cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nuke 'Em Till They Go: Investigating Power User Attacks to Disparage Items in Collaborative Recommenders

Recommender Systems (RSs) can be vulnerable to manipulation by malicious users who successfully bias recommendations for their own benefit or pleasure. These are known as attacks on RSs and are typically used to either promote ("push") or disparage ("nuke") targeted items contained within the recommender's user-item dataset. Our recent work with the Power User Attack (PUA) model, determined that attackers disguised as influential power users can mount successful (from the attacker's viewpoint) push attacks against user-based, item-based, and SVD-based recommenders. However, the success of push attack vectors may not be symmetric for nuke attacks, which target the opposite effect --- reducing the likelihood that target items appear in users' top-N lists. The asymmetry between push and nuke attacks is highlighted when evaluating these attacks using traditional robustness metrics such as Rank and Prediction Shift. This paper examines the PUA attack model in the context of nuke attacks, in order to investigate the differences between push and nuke attack orientations, as well as how they are evaluated. In this work we show that the PUA is able to mount successful nuke attacks against commonly-used recommender algorithms highlighting the "nuke vs. push" asymmetry in the results.
Flawed foundations of associationism? Comment on Machado and Silva (2007).

A. Machado and F. J. Silva have spotted an important conceptual problem in scalar expectancy theory's account of the 2-standard-interval time-left experiment. C. R. Gallistel and J. Gibbon (2000) were aware of it but did not discuss it for historical and sociological reasons, owned up to in this article. A problem of broader significance for psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, and the philosophy of mind concerns the closely related concepts of a trial and of temporal pairing, which are foundational in associative theories of learning and memory. Association formation is assumed to depend on the temporal pairing of the to-be-associated events. In modeling it, theorists have assumed continuous time to be decomposable into trials. But life is not composed of trials, and attempts to specify the conditions under which two events may be regarded as temporally paired have never succeeded. Thus, associative theories of learning and memory are built on conceptual sand. Undeterred, neuroscientists have defined the neurobiology-of-memory problem as the problem of determining the cellular and molecular mechanism of association formation, and connectionist modelers have made it a cornerstone of their efforts. More conceptual analysis is indeed needed.
Effect of 5-fluorouracil on the synthesis and stability of ribosomal RNA in Saccharomyces carlsbergensis.

Abstract A study has been made of the effects of 5-fluorouracil on the synthesis and stability of ribosomal RNA in yeast. The analog causes ribosomal precursor RNA to accumulate. Mature ribosomal RNA species synthesized in the presence of 5-fluorouracil are unstable and are degraded. Pulse chase experiments showed that the 26 S ribosomal RNA is more rapidly degraded than the 17 S component, explaining our observations that in long term experiments apparently less 26 S than 17 S ribosomal RNA is formed. Possible reasons for the instability of ribosomal RNA containing 5-fluorouracil are discussed.
The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism

This article presents a review of the book “The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism,“ by Michael Novak.
On interval clutters

A hypergraph is an interval hypergraph if its vertices can be linearly ordered so that all its edges are consecutive sets. Interval hypergraphs have been characterized by Tucker (J. Combin. Theory 12 (1972) 153) in terms of excluded subhypergraphs. In this paper, we strengthen Tucker's result for clutters by characterizing interval clutters in terms of excluded partial clutters, as well as excluded minors. Since minor and partial clutter relations are much more restrictive than the subhypergraph relation, our results are more applicable than Tucker's result in many situations. As a lemma, we also determine all the minor minimal clutters that have a circuit subhypergraph but not a circuit minor.
Predicting the future achievement of second graders with reading disabilities: Contributions of phonemic awareness, verbal memory, rapid naming, and IQ

Concurrent and prospective correlations among reading, spelling, phonemic awareness, verbal memory, rapid serial naming, and IQ were examined in a longitudinal sample that was studied at Grade 2 and Grade 8. Substantial temporal stability of individual differences in all of these skills was seen over the six-year period between assessments. The strongest predictors of future reading and spelling outcomes were different for normally achieving second graders than for those who had been designated as having reading disabilities. For the former, Grade 2 literacy scores were the best predictors of later achievement. For the children with reading disabilities, however, prediction of most future reading and spelling skills was substantially improved by the inclusion of the cognitive-linguistic measures, particularly rapid naming.
Articulating communities: Sociocultural perspectives on science education

L'article, par la demonstration du caractere interdisciplinaire de l'activite scientifique, prouve la necessite de definir clairement cette interaction entre societe et science, dans le but de donner aux apprenants l'opportunite de comprendre la societe moderne...
Recognition of Tibetan wood block prints with generalized hidden Markov and kernelized modified quadratic distance function

Recognition of Tibetan wood block print is a difficult problem that has many challenging steps. We propose a two stage framework involving image preprocessing, which consists of noise removal and baseline detection, and simultaneous character segmentation and recognition by the aid of a generalized hidden Markov model (also known as gHMM). For the latter stage, we train a gHMM and run the generalized Viterbi algorithm on our image to decode observations. There are two major motivations for using gHMM. First, it incorporates a language model into our recognition system which in turn enforces grammar and disambiguates classification errors caused by printing errors and image noise. Second, gHMM solves the segmentation challenge. Simply put gHMM is an HMM where the emission model allows multiple consecutive observations to be mapped to the same state. For features of our emission model we apply line and circle Hough transform to stroke detection, and use classspecific scaling for feature weighing. With gHMM, we find KMQDF to be the most effective distance metric for discriminating character classes. The accuracy of our system is 91.29%.
Orienting behavior of juvenile frogs with both a pre-metamorphically rotated and a normal eye

We have studied the orienting behavior of juvenile Rana pipiens in which one eye was rotated at late larval stages and the other eye left intact. Such frogs orient accurately to stimuli falling solely in the visual field of the intact eye and systematically misorient to stimuli falling solely in the field of the rotated eye. Stimuli within the area of visual field overlap elicited two distinct sets of responses, one attributable to the normal and the other to the rotated eye.
Spatial patterns of polygenic variation in Impatiens capensis, a species with an environmentally controlled mixed mating system

Impatiens capensis displays a mixed mating system in which individual out-crossing rate is expected to increase with light and resource availability. We investigated the amount and spatial distribution of polygenic variation for 15 morphological traits within and among six natural populations of I. capensis growing in three distinct light habitats (shaded, mixed, full sun). We grew individuals from each population in uniform greenhouse conditions and detected significant genetic variation among families within populations for all the quantitative traits examined. However, only the features related to the vegetative characteristics of seedlings and sexually mature plants show also differentiation at the population level. Surprisingly, even though light availability is likely to be the most important factor affecting the mating system of I. capensis, we find that: (1) trait means of individuals from similar light environments are not more similar than those from different light environments; (2) partitioning of polygenic variance within and among families differs both among populations from the same light habitat and among characters within each population. If natural selection is maintaining such variation, it must operate primarily through heterogeneous selection pressure within, rather than between, populations.
Development Aid and Structural Violence: The case of Rwanda

Peter Uvin analyses the case of Rwanda as a contribution towards understanding how development aid interacts with the internal processes of exclusion and division that eventually led to the genocide. He asks: What does ‘development’ mean if a country that is seemingly succeeding so well at it can descend so rapidly into such tragedy? He focuses on one of the key issues raised by his book ‘Aiding Violence: The Development Enterprise in Rwanda’: structural violence in relation to both acute violence and development aid.
New insights into the roles of proteins and lipids in membrane transport of fatty acids

Recent calculations of the apparent permeability coefficients for long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) in phospholipid bilayers provide a new perspective on their transport in a membrane. LCFA have permeabilities that are many orders of magnitude higher than glucose, amino acids, and ions. Transport of LCFA through membranes must therefore be considered to be much different from these nutrients, and there is no a priori requirement for catalysis by a membrane protein. New evidence indicates that the plasma membrane proteins postulated as catalysts for transporting LCFA into the cell fall into three categories. Some act as enzymes, mainly for the activation of LCFA to the acyl CoA, which is required for subsequent intracellular metabolism of LCFA. Other proteins appear to participate in sequestering and trafficking of LCFA. Finally, some proteins have undefined mechanisms. The established mechanisms are consistent with biophysical properties of LCFA in membranes, including fast free diffusion by "flip-flop" in the phospholipid bilayer.
On-Line Real-Time Service-Oriented Task Scheduling Using TUF

We present our approach to real-time service-oriented scheduling problems with the objective of maximizing the total system utility. Different from the traditional utility accrual scheduling problems that each task is associated with only a single time utility function (TUF), we associate two different TUFs—a profit TUF and a penalty TUF—with each task, to model the real-time services that not only need to reward the early completions but also need to penalize the abortions or deadline misses. The scheduling heuristics we proposed in this paper judiciously accept, schedule, and abort real-time services when necessary to maximize the accrued utility. Our extensive experimental results show that our proposed algorithms can significantly outperform the traditional scheduling algorithms such as the Earliest Deadline First (EDF), the traditional utility accrual (UA) scheduling algorithms, and an earlier scheduling approach based on a similar model.
Diamond-like order in zinc-blende compounds

Abstract We show that the energy of substitutional randomization of atoms in zinc-blende compounds is surprisingly small. This suggests the existence of a new class of defects in these materials (“random aggregates”), which consist of regions of ≲ 10 atoms where the sites of the diamond lattice are randomly occupied by A or B atoms in place of the ordered AB crystal occupancy. The structural and electronic properties of these defects are outlined.
Molecular engineering of ultrathin polymeric films: A synopsis☆

The Proceedings of the National Science Foundation Workshop on the Molecular Engineering of Ultrathin Polymeric Films, published in this issue of Thin Solid Films, are reviewed to assess the current state of the art and future research needs. Based on the discussions at the workshop, a list of research needs in the molecular engineering of ultrathin organic and polymeric films is presented.
Finite mode bond graph representation of vehicle-guideway interaction problems

Abstract Classical modal analysis techniques for the prediction of vehicle-guideway dynamics are developed and interpreted with bond graph representations. Bond graphs are shown to allow easy generalization to multiple span guideways incorporating virtually any dynamic boundary conditions at the support locations. In addition, non-linear vehicle models can be used with any vehicle displacement-time history desired. Straightforward formulation procedures are also provided through the bond graph representation. The analysis procedure is demonstrated for a two-span Bernoulli-Euler Guideway with first-order dynamic boundary conditions. The results for a vehicle traveling at different speeds are shown to compare favorably with current literature.
Iowa Gambling Task Performance in Overweight Children and Adolescents At-Risk for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a nocturnal respiratory disorder associated with cognitive and behavioral sequelae, including impairments in executive functioning (EF). Previous literature has focused on “cool” EF, meaning abilities such as working memory and planning that do not involve affective control requirements. Little is known about the impact OSA may have on “hot” EF that involves regulation of affect and risk-related decision-making, and that may be particularly salient during adolescence, when these skills are rapidly developing. This study examined performance on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), a task believed to assess aspects of “hot” EF, in overweight adolescents at risk for OSA. Consistent with hypotheses, individuals without OSA made more beneficial decisions on the IGT over time, but participants with OSA did not benefit from feedback and continued to make choices associated with higher initial rewards, but greater long-term losses. The relationship between developmental level and IGT performance was moderated by OSA status. Individuals with OSA did not demonstrate the expected developmental gains in performance during the IGT. This finding suggests that OSA may impact the development of critical aspects of EF, or at least the expression of these skills during the developmentally important period of adolescence. (JINS, 2012, 18, 481–489)
Advancing Research in School Mental Health: Introduction of a Special Issue on Key Issues in Research.

This introductory article and the following four articles constitute a special issue of School Mental Health focused on issues in research in this multidisciplinary and complicated field of study. Although many unique constraints are associated with conducting research in this field, many rich opportunities exist to better the lives of students with emotional and behavioral problems. This introductory article and those that follow describe some of these limitations and opportunities. To provide some context for these scholarly reviews and discussions, we begin by providing an overview of the recent history of school mental health (SMH) and then describe some of the challenges facing investigators in this field.
Effect of Storage Conditions on the Oil Quality of Chinese Tallow Tree Seeds

The Chinese tallow tree (TT) has been widely considered to be an invasive species in the US without potential benefits. However, the literature on TT seeds is scarce and the effect of storage conditions on seed oil quality in particular has not been published to our knowledge. Prior research revealed that TT has a very high yield of seeds containing large percentages of long and short chain fatty acids (mainly palmitic fatty acid, along with some oleic, linoleic and linolenic fatty acids), which can be base transesterified into biodiesel. This study aims to address the issue of the quality of the kernel oil of TT seeds stored at different temperatures (4 °C and room temperature) and under controlled atmosphere storage conditions (3% CO2, 6% CO2, vacuum, normal headspace). The total storage time was 3 months with the oil quality being analyzed weekly. Extracted oil was analyzed by titratable acidity, peroxide value, oxidative stability index and fatty acid composition. These experiments provided evidence that, after 12 weeks of storage, a controlled atmosphere did not produce any remarkable advantage over low cost air storage. The results validate the belief that no elaborate storage conditions are required to store this economically promising high oil content biofuel feedstock.
Ultrafiltration of skim milk in flat-plate and spiral-wound modules

Abstract The objective of this work was to develop and test methods of predicting permeate flux, in a spiral-wound ultrafiltration system from experiments run on a small flat membrane module. Two models were based on a traditional mass transfer (Sherwood) correlation and two on resistance theory. Three of the correlations contained terms to account for the effect of transmembrane pressure on the permeate flux. Experimentally measured permeate fluxes from skim milk in the spiral-wound unit were compared to model predictions from four correlations fitted to experimental data from the small-scale, flat-membrane system. While all correlations under-predicted flux at low cross-flow velocity and over-predicted at high velocity, the ability of each correlation to predict an average flux was very good, indicating that data from flat-membrane experiments can be used, under carefully controlled conditions, to predict permeate flux from a spiral-wound system.
Fluorescent Proteins and Their Use in Marine Biosciences, Biotechnology, and Proteomics

This review explores the field of fluorescent proteins (FPs) from the perspective of their marine origins and their applications in marine biotechnology and proteomics. FPs occur in hydrozoan, anthozoan, and copepodan species, and possibly in other metazoan niches as well. Many FPs exhibit unique photophysical and photochemical properties that are the source of exciting research opportunities and technological development. Wild-type FPs can be enhanced by mutagenetic modifications leading to variants with optimized fluorescence and new functionalities. Paradoxically, the benefits from ocean-derived FPs have been realized, first and foremost, for terrestrial organisms. In recent years, however, FPs have also made inroads into aquatic biosciences, primarily as genetically encoded fluorescent fusion tags for optical marking and tracking of proteins, organelles, and cells. Examples of FPs and applications summarized here testify to growing utilization of FP-based platform technologies in basic and applied biology of aquatic organisms. Hydra, sea squirt, zebrafish, striped bass, rainbow trout, salmonids, and various mussels are only a few of numerous instances where FPs have been used to address questions relevant to evolutionary and developmental research and aquaculture.
Pediatric liver disease in the United States: epidemiology and impact.

Liver diseases which affect children are unique. Diseases such as inborn errors of metabolism are fertile grounds for investigation. Study of these 'experiments of nature' will provide insight into hepatobiliary function and lead to novel treatment modalities. Successful treatment or prevention of liver disease in children will have long-term implications. This report describes the current burden of pediatric liver disease and offers approaches to intervention.
"Natural" progesterone: information on fetal effects.

BACKGROUND: A variety of progestational agents have been used therapeutically and evaluated for adverse effects over the last 50 years. However, progesterone itself has come into use as a therapeutic agent only recently with the development of an orally bioavailable “micronized” preparation. METHODS: The current review examines progesterone adverse effects as identified in the larger literature on the toxicity of progestational agents and pharmacokinetics. RESULTS: Progesterone has cytoplasmic and membrane receptors in a variety of reproductive and nonreproductive tissues including the brain and is a potent inhibitor of GnRH. Limited information is available on progesterone receptors and actions in the fetus. Concern about exogenous progestagen effects on fetal reproductive tract development have led to considerable human research over the years, but this literature review demonstrates that contemporary developmental toxicology research on progesterone is lacking. CONCLUSIONS: Progesterone is a potent, multi-faceted endocrine agent with an expanding therapeutic profile and a minimal scientific database for evaluating safe use during pregnancy. Birth Defects Res (Part B) 77:455–470, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in a girl with a midbrain glioma.

A 7-year-old girl with a midbrain glioma contracted Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) the absence of cytotoxic or corticosteroid therapy. Gliomas are known to cause immunosuppression, in and PCP prophylaxis should be considered for patients with these tumors.
The Work Ethic of Walden Pond

In the opening pages of Walden, Henry David Thoreau delivers an insightful and stinging rebuke of the capitalist work ethic, condemning the greed of businessmen and farmers who drove themselves as ...
Investigation of the Rocket Induced Flow Field in a Rectangular Duct

Rocket-Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) concepts attempt to improve the performance of launch vehicles at all points in the launch trajectory and make highly reusable launch vehicles a reality. The Aerojet Strutjet RBCC concept consists of a variable geometry duct with internal, vertical struts that functions in ducted rocket, ramjet, scramjet, and pure rocket modes. These struts have rocket and turbine exhaust nozzles imbedded within them. The rocket flows create an ejector effect with the ingested air at subsonic flight velocities. In ramjet and scramjet modes, the fuel rich nozzle flows react with the ingested air producing an afterburner effect. Under a NASA Marshall Space Flight Center contract, the UAH Propulsion Research Center (PRC) has designed and built a Strutjet simulation facility. A scale model of a single strut has been built and is undergoing cold-flow testing to investigate the mixing of the rocket and turbine exhausts with the ingested air. A complementary experimental program is also underway to examine the induced flow-field generated by rocket nozzles confined in a rectangular duct. Characterizing the induced flow behavior is critical to understanding and optimizing the performance of future Strutjet-based RBCC propulsion systems. The proposed paper will present results from the rocket induced flow investigation.
Landing openMP on cyclops-64: an efficient mapping of openMP to a many-core system-on-a-chip

This paper presents our experience mapping OpenMP parallel programming model to the IBM Cyclops-64 (C64) architecture. The C64 employs a many-core-on-a-chip design that integrates processing logic (160 thread units), embedded memory (5MB) and communication hardware on the same die. Such a unique architecture presents new opportunities for optimization. Specifically, we consider the following three areas: (1) a memory aware runtime library that places frequently used data structures in scratchpad memory; (2) a unique spin lock algorithm for shared memory synchronization based on in-memory atomic instructions and native support for thread level execution; (3) a fast barrier that directly uses C64 hardware support for collective synchronization. All three optimizations together, result in an 80% overhead reduction for language constructs in OpenMP. We believe that such a drastic reduction in the cost of managing parallelism makes OpenMP more amenable for writing parallel programs on the C64 platform.
Resolution of hypothyroidism after correction of somatovisceral reflex dysfunction by refusion of the cervical spine

Psychosis is a rare initial presentation of new-onset hypothyroidism. The author describes the case of a 29-year-old woman who presented with psychosis caused by hypothyroidism, or myxedema madness. Although the patient's psychosis resolved after standard monotherapy using levothyroxine sodium, her hypothyroidism persisted. Imaging of the patient's cervical spine showed that previous C5-C6 and C6-C7 fusions had failed. The failed fusions were corrected, and the patient's hypothyroidism resolved, suggesting that the somatovisceral reflex was the cause of the patient's hypothyroidism. Although somatovisceral reflex dysfunctions are rare, physicians should consider them as potential underlying causes of their patients' presenting medical conditions.
Adsorption of Pb(II) by a marine bacterium: the effect of cell concentration and pH

Abstract Adsorption of Pb from synthetic seawater solution onto the marine bacterium Pseudomonas atlantica displayed many of the feature commonly encountered in studies of trace metal adsorption onto hydrous oxides. These included: (1) indication of multisite adsorption behaviour, and (2) ‘particle effects’ (indicated by decreased adsorption density with increasing surface concentration). For suspensions of P. atlantica this effect is attributed to the release of dissolved organic material which binds Pb in solution. Differences in Pb binding to P. atlantica relative to oxide surfaces includes: (1) relatively low fractional (%) adsorption over a wide range of solution pH, Pb, and cell concentrations, and (2) lack of a marked, pH-dependent, adsorption edge.
Effective and efficient forgetting of learned knowledge in Soar's working and procedural memories

Effective management of learned knowledge is a challenge when modeling human-level behavior within complex, temporally extended tasks. This work evaluates one approach to this problem: forgetting knowledge that is not in active use (as determined by base-level activation) and can likely be reconstructed if it becomes relevant. We apply this model to the working and procedural memories of Soar. When evaluated in simulated, robotic exploration and a competitive, multi-player game, these policies improve model reactivity and scaling while maintaining reasoning competence. To support these policies for real-time modeling, we also present and evaluate a novel algorithm to efficiently forget items from large memory stores while preserving base-level fidelity.
Caddoan Area archaeology since 1990

This paper summarizes recent archaeological research efforts, and changing perspectives, about the native history of the Caddo peoples who lived in the Caddoan Archaeological Area, which centers on the Great Bend of the Red River in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Of particular focus are the origins and early developments of the Caddoan tradition, regional diversity, subsistence changes and agricultural intensification, sociopolitical dynamics, and Caddoan-European interaction.
Colleges under pressure: Budgeting, presidential competence, and faculty uncertainty

Abstract This article reports on a two-case comparative study of college presidential leadership during times of financial stress, and it focuses on how presidents interpret financial hardship to their faculties rather than on how they address it instrumentally. The study concludes that a college budget, like many administrative tools and processes, is simultaneously an instrument and a symbol, and that feelings of financial stress (often induced by a president) may heighten the budget's symbolic meaning for faculty and other members of a college community. College leaders who are not sensitive to this kind of interpretive variability may fail to meet their faculty's expectations for leadership during pressured times.
In Situ Investigation of the Surface Chemistry of Atomic-Layer Epitaxial Growth of II−VI Semiconductor Thin Films

Atomic-layer epitaxy (ALE) can provide atomic-scale control of the single-crystal growth of thin semiconducting layers. Despite the widespread investigation of the epitaxial properties of this technique, few detailed studies of the fundamental surface chemistry of the process have been performed. This paper describes an overview of such an in situ study of heterogrowth using a binary reaction sequence with the precursors H2S and dimethylcadmium to grow CdS on ZnSe(100). The surface chemistry was investigated using thermal desorption spectroscopy and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS). Epitaxial growth was also characterized in the growth chamber using electron and ion surface probes.
Effects of sustained intravenous diltiazem infusion in healthy persons.

Abstract A 3-stage infusion of diltiazem was tested in 8 subjects for up to 48 hours: a bolus injection (10 mg over 3 minutes), a rapid loading infusion (20 mg over 30 minutes) and a maintenance infusion (10 mg/hour to the end of the study). This regimen produced stable median plasma diltiazem concentrations of approximately 150 ng/ml. The median half-life of elimination for diltiazem was 206 minutes (range 144 to 452) and median total clearance was 980 ml/min (range 665 to 1,907). The PR interval lengthened 10 to 18% during the maintenance infusion in 7 subjects; in 1 subject atrioventricular nodal Wenckebach conduction was recorded during the rapid loading infusion. Systolic blood pressure decreased from 124 ± 7 mm Hg (mean ± standard deviation) during the control period to 121 ± 8 mm Hg during the rapid loading infusion (p = 0.03 compared with control) and to 117 ± 7 mm Hg (p = 0.04 compared with control) during the maintenance infusion. Heart rate did not change. PR interval and blood pressure returned to control levels within 4 hours after the infusion was stopped. Loading and maintenance infusion may be an attractive method of administering diltiazem when stable drug concentrations are required for prolonged periods.
A model for assessing crop response to salinity

CropSyst, a management-oriented crop growth model, was modified to assess crop response to salinity. The effect of salinity was included in the existing water uptake module by adding an osmotic component to the soil water potential and developing a function to account for salinity effects on root permeability. The effect of salinity on water uptake is the link to simulate crop growth reduction. A qualitative analysis showed that the model simulated expected trends of crop response to salinity as affected by cultivar tolerance, atmospheric vapor pressure deficit, and soil water availability. Comparisons with data from sprinkler line experiments were performed for barley grown at Zaragoza (Spain) in 1986 and 1989, and corn at Davis, Calif. and Fort Collins, Colo. in 1975. These experiments included different salinity and irrigation levels. At Davis, the model simulated well the effect of salinity/irrigation treatments on water use, biomass, and crop yield, with values for the Willmot index of agreement (d) generally better than 0.94 (a value of 1.0 implying perfect agreement). At Fort Collins, simulation of grain yield was less satisfactory (d fluctuated between 0.83 and 0.90), but the agreement was good for crop water use and biomass (d generally better than 0.96). The lower performance for grain yield was attributed to large and erratic variations in the observed harvest index. The agreement between simulated and observed values tended to be lower at Zaragoza, with d values fluctuating between 0.84 and 0.91 for biomass and yield in the 2 years included in this evaluation. Unusually high measured yields in 1989 and erratic variation in 1986 were attributed to small sample size. The small size (increased measurement error) of samples typically obtained in sprinkler line source experiments tends to limit their use for evaluation of simulation models.
Source Parameters of Earthquakes from Spectra of Rayleigh Waves

Summary A generalized form of the directivity function has been used to determine the length and the rupture velocity of four earthquakes with known vertical strike slip faulting. For body wave magnitudes between 5.7 and 7.0, the lengths vary from 18 to 35 km with a rupture velocity of 1.5 kms−1. Seismic moments have been determined from the spectral amplitude densities and the theoretical response to a point source model. From these values, stress drops of 2 to 30 bars and average dislocations of 4 to 160cm have been derived. The products of the average stresses acting at the fault by the seismic efficiency factor are of the order of 107 dyne cm−2 for all four earthquakes; this seems to indicate a minimum strength of the crust under horizontal shear stress of the same order.
Intrinsic rate of natural increase in Neotropical forest mammals: relationship to phylogeny and diet.

The relationship of diet and phylogeny to the intrinsic rate of population increase (r max) was examined in a sample of 39 mammalian species that live in Neotropical forests. Diets of species did not predict their r max, contrary to published predictions based on associations between basal metabolic rate and diet and between basal metabolic rate and r max. Phylogeny did however, apparently because life history characteristics and susceptibility to predation vary predictably with phylogeny and with one another.
Bursal Grafting: Effect on Survival of Hormonally Bursectomized Chickens

Abstract It is well established that the bursa of Fabricius in chickens plays an indirect, but essential role in antibody production. The administration of testosterone (or its derivatives) during early embryogenesis results in total elimination of the bursa (Mueller et al., 1960; Warner and Burnet, 1961; Papermaster and Good, 1962), lymphoid nodules in the spleen (Pierce and Long, 1965; St. Pierre and Ackerman, 1966) and cecum (Pierce and Long, 1965) with an absence of antibody production (Mueller et al., 1960; Warner and Burnet, 1961; St. Pierre and Ackerman, 1965). Although the hormonally bursectomized chicken has proven to be a good experimental model for a variety of immunological functions, certain disadvantages are present. It is a universal finding that birds reared from eggs treated with androgens during embryonic development show poor viability (Mueller et al., 1960; Papermaster et al., 1962) with cloacal constipation, retarded growth and generally poor health. The mortality of …
The use of neurolytic celiac plexus block for pancreatic cancer: Anatomy and technique

Neurolytic celiac plexus block (NCPB) has been used for cancer pain relief at the Mason Clinic, Seattle, Washington since 1947. Two reviews of the techniques used for pain relief with intra-abdominal malignancy have been reported from this center previously (1948 to 1964l and 1969 to 1976*). Recently, another ten-yearseries of NCPBs in cancer patients was analyzed and some of these data will be included in this report. Specifically, we will outline how the NCPBs in this series were performed, how we believe they should be performed, and what results can be expected when used in patients with pancreatic cancer.
Autoradiography of mammary glands and uteri of mice and rats after the injection of [3H]-estradiol☆

Abstract The distribution of radioactivity in mammary glands and uteri of lactating mice and rats, and in mammary glands of pregnant rats was studied 1 hr after the injection of [2,4,6,7- 3 H]-estradiol-17β, using drymount autoradiography. In mammary glands of lactating animals radioactivity was found to concentrate in nuclei of epithelial cells of acini and ducts, while myoepithelial cells and fat cells did not retain radioactivity. In the same animals the uterine tissues also showed nuclear concentration of radioactivity in stromal, glandular and muscle cells, with little or no concentration of radioactivity in luminal epithelial cells. In pregnant rats on day 7 and 13 a weak concentration of radioactivity was observed in epithelial cells of the acini and ducts of the mammary gland. The autoradiographic results demonstrate that certain tissues of the mammary gland are targets for estradiol, similar to the uterus.
Nosocomial transmission of tuberculosis from unsuspected disease.

Abstract Tuberculosis remains an occupational hazard for hospital employees. A case of acute generalized tuberculosis occurring in a patient with a malignancy who had received corticosteroids was undetected during life and during a gross autopsy examination. Histologic examination of tissue performed one month later was necessary to establish the diagnosis. Of susceptible hospital staff members who were exposed to the index case, infection developed in nine of 56 (16 percent) compared with three of 333 (0.9 percent) unexposed personnel with similar risk but no known exposure (p
Psychodiagnosis in hypothetical problem spaces

Computer uses are demonstrated for designing a hypothetical psychodiagnostic system that can function in artificially created mental health environments. The idea is to simulate both a psychodiagnostic system and a clinician’s strategies in order to learn about computer as well as human information processing. An inductive method for teaching humans the elements of the diagnostic system and its solutions is also introduced.
Steric exclusion and wrapping of the excluded DNA strand occurs along discrete external binding paths during MCM helicase unwinding

The minichromosome maintenance (MCM) helicase complex is essential for the initiation and elongation of DNA replication in both the eukaryotic and archaeal domains. The archaeal homohexameric MCM helicase from Sulfolobus solfataricus serves as a model for understanding mechanisms of DNA unwinding. In this report, the displaced 5′-tail is shown to provide stability to the MCM complex on DNA and contribute to unwinding. Mutations in a positively charged patch on the exterior surface of the MCM hexamer destabilize this interaction, alter the path of the displaced 5′-tail DNA and reduce unwinding. DNA footprinting and single-molecule fluorescence experiments support a previously unrecognized wrapping of the 5′-tail. This mode of hexameric helicase DNA unwinding is termed the steric exclusion and wrapping (SEW) model, where the 3′-tail is encircled by the helicase while the displaced 5′-tail wraps around defined paths on the exterior of the helicase. The novel wrapping mechanism stabilizes the MCM complex in a positive unwinding mode, protects the displaced single-stranded DNA tail and prevents reannealing.
Common Hopping Based Proactive Spectrum Handoff in Cognitive Radio Ad Hoc Networks

Cognitive radio (CR) technology is a promising solution to enhance the spectrum utilization by enabling unlicensed users to exploit the spectrum in an opportunistic manner. Since unlicensed users are considered as temporary visitors to the licensed spectrum, they are required to vacate the spectrum when a licensed user appears. Due to the randomness of the appearance of licensed users, disruptions to both licensed and unlicensed communications are difficult to prevent, which lead to low throughput and high spectrum switching overhead. In this paper, a proactive spectrum handoff framework in a CR ad hoc network is proposed to address these concerns. In the proposed framework, channel switching policies and a proactive spectrum handoff protocol are proposed to let unlicensed users perform spectrum switching before a licensed user uses the spectrum to avoid interference. A network coordination scheme for unlicensed users is also incorporated into the spectrum handoff protocol design to realize network rendezvous. Moreover, a distributed channel selection scheme to eliminate collisions among unlicensed users in a multi-user spectrum handoff scenario is proposed. Simulation results reveal that the proposed proactive spectrum handoff protocol outperforms the conventional reactive spectrum handoff approach in terms of higher throughput and fewer collisions to licensed users. It is also shown that the proposed channel selection scheme results in higher packet delivery rate compared with existing channel selection schemes.
PREDICTING HOSPITAL COSTS FOR FIRST-TIME CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS GRAFTING FROM PREOPERATIVE AND POSTOPERATIVE VARIABLES

Abstract To predict hospital costs after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) from preoperative characteristics and postoperative complications, 4 analyses of the data were used: (1) a univariate analysis of each preoperative and postoperative variable, (2) a multivariate analysis of the preoperative variables (model 1), (3) a multivariate analysis of the postoperative variables (model 2), and (4) a multivariate analysis of pre- and postoperative variables (model 3). Eight-hundred seven patients who underwent a first-time CABG at Emory University during 1990 were analyzed in this study. Using model 1, the determinants of costs were higher angina grade (p = 0.0006), previous myocardial infarction (p = 0.0133), older age (p = 0.0001), congestive heart failure (p = 0.0001), and a higher number of diseased vessels (p = 0.0001). For model 2, the determinants of costs were adult respiratory distress syndrome (p = 0.0073), intraaortic balloon pumping (p
On optimal extraction of combinational logic and don't care sets from hardware description languages

The authors describe efficient polynomial algorithms for the extraction of topologically minimal multilevel Boolean equations and don't care conditions from the C-based hardware description language CHDL, which has control constructs switch, if-then-else, and go-to. They show that significant savings in CPU cost, area cost, and robustness may be obtained by applying these algorithms as a preprocessing step before using higher cost minimization tools such as BOLD or misII. The approach is based on a control-flow-graph construct with embedded set-use-graph information. The algorithms parse a CHDL description into a directed, nonseries parallel control flow graph. In cases where the graph is also acyclic, graph search and decomposition algorithms are used to derive a Boolean network representing the implied combinational logic. The derived equations are topologically irredundant in the sense that the topological identities are associated with the fork, and join nodes of the control flow graph are accounted for in the code generation. Without this feature, multilevel logic optimizers would have to flatten the control expressions down to primary inputs to discover these identities. >
Infrared Inspection of Nonpneumatic Rubber Road Wheels

Abstract The examination of twelve used solid rubber road wheels by an infrared (IR) temperature profiling technique during drum test experiments is described. The IR method was evaluated as a noncontact means of predicting road wheel integrity by analysis of the circumferential temperature profile. The effectiveness of the temperature profiling method was determined by stripping the rubber from each wheel and visually evaluating the bond interface and rubber tread. Known defects in the used wheels were used to evaluate the IR examination method. Left and right sidewall and tread area were examined simultaneously by use of three sensor heads which were mounted in a test rig positioned around the test wheel. Results indicate that the IR test technique has a capability of detecting cracks and chunking in the rubber tread, gross unbonded areas and interface delamination, and large‐area entrapped foreign objects at the rubber‐to‐metal interface. Low bond strength and small unbonded areas less than one square ...
Computational Studies of Two-Phase Cement/CO2/Brine Interaction in Wellbore Environments

Wellbore integrity is essential to ensuring long-term isolation of buoyant supercritical CO{sub 2} during geologic sequestration of CO{sub 2}. In this report, we summarize recent progress in numerical simulations of cement-brine-CO{sub 2} interactions with respect to migration of CO{sub 2} outside of casing. Using typical values for the hydrologic properties of cement, caprock (shale) and reservoir materials, we show that the capillary properties of good quality cement will prevent flow of CO{sub 2} into and through cement. Rather, CO{sub 2}, if present, is likely to be confined to the casing-cement or cement-formation interfaces. CO{sub 2} does react with the cement by diffusion from the interface into the cement, in which case it produces distinct carbonation fronts within the cement. This is consistent with observations of cement performance at the CO{sub 2}-enhanced oil recovery SACROC Unit in West Texas (Carey et al. 2007). For poor quality cement, flow through cement may occur and would produce a pattern of uniform carbonation without reaction fronts. We also consider an alternative explanation for cement carbonation reactions as due to CO{sub 2} derived from caprock. We show that carbonation reactions in cement are limited to surficial reactions when CO{sub 2} pressure is low (< 10more » bars) as might be expected in many caprock environments. For the case of caprock overlying natural CO{sub 2} reservoirs for millions of years, we consider Scherer and Huet's (2009) hypothesis of diffusive steady-state between CO{sub 2} in the reservoir and in the caprock. We find that in this case, the aqueous CO{sub 2} concentration would differ little from the reservoir and would be expected to produce carbonation reaction fronts in cements that are relatively uniform as a function of depth.« less
The Eye-Specification Proteins So and Eya Form a Complex and Regulate Multiple Steps in Drosophila Eye Development

Abstract sine oculis ( so ) and eyes absent ( eya ) are required for Drosophila eye development and are founding members of the mammalian Six and Eya gene families. These genes have been proposed to act with eyeless ( Pax6 ) to regulate eye development in vertebrates and invertebrates. so encodes a highly diverged homeobox transcription factor and eya encodes a novel nuclear protein. We demonstrate that So and Eya (1) regulate common steps in eye development including cell proliferation, patterning, and neuronal development; (2) synergize in inducing ectopic eyes; and (3) interact in yeast and in vitro through evolutionarily conserved domains. We propose that an So/Eya complex regulates multiple steps in eye development and functions within the context of a network of genes to specify eye tissue identity.
Smoking Patterns and Their Relationship to Drinking Among First-Year College Students

INTRODUCTION Unlike older smokers, young adult smokers frequently engage in light and intermittent smoking. It remains unclear how stable such smoking patterns are over time, as substantial variability exists between these smokers. This study identified subgroups of college student smokers based on the trajectory of their smoking frequency during the first year of college, thereby examining stability versus instability over time. We then tested if the interplay between drinking and smoking differed in the identified groups to determine the relative role drinking may play in intermittent versus more regular smoking. METHODS Incoming college students at 3 institutions completed online biweekly surveys of their daily substance use throughout the first year of college. Students who reported smoking at least 1 cigarette during this year (n = 266) were included in analyses (70% female, 74% White). RESULTS Group-based trajectory modeling identified 5 groups of smokers, 3 of which maintained their smoking frequency throughout the year (77%), and 2 groups of infrequent smokers showed significant trends (11% increasing, 12% decreasing). Notably, nondaily smoking was maintained at different specific frequencies (e.g., 1 vs. 3 days per week). Identified groups differed in the relationship between drinking and smoking, where cooccurrence was particularly strong among infrequent smokers, and trends in smoking quantity differed between groups. CONCLUSIONS While there was a diversity of smoking patterns in the sample, patterns of intermittent smoking remain relatively stable for a majority of students throughout the year. Intervention messages targeting drinking and smoking should be tailored on the basis of smoking frequency.