cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Detecting Data Exploits Using Low-level Hardware Information: A Short Time Series Approach

In recent years, scale, frequency and complexity of cyber-attacks have been continuously on the rise. As a result, it has significantly impacted our daily lives and society as a whole. Never before have we had such an urgent need to defend against cyber-attacks. Previous studies suggest that it is possible to detect rootkits and control-flow attacks with high accuracy using information collected from hardware level. For data-only exploits, however, where the control-flow of the victim application is strictly conserved while its behavior may only be slightly modified, high accuracy detection is much more difficult to achieve. In this study, we propose the use of low-level hardware information collected as a short time series for the detection of data-only malware attacks. We employed several representative classification algorithms, e.g., linear regression (LR), autoencoder (AE), stacked denoising autoencoder (SDA), and echo state network (ESN). We build one-class classifiers that either use individual samples collected via monitoring hardware-level events or use multiple samples of hardware events collected at different time during execution, but all with only the knowledge from regular behavior. Using several real-life attacks as case studies, we examined their detection accuracy when confronted with malicious behavior. Our experimental results show that our SDA- and ESN-based approaches can achieve an average detection accuracy of 97.75% and 98.36% for the exploits studied, respectively. Our study suggests that when the hardware events are monitored at different time spots during the execution of the vulnerable application, our SDA- and ESN-based approaches have the potential to boost the detection accuracy for data exploits.
Outcomes in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: it is more than the heart.

In this issue of the Journal , Ather et al. ([1][1]) report on the impact of noncardiac comorbidities on outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Their findings are credible, important, and timely. HFpEF is the most common form of HF in the population,
Outcomes After Treatment of NTOS

Surgical intervention remains the mainstay of therapy for the treatment of neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome (NTOS). Evaluation of results and long term outcomes following surgical treatment has been difficult because there are no reliable, standardized or objective criteria to establish a diagnosis of NTOS and there is great variability in follow-up time and criteria for outcome. Various methods including subjective reporting, functional questionnaires, quality of life questionnaires, visual analogue scales and satisfaction scores have all been used to try to determine whether treatment has benefitted the patient. The etiology of the problem, patient demographics, the description and duration of symptoms, the response to the selective use of anterior scalene muscle blocks and surgical technique are amongst the major factors that have been studied in an attempt to predict outcome. Postoperative complications in most contemporary series cite relatively low complication rates, most of which are minor. Neurological injuries during surgical decompression demonstrate a much lower incidence in recent publications, at no more than 1 % or less.
Cross-Linguistic Data

In the surface structure of questions and relative clauses, the locale of a preposition and its questioned or relativized object may vary.
Treatment of the Peripheral Lymphatics: Rationale, Indications, and Techniques

The rationale for delivery of irradiation after surgical removal of macroscopic tumor is to sterilize occult deposits of tumor in regional tissue. The regional lymphatics. Regional lymph node irradiation is frequently performed in patients with breast cancer who present with advanced stage disease, but the efficacy of such radiation in patients with limited stage breast cancer continues to remain controversial despite decades of study. Results of clinical trials and sequelae of regional lymphatic radiation vary because of patient selection factors, treatment practice patterns, and design flaws in some clinical trials.
A PERSPECTIVE ON U.S. SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL POLICY

There are, in essence, three possible basic SNF policies: ‘full recycle’ where SNF is processed to recover nuclear fuel materials not used in the reactor to make new fuel; ‘once-through’ where the SNF is not processed and the fuel is stored essentially ‘as-is’ in interim storage or final storage or disposal (geologic repositories, ocean bed repositories, outer space, etc.); and hybrid policies which combine features of both full recycle and ‘once-through’. Even in the ‘full recycle’ mode, there are still nuclear waste products that must be disposed of. Early reprocessing technologies using the PUREX process were quite successful at separating unfissioned plutonium and the remaining uranium from the spent fuel that could be used in the production of new fuel for reactors. However, these earlier technologies also left substantial quantities of what is known in the U.S. as ‘high level’ nuclear waste which must be disposed of. Most of this waste has come from past reprocessing of government nuclear fuel used in production, naval, research, and test reactors. The legacy of these wastes is the subject to a massive environmental restoration program within the U.S. Department of Energy. Only a small quantity of commercial fuel in the U.S. was ever reprocessed (from 1966 to 1972). Most commercial spent fuel is stored in tact in storage pools or dry cask storage at the reactor sites around the U.S.
An Aid to Conservation Strategy in Illinois: The Critical Trends Assessment Project

Circa 1992 a series of satellites orbiting the earth captured images of the spectural reflectance covering 36 million acres of a geopolitically sculptured place called Illinois. After sophisticated computer processing, these images show that 80% of the landscape is agricultural, primarily row crops such as, corn, soybeans, and small grains. Forested and wooded land covers 11% of the state, and wetlands cover a little more than 3%. Chicago, the third largest city in the country, and other urban and built-up land covers a little less than 3½% of the state. Open water, the last land cover classification, covers slightly less than 1½% of the Illinois landscape.
Design Rules for Highly Conductive Polymeric Ionic Liquids from Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Polymeric ionic liquids (PILs) are of considerable interest as next-generation battery materials due to their potential to combine the solid-state stability of polymers with the high ion conductivities of ionic liquids. However, polymerization of ionic liquids to form a polymer generally leads to a suppression in ion transport rates that has proven to be a major barrier to the realization of commercially viable PIL solid electrolytes. Here we employ a combination of all atom and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to identify strategies by which ion conductivity can be maximized by maximizing both PIL segmental relaxation rates and the extent of ion transport decoupling from chain dynamics. Results indicate that combined ion size correlates well with PIL glass transition temperatures and segmental dynamics but that ion/polymer decoupling is controlled primarily by the size of the free ion. We also find that ion aggregation promotes both reduced glass transition temperatures and enhanced ion/poly...
The Context-Aware Learning Model: neuro-experience-powered Logistic Regression Backpropagation (CALM-nepLRB)

To deal with uncertain environments, autonomous agents must learn without supervision. However, reward-based interactive learning often exhibits limitations handling both generalizations and exceptions, and might benefit from explicit recall of past experiences. For these reasons, this research extends the Context-Aware Learning Model (CALM) with a new learning algorithm. CALM-epLRB combines logistic regression backpropagation in artificial neural networks with hyperbolic reward-based learning and a knowledge base that enables experience-powered learning using a novel weight update rule. CALM-epLRB is compared to two previous CALM versions using four metrics on six data sets and shows promising performance.
Translabyrinthine Excision of Vestibular Schwannoma with Concurrent Cochlear Implantation: Systematic Review.

Objectives Hearing rehabilitation is an important management aspect of patients undergoing excision of vestibular schwannomas. Studies have shown cochlear implantation (CI) is possible at the time of tumor excision via a translabyrinthine approach. Primary objectives of this report are (1) to review prospective studies pertaining to outcomes of concurrent CI and translabyrinthine tumor removal in detail and (2) perform an aggregate analysis of outcomes for case reports and series. Design Systematic review based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Setting Review of literature using PubMed and Cochrane databases. Participants Eligibility included patients undergoing translabyrinthine excision of vestibular schwannoma with concurrent CI. Main Outcome Measures Open-set speech discrimination scores, sound localization, patient-reported outcome measures. Results Forty-one subjects were identified. Two prospective studies have been performed, which showed improvement in speech localization and patient-reported outcome measures. While the majority of patients achieved open set speech recognition, data pertaining to improvement in speech perception were variable. Approximately 85% of subjects had audibility with their CI. Of those that achieved open-set speech discrimination, 75% could be classified as either intermediate or high performers. The majority of low performers in open-set speech either endorsed subjective benefit or demonstrated improvement compared to preoperative measures. There was a high risk of selection and reporting bias. Conclusions The majority of patients undergoing translabyrinthine excision of vestibular schwannoma with concurrent CI achieve open set speech perception, with 75% of these patients meeting criteria for being intermediate to high performers. Additional benefits include improved subjective hearing measures, decreased tinnitus, and improved sound localization.
Deep Learning vs. Classical Machine Learning: A Comparison of Methods for Fluid Intelligence Prediction

Predicting fluid intelligence based on T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans poses several challenges, including developing an adequate data representation of three dimensional voxel data, extracting predictive information from this data representation, and devising a model that is able to leverage the predictive information. We evaluate two strategies for prediction of fluid intelligence given structural MRI scans acquired through the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study: deep learning models trained on raw imagery and classical machine learning models trained on extracted features. Our best-performing solution consists of a classical machine learning model trained on a combination of provided brain volume estimates and extracted features. Specifically, a Gradient Boosting Regressor (GBR) trained on a PCA-reduced feature space produced the best performance (train MSE = 66.29, validation MSE = 70.16), surpassing regression models trained on the provided volume data alone, and 2D/3D Convolutional Neural Networks trained on various representations of imagery data. Nonetheless, these results remain slightly better than a mean prediction, suggesting that neither approach is capturing a high degree of variance in the data.
Subversive Seas: Anticolonial networks across the twentieth-century Dutch Empire: by Kris Alexanderson, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2019, 312 pp., US$99.99 (hardback), ISBN 9781108472029

In our historical imagination, empire-building and ship travel are intimately and inextricably linked. When it comes to the role that transoceanic transport played in the dismantling of those empir...
Cultural Change and Political Character

American democracy presumes a culture of moderate individualism where people assert their own interests with limits and are trusting and civic toward others. This psychology is found only in Wester...
Preliminary Evidence for Sociotropy and Autonomy in Relation to Antidepressant Treatment Outcome

Sociotropy and autonomy are cognitive-personality styles that have been hypothesized to confer vulnerability to different presentations of major depressive disorder (MDD), which may respond differentially to treatment. Specifically, the profile of low sociotropy and high autonomy is hypothesized to indicate a positive response to antidepressant medication. The current study examines sociotropy and autonomy in relation to sertraline treatment response in individuals with MDD. As part of an ancillary study to the larger Establishing Moderators and Biosignatures of Antidepressant Response for Clinical Care (EMBARC) project, individuals with MDD participated in an 8-week trial of sertraline and completed a self-report questionnaire of sociotropy and autonomy. Discriminant function analyses were used to examine whether sociotropy and autonomy scores could distinguish antidepressant treatment responders (determined by a 50% or greater reduction in depressive symptoms) from non-responders. The sociotropy scale successfully discriminated sertraline treatment responders from non-responders. Further, lower sociotropy was associated with greater improvements in depressive symptomology following sertraline treatment. The current findings suggest individuals with MDD characterized by low sociotropy are more likely to benefit from sertraline. Given the promising results of the Sociotropy-Autonomy Scale in discriminating treatment responders from non-responders, the low resources necessary for administration, and the ease of translation into routine clinical care, the scale warrants further research attention.
Use of point-of-care ultrasound to diagnose spontaneous rupture of fibroid in pregnancy

Background: Complications of fibroids in pregnancy are well known, including postpartum hemorrhage, labor dystocia, and cesarean delivery. Outside of pregnancy and labor, the rare occurrence of spontaneous fibroid rupture has been documented. Case: The current case report involves a woman who presented with acute abdominal pain in the third trimester of pregnancy and was found to have spontaneous rupture of a fibroid before the onset of labor. Her initial presentation, diagnosis through use of point-of-care ultrasound, acute surgical management, and postoperative course are described. Conclusion: When assessing acute abdominal pain in a pregnant patient, fibroid rupture should be considered despite the absence of prior uterine surgery. Bedside point-of-care ultrasonography is a useful tool for assessment of abdominal pain in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Endocrinology and Metabolism

Cancer and its treatment can lead to endocrine and metabolic abnormalities. Some of these problems can be long term or delayed, and emergency care providers should be aware of these issues in cancer survivors, as well as for patients with active malignancies. Routine laboratory assessment of chemistry often reveals abnormalities in cancer patients visiting emergency departments. Emergency physicians need to be aware of potentially serious underlying causes of these abnormalities in order to make appropriate disposition of the cancer patient.
Late Georgian and Regency England, 1760-1837

Preface Abbreviations Explanatory notes 1. Bibliographies 2. Catalogues, guides, indexes and general reference works 3. General surveys 4. Constitutional, legal and administrative history 5. Political history 6. Foreign relations 7. Social history 8. Economic history 9. Agricultural history 10. Science and technology 11. Military and naval history 12. Religious history 13. Fine arts 14. Intellectual history Index of authors, editors and translators.
Fish oil supplementation increases event-related posterior cingulate activation in older adults with subjective memory impairment

To determine the effects of long-chain omega-3 (LCn-3) fatty acids found in fish oil, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), on cortical blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity during a working memory task in older adults with subjective memory impairment. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Academic medical center. Healthy older adults (62–80 years) with subjective memory impairment, but not meeting criteria for mild cognitive impairment or dementia. Fish oil (EPA+DHA: 2.4 g/d, n=11) or placebo (corn oil, n=10) for 24 weeks. Cortical BOLD response patterns during performance of a sequential letter n-back working memory task were determined at baseline and week 24 by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). At 24 weeks erythrocyte membrane EPA+DHA composition increased significantly from baseline in participants receiving fish oil (+31%, p≤0.0001) but not placebo (−17%, p=0.06). Multivariate modeling of fMRI data identified a significant interaction among treatment, visit, and memory loading in the right cingulate (BA 23/24), and in the right sensorimotor area (BA 3/4). In the fish oil group, BOLD increases at 24 weeks were observed in the right posterior cingulate and left superior frontal regions during memory loading. A region-of-interest analysis indicated that the baseline to endpoint change in posterior cingulate cortex BOLD activity signal was significantly greater in the fish oil group compared with the placebo group during the 1-back (p=0.0003) and 2-back (p=0.0005) conditions. Among all participants, the change in erythrocyte EPA+DHA during the intervention was associated with performance in the 2-back working memory task (p = 0.01), and with cingulate BOLD signal during the 1-back (p = 0.005) with a trend during the 2-back (p = 0.09). Further, cingulate BOLD activity was related to performance in the 2-back condition. Dietary fish oil supplementation increases red blood cell omega-3 content, working memory performance, and BOLD signal in the posterior cingulate cortex during greater working memory load in older adults with subjective memory impairment suggesting enhanced neuronal response to working memory challenge.
Intensive Behavioral Treatment for Young Autistic Children

Behavioral interventions have become very effective in helping young (preschool) autistic children. This chapter describes these children, the behavioral interventions used for them, the philosophy underlying the interventions, and the findings and implications of a treatment study on such interventions. The treatment study was carried out by our research team at the Young Autism Project in the Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, which has concerned itself mostly with the treatment of autistic children less than 4 years old. Though the study focused on autistic children, it may also be relevant for other young, disadvantaged children; this possibility will be explored. First some statements about the general context and philosophy within which we have approached our work.
Optimization of treatment conditions for studying the anticancer effects of retinoids using pancreatic adenocarcinoma as a model.

Retinoids are natural differentiation-inducing compounds that are promising as anticancer agents. Cancer cell lines are valuable in the investigation of the potential of retinoids for the treatment of specific cancers. However, using different treatment conditions but the same cell lines, investigators have produced markedly contradictory results for the effectiveness of retinoids. The present study examined different factors in the treatment conditions that may have masked or interfered with the effects of retinoids and, thereby, resulted in this conflict. Our studies revealed that the effects of retinoids on cancer cell proliferation were influenced by serum, the choice of vehicle (DMSO vs ethanol) and its concentration, phenol red, the degree of cellular confluence, and the method of assessing proliferation (cell number or [3H]thymidine uptake vs the MTT assay). Optimized conditions were the use of serum-free, ethanol-free, and phenol red-free media, investigating cells in the log phase of growth, using </=0.01% DMSO as the vehicle, and monitoring proliferation by cell number or [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA measured after TCA precipitation. Using these conditions, retinoids were found to exhibit potent antiproliferative effects in pancreatic cancer cells with a variety of degrees of differentiation, even in cell lines previously documented as being retinoid resistant. Retinoids also induced morphological changes and cellular death that may indicate terminal differentiation and apoptosis.
The durra complex in the central highlands of Ethiopia

The Eastern Galla of Ethiopia have developed advanced agricultural techniques of rotation, terracing and irrigation with Sorghum vulgare (durra) as the major field crop. Crops of secondary importance in the durra complex are corn (Zea mays’), barley, peanuts, sesame, fieldpeas, beans, and fenugreek.
Photochemistry of o-phthalaldehyde

U.v.-irradiation of o-phthalaldehyde leads to the formation of phthalide and dimeric products in varying yields and ratios depending on the solvent and reagent concentration. Laser flash photolysis studies show that the photochemistry of o-phthalaldehyde involves the intermediacy of a 1,4-biradical produced by intramolecular hydrogen transfer, and with a lifetime of 1.6 µs. Two triplet states are the precursors of this biradical; they have lifetimes of 6 and 36 ns and are assigned to different rotational conformers. The triplet reaction path is not responsible for product formation; these arise via a parallel reaction path, apparently involving the singlet state.
APC signaling: tickling PAR1 for barrier protection?

Comment on Feistritzer and Riewald, page [3178][1] APC can trigger activation of the thrombin receptor PAR1 on endothelial cells. Is this important for the pharmacologic actions of APC? Endothelial barrier protection by PAR1 transactivation of S1P1 raises this possibility. Activated protein C (
An experimental study of constant-sum centipede games

In this paper, we report the results of a series of experiments on a version of the centipede game in which the total payoff to the two players is constant. Standard backward induction arguments lead to a unique Nash equilibrium outcome prediction, which is the same as the prediction made by theories of "fair" or "focal" outcomes. We find that subjects frequently fail to select the unique Nash outcome prediction. While this behavior was also observed in McKelvey and Palfrey (1992) in the "growing pie" version of the game they studied, the Nash outcome was not "fair", and there was the possibility of Pareto improvement by deviating from Nash play. Their findings could therefore be explained by small amounts of altruistic behavior. There are no Pareto improvements available in the constant-sum games we examine. Hence, explanations based on altruism cannot account for these new data. We examine and compare two classes of models to explain these data. The first class consists of non-equilibrium modifications of the standard "Always Take" model. The other class we investigate, the Quantal Response Equilibrium model, describes an equilibrium in which subjects make mistakes in implementing their best replies and assume other players do so as well. One specification of this model fits the experimental data best, among the models we test, and is able to account for all the main features we observe in the data.
Thymine hydroperoxide as a mediator in ionising radiation mutagenesis

WE describe the mutagenic action of chemically synthesised cis-5,6-dihydro-6-hydroperoxy-5-hydroxythymine (6-TOOH)1 on transforming DNA of Haemophilus influenzae2,3, and suggest a mechanism by which ionising radiation induces mutations in vivo.
Teacher Education and Youngsters with Learning Problems, Part III The Problem Pupil and the Specialist Teacher

In the preceding two articles in this series, the focus has been on exploring the general issues and problems related to improving the quality of teacher education programs. The question now arises as to what additional substantive issues and problems must be clarified with reference to personnel who are to have an impact on pupils with learning/behavior problems. However, before this question can be answered intelligently, it is necessary to clarify the nature and scope of the pupil population involved. Therefore, the first parts of this third and final installment are devoted to a brief summary of this writer's views regarding that pupil population, including a statement of some implications of these views for classroom practices; the remainder of the article explores additional issues and problems with reference to special education personnel.
Clofilium-induced Block of Delayed Rectifier Type K+Current in Atrial Tumor Cells (AT-1 Cells)

Abstract Clofilium-induced Block of Delayed Rectifier Type K + Current in Atrial Tumor Cells (AT-1 Cells). Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology (1997) 29 , 301–307. Atrial tumor myocytes derived from transgenic mice (AT-1 cells) have been shown to express mRNAs encoding cardiac K + channels and display a cardiac electrophysiological phenotype. The major K + current is the rapid component of the delayed rectifier (I kr ). The purpose of the study was to characterize the mode of action of a class III anti-arrhythmic agent (C3A), clofilium, in these cells to elucidate further the mechanism and functional consequence of block. We show that clofilium blocks this I kr in a dose-dependent manner with IC 50 of 1.25 μ m . Clofilium induced block was irreversible for higher concentrations (≥50 μ m ) and partially reversible for lower doses. The reversal potential for this current was −77.5±1.5 mV. The block is voltage dependent and the drug probably binds the channel in the open state.
Understanding Multiculturalism and Valuing Diversity: A Theoretical Perspective

The issues involved with the concept of multiculturalism have received much attention of late, but little has been offered within the physical education and sport literature upon which to build a theory-based examination. This paper presents two specific approaches to understanding multiculturalism, valuing diversity, and taking proactive stances in regard to educating about diversity in society and in physical education and sport settings in particular. An adaptation of Chesler and Crowfoot's (1990, 1992) organizational stages of multiculturalism and Bennett's (1991, 1993) model of ethnocentric and ethnorelative stages of intercultural sensitivity are used as theoretical bases for understanding in these areas.
A Call to Action: Taking Back Healthcare for Future Generations

If Hank McKinnell had entitled his book “Tough Questions to a Pharmaceutical CEO” or “Stepping to the Plate: A Pharmaceutical Executive Responds,” copies would have jumped off the bookshelves. Instead, Mr. McKinnell is advancing an alternative view of health care costs suggesting that our’
The two faces of gesture: Language and thought

Gesture is typically produced with speech, forming a fully integrated system with that speech. However, under unusual circumstances, gesture can be produced completely on its own — without speech. In these instances, gesture takes over the full burden of communication usually shared by the two modalities. What happens to gesture in these two very different contexts? One possibility is that there are no differences in the forms gesture takes in these two contexts — that gesture is gesture no matter what its function. But, in fact, that’s not what we find. When gesture is produced on its own, it assumes the full burden of communication and takes on a language-like form, with sentence-level ordering rules, word-level paradigms, and grammatical categories. In contrast, when gesture is produced in conjunction with speech, it shares the burden of communication with speech and takes on a global imagistic form, often conveying information not found anywhere in speech. Gesture thus changes its form according to its function.
Distributed impact of cognitive-communication impairment: Disruptions in the use of definite references when speaking to individuals with amnesia.

Definite references signal the belief that listeners can uniquely identify referents. Our previous research found participants with amnesia used fewer definite references, as directors in a barrier task, than comparison participants. If this is an interactional consequence of managing memory impairments (as opposed to a language deficit), we should expect a decrease in definite referencing by their communication partners. This paper presents a follow-up study in which the communication partners became directors. In addition to documenting the communicative and linguistic consequences of amnesia in interaction, this analysis may have implications for basic models of common ground.
Transition state of the sulfuryl transfer reaction of estrogen sulfotransferase.

Abstract Kinetic isotope effects have been measured for the estrogen sulfotransferase-catalyzed sulfuryl (SO3) transfer from p-nitrophenyl sulfate to the 5′-phosphoryl group of 3′-phosphoadenosine 5′-phosphate. 18(V/K)nonbridge = 1.0016 ± 0.0005, 18(V/K)bridge = 1.0280 ± 0.0006, and 15(V/K) = 1.0014 ± 0.0004. (15(V/K) refers to the nitro group in p-nitrophenyl sulfate). The kinetic isotope effects indicate substantial SO bond fission in the transition state, with partial charge neutralization of the leaving group. The small kinetic isotope effect in the nonbridging sulfuryl oxygen atoms suggests no significant change in bond orders of these atoms occurs, consistent with modest nucleophilic involvement. A comparison of the data for enzymatic and uncatalyzed sulfuryl transfer reactions suggests that both proceed through very similar transition states.
Reminiscence as a function of perceptual search

Abstract The Tsai‐Partington numbers test was presented in two forms. In one condition (Repeated Pages) the same pattern of numbers was presented on every trial, but in the other condition (Different Pages) the pattern of numbers changed randomly on every trial. Within each condition, an experimental group was allowed a rest of five minutes after 15 trials, before proceeding to trials 16‐25; a control group was given all 25 trials without rest. The hypothesis under test was that reminiscence in a psychomotor task is a function of the amount of perceptual search required. The results supported the hypothesis; the Different Page group showed significantly more reminiscence than the Repeated Page group. The results were not in agreement with predictions derived from either a peripheral work‐induced theory of inhibition or a stimulus satiation theory.
The potential role of sigma-1 receptors in lipid transport and lipid raft reconstitution in the brain: Implication for drug abuse

Abstract The brain is highly enriched in lipids. However, the molecular biological roles of lipids in the brain have been largely unexplored. Although, in 1990s, several studies have demonstrated the roles of lipids in a variety of neuronal functions and certain neurological diseases, the involvement of lipids in drug dependence, if any, is almost totally unknown. Sigma-1 receptors are brain-enriched proteins that interact with psychostimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamine. Sigma-1 receptors possess a putative sterol-binding pocket and are predominantly expressed on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) where most lipids and their precursors are synthesized. Sigma-1 receptors are involved in drug-seeking behaviors and in psychostimulant-induced behavioral sensitization. Recent studies demonstrated that sigma-1 receptors target the lipid-storing subcompartments of the ER and are colocalized with cholesterol and neutral lipids. Sigma-1 receptors form detergent-insoluble lipid microdomains (lipid rafts) on the ER subcompartments and can translocate on the ER when stimulated. Upregulation of sigma-1 receptors affect the levels of plasma membrane lipid rafts by changing the lipid components therein. The membrane reconstitution thus induced by sigma-1 receptors in turn affects functions of proteins residing in plasma membrane lipid rafts including tropic factor receptors and tyrosine kinases. Specifically, we recently found that sigma-1 receptors modulate MAP kinase activation induced by tropic factors, neuritegenesis and oligodendrocyte differentiation—all related to lipid raft reconstitution. Sigma-1 receptors may thus play a role in psychostimulant-induced long-lasting morphological changes in the brain via the capacity of sigma-1 receptors in regulating ER lipid transport and the resultant plasma membrane lipid raft reconstitution.
Gains and losses from transfers of solid waste

Municipal solid waste is often transferred to landfills in other regions or states. While municipalities frequently resist imports, the interpretations of the Interstate Commerce Clause require that landfills accept waste regardless of its origin. This may require importers to act in ways that are not in their own best interest. The analysis of this paper suggests that importers benefit from trade when their landfill is so large that it is not exhausted at the end of the planning period. However, when landfill capacity is sufficiently scarce, importing waste is not welfare enhancing. Such municipalities have considerable motivation to try to de facto exclude waste from outside the municipality.
Pseudo-One-Dimensional Conductor-Plastically Deformed CdS

Extraordinary anisotropy (${10}^{8}$) and unusual temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity have been observed in plastically deformed CdS. These features are attributed to metallic-type conductivity along a pseudo-one-dimensional system consisting of arrays of dislocations. The observed temperature dependence of the conductivity is consistent with a Peierls-type metal-semiconductor transition at 125 K.
Object Detection using General Landmark Regions

This paper describes a method for detecting and locating objects in images. The presented approach relies on finding general landmark candidates (glc) in an image. A glc is a closed region that can be either an object landmark (ol) or a non-object landmark (nol). The entire ol's are then grouped into object clusters (oc's). Given a set of training images, the method builds a database of ol and nol regions and oc's. When a query image is presented, we detect all of the ol's and group them into oc candidates. These cluster candidates are then classified using the oc's from the training database. This method can be used to detect and locate objects from images in many different unconstrained environments, such as detecting vehicles, speed signs, etc... The method is tested on two different cases and is shown to yield a high success rate.
What Customers Want: Using Outcome-Driven Innovation to Create Breakthrough Products and Services by Anthony W. Ulwick

Books reviewed in this issue: ▪ What CustomersWant: Using Outcome-Driven Innovation to Create Breakthrough Products and Services ▪ Ten Rules for Strategic Innovators: From Idea to Execution ▪ The Design of Things to Come: How Ordinary People Create Extraordinary Products ▪ Managing Agile Projects ▪ Service Design for Six Sigma: A Roadmap for Excellence ▪ Axiomatic Quality: Integrating Axiomatic Design with Six-Sigma, Reliability, and Quality Engineering ▪ Design for Six Sigma as Strategic Experimentation
Approximate decision rules for continuous review inventory systems

Constrained multi-item inventory models have long presented signifcant computational problems. This article presents a general algorithm to obtain simultaneous solutions for order quantities and safety stocks for each line item in an inventory, while satisfying constraints on average inventory investment and reordering workload. Computational experience is presented that demonstrates the algorithm's efficiency in handling large-scale applications. Decision rules for several customer service objectives are developed, with a discussion of the characteristics of the inventory systems in which each objective would be most appropriate. The decision rules are approximations, based on the assumptions commonly used in practice.
Effects of switched gate bias on radiation-induced interface trap formation (MOS transistors)

Switched gate bias experiments were used to test the hydrogen model for the time-dependent buildup of interface traps n/sub it/ after a radiation pulse. In the hydrogen model, slow transport of radiation-induced H/sup +/ ions through the oxide to the Si/SiO/sub 2/ interface is the rate-limiting step in the n/sub it/ formation process. A model based on dispersive transport theory was used to numerically simulate the time-dependent H/sup +/ drift through the oxide toward the gate under negative bias, then back toward the Si/SiO/sub 2/ interface under positive bias. Good agreement between the simulations and experiment is obtained for the final magnitude of Delta N/sub it/, both for positive and negative bias during irradiation. The procedure used for the numerical simulations provides only a lower bound on the transport time when the direction of the gate bias is switched during the N/sub it/ buildup. This behavior is due to a memory effect in the dispersive H/sup +/ transport. >
Synthesis of poly(vinyl chloride)‐b‐poly(2‐ethylhexyl acrylate)‐b‐poly(vinyl chloride) by the competitive single‐electron‐transfer/degenerative‐chain‐transfer mediated living radical polymerization of vinyl chloride initiated from α,ω‐di(iodo)poly(2‐ethylhexyl acrylate) and catalyzed with sodium dithionite in water

α,ω-Di(iodo)poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate)s [α,ω-di(iodo)P2EHAs] with number-average molecular weights of 13,700 and 20,400 were synthesized by the single-electron-transfer/degenerative-chain-transfer mediated living radical polymerization (SET–DTLRP) of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate initiated with iodoform and catalyzed by sodium dithionite in water at 23 and 30 °C. These α,ω-di(iodo)P2EHAs were used as macroinitiators for the SET–DTLRP of vinyl chloride, which was carried out under similar reaction conditions to synthesize ABA block copolymers containing poly(vinyl chloride) in the A blocks and poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate) in the B block. Poly(vinyl chloride)-b-poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate)-b-poly(vinyl chloride) was synthesized with 100% initiator efficiency. This synthetic method provides for the first time access to a diversity of block copolymers and other complex architectures based on combinations of thermoplastic poly(vinyl chloride)and elastomeric polyacrylates. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2276–2280, 2005
Preparation of radioactive lead complexes utilizing Chelex methodology

The use of Chelex resin for the synthesis of radioactive lead complexes has been explored. The process involved immobilization of 203Pb on the resin and subsequent elution of complexed lead by chelating agents. 203Pb complexes derived from meso- and racemic dimercaptosuccinic acid (meso-DMSA, rac-DMSA) were prepared and assessed for stability in vitro.
Studies in speech fluency

Abstract A series of experiments involving speech dysfluencies of normal, adult speakers is presented and evaluated in light of earlier work on the conditioning of dysfluencies in a punishment paradigm. The data suggest that the dysfluencies of normal speakers can be systematically manipulated in a variety of ways, ranging from specific punishment procedures to changes in general situational variables. When the variety of studies is reviewed in which dysfluencies have been altered in experimental situations, it appears that three major variables emerge: the speaker's perception and evaluation of the situation in which he is performing; the speaker's history of experiences with nonfluencies in earlier, similar situations; the nature and arrangement of the contingent stimulus. Some comparisons between stutterers and normal speakers are tentatively advanced in a final section.
When practice doesn’t make perfect: Effort expenditure as an active behavioral self-handicapping strategy

Abstract Lack of effort is a common index of self-handicapping. Yet, withholding effort is subject to a number of other interpretations. In two studies, we tested whether men would engage in effortful self-handicapping (practice more) and how this compares to effort withdrawal. When men believed that practice could be harmful to future performance, those high in trait self-handicapping were expected to behaviorally self-handicap by exerting effort. This prediction was confirmed in both a novel non-contingent-success setting (Study 1) and a more realistic contingent-success setting (Study 2). We suggest that to achieve a strong and clear indication of behavioral self-handicapping, researchers consider effort expenditure, as it is less susceptible to alternative explanations than effort withdrawal. Implications for refinements to self-handicapping theory are discussed.
Mechanism of U-insertion RNA editing in trypanosome mitochondria: characterization of RET2 functional domains by mutational analysis.

Abstract 3′-Terminal uridylyl transferases (TUTases) selectively bind uridine 5′-triphosphate (UTP) and catalyze the addition of uridine 5′-monophosphate to the 3′-hydroxyl of RNA substrates in a template-independent manner. RNA editing TUTase 1 and RNA editing TUTase 2 (RET2) play central roles in uridine insertion/deletion RNA editing, which is an essential part of mitochondrial RNA processing in trypanosomes. Although the conserved N-terminal (catalytic) domain and C-terminal (nucleotide base recognition) domain are readily distinguished in all known TUTases, nucleotide specificity, RNA substrate preference, processivity, quaternary structures, and auxiliary domains vary significantly among enzymes of divergent biological functions. RET2 acts as a subunit of the RNA editing core complex to carry out guide-RNA-dependent U-insertion into mitochondrial mRNA. By correlating mutational effects on RET2 activity as recombinant protein and as RNA editing core complex subunit with RNAi-based knock-in phenotypes, we have assessed the UTP and RNA binding sites in RET2. Here we demonstrate functional conservation of key UTP-binding and metal-ion-coordinating residues and identify amino acids involved in RNA substrate recognition. Invariant arginine residues 144 and 435 positioned in the vicinity of the UTP binding site are critical for RET2 activity on single-stranded and double-stranded RNAs, as well as function in vivo . Recognition of a double-stranded RNA, which resembles a guide RNA/mRNA duplex, is further facilitated by multipoint contacts across the RET2-specific middle domain.
Introducing the GRACEnet/REAP Data Contribution, Discovery, and Retrieval System

Difficulties in accessing high-quality data on trace gas fluxes and performance of bioenergy/bioproduct feedstocks limit the ability of researchers and others to address environmental impacts of agriculture and the potential to produce feedstocks. To address those needs, the GRACEnet (Greenhouse gas Reduction through Agricultural Carbon Enhancement network) and REAP (Renewable Energy Assessment Project) research programs were initiated by the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS). A major product of these programs is the creation of a database with greenhouse gas fluxes, soil carbon stocks, biomass yield, nutrient, and energy characteristics, and input data for modeling cropped and grazed systems. The data include site descriptors (e.g., weather, soil class, spatial attributes), experimental design (e.g., factors manipulated, measurements performed, plot layouts), management information (e.g., planting and harvesting schedules, fertilizer types and amounts, biomass harvested, grazing intensity), and measurements (e.g., soil C and N stocks, plant biomass amount and chemical composition). To promote standardization of data and ensure that experiments were fully described, sampling protocols and a spreadsheet-based data-entry template were developed. Data were first uploaded to a temporary database for checking and then were uploaded to the central database. A Web-accessible application allows for registered users to query and download data including measurement protocols. Separate portals have been provided for each project (GRACEnet and REAP) at nrrc.ars.usda.gov/slgracenet/#/Home and nrrc.ars.usda.gov/slreap/#/Home. The database architecture and data entry template have proven flexible and robust for describing a wide range of field experiments and thus appear suitable for other natural resource research projects.
Cross‐sex friendship and the communicative management of sex‐role expectations

The present paper examines the scholarly literature pertaining to cross‐sex friendship in an attempt to conceptualize the communicative challenges facing such friends. It begins by comparing friendship and romantic love and then describing the ambivalent relationship between friendship and kinship in American culture. Next, the sex‐role expectations reflected in same‐sex male and female friendships are delineated. The related issue of women's versus men's perceptions of cross‐sex relationships is then discussed, followed by a review of contemporary conceptions and characteristics of cross‐sex friendships. The paper closes with a consideration of central concerns in the rhetorical management of cross‐sex friendships and a description of the advantages of such relationships.
Reactions of preadolescent girls to science tasks.

Summary In the spring of 1972, 90 students in the fourth through seventh grades of an Atlanta city elementary school participated in an experiment involving small group tasks that required creative scientific thinking. Each class was divided into groups of five each. The experiment was divided into three time periods: 25 minutes for exploring ideas and discovering uses, five minutes for planning and organizing, and 25 minutes for demonstrations. During all phases, the ideas and explanations advanced by each member, as well as interaction among members, were recorded by the group's trained observer. At the end, the subjects ranked themselves and the other group members on the basis of their contribution to the group's success. The results show that there was only a significant difference between males and females on verbal creativity. On the variables of number of ideas and explanations initiated and advanced, self-ranking and rank by others, and enjoyment of the task there were no significant differences ...
The Concept of Hebel in the Book of Ecclesiastes

Today scholars still struggle to apprehend the meaning of hebel (vanity) in the Book of Ecclesiastes. It has become recognized that Old Testament theologians like Walter Eichrodt, Gerhard von Rad, and Ronald Clements did not essentially integrate the Wisdom Tradition of ancient Israel into the development of their theologies. In his Tyndale lecture on the Old Testament of 1965, David Hubbard argued for a new sensitivity to the relationship that must exist between covenant and wisdom in the community of faith. A. Graeme Auld has insisted that the alienation of wisdom from covenant traditions has caused such acute problems in understanding the Old Testament that we are in danger of not grasping at all the relation between the Word of God and the Word of Man. These problems may be linked not only to the question about why the Book of Ecclesiastes was allowed into the Canon of Israel, but also to the very hearing we claim to possess of the revelation of the Word of God in the world and the way the world has actually been made to be. All this should tell us that the significance of the concept of hebel in the Book of Ecclesiastes requires a real clarification of profound consequence for our knowledge of God in the world.