cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Magnetic Fields in the Heliosheath: Voyager 1 Observations

Magnetic fields in the heliosheath were observed by Voyager 1 (V1) from 2004 DOY 352 to 2005 125, when V1 moved from 94.04 to 95.24 AU at 341N. The strongest fields (0.31 nT, observed on 2005 DOY 8-9, occurred in a narrow peak containing very large amplitude fluctuations. This peak was associated with a cusplike minimum in the flux of ions >0.5 MeV. The largest structure observed in the interval was a unipolar magnetic sector, which V1 entered on 2004 DOY 360 and exited on 2005 DOY 110. In the sector, the distribution functions of each of the three components of hour averages of B relative to their mean values were Gaussian; the widths of these distributions were all comparable, indicating that the fluctuations in B were nearly isotropic. The distribution of hour averages of the magnetic field strength B was also Gaussian in the sector. A high-resolution sample of turbulence in the sector shows that the fluctuations in both the magnitude and each of the components of the 48 s averages of B also have Gaussian distributions. The turbulence on this scale is compressible and isotropic relative to the mean B. This sample of the turbulence contains ordered features, including magnetic holes. The leading sector boundary occurred within an 18 hr interval on 2004 DOY 360. The trailing sector boundary occurred within a ≈14 hr interval on 2005 DOY 110-111, beginning with a very narrow (≈20 minutes) "D-sheet" (consistent with magnetic reconnection). Both sector boundaries were associated with large variations in B, including magnetic holes and waves. There was a large, abrupt decrease in B from 0.14 to 0.05 nT across the trailing sector boundary, and a region with low values of B (≈0.05 nT) moved past V1 for more than 15 days following the sector boundary.
Rickettsia Pays the Piper; New Actors and Some Bad Actin'

Pathogens such as Listeria have been used to define host factors regulating actin dynamics, including the Arp2/3 complex. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Serio et al. (2010) use Rickettsia to identify a new complex, based on profilin, which regulates actin dynamics in normal cells and which may be exploitable by diverse pathogens.
Turbulent transport of particles in a straight square duct

Abstract Turbulent flow through a duct of square cross-section gives rise to off-axis secondary flows, which are known to transfer momentum between fluid layers thereby flattening the velocity profile. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of the secondary flows in the transport and dispersion of particles suspended in a turbulent square duct flow. We have numerically simulated a flow through a square duct having a Reynolds number of Reτ = 300 through discretization of the Navier–Stokes equations, and followed the trajectories of a large number of passive tracers and finite-inertia particles under a one-way coupling assumption. Snapshots of particle locations and statistics of single-particle and particle pair dispersion were analyzed. It was found that lateral mixing is enhanced for passive tracers and low-inertia particles due to the lateral advective transport that is absent in straight pipe and channels flows. Higher inertia particles accumulate close to the wall, and thus tend to mix more efficiently in the streamwise direction since a large number of the particles spend more time in a region where the mean fluid velocity is small compared to the bulk. Passive tracers tend to remain within the secondary swirling flows, circulating between the core and boundary of the duct.
The Martin Marprelate Tracts: A Modernized and Annotated Edition, edited by Joseph L. Black

(2009). The Martin Marprelate Tracts: A Modernized and Annotated Edition, edited by Joseph L. Black. Reformation: Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 187-189.
Mesophase separation in polyelectrolyte-mixed micelle coacervates

Mesophase separation has been identified in a polycation/anionic-nonionic mixed micelle system formed by the coacervation of poly(diallyldimethylammoniumchloride)/sodium dodecylsulfate-Triton X-100 in 0.40 M NaCl. The resultant dense, optically clear fluid was studied by turbidity, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and rheology. The presence of two diffusion modes in DLS points to microscopic heterogeneity: coexistence of micelle-rich (dense) domains with micelle-poor (dilute) domains. With an increase in temperature above 20 °C, the turbidity rises rapidly along with the intensity of the slow mode. The concomitant decrease in the diffusivity of the slow mode signals an increase in the effective viscosity of the dense domain. With further increase in temperature, dramatic shear thinning is observed, and finally, macroscopic phase separation can be identified by centrifugation. At a temperature near that for quiescent phase separation, we observe shear-induced phase separation. We propose a mechanism to explain the connection between temperature- and shear-induced mesophase separation.
Abstract IA6: Gene fusions in lung cancer

Gene fusions represent one type of genetic alteration recently detected in lung cancer that results from chromosomal rearrangements. A fusion joining the echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 ( EML4 ) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase ( ALK ) genes was detected as a transforming gene in a small subset of lung adenocarcinomas. Importantly, patients with these fusions show responsiveness to ALK kinase inhibitors. Additional studies have identified multiple EML4-ALK gene fusion variants and the histopathological characteristics of the lung tumors identified. Various methods utilized to detect lung gene fusions have included retrovirus-mediated expression screening with 3T3 cell transformation assays, FISH, mRNA/protein expression, RACE-coupled PCR sequencing, massively parallel paired-end and transcriptome sequencing. Additional novel gene fusion events in lung cancer have recently been identified using these and newly defined approaches in small percentages of primary lung tumors. Potential mechanisms underlying the production and triggers for gene fusion events will be discussed.
Development and validation of a risk stratification index to predict death in gastroschisis.

Abstract Background Gastroschisis is a rare congenital anomaly, the improved surgical management of which has contributed to a survival rate greater than 90%. Development of an accurate risk stratification system to help identify the subset of patients at greatest risk for death may lead to further improvements in outcome. Methods Infants with gastroschisis were identified from 16 years of the National Inpatient Sample database and the Kids' Inpatient Database using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification procedure code 54.71 (repair of gastroschisis) and an age of less than 8 days. Logistic regression analysis determined which coexisting diagnoses were significantly associated with death. Odds ratios from the logistic regression model were simplified and used as weighting factors to create an additive index. The index was validated using the 2003 Kids' Inpatient Database data set. Results Intestinal atresia, necrotizing enterocolitis, rare cardiac anomalies, and lung hypoplasia were strongly associated with death and used to create a scoring system with a potential range of 0 to 10. Every point increase on the scale of gastroschisis risk stratification index is associated with a 95% relative increase in the likelihood of death. Conclusion We have developed a novel index, which is superior to previous classification systems in identifying patients with gastroschisis who are at highest risk for death.
A Sequential Test for Comparing Component Reliabilities

A statistical technique is presented by means of which the reliabilities of two types of component (or equipment) may be compared, and a decision made in favor of one type or the other. The technique differs from those previously devised for this purpose in that the assumptions on which it is based are less restrictive and thus more likely to be satisfied in practice.
Constructing a collegiate Motorsports Engineering program

A handful of universities around the country have capitalized on the increased visibility of the sport of auto racing, the financial growth in the motorsports industry, and the increased need for technically trained individuals to work in that industry. The motorsports industry has some unique challenges based on the extreme conditions in which products must operate, the rapid pace at which changes must be designed and implemented, and the necessity for engineers to operate in hands-on mode with the vehicles they oversee which requires a strong applied aspect to engineering education. This paper will examine the creation of the first four year Bachelor of Science degree in Motorsports Engineering offered in the United States. This paper will include a discussion of how new classes were selected and developed in conjunction with the program's industry advisory board. The design of applicable student projects will be examined, including how these various projects were utilized in the design and construction of actual vehicles used both in competition and as teaching tools. Developing any new program requires attention to not only curriculum construction but to student and program assessment as well. The efforts to develop unique assessment tools for this unusual program will be discussed as will the ongoing commitment of the program to work closely with industry advisors to produce graduates with the correct skills needed for the motorsports industry. The lessons learned from creation of this new program can prove useful to those involved in the creation of other unique engineering and technology programs.
The spectrum of behaviors influenced by serotonin

The diverse array of behavioral effects of serotonin form the basis for understanding its potential role as an etiological marker in psychiatric disorders and for the successful pharmacologic intervention of drugs regulating serotonin neurotransmission in behavior. General theories of the behavioral functions of serotonin have implicated serotonin as a general inhibitor of behavioral responding and in modulating motor behavior. The ability of serotonin to regulate behavioral satiety and macronutrient selection provides the basis for pharmacologic treatment of obesity and eating disorders. The role of serotonin in behavioral suppression may be important in social behavior involving aggression and anxiety. The role of serotonin in neuroendocrine regulation provides a basis for understanding serotonin dysregulation in depression. Animal behavior tests are being used to better understand the neural substrates underlying the behavioral effects of antidepressant drugs and to address important issues in clinical treatment. The integration of information between basic and clinical studies provides the basis for future development of more sophisticated pharmacologic treatments of psychiatric disorders.
The paths of Kateri's kin

This text tells the story of the Mohawk convert of the late 17th century, Kateri Tekakwitha, and of her Mohawk people. It studies the interweaving of Catholic and North American ways from the early 1600s, describing how the North American Indians have expressed their Catholic identity.
Effect of mutations in Shigella flexneri chromosomal and plasmid-encoded lipopolysaccharide genes on invasion and serum resistance.

This study shows that both length and distribution of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are important for Shigella flexneri invasion and virulence. Mutants were generated in the chromosomal LPS synthesis genes rfa, rfb, and rol, and in a plasmid-encoded O-antigen chain-length regulator, cldpHS-2. LPS analysis showed that mutations in rfb genes and in a candidate rfaL gene either eliminated the entire O-antigen side chains or produced chains of greatly reduced length. Mutation in a previously unidentified gene, rfaX, affected the LPS core region and resulted in reduced amounts of O-antigen. Mutants defective in cldpHS-2 or rol had different distributions of O-antigen chain lengths. The results of tissue-culture cell invasion and plaque assays, the Sereny test, and serum-sensitivity assay suggested roles for the different LPS synthesis genes in bacterial survival and virulence; rfaL, rfaX and rfb loci are required for serum resistance and intercellular spread, but not for invasion; cldpHS-2 is required for resistance to serum killing and for full inflammation in the Sereny test, but not for invasion or intercellular spread, while rol is required for normal invasiveness and plaque formation, but not for serum resistance. Thus, O-antigen synthesis and chain-length regulation genes encoded on both the chromosome and the small plasmid pHS-2 play important roles in S. flexneri invasion and virulence.
An unobtrusive measure of prejudice toward Negroes under differing durations of speech.

This study investigated the relationship between the voting behavior of naive white Ss toward a Negro or white individual in a small group discussion when the Negro or white individual talked more ...
Intelligent Agents for Mobile and Embedded Devices

The pervasive computing environments of the near future will involve the interactions, coordination and cooperation of numerous, casually accessible, and often invisible computing devices. These devices, whether carried on our person or embedded in our homes, businesses and classrooms, will connect via wireless and wired links to one another and to the global networking infrastructure. The result will be a networking milieu with a new level of openness. The localized and dynamic nature of their interactions raises many new issues that draw on and challenge the disciplines of agents, distributed systems, and security. This paper describes recent work by the UMBC Ebiquity research group which addresses some of these issues.
Reporting Insider Threats via Covert Channels

Trusted insiders that betray an organization can inflict substantial harm. In addition to having privileged access to organization resources and information, these users may be familiar with the defenses surrounding valuable assets. Computers systems at the organization need a mechanism for communicating suspicious activity that is difficult for a malicious insider (or even an outsider) to detect or block. In this work, we propose a covert channel in the Ethernet frame that allows a computer system to report activity inside other, unrelated network communication. The covert channel leverages the differences in the framing approaches used by Ethernet and IP packets to append hidden information to IP packet and transmit it to an organization's administrator. This stealthy communication is difficult for even advanced attackers and is challenging to block since it opportunistically uses unrelated communication. Further, since the transmission is tied to the Ethernet frame, the communication cannot traverse network routers, preventing security information from leaving the organization. We introduce the covert channel, incorporate it into a working prototype, and combine it with an intrusion detection system to show its promise for security event reporting.
Dipyridamole Reversibly Inhibits Mengovirus RNA Replication

Dipyridamole is an effective inhibitor of cardiovirus growth in cell culture. The effects of dipyridamole on mengovirus replication in vivo and in vitro were examined in the hope the drug could be used as an experimental analog of the poliovirus inhibitor guanidine. Guanidine selectively inhibits poliovirus RNA synthesis but not RNA translation, and as such, has been a valuable research tool. Although guanidine does not inhibit cardiovirus infection, a compound with similar discriminatory characteristics would be experimentally useful for parallel work with these viruses. We found that mengovirus plaque formation in HeLa or L cells was inhibited nearly 100% by the presence of 80 μM dipyridamole. The inhibitory effect was reversible and targeted an early step in the replication cycle. Studies with luciferase-expressing mengovirus replicons showed that viral protein synthesis was unaffected by dipyridamole, and rather, RNA synthesis was the step targeted by the drug. This assessment was confirmed by direct analyses of viral translation and RNA synthesis activities in a Krebs-2-derived in vitro system that supported complete, infectious cardiovirus replication. In Krebs extracts, dipyridamole specifically inhibited viral RNA synthesis to more than 95%, with no concomitant effect on viral protein translation or polyprotein processing. The observed inhibition reversibly affected an early step in both minus-strand and plus-strand RNA synthesis, although inhibition of plus-strand synthesis was more profound than that of minus-strand synthesis. We conclude that dipyridamole is a potent experimental tool that readily distinguishes between cardiovirus translation and RNA replication functions.
Do People Really Care About the Arts for Future Generations

Many people argue that public art contains an element of “bequest value”: value derived by people today from the expected enjoyment of the art by future generations. In this paper, I investigate the existence of this claimed benefit. I employ an intergenerational model of the benefits from government subsidies and private charitable gifts to the arts, and fit it empirically using 1996 US General Social Survey data. The data analysis suggests that people take their life expectancies into account to some extent when giving to the arts or supporting government arts spending. Indeed, we cannot reject the hypothesis that people do not consider future generations in their current support for the arts.
Rehabilitation of orthopedic and rheumatologic disorders. 3. Total hip arthroplasty rehabilitation

Abstract Bitar AA, Kaplan RJ, Stitik TP, Shih VC, Vo AN, Kamen LB. Rehabilitation of orthopedic and rheumatologic disorders. 3. Total hip arthroplasty rehabilitation. This self-directed learning module highlights a clinical vignette of a female patient who had a total hip arthroplasty. The module addresses the medical management and rehabilitation interventions necessary to direct the postacute care needs of this patient. It is part of the study guide on rehabilitation of the joint replacement patient in the Self-Directed Physiatric Education Program for practitioners and trainees in physical medicine and rehabilitation. This chapter emphasizes planning for discharge from the acute care hospital, postacute care medical complications, and rehabilitation program elements germane to the patient with hip joint replacement. Overall article objective To summarize the postacute care planning, medical complications, and rehabilitation needs of the patient with hip joint replacement.
Pollination and seed production in western white pine

The reproductive biology of western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don) at the Saanich seed orchard (SSO; a coastal seedling seed orchard) and the Kalamalka seed orchard (KSO; an interior clonal seed orchard) is described. Seed-cone development and morphology determine seed potential and affect filled seed production. Seed potential was high, commonly over 200 seeds per cone and filled seeds per cone averaged 50–60 at both orchards in 1999 from open pollinations combined with operational supplemental mass pollinations (OP-SMP). Filled seeds per cone at SSO in 2004 averaged 115 with open pollinations and OP-SMP. About 30% of ovules aborted before pollination. Another 25% aborted probably because of self-incompatibility at fertilization. Seed efficiency (SEF) was only 5% at KSO with open pollination but increased to 30% with OP-SMP. SEF was the same at SSO with or without OP-SMP. Reproductive success was very low at KSO without OP-SMP but increased to about 10%, similar to that of SSO, with OP-SMP...
Evolutionary Ecology: When Pollinators Are Also Herbivores

Plants often face a dilemma in attracting mutualists versus deterring antagonists. This dilemma may be exceptionally challenging when the mutualist and antagonist are the same visitor. It has now been demonstrated how plants can resolve this conflict through a novel change in flowering traits.
Effect of low-dose irradiation upon T cell subsets involved in the response of primed A/J mice to SaI cells.

SummaryA/Jax (A/J) mice primed to Sarcoma I (SaI) exhibit an augmented response in association with low-dose (0·15 Gy) irradiation. This phenomenon is best demonstrated in tumour neutralization (Winn assay) or cell transfer experiments utilizing mice depleted of thymus-derived (T) cells. It is particularly dependent upon the duration of priming and the growth characteristics of the tumour in the primary host. The importance of these two variables appears to relate to their influence upon the cell types responsible for the host response, and includes both an effector and a suppressor component. Radiation-induced inhibition of the suppressor component appears responsible for low-dose augmentation and results in injury to a T cell of the Lyt-1−2+ phenotype. In Winn assays employing equal numbers of immune spleen cells and SaI cells, the smallest tumours are associated with Lyt-1-positive (Lyt-1+2− and Lyt-1+2+) cells and exposure to 0·15 Gy markedly inhibits their anti-SaI activity. Thus, even though the eff...
The law of additive reaction times in fluid-solid reactions

A law governing the rate of reaction of a solid particle with a fluid is proposed and verified for a wide range of systems. It is exact for the reaction of a nonporous solid and is a useful approximation in the case of a porous solid. The law states that the time required to attain a certain conversion is the sum of the time required to reach the same conversion in the absence of resistance due to the intrapellet diffusion of fluid reactant and the time required to reach the same conversion under the control of the intrapellet diffusion. The limitations are that the solid should be isothermal, the intrinsic kinetics should be at least approximately of first order with respect to the concentration of fluid reactant, and the effective diffusivity should remain unchanged during the reaction. Furthermore, with the appropriate definition of the fluid-solid reaction modulus, numerical criteria for asymptotic regimes of chemical reaction and diffusion controls have been shown to remain identical for all systems considered. The law is valid not only in an integral (conversionvs time) form but also in a differential form: The rate of reaction at a certain conversion can be obtained from the differential form of the law. The latter is valid even when the bulk temperature and concentration vary with time, which makes it possible to apply the solution directly to multiparticle systems such as packed-bed, moving-bed and fluidized-bed reactors.
Alternatives to Eigenstate Thermalization

An isolated quantum many-body system in an initial pure state will come to thermal equilibrium if it satisfies the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH). We consider alternatives to ETH that have been proposed. We first show that von Neumann's quantum ergodic theorem relies on an assumption that is essentially equivalent to ETH. We also investigate whether, following a sudden quench, special classes of pure states can lead to thermal behavior in systems that do not obey ETH, namely, integrable systems. We find examples of this, but only for initial states that obeyed ETH before the quench.
Level set topology optimization of scalar transport problems

This paper studies level set topology optimization of scalar transport problems, modeled by an advection-diffusion equation. Examples of such problems include the transport of energy or mass in a fluid. The geometry is defined via a level set method (LSM). The flow field is predicted by a hydrodynamic Boltzmann transport model and the scalar transport by a standard advection-diffusion model. Both models are discretized by the extended Finite Element Method (XFEM). The hydrodynamic Boltzmann equation is well suited for the XFEM as it allows for convenient enforcement of boundary conditions along immersed boundaries. In contrast, Navier Stokes models require more complex approaches to impose Dirichlet boundary conditions, such as stabilized Lagrange multiplier and Nitsche methods. The combination of the LSM and the XFEM is an alternative to density-based topology optimization methods which have been applied previously to scalar transport problems. Density methods often suffer from a fuzzy description of boundaries, spurious diffusion through "void" regions, and the presence of fictitious material in the optimized design. This paper illustrates that the LSM/XFEM approach addresses these three concerns. The proposed approach is studied with two dimensional problems at steady state conditions. Both "fluid-void" and "fluid-solid" optimization problems are considered. For the "fluid-void" case, optimization results are obtained without spurious diffusion through "void" regions. For the "fluid-solid" case, the analysis recovers strong gradients of the flow and scalar fields at the fluid-solid interface, using moderately refined meshes.
Radiance interpolants for accelerated bounded-error ray tracing

Ray tracers, which sample radiance, are usually regarded as offline rendering algorithms that are too slow for interactive use. In this article we present a system that exploits object-space, ray-space, image-space, and temporal coherence to accelerate ray tracing. Our system uses per-surface interpolants to approximate radiance both interactive and batch ray tracers. Our approach explicity decouples the two primary operations of a ray tracer—shading and visibility determination—and accelerates each of them independently. Shading is accelerated by quadrilinearily interpolating lazily acquired radiance samples. Interpolation error does not exceed a user-specified bound, allowing the user to control performance/quality tradeoffs. Error is bounded by adaptive sampling at discontinuities and radiance nonlinearities. Visibility determination at pixels is accelerated by reprojecting interpolants as the user's viewpoint changes. A fast scan-line alogoithm then achieves high performance without sacrificing image quality. For a smoothly varying viewpoint, the combination of lazy interpolants and projection substantially accelerates the ray tracer. Additionally, an efficient cache management algorithm keeps the memory footprint of the system small with negilgible overhead.
Parameters predictive for complications of treatment with combined hyperthermia and radiation therapy

Pretreatment and treatment related factors were reviewed for 996 hyperthermia sessions involving 268 separate treatment fields in 131 patients managed with hyperthermia for biopsy confirmed local-regionally advanced or recurrent malignancies to ascertain parameters associated with the development of complications. A subset of 249 fields were identified in which multipoint or mapped temperature data were available for at least one treatment session per field. A total of 198 fields involved superficially located tumors (less than or equal to 3 cm from the surface), whereas 51 fields involved more deeply located tumors. Most of these patients had received extensive prior therapy: 77% had surgery, 75% chemotherapy, 65% radiation therapy and 28% hormonal therapy. They were treated with hyperthermia in conjunction with radiation therapy (244 fields) or hyperthermia alone (5 fields). The hyperthermia treatment objectives were to elevate intratumoral temperatures to a minimum of 43.0 degrees C for 45 minutes while maintaining maximum normal tissue temperatures to less than or equal to 43 degrees C and maximum intratumoral temperatures to less than or equal to 50 degrees C. The hyperthermia was given within 30 to 60 minutes following radiation therapy without the administration of additional analgesics. Hyperthermia treatment regimens using radiative electromagnetic, ultrasound, or radiofrequency interstitial techniques were individualized, with 3 to 4 days between hyperthermia treatments and an average of 3.6 treatments (range 1-14; standard deviation 2.2) utilized per field. A total of 38 complications in 33 treatment fields were noted; an incidence of 27/198 (13.6%) for fields with superficially located tumors, and 6/51 (11.8%) in fields with more deeply located tumors. Univariate analyses demonstrated statistically significant correlations between the maximum tumor temperature (p = 0.0005), average of the maximum tumor temperatures (p = 0.0006), the average of the % tumor temperatures greater than 43.5 degrees C (p = 0.0071), and the average number of hyperthermia treatments (p = 0.033), with the development of complications. The average of the maximum measured tumor temperature for fields without complications was 44.6 degrees C compared with 45.9 degrees C for fields with complications. The complication rate increased from 7.5% (9/120) in fields that received one or two hyperthermia treatments to 18.6% (24/129) in fields that received greater than two hyperthermia treatments. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed the best bivariate model predictive of the development of complications included average of the maximum tumor temperature and the number of treatments per field (p = 0.00012 for the bivariate model).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Polymorphism and stability in the histone gene cluster of Drosophila melanogaster

Histone genes in Drosophila melanogaster are organized into repeats of 4.8 and 5.0 kb (Lifton et al., 1978). We find these repeat sizes in every one of the more than 20 Drosophila strains we have examined. Strains differ in the relative amounts of the two repeat types, with ratios varying from 1∶1 to 1∶4, the 5.0 kb repeat always present in equal or greater amounts than the 4.8 kb repeat. Restriction enzyme digestion and blotting analysis reveals that the strains also differ in a number of far less abundant fragments containing histone DNA sequences. In the Amherst and Samarkand strains, there are, in addition, many copies of 4.0 and 5.5 kb repeat-like fragments respectively. A series of stocks were made isogenic for single second chromosomes from the Amherst strain. The hybridization patterns of the histone DNA from these stocks containing different Amherst chromosomes are very similar but a number of differences in the minor fragments were seen. The stability of the histone locus restriction pattern was tested by following the DNA derived from a single second chromosome of the b Adhn2 pr cn strain over a two year period. The restriction pattern of major and minor bands remained identical. Finally, histone loci distinguishable by their restriction pattern on blots were recombined with visible markers. These chromosomes will be useful in tracing the fate of specific histone loci during genetic manipulations.
Error handling in the RavenClaw dialog management framework

We describe the error handling architectture underlying the RavenClaw dialog management framework. The architecture provides a robust basis for current and future research in error detection and recovery. Several objectives were pursued in its development: task-independence, ease-of-use, adaptability and scalability. We describe the key aspects of architectural design which confer these properties, and discuss the deployment of this architectture in a number of spoken dialog systems spanning several domains and interaction types. Finally, we outline current research projects supported by this architecture.
Pooling cross-sections with unequal time-series lengths

Abstract This paper deals with the estimation of economic relationships using N cross-sectional units observed over periods of unequal lengths. A one-way error component model is assumed and the inverse of the variance-covariance matrix is derived. It is shown that GLS can be given a simple tractable WLS interpretation similar to that obtained for the complete panel data case. The basic difference, however, is that the incomplete panel data case has weights that are crucially dependent on the length of time-series available for each cross-section.
Molecular Characterization of the GTPase-activating Domain of ADP-ribosylation Factor Domain Protein 1 (ARD1) *

ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs) are approximately 20-kDa guanine nucleotide-binding proteins recognized as critical components in intracellular vesicular transport and phospholipase D activation. Both guanine nucleotide-exchange proteins and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) for ARFs have been cloned recently. A zinc finger motif near the amino terminus of the ARF1 GAP was required for stimulation of GTP hydrolysis. ARD1 is an ARF family member that differs from other ARFs by the presence of a 46-kDa amino-terminal extension. We had reported that the ARF domain of ARD1 binds specifically GDP and GTP and that the amino-terminal extension acts as a GAP for the ARF domain of ARD1 but not for ARF proteins. The GAP domain of ARD1, synthesized in Escherichia coli, stimulated hydrolysis of GTP bound to the ARF domain of ARD1. Using ARD1 truncations, it appears that amino acids 101-190 are critical for GAP activity, whereas residues 190-333 are involved in physical interaction between the two domains of ARD1 and are required for GTP hydrolysis. The GAP function of the amino-terminal extension of ARD1 required two arginines, an intact zinc finger motif, and a group of residues which resembles a sequence present in Rho/Rac GAPs. Interaction between the two domains of ARD1 required two negatively charged residues (Asp427 and Glu428) located in the effector region of the ARF domain and two basic amino acids (Arg249 and Lys250) found in the amino-terminal extension. The GAP domain of ARD1 thus is similar to ARF GAPs but differs from other GAPs in its covalent association with the GTP-binding domain.
Silica gel‐assisted reduction of nitrostyrenes to 2‐aryl‐2‐[2H]‐1‐nitroethanes with sodium borodeuteride

Reduction of nitrostyrenes with sodium borodeuteride in the presence of silica gel (70-270 mesh) in a mixture of chloroform and 2-propanol gave the corresponding deuterated nitroethanes in near quantitative yields, free of dimeric products with 72-81% deuterium incorporation. The method was applied to the synthesis of 2-phenyl-, 2-[4-methoxyphenyl]-, 2-[3,4-dimethoxyphenyl]-, 2-[3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl]-, and 2-[2,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl]-2-[2H]-l-nitroethanes.
Effects of omeprazole on iron absorption: preliminary study.

Objective: Increasing numbers of pediatric and adult patients are being treated with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). PPIs are known to inhibit gastric acid secretion. Nonheme iron requires gastric acid for conversion to the ferrous form for absorption. Ninety percent of dietary and 100% of oral iron therapy is in the nonheme form. To the best of our knowledge, the effect of PPIs on iron absorption has not been studied in humans. Our study assessed the relationship between omeprazole therapy and iron absorption in healthy subjects. Materials and Methods: We recruited 9 healthy volunteers between June 2010 and March 2011. Subjects with chronic illness, anemia, or use of PPI therapy were excluded. Serum iron concentrations were measured 1, 2, and 3 h after the ingestion of iron (control group). The measurements were repeated on a subsequent visit after 4 daily oral administrations of omeprazole at a dose of 40 mg (treatment group). Results: One female and 8 male volunteers were enrolled in the study with a mean age of 33 years. There was no statistical difference detected between baseline, 1-h, 2-h, and 3-h iron levels between control and treatment groups. Conclusion: Administration of omeprazole for a short duration does not affect absorption of orally administered iron in healthy individuals. Conflict of interest:None declared.
The Factorial Validity of the Piers-Harris Children's Self Concept Scale for a Sample of Intermediate-Level EMR Students Enrolled in Elementary School

Several factor analytic studies have obtained encouraging but inconclusive evidence for the construct validity of the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale. In this study scores on the Piers-H...
A Scholar in the Company of Female Entertainers: Changing Notions of Integrity in Song to Ming Dynasty Painting

The Ming dynasty painting Su Dongpo Returning to the Hanlin Academy represents an important departure from earlier images of prominent scholars, demonstrating how the visual tropes associated with integrity change over time. First, it depicts the eleventh-century official following his reinstatement in the capital, quite a change from Song and Yuan images of men of integrity retiring to the wilderness. Second, many female entertainers accompany him, a juxtaposition considered inappropriate for viewing in previous periods but increasingly popular in Ming painting. This paper proposes that by the mid-Ming dynasty, the figure of the female entertainer specifically connotes an urban setting, and, when paired with a scholar, suggests the high-minded and untrammeled qualities of the court or city hermit.
Unitary Symmetry and Proton-Antiproton Interactions

An investigation has been made of the conclusions which can be drawn from the unitary symmetry theory of strong interactions about the class of reactions $p+\overline{p}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}A+\overline{B}$, where $A$ represents a member of the meson or baryon octet, or the baryon resonance decuplet, and $\overline{B}$ is a member of the corresponding antiparticle multiplet. We find that in the case of baryon or meson production, the only consequences are a set of inequalities on cross sections which are both weak and experimentally inaccessible. In the case of production of tenfold resonances, we obtain one equality among cross sections, which, however, involves the experimentally difficult reaction in which the final state is an ${N}^{*\ensuremath{-}}{\overline{N}}^{*+}$ pair. In addition there are several inequalities. One set of these, namely $\ensuremath{\surd}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{Z}\ensuremath{\ge}|\ensuremath{\surd}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{Y}\ensuremath{-}2\ensuremath{\surd}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\ensuremath{\Xi}}|$, $\ensuremath{\surd}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{Y}\ensuremath{\ge}|\ensuremath{\surd}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{Z}\ensuremath{-}2\ensuremath{\surd}\ensuremath{\sigma}\ensuremath{\Xi}|$, and $\ensuremath{\surd}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\ensuremath{\Xi}}\ensuremath{\ge}\frac{1}{2}|\ensuremath{\surd}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{Z}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\surd}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{Y}|$ where ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{Y}$, ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\ensuremath{\Xi}}$, and ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{Z}$ represent the cross sections (differential or total) for the production of ${{Y}_{1}}^{*\ensuremath{-}}{{\overline{Y}}_{1}}^{*+}$, ${\ensuremath{\Xi}}^{*\ensuremath{-}}{\overline{\ensuremath{\Xi}}}^{*+}$, and ${Z}^{\ensuremath{-}}{\overline{Z}}^{+}$ pairs, respectively, gives hope of being both relatively restrictive and experimentally feasible. In particular, it gives limits on the production cross section for the as yet undiscovered strangeness minus three ${Z}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ particle. These relations are expected to hold to the extent that the incident energy is large enough that the mass splitting within the unitary multiplets can be ignored.
Keyes's Model of Mental Health with Personal Growth Initiative as a Parsimonious Predictor.

This research addressed issues at the heart of counseling psychology: operationalizing mental health and identifying parsimonious ways of predicting levels of mental health. The primary purpose of the study was to investigate the replicability of the structure of C. L. M. Keyes's (2002) model of mental health in 2 samples of college students (total N = 244 women and 223 men). Results of confirmatory factor analyses supported this 3-factor model of psychological, social, and emotional well-being, consisting of 14 subdimensions. Furthermore, this model was found to be invariant for men and women in both samples. The secondary purpose was to assess the effectiveness of personal growth initiative (PGI; C. Robitschek, 1998) as a parsimonious predictor (i.e., 1 predictor for many outcomes) of these multiple dimensions of mental health. Results of structural equation modeling supported PGI as a parsimonious predictor of Keyes's multidimensional mental health model for men and women in both groups. Limitations are discussed, and implications for research and practice in counseling psychology are presented.
Modulation of IA currents by capsaicin in rat trigeminal ganglion neurons.

When capsaicin, the pungent compound in hot pepper, is applied to epithelia it produces pain, allodynia, and hyperalgesia. We investigated, using whole cell path clamp, whether some of these respon...
Educational Choice and Student Participation: The Case of the Supplemental Educational Services Provision in Chicago Public Schools.

The Supplemental Educational Services (SES) provision of the No Child Left Behind Act offers free tutoring services to students attending perennially underperforming schools. The author assesses the extent to which Chicago Public Schools students most in need of and who could potentially benefit the most from additional academic instruction participate in SES. The author uses multilevel cohort and longitudinal analyses to explore the characteristics of students participating in SES in Chicago Public Schools from 2004–2005 to 2007–2008. The results of this study, among the first empirical evaluations of SES participation, suggest that students with higher observed cognitive achievement are less likely to engage the SES provision, whereas students with better noncognitive performance are more likely to participate in SES.
Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) Control with Imazapyr1

Abstract: Outside its native range, smooth cordgrass is a noxious weed in estuaries throughout the world. Trials were conducted to evaluate smooth cordgrass control with imazapyr at various timings, rates, and spray volumes, and with several surfactants; comparisons were made with glyphosate, the sole herbicide registered in the United States for estuarine use. Across years, all sites, application dates, and experiments, it was found that smooth cordgrass control with imazapyr at 1.68 kg/ha was better and more consistent than with glyphosate at 8.4 kg/ha. Control with imazapyr at 0.84 kg/ha was comparable to control with glyphosate at 8.4 kg/ha. The time between application and tidal inundation over the canopy affected the efficacy of imazapyr less than that of glyphosate. There was a lack of consistent effects across dates of application. For imazapyr, a higher application volume (467 L/ha) usually provided better control than did the low volume (93 L/ha), but excellent control was achieved using ultra-l...
Pseudodementia caused by severe depression

The diagnosis of pseudodementia may be difficult in a patient with a history of major depressive disorder. Clinical case history. A 70-year-old man with a history of major depressive disorder, in remission for 3 years, presented with confusion, agitation and cognitive disorder. The differential diagnosis included depression with pseudodementia, drug-induced dementia or Alzheimer disease. Mild cognitive improvement was noted after discontinuation of simvastatin. After 9 months of treatment for depression, the patient had remission that was sustained for >1 year, with mild residual difficulty remembering words of songs. The differential diagnosis of dementia includes major depressive disorder and adverse events from simvastatin.
A framework for sample-based rendering with O-buffers

We present an innovative modeling and rendering primitive, called the O-buffer, for sample-based graphics, such as images, volumes and points. The 2D or 3D O-buffer is in essence a conventional image or a volume, respectively, except that samples are not restricted to a regular grid. A sample position in the O-buffer is recorded as an offset to the nearest grid point of a regular base grid (hence the name O-buffer). The offset is typically quantized for compact representation and efficient rendering. The O-buffer emancipates pixels and voxels from the regular grids and can greatly improve the modeling power of images and volumes. It is a semi-regular structure which lends itself to efficient construction and rendering. Image quality can be improved by storing more spatial information with samples and by avoiding multiple resamplings and delaying reconstruction to the final rendering stage. Using O-buffers, more accurate multi-resolution representations can be developed for images and volumes. It can also be exploited to represent and render unstructured primitives, such as points, particles, curvilinear or irregular volumes. The O-buffer is therefore a uniform representation for a variety of graphics primitives and supports mixing them in the same scene. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the O-buffer with hierarchical O-buffers, layered depth O-buffers, and hybrid volume rendering with O-buffers.
Image processing: flows under min/max curvature and mean curvature

We present a class of PDE-based algorithms suitable for image denoising and enhancement. The techniques are applicable to both salt-and-pepper gray-scale noise and full-image continuous noise present in black and white images, gray-scale images, texture images, and color images. At the core, the techniques rely on two fundamental ideas. First, a level set formulation is used for evolving curves; use of this technique to flow isointensity contours under curvature is known to remove noise and enhance images. Second, the particular form of the curvature flow is governed by a min/max switch which selects a range of denoising dependent on the size of switching window. Our approach has several virtues. First, it contains only one enhancement parameter, which in most cases is automatically chosen. Second, the scheme automatically stops smoothing at a point which depends on the switching window size; continued application of the scheme produces no further change. Third, the method is one of the fastest possible schemes based on a curvature-controlled approach.
Anthropology and the Teaching of Human Values

The authors suggest an approach to the introductory anthropology course that relates an issues and values orientation to anthropological concepts (culture, beliefs, and values) and topics (means of production, relationships, language, and warfare).
Combined effects of soil moisture and nitrogen availability variations on grass productivity in African savannas

Savannas cover about 20% of the Earth’s land area and 50% of Africa. As an indispensable component of savanna, grasses play an important role in these ecosystems. A better understanding of grass productivity and its controlling factors in savanna ecosystems could therefore be a key to understand the functioning of savannas and predict savanna responses to future climatic changes. In this study, a stable isotope fertilization experiment was conducted to determine how factors limiting grass production in savannas differ across regional climate gradients. The study was conducted on the geomorphically homogenous Kalahari Transect (KT), which offers an ideal setting to study nutrient and vegetation dynamics independently of confounding soil effects. The results show that the grasses assimilated the added fertilizer at all the sites but they did not respond to nitrogen fertilization for both dry and wet years, and at both dry and wet ends of the Transect. Although prior studies have proposed a switch between water and nitrogen limitations between arid and mesic savannas, our results suggest that nitrogen availability may not limit grass productivity across the whole KT. Thus, although the traditional classifications as nutrient poor (broad-leaf) and nutrient rich (fine-leaf) savanna ecosystems may still be useful, it does not necessarily imply the existence of nitrogen limitation in the nutrient poor area; in fact, it is more likely that the herbaceous species found in the more humid sites (nutrient poor sites) are already adapted to lower nitrogen availability.