cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Conveyance and Convergence: Visual Culture in Medieval Cyprus

Abstract While the trajectory of transmission of art in the Mediterranean has often been understood as West to East, here I will consider the transmission of artistic sources to Cyprus from both the West and East. These trajectories open a dialogue regarding the question of how the many sources that underpin Cypriot medieval art converged on the island. Focusing on commissions of the Lusignan dynasty, as well as other powerful communities such as the Orthodox Greeks and the Genoese, this paper shows that the social and political identity of these groups was constantly in flux; the artistic styles they used to express themselves changed according to their shifts in status. Thus, their use of artistic and architectural styles was strategic and both reflected and shaped the family’s changing political and economic position in the Mediterranean.
Woven on the Loom of Sorrow

Computing was once a companion to conflict; computing is now an instrument of war; computing is becoming a theater of war. Along the way, conflict has shaped computing, and computing has changed the nature of warfare.
Large-Format 70-mm High-Speed Framing Camera

The authors describe a new large-format synchronized high-speed framing camera. The camera has a framing rate of 2.5 x 106 frames/ sec with a frame size of 64 by 38 mm and a 26-frame record length. The new camera uses a beryllium rotating mirror with an isosceles-triangle cross section that allows a large mirror surface of 36 by 24 mm at the design speed of 104 revolutions/sec. Magnification of 1.8 in the internal optics of the camera gives the larger picture on 70-mm color film.© (1979) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
INVESTIGATION OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE SET OF CONTINUOUS SOLUTIONS OF SYSTEMS OF LINEAR FUNCTIONAL DIFFERENCE EQUATIONS

We establish conditions for the existence of continuous solutions of systems of linear functional difference equations with linearly transformed argument and develop a method for the construction of these solutions.
Metal–insulator transitions in epitaxial Gd1 − xSrxTiO3 thin films grown using hybrid molecular beam epitaxy

Abstract Growth of epitaxial Gd 1 − x Sr x TiO 3 thin films using hybrid molecular beam epitaxy and stability of thin films in oxygen rich atmospheres at elevated temperatures are investigated. Only Sr-rich films with x > 0.95 were stable at such conditions. GdTiO 3 is a ferrimagnetic Mott insulator while SrTiO 3 is a diamagnetic band insulator. The metal–insulator transition occurs by electron doping of SrTiO 3 (Gd-doped SrTiO 3 ) or hole doping of GdTiO 3 (Sr-doped GdTiO 3 ). The latter is investigated in more detail. It is shown that the insulating state, even in undoped GdTiO 3 , is dominated by small polaron hopping, which transitions to metallic, Fermi-liquid-type conduction with large amounts of Sr alloying. The metal–insulator transition is also accompanied by transition from n -type to p -type conduction. Furthermore, ferrimagnetism persists into the metallic phase. The results show that the insulating phase is stabilized even for large amounts of Sr doping by polaron formation, and that the transition to the metallic phase occurs via a continuous first order transition and a two phase region.
Patient Satisfaction after Treatment of Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer

BACKGROUND Patient satisfaction is an important aspect of patient-centered care but has not been systematically studied after treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC), the most prevalent cancer. OBJECTIVE To compare patient satisfaction after treatment for NMSC and to determine factors associated with better satisfaction. METHODS We prospectively measured patient, tumor, and care characteristics in 834 consecutive patients at two centers before and after destruction, excision, and Mohs surgery. We evaluated factors associated with short-term and long-term satisfaction. RESULTS In all treatment groups, patients were more satisfied with the interpersonal manners of the staff, communication, and financial aspects of their care than with the technical quality, time with the clinician, and accessibility of their care (p<.05). Short-term satisfaction did not differ across treatment groups. In multivariable regression models adjusting for patient, tumor, and care characteristics, higher long-term satisfaction was independently associated with younger age, better pretreatment mental health and skin-related quality of life, and treatment with Mohs surgery (p<.05). CONCLUSIONS Long-term patient satisfaction after treatment of NMSC is related to pretreatment patient characteristics (mental health, skin-related quality of life) and treatment type (Mohs) but not tumor characteristics. These results can guide informed decision-making for treatment of NMSC.
Investigation of expected location of muonium in normal state in III-V semiconductors and associated muon hyperfine interaction

The location and hyperfine properties of muonium in AlP is investigated by the unrestricted Hartree-Fock cluster procedure. Two minima are found, one at the aluminium tetrahedral interstitial site, and the other at the corresponding phosphorus site. The former is deeper by 0.25 eV and separated from the other minimum by a steep maximum of 0.63 eV in the hexagonal region. Using the calculated electronic wave functions, the muon hyperfine constant, after vibrational averaging, comes out smaller than the value for free muonium, the ratio being 0.93. This value is, however, significantly higher than the experimental results in GaP and GaAs.
COMBINATION CLAISEN-NITRILE OXIDE ANNULATION. A STRATEGY FOR RING CONSTRUCTION WITH RIGID STEREOCONTROL DICTATED BY AN ALLYLIC HYDROXYL GROUP

Abstract A new method for annulation of rings onto existing allylic alcohol derivatives is presented. The sequence involves Claisen rearrangement followed by nitrile oxide-olefin cycloaddition. Control of relevant stereochemistry is emphasized.
A late Miocene low-nutrient window for Caribbean reef formation?

Miocene and Pliocene reef tracts of the Caribbean were less common and smaller than older Oligocene and younger Pleistocene to Recent reefs. In the present study, samples from the Arroyo Bellaco exposures in the Cibao Valley, northern Dominican Republic were analyzed for 87Sr/86Sr to refine the age for a rare, well-developed Mio-Pliocene reef sequence. A mean age of 6.2 million years old (Ma) was determined for the reef. This age places the reef in the latter part of the late Miocene Messinian stage. The reef originated in a low-nutrient window at the end of a global cooling event and sea level lowstand, coincident with a period of decreased upwelling intensity from 6.2 to 5.8 Ma. Reef demise is attributed to a latest Miocene transgression and an associated pulse of marine siliciclastic deposition.
Amniocentesis performed at 14 weeks' gestation or earlier: Comparison with first-trimester transabdominal chorionic villus sampling

Objective: To compare our initial experiences with early amniocentesis and transabdominal chorionic villus sampling (CVS). Methods: We compared the diagnostic and pregnancy outcomes of our initial 250 patients undergoing early amniocentesis (at or before the 14th completed week of gestation) or transabdominal CVS (performed between 9.5-12.9 weeks'gestation). In both groups, the indication for prenatal diagnosis was advanced maternal age (35 years or older at estimated date of delivery). Results: No diagnostic errors were made using either technique, and the culture failure rate for both methods was 0.8% (two of 250). Seven cytogenetic abnormalities in the early amniocentesis group and seven in the transabdominal CVS group were detected
KUPFFER CELLS MODULATE THE LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE-INDUCED LIPID ALTERATIONS IN RAT LIVER PEROXISOMES. 610

KUPFFER CELLS MODULATE THE LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE-INDUCED LIPID ALTERATIONS IN RAT LIVER PEROXISOMES. 610
Dissociation of cell division stimulating capacity for balb/c-3t3 from the insulin-like activity in human serum.

TEMIN et al.1,2 have shown that insulin and serum proteins with insulin-like activity, isolated from either human or calf serum stimulate cell division in diploid populations of chick cells, while virus-transformed cells grow in the absence of these factors. An established line of rat liver cells, with a unique ability to grow in the absence of serum, releases macromolecular factors into the medium that have insulin-like activity and induce non-transformed cells to divide3,4; this suggests again that the factors with insulin-like activity are required to initiate cell division. Crystalline insulin stimulates DNA synthesis in BHK cells at limiting serum concentrations5, and is a requirement for growth in Agarose of some non-transformed variants of these cells6. Both insulin and whole serum have a pleotropic effect on non-transformed 3T3 cells7; they induce RNA and protein synthesis, and prevent protein degradation. These factors are not needed for the maintenance of the pleotropic effect in virus-transformed cells7. In addition, insulin and serum8 both cause a rapid decrease in the concentration of intra-cellular cyclic AMP in 3T3 cells, the decline of which may be a prerequisite for cell division9,10. We have isolated a serum fraction containing the factors that stimulate DNA synthesis and have insulin-like activity, and have found that heating separates the two activities.
Normal pituitary response to metyrapone in the morning in depressed patients: Implications for circadian regulation of corticotropin-releasing hormone secretion

Excess secretion of cortisol in depressed patients has been documented by a number of investigators, which is presumed secondary to increased corticotropin (ACTH) and ACTHreleasing hormone (CRH) secretion. To unmask the proposed increased central (CRH) drive, we administered metyrapone in the AM to 13 depressed and 13 age- and sex-matched normal control subjects. Metyrapone administration resulted in a prompt decrease in plasma cortisol and in an increase in 11-deoxycortisol, the inactive precursor, in all subjects. Both depressed patients and normal control subjects demonstrated clear increases in ACTH and β -lipotropin/ β -endorphin production. There were no significant differences between patients and controls in any hormonal measures following metyrapone administration. These data suggest that: 1) in the absence of negative feedback (cortisol blockade), mildly to moderately depressed outpatients do not manifest increased central drive in the morning; and 2) the secretory capacity of the corticotropes do not differ between such depressed patients and controls.
Microstructural transitions during containerless processing of undercooled Fe-Ni alloys

In order to identify the possible hierarchy of microstructural pathways and transitions, a systematic evaluation of the microstructural evolution in undercooled Fe-Ni alloys was performed on uniformly processed samples covering seven orders of magnitude in volume. At appropriate undercooling levels, alternate solidification pathways become thermodynamically possible and metastable product structures can result from the operation of competitive solidification kinetics. For thermal history evaluation, a heat flow analysis was applied and tested with large Fe-Ni alloy particles (1 to 3 mm) to assess undercooling potential. Alloy powders (10 to 150 microns), with large liquid undercoolings, were studied under the same composition and processing conditions to evaluate the solidification kinetics and microstructural evolution, including fcc/bcc phase selection and the thermal stability of a retained metastable bcc phase. The identification of microstructural transitions with controlled variations in sample size and composition during containerless solidification processing was used to develop a microstructure map which delineates regimes of structural evolutions and provides a unified analysis of experimental observations in the Fe-Ni system.
Nested Kernel: An Operating System Architecture for Intra-Kernel Privilege Separation

Monolithic operating system designs undermine the security of computing systems by allowing single exploits anywhere in the kernel to enjoy full supervisor privilege. The nested kernel operating system architecture addresses this problem by "nesting" a small isolated kernel within a traditional monolithic kernel. The "nested kernel" interposes on all updates to virtual memory translations to assert protections on physical memory, thus significantly reducing the trusted computing base for memory access control enforcement. We incorporated the nested kernel architecture into FreeBSD on x86-64 hardware while allowing the entire operating system, including untrusted components, to operate at the highest hardware privilege level by write-protecting MMU translations and de-privileging the untrusted part of the kernel. Our implementation inherently enforces kernel code integrity while still allowing dynamically loaded kernel modules, thus defending against code injection attacks. We also demonstrate that the nested kernel architecture allows kernel developers to isolate memory in ways not possible in monolithic kernels by introducing write-mediation and write-logging services to protect critical system data structures. Performance of the nested kernel prototype shows modest overheads:
Prodrug Approaches to Enhancement of Physicochemical Properties of Drugs IX: Acetaminophen Prodrug

The synthesis, hydrolysis rate, and bioavailability of 1-(p-acetaminophenoxy)-1-ethoxyethane, an acetaminophen prodrug, are described. The prodrug is less soluble than acetaminophen and stable at neutral pH. However, in an acidic environment, the compound cleaves rapidly, generating acetaminophen. When both the prodrug and acetaminophen were administered to dogs in equivalent amounts, the blood acetaminophen levels were comparable.
Discovery, Innovation, and Creativity: The Core of Computing

Entrepreneurship in the computing course was the topic in this paper. Discovery, innovation, and creativity were the core aspects of computing that was discussed. The author mentioned that computing programs should infuse the principles of entrepreneurship in computing curricula to equip students with the tools and skills necessary for them to succeed and for the economy to thrive. While becoming an entrepreneur was once considered risky, students now seem to be more willing to take that risk in the uncertain job market.
Organizing Technology Transfer from Research to Production

AbstractAn overview of issues to be considered when organizing the transfer of technology from the research arena to the production environment will be presented. The discussion will focus on the coordination and implementation of a transfer program for a product with emphasis being given to those factors peculiar to the pharmaceutical industry. The success of any program is highly dependent on the effectiveness of the communication preceding its implementation. Therefore, the preparation and distribution of a complete document summarizing raw material and equipment requirements, manufacturing and packaging processses, process validation parameters, quality control procedures, as well as a detailed plan of action outlining expected results and time frames, must be disseminated prior to the scale-up experience. Input from the marketing and manufacturing centers must also be integrated into the plan to ensure that the right product is developed at the right price within the desired time frame. An outline en...
Modelling and experimental verification of physical and chemical processes during pyrolysis of a large biomass particle

Abstract A mathematical model of wood pyrolysis is presented that is in satisfactory agreement with experimental reaction product distributions over a range of conditions of practical importance for gasification and combustion. Both chemical and physical processes are described, using fundamental principles. Inclusion of water release, tar cracking and char deposition chemical reactions results in predictions of ultimate product distributions (gas, tar and char yields) that are in good agreement with experiment and can aid in optimization of processes to maximize or minimize tar production. Predictions of the rate at which products are instantaneously released from a single wood pellet are also in agreement with experiment. This capability is important for combustion modelling and gasifier simulation. The study provides both extensive data and a fundamental modelling approach that will enhance understanding of the effects of physical properties and processes on the chemistry of devolatilizing biomass. The work emphasizes the need for information both on char deposition rates during carbonization of a range of fuel types and on char thermal properties over a wide range of temperatures and porosities.
Infilling history of a Neoproterozoic intracratonic basin: Nd isotope provenance studies of the Uinta Mountain Group, Western United States

Abstract Neodymium isotope and selected trace element concentration data were obtained from 27 samples of shales and arkosic sandstones comprising the Neoproterozoic Uinta Mountain Group (UMG) in north-eastern Utah and northwestern Colorado to determine the provenance of siliciclastic detritus deposited in this region and to reconstruct aspects of the Proterozoic geologic history of the southern margin of the Archean Wyoming Province. In the east lobe of the Uinta Mountains, coarse-grained components of the Jesse Ewing Canyon Formation, the oldest recognized formation of the UMG, have measured ϵ Nd values of −23 to −28 and were most probably derived from Archean basement of the Wyoming Province to the north. Fine-grained sediment in the southern portions of the Jesse Ewing Canyon Formation and shales and quartz arenites from overlying undifferentiated UMG all contain at least a component of detritus derived from Proterozoic crust. In the west lobe, the oldest members of the UMG (the Red Castle Lake, Gilbert Peak and Moosehorn Lake Formations) and arkosic arenite comprising the northern portions of the overlying Mount Watson Formation were also derived exclusively from Archean sources. However, as in the east lobe, the more mature sandstones that dominate the southern sections of the Mount Watson Formation have isotopic compositions that require a significant Proterozoic-crust derived detrital component. Our data support a model in which sedimentary rocks with an Archean provenance represent the preserved remnants of alluvial fans marking the northern margin of the basin in which the UMG was deposited. A source for these sediments within the Archean Wyoming Province is consistent with the high light rare-earth element (LREE) and Th abundances of finegrained, low ϵ Nd , sedimentary rocks, given that Late Archean granitic rocks within the Wyoming province have similar trace element characteristics. Sediments with Proterozoic components in both the east and west lobes were apparently deposited from a fluvial system that transported sediment along the basin axis. The Proterozoic detrital component in these sediments originated either through direct erosion of the Colorado Province in the Neoproterozoic, or through erosion of ‘mixed’ Archean and Proterozoic crust located to the east of the UMG basin that originally formed during the Paleoproterozoic accretion of the Colorado Province to the southern margin of the Wyoming craton.
Conversations between disciplines: historical archaeology and oral history at Yarrawarra

The practice of historical archaeology is often interdisciplinary, but the relationships between archaeology and other disciplines are not often explicitly analysed. A characteristic national strand of archaeology, which crosses the boundaries between historical and Aboriginal archaeology, is developing in Australia. So it is timely to consider specific ideas for relating Indigenous oral history and historical archaeology. In our research partnership with Yarrawarra Aboriginal Corporation, which was aimed at understanding Aboriginal place knowledges, we develop the concept of conversation for analysing the research process between archaeology and oral history. We define coopting conversations as the most usual conversations engaged in between disciplines, research paradigms and between scientific and Indigenous knowledges. We then identify several more productive kinds of conversation that occurred between oral history and archaeology in our research: intersecting, parallel, complementary and contradictory. We found contradictory conversations, usually regarded as failures by other researchers, yielded the most productive analytic understandings. As a result of these different types of conversations we were able to produce a richer understanding of placeness (sensu Mayne and Lawrence 1998). The richest understandings of place at Yarrawarra develop only through such interdisciplinary conversations.
Call for IEEE Fellow nominations

What do Paul Gray, Mark Horowitz, Stephen Lewis, Nicky Lu, Toshiaki Masuhara, Rudy van de Plassche, and Ian Young and have in common? They are but a few of the many SSCS members that have been elected to the grade of IEEE Fellow through the nomination and support of SSCS members.
Follow Your Nose: Axon Pathfinding in Olfactory Map Formation

Two new studies report how discrete identities of olfactory sensory neurons are converted into a spatial map of axonal connections (Imai et al., 2006; Serizawa et al., 2006). They find that levels of cAMP signals derived from olfactory receptors (ORs) can direct targeting of axons along an axis, and that ORs and neural activity regulate expression of adhesion/guidance molecules in mosaic patterns that can sort axons into discrete locations.
Predicting Life Expectancy and Symptom Relief Following Surgery for Advanced Malignancy

We prospectively evaluated surgeons’ ability to predict outcomes of life expectancy and symptom relief following major surgery for patients with advanced malignancies. Fifty-seven patients with advanced malignancies were evaluated regarding major symptoms requiring a surgical intervention and followed until death or last contact. The patients’ surgeons answered questions preoperatively and postoperatively, relating to issues such as estimated survival time and likelihood of symptom relief following surgery. We compared these estimates with patients’ clinical outcomes and responses to a symptom questionnaire completed just prior to surgery, and 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months following surgery. Surgeons’ preoperative estimates of patient survival agreed with survival outcomes. Preoperatively, surgeons accurately identified cases where a patient was expected to live less than 1 year without surgery (P < 0.0001) and with surgery (P = 0.0342). Surgeons’ preoperative estimates of the success of symptom improvement following surgery did not correlate in general with patients’ self-assessments (P = 0.6454). Specifically, surgeons underestimated their success in symptom resolution. However, there were statistically significant differences between patients who were judged by surgeons postoperatively to have mild or no palliation compared with those with excellent (P = 0.0372) and good (P = 0.0203) palliation. Preoperatively, surgeons accurately estimated patients’ survival time with surgery. Surgeons’ postoperative estimates of success of symptom relief agreed with patients’ self-assessments. Preoperatively, surgeons tended to underestimate their patients’ symptom relief. Surgeons may wish to consider other criteria than their predictions for symptom relief in deciding whether a patient is a candidate for palliative surgery.
NGOs, the State, and Development in Africa

This paper discusses the impact of the rise of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and social entrepreneurs on economic development, with a special focus on how they have been used in Africa. The paper describes the decline of the state and the rise of NGOs as a force in economic development under neoliberalism. We then turn to two of the major problems with the roll-back of the state in Africa: the inherent weaknesses of nonstate actors in the development process, and the significant cost that is incurred by undermining the role of state. The paper concludes by suggesting the necessity of reinserting the state as the major vehicle for economic development, albeit in productive partnership with NGOs and social entrepreneurs.
ELECTROCONVULSIVE SEIZURES INCREASE LEVELS OF PS4, THE TRH-ENHANCING PEPTIDE PREPRO-TRH(160-169), IN RAT BRAIN

We report the development of a radioimmunoassay for prepro-TRH(160-169) (PS4), a thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) enhancing peptide, and its use in characterizing the effect of electroconvulsive seizures on the levels of this peptide in various brain regions of male Wistar rats. We found that electroconvulsive seizures significantly elevated the PS4 levels in hippocampus, amygdala, pyriform (olfactory) cortex, and anterior cortex but not in striatum, motor cortex, locus ceruleus, or ventral lateral medulla. The levels of PS4 were highly correlated with the corresponding TRH (p-Glu-His-Pro-NH2) and TRH-Gly (p-Glu-His-Pro-Gly) levels in hippocampus, amygdala, and pyriform cortex, consistent with the prepro-TRH source of all of these peptides. The PS4 levels in hippocampus and amygdala were significantly correlated with the immobility time in the Porsolt forced swim test, an established animal model for antidepressant effects. The PS4 levels in peripheral blood, hypothalamus, anterior cortex, amygdala, and eyes increased severalfold at 20 min following intracisternal injection of 228 microg of this peptide, suggesting that it readily crosses the blood-brain barrier. The pituitary levels of PS4 and TRH-Gly, on the other hand, were decreased within 20 min by intracisternal PS4, suggesting PS4 stimulated the release of prepro-TRH peptides from the pituitary. Fresh rat and human serum rapidly degraded PS4, indicating that it may act primarily as a paracrine modulator of TRH effects in pituitary, brain, and reproductive system.
The Sources of the Stekel Quotation in Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye

In chapter 24 of J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, Mr. Antolini tells Holden, “I can very clearly see you dying nobly, one way or another, for some highly unworthy cause.” Then he goes to hi...
The effect of sea level on glacial Indo-Pacific climate

The Indo-Pacific warm pool is the largest source of heat and moisture vapour to the atmosphere. Proxy reconstructions and model simulations suggest that during the Last Glacial Maximum, the exposure of the Sunda Shelf of Southeast Asia weakened deep convection over the warm pool.
Rapid purification of host-specific pathotoxins from alternaria alternata f. sp. lycopersici by solid-phase adsorption on octadecylsilane

A simplified, rapid procedure for the purification of two phytotoxic metabolites (TA and TB) from cell-free culture filtrates of Alternaria alternata f. sp. lycopersici was developed using hydrophobic chromatography on macroporous, C18 bonded silica followed by gel filtration. Baseline separation of TA from TB was achieved in the final preparation and yields of 80% were obtained with retention of full biological activity in all assay systems tested. Toxin analysis by nuclear magnetic resonance and high-performance liquid chromatography indicated TA was at least 99% pure. The efficiency of the procedure allows rapid accumulation of pure TA and TB for studies on the molecular mode of action and host plant response to this novel host-specific phytotoxin.
Impact of mobility on cooperative communication

We investigate the performance degradation due to rapidly time varying channels in a repetition based coherent cooperative system. We demonstrate that mobility of source affects the performance much more than the mobility of destination, for both amplify and forward (AF) and demodulate and forward (DF) relays, despite the symmetry of the network. Exploiting the property of FSK modulation that allow us to detect either coherently or noncoherently or even semi-coherently, we develop ML detection rules for a variety of mobile scenarios. The detection rules that take into account the mobility of the nodes, are mostly hybrids of partially coherent detectors and noncoherent detectors. The performance of these detectors is better than the best of coherent and noncoherent detectors in fast fading and a gain of about 2 dB is obtained over a wide range of SNR and a gain of almost 3 dB is achieved at the crossing of coherent and noncoherent curves. As energy efficiency is one of the main objectives for pursuing cooperation and relaying, these hybrid detectors assume significance in fast fading scenarios
Compressed sampling strategies for tomography

We investigate new sampling strategies for projection tomography, enabling one to employ fewer measurements than expected from classical sampling theory without significant loss of information. Inspired by compressed sensing, our approach is based on the understanding that many real objects are compressible in some known representation, implying that the number of degrees of freedom defining an object is often much smaller than the number of pixels/voxels. We propose a new approach based on quasi-random detector subsampling, whereas previous approaches only addressed subsampling with respect to source location (view angle). The performance of different sampling strategies is considered using object-independent figures of merit, and also based on reconstructions for specific objects, with synthetic and real data. The proposed approach can be implemented using a structured illumination of the interrogated object or the detector array by placing a coded aperture/mask at the source or detector side, respectively. Advantages of the proposed approach include (i) for structured illumination of the detector array, it leads to fewer detector pixels and allows one to integrate detectors for scattered radiation in the unused space; (ii) for structured illumination of the object, it leads to a reduced radiation dose for patients in medical scans; (iii) in the latter case, the blocking of rays reduces scattered radiation while keeping the same energy in the transmitted rays, resulting in a higher signal-to-noise ratio than that achieved by lowering exposure times or the energy of the source; (iv) compared to view-angle subsampling, it allows one to use fewer measurements for the same image quality, or leads to better image quality for the same number of measurements. The proposed approach can also be combined with view-angle subsampling.
Sustaining Fixed Rates: The Political Economy of Currency Pegs in Latin America

This paper studies Latin American exchange rate regimes since 1960. We model government exchange rate regime choice, constrained by politics. The model implies that the larger the tradable sectors exposed to international competition, the less likely is the maintenance of a fixed exchange rate regime. It also implies that the probability of the maintenance of a fixed exchange rate increases as an election approaches. We evaluate these implications with hazard models to analyze the duration dependence of Latin American exchange rate arrangements from 1960-1994. We find substantial empirical evidence to support the model. Results are robust to the inclusion of a variety of other economic and political variables, to different time and country samples, and to different definitions of regime arrangement. Controlling for economic factors, a one percentage point increase in the size of the manufacturing sector is associated with a reduction of six months in the longevity of a country's currency peg. An impending election increases the conditional likelihood of staying on a peg by about 8 percent, while the aftershock of an election conversely increases the conditional probability of going off a peg by 4 percent.
Challenges and opportunities in automotive transmission control

Automotive transmission is a key element in the powertrain that connects the power source to the wheels of a vehicle. To improve fuel economy, reduce emission and enhance driving performance, many new technologies have been introduced in the transmission area in recent years. This paper first reviews different types of automotive transmissions and explains their unique control characteristics. We then address the challenges facing automotive transmission control from three aspects: calibration, shift scheduling, and sensing, actuation and electronics. Along the way, research opportunities to further improve system performance are discussed.
Uniform field charge on a conducting particle

The charge on a conducting particle in an infinite uniform field or standing on a ground plane in a uniform background field is important to a range of technical areas, such as particle motion in gas-insulated substations. This charge is normally evaluated based on an approximate formula which is often traced back to an obscure paper over 40 years ago. Software technology now facilitates the solution of many such problems exactly, which allows evaluation of (i) the approximation and (ii) the range of parameters over which the approximation is accurate.
Distributed node-weighted connected dominating set problems

The Minimum Connected Dominating Set (MCDS) problem is to find a subset of vertices in a given graph G such that the set is connected and any vertex of G is either in the set or adjacent to a node in the set. This problem is shown to be NP-Hard and the best polynomial time approximation ratio is O(log n) where n is the number of vertices. The MCDS problem and its derivations are of interest in many network applications such as finding a minimum size virtual backbone for routing and broadcasting in ad-hoc networks. In this paper, we consider node-weighted CDS problem where positive real valued weights are assigned to the vertices and the objective is to find a CDS with the minimum weight. We propose the first distributed algorithm for the problem and demonstrate its optimal O(log n) approximation ratio. We then consider the case where the node weights are random variables with unknown distributions and develop a distributed learning algorithm based on the multi-armed bandit theory. We show that the distributed learning algorithm offers the optimal logarithmic regret order with respect to the time horizon length.
Cochannel FM Demodulation via the Multi Angle-Centered Discrete Fractional Fourier Transform

The problem of demodulating multiple frequency modulated signals that overlap spectrally is seen to pervade communication systems both military and civilian, where bandwidth is a precious resource. In this paper, we extend the use of the recently developed multiangle discrete fractional Fourier transform (MA-CDFRFT) for the purposes of cochannel FM demodulation and also investigate its use for the demodulation of cochannel continuous phase modulation (CPM) signals used frequently in wireless systems, using rectangular, triangular, or trapezoidal pulse shapes. Simulation results demonstrate that the approach is able to accomplish cochannel signal separation and demodulation, where existing multicomponent AM-FM demodulation algorithms fail. It is further demonstrated that for cochannel CPM demodulation, symbol error probabilities that are comparable to or smaller than that of coherent BPSK detection in additive white Gaussian noise.
Lanthanide-Mediated Dephosphorylation Used for Peptide Cleavage during Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis

Lanthanide(III) ions can accelerate the hydrolysis of phosphomonoesters and phosphodiesters in neutral aqueous solution. In this paper, lanthanide-mediated dephosphorylation has been applied in aqueous media as an orthogonal cleavage condition that can be employed in conventional solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). A phosphorylated polymeric support for SPPS was developed using Boc chemistry. The cleavage of resin-bound phosphates was investigated with the addition of Eu(III), Yb(III), acid or base, a mixture of solvents or different temperatures. To demonstrate the utility of this approach for SPPS, a peptide sequence was synthesized on a phosphorylated polymeric support and quantitatively cleaved with lanthanide ions in neutral aqueous media. The protecting groups for side chains were retained during peptide cleavage using lanthanide ions. This new methodology provides a mild orthogonal cleavage condition of phosphoester as a linker during SPPS.
A novel speed estimator for induction motor based on Integral Sliding Mode current control

The paper presents a new speed estimation method for the induction motor. The speed estimator is made possible by a special current control scheme that is based on Integral Sliding Mode (ISM). The traditional method for synchronous d-q current control is to use PI controllers along with a decoupling compensator. Synthesis of the compensation voltages requires knowledge of the speed and motor parameters. In the ISM scheme, the PIs are complemented with sliding mode (SM) controllers. This structure offers comparable performance without knowledge of the speed signal. The SM controllers play the same role as the compensation voltages used in the traditional method. Based on this observation, the speed is estimated using the filtered (average values) of the SM outputs. The paper describes the ISM current control method and presents the structure of the speed estimator. Simulations results are shown for a 1/4 hp three-phase machine.
Efficient Encoding for Generalized Reed Solomon Codes

Generalized Reed Solomon (GRS) codes are widely used for reliability applications in computer systems like data storage and communications and thus, efficiency in encoding and decoding of GRS codes is very important for system performance. Though GRS codes provide enormous flexibility, they are computationally expensive since calculations happen in Galois fields. In this paper, we present an algorithm to reduce the number of field multiplications in the encoding process of the GRS codes by selecting good values of $\bm{\alpha}$ and $\bm{w}$, the parameters of a GRS code. These values are usually set to some default value but by finding good values for these parameters using our algorithm we present here, we can impose a structure on the encoding matrix which enables significant reduction in the number of multiplications to enable efficient encoding. Our method provides from 25\% to over 90\% reduction in the number of multiplications depending on the code attributes.
Expecting Stress: Americans and the “Midlife Crisis”

Despite frequent debunking of the inevitability of the midlife crisis in the research literature (e.g., D. A. Chiriboga, 1997; R. McCrae & P. Costa, 1990), the term remains a media staple, implying that midlife is a time of stress and difficulties brought about by turning 40. A recent review of midlife crisis research (O. G. Brim, 1992) concluded that midlife is not universally stressful and estimated that roughly only 10% of American men might undergo a midlife crisis. This paper examines the disjunction between popular and researcher views of midlife and its “crisis.” Using semistructured telephone survey techniques, this study of 724 participants explores the definitions that Americans hold of the “midlife crisis” and analyzes self-reports of midlife crises. Most Americans (over 90%) could provide a definition of the midlife crisis, and these definitions roughly coincide with the definitions used in psychological and psychoanalytic theories of the midlife crisis. Twenty-six percent of Americans reported that they had a midlife crisis. Qualitative analyses showed that Americans use a much wider definition of what constitutes a midlife crisis than that used by researchers. Despite the identification of this term with male personality development, women were as likely as men to report having had a midlife crisis. In addition, crises occurring well before age 40 and well after age 50 were frequently nominated as midlife crises. Most participants did not attribute their self-reported midlife crises to aging, but rather to major life events that posed a severe threat and challenge during a very broadly-defined period of “midlife.”
A Critique of Parsons' Four Function Paradigm*

(1970). A Critique of Parsons' Four Function Paradigm. The Sociological Quarterly: Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 157-168.
Re-examining the Johannine Trinity: perichoresis or deification?

Theological discussions of perichoretic trinitarianism typically turn to John's Gospel for supporting evidence despite the fact that John nowhere describes the Spirit's so-called ‘interpenetration’ (A is in B and B is in A) of either the Father or the Son. In this article, all gospel references pertinent to questions of perichoretic union among Father, Son and Spirit are examined, demonstrating that the Johannine Spirit does not share in such mutual indwelling. Rather, the Spirit is inextricably linked to Johannine ecclesiology, performing the work of regeneration and illumination as Christ's earthly alter ego. John's pneumatology is thoroughly functional and salvation-historical, offering no insight into the Spirit's eternal or essential place within the Godhead. However, John's Gospel does describe a third member of a perichoretic trinity: the disciples. As surprising as it may initially appear, believers are said to mutually indwell the Son, and to indwell the Father through the Son, thereby occupying the very position never posited of the Holy Spirit. Although John does not describe a perichoretic trinity, he does depict a perichoretic soteriology reminiscent of the Orthodox doctrine of deification. Such divine union is at the heart of Johannine salvation. It remains a crowning achievement of Johannine theology that Jesus is portrayed as the one sent from the Father to lead his people into a provocative, new terrain where the language of perichoretic union with the divine is more apropos of the believer than of the Spirit.
Cross-Layer Optimized Conditions for QoS Support in Multi-Hop Wireless Networks with MIMO Links

Recent advances in antenna technology made it possible to build wireless devices with more than one antenna at affordable costs. Because multiple antennas offer wireless networks a potential capacity increase, they are expected to be a key part of next-generation wireless networks to support the rapidly emerging multimedia applications characterized by their high and diverse QoS requirements. This paper developed methods that exploit the benefits of multiple antennas to enable multi-hop wireless networks with flow-level QoS capabilities. The authors first propose a cross-layer table-driven statistical approach that allows each node to determine the amount of spatial reuse and/or multiplexing, offered by the multiple antennas that are available to it. The authors then use the developed statistical approach to derive sufficient conditions under which flow rates are guaranteed to be feasible. The derived conditions are multi-layer aware in the sense that they account for cross-layer effects between the PHY and the MAC layers to support QoS at higher layers. The authors evaluate and compare the derived sufficient conditions via extensive simulations. The authors show that the conditions result in high flow acceptance rates when used in multi-hop wireless networking problems such as QoS routing and multicommodity flow problems. The authors also demonstrate the importance and the effect of considering cross-layer couplings into the development of flow acceptance methods.
Discovery of a tetracontinuous, aqueous lyotropic network phase with unusual 3D-hexagonal symmetry

Network phase aqueous lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) are technologically useful materials with myriad applications in chemistry, biology, and materials science, which stem from their structurally periodic aqueous and hydrophobic nanodomains (∼0.7–5.0 nm in diameter) that are lined with well-defined chemical functionalities. The exclusive observation of bicontinuous cubic network phase LLCs (e.g., double gyroid, double diamond, and primitive phases) has fueled speculations that all stable LLC network phases must exhibit cubic symmetry. Herein, we describe the self-assembly behavior of a simple aliphatic gemini surfactant that forms the first example of a triply periodic network phase LLC with the 3D-hexagonal symmetry P63/mcm (space group #193). This normal, tetracontinuous 3D-hexagonal network LLC phase HI193 partitions space into four continuous and interpenetrating, yet non-intersecting volumes. This discovery directly demonstrates that the gemini amphiphile platform furnishes a rational strategy for discovering and stabilizing new, three-dimensionally periodic multiply continuous network phase LLCs with variable symmetries and potentially new applications.
Influence of gender and sex hormones on nicotine acute pharmacological effects in mice.

The present study conducted a comprehensive examination of the putative sex differences in the potency of nicotine between male and female ICR mice using several pharmacological and behavioral tests. Among the responses to nicotine where significant sex differences were observed are the antinociceptive and the anxiolytic effects of nicotine. Female mice were found less sensitive to the acute effects of nicotine in these tests after s.c. administration. Similar gender differences were found after i.t. injection. Influence of gonadal hormones could underlie sex differences observed in our studies. Indeed, our data clearly indicate that sex hormones can modulate the effects of nicotine and nicotinic receptors in a differential manner. Progesterone and 17β-estradiol were found to block nicotine9s antinociception in mice. Testosterone failed to do so. In addition, progesterone and 17β-estradiol blocked nicotine activation of α 4 β 2 neuronal acetylcholine nicotinic receptors expressed in oocytes. Our findings contribute to our search for receptor mechanisms in drug dependence and in the discovery of better pharmacological agents for nicotine dependence.
FOCUS ON INCLUSION: USING READERS THEATRE TO FOSTER FLUENCY IN STRUGGLING READERS: A TWIST ON THE REPEATED READING STRATEGY

The . . . children . . . crushed . . . the . . . chocolatey . . . treat . . . between . . . their . . . teeth . . .. Their . . . dog, . . . Bandit, . . . looked . . . up . . . at . . . them . . . with . . . hopeful . . . big . . . brown . . . eyes . . .. But . . . the . . . children . . . knew . . . that . . . dogs . . . should . . . not . . . eat . . . chocolate . . .. Mike read the few sentences slowly, pronouncing the words carefully, each one isolated and distinct from its neighbors. Mike, a third grader of low average reading achievement, has little difficulty decoding the words in his book. He and his reading partner, Ben, have already identified the words each child was unsure of, and between them, the two have generated plausible meanings. Why, then, does Mike read in a manner so hesitant and disjointed, pushing out each word as he does, one by one? Mike, like many children (and some older students and even adults), lacks fluency in his oral reading.
Bases of countable Boolean algebras

The purpose of this note is to give a short proof of a conjecture of Feiner that every countable Boolean algebra has an ordered basis that is a lexicographic sum of well-ordered sets over the ordered set η of all rational numbers. Actually, we prove a slightly more precise fact, which is formulated below as Theorem 3. An earlier proof of Feiner's conjecture was obtained by David Cossack (unpublished), using a different method. Our proof will use the following property of Cantor's dyadic discontinuum D .