cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Construction of Null Bases for the Divergence Operator Associated With Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations*

The dual variable method (DVM) and the divergence free finite element method (DFFEM) both significantly reduce the dimension of the system to be solved at each time step of discrete transient Navier-Stokes equations. We establish an equivalence of these two methods and investigate various approaches to finding sparse bases for the null space of operators associated with each of the methods. For the standard eight-node velocity and four-node pressure DFFEM, a basis for the divergence free subspace is constructed such that each basis function has nonzero support on at most nine contiguous elements.
Retrospective analysis of nuclear protein in testis (NUT) midline carcinoma in the upper aerodigestive tract and mediastinum

Objective Nuclear protein in testis (NUT) midline carcinoma (NMC) is a very aggressive tumor with limited survival, recently recognized as a subset of poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. A simple chromosomal translocation results in NUT overexpression and malignant transformation. This study used immunohistochemistry to retrospectively diagnose and characterize NMC cases. Study Design Immunoperoxidase staining was performed according to a standard protocol and interpreted independently by two pathologists. Scores were based on nuclear staining with monoclonal NUT antibody (C52B1) in the tumor cells. Results Fifty-one poorly differentiated carcinoma cases with material available for testing were retrieved. Average patient age was 54.9 years (range: 16-82), with 20 women and 31 men. A single NMC case (2%) was retrospectively diagnosed in a 26-year-old man with a left maxillary sinus/nasal cavity tumor; he died of his disease 18 months after presentation, despite treatment. Conclusions These results support inclusion of NUT antibody in diagnostic immunohistochemical panels for poorly differentiated carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive tract.
Symposium on Federal Deposit Insurance for S&L Institutions

Following a decade of neglect, the Bush administration and Congress moved early in 1989 to resolve the most serious problems yet to confront federal insurance of U.S. bank deposits. Federal deposit insurance was introduced to eliminate the bank runs of the Great Depression: the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) was created in 1933 to insure commercial bank deposits and the FSLIC (Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation) was created in 1934 to insure savings and loan association (SL the bank runs stopped as soon as deposits were federally insured. Federal deposit insurance then continued to operate successfully for almost the next 50 years, until about 1980. During this period, few institutions failed and bank runs did not develop. The situation changed dramatically during the 1980s. The FDIC suffered major losses as a result of bank failures due to bad energy and agricultural loans, while failing loans to foreign borrowers (mainly in Latin America) threatened even greater losses. For the FSLIC, rapidly rising interest rates during the late 1970s and early 1980s initiated serious problems. Because the S&Ls held mainly long-term and fixed-rate mortgages, the rising rates created capital losses that were large enough to wipe out the net worth of the S&L industry. Even after interest rate levels fell in the mid-1980s, FSLIC losses continued to escalate.
Producing Hegemony: State/Society Relations and the Politics of Productivity in the United States

This paper argues for a historical reinterpretation of the social bases of American global hegemony in this century. The first part builds a case for three related propositions: 1) prevailing theoretical traditions in international political economy embody inadequate conceptions of states, state powers, and state/society relations and are, as a consequence, largely unable to interpret the historically concrete processes by which the socio-political basis of American global power was constructed in the twentieth century; 2) recent scholarship in historical political economy suggests potentially fruitful alternatives to prevailing understandings of state powers and the core relations of American global hegemony in this century; and 3) in light of the first two propositions a historical reinterpretation of the socio-political core of American hegemony is warranted. As a step in this direction, the second part of the paper suggests one such alternative interpretation. It is argued that the extraordinary global powers of the United States were made possible by a reconstruction of state/society relations peculiar to the U.S., simultaneously creating the social infrastructure of mass production and consumption while maintaining the formal separation between the spheres of politics and economics, public and private, which is characteristic of liberal capitalist social formations. The distinctive neoliberal quality of American hegemony may be best understood as the historical outcome of the political struggles entailed in this process of socio-political restructuring.
Effects of sex, thyro-parathyroidectomy, and light regime on levels and circadian rhythms of wheel-running in rats

Intact and thyro-parathyroidectomized (TPX) Sprague-Dawley rats of both sexes were observed for 24 days under a 12:12 light:dark cycle (Entrainment), followed by 20 days in constant dim red light (Free-Run). Circadian periods and levels of wheel-running activity were examined. Intact females and TPX males were significantly more active and had significantly shorter free-running circadian periods than intact males, and the effects of TPX in females were different from those in males. Circadian periods in TPX females were slightly, but not significantly, shorter than in intact females, and activity levels in TPX females were nonsignificantly depressed relative to intact females. It was also found that day versus night activity levels differed more in TPX animals than in intact animals, especially during entrainment, suggesting that TPXs may be more sensitive to some effects of light. A number of possible explanations for the effects of TPX are considered, including changes in thyroid and calcitonin levels, interactions with gonadal hormones, and possible developmental effects of thyroid hormones on the circadian system. It is also possible that rhythm changes are secondary to alterations in activity levels. Human manic depressives reportedly have an unusually high incidence of thyroid, parathyroid, and calcium regulation abnormalities, display shortened circadian sleep-wake rhythms and abnormal levels of activity, and may also be hypersensitive to some effects of light; in addition, depression predominates in women, whereas mania predominates in men. The present results suggest that thyroid dysfunction could be partially responsible for the some of these abnormalities, and for sex differences in the manifestations of these disorders.
Consolidations and closures: an empirical analysis of exits from the hospital industry

This paper investigates the pre-exit characteristics of hospital mergers, acquisitions, and closures. We estimate competing risk hazard models using an 18-year national data set that spans the wave of closures in the 1980s and of mergers in the 1990s. Evidence shows that weak productivity of the hospital is a strong determinant for closures while competitive pressures are more influential in the decision to consolidate. Thus, increased market power, relative to cost reductions, appears to play a larger role in the merger decision. Our results also provide insight into possible correlations between mergers and closures. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A computation of the limit capacity of the Lorenz attractor

Abstract Attempts to compute directly the limit capacity or fractal dimension of the Lorenz attractor, using the box-counting algorithm suggested by Takens, encounter a convergence problem. This convergence problem is discussed, leading to an extrapolation procedure that resolves it, and yields a fractal dimension that is accurate to the resolution of the smallest boxes used.
Genetic and immunologic analysis of a family containing five patients with common-variable immune deficiency or selective IgA deficiency.

A family with 13 members included 2 subjects with selective IgA deficiency (IgA-D) and 3 subjects with common-variable immune deficiency (CVID), diseases which usually occur sporadically. Reciprocal combinations of B and T cellsin vitro between one normal and two immune-deficient family members and normal subjects revealed that defective Ig synthesis was determined by the B cells, while the patient T cells functioned normally. Normal T helper and suppressor function was demonstrated even in one patient with CVID who developed a T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder associated with elevated IgM; this patient's B cells made only IgMin vitro. Immune deficiencies were inherited in this family in a pattern consistent with an autosomal dominant trait with incomplete penetrance. All the immune-deficient patients in this family possessed at least one copy of an MHC haplotype previously shown to be abnormally frequent in IgA-D and CVID: HLA-DQB1*0201, HLA-DR3, C4B-Sf, C4A-deleted, G11-15, Bf-0.4, C2-a, HSP70-7.5, TNFα-5, HLA-B8, and HLA-A1. The patient who developed the lymphoproliferative disorder was homozygous for this haplotype. Four immunologically normal members, one of whom was 80 years old, also possessed this MHC haplotype, indicating that its presence is not sufficient for disease expression. A small segment of another MHC haplotype associated with Ig deficiency in the population also occurred in this family, but it was not associated with immune deficiency. The presence of neutral amino acids at position 57 of DQβ, previously correlated with IgA-D, was associated with disease in this family approximately to the same degree reported previously in unrelated patients. Thus the expression of immunodeficiency in individuals bearing a disease-associated MHC haplotype appears to require either additional genes or an environmental trigger.
The Russian proto-parties and the national republics: Integrative organizations in a disintegrating world?

Abstract This article examines the nomination choices of the major Russian political parties for the single-member districts in the ethnic republics for the December 1993 and December 1995 State Duma elections. Using western-based theories on party behavior in multi-ethnic societies, this article tests several hypotheses relating to the factors which affect where parties were active and examines the different recruitment strategies of individual parties. In general, it was found that the Russian proto-parties tended to be most active in urban and predominantly Russian areas of the republics. However, there were differences between the parties, with notable parties more likely to recruit non-Russian elites to their banners as opposed to program parties. Moreover, when comparing across time, the party which most increased its recruitment of non-Russian elites from 1993 to 1995 was the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF).
Freshmen Women and the “Freshman 15”: Perspectives on Prevalence and Causes of College Weight Gain

Abstract Objective: Freshman weight gain has been assessed using quantitative inquiry, but this qualitative study allowed for an in-depth exploration of freshmen women's experiences surrounding body image, nutrition, and exercise. The purpose of this study was to better understand the impact and explanations for the “Freshman 15.” Participants: Freshmen college women, aged 18 to 19 years. Methods: Participants (N = 235) were initially surveyed about body dissatisfaction. Thirty participants were selected for semistructured interviews (conducted in March 2008) using a criterion-based, multilevel stratified random sampling. Results: Freshmen women reported intense fears about gaining weight. Women most commonly attributed freshman weight gain to newly found food independence, social comparison with peers, and the influence of friends and family. Women frequently cited eating habit changes to explain college weight gain. Conclusions: Comparison among females was framed using Festinger's social comparison the...
Energy Poverty in Rural Bangladesh

Energy poverty is a well-established concept among energy and development specialists. International development organizations frequently cite energy-poverty alleviation as a necessary condition to reduce income poverty. Several approaches used to measure energy poverty over the past 20 years have defined the energy poverty line as the minimum quantity of physical energy needed to perform such basic tasks as cooking and lighting. This paper uses a demand-based approach to define the energy poverty line as the threshold point at which energy consumption begins to rise with increases in household income. At or below this threshold point, households consume a bare minimum level of energy and should be considered energy poor. This approach was applied using cross-sectional data from a comprehensive 2004 household survey representative of rural Bangladesh. The findings suggest that some 58 percent of rural households in Bangladesh are energy poor, versus 45 percent that are income poor. The findings also suggest that policies to support rural electrification and greater use of improved biomass stoves might play a significant role in reducing energy poverty.
Safety and tolerability of linezolid in children.

BACKGROUND Linezolid, an oxazolidinone, is effective in the treatment of adults and children with community-acquired and nosocomial pneumonia and uncomplicated and complicated skin and skin structure infections (SSSIs), including infections caused by Gram-positive resistant pathogens. Because of the increasing use of linezolid, it is important to review the common adverse events (AEs) associated with its use in children with the use of data from clinical trials. OBJECTIVE The safety and tolerability of linezolid in pediatric patients with Gram-positive infections were determined in four pediatric clinical studies. Study I included pediatric patients with community-acquired pneumonia; Study II included otitis media; Study III included SSSIs; and Study IV included complicated SSSIs, nosocomial pneumonia and bacteremia. METHODS Studies I and II had no comparator arm. Study III was randomized and compared linezolid with cefadroxil. Study IV also was randomized and compared linezolid with vancomycin. Patients <12 years of age received linezolid 10 mg/kg; patients age 12 years and older received 600 mg (intravenous/oral). Dosing frequency (two to three times daily) varied depending on age and clinical diagnosis. The primary safety endpoints were AEs, drug-related AEs, serious AEs and selected laboratory tests. RESULTS In the 4 studies 958 patients were included in the intent-to-treat analysis. In the linezolid vs. cefadroxil study (Study III), the most common AEs in patients treated with linezolid were diarrhea (7.8%), headache (6.5%) and upper respiratory tract infection (3.7%). In the linezolid vs. vancomycin study (Study IV), the most common AEs in the linezolid group were fever (14.1%), diarrhea (10.8%) and vomiting (9.4%). The most common drug-related AEs for linezolid in all 4 studies were diarrhea, vomiting, loose stools and nausea. None of these common AEs or drug-related AEs occurred more frequently in patients treated with linezolid than in those in the comparator group. CONCLUSIONS Linezolid was safe and well-tolerated in pediatric patients with community-acquired pneumonia, otitis media, SSSIs and infections caused by Gram-positive resistant pathogens.
Two-color ghost imaging with enhanced angular resolving power

This article reports an experimental demonstration on nondegenerate, two-color, biphoton ghost imaging which reproduced a ghost image with enhanced angular resolving power by means of a greater field of view compared with that of classical imaging. With the same imaging magnification, the enhanced angular resolving power and field of view compared with those of classical imaging are $1.25:1$ and $1.16:1$, respectively. The enhancement of angular resolving power depends on the ratio between the idler and the signal photon frequencies, and the enhancement of the field of view depends mainly on the same ratio and also on the distances of the object plane and the imaging lens from the two-photon source. This article also reports the possibility of reproducing a ghost image with the enhancement of the angular resolving power by means of a greater imaging amplification compared with that of classical imaging.
Topology‐rheology regression models for monodisperse linear and branched polyethylenes

Several quantitative descriptors of polymer topology—the Wiener number W, complexity index K, and the index of 3-starness S—were shown to relate well the measured rheological properties of linear and 3-arm star monodisperse polyethylene samples to their structure. The complexity index K (the substructure count) provided sin- gle-variable models with correlation coefficients r ranging from 0.95 to 0.98 for zero-shear viscosity, activation energy, and the parameters and from the Cross equation, which describes the shape of the viscosity/shear rate curve. The regression models with two and three topological variables were characterized by r 0.99 and low standard deviations. The models were used to predict the values of these rheo- logical parameters for branched monodisperse polyethyl- enes not yet synthesized, thus indicating the potential of this topology-based methodology for industrial applications. The study also presents a statistical confirmation for the much stronger effect that long-chain branching has on shear rheology than that of molecular weight. © 2003 Wiley Period-
Voice Climate, Work Outcomes, and the Mediating Role of Psychological Empowerment A Multilevel Examination

The study of voice climate in organizations is a recent introduction to the voice literature and much is still unknown about the outcomes associated with voice climate or the processes by which voi...
Metastatic Tumors of the Foot and Ankle

In a review of the Mayo Clinic files, 17 biopsy-proven cases of metastatic tumors of the foot and ankle were found; 4 additional cases were considered to have metastatic disease on the basis of clinical and radiographic evidence but no histological confirmation was available. Lung, kidney, and colon were the most common sites of the primary tumors. The patients survived as long as 28 months after discovery of the metastasis. Treatment consisted of individualized combinations of orthotics, surgery, and radiotherapy to maintain mobility. In 9 of these 17 cases, no primary lesion was identified at the time the metastasis was diagnosed. Metastatic tumors of the foot present special problems in diagnosis and management.
Dual-frequency continuous-wave terahertz transmission imaging of nonmelanoma skin cancers

Continuous wave terahertz imaging has the potential for diagnosing and delineating skin cancers. While contrast has been observed between cancerous and normal tissue at terahertz frequencies, the source mechanism behind this contrast is not clearly understood.1Transmission measurements of 240μm thick sections of nonmelanoma skin cancer were taken at two frequencies of 1.39 THz and 1.63 THz that lie within and outside the tryptophan absorption band, respectively. Two CO2 pumped Far-Infrared molecular gas lasers were used for illuminating the tissue while the transmitted signals were detected using a liquid Helium cooled Silicon bolometer. At both THz frequencies 2-dimensional THz transmission images of nonmelanoma skin cancers were acquired with better than 0.5mm spatial resolution. The resulting images were compared to the sample histology and showed a correlation between cancerous tissue and decreased transmission. The results of the imaging experiments will be presented and discussed.
Reductions of gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate uptake and (Na+ + K+)-ATPase activity in brain slices and synaptosomes by arachidonic acid

Arachidonic acid, a major polyunsaturated fatty acid of membrane phospholipids in the CNS, reduced the high-affinity uptake of glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in both rat brain cortical slices and synaptosomes. alpha-Aminoisobutyric acid uptake was not affected. Intrasynaptosomal sodium was increased concomitant with decreased (Na+ + K+)-ATPase activity in synaptosomal membranes. The reduction of GABA uptake in synaptosomes could be partially reversed by alpha-tocopherol. The inhibition of membrane-bound (Na+ + K+)-ATPase by arachidonic acid was not due to a simple detergent-like action on membranes, since sodium dodecyl sulfate stimulated the sodium pump activity in synaptosomes. These data indicate that arachidonic acid selectively modifies membrane stability and integrity associated with reductions of GABA and glutamate uptake and of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase activity.
A response to Steubing et al., "Effects of systematic phonics instruction are practically significant": The origins of the National Reading Panel.

A recent article by Stuebing, Barth, Cirino, Francis and Fletcher critiqued the findings of Camilli, Vargas, and Yurecko (2003) and Camilli, Wolfe, and Smith (2006). With a methodological argument, they attempted to resolve the conflict between these studies and the original report Teaching Children to Read (National Reading Panel, 2000). In response, it is argued that three issues must be considered in a fair assessment of the NRP report—program labels or bins, alternative bins, and the role of literacy activities in reading instruction. In this light, three hypotheses ventured by Stuebing et al. are analyzed. It is concluded that the argument by Stuebing et al. does not reveal flaws in the original NRP report by Camilli et al. (2003), though some points of agreement are acknowledged.
Aspergillus nidulans Pmts form heterodimers in all pairwise combinations

Eukaryotic protein O-mannosyltransferases (Pmts) are divided into three subfamilies (Pmt1, Pmt2, and Pmt4) and activity of Pmts in yeasts and animals requires assembly into complexes. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pmt1 and Pmt2 form a heteromeric complex and Pmt 4 forms a homomeric complex. The filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans has three Pmts: PmtA (subfamily 2), PmtB (subfamily 1), and PmtC (subfamily 4). In this study we show that A. nidulans Pmts form heteromeric complexes in all possible pairwise combinations and that PmtC forms homomeric complexes. We also show that MsbA, an ortholog of a Pmt4-modified protein, is not modified by PmtC.
Sep: A Fixed Degree Regular Network for MassivelyParallel Systems

We propose a family of regular Cayley network graphs of degree three based on permutation groups for design of massively parallel systems. These graphs are shown to be based on the shuffle exchange operations, to have logarithmic diameter in the number of vertices, and to be maximally fault tolerant. We investigate different algebraic properties of these networks (including fault tolerance) and propose a simple routing algorithm. These graphs are shown to be able to efficiently simulate or embed other permutation group based graphs; thus they seem to be very attractive for VLSI implementation and for applications requiring bounded number of I/O ports as well as to run existing applications for other permutation group based network architectures.
Self-Representations of Social and Academic Competence: Contextual Correlates in Middle Childhood.

Self-representations of 1st-, 3rd-, and 5th-graders' social and academic competence were examined in relation to children's personal (grade/age); family (attachment to parents, marital conflict, anxiety related to conflict); and school (teacher appraisals) contexts. Children who reported higher levels of security of attachment to parents and lower levels of anxiety associated with parents' marital conflict represented themselves as more socially competent. For boys only, higher levels of parents' marital conflict were associated with more positive self-representations of social competence. Children who reported higher levels of security in attachment to parents also represented themselves as more academically competent; for girls only, higher levels of anxiety related to parents' conflict were associated with more negative representations of academic competence. Teachers' appraisals of children's competence were not associated with children's self-representations. This research was supported by a seed gra...
E‐customers' third party complaining and complimenting behavior

Purpose – To provide an initial framework for online third party complaining and complimenting behavior as a consequence of online product or customer service failure or success, using a third party consumer evaluation web site.Design/methodology/approach – Based on critical incidents supplied by consumers in a third party consumer forum web site, a clear picture of the type and frequency of online service failures and successes is expected to develop using critical incident technique and scientific text analyzing methods for qualitative analysis.Findings – The speed of shipping, shipping materials or packaging and customer service appear to be critical for the online transaction to be a success. Ease of ordering was shown to influence the likelihood of complimenting the most. The results provided support for the existence of bivalent satisfiers, monovalent satisfiers and monovalent dissatisfiers within the online retail environment.Research limitations/implications – Text analyzer has certain software li...
In situ methylation of mercury in estuarine sediment

THE methylation of mercury compounds in sediments, believed to be a biological process, has been shown in a number of laboratory experiments1–5. Background levels of methylmercury (CH3Hg) have been reported for estuarine sediments from the Mississippi Delta, Mobile Bay and the Florida Everglades6. We now report that sediment in San Francisco Bay contained background levels of methylmercury and methylated mercuric chloride (HgCl2) in situ.
Degradation of spin valve heads under accelerated stress conditions

The failure mode of spin valve head was studied at various oven temperature and applied current density conditions. The effects on device reliability due to Joule-heat temperature rise, current density, and stress current polarity were investigated by in-situ quasistatic transfer curve measurements. Arrhenius plots of the time to failure (TTF) data show similar activation energy of /spl sim/1 eV for failure criteria of 0.2% resistance decrease and 10% amplitude loss. The device reliability is shown to depend predominantly on the peak sensor temperature. The magnetic field produced by the bias current affects primarily magnetic instability and causes mainly the scattering of life test results.
Corporate Profits and Social Responsibility: "Subsidization" of Corporate Income Under Charitable Giving Tax Laws

Private U.S. corporations donated approximately $6 billion to nonprofit organizations in 1994. Corporations may donate money both directly to charities and indirectly through a corporate-sponsored foundation. Tax and financial advantages, as well as differences in corporate image, arise due to policy differences in the treatment of certain gifts. This paper presents a new model of corporate giving, and examines the financial implications of both direct and corporate foundation donations. Important considerations are corporate and foundation tax rates, the occurrence of donations to non-U.S. (or other non-tax-deductible) charities, the sale of assets to fund corporate foundations, and the effects of contributions over time. Comparative statics from a two-period model provide theoretical motivations for making certain types of gifts in certain ways. The results show that tax deductibility, tax rates, amounts of gifts made overseas, and capital gains provisions for corporate and foundation use affect giving. In fact, use of a nonprofit foundation for making contributions often results in a "subsidization" of monies to be distributed for charitable purposes and, hence, more after-tax income for the corporation.
Brain Stimulation for Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders, Current Status and Future Direction

Interest in brain stimulation therapies has been rejuvenated over the last decade and brain stimulation therapy has become an alternative treatment for many neurological and psychiatric disorders, including Parkinson's disease (PD), dystonia, pain, epilepsy, depression, and schizophrenia. The effects of brain stimulation on PD are well described, and this treatment has been widely used for such conditions worldwide. Treatments for other conditions are still in experimental stages and large-scale, well controlled studies are needed to refine the treatment procedures. In the treatment of intractable brain disorders, brain stimulation, especially transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), is an attractive alternative to surgical lesioning as it is relatively safe, reversible, and flexible. Brain stimulation, delivered either via deeply implanted electrodes or from a surface-mounted transcranial magnetic device, can alter abnormal neural circuits underlying brain disorders. The neural mechanisms mediating the beneficial effects of brain stimulation, however, are poorly understood. Conflicting theories and experimental data have been presented. It seems that the action of stimulation on brain circuitry is not limited to simple excitation or inhibition. Alterations of neural firing patterns and long-term effects on neurotransmitter and receptor systems may also play important roles in the therapeutic effects of brain stimulation. Future research on both the basic and clinical fronts will deepen our understanding of how brain stimulation works. Real-time computation of neural activity allows for integration of brain stimulation signals into ongoing neural processing. In this way abnormal circuit activity can be adjusted by optimal therapeutic brain stimulation paradigms.
Design of a Conditioner for smoothing wind turbine output power

As a result of wind speed intermittency, highly variable wind power output can adversely impact local loads. We propose a conditioner to smooth the variable wind power by utilizing the energy of an ultracapacitor. The conditioner is based on a single phase voltage source inverter (VSI) connected between the grid interconnection point and the ultracapacitor. The shunt VSI injects or absorbs active power from the line to smooth the wind power by utilizing the short term storage capabilities of the ultracapacitor. The ultracapacitor is connected to the DC link through a DC-DC converter, which maintains the voltage of the DC link relatively constant to provide good controllability of the VSI. The control strategies for the conditioner are presented in this paper. The MATLAB simulation results show that the conditioner is efficient in smoothing the wind power. The conditioner design and control will be validated on a Skystream3.7 wind turbine installed at the Missouri University of Science & Technology.
Magnetic Structure Responsible for Coronal Disturbances: Observations

Coronal disturbances are considered as consequences of the ejection of electric currents (or non-potential magnetic fields) from the photosphere and chromosphere into the corona. It may be that electric currents are generated near neutral lines in the photosphere and are later ejected into the corona.
New a priori and a posteriori probabilistic bounds for robust counterpart optimization: I. Unknown probability distributions

Abstract Optimization problems often have a subset of parameters whose values are not known exactly or have yet to be realized. Nominal solutions to models under uncertainty can be infeasible or yield overly optimistic objective function values given the actual parameter realizations. Worst-case robust optimization guarantees feasibility but yields overly conservative objective function values. The use of probabilistic guarantees greatly improves the performance of robust counterpart optimization. We present new a priori and a posteriori probabilistic bounds which improve upon existing methods applied to models with uncertain parameters whose possible realizations are bounded and subject to unspecified probability distributions. We also provide new a priori and a posteriori bounds which, for the first time, permit robust counterpart optimization of models with parameters whose means are only known to lie within some range of values. The utility of the bounds is demonstrated through computational case studies involving a mixed-integer linear optimization problem and a linear multiperiod planning problem. These bounds reduce the conservatism, improve the performance, and augment the applicability of robust counterpart optimization.
Teaching Poultry Management Principles 1. Determining Optimum Broiler Weights in the Growing Operation

Abstract IN THE development of early poultry curriculums poultry husbandry and poultry management were, in classroom practice, considered to be synonymous. However, as the industry developed and poultry teaching became more sophisticated, poultry management, while including husbandry, has come to be recognized as an area of study involving many disciplines. Elementary poultry management courses place increased emphasis on the biology of the fowl. The more advanced management courses emphasize the application of economic and business principles. Husbandry may have special application in either course, or, as is sometimes done, the teaching of husbandry may be incorporated within the more advanced nutrition, physiology, etc. courses. Courses in advanced poultry management have involved less direct teaching of husbandry as teachers sought to include principles of management rather than special practices. However, the introduction of principles into the classroom has for many reasons, been fragmented and slow. Textbooks on advanced poultry management which incorporated…
Effects of Texture on Plastic Anisotropy in Sheet Metals

Crystallographic texture determines the mechanical anisotropy of sheet metals and thus strongly influences their formability. For an alloy with a given composition, crystallographic texture is determined by the processing sequence employed to produce the end product. By suitably controlling thermomechanical processing parameters, a desirable blending of texture components could be obtained. The capability to monitor crystallographic texture on-line at various stages of the processing sequence is a prerequisite for controlling the texture of the end product.
The Epidemiology and Pathogenesis of Neoplasia in the Small Intestine

Purpose The mucosa of the small intestine encompasses about 90% of the luminal surface area of the digestive system, but only 2% of the total annual gastrointestinal cancer incidence in the United States. Methods The remarkable contrast in age-standardized cancer incidence between the small and large intestine has been reviewed with respect to the cell type patterns, demographic features, and molecular characteristics of neoplasms. Results Particularly noteworthy is the predominance of adenocarcinoma in the colon, which exceeds 98% of the total incidence by cell type, in contrast to that of 30% to 40% in the small intestine, resulting in an age-standardized ratio of rates exceeding 50-fold. The prevalence of adenomas and carcinomas is most prominent in the duodenum and proximal jejunum. The positive correlation in global incidence rates of small and large intestinal neoplasms and the reciprocal increases in risk of second primary adenocarcinomas suggest that there are common environmental risk factors. The pathophysiology of Crohn inflammatory bowel disease and the elevated risk of adenocarcinoma demonstrate the significance of the impaired integrity of the mucosal barrier and of aberrant immune responses to luminal indigenous and potentially pathogenic microorganisms. Conclusion In advancing a putative mechanism for the contrasting mucosal susceptibilities of the small and large intestine, substantial differences are underscored in the diverse taxonomy, concentration and metabolic activity of anaerobic organisms, rate of intestinal transit, changing pH, and the enterohepatic recycling and metabolism of bile acids. Experimental and epidemiologic studies are cited that suggest that the changing microecology, particularly in the colon, is associated with enhanced metabolic activation of ingested and endogenously formed procarcinogenic substrates.
Efficient Computation of the Permanent of Block Factorizable Matrices

We present an efficient algorithm for computing the permanent for matrices of size N that can written as a product of L block diagonal matrices with blocks of size at most 2. For fixed L, the time and space resources scale linearly in N, with a prefactor that scales exponentially in L. This class of matrices contains banded matrices with banded inverse. We show that such a factorization into a product of block diagonal matrices gives rise to a circuit acting on a Hilbert space with a tensor product structure and that the permanent is equal to the transition amplitude of this circuit and a product basis state. In this correspondence, a block diagonal matrix gives rise to one layer of the circuit, where each block to a gate acting either on a single tensor component or on two adjacent tensor components. This observation allows us to adopt matrix product states, a computational method from condensed matter physics and quantum information theory used to simulate quantum systems, to evaluate the transition amplitude.
An automated, dynamic threshold cloud-masking algorithm for daytime AVHRR images over land

An operational scheme for masking cloud-contaminated pixels in Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) daytime data over land is developed, evaluated, and presented. Dynamic thresholding is used with channel 1 reflectance data, channel 3 minus channel 4 temperature difference data, and channel 4 minus channel 5 temperature difference data to automatically create a cloud mask for a single image. The dynamic thresholds can be applied in two different ways: to each pixel individually and to classes of pixels determined by an unsupervised minimum Euclidian distance classifier. The dynamic threshold cloud-masking (DTCM) algorithm presented in this study is used to produce cloud masks based on three different configurations: two channels and individual pixels, three channels and individual pixels, and three channels and classes of pixels. These cloud masks are compared with control masks that were created by visual inspection. The results from the clouds from AVHRR (CLAVR) algorithm and the cloud and surface parameter retrieval (CASPR) algorithm are also compared with the control masks. The results of the comparisons indicate that DTCM, applied on a pixel-by-pixel basis, correctly identifies more clear pixels than CASPR or CLAVR while correctly identifying a comparable or higher number of cloud-contaminated pixels.
Agent-based modeling as organizational and public policy simulators

Agent-based models are an increasingly powerful tool for simulating social systems because they can represent important phenomenon difficult to capture in other mathematical formalisms. But, agent-based models have provided only limited support for policy-making because their distinctive abilities are often most useful in situations where the future is unpredictable. In such situations, the traditional analytic methods for applying simulation models to support decision-making are least effective. Fortunately, new analytic approaches for decision-making under conditions of deep uncertainty—emphasizing large ensembles of model-created scenarios and adaptive policies evaluated with the criteria of robustness, rather than with optimality or efficiency—can unleash the full potential of agent-based policy simulators.
Understanding micro-processes of institutionalization: stewardship contracting and national forest management

This paper examines micro-processes of institutionalization, using the case of stewardship contracting within the US Forest Service. Our basic premise is that, until a new policy becomes an everyday practice among local actors, it will not become institutionalized at the macro-scale. We find that micro-processes of institutionalization are driven by a mixture of large-scale institutional dynamics and how frontline decision-makers understand and interpret these dynamics, given the local social and ecological context in which they operate. For example, this paper suggests that a new policy may become institutionalized when it is understood to solve problems that old institutions at once create and demand to be solved. Agency actors cannot be conceptualized as untethered from the institutions in which they operate. Yet, within larger institutional dynamics, field personnel make key choices about whether to adopt a new policy, making them important players in the micro-processes of policy institutionalization. The interplay of actors and institutions turns agencies, such as the Forest Service, into complex systems that cannot be understood as artifacts of their own history or as a sum of the decisions of individual actors. This dynamic also implies that macro-level institutional change will be uneven, incomplete, and gradual, mirroring uneven, contingent micro-level processes.
Scalable influence maximization for independent cascade model in large-scale social networks

Influence maximization, defined by Kempe et al. (SIGKDD 2003), is the problem of finding a small set of seed nodes in a social network that maximizes the spread of influence under certain influence cascade models. The scalability of influence maximization is a key factor for enabling prevalent viral marketing in large-scale online social networks. Prior solutions, such as the greedy algorithm of Kempe et al. (SIGKDD 2003) and its improvements are slow and not scalable, while other heuristic algorithms do not provide consistently good performance on influence spreads. In this article, we design a new heuristic algorithm that is easily scalable to millions of nodes and edges in our experiments. Our algorithm has a simple tunable parameter for users to control the balance between the running time and the influence spread of the algorithm. Our results from extensive simulations on several real-world and synthetic networks demonstrate that our algorithm is currently the best scalable solution to the influence maximization problem: (a) our algorithm scales beyond million-sized graphs where the greedy algorithm becomes infeasible, and (b) in all size ranges, our algorithm performs consistently well in influence spread—it is always among the best algorithms, and in most cases it significantly outperforms all other scalable heuristics to as much as 100–260% increase in influence spread.
Deriving Phage-Insensitive Lactococci Using a Food-Grade Vector Encoding Phage and Nisin Resistance

Abstract Plasmid pFK012 is a potential food-grade vector comprising only lactococcal DNA, and it encodes bacteriophage insensitivity and nisin resistance. Efforts were made to transform several lactococcal strains with pFK012 via electroporation. Nisin-resistant transformants were selected on M17 agar containing .5% glucose and 300 IU of nisin/ml. Southern hybridization analysis of plasmid pools of the transformants using a nisin resistance probe confirmed the presence of pFK012. Two plasmid-free strains ( Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis LM0230 and MG1363) were successfully transformed and evaluated for phage sensitivity. Wild-type lactococcal strains were more difficult to transform, although two acquired pFK0l2 ( L. lactis ssp. lactis C2 and SK2). These transformants acquired an abortive phage resistance mechanism, were stably maintained at 21 and 37°C after 100 generations, and retained the same rate of acid production as the parental strains. The difficulty in transforming parental strains could be related to incompatibility of plasmids or to restriction of incoming DNA. In this study, L. lactis ssp. lactis H1 was found to be naturally resistant to nisin but did not produce nisin. The plasmid pool from H1 was found to contain a plasmid that had strong homology with a nisin resistance probe.
An Ecological Model of Mental Health among Small-Town Rural Elderly.

The present study models the impact of three domains of environmental variables (ecological/architectural, psychosocial, and personal) on the mental health and well-being of 989 community-based rural elderly (65 years or older) in 18 small Kansas towns. Utilizing standard structured interview data, we employed a holdout sample strategy to test a path model that posited three psychosocial variables as partially mediating the predictive relations of two ecological/architectural and three personal variables with mental health. Results of tests of the model confirmed the statistical reliability (p less than .05) of all relations posited for mental health, with perceived environmental constriction, satisfaction with dwelling features, and satisfaction with community serving as the largest predictors. Results showed the decreasing predictive efficacy of the model for other dimensions of well-being (activity, security, contact with friends, contact with relatives). Strengths and weaknesses of the model relevant to conceptual, emphirical, and interventive pursuits are discussed.
“A Lock of Thy Bright Hair”: The Enlightenment’s Milton and Our Auratic Material

This article looks at how English critics, biographers, and poets once sported with the image, idea, and biomaterial of John Milton’s hair. Their play is contextualized within the materialist and instrumental values that were instituted in eighteenth-century literary criticism and biography and that remain central to the humanities today. It was the philologists, antiquarians, bibliophiles, biographers, and anecdotalists of the long eighteenth century who linked the value of cultural objects to their work in the cultural world. The objects sheltered from that world—aesthetic ones in the modern sense—were meanwhile endowed with qualities purloined from an otherwise debunked supernatural register. These contradictory values, all object-centered, cultivated skepticism in observers and thus scripted still-privileged affective postures of mourning and melancholia with respect to objects of inquiry. Dynamic entanglement with Milton’s hair in eighteenth-century critical writing tells a different story. It teaches us to approach that writing as writing and to value “Milton’s hair” as auratic in the communicative sense later displaced by diffident, object-centered models of the aura. Can we define and engage our “material” along the lines of eighteenth-century “entanglement” with Milton’s hair?
Reduction of variance in spectral estimates for correction of ultrasonic aberration

A variance reduction factor is defined to describe the rate of convergence and accuracy of spectra estimated from overlapping ultrasonic scattering volumes when the scattering is from a spatially uncorrelated medium. Assuming that the individual volumes are localized by a spherically symmetric Gaussian window and that centers of the volumes are located on orbits of an icosahedral rotation group, the factor is minimized by adjusting the weight and radius of each orbit. Conditions necessary for the application of the variance reduction method, particularly for statistical estimation of aberration, are examined. The smallest possible value of the factor is found by allowing an unlimited number of centers constrained only to be within a ball rather than on icosahedral orbits. Computations using orbits formed by icosahedral vertices, face centers, and edge midpoints with a constraint radius limited to a small multiple of the Gaussian width show that a significant reduction of variance can be achieved from a small number of centers in the confined volume and that this reduction is nearly the maximum obtainable from an unlimited number of centers in the same volume.