cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SCR Coated DPF for Marine Engine Applications

The combination of a catalytic coating for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and a diesel particulate filter (DPF) obtains the simultaneous reduction of NOX and particulate matter in a compact exhaust after-treatment system (EATS). A diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), which is installed upstream to the SCR coated DPF (SDPF), provides the required NO2 for the passive soot regeneration. The layout of this EATS is state of the art for automotive applications. However, the requirements of a marine application, especially the high sulfur resistance, result in a significant development effort. It has been observed that the combination of vanadium-based coatings and DPF substrates made of cordierite lead to a significant deterioration of the SCR performance after different aging procedures. Contrary to this, the combination of DPFs, which consist of silicon carbide, and vanadium-based coatings, reveals a sufficient NOX reduction after aging in addition to the required sulfur resistance. Furthermore, the investigated DOC systems provides a remarkable NO2 generation, which enables the passive soot regeneration in the SDPF system, while using marine distillate fuels with a sulfur content up to 5000 ppm.
The Woman Scientist: Brief Reflections on the Visual Representation of Women

From a dropped acknowledgment on a publication to the use of women to popularize specific scientific causes, a deeper exploration of women scientists’ role warrants discussion. Here, the author exp...
Pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass using bioleaching to reduce inorganic elements

Abstract Agricultural residues and energy crops often contain high contents of alkali metals, chlorine, silica, and other elements that promote slagging, fouling, corrosion, and gas emission during thermochemical conversion (e.g., combustion and gasification). Water leaching is a common method, but not always effective to reduce such elements. Bioleaching by adding microbes to water leaching was introduced to leach cellulosic biomass in this study. Three microbial species including two fungi (Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus niger) and one bacterium (Burkholderia fungorum) were selected to leach four lignocellulosic feedstocks such as corn stover, wheat straw, switchgrass, and sorghum. Among three microbes, A. niger was found the most efficient to remove most elements by 80% in 48 h, and sorghum was relatively more amenable to bioleaching. With A. niger, the bioleaching with water to feedstock (w/w) ratio of 25 for 6 h was sufficient to leach K (85%), Cl (90%), Mg (60%), and P (70%) from sorghum. Overall, bioleaching is more efficient than water leaching except for Na. Studies on bioleaching mechanism indicated that the acidification resulted from organic acids produced by A. niger during bioleaching might contribute to the higher leaching efficiency over other microbial species and water leaching.
The Criterion Association’s Activity of 1932: ‘Idols’ Symposia, Politics, Culture

This chapter explores Criterion’s first season of events. The Criterion Association was devoted to covering relevant cultural, political and intellectual topics of the day, exposing all points of view and reaching far beyond the limits of the elite circle of the Young Generation. The symposia were attended by representatives of all ranks of Bucharest society. The symposia themselves were structured as debates, and each was presided over by a member of the Old Generation. Criterion began its unique cultural crusade with a cycle of symposia on ‘Idols’ of their day in the fall of 1932. Bejan then presents how politics interfered and forced Criterion to define its apolitical character. That autumn, Criterion also presented a more artistic, less politicized, series entitled ‘Contemporary Romanian Culture.’
Longitudinal playing trends among daily fantasy sports players

Abstract Research suggests that populations of gamblers can adapt rapidly to online sports betting services after subscribing. This pattern of adaptation typically shows an initial play increase followed by a sharp overall betting (e.g., amount wagered and number of bets) decline. Such trends are consistent with models of exposure and adaptation. Although exposure and adaptation effects are observable in a variety of situations, currently we know very little about whether these trends are evident for daily fantasy sports. Understanding this is important because many have compared daily fantasy sports with traditional gambling. To examine this issue, we conducted a longitudinal analysis of daily fantasy sports play on the DraftKings website. We followed 11,338 unique DraftKings players, tracking their overall levels of engagement (i.e., total contest entries, total contest entry fees, and total participation) for 27 months. In this paper, we present daily and monthly trends for these activities. We observed increasing engagement over time among a minority of the most involved players (MIP; i.e., the top 1% of players on each engagement metric). Less involved players (LIP), who comprised the majority of the player pool (i.e., the remaining 99% of players on each metric), tended to exhibit elevated initial engagement followed by decreasing engagement over time. Aggregate playing trends for all groups of players were seasonal, with more engagement during National Football League seasons and less engagement during off-seasons. The results of this study suggest that models of exposure and adaptation, in addition to characterizing the population trends of online gambling activities such as online sports betting, likewise can help to explain population trends of most daily fantasy sports players.
Beyond Murillo: New Data-Driven Research on the Painting Market in Early Modern Seville

While data-driven research has outlined the development of early modern art markets in Europe, the Iberian peninsula remains a lacuna in our knowledge. Seville fulfilled all the necessary prerequisites to support a sophisticated art trade. In the 16 th and early 17 th centuries, it was a large metropolis of over 100,000 inhabitants, with a growing merchant class and access to foreign markets due to its role as port to the Indies. Yet its market for paintings remains understudied. In this paper, we employ the conceptual framework of art market studies to reexamine the Sevillian art market in the 16th and 17th centuries with new evidence. First, we present the first relational database of Sevillian painters, developed by digitizing and mining twenty volumes of archival sources published from 1899 to 2006. Using this information, we provide estimates for the number of painters in the city from 1475-1700.We then divide the market into primary, secondary and tertiary sectors, and explore the evidence for the existence of other actors and institutions vital to the art trade. Finally, we finish by presenting multiple avenues for research that might be pursued in the future.
Is It Cold in Here or Is It Just Me? Analysis of Augmented Reality Temperature Visualization for Computer-Mediated Thermoception

Modern augmented reality (AR) head-mounted displays comprise a multitude of sensors that allow them to sense the environment around them. We have extended these capabilities by mounting two heat-wavelength infrared cameras to a Microsoft HoloLens, facilitating the acquisition of thermal data and enabling stereoscopic thermal overlays in the user’s augmented view. The ability to visualize live thermal information opens several avenues of investigation on how that thermal awareness may affect a user’s thermoception. We present a human-subject study, in which we simulated different temperature shifts using either heat vision overlays or 3D AR virtual effects associated with thermal cause-effect relationships (e.g., flames burn and ice cools). We further investigated differences in estimated temperatures when the stimuli were applied to either the user’s body or their environment. Our analysis showed significant effects and first trends for the AR virtual effects and heat vision, respectively, on participants’ temperature estimates for their body and the environment though with different strengths and characteristics, which we discuss in this paper.
Sensitivity analysis of hydrological parameters in modeling flow and transport in the unsaturated zone of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, USA

The unsaturated fractured volcanic deposits at Yucca Mountain have been intensively investigated as a possible repository site for storing high-level radioactive waste. Field studies at the site have revealed that there exist large variabilities in hydrological parameters over the spatial domain of the mountain. This paper reports on a systematic analysis of hydrological parameters using the site-scale 3-D unsaturated zone (UZ) flow model. The objectives of the sensitivity analyses are to evaluate the effects of uncertainties in hydrologic parameters on modeled UZ flow and contaminant transport results. Sensitivity analyses are carried out relative to fracture and matrix permeability and capillary strength (van Genuchten a), through variation of these parameter values by one standard deviation from the base-case values. The parameter variation results in eight parameter sets. Modeling results for the eight UZ flow sensitivity cases have been compared with field observed data and simulation results from the base-case model. The effects of parameter uncertainties on the flow fields are discussed and evaluated through comparison of results for flow and transport. In general, this study shows that uncertainties in matrix parameters cause larger uncertainty in simulated moisture flux than corresponding uncertainties in fracture properties for unsaturated flow through heterogeneous fractured rock.
Five Eyes to Educate Global Citizens. The Need for a Useful Theory of Global Education

This book examines how to educate students to be globally aware, globally minded, and globally proficient. It explains why educating students as global citizens matters for students, for schools, and for the future of humanity. While a growing number of parents and educators understand the importance of these goals, significantly less of them act on that awareness effectively. This gap between awareness and action is rooted in a wide schism between scholarship on global education and practice. As a result of this gap, two disconnected strands of literature guide, or more appropriately provide insufficient guidance, to the field: academic literature and practical guides.
1.12 – Cytolethality*

Although many toxic stresses kill cells, the mode of cell killing typically follows one of two patterns. The first is a form of programmed cell death called apoptosis. In apoptosis, individual cells are broken up and resorbed in an orderly fashion through adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-requiring pathways activated by proteases called caspases. The second mode of cell death is necrosis, also called oncosis. Oncotic necrosis typically results from profound metabolic disruption leading to ATP depletion and cellular swelling. Plasma membrane rupture with release of cellular contents then follows as the key event precipitating onset of cell death. In both apoptosis and necrosis, mitochondrial dysfunction and permeabilization are important initiating events. With increasing intensity, the same stimuli that induce apoptosis frequently also cause ATP depletion and necrotic cell death as a consequence of mitochondrial dysfunction. Different modes of cell death from the same initiators and involving shared signaling pathways constitute necrapoptosis in which apoptosis and necrosis represent extreme ends of a phenotypic continuum.
Trends in Sentencing of Federal Drug Offenders: Findings From U.S. District Courts 2002–2017:

This study uses 16 years (2002–2017) of federal criminal drug sentences from the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC) to examine trends in two criminal sentencing outcomes: whether a defendant receive...
Guided reflective writing as a teaching strategy to develop nursing student clinical judgment.

Background Nurse educators need strategies to help develop nursing students' clinical judgment skills to practice safely. Guided reflective writing is an active learning strategy that can increase learning and promote clinical judgment in patient care. Purpose The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study, guided by Tanner's Evidence Based Clinical Judgment Model, was to examine nursing student and faculty perspectives of the benefits and challenges of guided reflective writing for clinical judgment development following clinical experiences. Method Junior- and senior-level students participated in an open-ended survey regarding their experience of the guided reflective writing assignment postclinical. A focus group gained faculty perspectives of the assignment. Results A final theme for each student group was developed: (1) organizes basic nursing care (Junior One students) and (2) sense of wholeness (Senior Two students). Progression in clinical judgment from Junior One to Senior Two students was noted. Faculty concurred with students' perspectives with their final theme, encourages deep thinking. Conclusion The results supported guided written reflection and clinical judgment development as key components to enhancing students' knowledge and preparation for complex nursing care. Guided reflective writing can be used as a reflection activity for clinical judgment development in a variety of settings including hospital, simulation, case studies, or virtual simulation.
Ethical Dilemmas in Schools : Collaborative Inquiry, Decision-Making, and Action

This work investigates the complexity of ethics as a field of inquiry and practice across a principal's career. Fully contextualized, and thus carrying the contradictions and requirements of any school, the issues realistically do not usually lead to a single, beat-all answer, as any solution will likely have positive and negative consequences. Drawn from the authors' experiences and studies of schools over decades, the central figure is a fictional principal of a magnet school, whose dilemmas reflect the questions educators must be prepared for. Each decision takes into account the principal's and staff's identities and values because they are all human and their opinions influence the outcomes. The work injects analytic, virtue, feminist, care, deontological, and critical theory insights as Deweyan ethics provides a lens for examining dilemmas. This accessible work blends reflective theory, the ordinary worlds of schools, and engaging pedagogical practice to guide those planning to enter the education sector.
Arbitrator Decision Making: When are Final Offers Important?

Central to understanding the effect of arbitration schemes on the process of collective bargaining is understanding the process by which arbitrators make decisions. A model of arbitrator behavior inconventional arbitration is developed that allows the arbitration award to be a function of both the offers of the parties and the(exogenous) facts of the case. The weight that the arbitrator puts on the facts relative to the offers is hypothesized to be a function of the quality of the offers as measured by the difference between the offers. Two special cases of this model are derived: 1) the arbitrator bases the award strictly on the offers of the parties(split-the-difference) and 2) the arbitrator bases the award strictly on the facts of the case.The model is implemented empirically using data gathered from practicing arbitrators regarding their decisions in twenty-five hypothetical cases. These data have the advantage that they allow causal inference regarding the effect on the arbitration award of the facts relative to the offers. On the basis of the estimates, both of the special case models are strongly rejected. The arbitration awards are found to be influenced by both the offers of the parties and the facts of the case. In addition, the weight put on the facts of the case relative to the offers is found to vary significantly with the quality of the offers. When the offers are of low quality (far apart)the arbitrator weights the facts more heavily and the offers less heavily.These results suggest that the naive split-the difference view of arbitrator behavior, which is the basis of the critique of conventional arbitration that has led to the adoption of final-offer arbitration, is no correct in its extreme view. On the other hand,the awards are affected by the offers so that the parties can manipulate the outcome to some extent by manipulating their offers. However, the scope for this sort of influence is limited by the finding that the offers are weighted less heavily as their quality deteriorates.
Examination of elementary students’ emotions and personal and social responsibility in physical education:

This study examined the relationships between student emotions in elementary physical education (PE) and their self-reported personal and social behaviors. Additionally, self-reported emotion and p...
Machine learning-based texture analysis for differentiation of radiologically indeterminate small adrenal tumors on adrenal protocol CT scans

To evaluate the ability of radiomic feature extraction and a machine learning algorithm to differentiate between benign and malignant indeterminate adrenal lesions on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) studies. Adrenal “incidentalomas” are adrenal lesions that are accidentally discovered during workup not related to the adrenal glands; they have an incidence as high as 5%. Small adrenal incidentalomas ( 10 HU) need further evaluation to calculate the absolute percentage of washout (APW). If the APW is 10 HU, and APW < 60%. Exclusion criteria included pheochromocytoma and no histopathological examination. CT images were converted to Nifti format, and adrenal tumors were segmented using Amira software. Radiomic features from the adrenal mask were extracted using PyRadiomics software after removing redundant features (highly pairwise correlated features and low-variance features) using recursive feature extraction to select the final discriminative set of features. Lastly, the final features were used to build a binary classification model using a random forest algorithm, which was validated and tested using leave-one-out cross-validation, confusion matrix, and receiver operating characteristic curve. We found 40 indeterminate adrenal lesions (21 benign and 19 malignant). Feature extraction resulted in 3947 features, which reduced down to 62 features after removing redundancies. Recursive feature elimination resulted in the following top 4 discriminative features: gray-level size zone matrix-derived size zone non-uniformity from pre-contrast and delayed phases, gray-level dependency matrix-derived large dependence high gray-level emphasis from venous-phase, and gray-level co-occurrence matrix-derived cluster shade from delayed-phase. A binary classification model with leave-one-out cross-validation showed AUC = 0.85, sensitivity = 84.2%, and specificity = 71.4%. Machine learning and radiomic features extraction can differentiate between benign and malignant indeterminate adrenal tumors and can be used to direct further workup with high sensitivity and specificity.
A New Approach to Coincidental Appendectomy: The Vaginal Appendectomy

Study Objective The objective of this video is to describe performance of a coincidental appendectomy at time of laparoscopic hysterectomy via vaginal access. This technique, the vaginal appendectomy (VagAppy), is beneficial as it allows performance of a coincidental appendectomy and specimen retrieval through the colpotomy. Design This is an observational case series of coincidental appendectomies performed via conventional “straight stick” and robotic-assisted laparoscopy. Stepwise demonstration of the vaginal appendectomy technique is provided with narrated video footage. Setting The surgeries in this video were performed in the operating room at an academic medical center. The patients were positioned in dorsal lithotomy position, and the hysterectomies were completed using 5mm ports (straight stick hysterectomy) and 8mm ports (robotic-assisted hysterectomy). Patients or Participants Women electing for total laparoscopic hysterectomy for the surgical management of endometriosis or chronic pelvic pain. Interventions Coincidental appendectomy at time of total laparoscopic hysterectomy. Measurements and Main Results No analyses were completed for this video. Conclusion Vaginal appendectomy is a feasible and efficient technique to perform coincidental appendectomy at time of laparoscopic hysterectomy using a transvaginal approach. It allows for the appendectomy to be completed with a laparoscopic stapler using small or reduced laparoscopic ports.
Brain Tumor Segmentation and Surveillance with Deep Artificial Neural Networks

Brain tumor segmentation refers to the process of pixel-level delineation of brain tumor structures in medical images, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Brain tumor segmentation is required for radiotherapy treatment planning and can diagnosis through surveillance. Automatic segmentation of brain tumors is a challenging problem due to the complex topology of anatomical structures, noise from image acquisition, heterogeneity of signals and spatial/structural variations of tumors. Machine Learning (ML) techniques, including Deep Artificial Neural Networks (DNNs), have shown significant improvement in classification and segmentation tasks. This chapter provides a comprehensive review of supervised learning models and architectures for image segmentation. A particular emphasis will be placed on U-Net and U-Net with Inception and dilated Inception modules for brain tumor segmentation. The performance of the proposed models is evaluated using the multi-modal BRAin Tumor Segmentation (BRATS) benchmark dataset. Furthermore, we present a new Bayesian deep learning framework, called extended Variational Density Propagation (exVDP), for quantifying uncertainty in the decision of DNNs. In particular, exVDP provides a pixel-level uncertainty map associated with the network’s segmentation output. Finally, we present clinical retrospective studies in tumor surveillance using MRI data from patients with glioma and show the advantages accrued from these methods.
CLINICAL OUTCOMES OF OPERATIVE MANAGEMENT OF CAPITELLAR OSTEOCHONDRITIS DISSECANS IN ADOLESCENT ATHLETES

Background:Capitellar osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is commonly encountered in youth athletes. There are limited reports on long term outcomes using validated outcome scores following surgical tr...
Initiation of Long-Wave Instability of Vortex Pairs at Cruise Altitudes

Previous studies have usually attributed the initiation of the long-wave instability of a vortex pair to turbulence in the atmosphere or in the wake of the aircraft. The purpose here is to show by use of observations and photographs of condensation trails shed by aircraft at cruise altitudes that another initiating mechanism is not only possible but is usually the mechanism that initiates the long-wave instability at cruise altitudes. The alternate initiating mechanism comes about when engine thrust is robust enough to form an array of circumferential vortices around each jet-engine-exhaust stream. In those cases, initiation begins when the vortex sheet shed by the wing has rolled up into a vortex pair and descended to the vicinity of the inside bottom of the combined shear-layer vortex arrays. It is the in-and-out (up and down) velocity field between sequential circumferential vortices near the bottom of the array that then impresses disturbance waves on the lift-generated vortex pair that initiate the long-wave instability. A time adjustment to the Crow and Bate estimate for vortex linking is then derived for cases when thrust-based linking occurs.
Carboranes and Organo-Substituted Boron Hydrides

Publisher Summary The term “carborane” designates a carbon-boron-hydrogen system, where both the carbon and boron atoms are incorporated into a skeletal network. In comparison, the carbon atoms of compounds designated as organoboron hydrides are of a ligand nature. Additional characteristic features of the carboranes include the polyhedral arrangement of atoms and the absence of bridge hydrogens so commonly present in the boron hydrides. The dihydrocarboranes, with two extra hydrogens present in bridge positions, may be a hydrid of the carborane and boron hydride structural patterns. All of the known carboranes have been derived either directly or indirectly from the reactions of alkynes with various boron hydrides. In these reactions, only the carbons participating in the triple bond of the alkyne become skeletal atoms in the carborane. The dehydrogenation of the cyclic diborane derivatives prepared from butadiene should lead to C4BH5 and C4B2H6. However, such a conversion may require electric discharge conditions, where extremely low yields can be expected. The chapter also describes the organosubstituted boron hydrides, such as diborane and borane derivatives, tetraborane derivatives, pentaborane derivatives, decaborane derivatives, and B10H102- and B12H122- derivatives.
Towards parallelizing the layout engine of firefox

The Mozilla Firefox browser currently accounts for ∼25% of the total web browsers market segment share, establishing itself as the second most popular browser world-wide after Microsoft's Internet Explorer. With the recent adoption of a tracing JavaScript Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler in Firefox 3.5, its performance has improved significantly, especially for web pages that make heavy use of JavaScript. Currently, the heavy performance hitter component of Firefox is its layout engine. According to our extensive performance measurements and analysis on representative applications running on Intel platforms, the layout engine of Firefox accounts for ∼40% of its total execution time, with the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) rule-matching process being the hot part of layout. We have developed a tracing and profiling mechanism that has enabled us gain in-depth insight into the CSS rule-checking runtime characteristics. This data has proven extremely helpful in determining that the CSS rule-matching component is a suitable target for parallelization. The collected trace information has also guided us to an effective parallel implementation of the Firefox CSS rule-matching component that delivers large performance speedups on popular web pages, including almost 90% of Mozilla's page-load tests that comprise ∼400 distinct web pages from all over the world. For these tests, the entire page-load process shows performance changes ranging from - 0.5x to +1.84x, with an average improvement of ∼1.1x, when two worker threads cooperate in doing the layout. To our knowledge, this is the first fully functional parallel implementation of CSS rule matching that delivers significant speedups in a world-class browser.
Characteristics of supersonic ejector systems with nonconstant area shroud

Aircraft supersonic ejector system with nonconstant area shroud stressing inviscid and viscid interaction between primary and secondary streams
To preserve or not to preserve: how difficult is the decision about fertility preservation?

BACKGROUND The decision to pursue fertility preservation (FP) after a cancer diagnosis is complex. We examined the prevalence of high decisional conflict and specific factors that influence this decision using the Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS). METHODS The FIRST project is a web-based survey of female cancer survivors (ages 18-44 years) who have undergone gonadotoxic treatment. We evaluated the association between recalled decisional conflict and referral to FP counseling and demographic, socioeconomic, and cancer variables. RESULTS Of 208 participants, 115 subjects (55%) had scores consistent with high decisional conflict (DCS score >37.5 of 100), and 43 (21%) were in the moderate range (25-37.5). In unadjusted analysis, high decisional conflict was associated with lack of referral to FP consultation, not undergoing FP treatment, concerns regarding FP cost, length of survivorship, lower income, education, partner status, and cancer type. In multivariable analysis, significantly higher prevalence of high decisional conflict was observed in participants who were not referred for FP consultation (prevalence ratio [PR], 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-1.47), as well as in participants who reported cost of FP services to be prohibitive (PR, 1.16 [95% CI, 1.03-1.31]). Prevalence of high DCS was lower for women who underwent FP treatment (PR, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.52-0.86]). CONCLUSIONS In this study of female young adult cancer survivors, the majority recalled significant decisional conflict about FP at cancer diagnosis. Increasing access to FP via referral for counseling and cost reduction may decrease decisional conflict about FP for young patients struggling with cancer and fertility decisions. Cancer 2013;119:4044–4050. © 2013 American Cancer Society.
Identification and characterization of a novel (115 kDa) neurofilament- associated kinase

Neurofilaments (NF), the major cytoskeletal component in neuronal cells, are one of the most highly phosphorylated proteins expressed in brain. Apart from the structural role NFs play in maintaining neuronal architecture, little else is known of their function. We describe here evidence suggesting that NF may support many other proteins in the neuronal axoplasm including protein kinases. In order to isolate proteins that bind NF, we first expressed the carboxyl-terminal tail domain of the mouse high-molecular-weight NF subunit (NF-H) as a fusion protein in bacteria and then used this portion of NF-H as a ligand in affinity chromatography. A number of different proteins were isolated from mouse brain lysate that specifically bound to the NF-H column and that did not bind to a control column to which BSA was bound as a ligand. The proteins eluted from the NF-H column contained kinases able to phosphorylate NF proteins efficiently in vitro. We characterized these kinases further by separating proteins on denaturing polyacrylamide gels and reconstituting kinase activity in situ. Using this assay we identified a number of individual kinases including a 115 kDa polypeptide that showed a significant preference for NF proteins as substrate. Native NF was found to be the best substrate for the 115 kDa kinase, followed by a bacterially expressed NF-H nonfusion protein, and NF-H fusion protein. However, low-molecular-weight NF subunit (NF-L) was a poor substrate. Two different NF monoclonal antibodies, SMI31 and SMI32 (Sternberger Monoclonal Inc.), were used to demonstrate further that the 115 kDa kinase is associated with NF in vivo. The kinase was coimmunoprecipitated along with NF by the two NF monoclonal antibodies but appeared to be preferentially associated with phosphorylated forms of NF. We discuss here some of the novel properties of the 115 kDa NF- associated kinase we have termed NAK115 (for NF-associated kinase with a molecular weight of 115 kDa).
Feedback systems with an almost rank deficient plant

Consider properties of a feedback system for which the plant is almost rank deficient at a given frequency. We introduce a measure of input redundancy, and investigate its dependence upon scaling. Feedback properties are shown to be governed by two plant/controller alignment angles. We suggest ways to choose the controller based upon plant properties in order that these angles be satisfactory.
Placement Stability Following Short-Term Residential Care

Youth discharged from a short-term residential facility and reunified with their parents were contacted at least one year after discharge to determine whether or not they had a disruption in their placement since reunification. Follow-up intervals of 149 youth contacted (82% of the eligible sample) ranged from a minimum of 12 months to a maximum of 30 months post-discharge. Differences in the time to placement disruption were analyzed using survival analysis techniques. After controlling for adjustment differences during the treatment program, youth behavior problems, and family problems, a significant interaction of youth age and treatment intensity was found: Compared to the others, younger youth who received additional treatment components had placement disruptions later and less frequently.
For Better or Worse? Mutual Funds in Side-By-Side Management Relationships With Hedge Funds

Firms that engage in the simultaneous, or "side-by-side", management of mutual funds and hedge funds have a fiduciary duty to each fund's investors to make portfolio decisions and to execute trades in the most favorable way. This fiduciary duty is put to the test, however, when side-by-side management firms can increase fee income by strategically transferring performance from the mutual funds to the hedge funds they oversee. Our empirical evidence proves consistent with such favoritism. The reported returns of side-by-side mutual funds are significantly less than those of similar mutual funds run by firms that do not also manage hedge funds. A decomposition of reported returns into holdings-return and return-gap components and return-persistence tests also suggest favoritism. Finally, examining a potential wealth transference mechanism, we find evidence consistent with side-by-side mutual funds getting less of a contribution to performance from IPO underpricing than matched unaffiliated mutual funds.
Crisis and Change Today: Basic Questions of Marxist Sociology

Peter Knapp and Alan J. Spector, Crisis and Change Today: Basic Questions of Marxist Sociology, 2nd ed. (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2011) Sociologists who read the first edition of Crisis an...
Transport of ER vesicles on actin filaments in neurons by myosin V

Axoplasmic organelles in the giant axon of the squid have been shown to move on both actin filaments and microtubules and to switch between actin filaments and microtubules during fast axonal transport. The objectives of this investigation were to identify the specific classes of axoplasmic organelles that move on actin filaments and the myosin motors involved. We developed a procedure to isolate endoplasmic reticulum (ER) from extruded axoplasm and to reconstitute its movement in vitro. The isolated ER vesicles moved on exogenous actin filaments adsorbed to coverslips in an ATP-dependent manner without the addition of soluble factors. Therefore myosin was tightly bound and not extracted during isolation. These vesicles were identified as smooth ER by use of an antibody to an ER-resident protein, ERcalcistorin/protein disulfide isomerase (EcaSt/PDI). Furthermore, an antibody to squid myosin V was used in immunogold EM studies to show that myosin V localized to these vesicles. The antibody was generated to a squid brain myosin (p196) that was classified as myosin V based on comparisons of amino acid sequences of tryptic peptides of this myosin with those of other known members of the myosin V family. Dual labeling with the squid myosin V antibody and a kinesin heavy chain antibody showed that the two motors colocalized on the same vesicles. Finally, antibody inhibition experiments were performed with two myosin V-specific antibodies to show that myosin V motor activity is required for transport of vesicles on actin filaments in axoplasm. One antibody was made to a peptide in the globular tail domain and the other to the globular head fragment of myosin V. Both antibodies inhibited vesicle transport on actin filaments by greater than 90% compared to controls. These studies provide the first direct evidence that ER vesicles are transported on actin filaments by myosin V. These data confirm the role of actin filaments in fast axonal transport and provide support for the dual filament model of vesicle transport.
Geometry of the ergodic quotient reveals coherent structures in flows

Abstract Dynamical systems that exhibit diverse behaviors can rarely be completely understood using a single approach. However, by identifying coherent structures in their state spaces, i.e., regions of uniform and simpler behavior, we could hope to study each of the structures separately and then form the understanding of the system as a whole. The method we present in this paper uses trajectory averages of scalar functions on the state space to: (a) identify invariant sets in the state space, and (b) to form coherent structures by aggregating invariant sets that are similar across multiple spatial scales. First, we construct the ergodic quotient, the object obtained by mapping trajectories to the space of the trajectory averages of a function basis on the state space. Second, we endow the ergodic quotient with a metric structure that successfully captures how similar the invariant sets are in the state space. Finally, we parametrize the ergodic quotient using intrinsic diffusion modes on it. By segmenting the ergodic quotient based on the diffusion modes, we extract coherent features in the state space of the dynamical system. The algorithm is validated by analyzing the Arnold–Beltrami–Childress flow, which was the test-bed for alternative approaches: the Ulam’s approximation of the transfer operator and the computation of Lagrangian Coherent Structures. Furthermore, we explain how the method extends the Poincare map analysis for periodic flows. As a demonstration, we apply the method to a periodically-driven three-dimensional Hill’s vortex flow, discovering unknown coherent structures in its state space. Finally, we discuss differences between the ergodic quotient and alternatives, propose a generalization to analysis of (quasi-)periodic structures, and lay out future research directions.
Estimating average densities of states for disordered systems

The definition of the average electronic density of states as the volume average of the local density of states, or of the projected density of states for localized orbitals, suggests that this quantity should be approximated by the average of the projected densities of states for a sample of the orbitals. Contrary to this, it is shown computationally that for typical two-dimensional disordered systems, the average density of states is better approximated by the projected density of states for a state which is a combination of orbitals having random phases. This result can be understood in terms of electron localization and leads to a hypothesis about the average density of states for three-dimensional disordered systems.
Infrared signatures of Bacillus bacteria: clear IR distinctions between sporulated and vegetative cells with chemical assignments

This paper highlights the distinctions between the infrared (IR) absorption spectra of vegetative versus sporulated Bacillus bacteria. It is observed that there are unique signatures clearly associated with either the sporulated or the vegetative state, and that vegetative cells (and associated debris) can contribute to the spore spectra. A distinct feature at ~1739 cm-1 appears to be unique to vegetative cell spectra, and can also be used as an indicator of vegetative cells or cell debris in the spore spectra. The data indicate the band is caused by a phospholipid carbonyl bond and are consistent with, but do not prove it to be, either phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE) or phosphatidyl glycerol (PG), the two major classes of phospholipids found in vegetative cells of Bacillus species. The endospore spectra show characteristic peaks at 1441, 1277, and 1015 cm-1 along with a distinct quartet of peaks at 766, 725, 701, and 659 cm-1. These are clearly associated with calcium dipicolinate trihydrate, CaDP•3H2O. We emphasize that the spore peaks, especially the quartet, arise from the calcium dipicolinate trihydrate and not from dipicolinic acid or other dipicolinate hydrate salts. The CaDP•3H2O vibrational peaks and the effects of hydration were studied using quantum chemistry in the PQS software package. The quartet is associated with many motions including contributions from the Ca2+ counterion and hydration waters including Ca-O-H bends, H2O-Ca-O torsions and O-C-O bends. The 1441 and 1015 cm-1 modes are planar pyridine modes with the 1441 mode primarily a ring C-N stretch and the 1015 mode primarily a ring C-C stretch.
Thermally activated plastic flow of metals and ceramics with an electric field or current

Abstract The effects of high density electric current pulses (103–106 A cm−2) on the flow stress of metals at low homologous temperatures and of a modest external electric field on the flow stress of fine-grained oxides at high temperatures is presented. The results in both cases are evaluated in terms of thermally-activated plastic deformation processes. In the case of the metals, the influence of an electron wind on each of the parameters in the equation for the thermally-activated motion of dislocations was determined, the largest effect being on the pre-exponential. The derived electron wind push coefficient was one or more orders of magnitude larger than the value normally accepted for the electron drag coefficient. In the case of the oxides, the substantial effect of an applied electric field on the flow stress was evaluated in terms of its influence on the electrochemical potential of vacancies in the space-charge cloud adjacent to the grain boundaries. Both the derived space-charge cloud width and the electric potential/stress parameter Δ∅/Δσ are in reasonable accord with theoretical predictions.
Rowley revisited: through an effective history lens

Historical synopses of special education litigation in the USA often reflect traditional perspectives. Because these traditional perspectives are commonly referenced by legislators and judges when new legislation is crafted and judicial decisions are handed down, a reliance on these traditional historical synopses may perpetuate a status quo – which may or may not advance the interests of students with disabilities. We argue that some special education legal cases are decided upon and written from traditional perspectives. This allegiance to traditional perspectives may lead to intentional or unintentional discrimination against children with disabilities. This paper examines the seminal special education case, Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley, to determine the extent to which those traditional perspectives continue to infiltrate all special education cases 25 years later.
Between Two Poles

Composer and author DJ Spooky9s multifarious book forms part of his multimedia meditation on Antarctica and climate change.
Iatrogenic bladder stone and associated vesicovaginal fistula after hysterectomy

A patient had irritative lower urinary tract symptoms for 2 years after hysterectomy. During cystoscopy, a bladder stone was seen and removed, but watery vaginal discharge emerged. The subsequent transvaginal ultrasound revealed a fistulous tract between the bladder and the vagina. The methylene blue test further confirmed the diagnosis of vesicovaginal fistula. We performed a delayed Latzko procedure to successfully repair the fistula.
Cyclic Changes in the Oxygen Consumption of the Aorta in Female Rats

The endogenous oxygen consumption of aorta and of diaphragmatic muscle have been studied in female rats and correlated with different phases of estrus. Cyclic changes of oxygen consumption were demonstrated in the aorta but not in the diaphragm. Estradiol in vitro depressed the endogenous Qo2 of the aorta from diestrous animals. Possible implications of this work are discussed.
Physical modeling and computer graphic simulation of the depletion of world energy reserve

Abstract A physical modeling device and a computer graphic simulation program of the depletion of world energy reserve are developed to demonstrate how rapidly our energy reserve is depleted, how quickly and enormously our demands for energy grows, and how important energy conservation is to us. In both modeling and simulation cases, the total world energy reserve, the current energy usage annual growth rate, and the current energy consumption rate are given as parameters. One can view the energy shortage in terms of the rapidly falling levels in the physical water tank or the simulated oil barrels.
Order and Chaos in a Discrete Duffing Oscillator: Implications on Numerical Integration

We study the dynamics of some two-dimensional mappings which arise when standard numerical integration schemes are applied to an unforced oscillator whith a cubic stiffness nonlinearity, i. e., the Duffing equation
Microbial Degradation of Nicotine-N'-oxide I Degradation Products

Bacteria degrading nicotine-N′-oxide were isolated from tobacco leaves and soil of tobacco field. The bacterial metabolites from nicotine-N′-oxide were identified to be N′- methylmyosirune and 4′-keto-4′-(3-pyridyl)butylic acid, and four unidentified compounds were present. Accumulation of N′-methylmyosmine in the cultured medium reached 43%, in quantity of the initial substrate on the third day of culture. On the other hand, nicotine was far more slowly degraded by the same bacteria, and the first metabolite was identified to be 6-hydroxynicotine and the second to be 6-hydroxy-N′-methylmyosmine, suggesting that nicotine and its oxide are metabolized in different pathways.
Evaluation Of Drift Force Computation Methods.

Moored-ship and/or platform system designers are often faced with the problem of deciding between different drift force computation methods. This paper is intended to assist in this decision making by providing a comparative evaluation of the two major categories of computation methods. The methods for calculating drift forces (second order) on vessels fall into two (2) major categories. In one method, the problem is reduced to the computation of the potential far away from the vessel. This is known as the far-field approximation as described and developed by Maruo (1960), Newman (1967) and Faltinsen and Michelsen (1974). In the other method, known as the near-field or close-in approximation, the integration is performed directly on the vessel hull as developed by Salvesen (1974) and Pinkster and Van Oortmerssen (1977). Following the approach of the first mentioned category, a computer program has been prepared which calculates drift forces and moments on vessels of arbitrary hull geometry. No assumptions regarding the hull geometry are included in the underlying theory. The second category, however, includes some mild slenderness assumptions (Salvesen (1974)). Based on the drift force program outlined in this paper, some selected results for various hull geometries are presented. These results are compared, where applicable, with existing results obtained from application of the near-field method. These comparisons permit: (a) determination of the range of compatibility of the two methods, and (b) the influence of hull geometry on the applicability of the near-field approximation. Moored-ship system designers thus have a systematic procedure from which drift force calculations can be evaluated.
Controlling Low Temperature Aqueous Synthesis of ZnO. 1. Thermodynamic Analysis

A thermodynamic model based on published data is presented for calculating the solubility and speciation of ZnO in aqueous solutions as a function of pH, ammonia concentration, and temperature. The...