cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Best Friendship Qualities and Mental Health Symptomatology Among Young Adults

Studies have shown the potential value of social support in altering the progression of various forms of psychopathology. While best friendships represent an important element of social support, their development and associations with mental health status in young adulthood is not well understood. The present study provided unique data regarding MMPI-2 that correlates with the closeness, maintenance difficulty, and rewards of the best friendships described by 398 young adult men and women. The finding of 57 (31%) significant (p < .05) correlations suggested extensive covariation (Cohen d effect sizes ranging from .28 to .72) between MMPI-2 scale indicators of mental health concerns and the best friendship qualities measured by the Acquaintance Description Form (Wright in (Duck, Perlman (eds.) The acquaintance description form, 1985). Four of the ADF-F2 scales (security, social regulation, personal, and situational maintenance difficulty) were found strongly related to selected MMPI-2 (F, Sc and K) features. D, Pt, and Hs scores predicted lower levels of best friendship security along with higher situational maintenance difficulty. The MMPI-2 personality disorder scales (Pd and Hy) provided weak predictors of best friendship qualities. Gender differences in the nature of these relationships were minimal. Empirical relationships between friendship qualities and mental health status in childhood and young adulthood appear to warrant closer systematic attention in the psychological literature.
Curing Congestion: Competing Plans for a Loop Highway and Parking Regulations in Boston in the 1920s:

In the 1920s, traffic congestion was one of the primary issues concerning urban planners. At the time, traffic mitigation efforts boiled down to a fundamental conundrum: was the solution to traffic congestion more roads or more rules? This article chronicles the debates over traffic congestion relief in downtown Boston during that period, analyzing the two radical, competing proposals of roads, in the form of a major new surface thoroughfare called the Loop Highway, versus rules, in the form of stricter parking regulations. The article analyzes the debates over these proposals and the reasons why the city adopted neither approach. While politics had its hand in dooming the proposals, poor planning played a central role as well. The lack of a comparative analytical framework for evaluating the competing “roads” and “rules” proposals gave detractors the ammunition to oppose either approach on the grounds that the alternative approach would be superior.
Sex role and occupational stereotypes: Three studies of impression formation

The effects of sex and academic field of college teachers on perceptions of teacher competence and sex-role stereotypes are tested in three college samples. Contrary to expectations that male and female teachers would be described in sex-typed ways, regardless of academic major, subjects in these three studies rated male and female instructors in the same academic field essentially the same. The instructor's academic field (science or humanities) is consistently the most important determinant of impressions. It is suggested that although college students still hold traditional sex-role stereotypes, these become less important in first impressions when subjects received occupational information about women and men.
SU‐E‐J‐49: Reliability Study of ExacTrac‐ System Image Isocenter Using an On‐Demand QA Procedure

Purpose: To develop a pointer based quality assurance (QA) procedure that quickly verifies the congruence of ExacTrac® image isocenter with the radiation isocenter of a linear accelerator(linac), and use it to study the accuracy and reliability of the ExacTrac® image isocenter. Method and Materials: A 6 mm diameter tungsten ball was aligned with the room laserusing a pointer alignment system. By measuring the positions of ExacTrac®image isocenter and linac radiation isocenter relative to the ball, thedeviations between the two isocenters was easily calculated. The ExacTrac®image isocenter relative to the ball was measured using the built‐in Winston‐Lutz Pointer test, in which kV images of the ball are projected to flat panels and the center of the ball to the image isocenter are calculated by ExacTrac® software. The linac radiation isocenter relative to the ball was measured by taking the portal images of the ball at four gantry angles, 0,90, 180 and 270 with a 6 × 6 cm2 field. An in‐house developed software was used to identify the center of the ball and the center of the radiation. This procedure was used in weekly QA for a year in this work. Results: A simple QA procedure was developed to ensure the accuracy of ExacTrac® imageisocenter against the linac radiation isocenter. The procedure can be executed in less than 20 minutes. The data show the position error were ‐ 0.27±0.30, 0.52±0.24, 0.18±0.22 mm in the lateral, vertical and longitudinal directions, and the max deviation were 0.86, 0.89 and 0.54 mm respectively. Conclusion: The weekly verification data showed the ExacTrac® image isocenter can be very reliable with sub‐millimeter accuracy. This level of imaging alignment accuracy is necessary for imaging guided SBRT procedures. The quick QA procedure can be applied on‐demand to ensure the accuracy of ExacTrac® isocenter.
On the automorphism group of a connected locally compact topological group

Let G be a locally compact connected topological group. Let Aut 0 G be the identity component of the group of all bi-continuous automorphisms of G topologized by Birkhoff topology. We give a necessary and sufficient condition for Aut 0 G to be locally compact.
A study of phylogenetic tools for genomic nomenclature data cleaning

In this poster we propose a method for addressing the genomic nomenclature problem by using phylogenetic tools along with the BIO-AJAX data cleaning framework.
Preliminary experience with mycophenolate mofetil for preservation of renal function in cardiac transplant patients with documented cyclosporine nephrotoxicity

SUMMARY: Background: Cyclosporine (CyA) has positively impacted on the outcome of cardiac transplantation; however, the nephrotoxicity associated with CyA has been a major drawback. Methods: In an effort to reduce exposure to CyA and possibly alleviate its nephrotoxic effects, we undertook a therapeutic strategy to switch cardiac transplant patients with biopsy-proven CyA nephrotoxicity from azathioprine (AZA) to mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) with subsequent CyA dose reduction or elimination. Results: MMF was substituted for AZA in five cardiac transplant patients (four males; mean age, 60 ± 6 years old; average time from transplant was 7 ± 3 years) who had biopsy proven evidence of CyA nephrotoxicity, and in whom CyA dose was reduced (3/5) or discontinued (2/5). At the time of the therapeutic intervention, four patients had an average serum creatinine of 230 ± 62 µmol/L and one patient had just been started on haemodialysis (HD). During an average follow-up period of 42 months, the slope of the inverse serum creatinine significantly improved in three patients and continued to deteriorate in one patient. The patient on HD could be transiently taken off HD. However, he developed a severe episode of cardiac rejection requiring antirejection therapy and increase in the dose of CyA. The patient was subsequently returned back on HD. Conclusion: In this preliminary report, we show that AZA to MMF switch with subsequent CyA dose reduction or discontinuation may slow down the progression of kidney disease in some patients. However, the patients should be followed closely for evidence of cardiac rejection.
The H-T phase diagram for the spin-glass Ag: Mn

Abstract The magnetic field-temperature spin glass transition line has been measured for the dilute magnetic alloy Ag : Mn, and the insulator Eu 0.4 Sr 0.6 S (by Bontemps et al.). In both cases, the longitudinal magnetization is of the de Almeida-Thouless form ( Ah ) 2/3 ={1−[ T G ( H )/ T 0 G ]}, where A depends on the time scale of the experiment.
Knowledge and use of measures to reduce health risks by corporate expatriate employees in western Ghana.

Background Expatriate corporate workers stationed in remote regions of developing countries with limited health care resources are at substantial risk for a variety of infectious diseases. Methods A survey was carried out among expatriates working at a large power plant construction site in western Ghana in 1998 to evaluate their use of pretravel medical services, current knowledge, and behavioral practices in relation to food- and waterborne disease prevention, diarrhea, malaria, respiratory infections, alcohol use, and high-risk sexual activity. An anonymous, structured, and pretested questionnaire was used. Results The response rate was 42 of 60 (70%). Most respondents were men (39 of 42, 93%) with previous international construction experience. Adherence to food and water safety recommendations decreased with time. Expatriates (15 of 23, 65%) from developed countries reported at least one episode of diarrhea, whereas no expatriates (0 of 9) from resource-poor countries reported diarrhea (p < 0.001). Use of malaria chemoprophylaxis deteriorated with increasing duration of time on the job site. None of the expatriates (0 of 9) who had been on the site for more than a year was still taking an antimalarial compared to those who had been there for 3 months or less (13 of 16) (p < 0.01). Forty-three percent (18 of 42) of the respondents reported having had a respiratory infection in the past 3 months. Only 38% (15 of 39) received preplacement education on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk. A higher proportion of those who received pretravel HIV education used condoms always (4 of 5) than those who did not receive HIV education (1 of 5). Discussion The use of health advice and preventive measures was generally low among the expatriate corporate survey respondents. Adherence to preventive measures declined with the increase in length of stay. Corporations need to develop appropriate health promotion strategies targeting their expatriates in developing countries.
Vascular Patterns of the Rat Hippocampal Formation

Abstract Little is known of the course and distribution of blood vessels supplying and draining the hippocampus. Such information could be of value in designing and evaluating lesion and ablation experiments and may reflect spatial properties of neurons. This study mapped the distribution of major arteries and veins of the rat hippocampal formation. Arteries and veins of adult female Wistar rats anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital were injected with silicone rubber. Double injections to demonstrate both arteries and veins in the same animal were with India ink and a fluorescent material. Arterial supply to the hippocampus was via transverse hippocampal arteries that stemmed from the longitudinal hippocampal artery, a branch of the posterior cerebral artery. Internal transverse hippocampal arteries located in the hippocampal fissure supplied small, short branches to the adjacent blade of the fascia dentata, part of the area dentata, and CA3 fields. Other branches of the longitudinal artery supplied the remaining blade of the fascia and area dentata, subicular fields, and entorhinal structures. Internal transverse hippocampal veins located in the hippocampal fissure alternated in position with the arteries and appeared to be paired with, and to drain fields supplied by, the internal transverse arteries. Deep transverse hippocampal veins, unaccompanied by arteries, received branches in the intraventricular alveus and adjacent stratum oriens of CA3. The transverse veins drained into longitudinal vessels or the basal vein. Although transversely directed arteries and veins may suggest a hippocampal lamellar neuronal organization, microvascular fields must be mapped before claims are made for a totally segmental vascular architecture in the hippocampus.
Friendships of Women and of Men

This study examines the responses of four groups of persons as to their feelings about friendship and aloneness. The four groups are defined on the basis of gender and their Conventionality vs. Nonconventionality of values and attitudes toward life. It was found that the friendships of women are more personal and emotionally based than those of men. It is suggested that Nonconventional women and men may have more in common than do Conventional and Nonconventional women or men.
Graph Laplacian Tomography From Unknown Random Projections

We introduce a graph Laplacian-based algorithm for the tomographic reconstruction of a planar object from its projections taken at random unknown directions. A Laplace-type operator is constructed on the data set of projections, and the eigenvectors of this operator reveal the projection orientations. The algorithm is shown to successfully reconstruct the Shepp-Logan phantom from its noisy projections. Such a reconstruction algorithm is desirable for the structuring of certain biological proteins using cryo-electron microscopy.
Thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) pharmacogenetics: variant allele functional genomics

TPMT genetic polymorphisms influence thiopurine drug toxicity and efficacy. We set out to perform functional genomic studies of 7 human TPMT variant alleles, TPMT*5: to *11:, that had not previously been studied by expression in mammalian cells. After expression in COS-1 cells, allozymes encoded by these alleles displayed from 2.3% (*5:) to 97.5% (*7:) of the level of TPMT activity–corrected for transfection efficiency–found with the wild type (WT) allele. TPMT*5:, *6: and *11: all displayed less than 50% of WT activity. Quantitative Western analysis showed that level of immunoreactive protein correlated closely with level of activity for all allozymes except TPMT*6:. However, substrate kinetic studies of all of the recombinant allozymes showed that *6: had significantly elevated apparent Km values for both cosubstrates for the reaction, 6-mercaptopurine and S-adenosyl-L-methionine, when compared with WT. These results indicate that some of the TPMT alleles that have been reported to be associated with clinical consequences do not appear to be functionally impaired after expression in mammalian cells. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2004) 75, P19–P19; doi: 10.1016/j.clpt.2003.11.072
Multiple Homicide Offenders: Offense Characteristics, Social Correlates, and Criminal Careers

Because investigations of multiple homicide offenders (MHOs) are usually case studies, there is limited understanding of the linkages between them and other criminal offenders. Using data from an e...
Formulaic expressions in spontaneous speech of left‐ and right‐hemisphere‐damaged subjects

Background: The preservation of swearing, serial speech, and speech formulas is well documented in clinical descriptions of aphasia. Proper nouns and sentence stems have also been reported in the residual speech of severely aphasic subjects. The incidence of formulaic expressions in spontaneous speech of right‐hemisphere‐damaged subjects has not yet been well examined. Recent interest in formulaic expressions (FEs) in normal language use, combined with the converging evidence of a role for the right hemisphere in processing pragmatic elements of language, led to this study. Methods & Procedures: We undertook an examination of hypotheses about the hemispheric processing of FEs in the spontaneous speech of persons with left hemisphere (LH) and right hemisphere (RH) damage. Based on preserved use of formulaic expressions in clinically described aphasic speech, the hypothesis under examination in this study was that the intact RH has a role in the production of formulaic expressions. Further inquiries involve...
A Computational Technique for Free Space Localization in 3-D Multiresolution Probabilistic Environment Models

Probabilistic modeling of two-dimensional or three- dimensional (2-D or 3-D) objects and working environments as quadtrees and octrees encoded with multiple resolutions represents a new trend with numerous applications in computer vision and robotics. The development of neighbor-finding techniques adapted to these tree structures appears as a critical issue for such models to be used properly, especially for path planning and collision avoidance where free space localization is essential. In this paper, a generic neighbor-finding framework that is based on a recursive addressing scheme directly operating on a hierarchical tree structure without the need for preprocessing of raw occupancy measurements generated by range-sensing devices is presented. Neighboring cell addresses are processed in a way similar to basic arithmetic operations with carry given a displacement direction and the address of a starting cell. Neighboring rule sets are derived for a quadtree and extended to an octree. Special cases resulting from multiresolution maps are handled, while the algorithm complexity is kept low to ensure good performances. The approach is developed and validated in the context of collision avoidance for autonomous robotics
Moderate‐magnitude earthquakes induced by magma reservoir inflation at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i

[1] Although volcano-tectonic (VT) earthquakes often occur in response to magma intrusion, it is rare for them to have magnitudes larger than ~M4. On 24 May 2007, two shallow M4+ earthquakes occurred beneath the upper part of the east rift zone of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i. An integrated analysis of geodetic, seismic, and field data, together with Coulomb stress modeling, demonstrates that the earthquakes occurred due to strike-slip motion on pre-existing faults that bound Kīlauea Caldera to the southeast and that the pressurization of Kīlauea's summit magma system may have been sufficient to promote faulting. For the first time, we infer a plausible origin to generate rare moderate-magnitude VTs at Kīlauea by reactivation of suitably oriented pre-existing caldera-bounding faults. Rare moderate- to large-magnitude VTs at Kīlauea and other volcanoes can therefore result from reactivation of existing fault planes due to stresses induced by magmatic processes.
Reserving for future clients in a multipoint application-why and how?

As applications become more sophisticated, we believe that the problem of guaranteeing their service commitment will get much harder. Currently applications requiring real-time media quality of service (QoS) are set up using a flow-reservation model. In this model, the network admits each flow (or connection) within an application separately using RSVP, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) signaling, or some other mechanism. This model is restrictive because it cannot inherently deliver guarantees on future client additions to an ongoing application. We claim that such guarantees are going to be required to build sophisticated multipoint and multiparty applications that involve a dynamic number of clients and a real-time sharing between clients. Without such guarantees, existing clients within an application can be subjected to context disruption or unreliable communication. To reduce this form of degradation, we propose the idea of application reservation where resources for an entire application are reserved at application setup. This includes resources for the clients expected to add to the application in future. Application reservation can be implemented as an overlay to existing flow-based reservations. We present the architectural features of such a framework. As part of the service interface, applications declare space-time dynamics of future client arrivals in addition to traditional descriptors. A new class of QoS measures that quantifies the type of degradation mentioned above is also conveyed. The application manager checks to see if the application can be admitted. After the application is admitted, the manager monitors clients as they arrive, to ascertain if they conform to the declared service interface parameters. Conforming clients have resources reserved for them, so they can be simply added to the application. We review these architectural components and address the nontrivial problem of managing the nonconforming clients.
Two New Roles for Theophylline in the Asthmatic

(1995). Two New Roles for Theophylline in the Asthmatic? Journal of Asthma: Vol. 32, No. 2, pp. 89-95.
High‐Temperature Chemistry and Oxidation of ZrB2 Ceramics Containing SiC, Si3N4, Ta5Si3, and TaSi2

The effect of Si 3 N 4 , Ta 5 Si 3 , and TaSi 2 additions on the oxidation behavior of ZrB 2 was characterized at 1200°-1500°C and compared with both ZrB 2 and ZrB 2 /SiC. Significantly improved oxidation resistance of all Si-containing compositions relative to ZrB 2 was a result of the formation of a protective layer of borosilicate glass during exposure to the oxidizing environment. Oxidation resistance of the Si 3 N 4 -modified ceramics increased with increasing Si 3 N 4 content and was further improved by the addition of Cr and Ta diborides. Chromium and tantalum oxides induced phase separation in the borosilicate glass, which lead to an increase in liquidus temperature and viscosity and to a decrease in oxygen diffusivity and of boria evaporation from the glass. All tantalum silicide-containing compositions demonstrated phase separation in the borosilicate glass and higher oxidation resistance than pure ZrB 2 , with the effect increasing with temperature. The most oxidation-resistant ceramics contained 15 vol% Ta 5 Si 3 , 30 vol% TaSi 2 , 35 vol% Si 3 N 4 , or 20 vol% Si 3 N 4 with 10 mol% CrB 2 . These materials exceeded the oxidation resistance of the ZrB 2 /SiC ceramics below 1300°-1400°C. However, the ZrB 2 /SiC ceramics showed slightly superior oxidation resistance at 1500°C.
Independent-tree ad hoc multicast routing (ITAMAR)

Multicasting is an efficient means of one to many communication and is typically implemented by creating a multicasting tree. Because of the severe battery power and transmission bandwidth limitations in ad hoc networks, multicast routing can significantly improve the performance of this type of network. However, due to the frequent and hard-to-predict topological changes of ad hoc networks, maintenance of a multicasting tree to ensure its availability could be a difficult task. We borrow from the concept of Alternate Path routing, which has been studied for providing QOS routing, effective congestion control, security, and route failure protection, to propose a scheme in which a set of multicasting trees is continuously maintained. In our scheme, a tree is used until it fails, at which time it is replaced by an alternative tree in the set, so that the time between failure of a tree and resumption of multicast routing is minimal. In this paper, we introduce the basic scheme, termed ITAMAR, which is a framework for efficient multicasting in ad hoc networks. We present a number of heuristics that could be used in ITAMAR to compute a set of alternate trees. The heuristics are then compared in terms of transmission cost, improvement in the average time between multicast failures and the probability of usefulness. Simulations show significant gains over a wide range of network operational conditions. In particular, we show that using alternate trees has the potential of improving mean time between interruption by 100-600% in a 50 node network (for most multicast group sizes) with small increase in the tree cost and the route discovery overhead. We show that by renewing the backup tree set, probability of interruptions can be kept at a minimum at all times and that allowing some overlap among trees in the backup set increases the mean time between interruptions.
Development of upper limb proprioceptive accuracy in children and adolescents

This study was designed to determine differences in the proprioceptively guided movements of children (8-10 years) and adolescents (16-18 years). Participants were blindfolded and asked to actively match passively determined target positions of the elbow joint under three matching conditions. Overall, children were less accurate than adolescents in all matching tasks and utilized different kinematic strategies for making the matching movements. Specifically, children made larger absolute errors and utilized matching movements which, compared to adolescents, were of shorter duration and less irregular in terms of their velocity profiles. An assessment of limb asymmetry was also performed revealing a non-dominant arm matching advantage but only for children and only in the task requiring interhemispheric transfer of a memory-based model of limb position. The proprioceptive differences observed in this study are likely the result of experience-driven refinement in the utilization of somatosensory feedback throughout childhood and into adolescence.
Direct joint source localization and propagation speed estimation

This paper describes two new techniques for the joint estimation of source location and propagation speed using measured time difference of arrival (TDOA) for a sensor array. Previous methods for source location either assumed the array consisted of widely separated subarrays, or used an iterative procedure that required a good initial estimate. The first method directly estimates the source location and propagation speed by converting the solution of a system of nonlinear equations to an overdetermined system of linear equations with two supplemental variables. The second method provides improved estimates by using the solution of the first method as the initial condition for further iteration. The Cramer-Rao Bound (CRB) on the joint estimation is derived, and simulations show the new methods compare favorably to the bound.
Field Performance Study of a Regional WiMAX Network for Intelligent Transportation System Applications

Of the various advanced wireless communication technologies used for intelligent transportation systems (ITS), WiMAX has recently received much attention because of its potential to provide broadband network connectivity, large coverage areas, quality assurance, and mobile access. However, few studies have focused on the deployment, operational, and performance issues of using WiMAX networks for ITS applications in a real roadway environment. This study performed a field performance evaluation of a regional WiMAX network in West Virginia by using important network metrics, including uplink and downlink throughput, signal strength, and connectivity level. On the basis of performance analysis, this paper discusses the feasibility and suitability of a regional WiMAX network deployment for a wireless sensor-based traffic surveillance system in terms of frequency, power, and client side radio requirements. This study provides an insight into the feasibility of using WiMAX to address ITS applications. It will b...
Classification of Non-Bacterial Osteitis Retrospective study of clinical, immunological and genetic aspects in 89 patients

Objective To define non-bacterial osteitis (NBO) as a clinical entity possibly associated with autoimmune manifestations. Patients with sterile osteitis were analysed to develop diagnostic criteria. Methods A total of 89 patients with non-bacterial inflammatory bone lesions were observed for a median of 49 months. History, diagnostic imaging, laboratory and histological data were obtained. Mutation analysis in the genes PSTPIP1 and PSTPIP2 was performed. Results Patients had an onset of disease at a median age of 10 yrs [interquartile range (IQR) 7.5-12] and suffered a median period of 21 (IQR 9-52) months with a median of three foci per patient. Twenty percent of all the patients demonstrated associated autoimmune disorders, particularly of the skin and bowel. The majority of bone lesions were located in the vertebrae and metaphyses. Slight-to-moderate elevation of inflammation values were found in all the patients and antinuclear antibodies were elevated in 30%. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were effective in 85% of the patients. HLA-B27 and Human Leukocyte Antigen-DR (HLA-DR)-classification did not differ from the general population. Autoimmune diseases in 40% of all the families, multiply affected family members, linkage to 18q21 and mouse models strongly indicate a genetic basis for NBO. We observed three different courses of disease regarding the duration of complaints, rate of complications and associated autoimmune manifestations leading to a new classification of NBO. Conclusions Clinical analysis of our cohort leads us to define NBO as a distinct disease entity with three clinical presentations: acute NBO, chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis or persistent chronic NBO. Diagnostic criteria were proposed to differentiate NBO from diseases with similar clinical presentation.
Hierarchical multi-label prediction of gene function

Motivation: Assigning functions for unknown genes based on diverse large-scale data is a key task in functional genomics. Previous work on gene function prediction has addressed this problem using independent classifiers for each function. However, such an approach ignores the structure of functional class taxonomies, such as the Gene Ontology (GO). Over a hierarchy of functional classes, a group of independent classifiers where each one predicts gene membership to a particular class can produce a hierarchically inconsistent set of predictions, where for a given gene a specific class may be predicted positive while its inclusive parent class is predicted negative. Taking the hierarchical structure into account resolves such inconsistencies and provides an opportunity for leveraging all classifiers in the hierarchy to achieve higher specificity of predictions. Results: We developed a Bayesian framework for combining multiple classifiers based on the functional taxonomy constraints. Using a hierarchy of support vector machine (SVM) classifiers trained on multiple data types, we combined predictions in our Bayesian framework to obtain the most probable consistent set of predictions. Experiments show that over a 105-node subhierarchy of the GO, our Bayesian framework improves predictions for 93 nodes. As an additional benefit, our method also provides implicit calibration of SVM margin outputs to probabilities. Using this method, we make function predictions for multiple proteins, and experimentally confirm predictions for proteins involved in mitosis. Supplementary information: Results for the 105 selected GO classes and predictions for 1059 unknown genes are available at: http://function.princeton.edu/genesite/ Contact: ogt@cs.princeton.edu
An efficient algorithm for computing an optimal ( r,Q ) policy in continuous review stochastic inventory systems

The reorder point/reorder quantity policies, also referred to as r, Q policies, are widely used in industry and extensively studied in the literature. However, for a period of almost 30 years there has been no efficient algorithm for computing optimal control parameters for such policies. In this paper, we present a surprisingly simple and efficient algorithm for the determination of an optimal r*, Q* policy. The computational complexity of the algorithm is linear in Q*. For the most prevalent case of linear holding, backlogging and stockout penalty costs in addition to fixed order costs, the algorithm requires at most 6r* + 13Q* elementary operations additions, comparisons and multiplications, and hence, no more than 13 times the amount of work required to do a single evaluation of the long-run average cost function in the point r*, Q*.
Fourier-transformed preprocessing used in a noniteratively-trained perceptron pattern recognizer

When a digitized image is preprocessed by spatial quantizations in a polar-coordinate, the analog vectors representing the r and the /spl theta/ quantizations can be treated separately in neural network trainings. If we apply a segmented Fourier transform (similar to FFT) to the /spl theta/ vector and a segmented Hankel transform to the r vector in a noniterative perceptron training system, then not only the learning of the training patterns is very fast, but also the recognition of an untrained pattern is very robust. Specially the recognition is very robust when the test pattern is rotated even though all the training patterns are not rotated in space. The high robustness of recognition is due to the special preprocessing scheme and the optimum noniterative training scheme we adopted in the design. This paper concentrates at the theoretical origin and the experimental results of the robustness of this novel perceptron learning system. >
The US Silk Road: geopolitical imaginary or the repackaging of strategic interests?

Central Asia appears a highly fertile region for producing inflated imaginaries aimed at both domestic and external actors. Since the 1990s and more openly even since 2011, official Washington embraced the evocative and romantic concept of the Silk Road in formulating US policy for Central Asia. This article uses the critical geopolitics approach to understand US foreign policy assumptions and projections about post-Soviet Central Asia and its broader environment. I argue that the US version of the Silk Road can be interpreted as a geopolitical imaginary, in the same vein as Russia’s Eurasian narrative. I first situate the discussion by briefly exploring the many uses of the Silk Road allegory by external actors and Russia’s rival terminology of Eurasia. Then, I move to analyzing the birth and framing of the US Silk Road narrative, its administrative and policy locus. Finally, I investigate its elusive geopolitics, and its role as a vehicle for the US selective projection of what Central Asia is and shoul...
Chronic neutrophilic leukemia 2016: Update on diagnosis, molecular genetics, prognosis, and management

Chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL) is a potentially aggressive myeloproliferative neoplasm, for which current WHO diagnostic criteria include leukocytosis of ≥25 × 10(9) /L (of which >80% are neutrophils) and with <10 and <1% circulating immature granulocytes and blasts, respectively without dysplasia, clinical, or molecular criteria for other myeloproliferative disorders, nor an identifiable cause for physiologic neutrophilia in the absence of markers of myeloid clonality. Such a pathogenic clonal marker has now been identified as a somatic activating mutation of CSF3R, most commonly CSF3R T618I, thus demanding revision of the current WHO diagnostic classification to include the molecular criterion of mutated CSF3R. The clinical presentation, disease course and prognosis of CSF-R mutated CNL have been recently outlined. Co-operative mutations in SETBP1 and ASXL1 appear to be of prognostic significance and correlate with disease progression. Advances in the understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of CNL, have not yet fully translated into satisfactory therapeutic strategies, but the foundations for these are strengthening. Am. J. Hematol. 91:342-349, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
"I Realize Writing Is a Part of My Daily Life Now": A Case Study of Writing Knowledge Transfer in One Section of ESL Writing

Most college and university students must complete first-year composition (FYC), including English as a second language (ESL) students. Many researchers in the field of composition and rhetoric question, though, whether FYC prepares beginning undergraduate students for courses they will take later in their academic careers. The question of FYC’s effectiveness is heightened when considering its effect on ESL students, who must grapple with learning to write in a second language as they try to transfer their writing knowledge from FYC to their other courses. This paper examines the components of a successful FYC course for ESL students and whether students in a specific section of FYC for ESL students can transfer their writing knowledge from FYC to other courses they are taking the same semester.
Hole states excited by the /sup 24/Mg(p,d)/sup 23/Mg reaction at 95 MeV

Experimental excitation energies and angular distributions have been obtained for 33 deuteron groups from the $^{24}\mathrm{Mg}$($p$,$d$) reaction at 94.8-MeV bombarding energy with 80-keV experimental resolution. Energies obtained for states in $^{23}\mathrm{Mg}$ are in agreement with the sixth compilation of Endt and van der Leun up to 7.25 MeV and the recent unpublished ($p$,$t$) study of Nann et al. up to 9.72 MeV. Energies are determined in the present work for 18 additional groups corresponding to excitations between 9.8 and 13.28 MeV. Angular distributions from 6\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} to 88\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} laboratory (momentum transfers up to 660 MeV/c) show characteristic oscillatory signatures for $l=0$ transitions and broad peaked nonoscillatory behavior for presumed multistep transitions. $l=1 \mathrm{and} 2$ transitions show a very similar exponential falloff with large momentum transfer, but they can be clearly distinguished by their small-angle behavior after division by an empirical exponential factor or by the dominant momentum transfer dependence from a plane-wave analysis. $l=1$ transitions are observed to deep-hole states at 8.91-, 9.02-, 9.67-, and 10.57-MeV excitation. The angular distributions also lead to very probable assignments of $\frac{5}{{2}^{\ensuremath{-}}}$ and $\frac{7}{{2}^{+}}$ to the 3.97- and 4.68-MeV states of $^{23}\mathrm{Mg}$, and are consistent with $\frac{9}{{2}^{+}}$ and $\frac{11}{{2}^{+}}$ assignments to the 2.71- and 5.45-MeV states. Distorted-wave Born approximation (DWBA) predictions using optical potentials from published elastic scattering results show rather good agreement with the shapes of the observed angular distributions for $l=2$ transitions, but spectroscopic factors vary by up to a factor of 3 depending on the deuteron potential employed. $l=0$ transitions are not fitted in either shape or position of the oscillations, which may be due to the fact that deuteron wave functions derived from elastic scattering are not accurate in the nuclear interior. Reasonable shapes are predicted by preliminary coupled-channel Born approximation (CCBA) analyses for transitions believed to proceed in two steps.NUCLEAR REACTIONS $^{24}\mathrm{Mg}$ ($p$,$d$), $E=94.8$ MeV; measured $\ensuremath{\sigma}(\ensuremath{\theta})$. $^{23}\mathrm{Mg}$ levels deduced $l$, $J$, $\ensuremath{\pi}$. $S$. DWBA analysis, resolution 80 keV, $\ensuremath{\theta}=6\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\ensuremath{-}88\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$, $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\theta}=2\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} or 4\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$, ${E}_{x}=0\ensuremath{-}13.28$ MeV.
Teacher Perceptions of Parent Engagement at a Cyber High School

AbstractA growing number of adolescents are taking all or most of their courses online. This places a greater responsibility on parents to support and facilitate their students' learning. This case study used teacher surveys and interviews to better understand how teachers perceived and supported parents' attempts to support their online students at a single online charter school. The results indicated that teachers observed multiple ways in which parents supported their students by (a) organizing and managing students' schedules, (b) nurturing relationships and interactions, (c) monitoring and motivating student engagement, and (d) instructing students when necessary. However, teachers believed that parents could act as obstacles to their students' learning by being overly engaged in certain types of learning activities. Additional research is needed that examines parent engagement in a variety of online learning environments. Research that identifies best practices could also be especially valuable to o...
Characteristics of Mountain Pine Beetles Reared in Four Pine Hosts

Mountain pine beetles, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), obtained from naturally infested lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelmann, were reared in four common hosts: ponderosa pine, P. ponderosa Lawson; western white pine, P. monticola Douglas; whitebark pine, P. albicaulis Engelmann; and lodgepole pine. Emerging beetles were collected daily, counted, and sexed, and pronotal width was measured. Significant differences in brood production, size of female beetles, and developmental rate, but not sex ratio, occurred among hosts. Differences were not all associated with the same species of tree. However, the results indicate that, overall, lodgepole pine is the poorest, and ponderosa pine is the best, of the four hosts for mountain pine beetles.
New micromanipulator and methods for the isolation of a single bacterium and the manipulation of living cells

Barbels method for the isolation of bacteria by means of mechanically operated pipets has been used with considerable success, not only in the branch for which Barber primarily intended it, but also in experimental cytology and embryology. In 1912, the method was first applied to the dissection and injection of animal cells (Kite and Chambers 1), opening up a new field for investigation into the physical properties of protoplasm and the nature of cell structures. The moist chamber devised by Barber and his method of making glass pipets and needles (Barber,2 Chambers3), which are stiff and yet fine enough to puncture red blood corpuscles, leave nothing to be desired. Unfortunately, his instrument for manipulating the pipets, unless skilfuly made, has too much lost motion, and wear and tear soon renders the movement jerky and undependable. By using a new principle for moving the pipets, I have been able to construct an instrument which has the following advantages over Barber's: (a) simplicity of construction; (b) no lost motion through wear and tear; (c) accurate and continuous control of the movements of the needle or pipet tip in any direction under the highest magnification of the microscope; (d) maintenance of the needle tip in one focal plane while it is being moved back and forth in any of the three directions; and (e) existence of adjusting devices to facilitate placing the needle or pipet into position. The basic principle of the instrument consists in rigid bars which are screwed apart against springs. The movements imparted are in arcs of a circle having a radius of about 2^ inches. As the extreme range of movement of the fine adjustments is only 2 mm., the curvature of the arc is unnoticeable. The instrument is being patented.
Surface Structures and Rearrangements in Oxides

Electron-beam-induced surface reactions and rearrangements have been observed for a number of oxides including MgO, TiO2, SrTiO3 and SnO2 using conventional and ultra-high-vacuum high-resolution electron microscopes. Electron irradiation of TiO2 resulted in a variety of effects including reduction, re-oxidation and amorphization. SnO2 was observed to form facets readily during high-resolution imaging but it was stable against reduction except when exposed to extreme current densities which caused the formation of metallic tin crystals. Electron irradiation of MgO under UHV conditions resulted in the formation of facetted pits. The surfaces of SrTiO3 were stable for moderate electron dose rates but rapidly amorphized when irradiated at extreme current densities.
Abstract 2896: Effects of Calcium and Vitamin D Supplementation on the Inflammation Marker Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in Normal Colon Mucosa: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

To investigate whether calcium and vitamin D reduce the expression of the inflammation marker COX-2 in the normal-appearing colorectal mucosa of sporadic colorectal adenoma patients, we conducted a pilot, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2 × 2 factorial clinical trial (n=92) of 2.0 g elemental calcium daily and vitamin D3 800 IU/day, alone and in combination, versus placebo over 6 months. COX-2 expression and colorectal crypt distribution in biopsies of normal-appearing colorectal mucosa were detected by automated immunohistochemistry and quantified by image analysis. COX-2 expression along the entire crypt increased by 4% (p=0.73) in the calcium group and decreased by 3% (p=0.86) and 4% (p=0.73) in the vitamin D3 and joint calcium and vitamin D3 supplementation groups, respectively, relative to the placebo group. The distribution of COX-2 in the colorectal crypts overall or in various regions of the crypt (proliferative zone, differentiation zone, and area closest to contact with colon lumen contents) did not substantially change over follow-up. Our findings did not support the hypothesis that calcium and/or vitamin D3 supplementation can substantially decrease COX-2 expression in the normal appearing colorectal mucosa of sporadic adenoma patients. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2896.
V. Feminists beyond borders

In this piece, I constructed a personal narrative as a means to reflect on my feminist thinking and organizing. These were initially molded by my lived experiences as an activist, and then later both contextualized and sharpened by the feminist theory that engaged me as an undergraduate. Though the narrative I describe here is based on my individual experiences, I am also telling a story of a larger feminist movement in Israel-Palestine of which I am proud and privileged to be a part.
Gaseous distention in the obstructed small intestine of cats.

ConclusionsGas formation from malted milk in milk in a closed loop, comprising the stomach and the entire small intestine, is markedly depressed by sulfadiazine, sulfamerazine, sulfamethazine, sulfathiazole and sulfathalidine. There is a definitely less, but still significant depression by sulfasuccidine. Phthalic and succinic acid have no inhibitory effect on gas production. Streptomycin works well in the majority of the experiments, but is a complete failure in others. Penicillin works best of all the drugs tested.
Oviposition of Delia antiqua (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) as Influenced by Substrate Holes and Particle Size

When presented with substrate ovipositional holes of varying depth and diameter, Delia antiqua (Meigen) laid the most eggs in holes larger than 4 mm deep and 0.6 mm diameter. Statistically equivalent numbers of eggs were laid in substrates of diverse particle sizes as long as they had pre-prepared optimally-sized ovipositional holes (8 mm deep, 1.0 mm diameter). This proved that substrate penetrability rather than particle size was the dominant factor in the acceptance of ovipositional substrates. Ovipositing females laid more eggs in ovipositional cups containing optimally sized holes than in standardized cups used previously, indicating that tactile stimuli are important in eliciting oviposition. Greater statistical differentiation between treatments was achieved when all sizes of ovipositional holes were presented around the same onion surrogate rather than individual sizes around different surrogates spaced widely apart, suggesting that experimental format strongly influenced acceptance of ovipositional sites by D. antiqua .