cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strategy-based warm starting for Regret Minimization in games

Counterfactual Regret Minimization (CFR) is a popular iterative algorithm for approximating Nash equilibria in imperfect-information multi-step two-player zero-sum games. We introduce the first general, principled method for warm starting CFR. Our approach requires only a strategy for each player, and accomplishes the warm start at the cost of a single traversal of the game tree. The method provably warm starts CFR to as many iterations as it would have taken to reach a strategy profile of the same quality as the input strategies, and does not alter the convergence bounds of the algorithms. Unlike prior approaches to warm starting, ours can be applied in all cases. Our method is agnostic to the origins of the input strategies. For example, they can be based on human domain knowledge, the observed strategy of a strong agent, the solution of a coarser abstraction, or the output of some algorithm that converges rapidly at first but slowly as it gets closer to an equilibrium. Experiments demonstrate that one can improve overall convergence in a game by first running CFR on a smaller, coarser abstraction of the game and then using the strategy in the abstract game to warm start CFR in the full game.
Les projets archéologiques Tuvaaluk et Torngat: description et bilan

A la fin des annees 1970, deux grands programmes multidisciplinaires devant durer plusieurs annees ont ete lances le long des cotes du nord du Labrador et de l’Ungava au nord du Quebec. Tous deux envisageaient un nouveau modele d’archeologie arctique alliant l’archeologie, l’ethnographie, les etudes environnementales, les sciences de la Terre et l’informatique. Le programme de recherche Tuvaaluk etait dirige par Patrick Plumet de l’Universite du Quebec a Montreal, et le projet archeologique Torngat, par William Fitzhugh de la Smithsonian Institution et Richard Jordan du Bryn Mawr College. Ces projets ont dure approximativement cinq ans et ont rassemble des chercheurs et des etudiants de plusieurs institutions. Le projet Tuvaaluk se concentrait sur les cultures thuleennes et paleoesquimaudes, tandis que le projet archeologique Torngat incluait des recherches sur les cultures amerindiennes de l’Archaique maritime et celles qui ont suivi, en plus des cultures paleoesquimaudes et inuit. Cet article passe en revue les projets Tuvaaluk et Torngat, et compare leurs objectifs, leurs methodes, leurs resultats, les lecons qui en ont ete tirees et l’influence qu’ils ont eue.
Positive Policing: Communication and the Public

Communication is perhaps one of the most important aspects of law enforcement, yet it is also perhaps one which is neglected more often than others as being secondary to the important role of the police as crime fighters and law enforcers. However, communication is something that is ignored at an individual’s (officer) or agency’s peril. This chapter discusses the important role of communication between officers, departments, agencies, and most definitely the importance of good communication with the general public. It will also address some suggestions for how this can be tackled and successfully achieved, thereby providing for a more positive image of the police and in this manner creating a culture of support in the community.
Case of diabetic ketoacidosis as an initial presentation of Cushing’s syndrome

Summary Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is commonly encountered in clinical practice. The current case is a unique and rare presentation of DKA as the initial manifestation of Cushing's disease secondary to ACTH-secreting pituitary adenoma. Appropriate management as elaborated in the article led to total remission of diabetes as well as the Cushing's disease. Learning points DKA is a serious and potentially life-threatening metabolic complication of diabetes mellitus.Some well-known precipitants of DKA include new-onset T1DM, insulin withdrawal and acute illness.In a patient presenting with DKA, the presence of a mixed acid-base disorder warrants further evaluation for precipitants of DKA.We present a rare case of DKA as an initial manifestation of Cushing's disease secondary to ACTH-producing pituitary adenoma.
White Matter Integrity Declined Over 6-Months, but Dance Intervention Improved Integrity of the Fornix of Older Adults

Degeneration of cerebral white matter (WM), or structural disconnection, is one of the major neural mechanisms driving age-related decline in cognitive functions, such as processing speed. Past cross-sectional studies have demonstrated beneficial effects of greater cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity, cognitive training, social engagement, and nutrition on cognitive functioning and brain health in aging. Here, we collected diffusion magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging data from 174 older (age 60–79) adults to study the effects of 6-month lifestyle interventions on WM integrity. Healthy but low-active participants were randomized into Dance, Walking, Walking + Nutrition, and Active Control (stretching and toning) intervention groups (NCT01472744 on ClinicalTrials.gov). Only in the fornix there was a time x intervention group interaction of change in WM integrity: integrity declined over 6 months in all groups but increased in the Dance group. Integrity in the fornix at baseline was associated with better processing speed, however, change in fornix integrity did not correlate with change in processing speed. Next, we observed a decline in WM integrity across the majority of brain regions in all participants, regardless of the intervention group. This suggests that the aging of the brain is detectable on the scale of 6 months, which highlights the urgency of finding effective interventions to slow down this process. Magnitude of WM decline increased with age and decline in prefrontal WM was of lesser magnitude in older adults spending less time sedentary and more engaging in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. In addition, our findings support the anterior-to-posterior gradient of greater-to-lesser decline, but only in the in the corpus callosum. Together, our findings suggest that combining physical, cognitive, and social engagement (dance) may help maintain or improve WM health and more physically active lifestyle is associated with slower WM decline. This study emphasizes the importance of a physically active and socially engaging lifestyle among aging adults.
A Novel Surrogate-Based Optimization Method for Black-Box Simulation with Heteroscedastic Noise

Simulation optimization (SO) problems can be difficult to solve because of the lack of knowledge of the algebraic model equations and the unknown structure of the noise inherent to the simulation. It is important to investigate approaches capable of handling noise in order to achieve optimal solution with efficiency. In recent years, surrogate-based methods for SO problems have gained increasing attention from different research communities. In this work, we adapted a one-stage adaptive sampling approach to a Kriging-based optimization framework for simulations with heteroscedastic noise. We compared its performance with another Kriging-based approach using expected improvement as the infill criterion. On the basis of the results of several test problems, each with various noise scenarios, we discussed the benefits and limitations of both algorithms. Finally, we show the application of both algorithms to finding the optimal operation conditions of a continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing simulation model.
Experimental Parameters Influencing Hydrocarbon Selectivity during the Electrochemical Conversion of CO2

The selectivity of the products formed from the electrochemical conversion of CO2 can be controllably altered by changing the experimental conditions while the catalyst surface is kept the same. Herein, we demonstrate the importance of controlling electrolysis conditions and reporting detailed experimental parameters, such that catalyst activity can be compared objectively, which will aid in our understanding of the complex CO2-reaction processes reported across various research groups. In this work, we report that selectivity toward C2H4 and CO is favored when the kinetics of CO2 equilibration is made faster. Also, local surface pH can be altered by manipulating either buffer capacity or the Nernst-layer thickness; a more acidic surface favors the formation of CH4 and HCOOH on electropolished Cu surfaces, whereas a more basic surface favors C2H4 formation.
An Analysis of SBA Loan Repayment Performance: Comparisons by Minority Group:

The purpose of this study was to identify managerial and financial variables that are related to small business loan performance. The study involved statistical analysis of Small Business Administration loans that were made by the Los Angeles District Office from 1972 through 1975. Information on entrepreneurs and their businesses was obtained from SBA loan applications, attachments, and supplementary forms. A random sample of 396 business loans provided data for this study. In five of seven pairwise comparisons between Asian, Black, Spanish-Surname, all minority, and non-minority loans, minority group classification was found to be a significant factor in the way managerial and financial variables influenced loan performance. However, when the sample was subdivided by loan program, by lender, or by both, there was no significant difference in the explanation of loan performance by minority group for any pairwise comparison.
Cyclic Thiosulfinates and Cyclic Disulfides Selectively Cross-Link Thiols While Avoiding Modification of Lone Thiols

This work addresses the need for chemical tools that can selectively form cross-links. Contemporary thiol-selective cross-linkers, for example, modify all accessible thiols, but only form cross-links between a subset. The resulting terminal "dead-end" modifications of lone thiols are toxic, confound cross-linking-based studies of macromolecular structure, and are an undesired, and currently unavoidable, byproduct in polymer synthesis. Using the thiol pair of Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1), we demonstrated that cyclic disulfides, including the drug/nutritional supplement lipoic acid, efficiently cross-linked thiol pairs but avoided dead-end modifications. Thiolate-directed nucleophilic attack upon the cyclic disulfide resulted in thiol-disulfide exchange and ring cleavage. The resulting disulfide-tethered terminal thiolate moiety either directed the reverse reaction, releasing the cyclic disulfide, or participated in oxidative disulfide (cross-link) formation. We hypothesized, and confirmed with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, that mono- S-oxo derivatives of cyclic disulfides formed a terminal sulfenic acid upon ring cleavage that obviated the previously rate-limiting step, thiol oxidation, and accelerated the new rate-determining step, ring cleavage. Our calculations suggest that the origin of accelerated ring cleavage is improved frontier molecular orbital overlap in the thiolate-disulfide interchange transition. Five- to seven-membered cyclic thiosulfinates were synthesized and efficiently cross-linked up to 104-fold faster than their cyclic disulfide precursors; functioned in the presence of biological concentrations of glutathione; and acted as cell-permeable, potent, tolerable, intracellular cross-linkers. This new class of thiol cross-linkers exhibited click-like attributes including, high yields driven by the enthalpies of disulfide and water formation, orthogonality with common functional groups, water-compatibility, and ring strain-dependence.
Physiological basis for sex-specific differences in longevity

The female survival advantage is incredibly robust, spanning almost all ages and societies in the past two centuries. While sociobehavioral factors account for part of the mortality differential, the female survival advantage extends beyond sex differences in risk-taking and aggression. Several physiological explanations have been proposed for broad protection against various chronic diseases and mortality in females, but much work remains to be done before we can fully understand how sex influences aging and longevity. Recent methods enable the disentanglement of classical gonadal steroid effects from those of sex chromosomes. Understanding the basis for sex differences in aging will ultimately lead to improved sex-specific therapies for increasing healthy longevity in both women and men.
Low level and high level DNA rearrangements in Escherichia coli.

It can be argued that all organisms exhibit two levels of DNA rearrangements. At a low level they may occur sporadically in cells, perhaps largely because of spontaneous activity of transposable genetic elements. A high level may be induced in special circumstances if functions that cause rearrangements are hyperactive. As an example of low level genetic rearrangements, we have studied the occurrence of spontaneous polar mutations in the early regions of prophage Mu. We isolated 49 independent prophage mutants, which are defective in replication and expression of late genes; 44 were in the B region and 5 were in the A region. In the B region, 68% were IS1 insertions, 9% were IS5 insertions and 9% were IS2 insertions; 14% showed no insertion. In the A region, all 5 were IS5 insertions. Thus most spontaneous polar mutations in Escherichia coli appear to be insertions. IS1 is the most common insertion; however, certain DNA regions may show preference for a specific element. High level DNA rearrangements are exemplified by DNA fusion and DNA dissociation that occur when replication-transposition functions of Mu are induced.
How the NOTCH Pathway Contributes to the Ability of Osteosarcoma Cells to Metastasize

Controlling metastasis is the key to improving outcomes for osteosarcoma patients; yet our knowledge of the mechanisms regulating the metastatic process is incomplete. Clearly Fas and Ezrin are important, but other genes must play a role in promoting tumor spread. Early developmental pathways are often recapitulated in malignant tissues, and these genes are likely to be important in regulating the primitive behaviors of tumor cells, including invasion and metastasis. The Notch pathway is a highly conserved regulatory signaling network involved in many developmental processes and several cancers, at times serving as an oncogene and at others, behaving as a tumor suppressor. In normal limb development, Notch signaling maintains the apical ectodermal ridge in the developing limb bud and regulated size of bone and muscles. Here, we examine the role of Notch signaling in promoting metastasis of osteosarcoma, and the underlying regulatory processes that control Notch pathway expression and activity in the disease.
Influence of upstream, distributed biomass-densifying technologies on the economics of biofuel production

Abstract Biomass such as switchgrass can be converted to renewable gasoline and diesel (RGD) fuels via integrated fast pyrolysis and hydrodeoxygenation. However, the low bulk density of biomass feedstocks produces relatively high transportation costs, driven by the large volumes needed to supply biorefineries. Densification can reduce transportation volumes, and therefore transportation costs for bioenergy production. However, the additional costs of biomass densification, along with decreases in overall mass and energy yields, influence the overall economic performance of RGD production. This study investigated the techno-economic impacts of pelletizing, torrefying, or pyrolyzing the biomass at distributed facilities prior to upgrading the intermediates to RGD at a centralized facility. Eight scenarios were considered. When there is no feedstock competition, biomass densification at the distributed facility was shown to reduce the transportation cost by 20%–50%. However, the capital and operating costs required for densifying biomass increased the total cost of RGD production by 3%–35% compared to RGD made from non-densified biomass. The cost of making RGD from densified biomass was only reduced below the cost of making RGD from non-densified biomass for the case when the fraction of land surrounding the biorefinery facility allocated to the biomass cultivation is less than 0.25. This finding is attributed to the high cost of transporting non-densified biomass from a larger procurement radius. Sensitivity analysis indicated that RGD fuel yield, densification costs, project investment, and the rate of return all have significant impacts on the overall economics of RGD production.
Water flow and solute transport due to Macrotide in a gravel beach

Abstract A combined field and numerical study of water flow and solute transport was conducted along a clean transect of a tidal gravel beach in Smith Island, Prince William Sound (PWS) that was heavily polluted after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Water table and pore water salinity were directly measured in the field. The numerical model MARUN, validated with the field observations, was used to simulate subsurface flow and dissolved salt transport processes. Our study identified a two-layer hydraulic structure in the beach, a high-permeability upper layer and a low-permeability layer at the bottom. Numerical simulations indicated that the density gradient between the saltwater and freshwater strongly affects solute transport in the intertidal zone of the beach. A sensitivity study indicated that depth to and slope of the bedrock had major effects on solute transport in the lower layer, but minor effects in the upper layer. A deep bedrock caused the water particles travelling in the lower layer to penetrate deeper in the beach. Our study revealed high terrestrial freshwater recharge to the transect which promotes the removal of oil in two-layer beaches by maintaining the water table at or above the interface of the two layers. The study presented in this paper has strong implications on the oil persistence and associated removal strategies along the Alaskan coastline polluted with oil. Findings from this work in relation to oiled beaches include: 1) oil tends to persist at locations of small freshwater recharge and 2) Prior to oil arriving to the shoreline, one could minimize oil penetration into the beach by releasing water onto the beach at the high tide line during low tides.
Evaluation of iodine deficiency disorder eradication in urban residents in Ansai,Shaanxi

Objective To evaluate whether the requirement for iodine deficiency disorder eradication has been met in Ansai,Shaanxi province.Methods Students aged 8-10 years were selected from 4 schools in county town of Ansai to conduct urine iodine detection and thyroid gland palpation from 2011 to 2014.Results The annual urine iodine median was 276.5 μg / L,267.6 μg / L,193.5 μg / L,172.1 μg / L and the annual goiter rate was 1.0%,0,0 and 0 respectively among the students surveyed.The average annual salt iodine content was 38.0 mg / kg,33.1 mg / kg,30.3 mg / kg and26.0 mg / kg respectively.The qualified rates were all 100%.Conclusion The iodine nutrition status of urban residents in Ansai was appropriate,indicating that the requirement for iodine deficiency disorder eradication has been met.
Cardioembolic stroke: An update on etiology, diagnosis and management

Stroke and ischemic heart diseases are among the most common causes of death and disability throughout the world. Even more worrisome is the suggestion that stroke rates may further increase in certain developing nations. The purpose of this article is to review the particular subtype of stroke known as cardioembolic stroke. A cardioembolic stroke occurs when the heart pumps unwanted materials into the brain circulation, resulting in the occlusion of a brain blood vessel and damage to the brain tissue. The etiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and management of cardioembolic stroke are reviewed.
A diffuse layer model for hydrocarbon mass transfer between pores and organic matter for supercritical CO2 injection and sequestration in shale

Abstract CO2 injection in shale oil reservoirs is a feasible method for CO2 geological sequestration and enhanced oil recovery. However, the mechanisms of mass transfer in inorganic pores and organic matter (kerogen) are still ambiguous. In this study, the mechanisms of diffusion and extraction were investigated. A novel pore-kerogen diffuse layer (PKDL) model was proposed for mass transfer between kerogen matrix and pores (inorganic pores and organic pores). Mathematical models for hydrocarbon mass transfer in spherical and cylindrical shaped rocks were derived. The predicted responses of the mathematical models closely matched the experimental data of CO2 injection experiments performed on various shales and tight rocks at high pressure and high temperature conditions. Hydrocarbon recovery of shales shows a delayed effect compared to tight rocks due to the additional extraction process between supercritical CO2 and kerogen. Hydrocarbons were extracted out of the kerogen matrix and then diffused through the inorganic and organic pores. Hydrocarbon diffusion coefficients ranged from 0.61 to 3.3 × 10−7 m2/s and extraction rate coefficients varied from 1.7 to 4.9 × 10−5 s−1 for shale rocks. Hydrocarbon diffusion coefficients varied from 0.49 to 4.8 × 10−7 m2/s for tight rocks. Both diffusion coefficients and extraction rate coefficients decreased exponentially with carbon numbers. The extraction rate coefficients decreased exponentially because the diffusion coefficients of hydrocarbons in kerogen also decreased exponentially with carbon numbers. This research advances the diffusion and extraction theories in shale rocks and promotes the injection and sequestration of CO2 in shale formations.
Modeling ICBM Trajectories Around a Rotating Globe with Systems Tool Kit

In the April 2018 issue of TPT, Joseph Amato presented an analysis of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) trajectories as applied to recent test launches from North Korea. Using properties of their elliptical paths, he derived relationships between launch velocity, elevation angle, and maximum range. However, this approach cannot include the effects of Earth’s rotation, even though they should be significant for ICBM speeds ≈ 6 km/s and flight times ≈ 25 min. Here I use the aerospace industry software Systems Tool Kit (STK), freely available for school use, to model ICBM paths launched from various locations on a spinning globe. The results illustrate the effects of a rotating Earth on ballistic motion, while demonstrating STK’s utility as a simulation tool for educators and students.
New York State and the Nation: Trends in Firearm Purchases and Firearm Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BackgroundThe impacts of social stressors on violence during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are unknown. We hypothesized that firearm purchases and violence would increase surroun...
Global Sensitivity Analysis of a Reactive Transport Model for Mineral Scale Formation During Hydraulic Fracturing

Injection of water-based hydraulic fracturing fluid (HFF) into tight shale gas/oil formations can increase formation permeability and enhance production rates, but this process frequently causes mi...
Phase separation of the LINE-1 ORF1 protein is mediated by the N-terminus and coiled-coil domain

Abstract Long interspersed nuclear element-1 (L1) is a retrotransposable element that autonomously replicates in the human genome, resulting in DNA damage and genomic instability. Activation of L1 in senescent cells triggers a type I interferon response and age-associated inflammation. Two open reading frames encode an ORF1 protein functioning as messenger RNA chaperone and an ORF2 protein providing catalytic activities necessary for retrotransposition. No function has been identified for the conserved, disordered N-terminal region of ORF1. Using microscopy and NMR spectroscopy, we demonstrate that ORF1 forms liquid droplets in vitro in a salt-dependent manner and that interactions between its N-terminal region and coiled-coil domain are necessary for phase separation. Mutations disrupting blocks of charged residues within the N-terminus impair phase separation, whereas some mutations within the coiled-coil domain enhance phase separation. Demixing of the L1 particle from the cytosol may provide a mechanism to protect the L1 transcript from degradation.
Accounting education literature review (2020)

Abstract This review of the accounting education literature includes 88 articles published during 2020 in five accounting education journals: (1) Journal of Accounting Education, (2) Accounting Education, (3) Advances in Accounting Education: Teaching and Curriculum Innovations, (4) Issues in Accounting Education, and (5) The Accounting Educators’ Journal. We update 15 prior accounting education literature reviews by organizing and summarizing contributions to the accounting education literature made during 2020. Articles are categorized into five sections corresponding to traditional knowledge bases: (1) curriculum and instruction, (2) instruction by content area, (3) educational technology, (4) students, and (5) faculty. We summarize the research design of the empirical articles. Suggestions for research are presented. Articles classified as cases published in the same five journals during 2020 are tabulated in an appendix categorized by content area.
Advancing Fellowship Training in Selective Pathology: Design and Implementation of the Milestones 2.0.

CONTEXT.— Program requirements for Selective Pathology fellowships in the United States were established by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in 2011 to govern fellowships providing advanced training in surgical pathology, focused anatomic pathology, or focused clinical pathology. Selective Pathology entered the ACGME's Next Accreditation System in 2015 with the introduction of the Selective Pathology Milestones 1.0, a set of benchmarks for evaluating fellow progress in each of the 6 ACGME core competencies. In 2019, the ACGME convened a work group for a planned periodic update to these milestones. OBJECTIVE.— To summarize changes to the Selective Pathology milestones. DESIGN.— The study design featured expert opinion and survey. RESULTS.— The Patient Care milestones for anatomic pathology-focused fellowships contain a renewed emphasis on both gross and microscopic examination, whereas for clinical pathology-focused fellowships, the emphasis is on interpretation of laboratory assays. The milestones for the non-Patient Care, non-Medical Knowledge competencies have been updated to a harmonized set of milestones designed to extend across all specialties and subspecialties. New to the milestones program is a supplemental guide that provides examples, suggested assessment tools, and references to aid in implementation. Public comments were supportive of the changes. CONCLUSIONS.— The Milestones 2.0 are set for implementation in July 2021. Updates in the new milestones are aimed at facilitating training and harmonizing evaluation across subspecialties.
Seeing absence

Intuitively, we often see absences. For example, if someone steals your laptop at a cafe, you may see its absence from your table. However, absence perception presents a paradox. On prevailing models of perception, we see only present objects and scenes (Marr, Gibson, Dretske). So, we cannot literally see something that is not present. This suggests that we never literally perceive absences; instead, we come to believe that something is absent cognitively on the basis of what we perceive. But this cognitive explanation does not do justice to the phenomenology. Many experiences of absence possess immediate, perceptual qualities. One may further argue that the ability to detect certain absences confers strong adaptive advantage and therefore must be as primitive and fundamental to humans as seeing positive things. I argue that we can literally see absences; in addition to representing objects, perception represents absences of objects. I present a model of seeing absence based on visual expectations and a visual matching process. The phenomenon of seeing absence can thus serve as an adequacy-test for a theory of perceptual content. If experiences of absence are possible, then we have another reason (following Siegel) to reject the view that perceptual content is restricted to colors and shapes. Furthermore, if the proposed account is correct, then we have grounds for dissociating seeing absence from other imagery-based phenomena termed “perceptual presence-in-absence” (Noe, Macpherson).
Ventricular Ectopy as a Predictor of Heart Failure and Death.

BACKGROUND Studies of patients presenting for catheter ablation suggest that premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) are a modifiable risk factor for congestive heart failure (CHF). The relationship among PVC frequency, incident CHF, and mortality in the general population remains unknown. OBJECTIVES Thegoal ofthis studywastodetermine whetherPVCfrequencyascertained usinga24-h Holter monitorisa predictorofadecreaseintheleftventricularejectionfraction(LVEF),incidentCHF,anddeathinapopulation-basedcohort.
High speed ICs for optical communications

Summary form only given. This tutorial will focus on the electronics circuits used in ultra high speed TDM lightwave systems. Modulator drivers, laser drivers, preamplifiers, gain control amplifiers, clock recovery circuits, multiplexers, demultiplexers, along with packaging issues will be featured. Examples of these circuits implemented with high speed AlGaAs-GaAs HBTs, and HEMTs will be discussed.
Fostering Diversity in Archival Collections: The Iowa Women's Archives

Since its establishment at the University of Iowa Libraries in 1992, the Louise Noun-Mary Louise Smith Iowa Women's Archives has sought to document the broad spectrum of Iowa women and to acquire collections that represent diverse populations. To that end, the Archives initiated special projects to collect the papers of Iowa's African American women and rural women. This article explores the benefits of such projects, the methods used to acquire diverse collections, and the challenges of proactive collection development when resources are scarce.
The Fatigue Strength of Riveted Joints: An Experimental Study of the Factors Influencing the Life of Riveted Joints

IN the design of aircraft structures for fatigue strength, it is as well to bear in mind that those parts most likely to give trouble fatigue‐wise are those wherein rivets or bolts have to react a load. The term ‘react’ is used here to distinguish this from the case where rivets or bolts arc used to hold the skin on the frame, etc., where the worst possible concentration of stress in terms of the nominal gross area will approach that of a hole in an infinitely wide sheet, or about 3·0. The riveted joint is more likely to approach that of a lug, which, for conventional rivet spacing and edge distance would be about 5½ in terms of gross stress. In other words, our working stress for a joint would be about one‐half the axial stress in a plain sheet with holes for the same life. Other things, such as normal loads and buckling, may alter this ratio somewhat.
Synchronization of uncertain Euler-Lagrange systems with unknown time-varying communication delays

A decentralized controller is presented along with sufficient conditions for stability in leader-based synchronization of communication-delayed networked agents. The agents have heterogeneous dynamics modeled by uncertain, nonlinear Euler-Lagrange equations of motion affected by heterogeneous, unknown, exogenous disturbances. The developed controller requires only one-hop (delayed) communication from network neighbors and the communication delays are assumed to be heterogeneous, uncertain and time-varying. The presented approach uses a Lyapunov-based stability analysis in conjunction with Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals to provide sufficient conditions which depend on the upper bound of the heterogeneous delays, feedback gains, and network connectivity, among other factors.
Technical and Clinical Characteristics of a Surgical Biopsy Probe

A probe intended for intraoperative biopsy was designed. It is small, collimated, and separated from the photomultiplier tube and high-voltage source by a flexible fiberoptic light guide. Its use in four patients undergoing bone or soft-tissue biopsies is described.
Introduction to the special issue: Race, religion, and rescue in adoption

Since 2000, St. John's University and Montclair State University have jointly sponsored conferences that take an interdisciplinary approach to examining adoption. The biennial Adoption Initiative c...
Don't Kill My Friend: The Attorney-Client Relationship in Capital Cases and Its Effect on Jury Receptivity to Mitigation Evidence

The United States Supreme Court has placed confidence in the ability and willingness of capital jurors to consider mitigation evidence during sentencing deliberations as one constitutional protection against the arbitrary imposition of the death penalty. Defense teams in capital trials generally seek to maximize jurors' consideration of mitigation evidence during sentencing. Using data from the Capital Jury Project, this dissertation examines three factors which may influence the receptivity of jurors to mitigation. The findings are based on multinomial and ordinal logit as well as ordinary least squares regression analyses involving data obtained from interviews of 771 jurors who served in capital trials. After appropriate control measures were imposed, the analysis revealed that capital jurors are more receptive to mitigation evidence when they view the relationship between the attorney and client as warm and friendly, and when they view the defendant as possessing human qualities. Capital jurors are less receptive to mitigation evidence where they report the attorney-client relationship as a close working relationship and where the juror has prematurely decided (before the beginning of the penalty phase) that death is the appropriate sentence. These findings demonstrate that jurors' receptivity to mitigation evidence can be influenced by the manner in which the attorney and client interact during a capital trial.
Characterization of NERF, a Novel Transcription Factor Related to the Ets Factor ELF-1

We have cloned the gene for a novel Ets-related transcription factor, new Ets-related factor (NERF), from human spleen, fetal liver, and brain. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence of NERF with those of other members of the Ets family reveals that the level of homology to ELF-1, which is involved in the regulation of several T- and B-cell-specific genes, is highest. Homologies are clustered in the putative DNA binding domain in the middle of the protein, a basic domain just upstream of this domain, and several shorter stretches of homology towards the amino terminus. The presence of two predominant NERF transcripts in various fetal and adult human tissues is due to at least three alternative splice products, NERF-1a, NERF-1b, and NERF-2, which differ in their amino termini and their expression in different tissues. Only NERF-2 and ELF-1, and not NERF-1a and NERF-1b, function as transcriptional activators of the lyn and blk gene promoters, although all isoforms of NERF bind with affinities similar to those of ELF-1 to a variety of Ets binding sites in, among others, the blk, lck, lyn, mb-1, and immunoglobulin H genes and are expressed at similar levels. Since NERF and ELF-1 are coexpressed in B and T cells, both might be involved in the regulation of the same genes.
Recent developments and applications of clickable photoprobes in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology

Photoaffinity labeling is a well-known biochemical technique that has grown significantly since the turn of the century, principally due to its combination with bioorthogonal/click chemistry reactions. This review highlights new developments and applications of clickable photoprobes in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology. In particular, recent examples of clickable photoprobes for target identification, activity- or affinity-based protein profiling (ABPP or AfBPP), characterization of sterol- or lipid-protein interactions and characterization of ligand-binding sites are presented.
Analysis of Secondary Phenotype Involving the Interactive Effect of the Secondary Phenotype and Genetic Variants on the Primary Disease

A genome-wide association (GWA) study is usually designed as a case-control study, where the presence and absence of the primary disease define the cases and controls, respectively. Using the existing data from GWA studies, investigators are also trying to identify the association between genetic variants and secondary phenotypes, which are defined as traits associated with the primary disease. However, recent studies have shown that bias arises in the estimation of marker-secondary phenotype association using originally collected data. We recently proposed a bias correction approach to accurately estimate the odds ratio (OR) for marker-secondary phenotype association. In this communication, we further investigated whether our bias correction approach is robust for a scenario involving the interactive effect of the secondary phenotype and genetic variants on the primary disease. We found that in such a scenario, our bias correction approach also provides an accurate estimation of OR for marker-secondary phenotype association. We investigated accuracy of our approach using simulation studies and showed that the approach better controlled for type I errors than the existing approaches. We also applied our bias correction approach to the real data analysis of association between an N-acetyltransferase gene, NAT2, and smoking on the basis of colorectal adenoma data.
A Brief History of Motivation and Reward Concepts

The modern concept of motivation derives from the historical need to account for the arousal and direction of behavior. Human and animal activity occurs in peaks and troughs and it shifts its direction from one goal to another many times throughout a day. Even the ancients knew that these shifts in levels of activity and direction were the result of some combination of changes in external stimuli and internal state. What they did not know, however, was that the brain was the organ that integrated these inputs and was responsible for both behavior and conscious experience. Plato (428–348 B.C.), for example, thought that reason was in the head, but that courage was in the chest and appetite in the abdomen. The temptation to think in terms of separate central-neural and peripheral physiological controls of motivated behavior is still with us today. The lesson of history, however, is that there must be a biologically coherent mechanism integrating both peripheral and central controls. That mechanism is in the brain.
Interventions for Micronutrient Deficiency Control in Developing Countries: Past, Present and Future

There has been an evolution in our understanding of the causes of undernutrition and of the nutrition intervention programs that should be prioritized. This article discusses why nutrition programs have shifted their primary emphasis from control of protein deficiency, to energy deficiency, and now to micronutrient deficiencies. It has become recognized by the nutrition community that micronutrient malnutrition is very widespread, and is probably the main nutritional problem in the world. The most commonly used strategies for micronutrient deficiency control are supplementation and fortification, because they are cost-effective and to some extent, relatively easy to deliver. They have important limitations, however. Relatively little emphasis has been placed on food-based approaches to control micronutrient malnutrition. Evidence from several past studies, including the Nutrition Collaborative Research Support Program (N-CRSP), indicated a strong positive association between animal source food (ASF) intake, micronutrient status, and many human functions. This association motivated the intervention studies supported by the Global Livestock CRSP and described in this supplement, which found benefits of increasing ASF intake. In contrast to the common assumption that increasing consumption of ASF in poor communities is infeasible, and will only cause environmental problems, the articles in this supplement show the potential economic benefits of animal ownership in poor communities, and provide examples of innovative programs that have increased local production and consumption. Much more communication is needed among the nutrition, agriculture and development communities to achieve improved dietary quality for poor populations.
Single-lobe, orthonormal-beam surface emission from 2nd-order DFB/DBR lasers with half-wave grating phase shift

The use of a 180/spl deg/ (central) grating phase shift has allowed single-mode surface emission in a single-lobe, orthonormal beam pattern from 2nd-order DFB/DBR InGaAs/AlGaAs DQW lasers.
Modification of heterojunction band offsets by thin layers at interfaces: Role of the interface dipole.

We have carried out ab initio self-consistent calculations to investigate the extent to which the band offset can be modified by polar layers. The cases studied are double layers of Ge in bulk GaAs (for which the offsets are totally due to induced dipoles) in (100) and two distinctly different (111) geometries. The (111) double layer with the maximum number of Ge-Ge bonds is found to be energetically the most stable and to have the smallest dipole, but it is still large (0.7 eV) compared to typical band offsets in semiconductors. We argue that this demonstrates the potential possibility of providing a mechanism for band-offset engineering using thin layers at interfaces.
Abating New York City transit noise: a matter of will, not way.

From the latter part of the 19 th century, when New York City trains began to operate, until the present time, New York City's Transit Authority has received train noise complaints from riders and residents living near its transit system. The growing body of literature demonstrating the adverse effects of noise on physical and mental health raises the question as to whether transit noise is hazardous to the health of New York City's transit riders and residents living near the transit system. Several studies have examined the impacts of the noise of New York's transit system on hearing, health and learning. Despite the Transit Authority's efforts to remedy transit noise in response to complaints, the noise problem has not yet been satisfactorily ameliorated. This paper will suggest how the Transit Authority could employ techniques that could lower the noise levels of its system and benefit the health and welfare of New Yorkers. The recommendations in this paper could also apply to other cities with major transit systems where noise abatement has not been treated seriously.
An atomic resolution study of radiation-induced precipitation and solute segregation effects in a neutron-irradiated W-25 at.% Re alloy

Abstract The phenomena of radiation-induced precipitation and solute segregation effects in a W-25 at.% Re alloy have been investigated using the atom-probe field-ion microscope. This alloy is supersaturated with respect to the solvus line of the primary β-solid solution. The specimens had been irradiated in the Experimental Breeder Reactor (EBR-II) to a fast neutron fluence of ~4 × 1022 neutrons cm−2 (E > 0.1 MeV) at 575, 625 and 675°C. This fluence corresponds to 8.6 dpa and an average displacement rate, for the 2 year irradiation time, of 1.4 × 10−7 dpa s−1. The results of the present work show significant alteration of the microstructure of this alloy as a result of neutron irradiation. Coherent, semicoherent and incoherent precipitates with the composition ~Wre3 were detected; the precipitate's number density is ~ 1017 cm−3 with a mean diameter of ~40A. The coherent WRe3, precipitates were not associated with either line or planar defects or with any impurity atoms. Therefore, a true homogeneous radiation-induced precipitation occurs in this alloy. The semicoherent and incoherent WRe3 precipitates were associated with 4He atoms; i.e. these precipitates may have been heterogeneously nucleated. Voids at a number density of ~1017cm−3 and a mean diameter of ~90A were detected. Neither a significant enrichment or enhancement of Re was found at these voids. A two-dimensional WRe3, phase has been observed at a grain boundary. A physical argument is presented for the nucleation of WRe3 precipitates in the vicinity of displacement cascades. It is suggested that the first step in the nucleation of WRe3 precipitates is the formation of tightly-bound mobile mixed dumbbells which react to form an immobile di-rhenium cluster. A possible sequence of point-defect reactions is detailed which can lead to a WRe3 cluster. The growth of this cluster into a precipitate is most likely driven by the irreversible vacancy: self-interstitial atom (SIA) annihilation reaction, as suggested recently by Cauvin and Martin. Point defect mechanisms for all the other observations are also discussed.
Enactment of home practice following mindfulness-based relapse prevention and its association with substance-use outcomes.

Abstract Introduction Mindfulness-based treatments have received increasing interest and empirical support in the clinical psychology literature. There are, however, no studies to date that have systematically examined treatment enactment, which is the amount and type of home practice participants incorporate into their daily lives. Because treatment enactment has been cited as a key aspect of treatment fidelity, this study examined the relationships between treatment enactment (i.e., home mindfulness practice) and alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and craving in the context of a larger study of mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP). Methods Participants ( N = 93) in this secondary analysis had been randomized in the parent study to receive MBRP. AOD use, craving, and home mindfulness practice were assessed at baseline, post-treatment, 2-month and 4-month follow-up time points. Results MBRP participants significantly increased the amount of time spent in home mindfulness practice over the course of the study. Further, greater time spent in home practice was associated with less AOD use and craving at the 2- and 4-month follow-ups. Of note, the significant treatment gains in home practice faded somewhat at the 2- and 4-month follow-ups as participants returned to standard aftercare, which did not involve mindfulness-based practice. Conclusions Participation in MBRP was associated with a significant increase in home mindfulness practice, and increased involvement in home practice was associated with significantly lower AOD use and craving over the course of the study. This suggests that treatment enactment, which entails building mindfulness practice into one's daily life, plays a key role in ongoing recovery following MBRP treatment. Teaching mindfulness skills for daily use versus for only in high-risk situations has the potential to boost the longevity of MBRP treatment effects. These findings also suggest that MBRP clinicians should target the post-intervention decline in home practice (e.g., with ongoing mindfulness practice groups) to maximize the benefits of mindfulness meditation in decreasing AOD use and craving.
Color, Error, and Explanatory Power

Error theorists about color argue that our ordinary judgments ascribing color to material objects are all false. The error theorist proposes that everything that is so, including the fact that material objects appear to us to have color, can best be explained without ever attributing color to objects (for instance, by appealing to surface reflectance properties, the nature of light, the neurophysiology of perceivers, etc.). The appeal of this view stems in significant part from the prevalent thought that such explanations are strongly suggested by our present scientific conception of the world. Recently, however, Barry Stroud has argued that error theorists cannot successfully even acknowledge, let alone explain, all of the facts that error theorists must acknowledge. In this paper, I shall raise an objection to Stroud’s argument. I shall conclude by mentioning one way in which we might develop Stroud’s general strategy with more success.