cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reducing Energy Use in Existing Homes by 30%: Learning From Home Performance with ENERGY STAR

The improvement of existing homes in the United States can have a much greater impact on overall residential energy use than the construction of highly efficient new homes. There are over 130 million existing housing units in the U.S., while annually new construction represents less than two percent of the total supply (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013). Therefore, the existing housing stock presents a clear opportunity and responsibility for Building America (BA) to guide the remodeling and retrofit market toward higher performance existing homes. There are active programs designed to improve the energy performance of existing homes. Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (HPwES) is a market-rate program among them. BARA's research in this project verified that the New Jersey HPwES program is achieving savings in existing homes that meet or exceed BA's goal of 30%. Among the 17 HPwES projects with utility data included in this report, 15 have actual energy savings ranging from 24% to 46%. Further, two of the homes achieved that level of energy savings without the costly replacement of heating and cooling equipment, which indicates that less costly envelope packages could be offered to consumers unable to invest in more costly mechanical packages, potentially creating broader marketmore » impact.« less
The Neuron Doctrine, Redux

In their Perspective, [ Bullock et al. ][1] discuss recent evidence suggesting that the Neuron Doctrine, conceived nearly a century ago, cannot encompass important aspects of information processing in the brain. Intercellular communication by gap junctions, slow electrical potentials, action potentials initiated in dendrites, neuromodulatory effects, extrasynaptic release of neurotransmitters, and information flow between neurons and glia all contribute to information processing. Revisiting the Neuron Doctrine suggests that future research outside its limits may lead to new insights into the unique capabilities of the human brain. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/310/5749/791
Breaking the H2 Marriage and Reuniting the Couple

A nonmetal compound enables the reversible splitting of dihydrogen. Related compounds may find use in chemical transformations and in hydrogen activation or storage.
From Γ-spaces to algebraic theories

The paper examines semi-theories, that is, formalisms of the type of the Γ-spaces of Segal which describe homotopy structures on topological spaces. It is shown that for any semi-theory one can find an algebraic theory describing the same structure on spaces as the original semi-theory. As a consequence one obtains a criterion for establishing when two semi-theories describe equivalent homotopy structures.
Global influence of the AD 1600 eruption of Huaynaputina, Peru

It has long been estabished that gas and fine ash from large equatorial explosive eruptions can spread globally, and that the sulphuric acid that is consequently produced in the stratosphere can cause a small, but statistically significant, cooling of global temperatures1,2. Central to revealing the ancient volcano–climate connection have been studies linking single eruptions to features of climate-proxy records such as found in ice-core3,4,5 and tree-ring6,7,8 chronologies. Such records also suggest that the known inventory of eruptions is incomplete, and that the climatic significance of unreported or poorly understood eruptions remains to be revealed. The AD 1600 eruption of Huaynaputina, in southern Peru, has been speculated to be one of the largest eruptions of the past 500 years; acidity spikes from Greenland and Antarctica ice3,4,5, tree-ring chronologies6,7,8, along with records of atmospheric perturbations in early seventeenth-century Europe and China9,10, implicate an eruption of similar or greater magnitude than that of Krakatau in 1883. Here we use tephra deposits to estimate the volume of the AD 1600 Huaynaputina eruption, revealing that it was indeed one of the largest eruptions in historic times. The chemical characteristics of the glass from juvenile tephra allow a firm cause–effect link to be established with glass from the Antarctic ice, and thus improve on estimates of the stratospheric loading of the eruption.
Proposal for Using an Untapped Source of Citations Characterizing Scientific Areas

Bibliographies of "reference books", namely Encyclopedias, Comprehensive Treatises, and Advanced Textbooks constitute a valuable source of information about seminal papers in various branches of science. Examples are given mainly for chemistry, but other areas might be treated similarly.
'Rails-to-Trails': The Potential Impact of Marvin M. Brandt Revocable Trust v. United States

Across the United States, over 20,000 miles of land that formerly housed railroad corridors has been converted and reappropriated into public-use trails through a federal program aptly dubbed, "Rails-to-Trails." The viability of the "Rails-to-Trails" program has been threatened by the Supreme Court's decision in Martin M. Brandt Revocable Trust v. United States. In Brandt, the Court held that the underlying land in the "Rails-to-Trails" program constitutes an easement granted from the original private landowners to the railroad companies. Accordingly, once the railroad companies abandon the easement, the land reverts back to the original landowners, not the government. This Article analyzes the Brandt opinion and discusses the wide-ranging consequences of the Court's holding. It begins by providing background on the original land conveyances in the eighteenth century that eventually gave rise to the current litigation in Brandt. It then proceeds to explain the Brandt decision and provide scholarly criticism of the Court's opinion and reasoning. Finally, the Article concludes by discussing the practical implications of the decision: by holding that the underlying rail corridors are easements that revert to private landowners, the Court opens the door for these private landowners to bring Fifth Amendment Takings claims against the government for converting the rail corridors into public-use trails. Ultimately, this may require the taxpaying public to compensate the private landowners impacted by the "Rails-to-Trails" program.
Immunologic function in horses after non-specific immunostimulant administration

Inactivated Propionibacterium acnes is a biologic response modifier for treatment of non-specific respiratory disease in horses. The objectives of this investigation were to determine alterations in phagocytic activity, phenotypic expression of lymphocyte subpopulations and lymphokine-activated killing cell response in healthy young horses. Samples were collected on day 0, 7 and 14 of the investigation. Blood samples were obtained via jugular venipuncture and pulmonary leukocytes were recovered via bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Commercially available P. acnes (Eqstim®) was administered intravenously on days 7, 9 and 11 of the investigation. Fever was observed on days 8 and 10, indicating immune reaction. Total peripheral blood white cell count was increased (P<0.05) on day 14 after P. acnes administration compared to values on days 0 and 7. Total BAL fluid cell count decreased (P<0.01) on day 14 compared to values on days 0 and 7, which was characterized by a decrease in total lymphocyte (P<0.01) and macrophage (P<0.01) counts. The proportion of lymphocytes in BAL fluid decreased (P<0.005) on day 14 compared to values on days 0 and 7, and the proportion of macrophages increased (P<0.005) on day 14 compared to values on days 0 and 7. P. acnes administration increased the total (P<0.05) and proportional (P<0.05) counts of CD4+ T lymphocytes in peripheral blood. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid proportion of CD4+ (P<0.05), CD5+ (P<0.001) and MHC II (P<0.05) lymphocytes increased on day 14 after P. acnes administration compared to values on days 0 and 7. Nonopsonized phagocytic activity in peripheral blood increased (P<0.0005) on day 14 after P. acnes administration compared to values on days 0 and 7. Lymphokine-activated killing cell activity in peripheral blood and BAL fluid leukocytes was enhanced (P<0.005) on day 14 after P. acnes administration compared to values on days 0 and 7. Serum IgG and IgM concentrations were within laboratory reference values and were not altered by administration of P. acnes. This investigation demonstrated immunostimulant and immunomodulatory properties of P. acnes, characterized by increased CD4+ T lymphocyte expression and LAK activity in peripheral blood and BAL fluid, increased nonopsonized phagocytosis in peripheral blood leukocytes and decreased pulmonary cellularity.
A COMPARISON OF RULES FOR ALLOCATING SETUP‐REDUCTION INVESTMENTS IN A CAPACITATED ENVIRONMENT

This paper builds on a recent empirical study of the setup-reduction process that suggests setup-reduction proceeds through three major stages and that each stage is dominated by a particular type of investment function. Specifically, it examines the question of how to best prioritize investments during the stage that emphasizes standardizing setups across a work center. We compare different investment-allocation rules in a multi-item, capacity-constrained, dynamic demand environment under a variety of cost, demand, and investment assumptions. This analysis shows that significant differences in benefits can be achieved depending on the way setup-reduction investments are prioritized.
Introduction: Rhetoricians on the Rhetoric of Science:

Readers of this journal need no reminder that the rhetoric of scientific writing has become an important research site in the sociology of science, largely motivated by constructivist, strong program, and ethnomethodological concerns. Although the use of the term rhetoric relies on a residual communal memory of an ancient branch of knowledge, in the sociological literature, rhetoric as a term and as an analytic method has been treated as a late-twentieth-century invention, conceptually born of French theorists and methodologically realized by British sociologists. But other welldeveloped bodies of rhetorical knowledge are alive in the academy and have developed both theory and analytical methods of use to sociologists interested in the rhetoric of science. Rhetoric as a discipline had its origins in the political and juridical activity of Athens; the sophists, Plato, Aristotle, and others considered how one ought to talk and present one's case in public and in what linguistic manner one could or ought to enquire after knowledge. The consideration of the most effective means of persuasion was taken up by the Romans, and then by medieval churchmen, Renaissance courtiers, and eighteenthcentury reformers. Sir Francis Bacon, Thomas Hobbes, Joseph Priestley, Adam Smith, and Alexander Bain are among those who wrote influential works on rhetoric in the early modem period; each of these considered both persuasion and the relationship between language and knowledge. As the social circumstances and social projects of the rhetoricians changed, so did the theory and practical guidelines. Together the historically deep literature of rhetoric provides many insights into the use of language and offers many analytical concepts to help expose how individual speeches and texts work. Useful introductions, surveys, and bibliographies of the history of rhetoric are James J. Murphy, A Synoptic History of Classical Rhetoric (1983), and Winifred B. Horner, nhe Present State of Scholarship in Historical and Contemporary Rhetoric (1983). Currently rhetorical knowledge is located within three separate departments in the modern American academy: philosophy, speech, and English
Learning through laughing: an ‘African-American’ singer with ‘Japanese soul’ and the possibility of a new subjectivity in Japan

In this article, we argue that laughter can be a catalyst in learning about a new subjectivity – simultaneously African-American and Japanese – by analyzing an audience’s initial reaction to Jero, a young ‘African-American’ singer wearing hip hop attire who sings enka, a genre of music that is considered the ‘heart and soul of Japan’. Using television clips uploaded to YouTube and the viewers’ comments left on the sites as data, we analyze the audience’s laughter and amazement, followed by the question, ‘Why?’ and explanation of his background. Drawing on Herve Varenne’s argument that learning occurs when we acknowledge our ignorance and seek to change it, we argue that the laughter marks their ignorance of such subjectivity, followed by learning as to why such subjectivity is possible. Challenging hegemonic behavior in daily life is often considered ‘bad sport’ and thus difficult. While involving complex relations of power of consumer-performer relations and authenticator-authenticated relations as well ...
Copper(II) Complexes of N-(Hydroxyethyl)Salicylideneimines

Abstract Two groups of workers1,2 have described the synthesis of Cu(sal:propanolamine). The compound is a dimer in chloroform and has a magnetic moment of 0.49 BM at room temperature.2 There is no report in the literature on the synthesis of Cu(sal:ethanolamine). Apparently several groups have tried to synthesize the compound without success.2,3 This communication describes the successful synthesis and characterization of Cu(sal:ethanolamine) and Cu(5-Br-sal:ethanolamine).
Maternity Care Practices and Breastfeeding Experiences of Women in Different Racial and Ethnic Groups: Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System (PRAMS)

Research shows that maternity care practices are important to promoting breastfeeding in the early post partum period; however, little is known about the association between maternity care practices and breastfeeding among different racial and ethnic groups. We examined the association between maternity care practices and breastfeeding duration to ≥10 weeks overall and among various racial and ethnic groups using data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System (PRAMS). PRAMS is a state, population-based surveillance system that collects information on maternal behaviors. We used maternity care practices data from 11 states and New York City with response rates ≥70% from 2004 to 2006. Multiple maternity care practices were examined and the analysis adjusted for demographic characteristics, participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), lifestyle, and infant variables. The outcome variable for multivariable analysis was breastfeeding duration to <10 weeks or ≥10 weeks. PRAMS data show that 22.1% of women did not breastfeed, about 27.7% breastfed for <10 weeks and 50.2% breastfed for ≥10 weeks. Breastfeeding patterns varied with white and Hispanic women reporting highest breastfeeding initiation and duration prevalence. Overall, practices positively associated with ≥10 duration were: breastfeeding initiated within the first hour after birth (adjusted OR [AOR] = 1.29; 95% CI: 1.16–1.45); fed breast milk only (AOR = 2.40; 95% CI: 2.15–2.68); breastfed on demand (AOR = 1.23; 95% CI 1.08–1.40) and receiving telephone support (AOR = 1.20; 95% CI: 1.03–1.39). Maternity care practices associated with breastfeeding to ≥10 weeks varied across three racial/ethnic groups. One practice, that of giving newborns breast milk only, was positively associated with breastfeeding duration of ≥10 weeks across all three groups. Maternity care practices associated with breastfeeding continuation to ≥10 weeks varied by race/ethnicity. For example: breastfeeding within the first hour, baby given a pacifier, and assistance from hospital staff, were significantly associated with breastfeeding duration among black and white women and not Hispanics. The practice of breastfeeding on demand was significantly associated with breastfeeding to ≥10 weeks for black and Hispanic women and not for whites. Hospitals may want to examine the implementation of specific practices in relation to the cultural backgrounds of women to promote breastfeeding.
The Impact of Changing State Economic Conditions on Public School Enrollments.

Abstract In this paper we present an economic-demographic regression model for projecting grades 1–12 public school enrollments. The proposed model is tested using data from the State of Florida. The results strongly support the hypothesis that state economic conditions are important determinants of1–12 public school enrollments. One of the most evident policy implications of the results is that enrollment projections should be tied into state econometric forecasting models and should be produced as an integral part of a wider array of economic outputs.
Method of initial parameters for laterally loaded piles embedded in layered soils

The method of initial parameters (MIP) was originally developed to solve the problem of a beam on an elastic foundation with applied concentrated forces along the span, which introduce discontinuities in the mathematical formulation of the problem. MIP is modified in this paper so that it can be used for solving the problem of a laterally loaded pile with discontinuities due to soil layering along the length of the pile. In this paper, the basis of MIP is outlined, and its use to find the deflection, slope, bending moment and shear force of laterally loaded piles is illustrated. Example problems of laterally loaded piles embedded in multi-layered soil media are provided.
Open reduction internal fixation and primary total hip arthroplasty of selected acetabular fractures.

Objective:The purpose of our study was to analyze the outcomes of patients treated with combined open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) and primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) for selected cases of acetabular fractures.Design:Retrospective case series.Setting:University Medical Center.Patients and
Unique and interactive effects of empathy, family, and school factors on early adolescents' aggression

Although research indicates that empathy inhibits youth aggression, little is known about the prospective associations between different components of empathy and aggression, as well as whether family and school factors moderate the aforementioned associations in early adolescents. Based on prior research, the current study examined whether empathic concern and perspective taking would contribute to subsequent overt and relational aggression over a 1-year period in middle school. Guided by the social development model, we also examined if positive family relations and school connectedness would differentially moderate the associations between both components of empathy and aggression. Participants were 481 10- to 14-year old students (54 % female; 78 % European American) who completed the first wave of a survey in 6th and 7th grades. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that only for girls did lower levels of empathic concern, not perspective taking, contribute to increases in subsequent overt, not relational, aggression. Although neither positive family relations nor school connectedness played protective roles for girls, results indicated that boys’ reports of positive family relations buffered the negative impact of low empathic concern on both forms of aggression 1 year later. Over and above the two components of empathy, school connectedness also contributed to a decline in boys’ subsequent overt aggression. Recommendations are made to foster family and school relationships among boys, as well as to more heavily consider the role of emotion processes in the study and prevention of early adolescents’ aggression.
Use of Hypothermically Stored Keratinocyte Cultures for in vitro Toxicology

A human epidermal model (HEM) was developed in conjunction with a multiple-endpoint fluorescent assay for use in in vitro toxicology studies. This HEM is comprised of normal human epidermal keratin...
On swelling induced degradation of fiber reinforced polymers

We generalize an existing model for finite strain induced degradation of polymers so as to treat materials with fiber reinforcing. The model allows for degradation of either the matrix or fiber constituents. It also makes allowance for a simple concept of swelling which can also contribute to the degradation kinetics.
Development of Major Depressive Disorder During Smoking-Cessation Treatment

BACKGROUND: Several studies have shown an association between smoking and major depressive disorder (MDD), but few have prospectively examined subjects who develop MDD after quitting smoking. This descriptive study evaluated the development of MDD after smoking cessation, as assessed by a structured clinical interview at both baseline and the end of treatment. METHOD: Nondepressed participants (N = 114) in a trial investigating the effect of fluoxetine on smoking cessation were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R at baseline and posttreatment to evaluate the impact of quitting smoking on the development of MDD. Depressive symptoms were additionally assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. RESULTS: At baseline, 32% of the subjects reported a history of MDD. Sixty-nine subjects completed the SCID at baseline and posttreatment. At posttreatment, 5 subjects (7%) met threshold criteria for MDD; none were taking the highest dose of fluoxetine (60 mg), 4 were taking 30 mg, and 1 was taking placebo. All 5 had a history of MDD; 3 were women. Four had a history of substance abuse and attained at least 3 consecutive biochemically verified weeks of smoking abstinence. Those who developed MDD after treatment scored significantly higher on measures of depressed mood at baseline than those who did not develop MDD after smoking-cessation treatment. CONCLUSION: The results from this descriptive study suggest that a subset of smokers may be at risk for developing MDD after smoking cessation.
Heterogeneous Dynamics and Domains in Supercooled o-Terphenyl: A Single Molecule Study

Single molecule spectroscopy was used to characterize the rotation of fluorescent probe molecules in supercooled o-terphenyl (OTP) just above the glass transition. Rotational motions of spatially i...
Simulation of Controlled-Slip Variable-Speed Induction Motor Drive Systems

Recent developments in high-performance variable-speed induction motor drive systems offer the possibility of wide applications. The expected decline in cost of semiconductor switching devices in coming years will make such drives economically compatible with dc and ac commutator machines for variable-speed applications.
Multiharmonic electron paramagnetic resonance for extended samples with both narrow and broad lines

Multiharmonic electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy was demonstrated for two samples with both narrow and broad lines: (i) α,γ-Bisdiphenylene-β-phenylallyl (BDPA) with ΔBpp of 0.85 G plus ultramarine blue with ΔBpp of 17 G, and (ii) a nitroxide radical immobilized in sucrose octaacetate. Modulation amplitudes up to 17 G at 41 kHz were generated with a rapid scan coil driver and Litz wire coils that provide uniform magnetic field sweeps over samples with heights of 5 mm. Data were acquired with a 2-D experiment in the Xepr software through the transient signal path of a Bruker E500T and digitized in quadrature with a Bruker SpecJet II. Signals at the modulation frequency and its harmonics were calculated by digital phase-sensitive detection. The number of harmonics with signal intensity greater than noise increases as the ratio of the modulation amplitude to the narrowest peak increases. Spectra reconstructed by the multiharmonic method from data obtained with modulation amplitudes up to five times the peak-to-peak linewidths of the narrowest features have linewidths that are broadened by up to only about 10% relative to linewidths in spectra obtained at low modulation amplitudes. The signal-to-noise improves with increasing modulation amplitude up to the point where the modulation amplitude is slightly larger than the linewidth of the narrowest features. If this high a modulation amplitude had been used in conventional methodology the linewidth of the narrowest features would have been severely broadened. The multiharmonic reconstruction methodology means that the selection of the modulation amplitude that can be used without spectral distortion is no longer tightly tied to the linewidth of the narrowest line.
A Critique of Consumer Cooperation: ‘Cheap Cheese’ or the Heavenly Kindgom as the Issue That Divides practical Cooperators from Utopians

. Consumer cooperative reformers, alone among American cooperatiors, define cooperation in terms of the Rochdale Principles. However, to define a cooperative as an organization characterized by owner-user identity is more useful. Cooperation eliminates profit motivation, not profit itself, as reformers suggest. Consumer cooperators make invidious comparison between consumption and production instead of acknowledging their organic relations. They assign to consumers the same role in uniting the world that Marxists assign to the proletariat. They expect consumer cooperation to promote the brotherhood of man. A better approach than espousing utopian ideals would be to stress practical benefits and economic advantages of cooperative activity.
Improving the US Health Care System: Action Plan to Enhance Efficiency, Reduce Errors, and Improve Quality

The decisions made by stakeholders in the nation's health care system that affect the quality of care experienced by patients are too often made without the benefit of scientific evidence. A multidisciplinary set of investigators conducting health services research have traditionally filled this gap between research findings and clinical decision making, but several barriers are hindering this work. This article offers several recommendations-restructuring organizations, ensuring funding, developing infrastructure, strengthening the community of researchers, and forging new links among stakeholders-to promote high-quality information for health decision makers.
Channel estimation and equalization for CE-OFDM in multipath fading channels

In OFDM, the orthogonal subcarriers can be assumed to undergo flat fading in a frequency selective channel permitting operation without an equalizer especially when differential data encoding is used. However, in CE-OFDM, the data symbols are no longer confined to orthogonal subcarriers and, therefore, an equalizer is required for operation in frequency selective channels. A frequency domain equalizer (FDE) is known to perform well for OFDM as well as CE-OFDM [3]. In this paper, we study the performance of CE-OFDM in multipath fading channels while employing a FDE. The quality of the channel estimate which is obtained using a training signal directly affects the performance of the equalizer. We investigate channel estimation using both the least squares (LS) as well as the linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) techniques and compare the equalizer performance for both these cases. It is desirable to have a training signal that has a low PAPR in time domain while also having a flat power spectrum in the frequency domain. While CE-OFDM has a constant envelope, it does not have a flat spectrum in the frequency domain. Therefore, we also investigate various training signals for channel estimation and compare their performance in the presence of an amplifier.
Systemic small noncleaved cell lymphoma presenting as a posterior choroidal mass.

Purpose To describe a patient with intraocular involvement by systemic, small noncleaved cell lymphoma. Methods Case report and review of the literature. Results A patient presented with a diffusely elevated choroidal mass. Systemic evaluation led to the diagnosis of unsuspected disseminated lymphoma. Conclusion Small noncleaved cell lymphoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of a choroidal mass.
A Pi-mode extraction scheme for the axial B-field recirculating planar magnetron

A recirculating planar magnetron (RPM), operating in the π-mode and utilizing a compact, waveguide-based extraction scheme was simulated using ICEPIC. At an applied voltage of 300 kV and B-field of 0.130T, output power was 430 MW at 43% efficiency. The oscillator was found to operate at frequency of 2.23 GHz.
Nineteenth-Century California Teachers’ Institutes: Exploring Connections Among Teachers’ Institutes, Normal Schools, and Elite Eastern Colleges

Building from extant scholarship on normal schools, this essay takes up a complementary but less well-examined topic: state teachers’ institutes of the nineteenth century and the short-term practical training and professional guidance they provided teachers. Focusing on California’s state-sponsored institutes held from 1861–1863, this study examines the ways these institutes promoted the new progressive European pedagogy. More significant, extending an ecological approach to historical analysis, this essay proposes that the relationship among normal schools, teachers’ institutes, and some faculty from select eastern colleges may have been closer than has been suggested. Thus, this analysis suggests a more complex and integrated history during this period.
An Ocean Bottom Hydrophone instrument for seismic refraction experiments in the deep ocean

Tests of a new Ocean Bottom Hydrophone (obh) instrument have recently been completed at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. This instrument is designed to float ∼3 m above the seafloor at depths of up to 6100 m for periods of up to 10 days and continuously records the output of a single hydrophone on a four-channel 0.064 cm/s (1/40 in./s) analog magnetic tape recorder. This instrument has an acoustic transponder and release system and is designed primarily for multiple deployments as a fixed ocean bottom receiver for seismic refraction work.
Optimum design of radiating and convecting-radiating fins

The design of fins of optimum dimensions of specified shapes has been pursued by numerous investigators, and a significant body of literature has accumulated over the past 70 years. Of this, the literature pertaining to purely convecting fins has been systematically organized in a review article by Aziz. At that time, it was felt that there was a need for a similar review covering the design of radiating and convecting-radiating fins with optimum dimensions. The present article has been prepared to fulfill this need. Like its predecessor, the article seeks to achieve three objectives. The first objective is to provide an overview of the literature and to identify future research needs. The second objective is to provide a convenient design reference for the practicing engineer. The third objective is to create an instructional resource on the topic. To meet the last two objectives, several design examples are interspersed throughout the article.
Use of implantable cardioverter defibrillators for primary prevention in the community: do women and men equally meet trial enrollment criteria?

Background Fewer women than men undergo implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation for the primary prevention of sudden cardiac death. The criteria used to select patients for ICD implantation may be more permissive among men than for women. We hypothesized that women who undergo primary prevention ICD implantation more often meet strict trial enrollment criteria for this therapy. Methods We studied 59,812 patients in the National Cardiovascular Data Registry ICD registry undergoing initial primary prevention ICD placement between January 2005 and April 2007. Patients were classified as meeting or not meeting enrollment criteria of either the MADIT-II or SCD-HeFT trials. Multivariable analyses assessed the association between gender and concordance with trial criteria adjusting for demographic, clinical, and system characteristics. Results Among the cohort, 27% (n = 16,072) were women. Overall, 85.2% of women and 84.5% of men met enrollment criteria of either trial ( P = .05). In multivariable analyses, women were equally likely to meet trial criteria (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.99-1.10) than men. Significantly more women than men met the trial enrollment criteria among patients older than age 65 (86.6% of women vs 85.3% of men, OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.03-1.19), but this difference was not found among younger patients (82.5% of women vs 83.0% of men, OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.89-1.07). Conclusions In a national cohort undergoing primary prevention ICD implantation, older women were only slightly more likely then men to meet the enrollment criteria for MADIT II or SCD-HeFT. Relative overutilization in men is not an important explanation for gender differences in ICD implantation.
Assigning priority to environmental policy interventions in a heterogeneous world

Failure to consider costs as well as benefits is common in many policy initiatives and analyses, particularly in the environmental arena. Economists and other policy scientists have demonstrated that integrating both cost and benefit information explicitly into the policy process can be vital to ensuring that scarce funds go as far as they can toward achieving policy objectives. The costs of acquiring and analyzing such information, however, can be substantial. The objective of this paper is to help policy analysts and practitioners identify the conditions under which integrating cost and benefit information is likely to be vital to effective decisionmaking, and the conditions under which failing to use both cost and benefit data would result in little, if any, loss in efficiency. These points are illustrated through a conceptual discussion and an empirical analysis of a conservation initiative in the United States. © 2003 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.
Pink Salmon Populations in the U.S. Waters of Lake Superior, 1981–1984

Abstract Pink salmon were introduced to Lake Superior in very small numbers at Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada in 1956. Since that time, they have established themselves as permanent members of the Lake Superior ecosystem. Peak spawner densities were observed in the U.S. tributaries of Lake Superior in 1979 when many streams experienced runs of 10,000 fish or more. To better understand the population dynamics of pink salmon, population characteristics, fecundity and egg deposition of spawners, egg and larval survival, and fry outmigration were studied in several Michigan and Minnesota tributaries in 1980. Population estimates indicate a significant decline of pink salmon in the U. S. waters of Lake Superior since 1979. This decline appears to be related to instream fry survival, which is in turn related to the hydrological conditions of the streams in fall and winter. Lake Superior pink salmon are phenotypically similar to their Pacific Coast counterparts, the major difference being age structure and smaller size of adults. Approximately 90% of the adults mature as 2-year-olds while the remaining 10% mature as 3-year-olds. Pink salmon maturing as 3-year-olds have different growth patterns than those maturing at 2 years of age. Two-year-old pink salmon average 390 mm in length, which is about 30% smaller than 2-year-olds from the Pacific Ocean. Three-year-old females have a lower fecundity and a poorer egg quality than 2-year-old females.
The use of preparative polyacrylamide-column electrophoresis in isolation of electrophoretically distinguishable components of the serum group-specific protein.

Abstract Preparative polyacrylamide-column electrophoresis has been employed to isolate the three major electrophoretic components of the group-specific (Gc) protein in human plasma, Gc 1 fast, Gc 1 slow, and Gc 2 slow. The most satisfactory separation was achieved by using a resolving gel in a continuous Tris-borate-EDTA buffer system. No striking differences in the amino acid composition or molecular size of these three components could be demonstrated.
Novel Reagents and Procedures for Immobilization of DNA on Glass Microchips for Primer Extension

A new method for attaching oligodeoxyribonucleotides to glass involving monoalkoxylated and dialkoxylated silanes and bromoacetamide/phosphorothioate linking chemistry has been developed. Three nov...
Energy efficiency standards for equipment: Additional opportunities in the residential and commercial sectors

Energy efficiency standards for residential and commercial equipment have been a major source of energy conservation in the US This study estimated key national impacts of potential new and upgraded energy efficiency standards. These impacts approximate the opportunity for national benefits that may be lost if energy efficiency standards for residential and commercial equipment are not upgraded and expanded from current levels. The results suggest that national benefits from new and upgraded standards may be substantial. They also indicate that standards for currently unregulated products may yield more benefits than upgrading minimum efficiency standards for products that already have them. The majority of those currently unregulated products are in the commercial sector.
Individuals and Their Local Utility Stocks: Preference for the Familiar

We find individuals are four times more likely to purchase stocks of their local direct utility company as opposed to utility companies operating outside their state of residence. Our tests reveal that individuals do not possess superior or private information about their local utilities. Indeed, individual preference for their local utility stocks seems to be driven by preference for familiar assets, even in the presence of a desire for high dividend yields. In addition, affluence and sophistication do not reduce local bias.
Comprehensiveness of internet reporting by Caribbean companies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the comprehensiveness and determinants of internet reporting by publicly listed Caribbean companies. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 65 companies with common shares listed on one of the four Caribbean stock exchanges, were included in the study. The study examined the relationship between firm characteristics (size, industry affiliation, listing status, and CEO role duality) and the comprehensiveness of corporate internet reporting (CIR), while controlling for the importance of public equity financing, company age and profitability. CIR was measured using an unweighted 107-item disclosure index that focussed on web site usability, disclosure timeliness, disclosure content, and several advanced CIR features. The data were subjected to content analysis using descriptive statistics, contingency tables, and multiple regression analysis. Findings – As a whole, publicly listed Caribbean firms seem to be in stage 2 of the internet evolutionary model prese...
Preserving respectability or blatant disrespect? A critical discourse analysis of the Morehouse Appropriate Attire Policy and implications for intersectional approaches to examining campus policies

In this paper, I conduct a critical discourse analysis of the Morehouse College Appropriate Attire Policy and discuss how issues of race, gender, and sexuality converge to reveal both overt and hidden meanings embedded in the policy. I also consider how power is used towards “other” black college men who neither fit neatly into prescribed gender norms, nor foster representations of “good” black men. I situate this critical policy analysis in the context of two ideas: bipolar masculinity and the politics of respectability, and offer implications for the use of intersectional frames in scholarship and research on men and institutional policies.
Selective enrichment of bifidobacteria in the intestinal tract of broilers by thermally produced kestoses and effect on broiler performance

A series of kestose oligosaccharides have been produced from pyrolysis of sucrose and the effects of feeding these thermal kestoses on broiler performance and cecal microbial populations were evaluated. Eighty-four broiler chicks (day-old Hubbard x Hubbard) were fed either a nutritionally complete basal starter diet (control), the starter diet dressed with 8% of other sugars found in the thermal kestoses mixture (glucose, sucrose, and fructose), or the starter diet dressed with 10% crude thermal kestoses (2% kestoses, 8% other sugars) for a 4-wk period. Body weight and feed intake were measured weekly. After 4 wk the birds were killed, cecal contents were collected, and selected microbial populations were enumerated. Weight gains were 938, 968, and 989 g for control, other sugars, and thermal kestoses groups, respectively. There were no dietary effects on weight gain, feed conversion, or concentrations of total aerobic bacteria, coliforms, aerobically enumerated lactobacilli, total anaerobes, or clostridia. Cecal bifidobacterial concentrations were increased (P < 0.001) 24-fold in kestose-treated birds compared with controls, with bifidobacterial concentrations being 8.98, 9.09, and 10.36 log10 cfu/g cecal DM in birds fed the control, other sugars, and thermal kestoses diets, respectively. Anaerobically enumerated lactobacilli concentrations in kestose-treated birds were increased (P < 0.007) sevenfold compared with controls, with lactobacilli concentrations being 9.56, 9.53, and 10.36 log10 cfu/g cecal contents, respectively. Thermally produced kestoses altered intestinal bacterial populations in broilers and may have potential to enhance health and performance under the appropriate conditions.
Advanced spatially resolved EELS in the STEM

Commercial availability of high spatial resolution STEM instruments is leading to widespread use of EELS and ADF imaging techniques. Future instruments will need to greatly improve levels of stability and accuracy to allow use of these techniques with atomic level precision. I review some experimental results which suggest an urgent need for a 0.1 nm diameter probe with a usable EELS spectral resolution of about 100 meV.
Structure and event mining in sports video with efficient mosaic

Video is an information-intensive media with much redundancy. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to mine structure or semantics of video data for efficient browsing, summarization and highlight extraction. In this paper, we propose a mosaic based approach to key-event as well as structure mining, which is regarded as a complementary view for sports video analysis. Mosaic is generated for each shot by a novel efficient mosaicing scheme, which constructs a global motion path and selects a best subset of frames for mosaicing. These improved mosaics are then used as the representative image of shot content. Based on mosaic, the structure and event in sports video are mined by the methods with prior knowledge and without prior knowledge. Without prior knowledge, our system is able to locate global view shots taken by dominant camera. If prior knowledge is available, the events in these global view shots are detected using robust features extracted from mosaics. For global view mining, the experiments compared with key-frame-based scheme have demonstrated that this mosaic-based scheme presents better results in several kinds of sports videos; for events mining, the detection of key-plays and key-events in the specific-domain of soccer videos have proved its effectiveness.
Bioseparation by Zonal Centrifuges

Abstract A number of analyses relating to prediction of instantaneous particles position in a gradient solution, gradient capacity and stability in isopycnic banding, ideal number of septa in a zonal rotor, and an optimal density gradient solution for a velocity-sedimentation, etc. has been studied. The purpose of this review is to summarize the present status in analyses and operations of zonal centrifugation and to indicate the introduction of newer techniques which may open up a large number of separation methods by zonal centrifuges.
The ecology and evolution of fly dispersed dung mosses (Family Splachnaceae): manipulating insect behaviour through odour and visual cues.

The use of sensory attractants is central to most animal-mediated pollination and seed dispersal interactions. Approximately half the 73 species of mosses’ in the family Splachnaceae are entomophilous (have their spores dispersed by flies) and are coprophilous (grow on feces and carrion). When mature, entomophilous species often produce brightly coloured, scented sporophytes which, for several species, have been shown to attract flies. In a number of cases, sporophyte colours and odours, as well as the flies that visit them, have been shown to be species-specific, suggesting that the mosses co-exist by signal diversification, just as flowering plants are thought to reduce competition for pollinators. Analyses of scent chemistry identified an odour contrast between generations; gametophytes were either unscented or weakly scented in most species, whereas sporophyte odours were universally stronger per unit mass and much more chemically complex. Sporophyte odours of North and South American species sampled were both complex and diverse, with an apparent inverse relationship between the size and showiness of the apophysis and its odour complexity. Furthermore, phylogenetic evidence suggests that fly dispersal of spores through visual and olfactory signals has evolved multiple times in the Splachnaceae and that modifications of sporophyte morphology may have followed, rather than triggered, the transitions to coprophily and entomophily. We review the ecological and evolutionary aspects ofentomophily, with particular emphasis on the chemistry of sporophyte odours and the means by which they mimic decaying organic matter.
One-time binary search tree balancing: the Day/Stout/Warren (DSW) algorithm

A. Colin Day proposed, and Quentin F. Stout and Bette L. Warren modified, an algorithm (the Day/Stout/Warren or DSW algorithm) that, in O(N) time and O(1) space, transforms an arbitrary binary search tree into a degenerate tree, and from that generates the most balanced possible binary search tree.
Using measured bicycle kinematics to quantify increased skill as a rider learns to ride a bicycle

Currently, it is difficult to determine when a novice bicycle rider is ready to ride without training wheels or external assistance. In this study, we quantify the changes that occurred as 10 subjects with disabilities learned to ride traditional bicycles during a specialized bicycle training camp. These changes are revealed by three synchronized wireless inertial measurement units (IMUs) used to measure bicycle kinematics. Out of 10 subjects, 6 were successful in riding a traditional bicycle without assistance by the end of the camp. The peak value of the cross-correlation between steer and roll angular velocities was significantly greater for riders who ultimately succeeded in riding a traditional bike without assistance. This finding suggests that rider learning can be quantified by increased correlation between bicycle steer rate and roll rate. In essence, learning to steer in the direction of lean is an essential skill in learning to ride a bicycle.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Minimizing response times of automotive dataflows on multicore

Dataflow software architectures are prevalent in prototypes of advanced automotive systems, for both driver-assisted and autonomous driving. Safety constraints of these systems necessitate real-time performance guarantees. Automotive prototypes often ensure such constraints through over-provisioning and dedicated hardware; however, a commercially viable system must utilize as few low-cost multicore processors as possible to meet size, weight, and power constraints. In short, these platforms must do more with less. To this end, we develop cache-aware and overhead-cognizant scheduling techniques that lessen guaranteed response times without unnecessarily constraining platform utilization. We implement these techniques in PGMRT, a portable middleware framework for managing real-time dataflow applications on multicore platforms. The efficacy of our techniques is demonstrated through overhead-aware schedulability experiments and runtime observations. Results for our test platform show that cache-aware clustered scheduling outperforms naive partitioned and global approaches in terms of schedulability and end-to-end response times of dataflows.