cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rapid Deployment of a RESTful Service for Data Collected by Oceanographic Research Cruises

The Rolling Deck to Repository (R2R) program has the mission to capture, catalog, and describe the underway environmental sensor data from US oceanographic research vessels and submit the data to public long-term archives. Information about vessels, sensors, cruises, datasets, people, organizations, funding awards, logs, reports, etc. is published online as Linked Open Data, accessible through a SPARQL endpoint. In response to user feedback, we are developing a RESTful service based on the Elda open-source Java package to facilitate data access. Our experience shows that constructing a simple portal with limited schema elements in this way can significantly reduce development time and maintenance complexity compared to PHP or Servlet based approaches.
Grain growth in alumina-silica fibers

Alumina-silica fibers, produced by air blowing a melt of 47 wt% alumina and 53 wt% silica, are initially amorphous, but may be heat treated to convert them into mullite and increase crystallite size. On heating to near 1000 °C, an exothermic phase transition abruptly produces mullite X-ray peaks. Further 1 hour heat treatments gradually sharpen these peaks until a minimum peak width is reached near 1600 °C. Scherrer calculations of crystallite size show that the mullite crystallites formed near 1000 °C are about 13 nm in diameter; these regions grow to about 100 nm after 1 hour at 1600 °C.
A Two-Square One-Square Puzzle: The Pythagorean Theorem Revisited.

THE Pythagorean theorem says something about area that many students do not notice: given any two squares with areas a2 and 62, it is possible to construct a single square of area c2 that is equal to the sum of a2 and b2. This construction is, of course, usually done by using a right-angle triangle. However, there are cut-and-paste methods that do not use a right triangle directly, but rather cut two smaller squares into polygons that can be reassembled to form the larger square, c2. By "discovering" the decomposition and the reassembly method, the student makes vivid for himself the area relationship stated in the Pythagorean theorem. There are many different ways to decompose the two squares; one standard decomposition is suggested here, with the two smaller squares cut into at most seven pieces. The problem may be posed in non mathematical terms as the construction of a two-way jigsaw puzzle, and as such can be used as an enrichment activity for students of various ages and abilities. The problem set below has proven to be an interesting homework exercise for college students in a liberal arts math course, as well as for future junior high and secondary teachers in a geometry course.
Direct Primary Care: Applying Theory to Potential Changes in Delivery and Outcomes

Direct Primary Care (DPC), where patients pay a fee to a primary care provider to obtain access to services, is a delivery model that has received notable attention and enthusiasm from some providers. Proponents of DPC believe that the model increases accessibility, reduces overhead, and ultimately improves care for patients; however, there is little evidence in the peer-reviewed literature to support these claims. The objective of this analysis was to apply Starfield's adaptation of Donabedian's Structure-Process-Outcome conceptual model to evaluate primary care to formally display the links between potential changes in clinical structure and processes from DPC adoption. Based on existing literature on the constructs in Starfield's model, expectations of DPC's impact at the patient, clinic, and system levels were defined. DPC uses changes to financing and the population eligible to trigger potential gains in continuity and accessibility to subsequently improve care processes. There is evidence to support DPC as a theoretically sound approach to improve attributes of primary care, such as first contact care and longitudinality at the clinic level for participating patients. At the health system level, DPC has low-construct validity that would suggest a positive impact on the potentially eligible population's health due to membership fees that exclude patients who are more likely to be vulnerable and complex than patients who are willing and able to stay in the practice. Descriptive and comparative research of included and excluded patients is needed to inform providers, patients, and policy makers of the DPC's ability to attain the attributes of primary care and ultimately achieve better outcomes over alternative primary care delivery and financing models. Meanwhile, theoretic application informed by years of research on primary care provide insight as to what changes to expect and to monitor as practices consider DPC adoption.
Space Radiation Dosimetry on U.S. and Soviet Manned Missions

Radiation measurements obtained on board U.S. and Soviet spacecraft are presented and discussed. A considerable amount of data has now been collected and analyzed from measurements with a variety of detector types in low-Earth orbit. The objectives of these measurements have been to investigate the dose and LET spectra within the complex shielding of large spacecraft. The shielding modifies the external radiation (trapped protons, electrons, cosmic ray nuclei) which, in turn, is quite dependent on orbital parameters (altitude, inclination). For manned flights, these measurements provide a crew exposure record and a data base for future spacecraft design and flight planning. For the scientific community they provide useful information for planning and analyzing data from experiments with high sensitivity to radiation. In this paper, results of measurements by both passive and active detectors are described. High-LET spectra measurements were obtained by means of plastic nuclear track detectors (PNTDs) while thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) measured the dose. A few flights carried active detectors—tissue equivalent ion chambers (TEICs), particle spectrometers (generally to measure the LET distribution), and particle rate counters. On some flights, thermal and epithermal neutrons were measured with the use of fission foils, and metal samples analyzed by gamma ray spectroscopy measured low levels of several activation lines. PNTDs consisting of different combinations of CR-39, polycarbonate, and cellulose-nitrate sheets have proved to be an effective means of measuring the high-LET spectra. To date, they have been used on all the Space Shuttle flights including Spacelabs 1 and 2, and the earlier missions of the Gemini, Apollo and Skylab series. The assembly of various types of detectors, especially the large numbers deployed in the crew compartments, modules, access tunnels, and pallets of Spacelabs 1 and 2, have provided the most comprehensive mapping yet available of the radiation environment of a large spacecraft in low Earth orbit. They demonstrate the efficiency and advantages of coordinated measurements with passive and active detectors. The dosimetric results accumulated for over twenty-five years indicate the difficulty of accurately predicting the total picture of radiation phenomena as it will be encountered by space station. crews and other future missions. Understanding the effects of different types and configurations of shielding is also of particular importance. Detailed results of the measurements and comparison with calculated values are described.
Effects of Duration and Midpoint of Sleep on Corticolimbic Circuitry in Youth.

IntroductionAdequate sleep is essential for cognitive and emotion-related functioning, and 9 to 12 hr of sleep is recommended for children ages 6 to 12 years and 8 to 10 hr for children ages 13 to ...
Note on Unique Nash Equilibrium in Continuous Game

This note studies whether any set of finitely supported mixed strategies can be represented as the unique Nash equilibrium of a game. This note shows that if strategy spaces are metric spaces containing infinitely many points, then any set of finitely supported mixed strategies can be represented as the unique Nash equilibrium to a separable game. If the strategy spaces are additionally subsets of Euclidean space with infinitely many cluster points, then any set of finitely supported mixed strategies can be represented as the unique Nash equilibrium to a polynomial game.
Brønsted–Evans–Polanyi relation for CO oxidation on metal oxides following the Mars–van Krevelen mechanism

Abstract Scaling relations are widely used to model catalytic reactions on metal surfaces, but they are less commonly applied to metal oxides. Oxygen vacancy formation energies have been suggested as a descriptor for the activity toward oxidation reactions via the Mars-van Krevelen mechanism. However, there is currently no function that maps oxygen vacancy formation energies to CO oxidation barriers. We have compiled a data set for CO oxidation on doped and pristine metal oxide surfaces as well as metal/metal oxide interface sites using density functional theory. Based on this data, we can predict CO oxidation barriers from oxygen vacancy formation energies using a Bronsted–Evans–Polanyi relation with a mean absolute error of 14 kJ/mol. Contrary to what is known for reactions on metal surfaces, we find that the scaling parameter α that describes the lateness of the transition state for CO oxidation on metal oxides is not constant.
Risk of Complication at the Time of Laparoscopic Hysterectomy; A Prediction Model Built from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (Nsquip) Database

Study Objective Create a prediction model for complication at the time of benign laparoscopic hysterectomy. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting United States hospitals contributing to NSQUIP. Patients or Participants Patients undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy for benign indications between 2014 and 2017. Interventions All patients underwent a hysterectomy by a laparoscopic approach. Data about peri-operative complications (intraoperative complications, readmission, reoperation, need for transfusion, operative time greater than 4 hours, postoperative medical complication or length of stay greater than 2 days) and uterine weight at the time of pathologic examination were collected retrospectively. Postoperative uterine weight was used as a proxy for preoperative uterine weight estimate. The sample was randomly split to create two patient populations, one for deriving the model and the other to validate the model. Measurements and Main Results A total of 33,123 women met inclusion criteria. The rate of composite complication was 9.5%. Complication rates were similar in the derivation and validation cohorts (9.4% vs 9.7%, p=0.3485). The logistic regression risk-prediction tool for hysterectomy complication identified 5 variables predictive of complication; history of prior laparotomy (increases odds of complication by 30%), predicted preoperative uterine weight (each 100 gram increase in weight increases the odds of complication by 0.06%) and race (when compared to white women, black women had a 30% increased odds and women of other races had a 24% increased odds of complication). Age and body mass index also had a statistically significant quadratic relationship with odds of complication. The c statistics for the derivation and validation cohorts were 0.57 and 0.55, respectively. The model is well calibrated, especially for patients at lowest risk of hysterectomy complication ( Conclusion The laparoscopic hysterectomy complication predictor model can be transformed into a user-friendly tool for predicting complications in patients planning hysterectomy, with a strength in identifying patients at low risk of complication. This model can be applied to clinical practice.
Rights and Claims: Culture and Communication in Appalachia

The isolation created by the geographical location of Appalachian peoples has fostered self-reliance, dependence on family and kin, and distrust of outsiders often referred to as cooperative independence [1]. Because of the long history of isolation as well as outside exploitation of these peoples, they tend to be distrustful of outsiders and outside organizations [2]. Obtaining the trust of Appalachian people requires that one become a part of their culture, engaging in the community’s activities. Appalachian culture is person oriented rather than task oriented, and person’s identity is dependent on their community and kinship ties.
Clinical Utility of Pharmacogene Panel-Based Testing in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

We aimed to estimate the utility of panel-based pharmacogenetic testing of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Utilization of Clinical Pharmacogenetic Implementation Consortium (CPIC) level A/B drugs after PCI was estimated in a national sample of IBM MarketScan beneficiaries. Genotype data from University of Florida (UF) patients (n = 211) who underwent PCI were used to project genotype-guided opportunities among MarketScan beneficiaries with at least one (N = 105,547) and five (N = 12,462) years of follow-up data. The actual incidence of genotype-guided prescribing opportunities was determined among UF patients. In MarketScan, 50.0% (52,799/105,547) over 1 year and 68.0% (8,473/12,462) over 5 years had ≥ 1 CPIC A/B drug besides antiplatelet therapy prescribed, with a projected incidence of genotype-guided prescribing opportunities of 39% at 1 year and 52% at 5 years. Genotype-guided prescribing opportunities occurred in 32% of UF patients. Projected and actual incidence of genotype-guided opportunities among two cohorts supports the utility of panel-based testing among patients who underwent PCI.
Distinguishing the Roles of Antibiotic Stewardship and Reductions in Outpatient Visits in Generating a 5-Year Decline in Antibiotic Prescribing.

BACKGROUND The mechanisms driving the recent decline in outpatient antibiotic prescribing are unknown. We estimated the extent to which reductions in the number of antibiotic prescriptions filled per outpatient visit (stewardship) and reductions in the monthly rate of outpatient visits (observed disease) for infectious disease conditions each contributed to the decline in outpatient antibiotic prescribing in Massachusetts between 2011 and 2015. METHODS Outpatient medical and pharmacy claims from the Massachusetts All-Payer Claims Database were used to estimate rates of antibiotic prescribing and outpatient visits for 20 medical conditions and their contributions to the overall decline in antibiotic prescribing. Trends were compared with those in the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS). RESULTS Between 2011 and 2015, the January and July antibiotic-prescribing rates per 1000 individuals in Massachusetts declined by 18.9% and 13.6%, respectively. The monthly rate of outpatient visits per 1000 individuals in Massachusetts declined (P < .05) for respiratory infections and urinary tract infections. Nationally, outpatient visits for antibiotic-meriting medical conditions also declined between 2010 and 2015. Of the estimated 358 antibiotic prescriptions per 1000 individuals averted over the study period in Massachusetts, 59% (95% CI, 54-63%) were attributable to reduced observed disease and 41% (95% CI, 37-46%) to improved stewardship. CONCLUSIONS The decline in antibiotic prescribing in Massachusetts was driven both by a decline in observed disease and improved antibiotic stewardship, in agreement with national trends. A focus on infectious disease prevention should be considered alongside antibiotic stewardship as a means to reduce antibiotic prescribing.
Left Renal Vein Ligation for Spontaneous Splenorenal Shunts During Deceased-Donor Orthotopic Liver Transplant Is Safe and Can Mitigate Complications from Portal Steal: A Case Series.

Objectives Large spontaneous splenorenal shunts can result in portal vein steal syndrome and is a risk factor for portal vein thrombosis after orthotopic liver transplant. Disconnection of these shunts by left renal vein ligation has been suggested as a potential technique for improving portal venous flow and mitigating risk of portal vein thrombus, thus improving graft perfusion. We present a series of 6 patients who underwent left renal vein ligation for spontaneous splenorenal shunts and their outcomes. Materials and methods This retrospective analysis included all orthotopic liver transplant recipients who underwent left renal vein ligation for spontaneous splenorenal shunts between 2016 and 2017. Portal venous flow, patency, and renal function were assessed postoperatively. Liver Doppler ultrasonography scans were obtained 1, 3, and 5 days postligation, and serum creatinine was evaluated at 1 and 2 weeks and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postligation. Results Over the 1-year study period, 92 orthotopic liver transplants were performed. In 6 patients who underwent left renal vein ligation, spontaneous splenorenal shunts were identified preoperatively. One patient received a retransplant complicated by portal vein thrombus and underwent thrombectomy with left renal vein ligation. Concurrent left renal vein ligation and liver transplant were performed in 5 patients, 2 with known portal vein thrombus at the time of transplant requiring thrombectomy. All patients had subjective intraoperative improvements in portal venous flow after ligation. Zero patients developed postoperative portal vein thrombus. No patients developed clinically significant renal dysfunction at 1-year follow-up. Conclusions Left renal vein ligation is technically feasible, has minimal and transient effects on renal function, and can improve portal venous flow, thus mitigating the risk for portal vein thrombus, graft hypoperfusion, and possible dysfunction.
Outcomes of sepsis in patients with multiple myeloma.

e20513Background: Patients with Multiple Myeloma (MM) are at risk for developing sepsis due to defective humoral immunity, underlying disease factors like renal failure, iron overload, and treatmen...
Do Gender Cues from Images Supersede Partisan Cues Conveyed via Text? Eye Movements Reveal Political Stereotyping in Multimodal Information Environments

An important feature of the information environment is its multimodal nature. In politics, people encounter representations of political candidates that combine images and text. Among the most prom...
On Endlessness and the Ending: No End in Sight. Polish Cinema in the Late Socialist Period, by Anna Krakus, Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Press, 2018, 263 pp., $28.95 (paperback) ISBN 978-0-8229-6461-2

No End in Sight is a title that happens to resonate uncomfortably well in our particular moment. At the time of writing, the world is grappling with the unknown trajectories of the coronavirus and ...
The Connection between Spectral Evolution and Gamma-Ray Burst Lag

The observed delay between the arrival times of high- and low-energy photons in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) has been shown by Norris et al. to be correlated to the absolute luminosity of a burst. Despite the apparent importance of this distance indicator, there has yet to be a full explanation to its origin. Any attempt at explaining this relation must take into consideration that the observed lag is the direct result of spectral evolution. In particular, as the energy at which the GRB's νFν spectra is a maximum (Epk) decays through the four BATSE channels, the photon flux peak in each individual channel will inevitably be offset, producing what we measure as lag. In order to produce a robust relationship between the observed spectral evolution and spectral lag, we measure the rate of Epk decay (Φ0) for a sample of clean single-peaked bursts with measured lag. We use this data to provide an empirical relation that expresses the GRB lag as a function of the burst's spectral evolution rate. This implies that the luminosity of a GRB is directly related to the burst's rate of spectral evolution, which we believe begins to reveal the underlying physics behind the lag-luminosity correlation. We discuss several possible mechanisms that could cause the observed evolution and examine their connections to the burst's luminosity.
Smooth Mesh Estimation from Depth Data using Non-Smooth Convex Optimization.

Meshes are commonly used as 3D maps since they encode the topology of the scene while being lightweight. Unfortunately, 3D meshes are mathematically difficult to handle directly because of their combinatorial and discrete nature. Therefore, most approaches generate 3D meshes of a scene after fusing depth data using volumetric or other representations. Nevertheless, volumetric fusion remains computationally expensive both in terms of speed and memory. In this paper, we leapfrog these intermediate representations and build a 3D mesh directly from a depth map and the sparse landmarks triangulated with visual odometry. To this end, we formulate a non-smooth convex optimization problem that we solve using a primal-dual method. Our approach generates a smooth and accurate 3D mesh that substantially improves the state-of-the-art on direct mesh reconstruction while running in real-time.
Naturalistic smartphone keyboard typing reflects processing speed and executive function.

OBJECTIVE The increase in smartphone usage has enabled the possibility of more accessible ways to conduct neuropsychological evaluations. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of using smartphone typing dynamics with mood scores to supplement cognitive assessment through trail making tests. METHODS Using a custom-built keyboard, naturalistic keypress dynamics were unobtrusively recorded in individuals with bipolar disorder (n = 11) and nonbipolar controls (n = 8) on an Android smartphone. Keypresses were matched to digital trail making tests part B (dTMT-B) administered daily in two periods and weekly mood assessments. Following comparison of dTMT-Bs to the pencil-and-paper equivalent, longitudinal mixed-effects models were used to analyze daily dTMT-B performance as a function of typing and mood. RESULTS Comparison of the first dTMT-B to paper TMT-B showed adequate reliability (intraclass correlations = 0.74). In our model, we observed that participants who typed slower took longer to complete dTMT-B (b = 0.189, p < .001). This trend was also seen in individual fluctuations in typing speed and dTMT-B performance (b = 0.032, p = .004). Moreover, participants who were more depressed completed the dTMT-B slower than less depressed participants (b = 0.189, p < .001). A practice effect was observed for the dTMT-Bs. CONCLUSION Typing speed in combination with depression scores has the potential to infer aspects of cognition (visual attention, processing speed, and task switching) in people's natural environment to complement formal in-person neuropsychological assessments that commonly include the trail making test.
Assessment of Sexual Abuse

Assessment of children who are alleged to have been sexually abused is challenging, in part because there is no way to determine the truth about what happened with absolute certainty. Moreover, once an opinion about what happened is established, it is very difficult to change it. In the assessment of sexual abuse, the clinician functions as a “fact finder,” gathering information and making professional judgments about the meaning of those facts. The clinician must review a number of areas to determine if there is a pattern of factors that increase or decrease the probability that abuse has occurred. It is imperative that the criteria used in making probability statements about abuse be made explicit, including the support for and limitations of each criterion (Berliner & Conte, 1993). To do this adequately, the clinician must have knowledge of child development (particularly sexual development), be familiar with recent research on memory and suggestibility, and adopt a “quasiscientific” approach which examines alternative hypotheses.
Of State, Market and Justice: Latcritical Challenges to Theory, Praxis and Policy

Anticipating the election of the first non-white male to the United States Presidency in November 2008, the organizers of the Fourteenth Annual LatCrit Conference (“LatCrit XIV”) selected a theme designed to invite timely critical thinking about the opportunities and pitfalls of that eventuality. Noting the biographical narrative of “the nation’s first ‘outsider’ President,” the call for papers notes, that “Mr. Obama ran a progressive campaign that echoed many core LatCritical values.” But this conference theme—Outsiders Inside: Critical Outsider Theory and Praxis in the Policymaking of the New American Regime—solicited reflective analysis, noting the “serious challenges” facing any effort in progressive governance and asking, “what roles should outsider critical legal scholars and their scholarship assume . . . [to prevent our work] from being co-opted and corrupted.” In their respective ways, the five authors whose essays comprise this “cluster” address this theme from various angles; however,
Electrokinetics of concentrated suspensions and porous media

Abstract An earlier analysis of electrokinetics of concentrated suspensions of spheres and of unconsolidated porous media (M. W. Kozak and E. J. Davis, J. Colloid Interface Sci.127, 497 (1989)), which was limited to thin electrical double layers, is extended to include thicker double layers, using an alternate solution method. A unit cell model is invoked to take into account the effects of surrounding spheres on the primary particle, and the analysis is constrained to nonoverlapping double layers. The solution reduces to our earlier result when the double layer is thin, and in the limit as the porosity tends to unity the solution of H. Ohshima, T. W. Healy, and L. R. White (J. Chem. Soc. Faraday Trans. 279, 1613 (1983)) for a single sphere in an infinite medium is recovered. Finally, the solution is shown to reduce to the result of S. Levine and G. H. Neale (J. Colloid Interface Sci.47, 520 (1974)) when the zeta potential is low.
PHYSICAL MODEL FOR STEEL CORROSION IN CONCRETE SEA STRUCTURES­ THEORY

A physical-mathematical model is developed for concrete exposed to sea water. The model describes: (1)Diffusion of oxygen, chloride ions, and pore water through the concrete cover of reinforcement; (2)ferrous hydroxide near steel surface; (3)the depassivation of steel due to critical chloride ion concentration; (4)the cathodic and anodic electric potentials depending on oxygen and ferrous hydroxide concentrations according to Nernst equation; (5)the polarization of electrodes due to changes in concentration of oxygen and ferrous hydroxide; (6)the flow of electric current through the electrolyte in pores of concrete; (7)the mass sinks or sources of oxygen, ferrous hydroxide, and hydrated red rust electrodes, based on Faraday law; and (8)the rust production rate, based on reaction kinetics. To enable calculations, numerical values of all coefficients are indicated. The theory is completed by formulating the problem as an initial-boundary value problem.
Configuration Spaces of Colored Graphs

This paper is intended to provide concrete examples of concepts discussed elsewhere in this volume, especially splittings of groups and nonpositively curved cube complexes but also other things. The idea of the construction (configuration spaces) is not new, but this family of examples does not seem to be well known. Nevertheless they arise in a variety of contexts; applications are discussed in the last section. Most proofs are omitted.
Accounting Certification in Ukraine

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) initiated a regional accounting certification program in the Russian language several years ago. It started in Central Asia and spread to Ukraine and a few other former Soviet republics several years later. Headquarters for the program later moved to Moscow. This chapter reports on the CAP/CIPA accounting certification program that has been going on in Ukraine.
Cellular immunity in vitro: migration inhibition and phagocytosis.

Abstract The activity of peritoneal exudate cells from candidin-sensitive and normal guinea pigs with and without antigen was studied in vitro with the aid of time-lapse, phase-contrast cinemicrography. Macrophages from normal animals migrate well on an agar medium and readily phagocytose Merthiolate-killed Candida albicans cells. A reduction in the migration of peritoneal macrophages from guinea pigs sensitized to C. albicans during the first 24 hr after exposure to antigen was accompanied by a decrease in phagocytosis of C. albicans cells. The macrophages were viable but comparatively immotile. Since the sensitized macrophages came from resistant donors, it is possible that the initial stage of cellular immunity to C. albicans is associated with a reduced activity of the phagocytic macrophages, apparently to limit spread of the pathogen from the infected area.
A constrained nonlinear 0–1 program for data allocation

Abstract This paper analyzes the problem of allocating copies of relations from a global database to the sites of a geographically distributed communication network. The objective of the allocation is to minimize the total cost due to transmissions generated by queries from the various sites, including queries that access multiple relations. This allocation problem is modeled as a constrained nonlinear 0–1 subproblems generated during subgradient optimization are solved as optimization. Some of the unconstrained quadratic 0–1 subproblems generated during subgradient optimization are solved as maximum flow problems, while the others require implicit enumeration, depending on the nature of the objective function coefficients of the subproblems. Our solution approach is tested extensively on data allocation problems with as many as 100 sites and 20 relations. On a set of randomly generated test problems our approach was close to two orders of magnitude faster than the general purpose integer programming code OSL.
Building a Tolerance for Disagreement An Important Goal in Social Studies Instruction

(2005). Building a Tolerance for Disagreement An Important Goal in Social Studies Instruction. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 78, No. 3, pp. 118-122.
Structure and scaling of helical modes of light

Modes of light that contain topological defects such as screw dislocations can be focused into optical traps with interesting and useful properties. The way in which the intensity distribution within helical modes of light varies with topological charge is discussed, and new scaling predictions for their radial profiles that are consistent with experimental observations are introduced.
The effect of low ATP concentrations on relaxation in the myosin regulated myofibrils from scallop

Troponin-tropomyosin-regulated myofibrils show a significant increase in ATPase activity and contract in the absence of calcium when the ATP concentration falls significantly below the saturation level. By contrast, the ATPase of the myosin-regulated myofibrils of scallop striated muscle was not activated in the absence of calcium when the ATP concentration was lowered to 10 mm. Nevertheless, a very small fraction of crossbridges were active at 10 mm ATP resulting in very slow myofibrillar shortening. In contrast to the behaviour of rabbit contractile proteins there was no correlation between myofibrillar shortening and ATP induced turbidity changes of actomyosin taken from scallop.
Low-distortion, high-strength bonding of thermoplastic microfluidic devices employing case-II diffusion-mediated permeant activation.

We demonstrate a new method for joining thermoplastic surfaces to produce microfluidic devices. The method takes advantage of the sharply defined permeation boundary of case-II diffusion to generate dimensionally controlled, activated bonding layers at the surfaces being joined. The technique is capable of producing bonds that exhibit cohesive failure, while preserving the fidelity of fine features in the bonding interface. This approach is uniquely suited to production of layered microfluidic structures, as it allows the bond-forming interface between plastic parts to be precisely manipulated at micrometre length scales. Distortions in microfluidic device channels are limited to the size scale of the permeant-swollen layer; 6 µm deep channels are routinely produced with no detectable cross-sectional distortions. Conventional thermal diffusion bonding of identical parts yields less strongly bonded microfluidic structures with increasingly severe dimensional compressions as bonding temperatures approach the thermoplastic glass-transition temperature: a preliminary rheological analysis is consistent with the observed compressions. The bond-enhancing procedure is easily integrated in standard process flows, uses inexpensive reagents, and requires no specialized equipment.
Dynamically equivalent implicit algorithms for the integration of rigid body rotations

SUMMARY Two midpoint-trapezoid pairs of dynamically equivalent (conjugate) algorithms are derived as compositions of first-order forward Euler and backward Euler integrators as applied to an incremental form of the initial-value problem of three-dimensional rigid body rotation. The algorithms are related to the recently developed methodology of the so-called Munthe-Kaas Runge‐Kutta methods. Selected examples are used to illustrate the excellent long-term integration properties. Copyright q 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hybrid Data Mining/Genetic Shredding Algorithm for Reliability Assessment of Structural Systems

Recent studies have successfully introduced genetic algorithms (GA) to identify the important failure modes of complex structures and quantify their contributions to the reduction of the reliability of structural systems. In these studies, the efficiency of traditional GA techniques was substantially improved by incorporating linkage-learning operators that were used to explore relations among the random variables controlling the safety of a structural system. However, the currently used linkage learning methods were found to be either too complex for easy implementation in routine reliability analyses or too narrowly focused on finding the global optimal solution and thus reduced the capacity of GA to identify local optima. Other techniques especially suitable for exploring relations and linkages among data sets are known as data mining (DM) algorithms. One of the most popular and successful DM tools available in the computer science literature is the a priori algorithm. The purpose of this paper is to propose a hybrid algorithm that would combine the benefits of the pattern identification ability of the a priori DM algorithm to the capability of GA operators to explore new significant search domains. The implementation of the shredding operator and its ability to reduce the computational effort through its self-learning process will further lead to the development of an efficient and robust structural reliability analysis algorithm. This paper will demonstrate that the proposed algorithm will significantly reduce the computational effort associated with determining the probabilistically dominant failure modes of structural systems. Examples are provided to verify the high efficiency and accuracy of the proposed hybrid data mining/genetic shredding algorithm for failure mode exploration, identification, and exploitation.
Clinical application of behavior therapy for insomnia

Abstract Behavior therapy procedures have led to significant improvement in insomnia in several controlled outcome studies, and provide an effective alternative to the use of hypnotics. This article highlights dangers in the pharmacologic management of sleep, provides an overview of behavioral techniques that have proven effective in the treatment of insomnia, and outlines guidelines for the implementation of behavioral techniques on a clinical level. A diagnostic approach which identifies the maintaining conditions of the insomnia through the use of behavior analysis techniques is recommended, and procedures for the development of rational, empirically-based treatment strategies are suggested.
Reflection matrix for Gaussian light beams in FEL oscillators

The transformations of Gaussian radiation beams caused by reflection off mirrors is an important issue for the operation of free-electron lasers as oscillators. The reflected radiation from a single incident Gaussian mode will contain other modes due to the finite size, the deflection of the beam, and mismatches in the curvature. A method for analytic computation of the reflection matrix is developed. The mirror surface that reflects spherical incoming wavefronts into spherical outgoing is determined analytically. The cross coupling among vector components of the radiation field, caused by the curvature of the mirror surface, is included. >
Failure of coastal protection at Seacliff State Beach, Santa Cruz County, California, USA

Seacliff State Beach, along the shoreline of northern Monterey Bay, California, has a well-documented history of repeated destruction and reconstruction of seawalls and park facilities. Seven times in 60 years the timber seawall has been destroyed by winter storm waves and subsequently rebuilt. The deficiencies of the wall, including (a) inadequate attachment of timber lagging to pilings, (b) inability of pilings or lagging to withstand repeated impact of waves and logs, and (c) inadequate height and internal drainage system have never been adequately addressed and each successive wall has essentially been identical to the previously destroyed wall.
Viral gene expression and pathogenesis in three emerging diseases: HIV and AIDS; HTLV‐I and HAM/TSP; and HHV‐8 and Kaposi's sarcoma

Recent studies of the pathogenesis of three emerging diseases will be used to illustrate unifying concepts regarding mechanisms of viral persistence and disease expression. Two of these diseases, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and the slowly progressive disease referred to as HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM) or tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP), are caused by retroviruses, and the third disease, Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), has been linked recently to a new herpesvirus. Results of investigations of these diseases in our laboratory using quantitative methods to detect viral gene expression at the cellular level in tissue sections will be used to illustrate strategies that allow viruses to persist unrecognized for years, decades, or even millennia, and emerge without warning as important human pathogens [1–3]. Fig. 1, which depicts the life cycle of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), provides a framework for this discussion. It illustrates the two phases of retroviral replication: the productive or activated phase and the chronic or latent phase. The genome of the infecting virus is processed by reverse transcription which transfers the genetic information to double-stranded linear DNA that becomes known as the provirus after its integration into the host chromosome. The expression of proviral genes is a critical control point somewhat analogous to a spigot. If the spigot is open, the infection is in a productive and activated state, and the virus goes on to produce RNA. Tens of thousands of copies of the viral proteins and thousands of viral particles are made. When that spigot is turned down, only a trickle of genetic information is expressed — a defining characteristic of chronic persistent infection, as I will show — and little or no virus may be produced. I am going to discuss the outcomes of studies that put these two phases under the microscope, using single-cell technologies …
The Transformation of Time-Domain Relaxation Data into the Frequency Domain

A numerical technique is developed for computing the Laplace transform of the time-domain behavior of a dielectric in order to obtain its frequencydomain behavior. The method is based on fitting a cubic spline to the original data and using the spline to define the integration. The error in the computation is investigated for data uniformly spaced on a logarithmic time scale. It is shown that the error is much smaller than with previous methods, is computationally stable, and converges as the fourth power of the sample density. For an error of 10-4 or less, only 10 points per decade are required for all frequencies that correspond to the time window of the measurement. It is also shown that it is possible to estimate those parts of the integrals that lie outside the measurement window from the data inside the window, so that the errors from the unknown parts are kept small and affect only the extremes of the frequency range.
Excitation of the Lyman-α in the night sky

The experiments pertaining to the excitations of Lyman-α radiation in the night sky are reviewed. Various possible modes of excitation are considered. Scattering of solar Lα in interplanetary hydrogen is not suitable because of an insufficient amount of hydrogen and difficulty in accounting for the large night time albedo contrasted with the small daytime value. Transport by multiple scattering in the exosphere produces an appreciable excitation as well as the correct variation of intensity as function of zenith angle. However, the process fails by a factor of 4 for a solar flux of 6 ergs/cm2 sec and the 3 × 1012 atoms/cm2 geocorona consistent with absorption measurements. A direct scattering in a geocoma far from the earth overcomes the albedo and thin atmosphere problems. However, there is difficulty in accounting for the presence of the amount of hydrogen necessary beyond 15 earth radii. Also the absence of Hα excitation by Lyman-β is a problem. No explanation so far proposed appears adequate. Experiments are suggested.
Two Factors Contributing to the Perception of the Theoretical Intractability of Social Psychology

The main reason for suspecting that transhistorical validity may be more difficult to achieve for social than for physical theories is that incorporating enlightenment effects into social theories may lead to an infinite regress. Such infinite regresses are not an uncommon problem in science, however, and effective strategies for dealing with them have been developed. Unfamiliarity with such strategies is but one manifestation of our field's failure to model two crucial lessons from several centuries' experience with the physical sciences: the need for formally stated theories and the need to distinguish between the success of a theory in highly com plex applied settings and the validity of that theory as established in more tightly controlled situations.
Community College Student Success: From Boardrooms to Classrooms, Edited by V.S.Morest

Community college student success: From boardrooms to classrooms is the second book in a three-part series on community colleges published by the American Council on Education. This book was writte...
USE OF ASYMPTOTICALLY CORRECT WAVE FUNCTION FOR THREE-BODY RAYLEIGH--RITZ CALCULATIONS.

A quickly converging expansion for three-body variational wave functions is obtained by adding to the usual Hylleraas wave-functions terms which express the correct asymptotic behavior. This modified expansion is applied to three problems: the ${\mathrm{H}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ ground state; a search for a He-${e}^{+}$ bound state; a search for a H-${e}^{+}$ scattering resonance below the positronium threshold. The ${\mathrm{H}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ calculation shows a marked improvement in convergence over using Hylleraas functions alone. It is also found that there is no H-${e}^{+}$ bound state unless the mass of the positron is greater than 2.20 electron masses. Similarly, no positron scattering resonance below positronium threshold exists unless the mass of the positron is less than about 0.7 electron masses.
Information flow tracking meets just-in-time compilation

Web applications are vulnerable to cross-site scripting attacks that enable data thefts. Information flow tracking in web browsers can prevent communication of sensitive data to unintended recipients and thereby stop such data thefts. Unfortunately, existing solutions have focused on incorporating information flow into browsers’ JavaScript interpreters, rather than just-in-time compilers, rendering the resulting performance noncompetitive. Few users will switch to a safer browser if it comes at the cost of significantly degrading web application performance. We present the first information flow tracking JavaScript engine that is based on a true just-in-time compiler, and that thereby outperforms all previous interpreter-based information flow tracking JavaScript engines by more than a factor of two. Our JIT-based engine (i) has the same coverage as previous interpreter- based solutions, (ii) requires reasonable implementation effort, and (iii) introduces new optimizations to achieve acceptable performance. When evaluated against three industry-standard JavaScript benchmark suites, there is still an average slowdown of 73p over engines that do not support information flow, but this is now well within the range that many users will find an acceptable price for obtaining substantially increased security.
Association Between Smoking Different Tobacco Products and Periodontal Disease Indexes

Six indexes of periodontal health were recorded in cigarette smokers, pipe/cigar smokers and nonsmokers from the Veterans Administration Dental Longitudinal Study. These indexes included calculus deposition, plaque accumulation, gingival inflammation, periodontal pocket depth, alveolar bone loss and tooth mobility. Cigarette smokers had significantly more calculus deposition than pipe/cigar smokers, although both smoker groups had more calculus than nonsmokers. Cigarette smokers accumulated slightly less plaque than pipe/cigar smokers, and both smoker groups accumulated less plaque than nonsmokers. Gingival inflammation and tooth mobility did not differ between smokers and nonsmokers, nor between the two smoker groups. Cigarette smokers had significantly greater pocket depth than nonsmokers, in contrast to pipe/cigar smokers who were not different from nonsmokers. Radiographic measurements indicated that cigarette smokers had significantly more alveolar bone loss than either pipe/cigar or nonsmokers. Afte...
Second Dissociation Constant of H2Te and the Absorption Spectra of HTe–, Te2– and Te22– in Aqueous Solution

We have measured the second acid dissociation constant, K2a, at several ionic strengths for hydrogen telluride (H2Te) using the Charge Transfer to Solvent (CTTS) uv spectra of its anions HTe− and Te2−. Since it is produced in our solutions, we have also determined the spectra of Te22− both in the uv and in the visible regions. At 25 ∘C, K2a = (1.28 ± 0.02) × 10−12 by extrapolation to zero ionic strength. Its value at an ionic strength equal to 0.5 mol.dm-3 was estimated to be (8.7 ± 0.2) × 10−12. The solution thermodynamics of these species are also discussed and comparisons are made to related acids.
A new performance test of adaptive cognitive functioning: The Medication Management (MM) test

The Medication Management (MM) Test is a new technique for measuring high-level adaptive functioning in early dementia. Scoring is based on direct observation of the subject's performance on a structured task, simulating calculations and manipulations involved in the self-administration of medications. The equipment is lightweight, small and portable. Procedures are brief and readily administered with little training. It is congruent with a general health inquiry and not threatening to the subject's self-image. The sensitivies and specificities with respect to criterion diagnosis of dementia are as good as five widely used brief cognitive screens, and hold up well in early cases. The scores are not biased by gender, culture or setting; and are less biased by age and education than are conventional cognitive screens.