cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Performance of a highly configurable channel emulator

The future of wireless communication lies in Internet of Things (IOT) and the Machine-to-Machine (M2M) devices that will enable such networks. These devices will often be placed in less than ideal locations with large signal path losses, such as the highly reflective and blocking environment of a factory floor. In this work, we present a compact reconfigurable channel emulator that leverages an eight transmit antenna array and variable attenuators to provide over 200 million different conditions. Using the array, along with a programmable linear track, we demonstrate the large number of channel environments that can be created, ranging from Ricean to worse than Rayleigh.
Interface mechanics of carbon fibers with radially-grown carbon nanotubes

Abstract An atomistic modeling framework to investigate the interface/interphase of composite architecture with carbon fibers containing radially-grown carbon nanotubes (often called fuzzy fibers) is detailed in this paper. A polymeric functional coating for the carbon fiber surface, which also serves as a substrate for the CNT growth, is explicitly modeled. The tensile and transverse moduli of the fuzzy fiber/epoxy interphase is computed from virtual deformation simulations and compared to experimental values reported in literature, in order to validate the nanoscale model. Furthermore, the effect of the polymer substrate is studied by modeling the local interphase mechanics. Various modes of virtual loading provide the cohesive behavior of the local substrate/epoxy interphase. Conclusions are presented by comparing the material response of the interphase with and without the polymeric substrate. The integration of results from the nanoscale to an atomistically-informed subcell-based continuum level model is also demonstrated in the paper.
Organizing the Sociological Landscape for the Next Decades of Health and Health Care Research: The Network Episode Model III-R as Cartographic Subfield Guide

The last decade has produced an extraordinary consensus in understanding health, illness, and healing. While the last 100 years of social science, and many more years for the natural sciences, was marked by greater disciplinary boundaries and specialization, these last twenty have been marked by calls for transdisciplinarity. This is not unique to medicine or to the sociomedical sciences. The centrifugal force that characterized the development of the first 100 years of empirically based research has produced schools (e.g., public health), spin-off disciplines and programs (e.g., women’s studies, health services research), and subfields (e.g., medical sociology) with a solid body of rich ideas and empirical findings (Pescosolido 2006a). This period established some of the most famous dichotomies of early modern science – photons versus waves, geosynclines versus tectonic plates, nature versus nurture, the individual versus society, and culture versus structure. While some of these were eventually adjudicated and their superiority established (e.g., Geographer Wegener’s theory of plate tectonics), most have reached a contemporary end point that matches what sociologists have always known: The world is intricate and messy, even if regular and patterned.
The Helpfulness of Urban Villagers

The failure of people in urban settings to lend assistance to strangers who need help has provoked consideration of many factors that have proved useful in the explanation of helping behavior, for example, diffusion of responsibility, environmental overload, and time pressures. This suggests that there might be equally valuable lessons to be learned if we could find and analyze settings where helpfulness toward strangers occurred to a high degree. This would be particularly interesting if such settings could be found within an urban environment. One of the most intriguing accounts of a helpful place is Jane Jacobs’s description of the North End of Boston, a working-class Italian neighborhood that figured prominently in her now-classic book The Death and Life of Great American Cities (Jacobs, 1961). Jacobs teils of the high level of personal safety experienced by persons in this neighborhood, both residents and outside visitors alike, because of the Virtual absence of street crime. Local residents attributed this safety to the readiness of shopkeepers, passersby, and window kibitzers to intervene on behalf of persons threatened with any kind of street danger, whether mugging, harassment, or car accidents.
Tobacco Industry Youth Tobacco Prevention Programming: A Review

This review provides a description of the youth tobacco prevention activities of the Tobacco Institute and the 6 largest U.S. tobacco companies. A computer search of PsycINFO and MedINFO from 1984 to the present, and a concurrent web metasearch of DogPile.com under the terms “tobacco industry” and “youth smoking prevention” was completed. All journal articles and web pages that discussed tobacco industry youth tobacco prevention program methods were examined. Programming was examined by whether it addressed 13 types of components that constitute effective tobacco use prevention. It is concluded that self-generated tobacco industry programming is lacking several of the types of components that are contained in effective programming. Providing financial support of nonindustry programming greatly improves this effort; however, the concept of tobacco industry involvement in youth tobacco prevention needs continued examination.
Leveraging the MJO for Predicting Envelopes of Tropical Wave and Synoptic Activity at Multi-Week Lead Times

Abstract : The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) is the dominant mode of tropical intraseasonal variability, and it extensively interacts with other components of the climate and weather systems. In this project, we will focus on its interactions with important higher-frequency tropical modes. The long-term goals are 1) to explore the relationships between the MJO and the tropical synoptic variablility, mainly the convectively coupled equtorial waves (CCEWs) that include Kelvin, equatorial Rossby, mixed Rossby-gravity, Inertio-gravity waves, and tropical depressions; 2) to investigate the physical mechanisms behind these relationships; 3) to explore the predictability and prediction skill of the envelopes of these tropical synoptic waves associated with the MJO, thus contributing to forming a seamless bridge between weather and climate prediction.
Data Mining for Adverse Drug Events With a Propensity Score-matched Tree-based Scan Statistic

The tree-based scan statistic is a statistical data mining tool that has been used for signal detection with a self-controlled design in vaccine safety studies. This disproportionality statistic adjusts for multiple testing in evaluation of thousands of potential adverse events. However, many drug safety questions are not well suited for self-controlled analysis. We propose a method that combines tree-based scan statistics with propensity score-matched analysis of new initiator cohorts, a robust design for investigations of drug safety. We conducted plasmode simulations to evaluate performance. In multiple realistic scenarios, tree-based scan statistics in cohorts that were propensity score matched to adjust for confounding outperformed tree-based scan statistics in unmatched cohorts. In scenarios where confounding moved point estimates away from the null, adjusted analyses recovered the prespecified type 1 error while unadjusted analyses inflated type 1 error. In scenarios where confounding moved point estimates toward the null, adjusted analyses preserved power, whereas unadjusted analyses greatly reduced power. Although complete adjustment of true confounders had the best performance, matching on a moderately mis-specified propensity score substantially improved type 1 error and power compared with no adjustment. When there was true elevation in risk of an adverse event, there were often co-occurring signals for clinically related concepts. TreeScan with propensity score matching shows promise as a method for screening and prioritization of potential adverse events. It should be followed by clinical review and safety studies specifically designed to quantify the magnitude of effect, with confounding control targeted to the outcome of interest.
Association of Hospital Length of Stay and Complications With Readmission After Open Pancreaticoduodenectomy.

This study uses data from the American College of Surgeons National Quality Improvement Program databases to evaluate associations between hospital length of stay and postoperative complications with hospital readmission among patients who underwent open pancreaticoduodenectomy.
Landmark among decision-making and policy analyses and template for integrating alternative frames of reference: Glenn D. Paige, The Korean Decision

That policies and decisions provide distinctive foci for the application of scholarly attention is a hallmark of the last half of the 20th century. Among landmark invocations of such attention was and is Glenn D. Paige's The Korean Decision. ‘Landmarks’ represent creative achievements that lay down original formulations or findings or point the ways to original findings, and they do so with high quality of method and exposition. The Korean Decision exhibited the first and fullest use of Richard C. Snyder's decision-making approach in the study of public order decisions and it did so in ways that opened new lines of inquiry. It also rendered evident equivalencies with the decision-centered conception of the policy sciences as formulated by Harold D. Lasswell and Myres S. McDougal. This reappraisal of Paige's classic work stresses explicit and implicit complementarities between one decision-making approach and the policy sciences. Several equivalencies illustrate points at which the addition or the overlap of one scheme to and with another may enrich alternative approaches to common phenomena, including observational standpoint, conceptions of the decision process, definition of decisional situations, crisis as a special occasion for decision, linkages among variables, and appraisal as a particular decision process function.
Innovative Development in Agriculture

Innovative development is based on knowledge and innovation. The paper focuses on the assessment of the innovative development of agriculture and its main sectors. It is concluded that there is insufficient funding for agricultural science and the low level of domestic innovation. The introduction of innovations during the construction, reconstruction, and modernization of agricultural enterprises and farms is characterized by low returns per an object (except for poultry farming), which is explained by the length of the production cycle in beef cattle breeding and the period of reaching its design capacity. Regions with a large share of agricultural production in gross regional product have a lower level of innovative development, which requires increased funding for agricultural science and the active introduction of innovations in production.
$\mathfrak{m}$-adic Perturbations in Noetherian Local Rings

We develop new methods to study $\mathfrak{m}$-adic stability in an arbitrary Noetherian local ring. These techniques are used to prove results about the behavior of Hilbert-Samuel and Hilbert-Kunz multiplicities under fine $\mathfrak{m}$-adic perturbations.
REPRODUCTION AND DENNING BY SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND FOXES: AGE, SEX, AND POLYGAMY

Channel Island foxes (Urocyon littoralis) live on six of the eight California Channel Islands, and each island is inhabited by a distinct subspecies. Until recently, four of these subspecies were listed under the Endangered Species Act as endangered. Although three of the four subspecies have been delisted, and one subspecies was downlisted to threatened, all subspecies are still vulnerable because of small population sizes and potential threats from predation and disease. Consequently, information on reproductive behavior for each subspecies, including the San Clemente Island fox (Urocyon littoralis clementae), is important for understanding fox population dynamics. We determined reproductive status of 28 island foxes through observations of radio collared yearlings and adults with or without juveniles between 25 February and 8 October 2009. We found a greater number of adult foxes than yearling foxes and a greater number of female foxes than male foxes observed with juveniles. Also, there was a significantly greater probability of observing adult female foxes with juveniles than yearling males with juveniles. Only 1 of 28 radio collared foxes exhibited either polygamous or “helper” behaviors. Parturition started approximately 2 months earlier than historically recorded for other Channel Island fox subspecies. Our results suggest that in future studies of reproductive success more effort should be placed on monitoring adult females than yearling males. If emergence from dens continues to occur earlier than previously recorded, the current recommended time period for trapping (20 June–31 January) might need revision to exclude January to reduce stress to pregnant females. If all foxes have similar probabilities of transmitting disease on a given contact with juveniles, our data suggest that it may be appropriate to focus more vaccination efforts on females than males and adults than yearlings because they contact juveniles more frequently.
Mitochondrial Redox Signaling Is Critical to the Normal Functioning of the Neuronal System

Mitochondrial dysfunction often leads to neurodegeneration and is considered one of the main causes of neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other age-related diseases. Mitochondrial dysfunction is tightly linked to oxidative stress and accumulating evidence suggests the association between oxidative stress and neurological disorders. However, there is insufficient knowledge about the role of pro-oxidative shift in cellular redox and impairment of redox-sensitive signaling in the development of neurodegenerative pathological conditions. To gain a more complete understanding of the relationship between mitochondria, redox status, and neurodegenerative disorders, we investigated the effect of mitochondrial thiol-dependent peroxidases, peroxiredoxins (Prxs), on the physiological characteristics of flies, which change with pathologies such as PD, ALS and during aging. We previously found that through their ability to sense changes in redox and regulate redox-sensitive signaling, Prxs play a critical role in maintaining global thiol homeostasis, preventing age-related apoptosis and chronic activation of the immune response. We also found that the phenotype of flies under-expressing Prxs in mitochondria shares many characteristics with the phenotype of Drosophila models of neurological disorders such as ALS, including impaired locomotor activity and compromised redox balance. Here, we expanded the study and found that under-expression of mitochondrial Prxs leads to behavioral changes associated with neural function, including locomotor ability, sleep-wake behavior, and temperature-sensitive paralysis. We also found that under-expression of mitochondrial Prxs with a motor-neuron-specific driver, D42-GAL4, was a determining factor in the development of the phenotype of shortened lifespan and impaired motor activity in flies. The results of the study suggest a causal link between mitochondrial Prx activity and the development of neurological disorders and pre-mature aging.
Sequence-to-Sequence Forecasting-aided State Estimation for Power Systems

Power system state forecasting has gained more attention in real-time operations recently. Unique challenges to energy systems are emerging with the massive deployment of renewable energy resources. As a result, power system state forecasting are becoming more crucial for monitoring, operating and securing modern power systems. This paper proposes an end-to-end deep learning framework to accurately predict multi-step power system state estimations in real-time. In our model, we employ a sequence-to-sequence framework to allow for multi-step forecasting. Bidirectional gated recurrent units (BiGRUs) are incorporated into the model to achieve high prediction accuracy. The dominant performance of our model is validated using real dataset. Experimental results show the superiority of our model in predictive power compared to existing alternatives.
School and Individual Achievement Following Desegregation in New Castle County, Delaware

This study describes the academic achievement of the pupils of New Castle County, Delaware, during the first 3 years of school desegregation. Every school desegregation case has its own specific characteristics that limit the generalizability of the findings to other desegregation settings. In New Castle County there were many unique factors which, taken together, make this desegregation case different from all others. In that sense, this report represents a case study of a unique situation. It is felt, however, that this in-depth examination of academic achievement coincident with desegregation has generated findings that contribute to our understanding of educational outcomes associated with the desegregation process.
Signals with Stochastic Parameters

The signal, in the act of being propagated and returned, is subjected to noise, which is the reason for changes in the signal structure. The changes in the signal structure caused by changes in the signal parameters, for example, the initial phase and amplitude of the signal, are not taken into account beforehand during signal processing and detection. But when the time of correlation (or period) of the noise is much more than the signal duration T, the changes in the initial phase and amplitude of the signal caused by the noise are relatively slow, and we may neglect these changes within the limits of the signal duration T, assuming that the initial phase and amplitude of the signal vary only from one realization to another.
Keeping the promise: Psychological contract violations for minority employees

This study examined the psychological contract held by minority employees as it relates to diversity, and the implications of violating the contract on minority employee job satisfaction, commitment to the organization and organizational cynicism. Data were collected from 88 minority employees at four university campuses. Results support unique elements of the psychological contract for minority employees and negative outcomes associated with contract violation. Trust and justice were found to moderate employee interpretations of the violation, though not as was predicted by previous theoretical models. Implications for managers of a diverse work force and future research are discussed.
Stability Problems of Collapsing Soil

Where collapsing soils exist in extensive areas of canal construction, stabilizing the foundation subsoils by ponding method is necessary before embankments and linings are built. As these soils a may still be somewhat critical after collapse, slope stability analyses must include this hazard In interpretation of soil strengths and safety factors. A procedure is presented for delineating collapsible soils and includes settlement records from 16 miles of preconstruction ponding treatment on the San Luis Canal, California, substantiating the criteria. Soil strength values from laboratory tests, which considered the critical nature of such soils, were used in a stability study. Safety factors were adjusted to account for earthquake stresses, and consideration was given to reduced ultimate strength and limits of strain to resist bulging and cracking of the lining. Improved stability was attained by zoning the canal embankments and compacting foundation surfaces with extra heavy pneumatic rollers.
Electronic Lottery Tickets as Micropayments

We present a new micropayment scheme based on the use of “electronic lottery tickets.” This scheme is exceptionally efficient since the bank handles only winning tickets, instead of handling each micropayment.
Comparison of the Solution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Crystal Structures of Interleukin-8 Possible Implications for the Mechanism of Receptor Binding

Abstract A comparison of the solution structure of the interleukin-8 dimer determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy with that of the 2 A resolution X-ray structure, solved by molecular replacement using the solution structure as a starting model, is presented. At the monomer level the atomic root-mean-square difference between the two structures for residues 7 to 72 is ~ 1.1 A for the backbone atoms, ~ 1.6 A for all atoms, and ~ 1 A for all atoms of the internal residues. There are two main regions of difference in the monomer. In the X-ray structure residues 4 to 6 are well ordered and the charged groups of Glu4 of one subunit and Lys23′ of the other are in close enough proximity to form an electrostatic interaction. In contrast, these residues are partially disordered in solution and the electrostatic interaction involving Glu4 is replaced by one between Glu29 of one subunit and Lys23′ of the other. In the loop comprising residues 31 to 36, His33 accepts a hydrogen bond from the backbone amide group of Gln8 in the solution structure, but donates a hydrogen bond to the backbone carbonyl group of Glu29 in the X-ray structure. There is also a difference in the quaternary structure with regard to the relative orientation of the two subunits produced by a rigid body rotation about the C2 axis that alters the angle between the central β-strands (formed by residues 23 to 29 of the 2 subunits) at the dimer interface, without breaking the symmetry. In the solution structure this angle has a value of 168 °, while in the X-ray structure the central strands are essentially flat, with an angle of 179 °. As a result, the separation between the two anti-parallel helices, which lie at an angle of about 60 ° to the underlying β-strands, is decreased from 14.8 A in the solution structure to 11.1 A in the X-ray structure. The quaternary structural difference is related to the different conformations of the N terminus and the 31 to 36 loop, both of which display different interactions with respect to the ends of the central β-strands in the two structures. These findings indicate that interleukin-8 has the potential to undergo conformational transitions that may be of functional significance.
4 – Redox Regulation of Ion Channels

This chapter presents electrophysiological concepts of ion channels and describes the role of redox regulation in channel function. Ion channels are protein macromolecules that form pores in the membranes of mammalian cells; they are an integral component of the cell membrane. Channels form one mechanism by which ions traverse the cell membrane. Channels are generally classified and named according to their functional characteristics. These characteristics include—ionic selectivity, the electrical conductance generated by the passage of ions, the relationship between current amplitude through the channel and the membrane potential, the molecular and biophysical factors that cause the channel to open as well as close, and the kinetics of activation and inactivation. In electrophysiology, the current-voltage relationship is shown as an x-y plot in which the amplitude and direction of current is plotted on the ordinate, the difference in potential across the membrane is plotted on the ordinate, and the difference in potential across the membrane is plotted on the abscissa. Rectification refers to that property of a channel wherein current flows preferentially in one direction.
Nonceliac Gluten Sensitivity

Nonceliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is the clinical term used to describe gastrointestinal (GI) and/or extraintestinal symptoms associated with gluten ingestion. The prevalence of NCGS is unknown. The condition has clinical features that overlap with those of celiac disease (CD) and wheat allergy (WA). The pathophysiologic process in NCGS is thought to be through an innate immune mechanism, whereas CD and WA are autoimmune- and allergen-mediated, respectively. However, dietary triggers other than gluten, such as the fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, have been implicated. Currently, no clinical biomarker is available to diagnose NCGS. Exclusion of CD and WA is necessary in the evaluation of a patient suspected to have NCGS. The onset of symptoms in patients with NCGS can occur within hours or days of gluten ingestion. Patients with NCGS have GI and extraintestinal symptoms that typically disappear when gluten-containing grains are eliminated from their diets. However, most patients suspected to have NCGS have already initiated a gluten-free diet at the time of an evaluation. A gluten elimination diet followed by a monitored open challenge of gluten intake to document recurrence of GI and/or extraintestinal symptoms can sometimes be helpful. If NCGS is strongly suggested, then a skilled dietitian with experience in counseling on gluten-free diets can provide proper patient education. Additional research studies are warranted to further our understanding of NCGS, including its pathogenesis and epidemiology, and to identify a biomarker to facilitate diagnosis and patient selection for proper management.
Production of novel polyphosphoinositides in vivo is linked to cell transformation by polyomavirus middle T antigen.

Abstract Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase associates with the polyomavirus middle T antigen (PyMTAg)-pp60c-src complex in polyomavirus-transformed cells. Here we show that anti-PyMTAg immunoprecipitates from PyMTAg-transformed NIH 3T3 cells have lipid kinase activities that phosphorylate phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol-4-bisphosphate, and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate at the D-3 position of the inositol ring to produce three new polyphosphoinositides: phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate (PI-3-P), phosphatidylinositol-3,4-bisphosphate (PI-3,4-P2), and phosphatidylinositol trisphosphate (PIP3), respectively. PI-3-P was detected in intact parental and PyMTAg-transformed NIH 3T3 fibroblasts at both low and high cell densities. However, parental NIH 3T3 fibroblasts produced no detectable PI-3,4-P2 or PIP3 at high density. In contrast, growing, subconfluent cells and wild-type PyMTAg-transformed cells at high density had greatly enhanced incorporation of [3H]-inositol into these highly phosphorylated lipids. Cells transfected with a transformation-defective mutant of PyMTAg had undetectable levels of PI-3,4-P2 and PIP3 at high density. Thus, the synthesis of novel polyphosphoinositides by lipid kinase activity associated with PyMTAg correlates with cell growth and transformation.
The DNA-bending protein HMG-1 enhances progesterone receptor binding to its target DNA sequences.

Abstract Steroid hormone receptors are ligand-dependent transcriptional activators that exert their effects by binding as dimers to cis-acting DNA sequences termed hormone response elements. When human progesterone receptor (PR), expressed as a full-length protein in a baculovirus system, was purified to homogeneity, it retained its ability to bind hormonal ligand and to dimerize but exhibited a dramatic loss in DNA binding activity for specific progesterone response elements (PREs). Addition of nuclear extracts from several cellular sources restored DNA binding activity, suggesting that PR requires a ubiquitous accessory protein for efficient interaction with specific DNA sequences. Here we have demonstrated that the high-mobility-group chromatin protein HMG-1, as a highly purified protein, dramatically enhanced binding of purified PR to PREs in gel mobility shift assays. This effect appeared to be highly selective for HMG-1, since a number of other nonspecific proteins failed to enhance PRE binding. Moreover, HMG-1 was effective when added in stoichiometric amounts with receptor, and it was capable of enhancing the DNA binding of both the A and B amino-terminal variants of PR. The presence of HMG-1 measurably increased the binding affinity of purified PR by 10-fold when a synthetic palindromic PRE was the target DNA. The increase in binding affinity for a partial palindromic PRE present in natural target genes was greater than 10-fold. Coimmunoprecipitation assays using anti-PR or anti-HMG-1 antibodies demonstrated that both PR and HMG-1 are present in the enhanced complex with PRE. HMG-1 protein has two conserved DNA binding domains (A and B), which recognize DNA structure rather than specific sequences. The A- or B-box domain expressed and purified from Escherichia coli independently stimulated the binding of PR to PRE, and the B box was able to functionally substitute for HMG-1 in enhancing PR binding. DNA ligase-mediated ring closure assays demonstrated that both the A and B binding domains mediate DNA flexure. It was also demonstrated in competition binding studies that the intact HMG-1 protein binds to tightly curved covalently closed or relaxed DNA sequences in preference to the same sequence in linear form. The finding that enhanced PRE binding was intrinsic to the HMG-1 box, combined with the demonstration that HMG-1 or its DNA binding boxes can flex DNA, suggests that HMG-1 facilitates the binding of PR by inducing a structural change in the target DNA.
Variation in hue of a contour-contingent aftereffect due to color adaptation during inspection of the stimulus patterns

The McCollough Effect (a colored line-orientation-contingent aftereffect) has been attributed to the presence of edge detectors specific to wavelength in the human visual system. The present study tests this hypothesis by introducing unlined colored fields into the inspection condition and by comparing the subsequent aftereffect with the aftereffect induced by the inspection condition not including the unlined colored fields. The data indicate that the hues of the aftereffects differ, suggesting that the color and line stimuli may be processed by different populations of neural elements, and that the color-coded edge detector model is not adequate to account for the observations.
Circadian phase shifts and mood across the perinatal period in women with a history of major depressive disorder: A preliminary communication

Background Perinatal changes in maternal sleep patterns may modify circadian phase. Our objectives were to (a) measure changes in circadian phase and phase angle between salivary dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) and sleep onset across the perinatal period; and (b) prospectively examine associations between circadian measures and depressed mood in women with a history of major depressive disorder (MDD).
Detecting Malicious Javascript in PDF through Document Instrumentation

An emerging threat vector, embedded malware inside popular document formats, has become rampant since 2008. Owed to its wide-spread use and Javascript support, PDF has been the primary vehicle for delivering embedded exploits. Unfortunately, existing defenses are limited in effectiveness, vulnerable to evasion, or computationally expensive to be employed as an on-line protection system. In this paper, we propose a context-aware approach for detection and confinement of malicious Javascript in PDF. Our approach statically extracts a set of static features and inserts context monitoring code into a document. When an instrumented document is opened, the context monitoring code inside will cooperate with our runtime monitor to detect potential infection attempts in the context of Javascript execution. Thus, our detector can identify malicious documents by using both static and runtime features. To validate the effectiveness of our approach in a real world setting, we first conduct a security analysis, showing that our system is able to remain effective in detection and be robust against evasion attempts even in the presence of sophisticated adversaries. We implement a prototype of the proposed system, and perform extensive experiments using 18623 benign PDF samples and 7370 malicious samples. Our evaluation results demonstrate that our approach can accurately detect and confine malicious Javascript in PDF with minor performance overhead.
Efficacy of different antimicrobials on inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes growth in laboratory medium and on cold-smoked salmon.

Abstract Listeria monocytogenes is of particular concern in cold-smoked fish products as it can survive curing and cold-smoking, and can subsequently grow from low numbers to potentially hazardous levels during refrigerated storage. The purpose of this study was to (i) quantify the effects of organic acids, nisin, and their combinations on controlling L. monocytogenes growth on cold-smoked salmon at refrigeration temperatures, (ii) identify synergistic interactions of binary combinations of these antimicrobials, and (iii) determine if results from laboratory growth media can predict antimicrobial efficacy on cold-smoked salmon. Strains representing the genetic diversity of L. monocytogenes lineages I and II were grown in brain heart infusion (BHI) broth as well as on the surface of commercially produced wet-cured, cold-smoked salmon slices at 7 °C. BHI broth and cold-smoked salmon were supplemented with sodium diacetate (SDA, 0.14% water phase (w.p.)), potassium lactate (PL, 2% w.p.), nisin (NI, 50 ppm), and binary combinations of inhibitors at the same levels. Cell densities of L. monocytogenes were measured over time and used to calculate growth parameters, including initial cell density ( N 0 ), lag phase (λ), maximum growth rate (μ max ), and maximum cell density ( N max ) for each antimicrobial treatment. N 0 was significantly lowered by addition of NI with a similar average reduction on salmon (2.02 ± 0.99 log(CFU/g)) and in BHI (1.51 ± 0.83 log(CFU/ml)). Among all antimicrobial treatments, the combination of PL and SDA led to the greatest increase in λ both on salmon (7.1 ± 3.6 days) and in BHI (9.7 ± 3.8 days) when compared to the controls. The combination of PL and SDA had synergistic effects on increasing λ and lowering N max both in BHI and on salmon. Among all the treatments tested, the combination of NI and PL led to the greatest reductions in N max on salmon. We observed positive correlations between the growth parameters obtained from BHI broth and cold-smoked salmon, indicating that growth of L. monocytogenes in broth, to some extent, qualitatively reflected characteristics of growth on cold-smoked salmon under antimicrobial stresses. Results from BHI could quantitatively predict the variability of growth parameters obtained from salmon for lineage II strains, but not for lineage I strains. Although results from laboratory growth medium may not provide exact predictions of antimicrobial efficacy on cold-smoked salmon, they could be used to rapidly identify effective combinations for further examination on cold-smoked salmon.
A technique of detecting conversion electrons

Abstract The resolution of a 50 mm 2 Si(Li) detector, suitable for operation at room temperature, was improved more than four times by cooling it to −32°C with the use of a thermo-electric device. Resolution measurements were made for the 0.972 MeV electron in the decay of 207 Bi. Data were taken using different bias voltages at various temperatures to obtain the optimum operating conditions for the detector. A copper water bath was used as a heat sink for the cooling module, affording reliable performance of not only the module but also the detector for long periods (weeks) of continuous running.
An eddy current transducer model for image restoration

We describe in this short paper a new imaging model for the spatial magnitude response of an absolute eddy current transducer to a flaw. This model is appropriate for image restoration purposes in that it captures the transducer response with sufficient accuracy for image restoration, yet is simple enough to be computationally practical. The model described in this paper is based on a simple resistive loop approximation to the transducer impedance changes induced by a flaw, and is efficiently implemented as layers of linear blurring functions and nonlinear point operations. The model is shown to accurately reflect the magnitude response of an absolute transducer to an EDM slot in a non-ferrous alloy. Furthermore, the model is shown to produce good restoration results for both synthetic and real images of flaws. The model may be adapted to a particular combination of absolute transducer and surface flaw type by optimizing the model parameters, either by forming the partial derivatives with respect to the parameters and minimizing by gradient descent, or by a straightforward implementation of a neural net back-propagation algorithm. Other types of eddy current transducers may be modeled by simply modifying the spatial layers to combine the local terms appropriately for the geometry of the transducer.
Optical Algorithm for Cloud Shadow Detection Over Water

The application of ocean color product retrieval algorithms for pixels containing cloud shadows leads to erroneous results. Thus, shadows are an important scene type that should be identified and excluded from the set of clear-sky pixels. In this paper, we present an optical cloud shadow-detection technique called the Cloud Shadow Detection Index (CSDI). This approach is for homogeneous water bodies such as deep waters where shadow detection is very challenging due to the relatively small differences in the brightness values of the shadows and neighboring sunlit or some other regions. The CSDI technique is developed based on the small differences between the total radiances reaching the sensor from the shadowed and neighboring sunlit regions of similar optical properties by amplifying the differences through integrating the spectra of the two regions. The Integrated Value (IV) is then normalized by the mean of the IVs within a spatial adaptive sliding box where atmospheric and marine optical properties are assumed homogeneous. Assuming that the true color and the IV images represent accurate shadow locations, the results were visually compared. The CSDI images agree reasonably well with the corresponding true color and the IV images over open ocean. Also, the shape of the cloud shadow particularly for the isolated cloud closely follows that of the cloud, as expected, reconfirming the potential of the CSDI technique.
A DEFENSE OF WOMEN'S CHOICE: ABORTION AND THE ETHICS OF CARE

L'A. propose de substituer au discours juridique universaliste et scientiste une ethique de la responsabilite qui prenne en compte l'experience morale de la grossesse definie par son caractere relationnel et interactif
Devices and approaches for generating specific high-affinity nucleic acid aptamers

High-affinity and highly specific antibody proteins have played a critical role in biological imaging, medical diagnostics, and therapeutics. Recently, a new class of molecules called aptamers has emerged as an alternative to antibodies. Aptamers are short nucleic acid molecules that can be generated and synthesized in vitro to bind to virtually any target in a wide range of environments. They are, in principal, less expensive and more reproducible than antibodies, and their versatility creates possibilities for new technologies. Aptamers are generated using libraries of nucleic acid molecules with random sequences that are subjected to affinity selections for binding to specific target molecules. This is commonly done through a process called Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment, in which target-bound nucleic acids are isolated from the pool, amplified to high copy numbers, and then reselected against the desired target. This iterative process is continued until the highest affinity nucleic acid sequences dominate the enriched pool. Traditional selections require a dozen or more laborious cycles to isolate strongly binding aptamers, which can take months to complete and consume large quantities of reagents. However, new devices and insights from engineering and the physical sciences have contributed to a reduction in the time and effort needed to generate aptamers. As the demand for these new molecules increases, more efficient and sensitive selection technologies will be needed. These new technologies will need to use smaller samples, exploit a wider range of chemistries and techniques for manipulating binding, and integrate and automate the selection steps. Here, we review new methods and technologies that are being developed towards this goal, and we discuss their roles in accelerating the availability of novel aptamers.
Establishing a New Animal Model for the Study of Laryngeal Biology and Disease: An Anatomic Study of the Mouse Larynx

Purpose Animal models have contributed greatly to the study of voice, permitting the examination of laryngeal biology and the testing of surgical, medical, and behavioral interventions. Various mod...
A comparison of 2 circuit exercise training techniques for eliciting matched metabolic responses in persons with paraplegia.

Abstract Nash MS, Jacobs PL, Woods JM, Clark JE, Pray TA, Pumarejo AE. A comparison of 2 circuit exercise training techniques for eliciting matched metabolic responses in persons with paraplegia. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2002;83:201-9. Objective: To test whether acute metabolic (VO 2 ), chronotropic (heart rate), and perceptual (rating of perceived exertion; RPE) responses to exercise by persons with paraplegia differ when the exercise is on a multistation isoinertial exercise system (MultiGym) or on a customized system of Thera-Band® resistance bands (ElasticGym). Design: Within-subjects comparison of 2 treatments. Setting: Academic medical center. Participants: Sixteen men and 1 woman with complete paraplegia (T4-L1), as defined by the American Spinal Injury Association. Interventions: A circuit resistance training (CRT) program for persons with paraplegia was adapted to both a MultiGym and a customized ElasticGym. Exercises used for training and testing used 6 resistance maneuvers at 50% of the 1-repetition maximum (1-RM), with interposed rapid arm spinning. Subjects were habituated to both conditions for 2 weeks before testing on randomized nonconsecutive days. Main Outcome Measures: VO 2 (L/min) was measured by portable spirometry, heart rate (beats/min) by a chest strap monitor, and RPE by the Borg Scale of Perceived Exertion (6-20). Results: No significant effects of test condition on average VO 2 or heart rate were observed, with differences between conditions reflecting only.08L/min and 6.4 beats/min, respectively. Average RPE was significantly higher in testing under the ElasticGym condition ( P Conclusions: CRT on a customized ElasticGym system elicited acute metabolic and chronotropic responses that did not differ from responses to exercise on a MultiGym, though RPE was greater with the ElasticGym. © 2002 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Locating completeness evaluation and revision in fixture plan

Abstract Geometry constraint is one of the most important considerations in fixture design. Analytical formulation of deterministic location has been well developed. However, how to analyze and revise a non-deterministic locating scheme during the process of actual fixture design practice has not been thoroughly studied. In this paper, a methodology to characterize fixturing system's geometry constraint status with focus on under-constraint is proposed. An under-constraint status, if it exists, can be recognized with given locating scheme. All un-constrained motions of a workpiece in an under-constraint status can be automatically identified. This assists the designer to improve deficit locating scheme and provides guidelines for revision to eventually achieve deterministic locating.
Calculus on strong partition cardinals

In [1] it was shown that if κ is a strong partition cardinal, then every function from [κ ]κ to [κ ]κ is continuous almost everywhere. In this investigation, we explore whether such functions are differentiable or integrable in any sense. Some of them are. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Performance indices for evaluating demand response services provided by thermostatically controlled appliances

This paper presents a set of performance indices to quantitatively evaluate the demand response services (DRSs) provided by thermostatically controlled appliances (TCAs). The performance indices correspond to the three main aspects of DRSs evaluation called service quality, consumer comfort, and device life time. In order to demonstrate the performance evaluation process, heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) loads (as an example of TCA loads) are used and simulated for providing a DRS called load balancing service (LBS). The simulation results show that by comparing the performance indices, one can easily quantify the provided service quality and the trade-off made in terms of device lifetime and customer comfort levels.
The revised civilian mississippi scale for PTSD: Reliability, validity, and cross-language stability

Examined in two studies the psychometric properties of a revised 30-item version of the civilian form of the Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) developed by Keane, Caddell, and Taylor (1988). Study 1, whose sample was composed of 37 bilingual adults who had experienced a variety of traumatic events, was undertaken primarily to examine the linguistic equivalence of a Spanish translation of the scale. High cross-language stability was demonstrated, and both English and Spanish versions showed high internal consistency. Study 2, which used a sample of 404 victims of Hurricane Andrew, provided additional evidence of scale reliability and also showed that the scale correlates in meaningful ways with known traumatic stressors. Together the results indicate that the scale is applicable to different populations and events and constitutes a valid and reliable self-report measure of PTSD.
Electronic structures of lumazines and isoalloxazines.

Abstract Electronic structures of uracil, two lumazine isomers, isoalloxazine (oxidized and reduced), and alloxazine have bee computed by a self consistent field (SCF) method. The calculated transition energies and intensities are significantly better than those obtained with the Huckel approximation. The SCF calculations indicate that reduced isoalloxazine is non-planar.
Dynamic instrumentation of threaded applications

The use of threads is becoming commonplace in both sequential and parallel programs. This paper describes our design and initial experience with non-trace based performance instrumentation techniques for threaded programs. Our goal is to provide detailed performance data while maintaining control of instrumentation costs. We have extended Paradyn's dynamic instrumentation (which can instrument programs without recompiling or relinking) to handle threaded programs.Controlling instrumentation costs means efficient instrumentation code and avoiding locks in the instrumentation. Our design is based on low contention data structures. To associate performance data with individual threads, we have all threads share the same instrumentation code and assign each thread with its own private copy of performance counters or timers. The asynchrony in a threaded program poses a major challenge to dynamic instrumentation. To implement time-based metrics on a per-thread basis, we need to instrument thread context switches, which can cause instrumentation code to interleave. Interleaved instrumentation can not only corrupt performance data, but can also cause a scenario we call self-deadlock where an instrumentation code deadlocks a thread. We introduce thread-conscious locks to avoid self-deadlock, and per-thread virtual CPU timers to reduce the chance of interleaved instrumentation accessing the same performance counter or timer, and to reduce the number of expensive timer calls at thread context switches.Our initial implementation is on SPARC Solaris 2.5 and 2.6 including multiprocessor Sun UltraSPARC Enterprise machines. We tested our tool on large multithreaded applications, including the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). We show how our new techniques helped us to speed up a Java graphics native method by 42% and consequently increase by 24% the amount of work that can be done in unit time in a game applet.