cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Composition of Government Expenditures and Demand for Education in Developing Countries

This paper addresses the potential effects on human capital accumulation and economic growth of the alternative compositions of public expenditures in the context of a computable dynamic general equilibrium model of overlapping generations and heterogeneous agents in which altruistic parents make schooling decisions for their children. In the presence of fixed and variable costs for different levels of schooling, we show that reducing household costs of primary education has the largest positive impact on growth and poverty reduction in the short run. Moreover, an increase in higher education spending increases long-run growth. These effects can be substantial even when increasing education spending comes at the expense of public infrastructure investment.
Assessment of a System for Debris Removal at High Speeds: Implications for Roadway Operations and Maintenance

This paper describes an exploratory case study and field test for a system for debris removal at high speeds with the aim of identifying effective practices for state departments of transportation. Highway debris represents a traffic safety problem that requires a prompt response from transportation agencies. When drivers come upon road debris, they can make erratic driving decisions to avoid the debris; as a result drivers may compromise control of their vehicles and increase the likelihood of being involved in an accident. Highway debris can also be costly to the road authorities responsible for cleaning it up because they are exposed to safety hazards when removing debris, especially on high-speed and high-volume roadways. Innovative equipment that allows for debris removal at high speeds, such as the Gator Getter, has been introduced to the market. But independent research on the safety and traffic impact of these systems has not been done. To address this gap, this study covers the purchase, installa...
Revisiting Libman–Sacks Endocarditis: A Historical Review and Update

Libman-Sacks (LS) endocarditis was first described by Libman and Sacks in 1924, and is characterized by sterile, verrucous valvular lesions with a predisposition for the mitral and aortic valves. It is now regarded as both a cardiac manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus and, in recent years, of the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Though typically mild and asymptomatic, LS endocarditis can lead to significant complications, including severe valvular insufficiency requiring surgery, infective endocarditis, and thromboembolic events, such as stroke and transient ischemic events. Improvements in imaging modalities, particularly in echocardiography, have allowed better estimation of the prevalence of the disease, but further investigation is still needed into its pathogenesis, treatment, and association with APS.
Some theorems on definability and decidability

In this paper a theorem about numerical relations will be established and shown to have certain consequences concerning decidability in quantification theory, as well as concerning the foundation of number theory. The theorem is that relations of natural numbers are reducible in elementary fashion to symmetric ones; i.e.:Theorem I. For every dyadic relation R of natural numbers there is a symmetric dyadic relation H of natural numbers such that R is definable in terms of H plus just truth-functions and quantification over natural numbers.To state the matter more fully, there is a (well-formed) formula ϕ of pure quantification theory, or first-order functional calculus, which meets these conditions:(a) ϕ has ‘x’ and ‘y’ as sole free individual variables;(b) ϕ contains just one predicate letter, and it is dyadic;(c) for every dyadic relation R of natural numbers there is a symmetric dyadic relation H of natural numbers such that, when the predicate letter in ϕ is interpreted as expressing H, ϕ comes to agree in truth-value with ‘x bears R to y’ for all values of ‘x’ and ‘y’.
On the Weiner-Masani Algorithm for Finding the Generating Function of Multivariate Stochastic Processes

It is shown that the algorithms for determining the generating function and prediction error matrix of multivariate stationary stochastic processes developed by Wiener and Masani (1957), and later by Masani (1960) will work in some more general setting.
Executive functioning deficits in hypothetically psychosis-prone

Executive functioning deficits have been identified in schizophrenics, their family members, in persons with schizophrenic spectrum disorders, and in others psychometrically at high risk for future psychosis. In the present study, a group hypothesized to be at high risk for future psychosis (Chapman and Chapman, 1985; Chapman et al., 1994) showed no generalized cognitive deficit, but demonstrated impairments on two executive functioning measures (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and Stroop Color and Word Test) as compared to control students. Results suggest that executive function deficits, particularly impaired inhibitory control, appear in individuals who may be at risk of later decompensation into a psychotic state, and thus may be important in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and schizophrenic spectrum disorders.
On the construction of quasimodes associated with stable periodic orbits

LetH(x,D, ɛ) be a self-adjoint partial differential operator of the form $$H = \sum\limits_{k = 0}^K {\varepsilon ^k H_k (x,\varepsilon D),{\rm{ }}x \in R^n }$$ . Suppose the hamiltonian system $$\dot x = \frac{{\partial H_0 }}{{\partial \xi }},{\rm{ }}\dot \xi = - \frac{{\partial H_0 }}{{\partial x}}$$ has a nondegenerate stable periodic orbit γ on which Then it is possible to construct a sequence of real numbers ɛ m tending to zero, a sequence of functionsu m concentrated in a tube of radius ɛ m 1/2 about the projection of γ intox-space, and a polynomialE(ɛ) such that $$\parallel (H(\varepsilon _m ) - E(\varepsilon _m ))u_m \parallel \mathbin{\lower.3ex\hbox{$\buildrel<\over{\smash{\scriptstyle=}\vphantom{_x}}$}} C\varepsilon _m^M \parallel u_m \parallel$$ . The powerM depends on the order of stability of γ. The constructions are explicit in terms of solutions of linear O.D.E.'s, and are generalizations of “gaussian beams”. Actually, instead of just one sequence, one gets a family of sequences parametrized by the multi-indices of ordern−1, but the constantC is not independent of these multi-indices. The nondegeneracy hypothesis implies γ is part of a one-parameter family of stable periodic orbits, andC is independent of this parameter.
Runge-Kutta-Nyström methods for hyperbolic problems with time-dependent coefficients

Abstract Galerkin fully discrete approximations for hyperbolic equations with time-dependent coefficients are analyzed. The schemes are based on implicit Runge-Kutta-Nystrom methods, and are coupled with preconditioned iterative methods for the efficient, albeit approximate, solution of the resulting linear systems. Arbitrarily high-order, both conditionally and unconditionally stable methods are considered. In addition, it is shown that a specific class of methods exhibit parallel features that can be exploited to reduce the final execution time to that of a low-order method.
NONARCHIMEDEAN CONFORMAL FIELD THEORIES

We present a general formalism for conformal field theories defined on a non-Archimedean field. Such theories are defined by complex-valued correlation functions of fields of a $\mathscr P$-adic variable. Conformal invariance is imposed by requiring the correlation functions to be unchanged under fractional linear transformations, the latter forming the full analogue of the conformal group in two-dimensional, euclidean space-time. All fields in the theory can be taken to be "primary", under the "non-Archimedean conformal group". The conformal symmetry fixes completely the form of all correlation functions, once we are given the weight-spectrum of the theory and the OPE coefficients (which must be the structure constants of certain commutative, associative algebras). We explicitly construct non-Archimedean CFT's having the same weight spectrum as that of Archimedean models of central charge c < 1. The OPE coefficients of these "local" Archimedean and non-Archimedean models are related by adelic formulae.
Unstable activator models for size control of the cell cycle

The unstable activator model of Wheals & Silverman (1982) is extended to account for the delay of nuclear division in the acellular slime mold, Physarum polycephalum, that is caused by pulse treatments with inhibitors of protein synthesis. The model is solved exactly to predict the delay as a function of the half-life of the activator. The Wheals-Silverman model is found to give results comparable, but not superior, to other unstable activator models of the cell cycle.
Analysis of borehole expansion and gallery tests in anisotropic rock masses

Abstract Closed-form solutions are used to show how rock anisotropy affects the variation of the modulus of deformation around the walls of a hole in which expansion tests are conducted. These tests include dilatometer and NX-jack tests in boreholes and gallery tests in tunnels. The effects of rock anisotropy on the modulus of deformation are shown for transversely isotropic and regularly jointed rock masses with planes of transverse isotropy or joint planes parallel or normal to the hole longitudinal axis for plane strain or plane stress condition. The closed-form solutions can also be used when determining the elastic properties of anisotropic rock masses (intact or regularly jointed) in situ .
Modeling the Effects of Molecular Length Scale Electrode Heterogeneity in Organic Solar Cells

Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of planar heterojunction (PHJ) organic solar cells (OPVs) constructed with electronically heterogeneous electrodes are presented which correlate the extent and length scale of electrode heterogeneity with their capacity for collecting photogenerated charge carriers. The PHJ OPV is modeled as an ensemble of discrete 1 nm3 molecular sites and 1 nm2 electrode sites for which we individually assign various effective activation energies for charge hopping. Utilizing Marcus theory to describe charge transfer reactions within the energetically disordered lattice, described by a Gaussian distribution of discrete site energies, we demonstrate the sensitivity of solar cell device performance to nanometer length scale heterogeneity at the electrode-active layer contact. Such sensitivity is reflected in the steady-state charge density profiles in the vicinity of the electrode-active material interface, charge collection efficiencies, and rates of recombination at the donor–acceptor (D/...
Environment feature extraction and classification for Context aware Physical Activity monitoring

Context aware Physical Activity (PA) monitoring of humans is important for the study of diseases associated with obesity and lack of physical activity. This paper introduces a wearable context aware PA monitoring device which determines if the user is indoors or outside in situations of disrupted Global Positioning System (GPS) reception. In addition to a GPS sensor, multiple light and temperature sensors were added to our PA monitoring device. Differences in inside and outside temperature and the intensity of light are used to distinguish the context of location. Location, Light and temperature values were recorded using a controlled route during a period of 20 days in January and February. One of the non-parametric pattern recognition techniques (K-nearest neighbors) was used to classify indoor and outdoor conditions based on the combination of sensor values. Results show that the K-nearest neighbors algorithm could distinguish indoor and outdoor conditions during daytime and nighttime with the error of 0.003.
Thermodynamics of Inhomogeneous Systems

A self-consistent thermodynamic formalism is developed for the treatment of the equilibrium of systems, some of whose parameters vary continuously from place to place. The method is specially designed for the description of transition interfaces separating two phases. The energy per unit volume is assumed to depend explicitly on the space derivatives of the molecule densities. Equilibrium conditions are obtained for the appropriate internal variables of the system, and all externally measurable intensive variables are uniquely defined by a variational procedure.
Vectorial theory of holographic optical trapping

We combine Debye-Wolf diffraction integral formalism with Lorenz-Mie scattering theory to compute the electromagnetic fields projected by holographic optical trapping systems, and also the forces and torques they exert on illuminated objects.
A surface patch model for polygonal plates

A method of moments surface patch model for polygon plates is presented. Three methods for segmenting polygon plates are considered. Also, the choice between full surface testing and point matching is discussed as it affects the efficiency and generality of the solution. Numerical results are compared with measurements and independent calculations for polygonal plates of three different shapes, including a wire to plant junction.
THE EFFECT OF ELECTRICAL ABLATION OF THE NUCLEI HABENULAE, PINEAL BODY AND SUBCOMMISSURAL ORGAN ON ENDOCRINE FUNCTION, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THYROID FUNCTION1

Although it has been proposed that the habenular nuclei may be a primary center in the control of thyrotropin secretion by the pituitary, in the present study it was found that animals with extensive damage including the habenula, pineal body and subcommissural organ developed thyroid enlargement approximately equal to that of untreated controls when fed propylthiouracil. Thyroidal radioiodine accumulation and testis and adrenal weights were not consistently affected by any of the lesions. There was no persistent change in either serum sodium and potassium concentration or water intake postoperatively.
Effects of mycorrhizal colonization on biomass production and nitrogen fixation of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) seedlings grown under elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide

Interactive effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on biomass production and N2 fixation were investigated using black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia). Seedlings were grown in growth chambers maintained at either 350 μmol mol−1 or 710 μmol mol−1 CO2. Seedlings were inoculated with Rhizobium spp. and were grown with or without AM fungi. The 15N isotope dilution method was used to determine N source partitioning between N2 fixation and inorganic fertilizer uptake. Elevated atmospheric CO2 significantly increased the percentage of fine roots that were colonized by AM fungi. Mycorrhizal seedlings grown under elevated CO2 had the greatest overall plant biomass production, nodulation, N and P content, and root N absorption. Additionally, elevated CO2 levels enhanced nodule and root mass production, as well as N2 fixation rates, of non- mycorrhizal seedlings. However, the relative response of biomass production to CO2 enrichment was greater in non-mycorrhizal seedlings than in mycorrhizal seedlings. This study provides strong evidence that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi play an important role in the extent to which plant nutrition of symbiotic N2-fixing tree species is affected by enriched atmospheric CO2.
Structural Imaging in Late-Life Depression: Association with Mood and Cognitive Responses to Antidepressant Treatment

Objectives Recent positron emission tomography studies of cerebral glucose metabolism have identified the functional neural circuitry associated with mood and cognitive responses to antidepressant treatment in late life depression (LLD). The structural alterations in these networks are not well understood. The present study used magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and voxel-based morphometry to evaluate the association between gray matter volumes and changes in mood symptoms and cognitive function with treatment with the antidepressant citalopram. Design Open-label trial with baseline brain MR scan. Mood and cognitive assessments performed at baseline and during citalopram treatment. Setting Outpatient clinics of an academic medical center. Participants 17 previously unmedicated patients age 55 years or older with a major depressive episode and 17 non-depressed comparison subjects. Intervention 12-week trial of flexibly dosed citalopram. Measurements Gray matter volumes, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, California Verbal Learning Test, Delis–Kaplan Executive Function System. Results In LLD, higher gray matter volumes in the cingulate gyrus, superior and middle frontal gyri, middle temporal gyrus, and precuneus was associated with greater mood improvement. Higher gray matter volumes in primarily frontal areas were associated with greater improvement in verbal memory and verbal fluency performance. Conclusions Associations with antidepressant induced improvements in mood and cognition were observed in several brain regions previously correlated with normalization of glucose metabolism after citalopram treatment in LLD. Future studies will investigate molecular mechanisms underlying these associations (e.g., beta-amyloid, inflammation, glutamate).
Selection for imidacloprid resistance in silverleaf whiteflies from the Imperial Valley and development of a hydroponic bioassay for resistance monitoring

A field-collected population of the silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii, was selected with the nicotinyl compound, imidacloprid, over 32 generations to determine if resistance would develop when maintained under continuous selection pressure in a greenhouse. Resistance was slow to increase at first with low to moderate levels of resistance (RR from 6- to 17-fold) in the first 15 generations of selection. Further selection steadily led to higher levels of resistance, with the greatest resistance ratio at 82-fold, the gradual rise suggesting the involvement of a polygenic system. At the end of the selection, slopes of probit regressions were substantially steeper than earlier, indicating increased homogeneity of imidacloprid resistance in this strain. A hydroponic bioassay featuring systemic uptake of imidacloprid through roots was developed to monitor the changes in resistance to imidacloprid in the selected whitefly strain and in seven field-collected strains from Imperial Valley, California. Six out of seven field-collected strains exhibited low LC50 values (0·002 to 0·512 mg ml-1) compared to the selected resistant strain, with one exception where the LC50 was 0·926 mg ml-1 (RR=15·0). Variation in responses to imidacloprid in the field strains suggest that this technique is sufficiently sensitive to detect differences in susceptibilities of whitefly populations. The imidacloprid-resistant strain showed no cross-resistance to endosulfan, chlorpyrifos or methomyl (RR ranging from 0·4- to 1·5-fold). A low level of cross-resistance was observed to bifenthrin in the IM-R strain at 7-fold. The success of selection for resistance to imidacloprid has serious implications for whitefly control programs that rely heavily on imidacloprid. ©1997 SCI
Composite Materials Education in the United States

Composite materials is a rapidly maturing technology, with emerging applications in a broad range of industries far beyond the aerospace domain, where composites first became popular. However, educational institutions have not uniformly recognized this new status by appropriately changing the engineering curricula. Most educational programs in composites are still at the embryo stage. Some institutions have taken the lead in reshaping what is presented to students. This revision of engineering education is reviewed at three levels: undergraduate, graduate, and after graduation. Formal courses at all levels are addressed, as well as special design projects which involve students tp a very high degree in activities that enable them to experience a broad spectrum of topics in composites. Most importantly, the various philosophies for teaching composites are discussed including courses, design projects, research projects, seminars, and other activities that constitute an appropriate composite materials educational experience.
Prevalence and correlates of service utilization and help seeking in a national college sample of female rape victims

This study examines prevalence and correlates of help seeking for emotional problems among undergraduate female rape victims. A national college sample of women endorsing a lifetime history of rape (n=228) interviewed in 2006 to assess demographic characteristics, rape history, rape characteristics, psychopathology, and substance abuse. Participants were asked if they ever sought help for emotional problems, and what type(s) of services were sought (medical professional, religious figure, or mental health professional). Prevalence of help seeking was 52%. Of help-seekers, 93% went to a mental health professional, 48% went to a medical doctor, and 14% sought religious counsel. Only PTSD was related to ever seeking help (OR=2.35). Findings suggest that university-based mental health and medical facilities should be well prepared to identify and treat PTSD and other rape-related sequelae. Health promotion campaigns are needed to target substance abusing and depressed rape victims, who were less likely to seek help.
String quantization via dual Peierls brackets

The spacelike Peierls bracket, which is dual to the usual Peierls bracket (covariant Poisson bracket), is used to first-quantize the closed bosonic string.
Left Atrial Pseudoaneurysm (A Left Atrial Catheter Complication): A Case Report

Suture line pseudoaneurysms after cardiac surgery are usually associated with either infection or Marfan's syndrome. We present the first case of a pseudoaneurysm due to left atrial catheter after aortic and mitral valve replacements.
Kazunori Kataoka editorial.

This year’s recipient of the Journal of Drug Targeting Life-Time Achievement Award is Professor Kazunori Kataoka. He is a Professor of Biomaterials in the Department of Materials Engineering at the...
Theory Extension in ACL2(r)

ACL2(r) is a modified version of the theorem prover ACL2 that adds support for the irrational numbers using nonstandard analysis. It has been used to prove basic theorems of analysis, as well as the correctness of the implementation of transcendental functions in hardware. This paper presents the logical foundations of ACL2(r). These foundations are also used to justify significant enhancements to ACL2(r).
Kinetics of Two-Electron Oxidations by the Compound I Derivative of Chloroperoxidase, a Model for Cytochrome P450 Oxidants

[structure: see text] Rate constants for two-electron oxidation reactions of Compound I from chloroperoxidase (CPO) with a variety of substrates were measured by stopped-flow kinetic techniques. The thiolate ligand of CPO Compound I activates the iron-oxo species with the result that oxidation reactions are 2 to 3 orders of magnitude faster than oxidations by model iron(IV)-oxo porphyrin radical cations containing weaker binding counterions.
Location-Specific Technoeconomic Evaluation of a Novel Amine Technology

Abstract A novel amine capture technology for CO2 emissions has been developed by Huaneng/Xi’an Thermal Power Research Institute. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), on behalf of the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center, has evaluated the technology using location-specific economic parameters to reflect power generation loss from a coal-fired power generation plant due to amine regeneration, the necessary utility constraints and investment, and the constraints of the location. The conceptual design used for cost estimates consists of a pre-absorption cooler (cooling by injection of water directly into the flue gas was not feasible because of 100% flue gas humidity post-flue gas desulfurizer), an absorber with a spray stage to minimize evaporative amine losses; an economizing heat exchanger and trim heaters and coolers: a stripper with a reboiler and condenser to recover absorbed CO2; a five-stage CO2 compression train with intercooling and water removal; and an ion exchange process to control build-up of heat-stable salts by treating a bleed stream from the lean amine stream. We conclude that Huaneng's novel amine composition, because of the use of hindered and tertiary amines, has a lower heat of regeneration and hence reduces the power generation penalty. Further, we assess that the hindered and tertiary amines are less susceptible to thermal and oxidative degradation, although they are still susceptible to degradation by reaction with CO2. We estimate the reduced power generation penalty and reduced solvent degradation gives a modest but tangible cost advantage relative to 30% MEA. Among the location-specific constraints we have identified are: limited ability to cool incoming flue gas by water injection because of high humidity; and poor soil conditions that would require extensive civil engineering prior to plant construction. These differences we assess will increase the cost of implementing an amine-based capture technology over costs based on assumed greenfield construction.
Note on a class of nonlinear time independent diffusion equations

Abstract A study of the existence and uniqueness of solutions to two classes of nonlinear time-independent diffusion equations is presented.
Designing Zero-Copy Message Passing Interface Derived Datatype Communication Over Infiniband: Alternative Approaches and Performance Evaluation

In this paper, we present a new scheme, Send Gather Receive Scatter (SGRS), to perform zero-copy datatype communication over InfiniBand. This scheme leverages the gather/scatter feature provided by InfiniBand channel semantics. It takes advantage of the capability of processing non-contiguity on both send and receive sides in the Send Gather and Receive Scatter operations. We have implemented this new design and evaluated the performance for Message Passing Interface level point-to-point microbenchmarks and collectives, on PCI-X and upcoming high performance PCI-Express systems. In our previous work we had come up with an alternate zero-copy approach using multiple RDMA Writes (Multi-W). Compared to the existing Multi-W zero-copy datatype scheme, the SGRS scheme can overcome the drawbacks of low network utilization and high startup cost. On PCI-X platforms, our experimental results show significant improvement in both point-to-point and collective datatype communication. The latency of a vector datatype can be reduced by up to 62% and the bandwidth shows improvement up to 400% as compared with the Multi-W scheme. The Alltoall collective shows up to 23% reduction in latency. Further, the SGRS scheme shows low CPU overhead with a potential promise for better computation and communication overlap. The experimental results on PCI-Express platforms demonstrate the relevance of zero-copy protocols to overcome memory bandwidth limitations. The trends we observe in PCI-X platform are magnified on PCI-Express platforms with even higher improvement for the microbenchmarks and collectives.
Prehension in young children with Down syndrome.

Prehension was examined in 3-year old children with Down syndrome (DS, n = 3) and in typically-developing children matched in chronological age (3-year olds; n = 3) or mental age and motor experience (2-year olds; n = 3). The task required reaching to grasp dowels. Video-based movement analysis yielded temporal and kinematic measures. Children with DS were hypothesized to have deficits in feedback-dependent components of prehension (anticipatory grip-closure and deceleration of reach), whereas feedforward components (reach's acceleration phase; grasp's preshaping) were assumed to be unimpaired [Latash, 1993, Control of human movement, pp. 283-292; Latash, 1994, What is clumsiness? In: Motor Control and Down Syndrome II Proceedings of the second international conference, pp. 68-71]. The findings supported these hypotheses. In comparison to control groups, children with DS had significantly: (a) less time in deceleration of reaching, (b) fewer anticipatory grip-closures, and (c) longer movement times for dowel-lift. Young children with DS appeared to use dowel-contact to decelerate the limb and initiate grip-closure. In contrast, reach-acceleration time and grasp-preshaping did not differ across groups. These findings suggest that children with DS display qualitative differences in motor capabilities rather than simply a delayed rate of typical developmental progression.
A TRANSPORT ANALYSIS OF COPPER SOLVENT EXTRACTION IN A CONTINUOUS STIRRED-TANK REACTORS*

ABSTRACT Solvent extraction of copper was carried out in a mechanically agitated vessel, using LIX-64N as the extractant. The dispersed organic phase of various drop sizes was fractionated with respect to size and subsequently each drop size interval was analyzed for its copper content using atomic absorption spectroscopy. These data, which are first such information to be reported, clearly show that the extent of copper transfer to tha organic phase strongly depends on the level of bath agitation and also on the drop size. Possible rate-controlling mechanisms were discussed in viaw of the existing theories, and a theoretical support of the experimental results was provided by performing a mass-transfer analysis.
Detection of thermal responses of the retina by use of polyvinylidene fluoride multilayer detector.

The design and properties of thermal detectors constructed with multiple layers of polyvinylidene fluoride film are described. By use of these detectors, production of heat by the photoreceptors in the darkadapted bullfrog retina in response to brief pulses of very weak light was examined. In response to brief light pulses delivering an average of 1 photon per retinal rod, the retina was found to produce heat more-or-less abruptly after a latent period of 0.2 to 0.4s. At this level of pulse intensity, the thermal energy produced by the retina was approximately 1, 500, 000 times as large as the total radiant energy delivered to the retina for stimulation. It appears possible that a large number of disks in the rod outer segment are activated by absorption of a single photon.
Inaugural address of the President-elect and Vice Chair of the Board: Graduating to a higher level: Health-system pharmacy's course for a new era

Like most of you, I have been looking forward to this meeting for quite some time, partly because when I first read the Society’s program announcements, with such phrases as “dive into learning,” “test the waters,” and “ stay afloat,” I actually thought we might be having this session
Effects of hydration on thermal expansion of forsterite, wadsleyite, and ringwoodite at ambient pressure

Single-crystal X-ray diffraction has been used to measure the thermal expansion coefficients of forsterite, wadsleyite, ringwoodite, and their hydrous forms at ambient pressure, from temperatures as low as 133 K to as high as 919 K. Second-order polynomial fitting to ln(V/V0) vs. T was applied to derive the expansion coefficients in the form of α = a1 × T + a0. The single crystal of anhydrous wadsleyite persisted up to 859 K. Hydrous forsterite was observed to dehydrate at 919 K, whereas hydrous wadsleyite started to dehydrate at 655 K. The crystal of ringwoodite with 0.20 wt% broke down at 911 K, and the two ringwoodite samples with 0.74 and 2.4 wt% H2O, were observed to break down with an irreversible unit-cell expansion at 808 and 606 K, respectively. From room temperature to high temperatures in this study, the mean thermal volume expansion coefficients are 36.4(5) and 38.1(9) × 10 –6 K –1 , respectively, for anhydrous and hydrous forsterite; 28.5(5) and 35.8(8) × 10 –6 K –1 ,
Shared memory implementation of a parallel switch-level circuit simulator

Circuit simulation is a critical bottleneck in VLSI design. The paper describes the implementation of an existing parallel switch level simulator called MIR-SIM on a shared memory multiprocessor architecture. The simulator uses a set of three different conservative protocols: the null message protocol; the conditional event protocol and the accelerated null message protocol; and combinations of the preceding two algorithms. The paper describes the implementation of these protocols to exploit shared memory features, measures their relative performance for a set of six benchmark circuits ranging in size from 3000 to almost 70000 transistors, and compares the speedup obtained by each of the three protocols.
Detecting Software Theft via System Call Based Birthmarks

Along with the burst of open source projects, software theft (or plagiarism) has become a very serious threat to the healthiness of software industry. Software birthmark, which represents the unique characteristic of a program, can be used for software theft detection. We propose two system call based software birthmarks: SCSSB (System Call Short Sequence Birthmark) and IDSCSB (Input Dependant System Call Subsequence Birthmark), and examine how well they reflect unique behavioral characteristics of a program. To our knowledge, our detection system based on SCSSB and IDSCSB is the first one that is capable of software component theft detection where only partial code is stolen. We demonstrate the strength of our birthmarks against various evasion techniques, including those based on different compilers and different compiler optimization levels as well as those based on very powerful obfuscation techniques supported by SandMark. Unlike the existing work that were evaluated through small or toy software, we also evaluate our birthmarks on a set of large software (web browsers). Our results show that system call based birthmarks are very practical and effective in detecting software theft that even adopts advanced evasion techniques.
Selection diversity for wireless optical communications with non-coherent detection without CSI

The availability of Channel State Information (CSI) at the receiver side of a Free Space Optical (FSO) link is required for optimal detection and diversity combining. Consequently, providing instantaneous CSI knowledge introduces challenges to receiver design and an increase in estimation error and bandwidth waste. In this work we investigate two selection-combining diversity schemes and their achieved gains when perfect instantaneous CSI is not available. An average SNR estimation value at the receiver is used for branch selection, and signal combining is performed with branch balance and unbalance. Channel fading is modeled as a lognormal distribution with spatially correlated samples. BER performance and outage probabilities are analytically characterized. Further, analytical results are verified using computer simulation.
What does the analyst want? Free association in relation to the analyst’s activity, ambition, and technical innovation

The author traces the history of free association, the “fundamental rule,“ through the Freud–Ferenczi relationship and controversy. The use of “activity,” first proposed by Freud in 1910 with phobic and compulsive patients, was then championed by Ferenczi in the early twenties. The goal of activity was to enhance—or, more accurately, “to force”— the associations into the analysis.
Simulation optimization using balanced explorative and exploitative search

We present a new random search method for solving simulation optimization problems. Our approach emphasizes the need for maintaining the right balance between exploration and exploitation during various stages of the search. Exploration represents global search for promising solutions within the entire feasible region, while exploitation involves local search of promising subregions. Preliminary numerical results are provided that show the performance of the method applied to solve deterministic and stochastic optimization problems.
High‐throughput sexing of mouse blastocysts by real‐time PCR using dissociation curves

Sex ratio is defined as the proportion of males to females in a population. Subdivisions of the sex ratio are the primary (ratio at fertilization) and the secondary (ratio at birth). The expected secondary sex ratio is 0.5, but biological, environmental, or occupational variables can shift the secondary sex ratio from this expectation.
Ethical Issues of Global Corporatization: Agriculture and Beyond

The world food supply has become inadequate for more than half the world population, as evidenced by a recent report of the World Health Organization that indicated that more than 3 billion people are malnourished. This is the largest number of malnourished ever reported. Per capita food production, especially cereal grains, has been declining for nearly 2 decades, despite new biotechnology and other agricultural technologies. Rapid human population growth, compounded by diminishing availability of fertile cropland, freshwater, and fossil fuels, is intensifying the emerging problems in all food production systems. Numerous ethical issues are related to the problem of malnutrition, including global corporatization.
Magnetic Susceptibility and Electron Spin Resonance Absorption Spectra of Mouse Melanomas S91 and S91A

A study of magnetic susceptibility and electron spin resonance (E.S.R.) spectra of Cloudman S91 and S91A melanomas and various mouse tissues was correlated with trace-metal analysis and known biochemical reactions. Average magnetic moments obtained from temperature-dependence studies showed the following order for tissues: S91>S91A>leg muscle. These results indicated a similar order in the relative concentration of magnetic species (free radicals and/or paramagnetic ions) and were confirmed by E.S.R. The E.S.R. spectra at different power levels showed that the free radical activity and the Cu2+ and Fe3+ activity attributed to different signals was generally higher in S91 than in S91A, which did not show an Fe3+ type signal. Normal tissues such as liver, spleen, heart, kidney, brain, and leg muscle showed varying amounts of free radical activity but not signals attributable to paramagnetic ions. E.S.R. spectra and trace-metal analysis at different stages of S91 tumor growth indicated a systematic increase in the free rad cal activity, total copper and iron concentrations, and paramagnetic ions, presumed to be Cu2+ and Fe3+. The S91A melanoma showed increase in total copper, but not in free radical and paramagnetic ion (CU2+) activity after the initial growth. Correlation of these findings with known biochemical reactions suggests that the free radical activity may be attributed partly to melanin and intermediates of various enzymatic reactions. Presumed paramagnetic ion activity cannot yet be ascribed to specific biostates.
Measuring Stellar Limb Darkening by Gravitational Microlensing

Observations of microlensing transit events can be used to measure the limb darkening of the lensed star. We discuss the advantages and drawbacks of several microlensing light-curve inversion methods. The method of choice in this work is inversion by means of decomposition of the stellar surface brightness profile. We construct an ideal basis by principal component analysis of brightness profiles obtained from model atmosphere calculations. Limb-darkening approximations using such a basis are superior to those using standard power-law limb-darkening laws. We perform a full analysis of simulated single-lens microlensing transit events including a detailed error analysis of the method. In realistic events with a low impact parameter the brightness profile of the source can be recovered with a relative accuracy of 2% from the center of the source disk to 0.9 of the disk radius. We show that in the particular case of the observed MACHO Alert 95-30 event the intrinsic complex variability of the lensed red giant hinders efforts to recover its surface features.
Avoiding drug dependency

If Tool Theory is buttressed by fundamental concepts of conditioned reinforcement and extinction, a dependence on Drug Theory may not be necessary.
Integration of K-12 outreach with design projects in an introductory mechanical engineering course

The design project in a required undergraduate course in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University was updated with components of K-12 outreach. Academic goals included improving technical communication; developing analysis and critical thinking; experiencing team dynamics and the design process; and expanding expertise in materials related to the course. Side benefits of the K-12 interactions included learning through communication of concepts to the community and increased student awareness of service-learning in engineering. Student teams researched topics, wrote papers, and designed hands-on demonstrations for an engineering open house. The audience included the Stanford community and approximately fifty 7th graders and parents from a small, local pilot school charged with retaining girls' interest in science and math. Although the K-12 interactions were deemed a success from community partner surveys, reactions from the engineering students were mixed
The Suspended Material of the Amazon Shelf and Tropical Atlantic Ocean

Filtered samples and optical data from six cruises in the Atlantic Ocean off the Amazon River between 1963 and 19 71 are used to determine transport of surface suspended material outward into the ocean. During high-river discharge the turbid-water line (≥2.0 mg/l) extends 100 km seaward from the river mouth and northwestward along the coast for about 2000 km in a zone averaging 60 km wide. During low-river dis charge, a similar pattern extends seaward only 80 km from the river mouth and northwestward for about 2000 km. This turbid zone migrates between these extreme limits at intermediate stages of river discharge. The surface concentration of suspended material exhibits a steady seaward decrease and the zone along the outer continental shelf shows lobes of turbid water being engulfed by the northwestward flowing Guiana current.
Bacterial Wilt of Cucumber

Wilting is the outward expression of bacterial wilt of cucumber and related plants in the Cucurbitaceae, the cucumber family. This includes squash, pumpkins, gourds, muskmelons, and wild cucumbers. Watermelon, another relative, is relatively resistant. The causal organism is Erwinia tracheiphila.
EMG-based biofeedback tool for augmenting manual fabrication and improved exchange of empirical knowledge

It can be time-consuming and frustrating to acquire any new skill, and for one that relies on muscle memory developed through observation and repetition it may require hours of supervised training to reach even minimal proficiency. This paper explores whether real-time feedback that compares data from bio-signals and physical movements of a novice learner and an expert can shorten the learning process via a wearable device. These signals include measurements of muscle activity using electromyography (EMG) and from sensors that include accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers. The signals are in the form of sets of illuminated RGB LEDs; the learner receives instantaneous performance evaluation that enables immediate realization of an error and allows for rapid and easy adjustment of movement. Preliminary tests using the wearable device in pottery making show effectiveness at aiding students to master movements more quickly than on average. Hence, the wearable device aids the user in acquiring muscle memory.
Group Sequential Methods for Comparing Correlated Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves are commonly used to measure the performance of diagnostic tests. The ROC curve can be estimated empirically without assuming the distributions of the underlying diagnostic test data. Comparison of the accuracy of two diagnostic tests using ROC curves from the two tests are often conducted using fixed sample designs. However, to address the ethics and efficiency concerns of clinical trial studies, there is a need to employ a group sequential design (GSD) and periodically monitor and analyze the accruing data. In this chapter, we incorporate group sequential methods into the design of comparative diagnostic study with respect to the ROC curves. First, we study the difference between sequential empirical ROC curves on the process level. Then we derive the asymptotic distribution theory for the difference between sequential empirical ROC curves and derive the asymptotic covariance structure for comparative ROC statistics. Relating the difference between empirical ROC curves to the Kiefer process, we also show these results can be used to conduct a GSD using standard software.
Pre-strain Effect on Frequency-Based Impact Energy Dissipation through a Silicone Foam Pad for Shock Mitigation

Silicone foams have been used in a variety of applications from gaskets to cushioning pads over a wide range of environments. Particularly, silicone foams are used as a shock mitigation material for shock and vibration applications. Understanding the shock mitigation response, particularly in the frequency domain, is critical for optimal designs to protect internal devices and components more effectively and efficiently. The silicone foams may be subjected to pre-strains during the assembly process which may consequently influence the frequency response with respect to shock mitigation performance. A Kolsky compression bar was modified with pre-compression capabilities to characterize the shock mitigation response of silicone foam in the frequency domain to determine the effect of pre-strain. A silicone sample was also intentionally subjected to repeated pre-strain and dynamic loadings to explore the effect of repeated loading on the frequency response of shock mitigation.
Program Report: The Advanced Technology Program: A New Role for NIST in Accelerating the Development of Commercially Important Technologies.

The Advanced Technology Program (ATP) is a new extra mural program operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the Department of Commerce's Technology Administration. The ATP will help enhance U.S. competitiveness by funding the development of pre-competitive, generic technologies in partnership with industry. This paper describes the ATP, the first ATP awards made by NIST, and the prognosis for the success of the ATP.
Appraisal of Methods for Measuring Corn Kernel Resistance to Sitophilus zeamais

Several methods of measuring resistance of corn kernels to Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky were evaluated for their efficiency and adaptability. Among the 6 methods studied (grain weight loss, total progeny, percent of damaged kernels, percent of parent mortality, percent of progeny mortality, and weight per weevil), total progeny rated comparable to or better than any of the other methods for each criterion used for evaluation. Progeny mortality data are of questionable usefulness when weevil populations exceed 3 or 4 weevils per gram of grain. Grain weight loss, the best economic indicator, rated well for all criteria as a good resistance measurement, except that genetic differences among genotypes were difficult to detect for this method.
Calculation of the rotational constants A and C for a slightly perturbed C3v symmetric top molecule

A method that combines basic calculations for the moments of inertia and a computer iteration technique over experimental data was employed to evaluate the constantAv in an excited vibrational state for a symmetric top molecule. This method has been used to give a good estimate for the constantAv and provides a reasonable interval of fluctuation, less than 1%, from its average value for computer fitting of experimental microwave data for vibrations up tovt=4. The angle of bending and the orientation of the molecular system with respect to an axis passing through the center of mass of the system was explored and the results are discussed in this contribution. The method is then extended to thev10=1 vibration of CH3CCH with13C isotopic species and to thev10=1,2,3,4 vibrations of CH3CCH. The results were promising so the method was applied to the13C isotopes of CH3C15N forv8=1 vibrations. The results for each of the molecules are quite good and the calculated values ofAv were found to be in very good agreement with those deduced from experimental data.