cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How many bits per rating

Most recommender systems assume user ratings accurately represent user preferences. However, prior research shows that user ratings are imperfect and noisy. Moreover, this noise limits the measurable predictive power of any recommender system. We propose an information theoretic framework for quantifying the preference information contained in ratings and predictions. We computationally explore the properties of our model and apply our framework to estimate the efficiency of different rating scales for real world datasets. We then estimate how the amount of information predictions give to users is related to the scale ratings are collected on. Our findings suggest a tradeoff in rating scale granularity: while previous research indicates that coarse scales (such as thumbs up / thumbs down) take less time, we find that ratings with these scales provide less predictive value to users. We introduce a new measure, preference bits per second, to quantitatively reconcile this tradeoff.
Masculinist method: a cautionary tale

Purpose – This is a cautionary tale. In previous research on male-to-female transsexuals, the author's analysis was too knowing, detached, and full of authorial superiority. In other words, it was too masculine. The paper aims to discuss theses issues. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, the author brings to the fore the deleterious effects of the masculinist method. The author then writes a palinode in order to allow masculinity and male to be performed and un/tethered differently by and on different bodies and different subjects. Findings – The paper concludes with a discussion of how a masculinist method emerged and its consequences. Originality/value – This is a revised look at the author's previous work on the subject.
Optimal harvesting of an age-structured population

Here we investigate the optimal harvesting of an age-structured population. We use the McKendrick model of population dynamics, and optimize a discounted yield on an infinite time horizon. The harvesting function is allowed to depend arbitrarily on age and time and its magnitude is unconstrained. We obtain, in addition to existence, the qualitative result that an optimal harvesting policy consists of harvesting at no more than three distinct ages.
A compiler for exploiting nested parallelism in OpenMP programs

This paper presents the design and implementation of a parallelization framework and OpenMP runtime support in Intel C++ & Fortran compilers for exploiting nested parallelism in applications using OpenMP pragmas or directives. We conduct the performance evaluation of two multimedia applications parallelized with OpenMP pragmas and compiled with the Intel C++ compiler on Hyper-Threading Technology (HT) enabled multiprocessor systems. The performance results show that the multithreaded code generated by the Intel compiler achieved a speedup up to 4.69 on 4 processors with HT enabled for five different input video sequences for the H.264 encoder workload, and a 1.28 speedup on an HT enabled single-CPU system and 1.99 speedup on an HT-enabled dual-CPU system for the audio-visual speech recognition workload. The performance gain due to exploiting nested parallelism for leveraging Hyper-Threading Technology is up to 70% for two multimedia workloads under different multiprocessor system configurations. These results demonstrate that hyper-threading benefits can be achieved by exploiting nested parallelism through Intel compiler and runtime system support for OpenMP programs. .
Diarrhea and abnormalities of gastrointestinal function in a cohort of men and women with HIV infection.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal dysfunction in the era of improved treatment of HIV infection. METHODS: Gastrointestinal function was studied cross-sectionally in 671 persons with HIV. Absorptive function was measured by a 25-g D-xylose test, a Sudan-III stain for fecal fat on a 100-g fat diet, and serum levels of micronutrients. RESULTS: Eighty-eight percent had at least one abnormality of gastrointestinal function: 47.7% had low D-xylose absorption; 40.3% had a history of liver disease; 38.9% had diarrhea; 28.3% had chronic diarrhea; 22.5% had borderline or low serum vitamin B12 levels; 12.2% had stool pathogens; and 7.2% were hypoalbuminemic. Men were more likely to have low D-xylose absorption, diarrhea, and stool pathogens than women. Intravenous drug users (IVDUs) were more likely to have a history of liver disease and hypoalbuminemia. However, borderline or low vitamin B12 levels were less frequent in IVDUs; they tended to have less diarrhea and a lower prevalence of stool pathogens. Despite less history of liver disease, 14.1% of women were hypoalbuminemic. Differences in patterns of gastrointestinal dysfunction are unlikely to be due to severity of immunosuppression as abnormalities were seen in all risk groups with CD4 >200 cells/mm3. D-xylose absorption below 30 mg/dl, current diarrhea, and borderline levels of vitamin B12 were associated with advanced immunosuppression. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormalities of gastrointestinal function are common in the current era of HIV treatment, appear early in the course of HIV infection, and in the absence of diarrhea. Gender and IVDU are important determinants of the type and frequency of gastrointestinal abnormalities.
MICROWAVE DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF Mn:BST AND PST THIN-FILMS

ABSTRACT In this study, we characterized nano-structured Mn doped BST thin-films fabricated using a pulsed laser deposition process at the University of Houston, and PST thin-films fabricated using MOCVD at the Arizona State University. Coplanar waveguide test structures were used for experimental evaluation of the dielectric properties of the BST and PST thin-films fabricated on MgO and saphire substrates respectively. The test structures were fabricated on bare substrates as well as on the thin-film test samples for determination of attenuation and phase constants with and without the ferroelectric thin-films. The ϵfilm for the Mn:BST film was approximately 1200 over the frequency range of 15–30 GHz with the loss-tangent averaging to 0.033. The PST thin-film on sapphire substrate had a zero-bias relative dielectric constant of 200 and the loss-tangent was estimated to be 0.05 over the measured frequency range of 10 to 18 GHz.
Are we in this together? Risk bearing and collective action

‘How selfish so ever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he deri...
Business ethics development of working adults: a study in Vietnam

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to ascertain if age, gender, management experience and government work experience actually make a difference in the ethical development of respondents in Vietnam, an emerging economy in Southeast Asia. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative self-administered survey was conducted with a convenience sample of Vietnamese working adults obtained through educational institutions, businesses and entrepreneurs and private and public sector organizations. This study used Clark and Clark’s (1966) Personal Business Ethics Scores measure. The Vietnamese version questionnaire was distributed, and a total of 704 surveys were fully completed and analyzed. Findings – Statistically significant differences were found in the variables of age, gender and government work experience. Management experience did not lead to any significant differences. Consequently, Kohlberg’s moral development theory regarding ethical development is partially supported. Research limitations/implicati...
Control of discrete time nonlinear systems with a time-varying structure

In this paper, we present a control methodology for a class of discrete time nonlinear systems that depend on a possibly exogenous scheduling variable. This class of systems consists of an interpolation of nonlinear dynamic equations in strict feedback form, and it may represent systems with a time-varying nonlinear structure. Moreover, this class of systems is able to represent some cases of gain scheduling control, Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy systems, as well as input-output realizations of nonlinear systems which are approximated via localized linearizations. We present two control theorems, one using what we call a ''global'' approach (akin to traditional backstepping), and a ''local'' approach, our main result, where backstepping is again used but the control law is an interpolation of local control terms. An aircraft wing rock regulation problem with varying angle of attack is used to illustrate and compare the two approaches.
Bag model of hadrons with massive quarks

Abstract We generalize the bag model of hadrons to include massive quarks and investigate in particular the properties of the l = 0 octet and decimet baryons with mp = mn = 0, mλ = 270 MeV (obtained by fitting the decimet). The magnetic moments and weak axial vector/vector transition moments are calculated and compared with experimental data for cases in which data exists. We also speculate on the mechanism by which the remaining degeneracies in the baryons are lifted and on modifications which are necessary to construct a bag model of mesons.
Thermophysical property measurement at high temperatures by laser-produced plasmas

Excitation by a high-power laser pulse of a material surface generates a sequence of plasma, fluid flow, and acoustic events. These are well separated in time, and their detection and analysis can lead to determination of material properties of the condensed phase target. We have developed a new methodology for real-time determination of molten metal composition by time-resolved spectroscopy of laser-produced plasmas (LPP). If the laser pulse is shaped in such a way that the movement of the bulk surface due to evaporation is kept in pace with the thermal diffusion front advancing into the interior of the target, the LPP plume becomes representative of the bulk in elemental composition. In addition, the mass loss due to LPP ablation is very well correlated with the thermal diffusivity of the target matter. For several elemental solid specimens, we show that the product of the ablation thickness and heat of formation is proportional to the thermal diffusivity per unit molecular weight. Such measurements can be extended to molten metal specimens if the mass loss by ablation, density, heat of formation, and molecular weight can be determined simultaneously. The results from the solid specimen study and the progress with a levitation-assisted molten metal experiment are presented.
Polyamines and cancer: old molecules, new understanding

The amino-acid-derived polyamines have long been associated with cell growth and cancer, and specific oncogenes and tumour-suppressor genes regulate polyamine metabolism. Inhibition of polyamine synthesis has proven to be generally ineffective as an anticancer strategy in clinical trials, but it is a potent cancer chemoprevention strategy in preclinical studies. Clinical trials, with well-defined goals, are now underway to evaluate the chemopreventive efficacy of inhibitors of polyamine synthesis in a range of tissues.
The effect of instructional use of an iPad® on challenging behavior and academic engagement for two students with autism

Abstract iPads® are increasingly used in the education of children with autism spectrum disorder. However, few empirical studies have examined the effects of iPads® on student behaviors. The purpose of this study was to compare academic instruction delivered with an iPad® to instruction delivered through traditional materials for two students with autism spectrum disorder who engaged in escape-maintained challenging behavior. An ABAB reversal design was utilized in which academic instruction with an iPad® and academic instruction with traditional materials were compared. Both participants demonstrated lower levels of challenging behavior and higher levels of academic engagement in the iPad® condition and higher levels of challenging behavior with lower levels of academic engagement during the traditional materials condition. These results suggest that the use of an iPad® as a means of instructional delivery may reduce escape-maintained behavior for some children with autism. Suggestions for future research directions are discussed.
An intravital microscopy study of radiation-induced changes in permeability and leukocyte–endothelial cell interactions in the microvessels of the rat pia mater and cremaster muscle

Using intravital microscopy and a closed window method, we measured irradiation-induced changes in the vascular permeability and cell interactions in microcirculation networks of the rat pia mater; the same effects were monitored in the cremaster muscle as a control. The closed cranial window has many advantages, including long-term direct visualization of microcirculation. The method allows for repeated testing of the same vessel or network, thereby reducing variability. The method also allows for measurement of permeability changes and the accompanying leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions in the same network or vessel, which permits correlative studies of these phenomena. However, this method is not without challenges. The optical conditions are difficult, because the brain is three-dimensional and its parenchyma is more complex than the thinner, flatter peripheral tissues. To overcome this limitation, we performed a dynamic background subtraction. The background is dynamically related to vessel intensity, and changes in intensity were determined by eliminating the effects of neighboring and underlying vessels. We applied this method to studying the effects of ionizing radiation on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability and cell interactions and the modulation of these effects by anti-ICAM-1 antibodies. Our results demonstrate that this method is sensitive to changes in these properties of the BBB.
Optic nerve sheath diameter does not change with patient position

Abstract Objectives Optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) has been proposed as a marker for increased intracranial pressure. Trendelenburg's position is often used in hypotensive patients and reverse Trendelenburg's position (30° head up) is often used in head injury patients. We asked if there would be any change in OSND in healthy human adults between the supine, Trendelenburg's, and reverse Trendelenburg's positions. Methods Prospective case-control blinded study using consenting healthy adults. Three separate investigators measured the ONSD in each eye of 10 separate volunteers in the supine, Trendelenburg's, and reverse Trendelenburg's positions with 30° angulation from the horizontal. Data were analyzed using the paired t test. Results In the supine position, the mean ONSD was 4.6 ± 0.71 (SD) mm in the right eye and 4.5 ± 0.56 (SD) mm in the left eye. In Trendelenburg's position, the mean ONSD was 4.4 ± 0.72 (SD) mm in the right eye and 4.7 ± 0.53 (SD) mm in the left eye. In reverse Trendelenburg's position, the mean ONSD was 4.4 ± 0.49 (SD) mm in the right eye and 4.8 ± 0.76 (SD) mm in the left eye. There was no significant difference in OSND between positions for either eye by analysis of variance. Interobserver agreement was ±1 mm in at least 90% of the subjects regardless of position. Conclusion Optic nerve sheath diameter measurement by ultrasound does not significantly change with Trendelenburg's or reverse Trendelenburg's position in comparison with the supine position in healthy individuals.
Directional Pumping Performance of an Electrostatic Checkerboard Microvalve

This paper reports experimental characterization of directional gas pumping generated by MEMS-fabricated checkerboard-type electrostatic microvalves. It is found that the oscillatory motion of the checkerboard microvalve membrane provides both the pumping and valve functions of a pump, namely: 1) to cause the volume displacement and, thus, compression and transfer of gas, and 2) to direct gas flow in one direction by closing and opening air paths in the proper sequence. Here, we describe the microvalve-only design, and report the pumping performance producing a maximum flow rate of 1.8 sccm and a maximum pressure differential of 3.0 kPa for five microvalves driven simultaneously with a sinusoidal signal of ± 100V amplitude at 5.5 kHz.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Blow-Up Solutions for a Class of Semilinear Elliptic and Parabolic Equations

We study the asymptotic behavior of the solutions to the problem \[\left\{ \begin{array}{rlll} u_t-\Delta u&=a u-b(x)u^p &\mbox{in} &(0,\infty)\times \Omega,\\ \alpha u_\nu+\beta u&=0 & \mbox{on}& (0,\infty)\times \partial \Omega,\\ u(0,.)&=u_0&\mbox{in}& \Omega, \end{array}\right. \] where $p>1$, $b(x)\geq 0$ is continuous and vanishes on the closure of a nontrivial subdomain $\Omega_0$ of $\Omega\subset R^N$. This case can be regarded as a mixture of the well-understood logistic (when b(x) > 0 always) and Malthusian (when $b(x)\equiv 0$) models and has attracted much study in recent years. It follows from recent studies that the model behaves like the logistic model if the growth rate a of the species is less than some constant a0 > 0 and it behaves differently from the logistic model once $a\geq a_0$. In this paper, we show that, when $a\geq a_0$, the model behaves like the Malthusian model on part of the domain (i.e., on $\Omega_0$ where b vanishes) and it behaves like the logistic model on the remain...
Bordetella bronchiseptica ASSOCIATED WITH PULMONARY DISEASE IN MOUNTAIN VOLES (Microtus montanus)

Bordetella bronchiseptica was isolated from the lungs of all of six mountain voles (Microtus montanus) found dead or dying of pulmonary infection near the Bear River Research Station in northern Utah in January, 1973. The possibility of concomitant viral or mycoplasmal infection was not ruled out.
Classification of the Tor-Algebras of Codimension Four Almost Complete Intersections

Let (R, m, k) be a local ring in which 2 is a unit. Assume that every element of k has a square root in k. We classify the algebras Tor . R (R/J, k) as J varies over all grade four almost complete intersection ideals in R. The analogous classification has already been found when J varies over all grade four Gorenstein ideals [21], and when J varies over all ideals of grade at most three [5, 30]. The present paper makes use of the classification, in [21], of the Tor-algebras of codimension four Gorenstein rings, as well as the (usually nonminimal) DG-algebra resolution of a codimension four almost complete intersection which is produced in [25 and 26]
Effects of instructions to forget in short-term memory.

Two short-term memory experiments investigated the effects of instructions to forget. In Exp. I, proactive interference (PI) was reduced when 5s were cued to forget the first of two trigrams; but there was no reduction in retroactive interference when 5s were cued to forget the second. The residual amount of PI depended upon the acoustic similarity of the two trigrams. In Exp. II, PI was reduced when 5s were cued to forget the first 6 words in a 12-word sequence. A subsequent recognition test, however, showed that the to-beforgotten words were recognized as often as words taken from sequences with no forget cue. The results supported a hypothesis that the effects of a forget cue are due to differential storage and retrieval of to-be-remembered and tobe-forgotten items. Forgetting is usually considered to be an inevitable, undesirable result of the process
Josephine Baker, Racial Protest, and the Cold War

During the early 1950s, Josephine Baker was an international star who lived in a castle in France, who wore Dior gowns in concert, and whose most radical political idea seems to have been a hope that the world might some day live in racial harmony. She would hardly seem a threat to the national security of the United States. Nevertheless, during the early fifties, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) kept a file on Baker, and the State Department collected data on her activities, using the information to dissuade other countries from allowing her to perform. Baker was seen as a threat because she used her international prominence to call attention to the discriminatory racial practices of the United States, her native land, when she traveled throughout the world. Baker was caught in the cross fire of the Cold War in Latin America in the early 1950s. Her seemingly simple campaign for racial tolerance made her the target of a campaign that ultimately pushed her from the limelight of the exclusive club circuit to the bright lights of a Cuban interrogation room. The woman lauded in Havana and Miami in 1951 as an international star was arrested by the Cuban military police two years later as a suspected Communist, but she had undergone no radical political transformation in the interim. That Josephine Baker engendered an international campaign to mute her impact is a demonstration of the lengths to which the United States and its allies would go to silence Cold War critics. More important, however, Josephine Baker found herself at the center of a critical cultural and ideological weak point in American Cold War diplomacy: the intersection of race and Cold War foreign relations.1
Inhibition of spontaneous mutagenesis by vanillin and cinnamaldehyde in Escherichia coli: Dependence on recombinational repair

Vanillin (VAN) and cinnamaldehyde (CIN) are dietary antimutagens that effectively inhibit both induced and spontaneous mutations. We have shown previously that VAN and CIN reduced the spontaneous mutant frequency in Salmonella TA104 (hisG428, rfa, ΔuvrB, pKM101) by approximately 50% and that both compounds significantly reduced mutations at GC sites but not at AT sites. Previous studies have suggested that VAN and CIN may reduce mutations in bacterial model systems by modulating DNA repair pathways, particularly by enhancing recombinational repair. To further explore the basis for inhibition of spontaneous mutation by VAN and CIN, we have determined the effects of these compounds on survival and mutant frequency in five Escherichia coli strains derived from the wild-type strain NR9102 with different DNA repair backgrounds. At nontoxic doses, both VAN and CIN significantly reduced mutant frequency in the wild-type strain NR9102, in the nucleotide excision repair-deficient strain NR11634 (uvrB), and in the recombination-proficient but SOS-deficient strain NR11475 (recA430). In contrast, in the recombination-deficient and SOS-deficient strain NR11317 (recA56), both VAN and CIN not only failed to inhibit the spontaneous mutant frequency but actually increased the mutant frequency. In the mismatch repair-defective strain NR9319 (mutL), only CIN was antimutagenic. Our results show that the antimutagenicity of VAN and CIN against spontaneous mutation required the RecA recombination function but was independent of the SOS and nucleotide excision repair pathways. Thus, we propose the counterintuitive notion that these antimutagens actually produce a type of DNA damage that elicits recombinational repair (but not mismatch, SOS, or nucleotide excision repair), which then repairs not only the damage induced by VAN and CIN but also other DNA damage—resulting in an antimutagenic effect on spontaneous mutation.
The type I restriction endonuclease EcoR124I, couples ATP hydrolysis to bidirectional DNA translocation

Type I restriction endonuclease holoenzymes contain methylase (M), restriction (R) and specificity (S) subunits, present in an M2:R2:S1 stoichiometry. These enzymes bind to specific DNA sequences and translocate dsDNA in an ATP-dependent manner toward the holoenzyme anchored at the recognition sequence. Once translocation is impeded, DNA restriction, which functions to protect the host cell from invading DNA, takes place. Translocation and DNA cleavage are afforded by the two diametrically opposed R-subunits. To gain insight into the mechanism of translocation, a detailed characterization of the ATPase activity of EcoR124I was done. Results show that following recognition sequence binding, ATP hydrolysis-coupled, bidirectional DNA translocation by EcoR124I ensues, with the R-subunits transiently disengaging, on average, every 515 bp. Macroscopic processivity of 2031(+/-184)bp is maintained, as the R-subunits remain in close proximity to the DNA through association with the methyltransferase. Transient uncoupling of ATP hydrolysis from translocation results in 3.1(+/-0.4) ATP molecules being hydrolyzed per base-pair translocated per R-subunit. This is the first clear demonstration of the coupling of ATP hydrolysis to dsDNA translocation, albeit inefficient. Once translocation is impeded on supercoiled DNA, the DNA is cleaved. DNA cleavage inactivates the EcoR124I holoenzyme partially and reversibly, which explains the stoichiometric behaviour of type I restriction enzymes. Inactivated holoenzyme remains bound to the DNA at the recognition sequence and immediately releases the nascent ends. The release of nascent ends was demonstrated using a novel, fluorescence-based, real-time assay that takes advantage of the ability of the Escherichia coli RecBCD enzyme to unwind restricted dsDNA. The resulting unwinding of EcoR124I-restricted DNA by RecBCD reveals coordination between the restriction-modification and recombination systems that functions to destroy invading DNA efficiently. In addition, we demonstrate the displacement of EcoR124I following DNA cleavage by the translocating RecBCD enzyme, resulting in the restoration of catalytic function to EcoR124I.
Predictive value of near-infrared spectroscopy on neurodevelopmental outcome after surgery for congenital heart disease in infancy

Objective To explore the relationship between intraoperative regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO 2 ) measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and neurodevelopmental outcome in children after cardiac surgery. Methods Cross-sectional neurodevelopmental evaluation at 2 years of age was performed in a cohort of young infants who had surgery for congenital heart disease in 2007. The third edition of Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (Bayley-III) was used to assess cognitive, language, and motor functioning. Clinical and perioperative data were collected, including intraoperative rSO 2 nadir, rSO 2 percent decrease from baseline, and cumulative minutes of at least 20%, 30%, and 40% decrease from baseline. Results Twenty-seven patients without chromosomal abnormality were included in analyses. Mean Bayley-III scores fell within 1 standard deviation of the normative mean. Stepwise regression analyses of patient- and procedure-related variables, including rSO 2 , demonstrated that cognitive ability was predicted by length of hospital stay and premature birth (58.1% of variance), receptive communication was predicted by length of hospital stay and rSO 2 nadir (40.2% of variance), expressive communication was predicted by birth weight (26.2% of variance), fine motor functioning was predicted by duration of cardiac intensive care unit stay (41.4% of variance), and gross motor functioning was predicted by the presence of a significant comorbidity (43.5% of variance). Conclusions In a contemporary cohort of infants undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease, neurodevelopmental outcomes at 2 years of age are largely influenced by patient-related characteristics. Although receptive communication appears to be influenced by rSO 2 nadir, the predictive value of NIRS remains unclear.
“Anyone Can Be President”: Figures of Speech, Cultural Forms, and Performance

This article argues that figures of speech are cultural forms that serve performative ends. After introducing this claim through an analysis of a Daily Show segment, the article reexamines treatments of the figures in Aristotle, Quintilian, and Peacham, claiming that these verbal devices are rituals of language that organize social experience while shaping relationships among communicative participants. The article then examines George W. Bush's address to Congress shortly after 9/11, and an article by John Edgar Wideman. Although Bush uses the figures in conventional ways, Wideman challenges the use of such rituals of language to shape public opinion in the wake of 9/11.
Nitrogen Nucleophiles in Au‐Catalyzed Dehydrative Cyclization Reactions

Mild conditions for the gold-catalyzed dehydrative cyclization of carbamate-protected azaallylic alcohols to form saturated nitrogen heterocycles are reported. The cyclization reactions are high-yielding, operationally easy to perform, and provide heterocycles with a synthetically useful vinyl group, strategically located on the ring system, which can facilitate further transformations for target oriented synthesis. It is also demonstrated through chirality transfer experiments that the mechanism can be either cationic in nature or a Au-catalyzed addition/elimination sequence. The diverging mechanistic scenario is dependent on the nature of the substituents on the allylic alcohol and necessitates judicious substrate design.
Partial least squares classification for high dimensional data using the PCOUT algorithm

Classification of samples into two or multi-classes is to interest of scientists in almost every field. Traditional statistical methodology for classification does not work well when there are more variables (p) than there are samples (n) and it is highly sensitive to outlying observations. In this study, a robust partial least squares based classification method is proposed to handle data containing outliers where $$n\ll p.$$ The proposed method is applied to well-known benchmark datasets and its properties are explored by an extensive simulation study.
A neural mechanism for discrimination

A mechanism for localizing different stimulus intensities within the nervous system, essentially as described by Rashevsky, is considered in first approximation. The mechanism is central, and therefore general. There results a one-parameter family of theoretical curves, graphs of the Weber (discriminal) ratio against stimulus intensity. Comparisons are made with experimental visual, acoustical, and tactual data.
Narrating Interracial Relations and the Negotiation of Public Spaces

Although interracial (hetero)sexual relations are no longer illegal, and the number of visible, consensual interracial partnerships has increased, there still remains a discourse against these soci...
The Reformation of the Subject: Spenser, Milton, and the English Protestant Epic

Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Emerging likeness: Spenser's mirror sequence of love 2. The closed image 3. Narcissus interrupted: specularity and the subject of the Tudor state 4. The mirror of romance 5. Fault lines: Milton's mirror of desire 6. Words made visible: the embodied rhetoric of Satan, Sin and Death 7. Divine similitude: language in exile List of works cited Index.
Change in volume of lumpectomy cavity during external-beam irradiation of the intact breast.

Purpose: Definition of the lumpectomy cavity is an important component of irradiation of the breast. We use computed tomography (CT)-based planning and contour the lumpectomy volume on the planning CT. We obtained a second CT in the 4th or 5th week of treatment for boost planning and compared the volume change with the first planning-CT scan. Methods and Materials: This retrospective study reviewed the planning-CT data for 20 patients. In the first CT, images were obtained from the mandible to 2 cm below the breast in 3-mm slices. In the second CT, for the boost, images were obtained from the top to the bottom of the clinically defined breast, in 3-mm slices. Lumpectomy cavities were contoured on both CT scans and volumes compared. Results: Sixteen of the 20 patients (80%) had more than a 20% decrease from the first to the second volume, with a corresponding 95% confidence interval. The mean decrease was 16.13 cc, with a standard deviation of 14.05. The Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.18 did not show a significant correlation between the initial volume and the percent change. Conclusions: During external breast irradiation, many patients will have significant volume reduction in the lumpectomy cavity. Because CT-based definition of the lumpectomy cavity can influence the planning of a boost technique, further study appears warranted.
The kinetics of transfer of plasma amino acids to tissues, and the turnover rates of liver and muscle proteins: The use of continuous infusion technique

Abstract 1. 1. Under conditions of intravenous infusion, the plasma amino acid specific activity is maintained constant after a period of about 1 h ( J. C. Gan and H. Jeffay , Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 148 (1967) 448). From the value of the plateau of specific activity, it is possible to calculate the amino acid flux into or out of plasma. The turnover or flux rate of lysine and tyrosine is 155 μmoles and 125 μmoles/h per 250 g rat, respectively. 2. 2. There is a very rapid turnover of liver amino acid, with a turnover timeof 0.5–1 h, and a somewhat slower but still fast turnover of muscle amino acid, (turnover time, 4–7 h). 3. 3. The rate of liver and serum protein synthesis may be more rapid ( t 1 2 = 3 days than the previously reported value, ( t 1 2 = 5–7 days ). 4. 4. The low incorporation of amino acid into muscle protein is caused in part by the slow rate of penetration of amino acid into muscle cell as well as the slow rate of protein synthesis. 5. 5. From the kinetic data, it is calculated that protein catabolism in the normal fed rats contributes approx. 50% of the liver and 30% of the muscle intracellular free amino acid pool.
Climate Change Impacts on Streamflow and Subbasin-Scale Hydrology in the Upper Colorado River Basin

In the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB), the principal source of water in the southwestern U.S., demand exceeds supply in most years, and will likely continue to rise. While General Circulation Models (GCMs) project surface temperature warming by 3.5 to 5.6°C for the area, precipitation projections are variable, with no wetter or drier consensus. We assess the impacts of projected 21(st) century climatic changes on subbasins in the UCRB using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool, for all hydrologic components (snowmelt, evapotranspiration, surface runoff, subsurface runoff, and streamflow), and for 16 GCMs under the A2 emission scenario. Over the GCM ensemble, our simulations project median Spring streamflow declines of 36% by the end of the 21(st) century, with increases more likely at higher elevations, and an overall range of -100 to +68%. Additionally, our results indicated Summer streamflow declines with median decreases of 46%, and an overall range of -100 to +22%. Analysis of hydrologic components indicates large spatial and temporal changes throughout the UCRB, with large snowmelt declines and temporal shifts in most hydrologic components. Warmer temperatures increase average annual evapotranspiration by ∼23%, with shifting seasonal soil moisture availability driving these increases in late Winter and early Spring. For the high-elevation water-generating regions, modest precipitation decreases result in an even greater water yield decrease with less available snowmelt. Precipitation increases with modest warming do not translate into the same magnitude of water-yield increases due to slight decreases in snowmelt and increases in evapotranspiration. For these basins, whether modest warming is associated with precipitation decreases or increases, continued rising temperatures may make drier futures. Subsequently, many subbasins are projected to turn from semi-arid to arid conditions by the 2080 s. In conclusion, water availability in the UCRB could significantly decline with adverse consequences for water supplies, agriculture, and ecosystem health.
Chinese Cultural Values: Their Dimensions and Marketing Implications

Chinese cultural values are classified according to Kluckhohn and Strodbeck's taxonomy, and potential marketing implications for each cultural value dimension presented. The implications include those relating to brand loyalty, gift‐giving behaviour, consumer satisfaction, consumer complaint behaviour and promotion activities. It is also concluded that Chinese cultural values could be an effective basis for market segmentation.
Uptake of lead from aquatic sediment by submersed macrophytes and crayfish.

Uptake of lead (Pb) by submersed aquatic macrophytes and crayfish exposed to artificially contaminated pond sediment was measured under laboratory conditions. Macrophytes accumulated Pb in root tissue and foliage. Internal transport of Pb by plants was not detected. Senescent macrophytes accumulated more lead than live plants. Crayfish exposed to contaminated sediment accumulated Pb principally through adsorption to the exoskeleton and lost Pb through molting, although internal uptake and elimination without molting was measurable. Exposure to Pb leached from sediment, surface to weight ratios, and frequency of molting seem to influence Pb uptake by crayfish.
Primate models of AIDS.

Abstract The primate models of AIDS provide insights into pathogenesis, transmission, and immune responses to infection and are useful in testing vaccines and drugs. The HIV-1/chimpanzee, SIVmac/macaque, and SHIV/macaque models are the most widely used. The advantages and drawbacks of these and other models are discussed.
Lifting covers of sofic shifts

We define a class of factor maps between sofic shifts, called lifting maps, which generalize the closing maps. We show that an irreducible sofic shiftS has only finitely manyS-conjugacy classes of minimal left (or right) lifting covers. The number of these classes is a computable conjugacy invariant ofS. Furthermore, every left lifting cover factors through a minimal left lifting cover.
Purified and surfactant-free coenzyme Q10-loaded biodegradable nanoparticles

Abstract The intent of this work was to synthesize and comprehensively characterize ubiquinone-loaded, surfactant-free biodegradable poly(lactic- co -glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles in vitro. Surfactant-free, empty and ubiquinone (CoQ10)-loaded biodegradable nanoparticles were synthesized by nanoprecipitation, and the physicochemical properties of these nanoparticles were analyzed with a variety of techniques. Nanoprecipitation consistently yielded individual, sub-200 nm, surfactant-free empty and CoQ10-loaded nanoparticles, where the physical and drug encapsulation characteristics were controlled by varying the formulation parameters. CoQ10 release was sustained for 2 weeks but then plateaued before 100% CoQ10 release. A novel, nondestructive purification protocol involving transient sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) adsorption to nanoparticles followed by centrifugation and dialysis was developed to yield purified, surfactant-free, CoQ10-loaded nanoparticles. This protocol permitted removal of unencapsulated CoQ10, prevented centrifugation-induced nanoparticle aggregation and preserved the surfactant-free and drug encapsulation properties of the nanoparticles. These CoQ10-loaded nanoparticles are promising as sustained drug delivery devices due to their extended CoQ10 release. Importantly, a surfactant-free nanoprecipitation procedure is presented that in combination with a novel purification step enables the synthesis of individual and purified CoQ10-loaded nanoparticles.
The Agrarian Reform of Jacobo Arbenz

The cry for land is, without any doubt, the loudest, the most dramatic and the most desperate sound in Guatemala.’ So wrote the Guatemalan bishops in 1988. In their country's long history, the bishops stated, only one president – Jacobo Arbenz – had addressed the issue of land reform.1 Inaugurated in 1951, Arbenz presided over the most successful agrarian reform in the history of Central America. The reports of the US embassy bear testimony to the fact that within eighteen months land was distributed to 100,000 peasant families, amid little violence and without adversely affecting production.2 Praise for initiating the reform does not belong, however, solely to Arbenz. As his wife observed, ‘Alone, he could not have done it’. Praise should also be given to the Communist party of Guatemala, whose leaders were Arbenz's closest personal and political friends.3
Heckethornia, a new genus of dimeropygid trilobites from the Lower Ordovician (Ibexian; Tulean and Blackhillsian) of the Great Basin, western USA

Heckethornia n. gen. is a morphologically striking clade of dimeropygid trilobites known from the Pogonip Group (Ordovician; Ibexian Series, Tulean and Blackhillsian stages) of western Utah and eastern Nevada. It includes seven species based on silicified material. All occur in the Fillmore Formation of western Utah, and four are also known from the Yellow Hill Limestone of eastern Nevada. Diagnostic features of Heckethornia include a highly vaulted exoskeleton with a tall pygidial “wall” made of fused outer pleurae, three pairs of large glabellar spines, two to three pairs of prominent pygidial spines, a single (or paired) large occipital spine(s), and an arc of tubercles on the librigenal field. Cladistic parsimony analysis suggests that the genus comprises two subclades, one including species with a single median occipital spine, and species with paired occipital spines or tubercles in the other. New species are H. smithi, H. hyndeae, H. numani, H. bowiei, H. morrisseyi, and H. ballionae.
Study Time: Temporal Orientations of Freshmen Students and Computing

This article presents an ethnographic examination of the student domains of “study” and “time,” and how these domains relate to a technological innovation in a freshman residence hall. We argue that technological innovations in education warrant attention as part of the more general movement toward reform in higher education. We believe that a closer examination of student life is necessary before discussing effects of educational reform. In this article we point out some of the ways in which students' conceptions and configurations of time differ from those of others, including university administrators and professors, and the implication of their differing perspectives on the way they use personal computing facilities in a residence hall.
The cost of blood transfusion in Western Europe as estimated from six studies.

BACKGROUND: Blood is a costly and scarce resource. We report on a systematic review of the literature to estimate the cost of a 2-unit red blood cell (RBC) transfusion in Western Europe. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Medline was searched for studies about the cost of RBC transfusion in Europe. Data extracted included authors, country, year of data, cost perspective, cost types, cost elements, units examined, study design, study population, and cost of a 2-unit blood transfusion. The population-weighted mean cost per 2 units of transfused blood was calculated. RESULTS: Six studies met inclusion and exclusion criteria and reported data from the United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, and France. Methodology used to derive cost estimates differed across the studies. The population-weighted mean cost of transfusing 2 units of blood was €877.69. CONCLUSION: The estimated cost of transfusing 2 units of RBCs in Western Europe is significant. Differences in methodology were partially diffused by aggregation of prior estimates into a population-weighted mean. Future cost studies should follow the Cost of Blood Consensus Conference (COBCON) recommendation to apply activity-based costing methods.
Hempel's Paradox and Wason's Selection Task: Logical and Psychological Puzzles of Confirmation

Hempel's paradox of the ravens has to do with the question of what constitutes confirmation from a logical point of view; Wason's selection task has been used extensively to investigate how people go about attempting to confirm or disconfirm conditional claims. This paper presents an argument that the paradox is resolved, and that people's typical performance in the selection task can be explained, by consideration of what constitutes an effective strategy for seeking evidence of the tenability of universal or conditional claims in everyday life.
Extension to OSPF for scalable multicasting through recursive unicast

IP multicast suffers from the forwarding state scalability issue when the number of simultaneously on-going multicast sessions is very large, since traditional multicast routing protocols require each router to maintain a forwarding entry for each multicast session whose distribution tree passes through the router. We introduce the idea of recursive unicast into the existing MOSPF (multicast extension to open shortest path first) routing protocol to improve its scalability. Simulation results show that the designed protocol can significantly reduce multicast forwarding state and computational overhead at routers without hurting the per-destination shortest path characteristic of a resulting tree.
Retention of a Successive Discrimination Problem by Hippocampectomized and Neodecorticate Rats

An experiment and its replication are reported in which the postoperative retention of a successive discrimination problem was studied following destruction of the hippocampus and overlying cortex or of the neocortical areas only. Animals with lesions of the posterolateral neocortex showed severe deficits in performance of the problem. Hippocampectomized Ss were also impaired but their deficit was marked by consistent responding to one arm of the maze, i.e., response fixation.
Physics-based visualization of dense natural clouds. II. Cloud-rendering algorithm

We discuss the representation of aerosol-scattering properties, boundary information, and the use of these results in line-of-sight rendering applications for visualization of a modeled atmosphere based on a discrete ordinates three-dimensional radiative-transport method. The outputs of the radiative-transfer model provide spatial and angular distributions of limiting path radiance, given an input density distribution and external illumination conditions. We discuss the determination of the direct attenuated radiance, integrated path radiance, and background radiance for each pixel in the rendered scene. Orthographic and perspective projection approaches for displaying these results are described, and sample images are shown.
Adaptive algorithms for finding replacement services in autonomic distributed business processes

Web service may be used to construct autonomic business processes, where several Web services interact with each other to carry out complex transactions or workflows. During the execution of an autonomic process, if one component service fails or becomes overloaded, a mechanism is needed to ensure that the running process is not interrupted and the failed service is quickly and efficiently replaced. In this paper, we present two algorithms to solve the problem. The first algorithm uses the backup path approach so that the predecessor of a failed service may quickly switch to a predefined backup path. The second algorithm uses the replacement path approach to re-construct a new process by skipping a failed service. All these dynamic adaptations can be done by business process itself or a QoS broker which is part of an autonomic system. The simulation result shows that, when producing the information needed for dynamic adaptation, the running time of business process composition increases only by a constant factor regardless of the system size.
Thermoelastic noise and homogeneous thermal noise in finite sized gravitational-wave test masses

An analysis is given of thermoelastic noise (thermal noise due to thermoelastic dissipation) in finite sized test masses of laser interferometer gravitational-wave detectors. Finite-size effects increase the thermoelastic noise by a modest amount; for example, for the sapphire test masses tentatively planned for LIGO-II and plausible beam-spot radii, the increase is ≲10 percent. As a side issue, errors are pointed out in the currently used formulas for conventional, homogeneous thermal noise (noise associated with dissipation which is homogeneous and described by an imaginary part of the Young’s modulus) in finite sized test masses. Correction of these errors increases the homogeneous thermal noise by ≲5 percent for LIGO-II-type configurations.