cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Managing volunteer convergence at disaster relief centers

Abstract Disaster relief centers (DRCs) are the retailers of disaster relief supply chains. Also known as Points of Distribution (PODs), disaster relief centers are ad hoc distribution sites set up in shopping mall parking lots, schools, churches, or warehouses where relief supplies are distributed to beneficiaries. Perhaps the most significant challenges that DRCs face are volunteer and material convergence, which refer to the mass movement of people and supplies, respectively, into affected areas following large-scale disaster events. The handling of donated supplies at DRCs and their subsequent distribution to beneficiaries are carried out almost exclusively by volunteers who also show up and abandon DRCs at random points in time. This paper concerns the assignment of volunteers to tasks at DRCs and takes the following three sources of uncertainty into account: (i) beneficiary arrival and service times, (ii) donation arrival and service times, and (iii) volunteer arrival and abandonment times. We represent the DRC as a queuing system with two parallel queues, one for donors/donations and the other for beneficiaries, and analyze the system in an agent-based simulation environment. In particular, we examine the effectiveness of heuristic policies for assigning volunteers to parallel queues in which performance metrics related to the average time donors and beneficiaries spend in the DRC are minimized. Through extensive computational experimentation, we identify the most effective assignment policies under a variety of experimental conditions.
MLR (Memory, Learning and Recognition): A General Cognitive Model - applied to Intelligent Robots and Systems Control.

This paper introduces a new perspective of intelligent robots and systems control. The presented and proposed cognitive model: Memory, Learning and Recognition (MLR), is an effort to bridge the gap between Robotics, AI, Cognitive Science, and Neuroscience. The currently existing gap prevents us from integrating the current advancement and achievements of these four research fields which are actively trying to define intelligence in either application-based way or in generic way. This cognitive model defines intelligence more specifically, parametrically and detailed. The proposed MLR model helps us create a general control model for robots and systems independent of their application domains and platforms since it is mainly based on the dataset provided for robots and systems controls. This paper is mainly proposing and introducing this concept and trying to prove this concept in a small scale, firstly through experimentation. The proposed concept is also applicable to other different platforms in real-time as well as in simulation.
Magnetoelectric control of topological phases in graphene

A new paradigm for voltage controlled topological antiferromagnetic spintronics is envisioned via proximity of a magnetoelectric antiferromagnet to a two-dimensional material. Using graphene/chromia as a model system, the authors predict the emergence of unconventional anomalous Hall effects that are electrically controlled by the N\'eel vector as well as the appearance and transformation of different topological phases and the emergence of chiral edge states. The results advance the research field of topological phenomena and establish connection between the subfields of antiferromagnetism, magnetoelectricity, topology, spintronics, and valleytronics.
Closure of an iatrogenic ventricular septal defect using a hybrid approach and echocardiographic guidance

Treatment of postsurgical iatrogenic ventricular septal defects (VSDs) remains a challenge. Surgical closure is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. A peripheral accessed percutaneous approach is faced with difficulties of gaining adequate access and complex positioning in a beating heart. We report a case of using a hybrid approach to treat iatrogenic VSD with surgical right atriotomy and delivery of an Amplatzer system under direct visualization and transesophageal echocardiography guidance.
Hypertension Management in Emergency Departments.

Background Elevated blood pressure (BP) is pervasive among patients that visit emergency departments (EDs) for their care. Methods In this review article, we outline the current approach to the management of these individuals and highlight the crucial role emergency medicine clinicians play in reducing the morbidity associated with elevated BP. Results We highlight the critical importance of immediate treatment when elevated BP contributes to new or worsening end-organ injury but emphasize that such hypertensive emergencies are rare. For the vast majority of patients with elevated BP in the ED who do not have new or worsening end-organ injury from elevated BP, immediate BP reduction within the ED is not recommended or safe. Nonetheless, within weeks after an ED visit, there is a pressing need to improve the care of patients with elevated or previously undiagnosed hypertension. For many, it may be their only regular point of engagement with the healthcare system. To address this, we present novel perspectives that envision a new role for emergency medicine in chronic hypertension management-one that acknowledges the significant population-level gaps in BP control that contribute to disparities in cardiovascular disease and sets the stage for future changes in systems-based practice. Conclusions Emergency medicine plays a key and evolving role in reducing morbidity associated with elevated BP.
Latrophilin-2 repels Teneurin-3+ hippocampal axons during target selection

Spatial- and object-related signals are preferentially processed through the medial and lateral hippocampal networks (MHN and LHN), respectively1,2. MHN comprises interconnected medial entorhinal cortex, proximal CA1 (pCA1), and distal subiculum (dSub), whereas the LHN comprises interconnected lateral entorhinal cortex, distal CA1, and proximal subiculum3,4. Previously, we showed that Teneurin-3 (Ten3) has matching expression in all interconnected regions of the MHN and is required in both CA1 and subiculum for the precise pCA1->dSub axon targeting through homophilic attraction5. Can matching gene expression in interconnected nodes of the LHN also contribute to hippocampal network assembly? Here, we discovered that latrophilin-2 (Lphn2), an adhesion GPCR known to bind teneurins6-8, has matching expression in the LHN that is complementary to Ten3. Viral-genetic perturbations in vivo revealed that Ten3+ pCA1 axons are repelled by ectopic expression of Lphn2 in dSub, and ectopically invade proximal subiculum deleted for Lphn2. Simultaneous subiculum deletion of Lphn2 and Ten3 causes Ten3+ pCA1 axon mistargeting reflecting loss of both repulsion and attraction. Our findings demonstrate that Lphn2 acts as a repulsive ligand for Ten3+ axons, identify Ten3 as a receptor for both repulsive and attractive ligands in the same axon during target choice, and reveal how a "Ten3->Ten3, Lphn2->Lphn2" rule directs the precise assembly of functional hippocampal networks.
What Factors Will Facilitate or Sabotage my Success

A variety of factors can facilitate or sabotage the TBL experience. Faculty and learners must buy-in to the process. Implementation must be well organized and coordinated with other learning activities. TBL is best conducted in flat classrooms where students can see and hear each other. Faculty must adopt the unique skill of TBL facilitation, a competency that differs from lecturing. Readiness assurance tests should be high quality, of sufficient challenge, and conducted at appropriate intervals. Incentive mechanisms should be established to ensure both individual and team accountability. Most importantly, application exercises should be well designed, challenging, and aligned with learning goals. Applications should always meet the “4S” criteria of a significant problem, same for all teams, with specific choice answers that are simultaneously revealed. The best applications will engage learners and enhance learning.
A thematic analysis of crisis management in tourism: A theoretical perspective

Abstract The hospitality and tourism industry for a variety of reasons is vulnerable to crises of various origins and scope. Thereby, research regarding crises in this industry has received significant attention among scholars. This study presents the results of a qualitative thematic analysis (TA) of the literature concerning crisis management in hospitality and tourism. A total of 207 research publications from 1986 to 2019 were analyzed. The findings revealed eight major themes that emerged in the literature over time. We critically discuss these themes with suggestions and directions for future research in this area. The study also identifies a shortage of scholarly attempt to conceptualize crisis management and thus explores the sensemaking perspective to shed further light on explaining the themes that emerged in the analysis.
The Interactive Effects of Product Design and Environment Congruence on Consumers’ Cognitive and Affective Responses: An Abstract

Product design plays a major role in drawing consumers’ attention to the product at the beginning of consumer-product interactions (Blijlevens et al. 2009; Crilly et al. 2004; Kreuzbauer and Malter 2005). Such interactions, however, do not occur in vacuum and external factor could also influence consumers’ perceptions of the product. While previous research suggests that environment congruence facilitates consumers’ positive evaluations of the product and thus the product’s environment must be aligned with the design elements embedded in the product (Berger and Fitzsimons 2008; Meyers-Levy and Tybout 1989; Wu et al. 2013), the generalizability of this idea is challenged in this study. More precisely, this work empirically investigates how product design cues, environment visual congruence, and their interaction may influence consumers’ aesthetic, affective, and behavioral responses.
Animality in Contemporary Italian Philosophy: edited by Felice Cimatti and Carlo Salzani, London, Palgrave Macmillan, 2020, 341 pp., €124.79 (Hardcover), ISBN 978-3-030-47506-2

In the first of the two fictional lectures that frame The Lives of Animals (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1999), Elizabeth Costello – the fictional writer invented by J.M. Coetzee as the p...
Infrared object classification with a hybrid optical convolution neuralnetwork

Recent advancements in machine vision have enabled a great range of applications from image classification to autonomous driving. However, there is still a dilemma between the pursuit of higher-resolution training images that require a detector array with more pixels on the front end, and the demands on acquisition for embedded systems restrained by power, transmission bandwidth, and storage. In this paper, a multi-pixel hybrid optical convolutional neural network machine vision system was designed and validated to perform high-speed infrared object detection. The proposed system replicates the front convolution layer in a convolutional neural network utilizing a high-speed digital micro-mirror device to display the first layer of kernels at a resolution greater than the subsequent detector. After this, further convolutions are carried out in software to perform the object recognition. An infrared vehicle dataset was used to validate the performance of the hybrid system through simulation. We also tested this in hardware by performing infrared classification on toy vehicles to showcase the feasibility of such a design.
Alienation and Community

Alienation and community are central concepts of the modern political and social sciences. Each term is laden with value implications; each is open to a confusing array of applications. Although many studies and policy papers have employed the community or the neighborhood as their focal point, no single definition of either term has won universal acceptance. Many definitions that work well in a single theoretical construct have proven difficult in practice. The neighborhood has recently been idealized in popular culture as a bygone urban Utopia, suitable for nostalgic reminiscence and panegyric, not as an arena for hardheaded political action. We have a number of useful and/or attractive definitions, none of which may be reliably employed in all circumstances. How one uses the terms obviously depends on what one wishes to do with them.
Chapter 10 Conjoint analysis with product-positioning applications

Publisher Summary This chapter provides the OR/MS researcher with an overview of conjoint's origins, foundations and progress, culminating in prescriptive models for optimal product-positioning. Its evolution has moved beyond initial preoccupation with utility measurement and buyer-choice simulations to interest in product design, market segmentation, and competitive strategy. OR/MS researchers are probably less knowledgeable with the more plebeian methodology of conjoint analysis, a multi attribute utility-measurement approach applied primarily by marketing researchers. Conjoint researchers are usually concerned with the more day-to-day decisions of consumers what brand of soap, automobile, phone service, photocopy machine to buy. While, in principle, conjoint methodology can be used to measure corporate administrators' multi attribute values, in most applications this is not the case.
Chapter 10 Taxation

Abstract This Handbook entry presents a conceptual, normative overview of the subject of taxation. It emphasizes the relationships among the main functions of taxation—notably, raising revenue, redistributing income, and correcting externalities—and the mapping between these functions and various forms of taxation. Different types of taxation as well as expenditures on transfers and public goods are each integrated into a common optimal tax framework with the income tax and commodity taxes at the core. Additional topics addressed include a range of dynamic issues, the unit of taxation, tax administration and enforcement, and tax equity.
Engine Thermal Management

Internal combustion (IC) engines experience in-cylinder gas temperatures of up to 2500°C during combustion, promoting heat transfer from the hot gases to the metal surfaces of the combustion chamber. Heat needs to be removed at relatively high rates to maintain proper engine component temperatures, and prevent failures that result from excessive thermal stresses, fatigue cracking, engine knocking combustion, and lubricant layer degradation. The engine cooling system accomplishes the necessary heat rejection by circulating air or liquid coolant around the combustion chamber, absorbing heat from the engine, and subsequently dissipating the heat to the ambient. Heat rejection to the lubricant plays an important role too. A thorough understanding of heat transfer modes and pathways is necessary for the design of an effective engine cooling system. The topics covered in this chapter are modes of engine heat transfer, modeling and experimental analysis of the heat transfer from the gas in the cylinder to the wall, heat transfer from the outer wall to coolant, semiempirical heat transfer correlations for engine cycle simulations, heat transfer from the piston rings to the cylinder liner, exhaust port heat transfer, cooling system functional requirements, air cooling, liquid cooling, coolant flow patterns through the cylinder block/head, cooling system components, temperature control in the engine with liquid cooling, automatic transmission cooling, as well as cooling system operation, integration, packaging, and management of the underhood air flow. Waste heat recovery is discussed at the end of the chapter as a special topic. Keywords: IC engine; cooling; heat transfer; conduction; convection; radiation; heat flux measurement; thermal management; waste heat recovery
Child care work : Intimacy in the shadows of family-life

This study analyzes the relationships between child care workers and the families of the children they serve. Because paid child care operates in the borderlands of family, many workers develop intimate relationships—both emotional and physical—with the children they care for and their families. Based on three and a half years of participant-observation fieldwork, and in-depth interviews with child care workers, the researcher examines how worker's subjective meanings are shaped through daily interactions, through organizational processes found in child care centers, and by the gendering of child care as women's work. The child care workers in this study saw themselves in “family-like” relationship with the families they served. This designation as “like-moms” and “pseudo-parents” also meant that workers continually engaged in “emotional labor”—managing the intimacy they experienced as caregivers against the expectations placed on them as workers.
The physiology of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion in men and women.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the physiology of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion in men and women. The study of the normal physiology of GnRH secretion in the human is complicated by two features unique to neuroendocrine systems in which hypothalamic neuronal messages interface with the classical endocrine pathways. These difficulties stem from the intermittent mode of secretion of a series of evanescent releasing factors and the closed portal blood supply, which they traverse. The first approach employed to obtain an indirect assessment of GnRH secretion has been the use of frequent sampling of peripheral blood to evaluate the episodic secretion of gonadotropins. The second major approach employed to study the secretion of GnRH has been the use of various defects of GnRH release in the form of hypogonadotropic disorders. As a result of these inherent limitations of both approaches—either passive monitoring of endogenous GnRH secretion via observation of gonadotropin pulsations or active intervention with exogenous GnRH in deficiency states—a combination of these two techniques is required to maximize physiologic information. This combination of approaches is especially appealing as each line of investigation by itself offers a unique insight into a different aspect of GnRH physiology, but at the same time suffers from a major potential limitation.
JPEG2000: highly scalable image compression

JPEG2000 is the latest ISO/IEC image compression standard. It is distinct from previous standards in that it is more than an input-output filter. JPEG2000 enables decompression of many image products from a single compressed file and offers several opportunities for compressed domain processing. This paper describes the feature set of the JPEG2000 compression standard, followed by a high level description of the algorithm.
Support Groups for Family Caregivers of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

The author discusses some assumptions, dilemmas, and questions that have come out of her experience in facilitating support groups for caregivers whose relatives have Alzheimer's disease, talking with other such facilitators around the country, reviewing the literature, and talking with group members themselves. Suggestions are made for a wider variety of support-group models, in recognition that caregivers have different needs.
Tailoring interventions to promote physically active lifestyles in women.

Women can achieve improved qualitv of life’,2 and reduce risk of all-cause morbidity and mortality ” by regular participation in physical activity. In both men and women, physical activity has been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, obesity, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and depression”. Although less research has been conducted regarding benefits specific to women, physical activity has been shown to provide protection from osteoporosis, red-uced risk of breast and cervical cancer, reduction or alleviation of premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea, reduced risk of gestational diabetes, reduced pregnancy-related pelvic and back pain, and the facilitation of labor and postnatal recovery.“,’ Unfortunately, 75% 0 f American women are inactive or underactive.” Women tend to be less active than men when vigorous activity is assessed; however, gender differences disappear when moderate and light intensity activity are considered.” Participation in physical activity decreases as women increase in age,7 and women of minority status are less active than their majority peers.8 Much of what is known about enhancing physical activity behavior comes from studies that have used psychological theories and models to guide intervention design and delivery. This area of research has identified several psychological, social, and environmental variables that are associated with patterns of physical activity behavior. The following discussion highlights some of these factors as they relate specifically to women.
Going through the Barrier: COUPLED DISULFIDE EXCHANGE REACTIONS PROMOTE EFFICIENT CATALYSIS IN QUIESCIN SULFHYDRYL OXIDASE

The quiescin sulfhydryl oxidase (QSOX) family of enzymes generates disulfide bonds in peptides and proteins with the reduction of oxygen to hydrogen peroxide. Determination of the potentials of the redox centers in Trypanosoma brucei QSOX provides a context for understanding catalysis by this facile oxidant of protein thiols. The CXXC motif of the thioredoxin domain is comparatively oxidizing (E′0 of −144 mV), consistent with an ability to transfer disulfide bonds to a broad range of thiol substrates. In contrast, the proximal CXXC disulfide in the ERV (essential for respiration and vegetative growth) domain of TbQSOX is strongly reducing (E′0 of −273 mV), representing a major apparent thermodynamic barrier to overall catalysis. Reduction of the oxidizing FAD cofactor (E′0 of −153 mV) is followed by the strongly favorable reduction of molecular oxygen. The role of a mixed disulfide intermediate between thioredoxin and ERV domains was highlighted by rapid reaction studies in which the wild-type CGAC motif in the thioredoxin domain of TbQSOX was replaced by the more oxidizing CPHC or more reducing CGPC sequence. Mixed disulfide bond formation is accompanied by the generation of a charge transfer complex with the flavin cofactor. This provides thermodynamic coupling among the three redox centers of QSOX and avoids the strongly uphill mismatch between the formal potentials of the thioredoxin and ERV disulfides. This work identifies intriguing mechanistic parallels between the eukaryotic QSOX enzymes and the DsbA/B system catalyzing disulfide bond generation in the bacterial periplasm and suggests that the strategy of linked disulfide exchanges may be exploited in other catalysts of oxidative protein folding.
Two Point Resolution Criterion For Multi-Aperture Telescopes

The next generation of large telescopes may involve designs which use multiple parallel apertures. The two-point resolution criteria (Rayleighl or Sparrow2) is the classic way of comparing telescopes. However, there is no standard two-point resolution criterion for multi-aperture systems. The authors propose a new resolution criterion which accounts for the unique characteristics of a multi-aperture impulse response. The impulse response of a multi-aperture system is characterized by a primary peak and side-peaks which are dependent on the spacing of the individual subapertures which comprise the multi-aperture system. As the spacing between the subapertures increase, the intensity of the side-peaks increase. To illustrate the difference between two-point source diffraction patterns from a single aperture and a six-aperture system of an equivalent diameter, refer to Figure 1.
Theoretical Antecedents to HIV Risk Perception

Background: HIV risk perceptions have been unreliable in predicting behavioral change, suggesting that significant factors which may contribute to HIV risk perception remain unknown. Objective: The purpose of this research was to describe HIV risk perceptions of two discordant samples and theorize about possible antecedents to their HIV risk perception. Study Design: The multiethnic samples consist of female college students (n = 286) and female HIV seronegative injecting drug users (n = 101). Secondary analysis of two data sets was conducted for this comparative descriptive study. Results: Approximately 90% of college students and 60.4% of injecting drug users appraised their HIV risk as nil or small. Injecting drug users were 3.1 times more likely than college students to perceive some risk of HIV infection and 28.8 times more likely to perceive a large or great risk. Conclusion: Both samples minimized their HIV risk. HIV risk perception appears to be based on cognitive antecedents in addition to risky HIV-related sexual and drug-use behavior. It is theorized that both samples used the cognitive coping strategies of denial, distancing, and downward comparison to minimize their HIV risk perception. (J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc [2000]. 6, 177-182.)
In Longitudinal Data From the Survey of Program Dynamics, 16.9% of the U.S. Population Was Exposed to Household Food Insecurity in a 5-Year Period

This study provides US national-level estimates of exposure to and persistence of food insecurity in a period of 5 consecutive years. Based on longitudinal data from the Survey of Program Dynamics (SPD) (n = 12,185), 16.9% of the US population was exposed to household food insecurity in at least 1 year and 1.04% experienced persistent insecurity for 5 years from 1998 to 2002. Assuming that transition probabilities are stable, a Markov model allows further estimates for a longer period. From this approach, 25.9% of the US population was exposed to household food insecurity in a 10-year period. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the Publisher's online edition of Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition to view the free supplemental file.
Increasing the Band Gap of Iron Pyrite by Alloying with Oxygen

Systematic density functional theory studies and model analyses have been used to show that the band gap of iron pyrite (FeS2) can be increased from ∼1.0 to 1.2–1.3 eV by replacing ∼10% of the sulfur atoms with oxygen atoms (i.e., ∼10% OS impurities). OS formation is exothermic, and the oxygen atoms tend to avoid O–O dimerization, which favors the structural stability of homogeneous FeS2–xOx alloys and frustrates phase separation into FeS2 and iron oxides. With an ideal band gap, absence of OS-induced gap states, high optical absorptivity, and low electron effective mass, FeS2–xOx alloys are promising for the development of pyrite-based heterojunction solar cells that feature large photovoltages and high device efficiencies.
Abstract LB-138: Autophagy regulator BECN1 acts as a context-dependent tumor suppressor opposing parity-associated and WNT1-driven mammary tumorigenesis

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Earlier studies reported allelic deletion of the essential autophagy regulator BECN1 in breast cancers implicating BECN1 loss and defective autophagy in tumorigenesis. Recent studies questioned the tumor suppressive role of autophagy, as Atg defects, including Becn1 deletion, suppress tumorigenesis in mouse tumor models. For the first time, we report that monoallelic Becn1 loss has a context-specific tumor-promoting function in parity-associated and WNT-driven mammary tumorigenesis. Our studies demonstrate that Becn1 heterozygocity promotes immature mammary epithelial cell expansion, Receptor Activator of NFκB (RANK) signaling and mammary tumorigenesis in cooperation with the progenitor cell-transforming WNT pathway. Similar to our mouse model, low BECN1 expression and WNT pathway activation in human breast tumors correlate with triple negative breast cancers (TNBCs), RANK axis activation and poor prognosis. Our results provide novel insight in the seemingly paradoxical role of BECN1 in tumorigenesis and the basis for further studies on pathophysiology and treatment of clinically aggressive TNBCs. Citation Format: Michelle Cicchini, Rumela Chakrabarti, Sameera Kongara, Sandy Price, Ritu Nahar, Fred Lozy, Hua Zhong, Alexei Vazquez, Yibin Kang, Vassiliki Karantza. Autophagy regulator BECN1 acts as a context-dependent tumor suppressor opposing parity-associated and WNT1-driven mammary tumorigenesis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-138. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-LB-138
Gender-specific common nouns: Sex differences in self-use

Males and females completed questionnaires on self-esteem and on their use, applied to themselves, of (a) girl/boy, (b) gal/guy, (c) lady/gentleman, and (d) woman/man in 10 situations. Terms chosen did not vary with self-esteem or with psychiatric vs nonpsychiatric status. Older subjects preferred lady/gentleman and woman/man. Females seldom chose gal, and used it less often than males used guy. Both sexes chose girl/boy most in negative situations. Females used girl more than males used boy in self-praise situations. Females preferred both sexes to think of them as ladies. Males preferred females to think of them as gentlemen and thought that term most complimentary, but preferred males to think of them as men. These results are discussed in terms of societal sex roles.
Impact of demand correlation and information sharing in a capacity constrained supply chain with multiple-retailers

This paper considers a single product, two-echelon capacity constrained supply chain consisting of a supplier and two retailers facing correlated end-item demand. We use a decentralized Markov decision process with restricted observations to represent this system and conduct a numerical study to quantify the benefits of information sharing to the retailers under varying levels of supplier capacity and supply allocation mechanisms. Our results show an inverse relationship between capacity and information and indicate the retailers can achieve significant benefits as a result of the information sharing partnership.
Quadratic forms that represent almost the same primes

Jagy and Kaplansky exhibited a table of 68 pairs of positive definite binary quadratic forms that represent the same odd primes and conjectured that their list is complete outside of "trivial" pairs. In this article, we confirm their conjecture, and in fact find all pairs of such forms that represent the same primes outside of a finite set.
Comparing nucleus accumbens and dorsal striatal dopamine responses to self-administered cocaine in naïve rats.

Dopamine (DA) responses in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and dorsal striatum (DS) are commonly associated with different aspects of cocaine effects. Enhanced NAcc DA has been most convincingly linked with the positive reinforcing effects of cocaine, while DS DA is thought to mediate cocaine-induced motoric effects. Though several studies have shown NAcc DA enhancement following cocaine self-administration, very little work has examined the effects of cocaine self-administration on DS DA. In this study, DA levels in the NAcc and DS, and locomotor responses to a single self-administered cocaine injection (1.5mg/kg) were assessed in operant-trained, drug-naive Sprague-Dawley rats. Locomotor activity, NAcc and DS DA levels increased significantly over baseline activity immediately after cocaine injection. However, while basal and cocaine-stimulated NAcc DA concentrations (nM) were significantly greater than DS DA levels, the magnitude of response was statistically comparable between brain regions. These findings indicate that, though both the NAcc and DS are importantly involved in the dopaminergic response to self-administered cocaine in drug-naive rats, basal DA differences in dialysis data are obscured by statistical conversions to baseline percentages.
Kalman filtering for enhanced landmine detection using quadrupole resonance

Quadrupole resonance (QR) is a novel technology recently applied to landmine detection. The detection process is specific to the chemistry of the explosive, and therefore is less susceptible to the types of false alarms experienced by metal detectors and ground-penetrating radars. Although QR is vulnerable to radio-frequency interference (RFI) when the sensor is deployed in the field, adaptive RFI mitigation can remove most of the RFI. In this paper, advanced signal processing algorithms applied to the postmitigation signal are studied to enhance explosive detection. A new Kalman filtering strategy is proposed to estimate and detect the QR signal in the postmitigation signal. The results using both simulated data and experimental data show that the proposed algorithm can provide robust landmine detection performance.
Dynamical model and nonextensive statistical mechanics of liquid water path fluctuations in stratus clouds

[1] The shape and tails of the probability distribution functions of the liquid water path in stratus clouds are expressed through a model encompassing Tsallis nonextensive statistics. A model originally proposed to describe turbulent flows describes the behavior of the normalized increments of the liquid water path, at both small and large timescales, provided that the distribution of the local variability of the normalized increments can be sufficiently well fitted with a χ2 distribution. The transition between the small-timescale model of a nonextensive process and the large-scale Gaussian extensive homogeneous fluctuation model is found to be at around 24 h.
EFFECTS OF LIGHT REGIME ON ANTIOXIDANT CONTENT OF FOLIAGE IN A TROPICAL FOREST COMMUNITY

A basic tenet of plant ecology is that under high light and limiting nutrient levels, carbon becomes relatively more available for investment in anti-herbivore defense. Rarely considered in discussions of such defense investments, however, is the necessity for plants to defend themselves against oxidative damage caused by light exposure itself. To determine if the ability to respond to elevated levels of light exposure by increasing production of antioxidant compounds is a general characteristic of foliage in tropical plants, we conducted a broad survey of antioxidant content in foliage of 55 species in a tropical forest community by comparing individuals within forest gaps to conspecifics in the closed canopy forest. To do so, we devised a rapid assay to use under field conditions. Of the 41 species of shrubs, trees, and lianas demonstrating a discernible difference in antioxidant content under the two light regimes, 34 (68%) showed higher antioxidant content under high light conditions. In a quantitative laboratory-based study using four of these species, light was associated with a 15 to 45 percent increase in water-soluble antioxidants in three species; one species displayed a 118 percent increase in fat-soluble antioxidants as well. Thus, changes in the chemistry of plant foliage in response to light may reflect plant investments in defense against abiotic stress factors as well as investments in defense against biotic stress factors.
Dynamical study of the Hilda asteroids. I - Resonant orbital motion of the PLS objects from the Palomar-Leiden Survey

Schubart's (1968) model of a planar elliptic restricted three-body problem is used to study the orbital motion of the Hilda asteroids from the Palomar-Leiden Survey. The 3:2 resonant coupling to Jupiter of some of these small asteroids is found to be stable. However, some of the small asteroids with absolute magnitude greater than 15 have large amplitude of variation in their orbital elements in one libration period. Since the lifetime scales against catastrophic collision of the Hilda asteroids are estimated to be several times larger than those of the main-belt objects, a significant portion of these resonant asteroids could be the original members of the Hilda group. From this point of view, it is suggested that such 'size dependence' of resonant orbital motions might be the result of cosmogonic effects of jet-stream accretion.
Crystallographic changes in calcium phosphates during plasma-spraying.

Abstract Coating hydroxyapatite (HA) onto metal implant surfaces using the plasma-spraying technique has been investigated in several laboratories as a means of improving the mechanical properties of the bulk ceramic. This study describes crystallographic changes which can occur during the plasma-spraying of calcium phosphate powders. A precipitated calcium-deficient apatite and a high temperature near-stoichiometric HA were each sprayed onto metal substrates in an argon plasma using several hydrogen gas flow conditions at various temperatures. The surfaces were examined by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The plasma-sprayed products were identified as a mixture of calcium phosphates including HA, β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) and calcium oxide. Stoichiometric HA when plasma-sprayed showed the least (5%) degradation. Since β-TCP is more resorbable than HA in vivo, varying the HA β-TCP ratio on the plasma-sprayed surface may provide a method to control surface dissolution of the coating.
Kinetics of Nucleation, Growth, and Stabilization of Cobalt Oxide Nanoclusters

Metallic fragments, or metallomers (similar to the “mer”-based nomenclature for polymers), formed via the decomposition of organometallic complexes, are highly reactive, generating a nucleation and growth process that culminates in the formation of nanocrystals. In the absence of stabilizing molecules, the aggregation process is self-restricting mainly because of the decreasing mobility of the particles and their declining diffusional rates as a function of their increasing size. On the other hand, in the presence of a polymer in the reaction medium, the growing metallic particles are stabilized by the adsorption of the polymer chains onto their surfaces, thus lowering their surface energy and creating a barrier to further aggregation. Studies of the nucleation and aggregation kinetics of metallic particles formed from the decomposition of organometallic precursors have been used to shed light on the mechanism of their formation. In these studies, the rate of decomposition of the precursor organometallic ...
Efficacy of phloxine B as a bactericidal agent in plants

Agrobacterium tumefaciens cells were killed upon illumination when treated with submicromolar concentrations of phloxine B. Phloxine B could be distributed systemically through a plant by amending the water supply or delivered directly to specific locations through topical applications in 0.1% adjuvant (Kinetic HV). Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), jimsonweed (Datura stramonium L.), and soybean (Glycine max L.) were infected with A. tumefaciens to establish a marker for a systemic pathogenic bacteria. There was a >90% reduction in the plants' population of A. tumefaciens when watered daily with a 1 micromolar phloxine B solution. Furthermore, the plants treated with phloxine B were asymptomatic to the pathogenic challenge. Leaf tissue, collected from basil and soybean, also expressed a reduction in the population of A. tumefaciens by >90% when treated under greenhouse conditions for 24 h with 10 μM phloxine B in 0.1% Kinetic HV. The possible use of phloxine B as an agent to control bacterial diseases in plants is suggested.
LIFE HISTORY OF BONNEMAISONIA CENICULATA (RHODOPHYTA): A LABORATORY AND FLELD STUDY1, 2

Cystocarpic and spermatangial plants of rarely reported red alga Bonnemaisonia geniculata Gardner, epiphytic on Odonthalia Aoccosa (Esp.) Falk, were collected from june to September 1975 at shell Beach, california. Carpospores inoculated into unialgal culture divided, upon germination, in to two daughter cells, both of which formed erect and rhizoidal axes, Erect axes were uniseriale and alternately branched with a distictive zigzag pattern of axial cells. No tetrasporangia developed in culture. The presumptive tetrasporangia developed in culture to a described genus. Plants morphologically similar to those cultured from carpospores were found at the collection site; they bore tetrasporangia from February to june. Cullured letrasporews gave rise to male and female plants similar to those of field-collected B. geniculate in ca. a I:I ratio. Fertile female plants in the presence of male plants formed cystocarps. Carpospores gave rise to the alternately branched tetrasporophyte phase. Bonnemaisonia geniculate has a heteromorphic life history involving a previously undescribed tetrasporophyte.
Extending the constraint database framework

Constraint Databases (CDBs) are an extension of relational databases that enrich both the relational data model and the relational query primitives with constraints. By providing a finite representation of data with infinite semantics, the Constraint Database approach is particularly appropriate for querying spatiotemporal data.Since the introduction of Constraint Databases in the early 1990's, several Constraint Database systems have been implemented. In this paper, we discuss several extensions to Paris's Constraint Database framework that we believe necessary, based on the experience with these implementations, and specifically CQA/CDB:Extending the CDB schema to explicitly distinguish traditional from constraint attributes.Additional Constraint Query Algebra operators: keeping queries safe.Multi-attribute indexing systems: how best to group the attributes?Flexibility in representing infinite data: taking constraints.We believe that Paris would have been the first to modify the Constraint Database framework if he felt there were a way to improve it, and we hope that these extensions to the CDB framework bring us closer towards realizing the promise that constraint database technology holds for integrating the advantages of traditional relational database technology with emerging data intensive applications.
Obesity, pregnancy, and left ventricular functioning during the third trimester

Abstract Objective: Our purpose was to determine left ventricular size and function in obese pregnant patients during the third trimester. Study Design: Eight morbidly obese pregnant patients had M-mode echocardiography. None were hypertensive or diabetic at the time of study. A group of 36 normal patients were used as controls. Results: Left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, fractional shortening, and cardiac index were not significantly different between the two groups. Left atria) size, left ventricular wall thickness, interventricular septa) thickness, and left ventricular mass were greater in the obese group. The radius-to-wall thickness ratio was significantly smaller in the obese group. Conclusions: (1) Left ventricular dimension and function in obese patients was similar to that of nonobese patients. (2) The left ventricle was found to be significantly hypertrophied in obese patients. Left ventricular reconfiguration appears to be important in preserving left ventricular function. Whether these changes are specific to pregnancy or secondary to maternal obesity remains to be determined.
Prisoners in Paradise: American Women in the Wartime South Pacific

While Rosie the Riveter and millions of American women fought World War II on the home front, other women witnessed the war firsthand. Many of them were overtaken by Japan's military offensive in the South Pacific and subsequently held captive. Theresa Kaminski chronicles their harrowing experiences in this moving testament to women in wartime. Although most of us are familiar with accounts of POWs, few realize that the Japanese imprisoned thousands of American civilian women in the Philippines during World War II. They were businessmen's wives and career girls, missionaries and teachers, nurses and mothers-and some were even spies. Many had grown accustomed to the good life in a colonial society, but after the Japanese invaded they had to learn to fend for themselves. "Prisoners in Paradise" is the most complete look at the experiences of these heroic women. Theresa Kaminski takes readers inside the internment camps to show how these women coped and how the experience changed them. Some took on leadership roles for the first time in their lives, while many found themselves doing work they had previously left to servants. They learned to stretch both the boundaries of acceptable behavior for women and the norms of motherhood as they struggled to meet the challenge of captivity. They fought to keep their families together, adjusting to changes in work habits and private lives under the watchful eye of their Japanese captors. They also kept up their morale by diverting themselves with fashion however impromptu it might have been. While most civilian women were interned, others fled into the hills or adopted new identities to avoid captivity, relying on neighbors and former servants for survival. Kaminski shares their stories as well, such as that of an intelligence agent who escaped the Japanese to fight with-and serve as mother to-a band of Filipino guerrillas, and a spy known as "High Pockets" who got her nickname by smuggling documents in her brassiere. "Prisoners in Paradise" is the product of exceptionally wide-ranging research, drawing on interviews, letters, and diaries of internees. It shows how women under duress negotiated issues of gender and national identity in their struggle to survive, bolstered by their belief in what it meant to be an American woman. By sharing these little-known stories of perseverance and survival, Kaminski draws new profiles of courage that can inspire us half a century later."
Buoyancy-limited magnetic viscosity in quasi-stellar object accretion disk models

Alpha models of astrophysical accretion disks assume an ad hoc viscous stress which scales locally as the total pressure. It is shown here that, if turbulent magnetic Maxwell stresses are the source of this viscosity in quasi-stellar object accretion disk models, then the stress cannot follow the assumed alpha-law in the radiation pressure-dominated inner region of the disk.
Platelet Activation by α-Thrombin Is a Receptor-Mediated Eventa

Computer-assisted data analysis of binding isotherms (LIGAND) has shown that human platelets have binding sites for alpha-thrombin of high (Kd 0.3 nM), moderate (Kd 10 nM), and low affinities (Kd 3 microM). Application of similar techniques has shown that TLCK-thrombin does not, whereas PPACK-thrombin does, bind to the high-affinity binding site accessible to alpha-thrombin, but that both bind to the moderate and low-affinity sites. Treatment of platelets with Serratia marcescens protease destroys the high-affinity site but does not affect moderate-affinity binding. In accordance with this model, both modified thrombins compete with alpha-thrombin for platelet activation at the moderate-affinity site, but only PPACK-thrombin competes at the high-affinity site. These results establish that platelet activation by either low or moderate concentrations of thrombin are receptor-mediated events and explain the paradox of the differential effects of TLCK-thrombin on the binding and activation of platelets by alpha-thrombin.
Projecting crime rates: An age, period, and cohort model using ARIMA techniques

The object of this paper is to generate forecasts of U.S. index property and violent crimes. A three-step procedure is employed. First, the age-specific crime rates are decomposed into age, period, and cohort effects. Then the period and cohort effects are characterized using regression and transfer functions, respectively. Finally, these statistical models are used to generate forecasts of the period and cohort effects and hence forecasted values of the age-specific crime rates. The forecasts are compared with existing data and found to be quite accurate. Issues concerning the forecast efficiency of this approach compared to that of others are also discussed.