cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reliable scheduling of advanced transactions

The traditional transaction processing model is not suitable for many advanced applications, such as those having long duration or those consisting of co-operating activities. Researchers have addressed this problem by proposing various new transaction models capable of processing advanced transactions. Advanced transactions are characterized by having a number of component subtransactions whose execution is controlled by dependencies. The dependencies pose new challenges which must be addressed to ensure secure and reliable execution of advanced transactions. Violation of dependencies in advanced transactions could lead to unavailability of resources and information integrity problems. Although advanced transactions have received a lot of attention, not much work appears in addressing these issues. In this paper, we focus on the problem of scheduling advanced transactions. Specifically, we show how the different dependencies constrain the execution of the advanced transaction and give algorithms for scheduling advanced transactions that preserve the dependencies. Our scheduler is not confined to any specific advanced transaction processing model, but is capable of handling different kinds of advanced transactions, such as, Saga, Nested Transactions and Workflow.
The Rise of Brachypodium as a Model System

Grasses have played a central role in the formation of human civilization. Indeed, the inception of agriculture and the production of grains that could be easily stored and traded is one of the major factors that led to the creation of cities and the specialization of labor. Today, grasses provide the bulk of calories consumed by humans either directly through the consumption of grain or indirectly through grain and grass fed animals. Furthermore, due to their high productivity, grasses are increasingly utilized as a source of renewable biomass for the sustainable production of bioenergy and liquid biofuels. Grasses also play a fundamental role in many terrestrial ecosystems that benefit humans in numerous ways. Given the importance of grasses to humanity, there is considerable value in understanding their biology in great detail. Model biological systems greatly facilitate scientific research and many of the rapid advances in molecular biology and genetics would have been difficult to achieve without them. The model plant Arabidopsis thaliana has been used to make tremendous gains in our understanding of plant biology. However, as a eudicot, A. thaliana is unsuitable to study the unique aspects of grass biology. Several crop grasses (e.g. maize and rice) have been used as model systems and while each has certain strengths, they have some disadvantages when compared to a model like A. thaliana. Brachypodium distachyon has emerged to fill the need for a truly tractable model grass that is compatible with modern high-throughput molecular-genetic experiments. An overview of the development and widespread adoption of B. distachyon as a model grass is presented.
A novel alpha-ketoglutarate reductase activity of the serA-encoded 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase of Escherichia coli K-12 and its possible implications for human 2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria.

Escherichia coli serA-encoded 3-phosphoglycerate (3PG) dehydrogenase catalyzes the first step of the major phosphorylated pathway of L-serine (Ser) biosynthesis. The SerA enzyme is evolutionarily related to the pdxB gene product, 4-phosphoerythronate dehydrogenase, which catalyzes the second step in one branch of pyridoxal 59-phosphate coenzyme biosynthesis. Both the Ser and pyridoxal 59-phosphate biosynthetic pathways use the serC(pdxF)-encoded transaminase in their next steps. In an analysis of these parallel pathways, we attempted to couple the transaminase and dehydrogenase reactions in the reverse direction. Unexpectedly, we found that the SerA enzyme catalyzes a previously undetected reduction of alpha-ketoglutarate (alpha KG) to 2-hydroxyglutaric acid (HGA). Numerous criteria ruled out the possibility that this SerA alpha KG reductase activity was caused by contamination in the substrate or purified enzyme preparations. HGA was confirmed as the product of the SerA alpha KG reductase reaction by thin-layer chromatography and by enzyme assays showing that both the D- and L-isomers of HGA were substrates for the reverse (dehydrogenase) reaction. Detailed steady-state kinetic analyses showed that alpha KG reduction (apparent Michaelis-Menten constant [Km(app)] = 88 microM; apparent catalytic constant [kcat(app)] = 33.3 s-1) and 3-phosphohydroxypyruvate reduction (Km(app) = 3.2 microM; kcatapp = 27.8 s-1), which is the reverse reaction of 3PG oxidation, were the major in vitro activities of the SerA enzyme. The SerA alpha KG reductase was inhibited by Ser, D-HGA, 3PG, and glycine (Gly), whereas the D-HGA dehydrogenase was inhibited by Ser, alpha KG, 3-phosphohydroxypyruvate, and Gly. The implications of these findings for the regulation of Ser biosynthesis, the recycling of NADH, and the enzymology of 2-hydroxyacid dehydrogenases are discussed. Since the same pathway of Ser biosynthesis seems to be present in all organisms, these results suggest that a mutation in the human SerA homolog may contribute to the neurometabolic diseases D- and L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria, which lead to the accumulation of D-HGA and L-HGA, respectively.
A combined study of surface roughness in polycrystalline aluminium during uniaxial deformation using laser-induced photoemission and confocal microscopy

A new technique integrating measurements obtained by photo-stimulated electron (PSE) emission and scanning laser confocal microscopy (SLCM) has been developed to characterize the deformation of commercially pure aluminium in uniaxial plastic strain. Real time, in situ PSE signals provide details about the evolution and propagation rates of surface events during the deformation process. High-resolution SLCM measurements yield details describing the relative magnitude and spatial distribution of the surface features. During homogeneous deformation, uniform generation of surface area produces a monotonic increase in PSE intensity whereas necking induces a saturation condition. Analysis of the surface area created by the deformation revealed that the rate of generation correlates well with the PSE intensity. The consistencies in the data acquired with these two techniques signify that they yield complementary information and that the combination provides essential details about the deformation process in a ma...
Book Review: Nanosciences--The Invisible Revolution

This PDF file contains the editorial “Book Review: Nanosciences--The Invisible Revolution” for JNP Vol. 3 Issue 01
Pattern recognition approach to trench bottom-width measurement

Two approaches to pattern recognition of the width and slope of trenches in photoresist and silicon are described. One method depends on the comparison of the experimental linescans with theoretical calculations of the linescans obtained with either a real-time confocal scanning optical microscope (RSOM) or the Mirau Correlation Microscope (MCM). Comparison of theory and experiments for trenches in photoresist and silicon are in excellent agreement for all trench widths from 0.5 micrometers to 2 micrometers . A second method depends on the use of correlation techniques using the MCM and has enables us to obtain good linearity in trench width measurements down to a width of 0.35 micrometers in 1 micrometers thick photoresist.
Exploring Sex Differences in Expectancy, Attribution, and Academic Achievement.

Two studies were carried out to explore if sex differences in expectancy and attribution of achievement are related to sex differences in academic performance. Study I investigated expectancy and attribution of achievement, operationalized as grade point index, among 176 male and 116 female college freshmen. Men were found to form higher expectations for future grades. Attributions measured through assigning percentage weights to ability, luck, effort, and difficulty as causal explanations of one's grade point index showed that men make more ability and women more effort attributions. Despite these differences in expectancy and attribution patterns, men and women were found not to differ in their performance. In Study II 120 college freshmen, half of them male, half female, filled out questionnaires before and after a midterm examination. A subsample of 49 also completed the Bem Sex Role Inventory. The results basically confirm the previous study's findings, except in Study II, men and women gave equally high weights to effort as a cause. The results also show that a feminine sex-role orientation is associated with a debilitating pattern of expectancy and attribution and lower performance, especially among women. Implications of the results for unraveling inconsistencies in the attribution literature and for a need to clarify connotations of femininity are discussed.
Pedagogical alignment and curricular consistency: The challenges for developmental education

Four elements contribute to a classroom's success or failure as a learning environment: student needs, instructor approach, course content, and institutional setting. This chapter discusses the challenge of aligning these elements in the developmental classroom.
Constraints on extragalactic point source flux from diffuse neutrino limits

We constrain the maximum flux from extragalactic neutrino point sources by using diffuse neutrino flux limits. We show that the maximum flux from extragalactic point sources is E{sup 2}(dN{sub {nu}/}dE){<=}1.4x10{sup -9}(L{sub {nu}/}2x10{sup 43} erg/s){sup 1/3} GeV cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} from individual point sources with average neutrino luminosity per decade, L{sub {nu}.} It depends only slightly on factors such as the inhomogeneous matter density distribution in the local universe, the luminosity distribution, and the assumed spectral index. The derived constraints are at least 1 order of magnitude below the current experimental limits from direct searches. Significant constraints are also derived on the number density of neutrino sources and on the total neutrino power density.
Substrate degradation by a mutualistic association of two species in the chemostat

We discuss a system of ordinary differential equations that can be used to model the interspecies hydrogen transfer common in anaerobic degradation of organic matter. The mutualistic character of the interaction is not modeled explicitly but emerges as a consequence of the kinetics of nutrient uptake. Using monotonicity assumptions on the reaction terms, we characterise the equilibria and their stability and demonstrate two-parameter bifurcation of periodic solutions near singularities of the Bogdanov-Takens type. We have persistence and extinction results in a wide range of parameter values. Finally, we give some conditions for equivalence and non-equivalence to a cooperative system and compare to related models.
Maternity and mortality in Homeric poetry.

THE MYTHOLOGICAL TRADITION expressed in early Greek hexameter poetry offers an ancient and influential witness to one of the most pervasive assump tions shaping Western cultural constructions of gender, the assumption that there is a link between two inescapable aspects of the human condition: the fact of being born from a woman and the fact of having to die. That body of poetry, which includes not only the Homeric epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, but also a number of roughly contemporary texts, such as Hesiod's Theogony and Works and Days and the narratives concerning the Olympian gods that form the Ho meric Hymns, is preoccupied with defining human life by exploring the line that separates men and gods. As they carry out this project, these poems follow a widespread tendency to identify mortality, the necessity of dying, with women. Those who bring people into the world by giving them birth are especially linked to their passing out of it as well, an association often expressed in the special place of women in funerary ritual and lamentation. This paper has benefited from the questions and responses of those present on the three occasions on which it was delivered in earlier versions: at the NYU conference on "Greek and Greek American Women in Voice and Text," sponsored by the Alexander S. Onassis Center for Hellenic Studies, on April 15, 1989; at Rutgers University on October 4, 1989; and at Bryn Mawr College on November 22, 1991. For specific suggestions, I owe particular thanks to Margaret Bruzelius, Thomas Figueira, and Sarah Winter.
Ucp3 Expression during Weight Gain and Loss, Cold Exposure, and Fasting in the Collared Lemming

BLAYLOCK, MATTHEW L., RUIXUE WANG, DAN SHAN, AND TIM R. NAGY. Ucp3 expression during weight gain and loss, cold exposure, and fasting in the collared lemming. Obes Res. 2004;12:1690–1697. Objective: To determine the gene sequence and tissue distribution of uncoupling protein 3 (Ucp3) in the collared lemming, we quantified mRNA expression of Ucp3 under known states of altered energy expenditure (photoperiodinduced weight gain and loss, cold exposure, and fasting) and measured mitochondrial oxygen consumption to assess possible functional changes in energy expenditure. Research Methods and Procedures: The Ucp3 gene sequence information was obtained using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and rapid amplification of cDNA ends methods. Northern blots were used to determine mRNA expression levels. Respirometry was used to measure oxygen consumption rates in isolated mitochondria.
Criteria for evaluating political campaign webpages

Political candidate Web pages have become de rigeur in presidential campaigns. However, no set of standards have emerged for analysis and evaluation of this new and increasingly important electronic medium for political communication. We articulate a set of design criteria that address both the function (political communication: issues, character) and form (e.g., navigation aids, Web page layout) of these messages. These criteria are then applied to the Internet pages of the Bush and Gore campaigns two weeks prior to the 2000 election. Gore's site was more cluttered and less well‐designed than Bush's. The criteria could be used to analyze and evaluate other campaign Web pages.
Evolution Finds Shelter in Small Spaces

When RNA is replicated in cell-free systems, a ubiquitous problem is the hijacking of the system by short parasitic RNA sequences. In this issue of Chemistry & Biology, Bansho et al. show that compartmentalization into water-in-oil droplets can ameliorate this problem, but only if the droplets are small. This result helps to both recapitulate abiogenesis and optimize synthetic biology.
Reporting detection efficiency for semiconductor neutron detectors: A need for a standard

In the past few years, there has been an increased interest in the development of alternative neutron detection technologies. Included among many promising alternative neutron detection technologies are semiconductor-based neutron detectors. These detectors are typically small and compact, hence those methods used to characterize large gas-filled neutron detectors are inappropriate. Proposed are standard methods that can be used to model the performance of semiconductor neutron detectors and to characterize experimentally the intrinsic efficiency of these detectors.
Transient Infall Events in the Disk of AB Aurigae: The β Pictoris Phenomenon at 2-4 Megayears

Surveys of Herbig Ae/Be stars have indicated that infalling circumstellar gas similar to that routinely detected toward beta Pic is preferentially observed close to the disk midplane. Recent millimeter interferometry of the historically prototypical Herbig Ae star, AB Aur, indicates that this star is viewed slightly above the disk midplane (i = 76 deg). The wealth of archival spectroscopic data for this star makes it an ideal test of the geometry for infalling or accreting gas in these stars. We present a review of the extant IUE and Hubble Space Telescope GHRS spectral data for AB Aur and find, in contrast to previous studies of this star, which focused on Mg II, that infalling gas is detected at all epochs with covering factors similar to those reported for HD 100546 and that an episode of enhanced infall was serendipitously detected during the 1990 monitoring run.
Stages of a state: from São Paulo's Teatro São José to the Teatro Municipal, 1854–1911

This article uses the cases of the Teatro Sao Jose and the Teatro Municipal to explain how and why performance space in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, became an increasingly public issue between 1854 and 1911. Specifically, I analyse the ways in which the notion of the theatre as a public good evolved both in the discourse of paulistas and in the practice of legislation and contract negotiation. This article thus interprets planning history as a history of ideas and assumes cultural policy-making to encompass both government and non-government actors. To that end, utilizing legislation, government records, architectural plans, and the press as sources, I argue that theatres' ‘publicness’ in Sao Paulo was rationalized along three lines: their potential accessibility to a broad audience, their visibility, and their high cost. While public spending on the Teatro Sao Jose was justified on the grounds of economic development and moral and civic education, the Teatro Municipal garnered support as a project of P...
Construction of 3D Substation Monitoring System Based on Unity3D

With the development of the 3D technology, the construction of a 3D substation monitoring system becomes feasible. The Unity3D is a professional and comprehensive engine for providing advantages in fast deployment, architectural visualization, and 3D animation. It can support multiple platforms and make the development much easy with an expansive architecture involved. In the normal use, we build 3D model with tools such as the 3DMax, and import the models to Unity3D. By the means, we can finish making scenes and cartoons as well as integrating business data. We can also design multive functions such as the roaming in first person view, camera switching, real-time monitoring data displaying, real-time alarming, and so on. We write custom Shader to achieve some special effects. For example, we can write vertex and fragment shader to receive the data from the scripts and parse the data to get the information of temperature points. The distance between each UV point and the given temperature points is also computed and mapped to the values of temperature and color.
PREDICTORS OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE ON INTENSIVE PROBATION SUPERVISION

Using official data collected from probation records, this article identifies predictors of success and failure in the Super Intensive Probation Program in Harris County (Houston), Texas. The records of 307 participants were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. The attempt was to identify predictors of committing technical violations and new crimes. These two categories were combined to identify predictors of success/failure in general. The strongest predictors of failure were unemployment and number of prior misdemeanor convictions. The performances of SIPP participants was compared with that of a sample of regular probationers. Though the failure rates of the two programs was comparable, none of the variables which correlated with success/failure in SIPP were significantly associated with performance on regular probation. Theoretical and policy-related implications of the findings are discussed.
16O contamination in 4He analysis beams

Abstract The 4 He + beam from a Van de Graaff accelerator is often accompanied by an 16 O + beam of the same energy. If, after acceleration and before magnetic analysis, one electron is stripped from the oxygen ion to form 16 O 2+ , these ions will not be separated from 4 He + during magnetic analysis. The 16 O 2+ fraction in the 4 He + beam was measured by analyzing back-scattering spectra for a thin Au film and the O to He ion charge ratio of 2:1 was confirmed by electrostatic deflection. Ion source conditions and the pressure in the beam lines strongly affect the 16 O 2+ fraction and the dependence of the O 2+ /O + ratio on pressure is found to be in approximate agreement with predicted values. A formula for estimating the 16 O 2+ beam intensity, based on charge exchange data and measurement of the primary 16 O + beam intensity, is N [ O 2+ ] = 13 P ( torr ) l ( cm ) N [ O + ], where P is the total gas pressure, l the length of the beam line between the accelerator and switching magnet and N [O 2+ ] and N [O + ] are the beam intensities of the respective species. The 16 O 2+ contamination of 4 He + beams is easily removed by electrostatic separation.
Active Rhodanese Lacking Nonessential Sulfhydryl Groups Contains an Unstable C-terminal Domain and Can Be Bound, Inactivated, and Reactivated by GroEL*

Mutation of all nonessential cysteine residues in rhodanese turns the enzyme into a form (C3S) that is fully active but less stable than wild type (WT). This less stable mutant allowed testing of two hypotheses; (a) the two domains of rhodanese are differentially stable, and (b) the chaperonin GroEL can bind better to less stable proteins. Reduced temperatures during expression and purification were required to limit inclusion bodies and obtain usable quantities of soluble C3S. C3S and WT have the same secondary structures by circular dichroism. C3S, in the absence of the substrate thiosulfate, is cleaved by trypsin to give a stable 21-kDa species. With thiosulfate, C3S is resistant to proteolysis. In contrast, wild type rhodanese is not proteolyzed significantly under any of the experimental conditions used here. Mass spectrometric analysis of bands from SDS gels of digested C3S indicated that the C-terminal domain of C3S was preferentially digested. Active C3S can exist in a state(s) recognized by GroEL, and it displays additional accessibility of tryptophans to acrylamide quenching. Unlike WT, the sulfur-loaded mutant form (C3S-ES) shows slow inactivation in the presence of GroEL. Both WT and C3S lacking transferred sulfur (WT-E and C3S-E) become inactivated. Inactivation is not due to irreversible covalent modification, since GroEL can reactivate both C3S-E and WT-E in the presence of GroES and ATP. C3S-E can be reactivated to 100%, the highest reactivation observed for any form of rhodanese. These results suggest that inactivation of C3S-E or WT-E is due to formation of an altered, labile conformation accessible from the native state. This conformation cannot as easily be achieved in the presence of the substrate, thiosulfate.
The subjective value of delayed and probabilistic outcomes: Outcome size matters for gains but not for losses

The subjective value of a reward (gain) is related to factors such as its size, the delay to its receipt and the probability of its receipt. We examined whether the subjective value of losses was similarly affected by these factors in 128 adults. Participants chose between immediate/certain gains or losses and larger delayed/probabilistic gains or losses. Rewards of $100 were devalued as a function of their delay ("discounted") relatively less than $10 gains while probabilistic $100 rewards were discounted relatively more than $10 rewards. However, there was no effect of outcome size on discounting of delayed or probabilistic losses. For delayed outcomes of each size, the degree to which gains were discounted was positively correlated with the degree to which losses were discounted, whereas for probabilistic outcomes, no such correlation was observed. These results suggest that the processes underlying the subjective valuation of losses are different from those underlying the subjective valuation of gains.
Ultrasound-Assisted Thrombolysis in Submassive and Massive Pulmonary Embolism: Assessment of Lung Obstruction Before and After Catheter-Directed Therapy

New treatment guidelines support the use of catheter-directed therapy for both massive and submassive pulmonary embolism (PE). This study examines the safety and effectiveness of ultrasound-accelerated (UA) thrombolysis, for which prompt treatment is warranted to rapidly resolve thrombus and restore cardiopulmonary function. We retrospectively reviewed ten consecutive, acute submassive/massive PE patients. All patients exhibited acute symptoms and computed tomography evidence of large thrombus burden and evidence of right-ventricular (RV) dysfunction and/or failure. Patients were followed-up with posttreatment echocardiography (n = 7) and CT (n = 9) to evaluate right heart dysfunction and thrombus burden, respectively. Thrombolytic treatment was performed in all patients using the EkoSonic Endovascular system. Clinical outcomes and complications, RV pressures, and thrombus removal were evaluated. Paired Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were performed to analyze the pretreatment and posttreatment measures; p < 0.05 was considered significant. Median thrombolytic dose was 18.0 mg tissue plasminogen activator infused over 20.8 h. There was a significant decrease in pretreatment and posttreatment RV pressures (52.0–30.0; p < 0.01); there was a significant decrease in pretreatment and posttreatment Mastora obstructive indices (74–43; p < 0.01). All patients improved clinically shortly after treatment onset. All ten patients survived to discharge with a median intensive care (ICU) stay of 4 days and 14 hospital days. UA thrombolysis is promising in massive and submassive PE treatment and shows safe results. Patients showed improved thrombus burden, and rapid improvement in right cardiac function, whereas minimizing bleeding risk and ICU time were minimized. This results of this study provide the foundation for future comparative studies in treatment of large PEs.
Dissipative heating in climate models

The various strategies towards dissipative heating in meteorological models are reviewed. The strategies are implicit formulations, explicit formulations, and exclusion. A thermodynamic formulation based on dry static energy, which has long been used in hydrostatic models, implicitly includes dissipative heating. Many modem non-hydrostatic mesoscale models, being based on potential temperature, do not include any dissipative heating. The National Center for Atmospheric Research community climate model (CCM3) explicitly formulates the dissipative heating for the resolved motion, which is based upon potential temperature, but, uses the implicit formulation for the sub-grid motion. Those who want to use the mesoscale-model formulation as a cloud-resolving climate model are advised to consider the effect of dissipative heating. We show a dry radiative-convective model, formulated without dissipative heating, in which climate equilibrium occurs with a net inward radiative flux of about 18 W m−2 at the top of the atmosphere, and a surface temperature that is 8 K too low.
Comparison of convolution and ray-tracing methods for computing small blood vessel images in angiography.

Two methods for computing x‐ray images of small blood vessels in angiography are presently available, namely, convolution and ray tracing. The convolution method, which is simpler and more powerful than the ray‐tracing method, is based on the assumption that blood vessel imaging is isoplanatic, whereas ray tracing is considered to provide correct images. In this study, the approximation error (difference between two images, normalized by the maximum value) due to nonisoplanatic imaging was determined by computation of blood vessel images according to both methods. The approximation error for geometric conditions normally encountered in angiography was less than 0.01. It is concluded that an approximation error of this magnitude is negligible and that the convolution method can be applied instead of the ray‐tracing method for the computation of images of small blood vessels.
Quantum state transfer with untunable couplings

We present a general scheme for implementing bidirectional quantum state transfer in a quantum swapping channel. Unlike many other schemes for quantum computation and communication, our method does not require qubit couplings to be switched on and off. The only control variable is the bias acting on individual qubits. We show how to derive the parameters of the system (fixed and variable) such that perfect state transfer can be achieved. Since these parameters vary linearly with the pulse width, our scheme allows flexibility in the time scales under which qubits evolve. Unlike quantum spin networks, our scheme allows the transmission of several quantum states at a time, requiring only a two qubit separation between quantum states. By pulsing the biases of several qubits at the same time, we show that only eight bias control lines are required to achieve state transfer along a channel of arbitrary length. Furthermore, when the information to be transferred is purely classical in nature, only three bias control lines are required, greatly simplifying the circuit complexity.
Corrigendum to "History of the use of HPV testing in cervical screening and in the management of abnormal cervical screening results" (J. Clin. Virol. 45 (1) (2009) S3-S12)

In the article above I identified the 1989 article by Tidy et al.1 as the first study on the utility of HPV testing in a clinical setting. However, a December 1988 letter published in Lancet by Morris and colleagues2 described the evaluation of the first use of a new polymerase chain reaction (PCR) HPV test in 107 women attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic in Sydney. All women received cytology, colposcopy and cervicography in addition to the collection of exfoliated cells for HPV testing. The study, subsequently published as an original article in early 1989 in the J Clin Virol,3 compared PCR testing for HPVs 6, 11, 16, 18 and 33 with dot blot hybridization techniques to determine the suitability of the PCR test for implementation in routine clinical settings. The authors reported that, to their knowledge, this was the first report to describe the use of PCR for HPV detection in routine cervical specimens, and predicted that it was possible that such tests might gain widespread use in cervical cancer screening. The authors also pointed out in this 1989 paper that as early as 1984 a number of prior studies had looked at the use of filter hybridization techniques for detection of HPV DNA in cervical scrape specimens collected in parallel with samples for routine cytology.4–9 Hence, all of these investigators should receive due credit for pioneering the earliest studies on the clinical utility of HPV testing.
Exciton-Enhanced Photoelectric Emission from F -Centers in RbI near 85°K

The photoelectric emission from $F$-centers in RbI was measured at 300\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. It was compared with the optical absorption of pure RbI as determined by Fesefeldt's method at the same temperature. The results were analogous to those previously reported for KI, and indicated that exciton-enhanced photoelectric emission reached a peak at $h\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\sim}5.6$ ev, where the optical absorption had its first maximum. When the films were cooled to 85\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K, the excitoninduced emission showed a double maximum separated by a sharp minimum at $h\ensuremath{\nu}=5.72$ ev. This minimum coincided with the shifted position of the first optical absorption peak at the lower temperature. The spectral distribution of the yield had somewhat the appearance of a self-reversed spectral line. An attractive explanation is that the photoelectric emission at first increases with the optical absorption, reaches a maximum for an absorption constant near ${10}^{6}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, and then decreases as the absorption constant becomes still larger. The decrease is attributed to a sparsity of $F$-centers near the surface, and to a growing destruction of excitons at the surface as the layer in which they are formed becomes thinner. Yields near the photoelectric threshold were compared qualitatively with Herring's theory of photoemission from impurities in a polar crystal. An upper limit of 1.9 ev was placed on the electron affinity of these RbI films.
Multi-beam antenna combining for 28 GHz cellular link improvement in urban environments

This article demonstrates the performance of multi-beam antenna combining for improving link quality in future millimeter-wave cellular systems. Using experimental data obtained from 28 GHz propagation measurements in New York City [8], we demonstrate how the combination of two, three and four beams, either noncoherently or coherently at the mobile receiver antenna, can improve the propagation link substantially. The results reveal that an average of 28.1 dB improvement in path loss can be achieved via combining the strongest four received signals coherently, when compared to the case of randomly received signals using a single beam at the receiver. This paper is the first to present the potential of multi-beam combining for improving link budget (e.g., extending range) in future mm-wave urban cellular systems.
High-Risk Behaviors for HIV: A Comparison Between Crack-Abusing and Opioid-Abusing African-American Women

High rates of unprotected sexual behaviors and the exchange of sex for crack have been reported among female crack cocaine users. This subpopulation of drug users is at significant risk for contracting and transmitting HIV and AIDS. To date, there has been no research comparing crack- and opioid-abusing women, particularly regarding their involvement in high-risk behaviors and other key background indicators for different subgroups of drug-abusing women. Sixty-one crack-abusing African-American women who recently entered an intensive outpatient treatment program were compared to 64 matched women whose primary drug of abuse was heroin. The opioid subgroup represented both those who were involved in methadone maintenance and those who were out of treatment. Higher rates of high-risk sexual behaviors were reported by the crack subgroup, including prostitution, number of sexual partners, and infrequency of condom use. As expected, i.v. drug use and high-risk behaviors associated with needle use were much higher among the opioid subgroup. Other significant differences were found between the two groups across key indicators. Individuals in the crack subgroup were younger, cared for more children, were less employable, were less likely to be married, and had more extensive lifetime substance abuse. Quantitative and qualitative background and clinical data are also presented. The nature of crack versus heroin abuse is also discussed, particularly in relation to high-risk sexual behaviors. Finally, the impact of the findings on developing appropriate treatment interventions for both groups is addressed.
A proposal for radical changes in the drug-approval process.

In this Sounding Board, the author examines potential reasons for the limited availability of new drugs and proposes four solutions to this problem.
Emergent strategies for inverse molecular design

Molecular design is essential and ubiquitous in chemistry, physics, biology, and material science. The immense space of available candidate molecules requires novel optimization strategies and algorithms for exploring the space and achieving efficient and effective molecular design. This paper summarizes the current progress toward developing practical theoretical optimization schemes for molecular design. In particular, we emphasize emergent strategies for inverse molecular design. Several representative design examples, based on recently developed strategies, are described to demonstrate the principles of inverse molecular design.
Development of Processing Maps for DC Cast Modified and Unmodified Hypereutectic Al-Si Alloys

The hot deformation behavior of DC cast phosphorous modified and unmodified hypereutectic Al-Si alloys was studied in the temperature range of 400-500 °C and strain rate range of 0.001-1 s-1. Processing maps were developed to evaluate the efficiency of the hot deformation and to identify the instability region. The results show that the peak stresses of the unmodified alloy are higher than that of the modified alloy at the strain rate of 1 s-1 and temperatures of 400 and 440 °C. The maximum power dissipation efficiencies for both the alloys are in the region of T=480-500 °C and =0.01-0.1 s-1. The flow instabilities for both the alloys occur in regions of high strain rate about 1 s-1 and temperature about 400 and 500 °C. The instability region area of the unmodified alloy is larger than that of the modified alloy. In addition, the primary Si cracking frequencies of the unmodified alloy are higher than that of the modified alloy when compared at the same deformation rate and temperature. The coarser primary Si particles of the unmodified alloy cause higher stress concentration around them when deformed at low temperature and high strain rate.
Local density functional methods in two‐dimensionally periodic systems. I. The atomic hydrogen monolayer

A new computational approach to the two-dimensionally periodic thin-layer system using LCAO Hartree-Fock-Slater methods is presented. Preliminary results of this method on an atomic hydrogen monolayer are reported.
Computation of constrained optimum quantities and reorder points for time‐weighted backorder penalties

The purpose of this paper and the accompanying tables is to facilitate the calculation of constrained optimum order quantities and reorder points for an inventory control system where the criterion of optimality is the minimization of expected inventory holding, ordering, and time-weighted backorder costs. The tables provided in the paper allow the identification of the optimal solution when order quantities and/or reorder points are restricted to a set of values which do not include the unconstrained optimal solution.
Mass sensitivity of dual mode SAW delay lines on AlN/sapphire structure

A surface acoustic wave (SAW) and a leaky shear horizontal SAW (SH-SAW) have been simultaneously excited along Al2O3[1 1 00] on an AlN(0001)/Al2O3(11 2 0) structure. Both modes are highly sensitive to surface mass loading. The measured mass sensitivities are in good agreement with theoretical prediction, and are comparable or higher than those reported on other SAW devices.
NUMERICAL RENORMALIZATION GROUP METHOD IN WEAKLY COUPLED QUANTUM SPIN CHAINS: COMPARISON WITH EXACT DIAGONALIZATION

We show that numerical quasi-one-dimensional renormalization group allows accurate study of weakly coupled spin chains with modest computational effort. We perform a systematic comparison with exact diagonalization results in two- and three-leg spin ladders with a transverse Hamiltonian that can involve frustration. Due to the variational nature of the algorithm, the accuracy can be arbitrarily improved enlarging the basis of eigenstates in the transverse direction. We observe that the precision of the algorithm is directly correlated to the binding of the chains. We also show that the method performs especially well in magnetically frustrated systems.
Structure of the liquid-vapor interfaces of metals and binary alloys

Abstract The current status of our understanding of the structure of the liquid-vapor interfaces of metals and binary alloys is briefly described, with emphasis on the comparison between theoretical predictions and the results of recent X-ray reflection and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction experiments.
The role of managers' political networking and functional experience in new venture performance: Evidence from China's transition economy

Drawing upon the resource-based view and transaction cost economics, this study aims to examine how various types of managerial resources (i.e., political networking and functional experience) can be beneficial to new ventures in a transition economy. Using survey data from a sample of new ventures in China's high-technology industries, we demonstrate that managers' political networking and functional experience are positively related to new venture performance. We also find that the positive relationship between functional experience and new venture performance is moderated by the type of ownership of the ventures and the level of dysfunctional competition in their environments. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Learning from past queries for resource selection

Federated text search provides a unified search interface for multiple search engines of distributed text information sources. Resource selection is an important component for federated text search, which selects a small number of information sources that contain the largest number of relevant documents for a user query. Most prior research of resource selection focused on selecting information sources by analyzing static information of available information sources that is sampled in the offline manner. On the other hand, most prior research ignored a large amount of valuable information like the results from past queries. This paper proposes a new resource selection technique (which is called qSim) that utilizes the search results of past queries for estimating the utilities of available information sources for a specific user query. Experiment results demonstrate the effectiveness of the new resource selection algorithm.
Enabling organizations to implement smarter, customized social computing platforms by leveraging knowledge flow patterns

Purpose – The purpose of this study was to understand the knowledge sharing in projects based on knowledge flow patterns. The impact of attrition, thereby leading to a loss of tacit knowledge, inability to capture and reuse knowledge and inability to understand the knowledge flow patterns, which leads to lack of structured workspace collaboration, are frequently faced challenges in organizations. The change in knowledge sourcing behaviors by the current generation workforce has a high reaching impact in driving collaboration among employees. Design/methodology/approach – This paper attempts to study this impact and identify means to improve the effectiveness of collective knowledge sharing via social computing platforms. As part of this study, customized solutions are devised based on knowledge flow patterns prevalent in teams. Knowledge network analysis (KNA), a socio-metric analysis, is performed to understand knowledge flow patterns among employees in a team which helps understand the relationships bet...
Development and encapsulation of the endoparasitoid, Microplitis croceipes (Hym.: Braconidae) , in six candidate host species ( Lep. )

Encapsulation and development of the endoparasitoid,Microplitis croceipes (Cresson), were studied in six atypical lepidopteran host species whose usual host isHelicoverpa zea (Boddie). The candidate hosts examined were: the fall armywormSpodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith); the beet armyworm,Spodoptera exigua (Hubner); the cabbage looper,Trichoplusia ni (Hubner); the greater wax moth,Galleria mellonella (L.); the Indian meal moth,Plodia interpunctella (Hubner); and the diamondback moth,Plutella xylostella (L.). BothS. exigua andT. ni were completely unsuitable forM. croceipes development due to the high rate of eggs that were encapsulated within three days after parasitism. Encapsulation inS. frugiperda included mainly parasitoid eggs and was first detected six days after parasitization at 25°C and two days at 30°C. Encapsulation inG. mellonella occurred only in the larval stage of the parasitoid. InP. interpunctella, parasitoid larvae reached the 3rd stadium, but none of them pupated. OnlyS. frugiperda andG. mellonella supported successful development ofM. croceipes from egg to adult. The percentage of parasitoids reaching the adult stage in these hosts was higher at 30°C than at 25°C (13% vs. 4% inS. frugiperda, and 21% vs. 3% inG. mellonella, respectively). However, these percentages were too low to substitute them as a more economical host for rearingM. croceipes. This biological information will be useful in additional laboratory studies directed toward reducing the rate of encapsulation (e.g., manipulation of host rearing temperature) to increase production ofM. croceipes on these hosts.
New tricks for old NODs

Recent work has identified the human NOD-like receptor NLRX1 as a negative regulator of intracellular signaling leading to type I interferon production. Here we discuss these findings and the questions and implications they raise regarding the function of NOD-like receptors in the antiviral response.
Intracerebroventricular kainic acid administration to neonatal rats alters interneuron development in the hippocampus

The effects of neonatal exposure to excitotoxins on the development of interneurons have not been well characterized, but may be relevant to the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders. In this study, the excitotoxin, kainic acid (KA) was administered to rats at postnatal day 7 (P7) by intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusion. At P14, P25, P40 and P60, Nissl staining and immunohistochemical studies with the interneuron markers, glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD-67), calbindin-D28k (CB) and parvalbumin (PV) were performed in the hippocampus. In control animals, the total number of interneurons, as well as the number of interneurons stained with GAD-67, CB and PV, was nearly constant from P14 through P60. In KA-treated rats, Nissl staining, GAD-67 staining, and CB staining revealed a progressive decline in the overall number of interneurons in the CA1 and CA3 subfields from P14 to P60. In contrast, PV staining in KA-treated rats showed initial decreases in the number of interneurons in the CA1 and CA3 subfields at P14 followed by increases that approached control levels by P60. These results suggest that, in general, early exposure to the excitotoxin KA decreases the number of hippocampal interneurons, but has a more variable effect on the specific population of interneurons labeled by PV. The functional impact of these changes may be relevant to the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia.
The nonsusceptibility of soil Collembola to insect pathogens and their potential as scavengers of microbial pesticides

Summary Collembola are very abundant soil insects which contribute to the decomposition of organic matter. This paper presents data on the interaction between Collembola and selected microbial agents being tested or used as biological pesticides. The Collembolan, Folsomia candida , was not susceptible to the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, Hirsutella spp., and Verticillium lecanii , or to the bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis , and its endotoxins. F. candida consumed and inactivated the insect pathogens without suffering mortality, reproductive disturbance or any other harmful effects. Consumption of insect pathogens demonstrates the potential of the Collembola as scavengers of biological insecticides artificially introduced into the environment.
The politics of middle ageism

Abstract Ageism directed at those in their middle years—middle ageism—is being given teeth by midlife downsizing, drops in real income and workforce participation, substandard employment, hiring discrimination, and court decisions that weaken age anti‐discrimination laws. This essay explores the high costs of this trend—not only for individuals currently at midlife, but for their families, the next cohorts aging into the middle years, the value of seniority, the power of employers over workers in the global workforce, and the meaning of the life course. In Europe premature superannuation became a problem decades ago. Middle ageism is becoming a problem in the US, ironically, at the same time that social justice movements have produced increases in peak wages and expectations of “seniority,” broadly defined, for women and African‐Americans. The market's attempt to drive wages to the bottom thus clashes with expanding cultural visions of age‐graded progress. This essay speculates that middle ageism may have...