cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An optimized encryption framework based on the modified-DES algorithm: A trade-off between security and throughput in wireless channels

Encryption is a vital process to ensure the confidentiality of the information transmitted over the insecure wireless channel. However, the nature of the wireless channel tends to deteriorate because of noise, interference and fading. Therefore, the encrypted transmitted signal will be received with some amount of error. Consequently, due to the strict avalanche criterion (SAC), this error propagates during the decryption process, resulting in half the bits (on average) after decryption to be in error. In order to alleviate this amount of error, smart coding techniques and/or new encryption algorithms that take into account the nature of wireless channels are required. On the other hand, these solutions might degrade the security of the information and the throughput of the wireless channel. In this paper, we propose a new encryption algorithm that uses an optimized framework for the throughput and security, we use computer simulations to analyze the effect of the proposed algorithm on the throughput. Moreover, we evaluate the security of the proposed algorithm in terms of its strength to applicable, well-known attacks. We show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the use of the same optimization framework over the variable length Rijndael algorithm and the fixed length 256-bit advanced encryption standard (AES).
Cystine Inhibition of the Succinoxidase System. III. Effect of Dialysis.

Summary1. The inhibition of the succinoxidase system by cystine can be increased by dialysis of the tissue homogenate. 2. Temperatures above 0°C and dilution of the tissue homogenates (below 10%) favor the spontaneous inactivation of this system.
Tapered Optical Fiber Sensor for Label-Free Detection of Biomolecules

This paper presents a fast, highly sensitive and low-cost tapered optical fiber biosensor that enables the label-free detection of biomolecules. The sensor takes advantage of the interference effect between the fiber’s first two propagation modes along the taper waist region. The biomolecules bonded on the taper surface were determined by demodulating the transmission spectrum phase shift. Because of the sharp spectrum fringe signals, as well as a relatively long biomolecule testing region, the sensor displayed a fast response and was highly sensitive. To better understand the influence of various biomolecules on the sensor, a numerical simulation that varied biolayer parameters such as thickness and refractive index was performed. The results showed that the spectrum fringe shift was obvious to be measured even when the biolayer was only nanometers thick. A microchannel chip was designed and fabricated for the protection of the sensor and biotesting. Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication techniques were used to precisely control the profile and depth of the microchannel on the silicon chip with an accuracy of 2 μm. A tapered optical fiber biosensor was fabricated and evaluated with an Immune globulin G (IgG) antibody-antigen pair.
Ensuring strong data guarantees in highly mobile ad hoc networks via quorum systems

Ensuring the consistency and the availability of replicated data in highly mobile ad hoc networks is a challenging task because of the lack of a backbone infrastructure. Previous work provides strong data guarantees by limiting the motion and the speed of the mobile nodes during the entire system lifetime, and by relying on assumptions that are not realistic for most mobile applications. We provide a small set of mobility constraints that are sufficient to ensure strong data guarantees and that can be applied when nodes move along unknown paths and speed, and are sparsely distributed. In the second part of the paper, we analyze the problem of conserving energy while ensuring strong data guarantees, using quorum system techniques. We devise a condition necessary for a quorum system to guarantee data consistency and data availability under our mobility model. This condition shows the unsuitability of previous quorum systems and is the basis for a novel class of quorum systems suitable for highly mobile networks, called mobile dissemination quorum (MDQ) systems. We also show a MDQ system that is provably optimal in terms of communication cost by proposing an efficient implementation of a read/write atomic shared memory. The suitability of our mobility model and MDQ systems is validated through simulations using the random waypoint model and the restricted random waypoint on a city section. Finally, we apply our results to assist routing and coordinate the low duty cycle of mobile nodes while maintaining network connectivity.
Automatic Generation of Product Family Member CAD Models Supported by a Platform Using a Template Approach

Current global markets are volatile, where companies are striving to deliver greater quality, more customization, faster response, more innovative designs and lower prices. New models need to be introduced in the market more frequently, which has given momentum for designing family of products. Development of family of Products using a platform approach requires making decisions regarding platform selection and trade-off studies, which require analysis and evaluation of performance for the entire family instead of an individual products. One of the first steps in performing these activities require development of solid models for the entire family quickly and automatically as platform and family member configurations and size are changed. This paper presents an approach to automatically generate CAD models for a family of products. In the approach, a product family template that integrates configuration and parametric design information is presented. The template is implemented in the developed Product Family CAD (PF-CAD) module for Pro/E. A coffeemaker product family is used as a case study to automatically generate solid models of product family members from customer input.© 2002 ASME
A thin-membrane surface-acoustic-wave vapor-sensing device

An integrated silicon-based vapor sensor is realized with a ZnO-on-Si surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) oscillator containing an absorptive polymer located on a thinned, membrane region of the device. If the membrane thickness is comparable with or smaller than a SAW wavelength, wave energy is present at both membrane surfaces. Thus the SAW transducers and associated amplifiers can be protected by an enclosure, leaving only the polymer exposed to the ambient atmosphere. Experiments on a 30 MHz, ZnO-on-silicon thin-membrane temperature-compensated SAW oscillator for vapor sensing are described. The use of the multi-channel device for solubility parameter sensing is discussed.
Lead isotope studies of the Guerrero composite terrane, west-central Mexico: implications for ore genesis

New thermal ionization mass spectrometry and multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry Pb isotope analyses of three Cenozoic ores from the La Verde porphyry copper deposit located in the Zihuatanejo–Huetamo subterrane of the Guerrero composite terrane are presented and the metal sources are evaluated. Lead isotope ratios of 3 Cenozoic ores from the El Malacate and La Esmeralda porphyry copper deposits located in the Zihuatanejo–Huetamo subterrane and of 14 ores from the Zimapan and La Negra skarn deposits from the adjoining Sierra Madre terrane are also presented to look for systematic differences in the lead isotope trends and ore metal sources among the proposed exotic tectonostratigraphic terranes of southern Mexico. Comparison among the isotopic signatures of ores from the Sierra Madre terrane and distinct subterranes of the Guerrero terrane supports the idea that there is no direct correlation between the distinct suspect terranes of Mexico and the isotopic signatures of the associated Cenozoic ores. Rather, these Pb isotope patterns are interpreted to reflect increasing crustal contribution to mantle-derived magmas as the arc advanced eastward onto a progressively thicker continental crust. The lead isotope trend observed in Cenozoic ores is not recognized in the ores from Mesozoic volcanogenic massive sulfide and sedimentary exhalative deposits. The Mesozoic ores formed prior to the amalgamation of the Guerrero composite terrane to the continental margin, which took place during the Late Cretaceous, in intraoceanic island arc and intracontinental marginal basin settings, while the Tertiary deposits formed after this event in a continental arc setting. Lead isotope ratios of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic ores appear to reflect these differences in tectonic setting of ore formation. Most Pb isotope values of ores from the La Verde deposit (206Pb/204Pb = 18.674–18.719) are less radiogenic than those of the host igneous rocks, but plot within the field defined by the Huetamo Sequence, suggesting that these ores may also contain metals from the sedimentary rocks. The Pb isotope ratios of ore samples from the Zimapan deposit (206Pb/204Pb = 18.771–18.848) are substantially higher than the whole-rock Pb isotope compositions of the basement rocks. The similarity of ore Pb to igneous rock Pb in the Zimapan district (206Pb/204Pb = 18.800–18.968) may indicate that the proximal source of ore metals in the hydrothermal system was the igneous activity.
Multiproduct retailers and the sale phenomenon

Two common features of retailing are that each retailer sells many different products, and that pricing strategies differ across products. This paper extends previous work on single-product retailer competition to a multiproduct setting. Specifically, we derive equilibrium pricing strategies for perishable and nonperishable goods. We find the intuition used to explain pricing dynamics for nonperishable items in single-product models generalizes to the multiproduct setting. Moreover, because goods are substitute means of attracting customers within the multiproduct setting, price changes for the nonperishable good will affect the perishable good price. In addition, the multiproduct setting generates a rich set of implications, some of which we empirically examine. For example, we find that, consistent with the theory, perishable and nonperishable price changes are negatively correlated. This and other evidence suggests that pricing dynamics are related in predictable ways to product characteristics, such as consumers' storage costs. [JEL Numbers: L81, L11, D21]. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
On polarizability calculations

A semiempirical procedure is developed for the calculation of the dispersion of refractive index, polarizability, and dielectric permeability which are treated as complex quantities. A good agreement between calculated and observed values of refractive indices is obtained for all substances treated. The previously determined values for the static polarizability agree with the present results for the contribution of the electronic motion to the polarizability, this contribution being about the same for both the liquid and gaseous states of hydrogen, oxygen, and water. The value obtained for the static polarizability of liquid water is about 2.8 fold greater than the results of previous calculations; it is conjectured that most of the contribution is due to atomic and molecular motions.
Potassium channels: Brief overview and implications in epilepsy

KCa= : calcium-activated potassium channels; Kir= : inward rectifier potassium channels; VGKC, KV= : voltage-gated K+ channels. Potassium (K+) channels have a critical role in cellular signaling in the nervous system. Over the past decade, 50 human genes encoding various K+ channels have been cloned, and there have been important advances in the elucidation of the subunit composition, stoichiometry, biophysical properties, and modulation of these channels. Genetic linkage analyses have led to the identification of many loci encoding K+ channel subunits that are associated with familial epilepsy syndromes as well as other disorders such as episodic ataxia/myokymia, long-QT syndromes, and congenital deafness.1 Antibodies against voltage-gated K+ channels (VGKC, KV) have been associated with autoimmune limbic encephalitis, neuromyotonia, and other neurologic disorders. Over the past several years, there has been increasing interest in developing drugs that modulate the activity of these channels.2 There have been comprehensive reviews on each of these topics.1–7 The focus of this article is on some K+ channels that have been linked with epilepsy. K+ channels are critical in regulation of neuronal excitability, axonal conduction, and neurotransmitter release.1,3–6,8,9 They also have a major role in control of the heart rate and excitability, epithelial electrolyte transport, cell volume regulation, and smooth muscle contraction. Potassium channels are membrane-spanning proteins that selectively allow flow of K+ ions across the cell membrane along their electrochemical gradient. An increase in membrane conductance to K+ ions causes neuronal hyperpolarization, decreases neuronal excitability, and reduces their firing frequency. There is a large number of K+ channels with distinct subcellular localization, biophysical properties, modulation, and pharmacologic profile.1,3,4–9 Potassium channels are polymers of α-subunits encoded by approximately 50 genes in humans. These subunits contain a homologous pore (P) segment selective for K+ ions and a gating mechanism that serves to switch between open and closed channel conformations. …
Transmission planning and pricing for renewables: Lessons from elsewhere

Transmission operating and planning procedures in Europe and elsewhere are changing in response to the new challenges posed by wind integration. Evolving procedures for managing transmission congestion and augmenting transmission capacity in Europe and Alberta are summarized and contrasted.
Art Worlds Revisited

When Chuck Tilly asked me to write my afterthoughts about Art Worlds (Becker, 1982), I told him I could not do it because I did not have any afterthoughts. Not that I thought it was perfect. Far from it. But I thought it was done, that there was no more for me to say about it, although discussion on the topics it addressed would of course go on forever just as it had before I ever stuck my two cents in. He persuaded me to think about it some more, and insisted that the idea was not to start second guessing myself, or finding errors to be corrected, but just to say what I was thinking about now, what came to mind as I brooded about the book. Several things eventually did. Not surprisingly, what came to mind had mostly to do with what I have been doing since. We can always find a thread of continuity in what we do, even though it escapes others. So I can see in hindsight, although others may not, how and where Art Worlds brought some things I had been thinking about to fruition, and started some new trails I have been following since, with somewhat surprising results. One aspect of the continuity has to do with story telling. I was exposed, as everyone is in graduate school, to a wide variety of teaching styles. Louis Wirth, cavalierly, used to read his mail aloud to us in class, or translate Simmel from the German at sight (not such a great feat as we imagined, since German was his native language) and occasionally just read the German aloud, saying that it was too beautiful to translate. Herbert Blumer gave monolithic lectures systematically organized around the central points of his system of social psychology. Everett Hughes, whose student I became, gave lectures that although they often seemed a little disorganized to new students, were memorable in ways Blumer and Wirth's seldom were. One thing that distinguished Everett's style from the others was that he told stories. A lot of stories. Some about his childhood in Ohio, as the son of
A framework for determining the fitness consequences of antipredator behavior

A recent review by Lind and Cresswell (2005) noted some important difficulties with quantifying the fitness consequences of antipredator behaviors. In this paper, we discuss the conceptual and analytical tools available to behavioral ecologists for approaching the question of adaptive value in the broader context of whole organism performance and total fitness. Because these tools already exist, we feel that determining the fitness consequences of antipredator behavior, or any behavior for that matter, is not intractable. Instead, it seems that both the challenge and the solution lie in linking the theoretical concepts of evolutionary biologists to the empirical data typically collected by behavioral ecologists. We hope that this paper will help forge this link as well as serve as a reminder that when grounded in natural history and an appropriate quantitative, conceptual framework, empirical studies can still provide detailed answers to the increasingly complex questions we ask. Key words: antipredator behavior, fitness, multivariate selection analysis, path analysis, phenotypic integration. [Behav Ecol]
Defining treatment aims and end-points in older patients with cancer.

Mrs S is an 83-year-old woman who presents with abdominal pain and rectal bleeding. Just be­ fore admission she returned from a Caribbean cruise where she swam daily and attended aerobics classes. Colonoscopy revealed a 6cm intraluminal mass. CT scan did not show any evidence of metas­ tases. The patient agreed to surgery. A large tu­ mour was removed and 5 of 12 nodes were involved with cancer. There was no other evidence of intra­ abdominal cancer. It was not that long ago when the doctor would not even discuss the diagnosis of cancer with an older person)ll The paternalistic view at that time was that the stress of the diagnosis might kill the patient faster than the disease. Even as improve­ ments in surgical, radiation and medical therapy became available, the prevailing approach was to treat the elderly gently and avoid aggressive treat-
Predicting postfire sediment yields at the hillslope scale: Testing RUSLE and Disturbed WEPP

[1] High-severity wildfires can increase hillslope-scale sediment yields by several orders of magnitude. Accurate predictions of postfire sediment yields are needed to guide management decisions and assess the potential impact of soil loss on site productivity and downstream aquatic resources. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and Disturbed WEPP are the most commonly used models to predict postfire sediment yields at the hillslope scale, but neither model has been extensively tested against field data. The objectives of this paper are to (1) compare predicted sediment yields from RUSLE and Disturbed WEPP against 252 plot years of data from nine fires in the Colorado Front Range; and (2) suggest how each model might be improved. Predicted and measured sediment yields were poorly correlated for RUSLE (R2 = 0.16) and only slightly better correlated for Disturbed WEPP (R2 = 0.25). Both models tended to over-predict sediment yields when the measured values were less than 1 Mg ha−1 yr−1 and to under-predict higher sediment yields. Model accuracy was not improved by increasing the soil erodibility (K) factor in RUSLE and was only slightly improved by slowing the vegetative recovery sequence in Disturbed WEPP. Both models much more accurately predicted the mean sediment yields for hillslopes grouped by fire and severity (R2 = 0.54 to 0.66) than for individual plots. The performance of RUSLE could be improved by incorporating an erosivity threshold and a nonlinear relationship between rainfall erosivity and sediment yields. The performance of WEPP could be improved by reducing the effective hydraulic conductivity in sites that have recently burned at high severity. The results suggest that neither model can fully capture the complexity of the different controlling factors and the resultant plot-scale variability in sediment yields.
Difficult Cases of Pain and Nonpain Symptoms in Intractable Spinal Infections: A Case Series

In the modern age of advanced surgical techniques and pharmacologic management, bacterial spinal infections (SIs) can be managed (either eradicated or suppressed) in many hosts. However, the optimal management of SIs may be limited by patient comorbidities, which do not allow for surgical management, or limited by antimicrobial options due to side effects, toxicities, or emerging drug resistance. In these settings, frank and honest discussion regarding risks and benefits of treatment should be pursued, including that the SI may be a terminal illness. In this case series, we present 3 patients who had bacterial SIs whose treatments were limited by the above-mentioned factors. Furthermore, each case presented challenges regarding optimal medical management of somatic and neuropathic pain associated with the SI.
Reconsidering the use of rankings in the valuation of health states: a model for estimating cardinal values from ordinal data

BACKGROUND: In survey studies on health-state valuations, ordinal ranking exercises often are used as precursors to other elicitation methods such as the time trade-off (TTO) or standard gamble, but the ranking data have not been used in deriving cardinal valuations. This study reconsiders the role of ordinal ranks in valuing health and introduces a new approach to estimate interval-scaled valuations based on aggregate ranking data. METHODS: Analyses were undertaken on data from a previously published general population survey study in the United Kingdom that included rankings and TTO values for hypothetical states described using the EQ-5D classification system. The EQ-5D includes five domains (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression) with three possible levels on each. Rank data were analysed using a random utility model, operationalized through conditional logit regression. In the statistical model, probabilities of observed rankings were related to the latent utilities of different health states, modeled as a linear function of EQ-5D domain scores, as in previously reported EQ-5D valuation functions. Predicted valuations based on the conditional logit model were compared to observed TTO values for the 42 states in the study and to predictions based on a model estimated directly from the TTO values. Models were evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between predictions and mean observations, and the root mean squared error of predictions at the individual level. RESULTS: Agreement between predicted valuations from the rank model and observed TTO values was very high, with an ICC of 0.97, only marginally lower than for predictions based on the model estimated directly from TTO values (ICC = 0.99). Individual-level errors were also comparable in the two models, with root mean squared errors of 0.503 and 0.496 for the rank-based and TTO-based predictions, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Modeling health-state valuations based on ordinal ranks can provide results that are similar to those obtained from more widely analyzed valuation techniques such as the TTO. The information content in aggregate ranking data is not currently exploited to full advantage. The possibility of estimating cardinal valuations from ordinal ranks could also simplify future data collection dramatically and facilitate wider empirical study of health-state valuations in diverse settings and population groups.
Body Consciousness: A Philosophy of Mindfulness and Somaesthetics

Introduction 1. Somaesthetics and care of the self: the case of Foucault 2. The silent, limping body of philosophy: somatic attention deficit in Merleau-Ponty 3. Somatic subjectivities and somatic subjugation: Beauvoir on gender and ageing 4. Wittgenstein's somaesthetics: explanation and melioration in philosophy of mind, art, and politics 5. Deeper into the storm center: the somatic philosophy of William James 6. Redeeming somatic reflection: John Dewey's philosophy of body-mind.
Examining the testing effect with open‐ and closed‐book tests

Two experiments examined the testing effect with open-book tests, in which students view notes and textbooks while taking the test, and closed-book tests, in which students take the test without viewing notes or textbooks. Subjects studied prose passages and then restudied or took an open- or closed-book test. Taking either kind of test, with feedback, enhanced long-term retention relative to conditions in which subjects restudied material or took a test without feedback. Open-book testing led to better initial performance than closed-book testing, but this benefit did not persist and both types of testing produced equivalent retention on a delayed test. Subjects predicted they would recall more after repeated studying, even though testing enhanced long-term retention more than restudying. These experiments demonstrate that the testing effect occurs with both open- and closed-book tests, and that subjects fail to predict the effectiveness of testing relative to studying in enhancing later recall. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Riboflavin excretion from roots of iron‐stressed and reciprocally grafted tobacco and tomato plants

Abstract Seedlings of tomato and tobacco were V‐grafted reciprocally and intraspecifically and cultured for 22 days in 2‐liter containers of nutrient solution with normal or no iron. The pH of solutions containing iron increased slightly, while the pH of solutions with no iron decreased. There was little decrease in the pH of tomato grafts on tomato, while the pH of other combinations decreased from 1.5 to 3.1 pH units. Riboflavin concentrations in nutrient solution were highest with tobacco on tobacco, and were about one‐third less with tomato on tobacco. The riboflavin values for tobacco on tomato and tomato on tomato were barely detectable like those for plants supplied with iron. Roots of iron‐deficient tobacco plants at harvest contained much more total riboflavin than roots of iron‐deficient tomato plants and roots of iron‐supplied plants contained less total riboflavin than iron‐deficient plants. Total riboflavin in roots of tobacco plants exceeded that in roots of tomato plants. The total riboflav...
Pyloric Stenosis and Direct Hyperbilirubinemia with Alpha-1-Antitrypsin Deficiency

The occurrence of unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia in infants with pyloric stenosis is common. We report an infant who presented with projectile vomiting secondary to pyloric stenosis. In addition, he had conjugated hyperbilirubine mia which proved to be due to alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency of PiZZ pheno type. This is the first case report of such an association. Infants with pyloric stenosis and conjugated hyperbilirubinemia should be investigated for under lying infectious, metabolic causes or anatomical defects of the biliary tree.
Networks in Political Science: Back to the Future

What are the relational dimensions of politics? Does the way that people and organizations are connected to each other matter? Are our opinions affected by the people with whom we talk? Are legislators affected by lobbyists? Is the capacity of social movements to mobilize affected by the structure of societal networks? Powerful evidence in the literature answers each of these questions in the affirmative. However, compared to other paradigmatic foci, political science has invested tiny amounts of capacity in the study of the relevance of networks to political phenomena. Far more attention has been paid to the psychology of how people process information individually as opposed to collectively, and to the role that institutions play in structuring politics as opposed to the relational undergirdings of politics. A review of the flagship journals in political science reveals a dearth of articles on networks. Few, if any, doctoral programs include courses for which the primary focus is network-related ideas, and even the notion of a relational dependence in data is rarely mentioned in discussions of the assumptions embedded in the statistical methods that dominate political science.
GABAA positive modulator and NMDA antagonist-like discriminative stimulus effects of isoflurane vapor in mice

Rationale Several neurotransmitter systems have been hypothesized to be involved in the in vivo effects of volatile anesthetics. Drug discrimination may represent a novel procedure to explore the neurochemical systems underlying the sub-anesthetic behavioral effects of these compounds.
Single-objective versus multi-objective Genetic algorithms for workflow composition based on service level agreements

Workflow composition is a very important issue for service-oriented environments. In particular, the composition of services based on quality of service (QoS) attributes has been gaining attention. The user can describe the request of a workflow in terms of QoS attributes, i.e., the user aims for specific service performance, e.g. low waiting time, high reliability and availability, which are based on different service level plans provided by the providers. Past research has addressed this workflow composition problem classifying them into single-objective and multi-objective optimization solutions. Most of the research has employed the single-objective approach whereby the different objectives, i.e., QoS attributes, are aggregated by a weighted approach. Fewer research approaches have used the multi-objective approach, whereby several solutions are produced by a set of Pareto solutions that have equivalent quality to satisfy specific service level agreements. However, no comparison has been done investigating both approaches. Therefore, this paper addresses this shortcoming by an analysis of both, measuring the success ratio as well as the execution time of two Genetic algorithm implementations (single-objective and multi-objective) applied to the workflow composition problem.
Dislocation Arrays at the Interface between an Epitaxial Layer and Its Substrate

The relationship between the film thickness and dislocation spacing in the interface dislocation arrays is studied by using a criterion based on the energy difference between the relaxed film configuration and a selected, partially relaxed or unrelaxed reference configuration. It is shown that arrays with lower dislocation density are formed in relaxation processes that are more gradual. Stability of arrays is examined, and new bounds of the stable range are constructed. Thin films constitute important parts of many electronic, optoelectronic, and magnetic devices. When the lattice parameters of the film and a substrate match, the film grows without a mismatch strain. If the lattice parameters differ, strain is needed to achieve perfect atomic registry across the interface (strained-layer epitaxy). The elastic energy stored in the film can cause the onset and propagation of structural defects in the layer. These defects are generally undesirable, since they can degrade electrical and optical performance of the layer and heterostructural device. If a dislocation is nucleated, for example as a half-loop from irregularities at the free surface, or if it extends from the substrate to the free surface of the layer, it is desirable that the dislocation expand into the configuration with a threading segment across the layer and a long misfit dislocation left behind at the interface between the layer and its substrate. The driving force provided by the misfit energy in the layer pushes the threading segment until it exits at the edges of the film. Only the misfit dislocation is left, which relaxes the strain in the layer and causes nonalignment between the layer and substrate lattices. The smallest layer thickness at which first misfit dislocation forms during epitaxial growth is known as the critical layer thickness. Comprehensive review of the subject can be found in Matthews (1), Nix (2), Fitzgerald (3), van der Merwe (4), and Freund (5). If the layer is grown beyond its critical thickness and more dislocations enter, it be- comes desirable to determine the relationship between dislocation spacing in the interface array and the layer thickness, for any given amount of initial mismatch strain, crystalline orientation, and material properties (Willis et al. (6, 7); Jain et al. (8); Gosling et al. (9); (5)). A continuation of such studies is the objective of the present paper. In the analysis we use a criterion of strain relaxation, which is based on the difference between the energy of
Fractional charge and inter-Landau level states at points of singular curvature

The quest for universal properties of topological phases is fundamentally important because these signatures are robust to variations in system-specific details. Aspects of the response of quantum Hall states to smooth spatial curvature are well-studied, but challenging to observe experimentally. Here we go beyond this prevailing paradigm and obtain general results for the response of quantum Hall states to points of singular curvature in real space; such points may be readily experimentally actualized. We find, using continuum analytical methods, that the point of curvature binds an excess fractional charge and sequences of quantum states split away, energetically, from the degenerate bulk Landau levels. Importantly, these inter-Landau-level states are bound to the topological singularity and have energies that are universal functions of bulk parameters and the curvature. Our exact diagonalization of lattice tight-binding models on closed manifolds demonstrates that these results continue to hold even when lattice effects are significant. An important technological implication of these results is that these inter-Landau-level states, being both energetically and spatially isolated quantum states, are promising candidates for constructing qubits for quantum computation.
Screening for Carriers of the Avian Cartilage Proteoglycan Core Protein Defect, Nanomelia, by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis

The avian mutation, nanomelia, is an autosomal recessive embryonic lethal. Homozygous embryos show hypoplasia of the limbs and a parrot-like beak. Biochemical studies have associated this phenotype with the absence of the major cartilage-specific proteoglycan core protein. In a previous study, a DNA polymorphism was identified at the 3' end of the core protein gene by using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. This polymorphism is characterized by three electrophoretic variants (alleles), two of which are associated with the normal core protein gene and one of which segregates with the nanomelia mutation. This study documents that segregation of the latter electrophoretic variant can be used to substitute for progeny testing in the identification of carriers of the nanomelia mutation. Standard progeny phenotype tests were carried out in conjunction with genotype screening for the putative nanomelia-associated electrophoretic variant. We found the genotype data defining the nanomelia core protein gene locus to correlate with progeny phenotype test results.
Does Every Right Ideal of a Matrix Ring Contain a Nilpotent Element

(1977). Does Every Right Ideal of a Matrix Ring Contain a Nilpotent Element? The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 84, No. 8, pp. 631-633.
Validating Eye Tracking as an Objective Assessment Tool in Simulation

Abstract Background Standardized, objective measures of performance in a simulated experience are lacking. As eye tracking glasses (ETG) provide video, audio, and data capture of a simulation event and quantitative data of participant actions, this technology is well suited for assessment. Therefore, this study sought to begin validating ETG as an adjunct, objective performance assessment tool in simulation. Method This was a prospective, validation study with a two-group, convenience sample of novice and expert nurses who participated in a heart failure (HF) simulation scenario to validate ETG using a known-groups approach. A HF scenario designed to elicit seven basic nursing tasks was followed by a knowledge test and demographic questionnaire. Results The groups were equivalent in basic HF knowledge as related to the care of a dyspneic patient. Of the seven tasks, all novices completed only one, while in the expert group, all participants completed four of the seven. Significance was found between groups for time to task in five of seven tasks and eye fixation times in key areas. Conclusions This pilot study begins the validation process of ETG technology as an objective assessment method as significant differences were elicited between known groups. ETG technology also provides meaningful data and visual images that can be used to inform nursing education in simulation. Additional research is needed to further establish the validity and reliability of ETG technology as an assessment tool in clinical simulation.
A Multistep DRIE Process for Complex Terahertz Waveguide Components

A silicon deep reactive-ion etching (DRIE) process has been developed, using multiple SiO2 masks to enable multidepth waveguide features with ±2% tolerance. The unique capability of this process is demonstrated by designing, fabricating, and testing an orthomode transducer working in the 500–600 GHz frequency range. Straight waveguide measurements are also performed to characterize the losses associated with the multistep DRIE process, giving results slightly better than expected for metal-machined waveguides. This process enables the integration of multiple terahertz waveguide components such as mixers, multipliers, quadrature hybrids, and polarization twists onto a single silicon package.
Religious Environments and the Distribution of Anti-Poverty Nonprofit Organizations:

Previous scholarship highlights the effect that religious environments have on community-level outcomes such as neighborhood stability, economic development, and crime. In the present study, I exte...
External Auditors’ Perceptions of and Willingness to Work in Outsourced and In-House Internal Audit Functions

While the internal audit function (IAF) plays a critical role in organizations, it faces challenges in finding sufficient numbers of high-quality job applicants to fill its ranks. We examine experienced external auditors’ perceptions of internal auditing and how their perceptions may influence the nature of communications they have with job-seeking students about careers in internal audit. The results of two experiments suggest that practicing external auditors are twice as likely to apply for positions that are labeled as accounting positions rather than either in-house or outsourced internal audit positions. The results also suggest that external auditors believe there are negative perceptions of internal auditors — especially in-house internal auditors relative to outsourced internal auditors — and are more likely to recommend that mediocre students apply to work in internal auditing. We also provide survey results from experienced professionals that identify aspects of internal auditing that may be improved to make it a more attractive career option. Taken together, the results suggest internal auditing faces hiring challenges, but these challenges may be mitigated — which can have important ramifications for the important role internal auditing serves in the business world.
THE IMPLICATIONS OF A MUDDLED DEFINITION OF PUBLIC PROCUREMENT

At all levels of government, inconsistencies exist regarding the terminology and the body of knowledge used to understand public procurement. Perspectives on what public procurement is, or should be, ranges from routine ordering to sophisticated analysis of government spending. Definitional ambiguities have hampered attempts to define the field and unify its focus. This exploratory article examines the implications of the muddled nature of public procurement that has led to debate and uncertainty about the proper role of public procurement practitioners. To address these limitations, three dimensions of all public procurement systems are identified, and a general definition is proposed for describing the field and its institutionalized practices.
Holographic dynamics from multiscale entanglement renormalization ansatz

The multiscale entanglement renormalization ansatz (MERA) is a tensor network based variational ansatz that is capable of capturing many of the key physical properties of strongly correlated ground states such as criticality and topological order. MERA also shares many deep relationships with the AdS/CFT (gauge-gravity) correspondence by realizing a UV complete holographic duality within the tensor networks framework. Motivated by this, we have repurposed the MERA tensor network as an analysis tool to study the real-time evolution of the 1D transverse Ising model in its low-energy excited state sector. We performed this analysis by allowing the ancilla qubits of the MERA tensor network to acquire quantum fluctuations, which yields a unitary transform between the physical (boundary) and ancilla qubit (bulk) Hilbert spaces. This then defines a reversible quantum circuit, which is used as a ``holographic transform'' to study excited states and their real-time dynamics from the point of the bulk ancillae. In the gapped paramagnetic phase of the transverse field Ising model, we demonstrate the holographic duality between excited states induced by single spin-flips (Ising ``magnons'') acting on the ground state and single ancilla qubit spin flips. The single ancillae qubit excitation is shown to be stable in the bulk under real-time evolution and hence defines a stable holographic quasiparticle, which we have named the ``hologron.'' Their bulk 2D Hamiltonian, energy spectrum, and dynamics within the MERA network are studied numerically. The ``dictionary'' between the bulk and boundary is determined and realizes many features of the holographic correspondence in a non-CFT limit of the boundary theory. As an added spin-off, this dictionary together with the extension to multihologron sectors gives us a systematic way to construct quantitatively accurate low-energy effective Hamiltonians.
Black Swans and the Social Value of Corporate Disaster Giving

Over 90 percent of the deaths from natural disasters have occurred in low- and middle-income countries, yet more than 85 percent of in-kind and monetary relief coming from business organizations wo...
Mining Protein Evolution for Insights into Mechanisms of Voltage-Dependent Sodium Channel Auxiliary Subunits

Voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) beta (β) subunits have been called the “overachieving” auxiliary ion channel subunit. Indeed, these subunits regulate the trafficking of the sodium channel complex at the plasma membrane and simultaneously tune the voltage-dependent properties of the pore-forming alpha-subunit. It is now known that VGSC β-subunits are capable of similar modulation of multiple isoforms of related voltage-gated potassium channels, suggesting that their abilities extend into the broader voltage-gated channels. The gene family for these single transmembrane immunoglobulin beta-fold proteins extends well beyond the traditional VGSC β1–β4 subunit designation, with deep roots into the cell adhesion protein family and myelin-related proteins – where inherited mutations result in a myriad of electrical signaling disorders. Yet, very little is known about how VGSC β-subunits support protein trafficking pathways, the basis for their modulation of voltage-dependent gating, and, ultimately, their role in shaping neuronal excitability. An evolutionary approach can be useful in yielding new clues to such functions as it provides an unbiased assessment of protein residues, folds, and functions. An approach is described here which indicates the greater emergence of the modern β-subunits roughly 400 million years ago in the early neurons of Bilateria and bony fish, and the unexpected presence of distant homologues in bacteriophages. Recent structural breakthroughs containing α and β eukaryotic sodium channels containing subunits suggest a novel role for a highly conserved polar contact that occurs within the transmembrane segments. Overall, a mixture of approaches will ultimately advance our understanding of the mechanism for β-subunit interactions with voltage-sensor containing ion channels and membrane proteins.
External Performance Evaluations and Task Motivation: Some Suggestions

Our purpose in this volume is to consider the role of external evaluations in individual motivation and performance. In the most basic (and oversimplified) terms possible, it seems that the central issues are these: What are the effects of external performance evaluation? Is it a good or a bad thing? When does it work best/worst? The first four chapters in this volume describe different research traditions, all of which share the common theme of investigating motivated task behavior and, in one way or another, the effects of performance evaluation. Each tradition has of course been shaped by parochial concerns, resulting in many methodological differences, including the choice of independent and dependent variables, level of analysis, and experimental tasks. Overall, in my opinion, while there is some overlap in these literatures, they are more often complementary, representing special, particularly salient, cases of task motivation. It is quite understandable why these particular variables and contexts have been examined and, for the most part, they do represent rather different cases involving rather different concerns.
A Self-Contained Hierarchical Simulation Construct

The purpose of this paper is to propose a single architecture for realization of a cohesive hierarchical structure of combat models. It is not suggested that this construct represents current proven methodology. Rather, it is proposed that research and development efforts be devoted to determining the feasibility of such an approach to take advantage of rapidly evolving technologies, particularly in areas such as distributed processing and software development.
Is social network site usage related to depression? A meta-analysis of Facebook-depression relations.

Abstract Background Facebook depression is defined as feeling depressed upon too much exposure to Social networking sites (SNS). Researchers have argued that upward social comparisons made on SNS are the key to the Facebook depression phenomenon. To examine the relations between SNS usage and depression, we conducted 4 separate meta-analyses relating depression to: (1) time spent on SNS, (2) SNS checking frequency, (3) general and (4) upward social comparisons on SNS. We compared the four mean effect sizes in terms of magnitude. Methods Our literature search yielded 33 articles with a sample of 15,881 for time spent on SNS, 12 articles with a sample of 8041 for SNS checking frequency, and 5 articles with a sample of 1715 and 2298 for the general and the upward social comparison analyses, respectively. Results In both SNS-usage analyses, greater time spent on SNS and frequency of checking SNS were associated with higher levels of depression with a small effect size. Further, higher levels of depression were associated with greater general social comparisons on SNS with a small to medium effect, and greater upward social comparisons on SNS with a medium effect. Both social comparisons on SNS were more strongly related to depression than was time spent on SNS. Limitations Limitations include heterogeneity in effect sizes and a small number of samples for social comparison analyses. Conclusions Our results are consistent with the notion of ‘Facebook depression phenomenon’ and with the theoretical importance of social comparisons as an explanation.