in its structural performance by influencing the stiffness of the pavement system. The objective of this study is to develop and test methodologies to incorporate the soil moisture profile into flexible pavement evaluation and to determine how the changes of water table level will affect the pavement deformation. Falling weight deflectometer (FWD) data at two locations in Minnesota and Oklahoma were used to estimate the in situ measured pavement deformation with seasonal changes of water content. Then, a layer elastic analysis approach was adjusted to include the moisture dependency of the subgrade resilient modulus in calculating the deflection basin. The controlling parameters in these set of analyses were asphalt layer temperature, the degree of water saturation in unbound materials, depth to the groundwater table, and depth to bedrock. The environmental data for this study were obtained from the Long...
Art, Spirituality, and Ren or the Ethics of Care: Shawn Wong, Li-Young Lee, and Russell C. Leong

ART, SPIRITUALITY, AND REN uncovers alternative masculine models in works that valorize spiritual pursuit, artistic accomplishment, and the ethics of care advocated alike by Confucius and feminists. Shawn Wong, Li-Young Lee, and Russell C. Leong counter the “emasculation” of Asian men without succumbing to aggressive or self-denigrating counterexamples. Wong’s American Knees features a seductive lover whose eloquence and wit are reminiscent of Chinese poet-scholars. Lee’s Winged Seed portrays a spellbinding Christian pastor who ministers tirelessly to the needy. Leong’s “Phoenix Eyes” sketches gay men who practice mutual caring in the shadow of AIDS and in the light of Buddhism. These works also reveal how perceptions of masculinity fluctuate with geographical location and with the racial makeup of the dominant culture.
Impulsivity and history of behavioral addictions are associated with drug use in adolescents.

Abstract Background Previous literature suggests that trait impulsivity and engagement in non-drug-related behavioral addictions (e.g., Internet addiction, food addiction) are two risk factors for drug use. Here we further investigated the potential impact of having one or both of these risk factors on drug use in Los Angeles area adolescents. Method High school students ( N = 1612; Mean age = 14.1) completed self-report surveys measuring two potential risk factors (impulsivity, lifetime history of several behavioral addictions), and past 6-month use of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana. Participants who reported never using drugs completed questionnaires assessing their susceptibility for future use. Results In general, adolescents who endorsed either impulsivity alone or at least two behavioral addictions alone were more likely to have used tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana compared to individuals who had neither risk factor (OR = 2.50–4.13), and individuals who endorsed both impulsivity and three or more behavioral addictions were the most likely to have used these drugs (OR = 9.40–10.13). Similarly, among those who had never tried a drug, individuals with this combined set of risk factors were the most likely to be susceptible to future drug use (OR = 3.37–5.04). Discussion These results indicate that the combination of trait impulsivity and a history of behavioral addictions increases the risk for current and future drug use in adolescents, to a greater extent than either risk factor alone. It may be useful for drug prevention efforts to target impulsive adolescents who also actively engage in other non-drug-related addictive behaviors.
A self-learning algorithm for coordinated control of rooftop units in small- and medium-sized commercial buildings

Abstract With the advent of the smart grid, demand response (DR) has been implemented in many electric utility control areas to reduce peak demand in buildings during grid stress conditions. However, small- and medium-sized commercial buildings typically do not deploy a building energy management (BEM) system due to high costs of commercially available solutions. Thus, their participation in DR events implies manual control and shutting down major building loads (e.g., air conditioning systems) without considering occupant comfort. With rapid development of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, some cost-effective IoT-based BEM systems have become available. Based on such systems, this paper presents an algorithm to automatically coordinate the operation of rooftop units (RTUs) in small- and medium-sized commercial buildings, thereby meeting the specified power limit (kW) during a DR event while taking into account occupant comfort. The proposed algorithm has been designed to intelligently learn building thermal properties using coarse-grained indoor temperature data from thermostats, thus avoiding the deployment of sophisticated sensors network. A mixed-integer linear programming model has been utilized to determine an optimal RTU control strategy during a DR event. The peak load shedding performance of the proposed strategy has been tested in an office building in Blacksburg, VA, USA. The experimental result demonstrates that the building could achieve the required peak load reduction and the computation time required by the proposed algorithm is less than 5 min. This implies that with the proposed algorithm a building is capable of responding to a DR signal with a short notice, providing valuable demand-side resources for electricity capacity and ancillary markets.