cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Design of a fast radix-4 SRT divider and its VLSI implementation

The design of a fast divider is an important issue in high-speed computing. The paper presents a fast radix-4 SRT division architecture. Instead of finding the correct quotient digit, an estimated quotient digit is first speculated. The speculated quotient digit is used to simultaneously compute the two possible partial remainders for the next step while the quotient digit is being corrected. Thus, this two-step process does not influence the overall speed. Since the decision-making circuits can be implemented with simple gate structures, the proposed divider offers fast speed operation. Based on the physical layout, the circuit takes 247 ns for a double precision division (56 bits for fraction part), where the 2 /spl mu/m CMOS technology in MAGIC is employed and simulated.
Cross-Spectral Face Verification in the Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) Band

The problem of face verification across the short wave infrared spectrum (SWIR) is studied in order to illustrate the advantages and limitations of SWIR face verification. The contributions of this work are two-fold. First, a database of 50 subjects is assembled and used to illustrate the challenges associated with the problem. Second, a set of experiments is performed in order to demonstrate the possibility of SWIR cross-spectral matching. Experiments also show that images captured under different SWIR wavelengths can be matched to visible images with promising results. The role of multispectral fusion in improving recognition performance in SWIR images is finally illustrated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time cross-spectral SWIR face recognition is being investigated in the open literature.
Efficient Alignments of Metabolic Networks with Bounded Treewidth

The accumulation of high-throughput genomic and proteomic data allows for the reconstruction of the increasingly large and complex metabolic networks. In order to analyze accumulated data and reconstructed networks, it is critical to identify network patterns and evolutionary relations between metabolic networks. But even finding similar networks becomes computationally challenging. Alignment of the reconstructed networks can help to catch model inconsistencies and infer missing elements. We have formulated the network alignment problem which asks for the optimal vertex-to-vertex mapping allowing path contraction, vertex deletion, and vertex insertions. This paper gives the first efficient algorithm for optimal aligning of metabolic pathways with bounded tree width. In particular, the optimal alignment from pathway P to pathway T can be found in time O(|VP| |VT|^(a+1))$, where VP and VT are the vertex sets of pathways and a is the tree width of P. This significantly improves alignment tools since the E.coli metabolic network has tree width 3 and more than 90% of pathways of several organisms are series-parallel. We have implemented the algorithm for alignment of metabolic pathways of tree width 2 with arbitrary metabolic networks. Our experiments show that allowing pattern vertex deletion significantly improves alignment. We also have applied the network alignment to identifying inconsistency, inferring missing enzymes, and finding potential candidates for filling the holes.
Catastrophic Risk and Behavior of Residential Real Estate Market Participants

We gather home sales data for the Cape Fear region of North Carolina and model residential real estate market activity in this coastal area between 1995 and 2000, a period of unprecedented hurricane activity. We extend earlier research revealing an adverse relationship between home values and the series of hurricane strikes beginning in 1996. We construct a framework to consider the changing sentiment of the residential real estate market. Sentiment is the perception of risk by investors in the securities markets, proxied by such measures as trading volume and bid/ask spreads. We hold that residential real estate markets can also be framed by selected measures of sentiment. We employ three sentiment proxies: the spread between listing (asking) and selling prices, average days of a home on the market, and single-family homes sold per month. We find larger spreads and reduced monthly unit sales, but no significant effect upon the marketing time, in the region following the final hurricane landfalls. We beli...
Using Confocal Raman Microscopy to Determine the Structure and Orientation of the PET Interior of PET/PP Core/Shell Fibers

Confocal Raman microspectroscopy is capable of measuring the density and birefrin gence of the poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) core of a PET/polypropylene core/shell fiber. Sample preparation is simple and data collection times are short. This technique should prove valuable in furthering the development of bicomponent fibers.
Coding alternatives for high-rate direct-sequence spread spectrum

High-rate direct-sequence spread spectrum is a modulation technique in which most or all of the spreading is provided by nonbinary coded data modulation. For applications to mobile ad hoc wireless networks, the limited processing gain of high-rate direct sequence spectrum gives only modest protection against multipath and multiple-access interference, so its use is restricted to fairly benign channels. In this paper, we explore the increased interference rejection capability that can be obtained from the inclusion of error-control coding. The three forms of error-control coding that are investigated are convolutional coding with Viterbi decoding, Reed-Solomon coding with errors-and-erasures decoding, and block product coding with turbo (iterative) decoding.
From Core to Periphery: A Note on the Imagery of Concentric Electorates

Data on the voting patterns of 115,800 Kentuckians over a sample of ten elections are used to test the idea that the electorate expands and contracts from election to election in a manner suggested by the imagery of concentric circles. According to that idea, first expounded by Angus Campbell, the differential incorporation of peripheral voters, who enter the electorate in progressively higher-stimulus elections, is what accounts for inter-election differences in turnout. The concentric circles imagery suggests that voting in a series of ten elections should form a scale in the cumulative or Guttman sense, but analysis is not supportive of this idea. The reality of voting in a series of elections appears to be more complex than the concentric circles idea suggests.
Immunohistochemical studies on the localization of cellular retinol-binding protein in rat testis and epididymis.

The immunohistochemical localizationof cellularretinol-bindingprotein (CRBP) was studied in rat testis and epididymis. Parallel studies were also carried out on the localization of plasma retinolbinding protein (RBP) and transthyretin (TTR) in testis. The studies employed antibodies purified by immunosorbent affinity chromatography, permitting the specific staining and localization of each antigen by the unlabeled peroxidase-antiperoxidase method. For RBP and TTR, specific immune staining was found in the interstitial spaces between the seminiferous tubules, and not in the tubules themselves. In contrast, strong specific immune staining for CRBP was found in the seminiferous tubules, with a striking localization within Sertoli cells. Moreover, a distinct cyclic variation of specific staining for CRBP within Sertoli cells was observed during the spermatogenic cycle. This cyclic variation was seen with regard to both the intensity of stainingand to the anatomic distribution of CRBP within the Sertoli cells. Within the epididymis CRBP was selectively localized to the proximal portion of the caput epididymidis, with variations in intensity of the staining of the epithelium of the ducts in different histological zones. Specific immune staining for CRBP was very weak or absent in the other portions of the epididymis. These results were confirmed by radioimmunoassay. Vitamin A-deficient rats showed markedly reduced specific immune staining for CRBP in both testes and epididymides, and greatly reduced levels of CR3? in these tissues on radioimmunoassay. These studies on the localization of CRBP provide information concerning the specificcells and anatomic loci within the testis and epididymis where retinol may be playing an important role in sperm formation and maturation.
Toll-like receptor 4 mediates mitochondrial DNA damage and biogenic responses after heat-inactivated E. coli.

The body’s innate immune system closely monitors and contains bacterial products, but in pathological states the host response damages tissues by releasing inflammatory mediators that contribute to cell damage and cell death. In systemic infection by enteric bacteria, the liver’s immune role is to clear circulating microbes and their products and to produce the acute-phase response. Resident hepatic macrophages, Kuppfer cells (KC), are activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and generate cytokines, especially tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukins (IL), which induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) production, as well as chemokines that recruit leukocytes. Elaborated factors activate receptor and nonreceptor pathways that involve mitochondria in hepatocyte necrosis and apoptosis.Mammalian cells recognize conserved microbial motifs by means of at least 10 transmembrane Toll-like receptors (TLR). TLR activation leads to immediate antimicrobial peptide and cytokine production in my...
Anisotropic Clay Aerogel Composite Materials

Clay aerogel composites have been around for over 50 years but still they represent a relatively under studied class of materials. Clay aerogel composites have been made in our labs that have low densities, 0.05-0.1g/cm3, provide good thermal insulation, k ≈ 0.02W/mK, and are created through an environmentally benign process. The mechanical properties of the composites resemble those of typical foamed polymers such as expanded polystyrene and polyurethane, with compressive moduli ranging from 0.5MPa to 40MPa depending on composition. Aqueous solutions of clay and polymer are frozen in cylindrical molds and freeze-dried to create these foam-like materials. Typically there is no particular orientation to the often layered structure that results, however if frozen in a unidirectional manner, anisotropic materials can be made. In this paper we will discuss the effects of molecular weight on mechanical properties of various composites as well as discussing the orientated layered structure within the anisotropic materials.
Effects of Weaning Productivity, as Mediated Through Sire Selection, on Subsequent Pregnancy Rate of the Cow Herd1,2

The present study, conducted to determine the impact of level of weaning productivity on subsequent pregnancy rate of the cow herd, involved two locations in the Southern Region - University of Kentucky, Lexington and Hill Farm Research Station, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Homer. Differences in level of (WW) productivity were created by producing calves sired by high and average bulls selected on the basis of direct WW expected progeny differences (EPD) (Kentucky: low-accuracy yearling Limousin bulls, natural matings, 478 calvings, direct WW EPD between high and average bulls = 11.3 kg; Louisiana: high-accuracy Simmental bulls, AI matings, 120 calvings, direct WW EPD between high and average bulls = 9.2 kg). Realized differences for 205-d WW between high- and average-sired progeny were 13 kg (P<0.05) and 16 kg (P<0.01), respectively, for the Kentucky
Endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation of the human type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase (D2) is mediated via an association between mammalian UBC7 and the carboxyl region of D2.

The type 2 iodothyronine selenodeiodinase (D2) is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident selenoprotein that activates T4 to T3, playing a critical role in thyroid homeostasis. D2 has an approximately 45-min half-life due to selective ubiquitin-mediated ER-associated degradation (ERAD), a process of particular interest because it is accelerated by exposure to D2 substrates, T4 or rT3. The present in vitro binding studies indicate that glutathione-S-transferase (GST)-human D2 fusion proteins specifically associate with a mammalian homolog of the ubiquitin conjugase UBC7 (MmUBC7), with localization to amino acids 169–234 of D2. Coexpression of D2 with an inactive D2 mutant or a truncated version containing amino acids 169–234 stabilizes D2 half-life, supporting the importance of the carboxyl region of D2 for ERAD. Mammalian UBC6 (MmUBC6) does not directly associate with D2 but can associate with a complex containing UBC7 and D2. At the same time, functional studies in human embryonic kidney-293 cells indicat...
Image-enhanced tracking using a phased array radar

A phased array radar is an effective tool for tracking agile targets at intermediate and close ranges. Even so, high maneuver rates may lead to unacceptable loss-of-lock rates unless the interdwell intervals are short. This paper shows that the interdwell interval can be extended, and estimation performance can be improved using an image-enhanced tracking algorithm. The geometry of the encounter is modeled explicitly, and the correlations between angular and translational errors are utilized to fashion an effective tracking algorithm. >
LABOR MARKET INCENTIVES TO STAY IN SCHOOL

Human capital theory suggests that job opportunities will create incentives for human capital investment. If job information does not flow freely, or if they prefer not to move, students will make investment decisions based upon local job markets. Communities with a high percentage of low-skill jobs which do not reward high school and higher education do not create incentives for students to finish high school or continue beyond high school. Data from Virginia support this hypothesis. Targeted job creation, and improved labor market information may create incentives for increased human capital investment in many rural communities.
The Seat Product Model of the effective number of parties: A case for applied political science

This paper extends Taagepera's (2007) Seat Product Model and shows that the effective number of seat-wining parties and vote winning parties can both be predicted with institutional variables alone, namely district magnitude, assembly size, and upper-tier seat share. The expected coefficients are remarkably stable across different samples. Including the further information of ethnic diversity in the models hardly improves the estimate of the effective number of parties, and thus the institutions-only models are preferable on the grounds of parsimony and the applicability to electoral-system design or “engineering”.
A Note on Calculation of Threshold Resonance by the Method of Complex Scaling

A new approach to threshold resonance calculation by the complex scaling method is discussed. Application to scattering over a model potential barrier is presented and compared to a direct quantum scattering calculation.
The rise of the robot industry in China

China has had the largest market for industrial robots in the world since 2013. With market needs and governmental support, the Chinese robot industry is expanding at an unprecedented rate in order to meet the challenges and opportunities of the rapidly developing Chinese economy. In this paper, the current state of the Chinese robot market and industry is summarised. Strategies for developing the Chinese robot industry are further discussed. It has been widely realised that the major obstacle in developing Chinese industrial robots has been the lack of capability to produce high-quality robot components such as motor drives, gearboxes, and controllers. Over the past 30 years, significant investments from the government and private sectors have been made in order to tackle this problem. However, the Chinese robot industry still faces major difficulties today. In the design and manufacturing of these components, “know-how” plays an important role. It is essential to obtain such know-how in order to overcom...
Fibroblast growth factor 23 levels are elevated and associated with severe acute kidney injury and death following cardiac surgery

Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is elevated in chronic kidney disease and associated with increased mortality, but data on FGF23 in humans with acute kidney injury (AKI) are limited. Here we tested whether FGF23 levels rise early in the course of AKI following cardiac surgery and if higher postoperative FGF23 levels are independently associated with severe AKI and adverse outcomes. Plasma C-terminal FGF23 (cFGF23) levels were measured preoperatively, at the end of cardiopulmonary bypass, and on postoperative days 1 and 3 in 250 patients undergoing cardiac surgery. We also measured intact FGF23, parathyroid hormone, phosphate, and vitamin D metabolites in a subgroup of 18 patients with severe AKI and 18 matched non-AKI controls. Beginning at the end of cardiopulmonary bypass, cFGF23 levels were significantly and consistently higher in patients who developed AKI compared with those who did not. The early increase in cFGF23 predated changes in other mineral metabolites. The levels of intact FGF23 also increased in patients who developed severe AKI, but the magnitude was lower than cFGF23. In analyses adjusted for age, preoperative eGFR, and cardiopulmonary bypass time, higher cFGF23 levels at the end of cardiopulmonary bypass were significantly associated with greater risk of severe AKI and the need for renal replacement therapy or death. Thus, cFGF23 levels rise early in AKI following cardiac surgery and are independently associated with adverse postoperative outcomes.
Tradeoffs and Synergies between Biofuel Production and Large Solar Infrastructure in Deserts

Solar energy installations in deserts are on the rise, fueled by technological advances and policy changes. Deserts, with a combination of high solar radiation and availability of large areas unusable for crop production are ideal locations for large solar installations. However, for efficient power generation, solar infrastructures use large amounts of water for construction and operation. We investigated the water use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with solar installations in North American deserts in comparison to agave-based biofuel production, another widely promoted potential energy source from arid systems. We determined the uncertainty in our analysis by a Monte Carlo approach that varied the most important parameters, as determined by sensitivity analysis. We considered the uncertainty in our estimates as a result of variations in the number of solar modules ha(-1), module efficiency, number of agave plants ha(-1), and overall sugar conversion efficiency for agave. Further, we considered the uncertainty in revenue and returns as a result of variations in the wholesale price of electricity and installation cost of solar photovoltaic (PV), wholesale price of agave ethanol, and cost of agave cultivation and ethanol processing. The life-cycle analyses show that energy outputs and GHG offsets from solar PV systems, mean energy output of 2405 GJ ha(-1) year(-1) (5 and 95% quantile values of 1940-2920) and mean GHG offsets of 464 Mg of CO2 equiv ha(-1) year(-1) (375-562), are much larger than agave, mean energy output from 206 (171-243) to 61 (50-71) GJ ha(-1) year(-1) and mean GHG offsets from 18 (14-22) to 4.6 (3.7-5.5) Mg of CO2 equiv ha(-1) year(-1), depending upon the yield scenario of agave. Importantly though, water inputs for cleaning solar panels and dust suppression are similar to amounts required for annual agave growth, suggesting the possibility of integrating the two systems to maximize the efficiency of land and water use to produce both electricity and liquid fuel. A life-cycle analysis of a hypothetical colocation indicated higher returns per m(3) of water used than either system alone. Water requirements for energy production were 0.22 L MJ(-1) (0.28-0.19) and 0.42 L MJ(-1) (0.52-0.35) for solar PV-agave (baseline yield) and solar PV-agave (high yield), respectively. Even though colocation may not be practical in all locations, in some water-limited areas, colocated solar PV-agave systems may provide attractive economic incentives in addition to efficient land and water use.
Long-term temporal variability in hydrogen peroxide concentrations in Wilmington, North Carolina USA rainwater.

Measurements of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), pH, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and inorganic anions (chloride, nitrate, and sulfate) in rainwater were conducted on an event basis at a single site in Wilmington, NC for the past decade in a study that included over 600 individual rain events. Annual volume weighted average (VWA) H2O2 concentrations were negatively correlated (p < 0.001) with annual VWA nonseasalt sulfate (NSS) concentrations in low pH (<5) rainwater. Under these conditions H2O2 is the primary aqueous-phase oxidant of SO2 in the atmosphere. We attribute the increase of H2O2 to decreasing SO2 emissions which has had the effect of reducing a major tropospheric sink for H2O2. Annual VWA H2O2 concentrations in low pH (<5) rains showed a significant increase over the time scale of this study, which represents the only long-term continuous data set of H2O2 concentrations in wet deposition at a single location. This compositional change has important implications because H2O2 is a source of highly r...
COMMUNITY STRUCTURE: GLOBAL EVALUATION AND THE ROLE OF WITHIN COMMUNITY BETA-DIVERSITY

Community structure is defined as the mathematical statistical distribution of the relative species abundance vector. Consideration of the decomposition equation for species richness, S, evenness, E, and the Shannon estimate of entropy or information, H, plus their respective regressions on the accumulation of the number of individuals, N, in a sample leads to the establishment of three structural types. Each type is defined by the slope, β 1H , of the regression H versus lnN and depends on the accumulation rate of species between samples (beta-diversity) in a community. These types are designated as 1) Type 0, where H is constant with the accumulation of lnN denoting equilibrium or stability (Log series is a special case); 2) Type 1, where the slope of H is positive with the accumulation of lnN denoting growth or expansion (Log normal is a special case); and 3) Type −1, where the slope of H is negative with the accumulation of lnN denoting decline, instability or stress. In this study, 72 communities were analyzed from environments ranging from marginal marine to the abyss. Only 10 communities are identified as type −1 with the majority of these at lower bathyal and abyssal depths. At abyssal depths the average β 1H is −0.057 and data from fossil communities in the Arctic indicate that this unstable, stressed situation has persisted for at least 50 ka. In the Gulf of Mexico at shelf depths, low values for β 1H are registered near the Mississippi delta. In contrast, the open-ocean east of New Zealand has an average β 1H of 0.227, the highest recorded. Among marginal marine environments an average β 1H of −0.030 was recorded in Long Island Sound before the collapse of that community. In contrast, the Indian River Lagoon, Florida had the highest β 1H for a marginal marine environment with an average value of 0.195. No simple invariant pattern between type 0 and type 1 communities is prevalent in any environment. Overall 31 communities are type 0 and 31 are type 1. In marginal marine environments (22 communities) the average value of β 1H is 0.092. In the open-ocean (50 communities) the average value of β 1H is 0.093. Evidently, for any group to remain highly successful on the average a slightly positive value of β 1H is required.
Jointly characterizing epigenetic dynamics across multiple human cell types

Advanced sequencing technologies have generated a plethora of data for many chromatin marks in multiple tissues and cell types, yet there is lack of a generalized tool for optimal utility of those data. A major challenge is to quantitatively model the epigenetic dynamics across both the genome and many cell types for understanding their impacts on differential gene regulation and disease. We introduce IDEAS, an integrative and discriminative epigenome annotation system, for jointly characterizing epigenetic landscapes in many cell types and detecting differential regulatory regions. A key distinction between our method and existing state-of-the-art algorithms is that IDEAS integrates epigenomes of many cell types simultaneously in a way that preserves the position-dependent and cell type-specific information at fine scales, thereby greatly improving segmentation accuracy and producing comparable annotations across cell types.
Incorporating Child Maltreatment Training into Medical School Curricula

The Child Advocacy Studies Training (CAST) program has been implemented at the graduate and undergraduate levels, but has not been incorporated in medical school training. This study examines the efficacy of a modified version of the CAST program that is tailored to meet the educational needs of medical students. A total sample of 75 first year medical students (57 at 6 month follow-up) participated in the study and completed analogue vignettes depicting cases of maltreatment. It was hypothesized that, relative to the comparison group, students who completed CAST training would demonstrate better accuracy at identifying and reporting maltreatment. Results indicated that CAST students demonstrated improved accuracy at the conclusion of the CAST program and 6 months later.
Application of writhing general movement assessment in very low birth weight infant follow-up for motor development

Objective To study the application of the general and detailed assessment of writhing movement in very low birth weight(VLBW)infants follow-up for motor development. Methods A total of 50 VLBW infants ranging from December of 2009 to December of 2014 included in the Rehabilitation Department of Children's Hospital of Fudan University participated in the study.The motor development outcomes of the infants at 1year old were determined according to clinical diagnoses and PDMS-2.The motor optimality score was assessed according to the detailed assessment of " Preterm and Term General Movement".The motor developmental score of the infants at 1year old and the correlation coefficients between the motor optimality score and PDMS score were calculated. Results The predictive value of GMs assessment for neurological deficits(CP and motor retardation)was as following:sensitivity 100%,specificity 33.3%,positive predictive value 29.7%,and negative predictive value 100%;The predictive value of CS for CP was as following:sensitivity 55.6%,specificity97.6%,positive predictive value 83.3%,and negative predictive value 90.9%.The median value of the 50infants' motor optimality score was 24.The correlation degree between the motor optimality score and PDMS score of the infants at 1year old was moderate. Conclusion In the motor developmental follow-up of VLBW infants,the writhing general movement assessment can be used as early indicators.
Über den Einfluss des Vitamins C auf Infektiöse Leukocytosen

Da manche Angaben in der Literatur den Eindruck erwecken, das das Vitamin C leukopenische Reaktionen hervorrufen konnte, wurde dessen Einflus auf infektiose Leukocytosen untersucht. Keinesfalls erfolgt, wie Tierversuche und klinische Untersuchungen ergaben, eine depressive Beeinflussung der Leukocytensteigerungen im Verlauf von Infekten. Die Tierversuche erwecken sogar den Anschein, das durch die Ascorbinsauregaben ein Antrieb des Leukocytenanstiegs erfolge; dies wird auf eine allgemeine Aktivierung der Abwehrkrafte des Korpers zuruckgefuhrt.
The interplay of aggregation, fibrillization and gelation of an unexpected low molecular weight gelator: glycylalanylglycine in ethanol/water

Hydrogels formed by polypeptides could be much-favored tools for drug delivery because their main ingredients are generally biodegradable. However, the gelation of peptides in aqueous solution generally requires a minimal length of the peptide as well as distinct sequences of hydrophilic and hydrophobic residues. The aggregation of short peptides like tripeptides, which are relatively cheap and offer a high degree of biodegradability, are generally thought to require a high hydrophobicity of their residues. We found that contrary to this expectation cationic glycylalanylglycine in 55 mol% ethanol/45 mol% water forms a gel below a melting temperature of ca. 36 °C. A pure hydrogel state can be obtained after allowing the ethanol component to evaporate. The gel phase consists of crystalline fibrils of several 100 μm, which form a sample-spanning network. Rheological data reveal a soft elastic solid gel. We investigated the kinetics of the various processes that lead to the final gel state of the ternary mixture by a unique combination of UV circular dichroism, infrared, vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) and rheological measurements. A mathematical analysis of our data show that gelation is preceded by the formation of peptide β-sheet like tapes or ribbons, which give rise to a significant enhancement of the amide I′ VCD signal, and the subsequent formation of rather thick and long fibrils. The VCD signals indicate that the tapes exhibit a right-handed helicity at temperatures above 16 °C and a left-handed helicity below. The tapes'/ribbons' helicity change occurs at a temperature where the UVCD data reflect a relatively long nucleation process. The kinetics of gel formation probed by the storage and loss moduli are composed of a fast process that follows tape/ribbon/fibril formation and is clearly identifiable in a movie that shows the gelation process and a slow process that causes an additional gel stabilization. The rheological data indicate that left-handed fibrils observed at low temperatures form a more solid-like structure than their right-handed counterparts formed at higher temperatures. Taken together our data reveal GAG as an unexpected gelator, the formation of which is underlied by a set of distinguishable kinetic processes.
Optimized pulses for Raman excitation through the continuum: Verification using the multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree-Fock method

Author(s): Greenman, L; Whaley, KB; Haxton, DJ; McCurdy, CW | Abstract: We have verified a mechanism for Raman excitation of atoms through continuum levels previously obtained by quantum optimal control using the multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree-Fock (MCTDHF) method. For the optimal control, which requires running multiple propagations to determine the optimal pulse sequence, we used the computationally inexpensive time-dependent configuration interaction singles (TDCIS) method. TDCIS captures all of the necessary correlation of the desired processes but assumes that ionization pathways reached via double excitations are not present. MCTDHF includes these pathways and all multiparticle correlations in a set of time-dependent orbitals. The mechanism that was determined to be optimal in the Raman excitation of the Ne 1s22s22p53p1 valence state via the metastable 1s22s12p63p1 resonance state involves a sequential resonance-valence excitation. First, a long pump pulse excites the core-hole state, and then a shorter Stokes pulse transfers the population to the valence state. This process represents the first step in a multidimensional x-ray spectroscopy scheme that will provide a local probe of valence electronic correlations. Although at the optimal pulse intensities at the TDCIS level of theory the MCTDHF method predicts multiple ionization or excitation ionization of the atom, at slightly lower intensities (reduced by a factor of about 4) the TDCIS mechanism is shown to hold qualitatively. Quantitatively, the MCTDHF populations are reduced from the TDCIS calculations by a factor of 4.
Approaching B-ISDN: An Overview of ATM and DQDB

Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is the internationally agreed upon technique for transmission, multiplexing, and switching in a broadband network. It is designed to support the integration of high quality voice, video, and high speed data traffic. Although much work is underway in the definition, design, and development of ATM, many important components of the ATM network have not been solved. ATM is a transfer mode suitable for implementing broadband networks (WAN, MAN, and LAN) but not a network architecture in and of itself. Although, the origin of DQDB MAN is unrelated to ATM, the work by IEEE 802.6 that lead to the standardization of the DQDB will be the introductory step to ATM and B-ISDN. The relationship between ATM and DQDB is explained and a detailed discussion on the open and challenging problems that remain to be solved for ATM is presented.
Nekton Use of Flooded Salt Marsh and an Assessment of Intertidal Creek Pools as Low-Tide Refuges

Patterns of nekton occurrence on the salt marsh surface at high tide and in an adjacent intertidal creek pool at low tide were used to investigate movements of nekton in an intertidal basin. Paired collections were made in North Inlet estuary, SC on 67 dates over 9 years. Comparisons of high- and low-tide total abundance indicated that what remained in the creek pool at low tide was representative of the nekton on the flooded marsh. Of the 64 taxa collected, the same 8 species ranked in the top 10 in both the high- and low-tide collections. Abundances of most resident species were positively correlated with the area of marsh flooded, but mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus), the most abundant resident, was not. Abundances of young-of-the-year transient species were not related to the extent of tidal flooding. Some transient species used the flooded marsh but did not occupy the pool at low tide, and others found in the pool did not use the marsh. Differences in abundance, biomass, and length between the marsh and pool collections indicated differences in the tendency of species and life stages to retreat downstream of the pool to the subtidal channel. Proportionately more of the nekton that were present on the flooded marsh left the intertidal basin when large changes in temperature and salinity occurred between high and low tides. More transients left the basin following higher tides, but more residents did not. The results demonstrate a wide range of taxonomic and ontogenetic patterns among nekton using intertidal salt marsh basins and the underappreciated importance of intertidal creek pools as alternative low-tide refuges.
Monitoring Cardiorespiratory and Other Physiological Parameters During Seizures in Small Animals

The systemic consequences of seizure activity can be significant. An understanding of specific cardiorespiratory or other systemic consequences, their relations to seizure activity, and contributions to severe outcomes, such as sudden death, depends upon measurements of a variety of systemic parameters. We review a number of approaches to monitoring cardiorespiratory and other systemic physiology during seizures, and the specific animal models that have been developed to access these measures. Pharmacological strategies to manipulate measurements and postmortem measurements are also discussed. The range of results presented highlight the value of the animal model as a tool that can be manipulated to explore fundamental questions about the impact of seizures on the body.
Model for screened, charge-regulated electrostatics of an eye lens protein: Bovine gammaB-crystallin.

We model screened, site-specific charge regulation of the eye lens protein bovine gammaB-crystallin (γB) and study the probability distributions of its proton occupancy patterns. Using a simplified dielectric model, we solve the linearized Poisson-Boltzmann equation to calculate a 54×54 work-of-charging matrix, each entry being the modeled voltage at a given titratable site, due to an elementary charge at another site. The matrix quantifies interactions within patches of sites, including γB charge pairs. We model intrinsic pK values that would occur hypothetically in the absence of other charges, with use of experimental data on the dependence of pK values on aqueous solution conditions, the dielectric model, and literature values. We use Monte Carlo simulations to calculate a model grand-canonical partition function that incorporates both the work-of-charging and the intrinsic pK values for isolated γB molecules and we calculate the probabilities of leading proton occupancy configurations, for 4<pH<8 and Debye screening lengths from 6 to 20 A. We select the interior dielectric value to model γB titration data. At pH 7.1 and Debye length 6.0 A, on a given γB molecule the predicted top occupancy pattern is present nearly 20% of the time, and 90% of the time one or another of the first 100 patterns will be present. Many of these occupancy patterns differ in net charge sign as well as in surface voltage profile. We illustrate how charge pattern probabilities deviate from the multinomial distribution that would result from use of effective pK values alone and estimate the extents to which γB charge pattern distributions broaden at lower pH and narrow as ionic strength is lowered. These results suggest that for accurate modeling of orientation-dependent γB-γB interactions, consideration of numerous pairs of proton occupancy patterns will be needed.
Evaluation of HIV Disclosure Behavior Following a Randomized Controlled Disclosure Intervention for Men Who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV.

Preventing the transmission of HIV, especially among high-risk populations, is a U.S. public health priority. Interventions aimed at easing the burden of HIV disclosure to casual sexual partners among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV are essential in this endeavor. This randomized controlled study evaluated differences in disclosure behavior between a disclosure intervention (DI) and attention control case management (ACCM) group for MSM living with HIV (N = 315) and determinants (self-efficacy, outcome expectancy) of disclosure. Mixed-effects models results showed no significant differences in disclosure behavior between the DI and ACCM groups. Further, disclosure behavior changed in a curvilinear manner over 12 months and benefited from a booster session. Both disclosure self-efficacy and outcome expectancy predicted disclosure behavior. Interventions targeting HIV disclosure among MSM living with HIV should focus on improving perceptions of disclosure self-efficacy and outcome expectancy and include a booster session to facilitate HIV disclosure.
Radical Environmentalism and the Ecological Self

Abstract This analysis explores current, Western conceptualizations of self-identity, contrasts these with ideas of self from earlier epochs and suggests that an emerging cultural transition is leading to a new sense of self-an ecological self. The new self does not ignore identification with nonhuman beings and nature, as conventional conceptualizations have so often done. Rather, it suggests that nature constitutes both the beginning and the ongoing essence of full human development and potential. This analysis explores the contribution of radical en-vironmentalism to the evolution of the ecological self and suggests potential implications and practice applications for social work practitioners. Wilderness practice is discussed as an important practice strategy for social workers to consider in helping clients realize their ecological self-identity.
Quantum Dot Photonic Integrated Circuits on Silicon

Quantum dot lasers, amplifiers, modulators and photodetectors epitaxially grown on Si are promising for photonic integrated circuits. Laser performance is improving rapidly with continuous-wave threshold currents below 1 mA, injection efficiency of 87% and output power of 185 mW at 20 °C. Reliability tests show an extrapolated mean-time-to-failure of more than a million hours. This represents a significant stride toward efficient, scalable, and reliable III-V lasers on Si substrates for photonic integrated circuits that are compatible with CMOS foundries.
Behavioral pharmacology and verbal behavior: Diazepam effects on verbal self-reports.

Diazepam (10 mg) was administered to two men performing a delayed matching-to-sample task in which the number of elements in a compound sample stimulus (one of which appeared among 4 comparison stimuli) was manipulated from 1 to 3. After each trial, subjects pressed either a “Yes” or “No” button in response to a computer-presented query about whether the last choice met a point contingency requiring selection of the matching comparison stimulus within a time limit. Diazepam simultaneously produced marginal decreases in matching-to-sample performance and more pronounced decreases in the accuracy of self-reports about the same performance. Diazepam selectively increased false reports of success; false reports of failure were not systematically affected. A signal-detection analysis summarized these patterns as a decrease in self-report discriminability (A') with no systematic change in bias (B'H). These preliminary results converge with those of clinical lore and the results of studies with other benzodiazepine drugs in suggesting that diazepam can produce an “overconfidence” in performance self-evaluation, the mechanisms and parameters of which remain to be identified. The results were inconsistent with those of one previous study of diazepam's effects on performance self-evaluation, but given procedural differences between the two studies, the discrepancy may reflect the functional independence of verbal operant classes in Skinner's (1957) taxonomy.
Mass Spectrometers for Protein and Peptide Analysis

Two different types of instruments are used for most proteomics MS work: the MALDI-TOF instruments and the ESI-tandem MS instruments. The two types operate in entirely different ways and generate different, but complementary information. Indeed, the best-equipped proteomics laboratories have both types of instruments available. This chapter describes how each of these instruments works and what types of data they produce, and compares them on the basis of their advantages and limitations. Before we get to the instruments themselves, let’s take a look at the basics of MS instrumentation.
Geography and the Tale of Two Ghanas: The North–South Divide

Physical geography matters for development. Accordingly, development trends in Ghana are largely shaped by its geographic circumstances. Ghana—also West Africa for that matter—is not located on one of the major global trade routes, contributing to less favourable export market conditions. Many communities in Ghana are located in remote areas and are sparsely populated, raising the costs of basic social service delivery and infrastructure development. Most tropical zones, and those with higher precipitation levels such as the forest belt, have ecological conditions that favour mortal diseases such as malaria. The North (or Northern Ghana, which incorporates the Upper West, Upper East and Northern regions) has an arid environment conducive to a higher prevalence of drought and its population is known to live under harsher environmental and agricultural conditions.
A Decentralized P2P Electricity Market Model for Microgrids

Inspired by the online peer-to-peer (P2P) goods trading that has become increasingly popular in the recent years, in this paper we propose a decentralized P2P electricity marketing mechanism for a microgrid (MG) consisting of networked prosumer (consumers with distributed generation capability) clusters by incorporating Blockchain technology and Smart Contracts (SC). Our proposed electricity marketing mechanism is a two-level hierarchical one: In the upper level, the aggregators (AGGs) cooperate with each other and in the lower level, the local PRs maximize their financial profits via P2P energy trading. This mechanisms potentially results in price of anarchy instances in which the targets of the two level players will be contradictory. To address this issue, we assume that there exists a single universal cost function for both levels of the game. In our simulations, we evaluate the performance of our proposed P2P electricity marketing mechanism in maximizing the self-sufficiency of the microgrid and minimizing the side effects of the discriminatory pricing.
Automatic Detection of Dehydration using Support Vector Machines

There is a high demand for techniques that can detect dehydration automatically and accurately. In this study we collected photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals with miniature, wearable pulse oximeters from dehydrated patients being treated in the emergency department of tertiary care medical center. We used a set of features based on the variable frequency complex demodulation (VFCDM) to track changes in the amplitudes of the PPG recordings in the heart rate frequency range over time. These features were fed to support vector machines (SVM) with radial basis function (RBF) kernel for automatic classification. The optimal overall accuracy for classifying dehydration, sensitivity and specificity were 67.91%, 72.77% and 64.31% respectively. These results are promising, and suggest that automatic distinction between dehydration and rehydration is potentially possible even in clinical setting.
Academic Librarians' Experiences and Perceptions on Mental Illness Stigma and the Workplace.

Research has been conducted within academia about faculty members and students who have experienced mental illness from a variety of theoretical perspectives, including disability studies. While this research acknowledges that the stigma surrounding mental illness keeps people from sharing their experiences, there has not been research that focused specifically on librarians in higher education. This study sought to determine if mental illness stigma affects academic librarians and their professional environments, including teaching and providing services for students, using a survey modeled on one from the psychological literature. The responses revealed that stigma greatly influences academic librarians, particularly with regard to disclosure. An allowance for disclosure without the fear of stigmatization would not only help librarians but would also help other members of our academic communities. Sharing these survey results can begin to fill a gap that exists in the literature between librarians experiencing mental illness, the stigma that they experience because of it, and changing our academic culture.
Proceedings of the 2nd international conference on INtelligent TEchnologies for interactive enterTAINment

The conference intends to stimulate interaction among academic researchers and commercial developers of interactive entertainment systems. In addition to paper presentations, posters and demos, the conference will foster discussions in topic centered workshops and special events such as the design garage. Underlying Interactive Device Technologies (mobile devices, home entertainment centers, haptic devices, wall screen displays, information kiosks, holographic displays, fog screens, distributed smart sensors, immersive screens and wearable devices), can provide through a variety of Media Delivery Infrastructures (multimedia networks, interactive radio, streaming technologies, DVB-T/M, ITV, P2P, satellite broadcasting, UMTS, Bluetooth, Broadband, VoIP) and a series of user centered Intelligent Computational Technologies and Interactive Applications for Entertainment as described.