cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Potential Hazards Not Communicated in Safety Data Sheets of Flavoring Formulations, Including Diacetyl and 2,3-Pentanedione

Objectives Workers using flavoring formulations containing diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione may be at risk of inhalational exposure, as these volatile hazardous chemicals are emitted from the bulk material, especially at elevated temperatures. However, flavoring formulations that contain diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione might not list these ingredients because they are generally recognized as safe to ingest, may be part of a proprietary mixture deemed a trade secret, or may not be required to be listed if they are present at <1% composition. The objective of this study was to investigate whether potential inhalational hazards present in flavoring samples were reported as chemical ingredients on their corresponding safety data sheets (SDSs). Methods A convenience sample of 26 bulk liquid flavorings obtained from two coffee roasting and packaging facilities in the USA was analyzed for 20 volatile organic chemicals present in the headspaces of vials containing flavoring liquids using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Flavoring samples were included in the study if headspace analysis results and SDSs were available. Flavoring samples included hazelnut, French vanilla, amaretto, chocolate, and caramel as well as some flavoring mixtures containing added fruit flavors such as cherry and raspberry. The presence of a chemical in the flavoring formulation was then compared to the ingredient list on the SDSs. Results All the flavoring SDSs contained trade secret designations. None of the SDSs listed diacetyl or 2,3-pentanedione. Headspace analyte concentrations revealed that diacetyl was present in 21 of 26 samples (81%) with a maximum concentration of 5.84 × 10(4) µg m-3 in flavor 18 (caramel). 2,3-Pentanedione was present in 15 flavors (58%) with a maximum concentration of 3.79 × 10(5) µg m-3 in flavor 24 (oatmeal cookies). Conclusions A majority of the flavorings tested had diacetyl, 2,3-pentanedione, or both as volatile constituents in the headspace. These chemicals were not listed on the SDSs, but inclusion of diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione on SDSs would serve to protect downstream users from unrecognized exposure and potential respiratory disease. The headspace technique presented here is a viable tool to rapidly screen for volatile hazardous chemicals that may be present in flavoring formulations. Facilities that use flavorings should be aware that constituents in flavorings may present a potential inhalational hazard even if not identified as such by the SDS. A precautionary approach is warranted when working with flavorings, including exposure monitoring and effective exposure control strategies such as containment and local exhaust ventilation.
The role of early acoustic experience in song discrimination

Abstract Oscine songbirds are an ideal system for investigating how early experience affects behavior. Young songbirds face a challenging task: how to recognize and selectively learn only their own species’ song, often during a time-limited window. Because birds are capable of hearing birdsong very early in life, early exposure to song could plausibly affect recognition of appropriate models; however, this idea conflicts with the traditional view that song learning occurs only after a bird leaves the nest. Thus, it remains unknown whether natural variation in acoustic exposure prior to song learning affects the template for recognition. In a population where sister species, golden-crowned and white-crowned sparrows, breed syntopically, we found that nestlings discriminate between heterospecific and conspecific song playbacks prior to the onset of song memorization. We then asked whether natural exposure to more frequent or louder heterospecific song explained any variation in golden-crowned nestling response to heterospecific song playbacks. We characterized the amount of each species’ song audible in golden-crowned sparrow nests and showed that even in a relatively small area, the ratio of heterospecific to conspecific song exposure varies widely. However, although many songbirds hear and respond to acoustic signals before fledging, golden-crowned sparrow nestlings that heard different amounts of heterospecific song did not behave differently in response to heterospecific playbacks. This study provides the first evidence that song discrimination at the onset of song learning is robust to the presence of closely related heterospecifics in nature, which may be an important adaptation in sympatry between potentially interbreeding taxa.
Oxidative ATP synthesis in human quadriceps declines during 4 minutes of maximal contractions

Key points During maximal exercise, skeletal muscle metabolism and oxygen consumption remain elevated despite precipitous declines in power. Presently, it is unclear whether these responses are caused by an increased ATP cost of force generation (ATPCOST ) or mitochondrial uncoupling; a process that reduces the efficiency of oxidative ATP synthesis (ATPOX ). To address this gap, we used 31-phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure changes in ATPCOST and ATPOX in human quadriceps during repeated trials of maximal intensity knee extensions lasting up to 4 min. ATPCOST remained unchanged. In contrast, ATPOX plateaued by ∼2 min and then declined (∼15%) over the final 2 min. The maximal capacity for ATPOX (Vmax ), as well as ADP-specific rates of ATPOX , were also significantly diminished. Collectively, these results suggest that mitochondrial uncoupling, and not increased ATPCOST , is responsible for altering the regulation of skeletal muscle metabolism and oxygen consumption during maximal exercise. Abstract The relationship between skeletal muscle oxygen consumption and power output is augmented during exercise at workloads above the lactate threshold. Potential mechanisms for this response have been hypothesized, including increased ATP cost of force generation (ATPCOST ) and mitochondrial uncoupling, a process that reduces the efficiency of oxidative ATP synthesis (ATPOX ). To test these hypotheses, we used phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy to non-invasively measure changes in phosphate concentrations and pH in the vastus lateralis muscle of nine young adults during repeated trials of maximal, all-out dynamic knee extensions (120°s-1 , 1 every 2 s) lasting 24, 60, 120, and 240 s. ATPOX was measured at each time point from the initial velocity of PCr resynthesis, and ATPCOST was calculated as the sum of ATP synthesized by the creatine and adenylate kinase reactions, non-oxidative glycolysis, ATPOX and net changes in [ATP]. Power output declined in a reproducible manner for all four trials. ATPCOST did not change over time (main effect P = 0.45). ATPOX plateaued from 60 to 120 s and then decreased over the final 120 s (main effect P = 0.001). The maximal capacity for oxidative ATP synthesis (Vmax ), as well as ADP-specific rates of ATPOX , also decreased over time (main effect P = 0.001, both). Collectively, these results demonstrate that prolonged maximal contraction protocols impair oxidative energetics and implicate mitochondrial uncoupling as the mechanism for this response. The causes of mitochondrial uncoupling are presently unknown but may offer a potential explanation for the dissociation between skeletal muscle power output and oxygen consumption during maximal, all-out exercise protocols.
Hepatic Stellate Cell–Specific Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptor-α Loss Reduces Fibrosis and Promotes Repair after Hepatocellular Injury

Platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR)-α plays roles in cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation; however, its function in chronic liver injury sequelae, such as fibrosis, is unknown. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), the primary mediators of fibrosis, undergo activation, which entails differentiation to myofibroblasts, proliferation, migration, and collagen deposition, partially in response to PDGFs. To examine the role of PDGFR-α in HSCs, Lrat–Cre recombinase and Pdgfra-floxed mice were bred to generate Lrat-Cre Pdgfra−/− (knockout) animals, which were subjected to chronic liver injury through carbon tetrachloride treatment, bile duct ligation, and 0.1% 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine. Although no major difference was observed after other types of liver injury, PDGFR-α loss in HSCs led to a significant albeit transient reduction in fibrosis after carbon tetrachloride injury, associated with increased HSC death and reduced migration. There was continued alleviation of hepatocellular injury in knockout mice despite ongoing carbon tetrachloride insult, associated with increased numbers of CD68 and F480 macrophages and increased clearance of damaged hepatocytes. Altogether our findings support a profibrotic role of PDGFR-α in HSCs during chronic liver injury in vivo via regulation of HSC survival and migration and affect the immune microenvironment, especially macrophages in clearing dying hepatocytes. Thus, our study provides a preclinical foundation for the future testing of therapeutic PDGFR-α inhibition in hepatic fibrosis, especially in combination with other therapies.
Can We Change the Face of Computing

The computing field has earned a bad reputation for its lack of diversity. That's a very serious problem, and not just in terms of equity or social justice. When the workplace is too homogeneous, a company or institution is constraining its potential for future innovation and growth. Even worse, computing's inhospitable culture is discouraging the very people who could bring the new perspectives that are so badly needed. I hope to convince you that each of us should take personal responsibility for changing the "culture of technology" before our field slowly strangles itself. To change a culture, it's important to understand how group behavior and values evolve and be realistic about how they can be influenced. My talk focuses on lessons I've learned about cultural change, first as an anthropologist and then working my way into and through a field that is overwhelmingly dominated by white male thinking. I suggest a number of practical actions any computing professional can take, in our everyday roles and at any stage in our careers, to become an "agent of change" for our profession. A bonus is that the same traits that make a person an effective advocate - such as being observant about how others react to new ideas, diligently and strategically planning for change, and acknowledging failure - can also make us better leaders.
BANKOE V. DOME: TRADITIONS AND PETITIONS IN THE HO-ASOGLI AMALGAMATION, BRITISH MANDATED TOGOLAND, 1919–39

This article investigates Ewe engagement with British administrative policy via the story of a chieftaincy dispute in Ho, British Mandated Togoland, that erupted when Britain attempted to amalgamate two neighboring chieftaincies, Ho-Dome and Ho-Bankoe, by deploying a model with an ‘ethnic stamp’, that of the neighboring Akan states. Colonial-era chieftaincy has received substantial scholarly attention. This article argues that the relationship between the models deployed to reorganize chiefly power and the roles of protagonists is just as significant as the layered conflicts within chieftaincies and their respective clans. Two responses to ‘Akanized’ amalgamation are investigated: the petitions of its opponents, and the rituals developed by chiefs, priests and peasants to herald the amalgamations.
Not just work-to-family conflict, but how you react to it matters for physical and mental health

Individuals with higher work-to-family conflict (WTFC) in general are more likely to report poorer physical and mental health. Less research, however, has examined the daily implications of WTFC, s...
Compute-in-Memory Chips for Deep Learning: Recent Trends and Prospects

Compute-in-memory (CIM) is a new computing paradigm that addresses the memory-wall problem in hardware accelerator design for deep learning. The input vector and weight matrix multiplication, i.e., the multiply-and-accumulate (MAC) operation, could be performed in the analog domain within memory sub-array, leading to significant improvements in throughput and energy efficiency. Static random access memory (SRAM) and emerging non-volatile memories such as resistive random access memory (RRAM) are promising candidates to store the weights of deep neural network (DNN) models. In this review, firstly we survey the recent progresses in SRAM and RRAM based CIM macros that have been demonstrated in silicon. Then we discuss general design challenges of the CIM chips including analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) bottleneck, variations in analog compute, and device non-idealities. Next we introduce the DNN+NeuroSim benchmark framework that is capable of evaluating versatile device technologies for CIM inference and training performance from software/hardware co-design's perspective.
Cytogenetics And Systematics Of The Anthropoidea, With Some Thoughts On Macroevolution

The chromosomes of the primates are potentially extremely powerful tools for eliciting a deeper understanding of primate systematics. Their utility lies largely in the fact that chromosomes are of extremely high heritability (to take an analogy from quantitative genetics: nearly all chromosonial variation in a populaion is inherited; the only exceptions being de novo chromosomal mutations). The chromosomes do not exhibit the plasticity in response to direct environmental pressure characteristic of gross organismal morphology, which makes them rather "purer" indicators of genetic affinity. Further, a chromosomal inversion or translocaction is an effectively unique event, which means that parallel evolution in the karyotype will be exceedingly rare.
Ontogeny of Circadian Rhythms

Ontogeny is the life history of the individual organism, including its physical construction from a fertilized egg, the functional maturation of its behavioral, homeostatic and reproductive systems, and the decline of these systems with age. Because so many functions— behavioral, physiological, and biochemical—within an individual organism show circadian rhythmicity, the ontogeny of any particular function is likely to include the appearance of and changes in its rhythmic control. The ontogeny of circadian rhythms, as a set of biological questions, must, however, go beyond a simple cataloging of many rhythms and their ontogenic changes. Different circadian rhythms are not independent of one another. Whether controlled by a single circadian pacemaker or by many, overt rhythms are temporally organized with respect to each other and to the environment. The pacemakers, the pathways to overt rhythms, and the mechanisms of entrainment are all part of the “circadian system” that underlies not only internal temporal organization of multiple functions but also the remarkable ability of organisms to measure, precisely and adaptively, the passage of astronomical time.
Aspects of the Theory of Definition

The nature of meaning and the definition of terms has preoccupied philosophers at least since the time of Socrates. The centrality of language with respect to the construction of arguments and the centrality of arguments to the advancement of philosophy makes the nature of meaning and the character of definitions of special importance in relation to philosophy. Indeed, these issues are sufficiently central that a philosopher’s theory of definition comes close to qualifying as that philosopher’s conception of methodology in philosophy. There can be little doubt of its importance for philosophy today.
Evidence that Human Prostate Cancer is a ZIP1-Deficient Malignancy that could be Effectively Treated with a Zinc Ionophore (Clioquinol) Approach

Despite decades of research, no efficacious chemotherapy exists for the treatment of prostate cancer. Malignant prostate zinc levels are markedly decreased in all cases of prostate cancer compared to normal/benign prostate. ZIP1 zinc transporter down regulation decreases zinc to prevent its cytotoxic effects. Thus, prostate cancer is a “ZIP1-deficient” malignancy. A zinc ionophore (e.g. Clioquinol) treatment to increase malignant zinc levels is a plausible treatment of prostate cancer. However, skepticism within the clinical/biomedical research community impedes significant progress leading to such a zinc treatment. This report reviews the clinical and experimental background, and presents new experimental data showing Clioquinol suppression of prostate malignancy; which provides strong support for a zinc ionophore treatment for prostate cancer. Evaluation of often-raised opposing issues is presented. These considerations lead to the conclusion that the compelling evidence dictates that a zinc-treatment approach for prostate cancer should be pursued with additional research leading to clinical trials.
Parallel Architectures for Searching the MEDLINE Database

The MEDLINE database, an online archival of medical research publications, is extensively used by physicians, clinicians and other medical researchers for literature search and information on prior case studies. The size of MEDLINE database is over 40GB. The PubMed is an implementation of MEDLINE and provides basic search capabilities freely via the Internet. The initial search often tends to return excessive irrelevant pointers; so researchers often need to conduct additional searches to refine the search data. In this paper, we will investigate a parallel architecture for searching the MEDLINE database, which is unique compared to the existing MEDLINE implementations. The proposed architecture will implement MEDLINE on a cluster of Personal Computers (PCs). This architecture (i) allows for refinement of searches, (ii) reduces the search time for the users, and (iii) increases the availability of the system. We present design guidelines to select the cluster configuration and an analytical model to predict performance improvements.
Automatic Concept Identification In Goal-Oriented Conversations

We address the problem of identifying key domain concepts automatically from an unannotated corpus of goal-oriented human-human conversations. We examine two clustering algorithms, one based on mutual information and another one based on Kullback-Liebler distance. In order to compare the results from both techniques quantitatively, we evaluate the outcome clusters against reference concept labels using precision and recall metrics adopted from the evaluation of topic identification task. However, since our system allows more than one cluster to associate with each concept an additional metric, a singularity score, is added to better capture cluster quality. Based on the proposed quality metrics, the results show that Kullback-Liebler-based clustering outperforms mutual information-based clustering for both the optimal quality and the quality achieved using an automatic stopping criterion.
End-Weight from the Speaker's Perspective

Explanations of the tendency to put long, complex constituents at the ends of sentences (“end-weight”) usually take the listener's perspective, claiming it facilitates parsing. I argue for a speaker-oriented explanation of end-weight, based on how it facilitates utterance planning. Parsing is facilitated when as much tree structure as possible can be determined early in the string, but production is easiest when options for how to continue are kept open. That is, listeners should prefer early commitment and speakers should prefer late commitment. Corpus data show that different verbs exhibit different rates of word-order variation that are systematically related to differences in subcategorization possibilities in just the way predicted by a strategy of late commitment. Thus, a speaker-based account of lexical preferences in word ordering does a better job of explaining variation in weight effects than a listener-based account.
Mutagenicity of 2-aminopurine, 6-N-hydroxylaminopurine, and 2-amino-N6-hydroxyadenine in Neurospora crassa.

We have been interested in using base analogs as probes to study the process of mutation in a eukaryotic organism. It was twenty years ago when we first tried to evaluate the mutagenicity of an especially promising purine analog in haploid wild-type strains of Neurospora crassa [1], 2-Aminopurine (2AP) had been shown to induce a high frequency of mutants in phage [8] and bacteria [3], but no quantitative data existed for its mutagenic effect on eukaryotic organisms. The high mutagenic activity of 2AP in phage and bacteria was attributed by Ernst Freese [9] to the fact that it would pair with either thymine or cy to sine and give rise to GC → AT or AT → GC base-pair transitions. In our initial studies with 2AP in Neurospora, 2AP was an extremely weak mutagen, causing only a 6.5-fold increase over the spontaneous incidence of ad-3 mutants. Furthermore, the genetic characterization of the 2AP-induced mutants showed that they were most probably a mixture of induced mutants and those of spontaneous origin [1]. This approach of using base analogs to study the process of mutation-induction at specific loci in Neurospora was abandoned by us for other mutagens where mutagenic potency was not a problem and where, therefore, the mutant yields were well in excess of those of spontaneous origin.
Initiation of combustion in the thermally choked ram accelerator

The methodology for initiating stable combustion in a ram accelerator operating in the thermally choked mode is presented in this paper. The ram accelerator is a high velocity ramjet-in-tube projectile launcher whose principle of operation is similar to that of an airbreathing ramjet. The subcaliber projectile travels supersonically through a stationary tube filled with a premixed combustible gas mixture. In the thermally choked propulsion mode subsonic combustion takes place behind the base of the projectile and leads to thermal choking, which stabilizes a normal shock system on the projectile, thus producing forward thrust. Projectiles with masses in the 45-90 g range have been accelerated to velocities up to 2650 m/sec in a 38 mm bore, 16 m long accelerator tube. Operation of the ram accelerator is started by injecting the projectile into the accelerator tube at velocities in the 700 - 1300 m/sec range by means of a conventional gas gun. A specially designed obturator, which seals the bore of the gun during this initial acceleration, enters the ram accelerator together with the projectile. The interaction of the obturator with the propellant gas ignites the gas mixture and establishes stable combustion behind the projectile.
Harmonic Tuning Effects of TRAPATT Oscillators

A simplified computer model of a TRAPATT oscillator has been utilized to investigate harmonic tuning effects. The results of an investigation of realistic waveforms provide insight into the tuning conditions necessary for high-efficiency operation. Circuit impedance measurements of an S-band TRAPATT oscillator support many of the theoretical predictions.
Feasibility study for automatic calibration of transportation simulation models

This paper presents a high-tech solution to meet the challenges in calibrating transportation simulation models. Like any simulation software, model calibration prior to its application plays a crucial role in producing reliable results. However, transportation professionals face difficulties in performing the daunting tasks of calibrating a model for each transportation network design to satisfy the targeted traffic flow demand, especially during data collection and distillation. Our innovative approach utilizes sensor and geography networking technology to seamlessly collect data about real world network, traffic, and driver behavior. This data is then distilled as needed by data mining before feeding the data to a simulation model. The data is validated automatically to instantaneously reflect the real world and to avoid typographical errors often involved with human intervention, resulting in a more accurate model.We conduct a feasibility study for our vision of model calibration automation. The research flexes multidisciplinary expertise in traffic flow simulation, geosciences, sensing/networking, and knowledge discovery. As a proof of concept, we implement a prototype that demonstrates how to convert sensor data about traffic flow collected by a state department of transportation into a format taken by CORSIM, a popular traffic simulation model. A running example shows encouraging results.
Automated Face Analysis for Affective Computing

Facial expression communicates emotion, intentions, and physical states, and regulates interpersonal behavior. Automated Face Analysis (AFA) for detection, synthesis, and understanding of facial expression is a vital focus of basic research. While open research questions remain, the field has become sufficiently mature to support initial applications in a variety of areas. We review 1) human-observer based approaches to measurement that inform AFA; 2) advances in face detection and tracking, feature extraction, registration, and supervised learning; and 3) applications in action unit and intensity detection; physical pain, psychological distress, and depression; detection of deception; interpersonal coordination; expression transfer; and other applications. We consider user-in-the-loop as well as fully automated systems, and discuss open questions in basic and applied research.
The Human Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus Can Complete Its Sexual Cycle during a Pathogenic Association with Plants

Cryptococcus is a globally distributed human fungal pathogen that primarily afflicts immunocompromised individuals. How and why this human fungal pathogen associates with plants and how this environmental niche influences its life cycle remains a mystery. We established Cryptococcus-Arabidopsis and Cryptococcus-Eucalyptus systems and discovered that Cryptococcus proliferates and mates on plant surfaces. Mating efficiency of C. gattii was markedly enhanced on plants and myo-inositol and indole acetic acid were specific plant products that stimulated mating. On Arabidopsis, dwarfing and chlorosis were observed following infection with a fungal mixture of two opposite mating-type strains, but not with either mating-type alone. This infection process is countered by the plant jasmonate-mediated defense mechanism. These findings reveal that Cryptococcus can parasitically interact with plants to complete its sexual cycle, which may impact an understanding of the origin and evolution of both plant and animal fungal pathogens in nature.
Symbolic extensions for partially hyperbolic diffeomorphisms

We show that every partially hyperbolic diffeomorphism with a 1-dimensional center bundle has a principal symbolic extension. On the other hand, we show there are no symbolic extensions $C^1$-generically among diffeomorphisms containing non-hyperbolic robustly transitive sets with center indecomposable bundle of dimension at least 2.
The timing of mitochondrial DNA mutations in aging

Somatic mutations in mitochondrial DNA build up in aging tissues and are thought to contribute to physiological aging. Surprisingly, it is not known if these mutations occur early or late in life. A new study looks at mechanisms of accelerated mitochondrial aging in HIV-infected individuals treated with nucleoside analog anti-retroviral drugs and offers support for an early origin of mitochondrial DNA mutations.
Determination of the zero-field splitting of Fe3+ in heme proteins from the temperature dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation rate

Abstract A sensitive method for obtaining the zero-field crystalline field splitting is described and applied to ferrimyoglobin (H 2 O) and ferrimyoglobin (F − ). The high accuracy (1–2%) with which the splitting can be determined should make it possible to explore the environmental (conformatinal) changes at the Fe 3+ site.
Portfolio Optimization Models on Infinite-Time Horizon

A portfolio optimization problem on an infinite-time horizon is considered. Risky asset prices obey a logarithmic Brownian motion and interest rates vary according to an ergodic Markov diffusion process. The goal is to choose optimal investment and consumption policies to maximize the infinite-horizon expected discounted hyperbolic absolute risk aversion (HARA) utility of consumption. The problem is then reduced to a one-dimensional stochastic control problem by virtue of the Girsanov transformation. A dynamic programming principle is used to derive the dynamic programming equation (DPE). The subsolution/supersolution method is used to obtain existence of solutions of the DPE. The solutions are then used to derive the optimal investment and consumption policies. In addition, for a special case, we obtain the results using the viscosity solution method.
Leveraged high-variety strategies: From portfolio thinking to platform thinking

Barbara Kahn correctly points out the importance of creating dynamic relationships with customers and adopting high-variety strategies to succeed in today’s fiercely competitive world. However, high variety is also often high cost and high complexity. In this commentary, I propose that platform thinking is a powerful way to manage these contradictions in becoming a high-variety provider. Platform thinking relies on a simple insight—understand the common strands that tie your firm’s offerings, markets, and processes together, and exploit these commonalities to create leveraged growth and variety. Platform thinking should permeate all aspects of the firm’s strategy and should guide all strategic decisions on diversification and growth. Marketers who master platform thinking may find the 21st century to be a somewhat more inviting prospect.
Field parameterization of an empirical sheetwash transport equation

Abstract Specially designed instruments were used to sample surface water and sediment discharge on a set of small hillslopes. The data set produced is unique as it includes simultaneous observations of surface water and sediment discharge, local surface declivity and drainage area at several points over the slope surface, and the precipitation intensity taken a number of times through natural storm events. The data are used to parameterize an empirical sediment transport law, expressing sediment transport as a power function of the local declivity and surface water discharge. A good fit to the observed data is achieved, suggesting that these field techniques may be used to parameterize the equation for different soils. A dynamic catena effect involving surface grain size, local declivity and the form of the sediment transport equation is recognized that may have significant implications for the form of sediment transport and long-term hillslope development.
Ensuring consistency across levels? The delegation model of multi-level party politics and Spanish framework manifestos

In multi-level systems, state-wide parties are faced with particular challenges. Competing in elections on multiple levels of the polity, such parties juggle the desire for national recognizability and the need to be responsive to regional particularities. In this paper, I reflect on the delegation model of multi-level party politics, which is a theoretical perspective of great importance in the literature, arguing that the accuracy of the model depends on two critical assumptions. Based on these theoretical considerations, I develop the model further and apply it to the case of the two main Spanish state-wide parties, the Partido Socialista Obrero Espanol (PSOE) and the Partido Popular (PP). More specifically, the programmatic positions of their regional branches are analyzed, and it is shown that the framework manifestos issued by the national party organizations shape these to a large extent. While this case is used to illustrate the illuminating potential of the extended delegation model, the paper is...
Implementing a distributed fault-tolerant embedded system in Ada

This paper presents the design and implementation experience of MEDS—an experimental distributed fault-tolerant system written in Ada that implements prototypes of some C3Ifunctions. MEDS implements distribution and fault-tolerance services such that application functions and data survive successive processor failures, and new or repaired processors can be added dynamically as additional resources.The design issues related to distribution/failure semantics, units of distribution, failure detection, reconfiguration, and recovery are discussed in the context of Ada. The design and implementation of these aspects of MEDS is presented and lessons learned from this experience are summarized.
The relationship between sexual assault, religiosity, and mental health among male veterans.

Objectives:We examine the association between sexual assault, religion and mental health among male veterans.Methods:We used longitudinal data collected from 2,427 male veterans who received VA out...
Estimation of a linear transformation and an associated distributional problem

Abstract A multivariate “errors in variables” regression model is proposed which generalizes a model previously considered by Gleser and Watson (1973). Maximum likelihood estimators [MLE's] for the parameters of this model are obtained, and the consistency properties of these estimators are investigated. Distribution of the MLE of the “error” variance is obtained in a simple case while the mean and the variance of the estimator are obtained in this case without appealing to the exact distribution.
Microscopic models for fractionalized phases in strongly correlated systems

We construct explicit examples of microscopic models that stabilize a variety of fractionalized phases of strongly correlated systems in a spatial dimension larger than one, and in a zero external magnetic field. These include models of charge fractionalization in boson-only systems, and various kinds of spin-charge separation in electronic systems. We determine the excitation spectrum, and show the consistency with that expected from field theoretic descriptions of fractionalization. Our results are further substantiated by direct numerical calculation of the phase diagram of one of the models.
Topological constraints on quasicrystal transformations

The notion of a perfect crystal in d-dimensional physical space may be generalized to the ``deterministic'' quasicrystal generated by a cut by a d-dimensional ``physical'' plane through a periodic array of (D-d)-dimensional hypersurfaces in a D-dimensional space. (The quasicrystal tilings generated by projection from a D-dimensional lattice are a special case.) When these surfaces are smooth, and we impose a noncrystallographic symmetry (e.g., a fivefold axis), then they must intersect, which is unphysical. We explore the topology of the transformations induced on these structures by transverse displacements of the physical plane, which correspond to the phase degree of freedom in incommensurate structures. For the projected structures, the atoms undergo a nontrivial permutation when the physical plane is transported in a small closed loop about a vertex of the D-dimensional lattice. We see no way to build a deterministic model for the quasicrystals of physical interest in which the individual atoms move continuously in response to transverse displacements of the physical plane. Thus the conventional spontaneously broken continuous symmetry arguments for a hydrodynamic ``phason'' mode no longer apply. We suggest that real quasicrystals are nondeterministic and speculate about possible glassy properties of these materials.
Mobile-based text recognition from water quality devices

Measuring water quality of bays, estuaries, and gulfs is a complicated and time-consuming process. YSI Sonde is an instrument used to measure water quality parameters such as pH, temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen. This instrument is taken to water bodies in a boat trip and researchers note down different parameters displayed by the instrument’s display monitor. In this project, a mobile application is developed for Android platform that allows a user to take a picture of the YSI Sonde monitor, extract text from the image and store it in a file on the phone. The image captured by the application is first processed to remove perspective distortion. Probabilistic Hough line transform is used to identify lines in the image and the corner of the image is then obtained by determining the intersection of the detected horizontal and vertical lines. The image is warped using the perspective transformation matrix, obtained from the corner points of the source image and the destination image, hence, removing the perspective distortion. Mathematical morphology operation, black-hat is used to correct the shading of the image. The image is binarized using Otsu’s binarization technique and is then passed to the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software for character recognition. The extracted information is stored in a file on the phone and can be retrieved later for analysis. The algorithm was tested on 60 different images of YSI Sonde with different perspective features and shading. Experimental results, in comparison to ground-truth results, demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Small Scale Electronic Transport in Diamond Microcrystals.

Abstract The interpretation of electronic transport in polycrystalline diamond has proven difficult as a result of the disorder arising from physical and chemical inhomogeneities. We describe experimental methods, based on electron beam lithography, for studying transport in single crystallites grown by CVD on Si substrates. The electrical contacting process utilizes the flexibility of the scanning electron microscope to write metallic contacts to individual crystallites with lateral dimensions of a few μm. A detailed analysis of the current distribution in the crystals allows us to extract the electronic conductivity from arbitrarily shaped, faceted crystals.
Equity factor analysis via column subset selection

Modern finance has grown increasingly high-dimensional, with tens of thousands of stocks and bonds and other more complex instruments that are the basic units of strategies for hedging, risk management, and investment. The most popular way to understand this intimidating complexity has been through factor models, which decompose the whole universe of investment instruments into a few key drivers. The two main approaches to factor analysis are fundamental, where analysts hand-pick a set of key drivers, and statistical, where algorithmic techniques such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) automatically determine what are the key drivers. The shortcoming of the fundamental approach is not being data-adaptive, while the statistical approach is not interpretable and does not lead to easy hedging strategies. We suggest an alternative approach to factor analysis, relying on column subset selection, which keeps the interpretability of the fundamental approach and the data-adaptivity of the statistical PCA-based approach.
Prognostic significance of troponin T elevation in patients without chest pain.

Increased cardiac troponin with chest pain is important for the diagnosis, triage, and treatment of patients in the emergency department. However, the use of troponin for the diagnosis and triage of patients without chest pain is poorly established. The aim of this study was to determine 30-day and 1-year mortality and morbidity of troponin T increases in patients without chest pain. This retrospective study compared 92 hospitalized patients without (study group) and 91 patients with chest pain (control group), followed up for 1 year. Study group patients had troponin T >0.04 μg/L, normal creatine kinase or creatine kinase-MB fraction
Local Shimura Correspondence

It splits over the maximal compact subgroup. Let T be the corresponding lift of I, the Iwahori subgroup of G. Now fix ~, a faithful character of #n(F). Let R}(~) be the category of smooth representations of ~ which are generated by its T fixed vectors and such that/~n(F) acts via ~. Also, let H~(~) be the Hecke algebra of I" biinvariant, compactly supported functions on ~ satisfying f(gQ = f(g)~(~ For (z, ~, V) ~ Obj R}(~) let V ~ be the space of I'-fixed vectors. Then f ~ ( f ) l V ~ is a representation of H~(t~). According to Bernstein and Borel [2] this gives the equivalence of R}(~) and the category of representations of H~(~). In particular, this is the case for G, whose Hecke algebra will be denoted by H(G) and category by RI(G). In this paper we describe H~(~) in terms of generators and relations. As a consequence, in the case of simple group, for example, we find a group G' related to G such that H*(t~)~ H(G'). In particular, we get the equivalence of R}(t~) and
Deposition rate and temperature of carbon films during laser-induced CVD on a moving substrate

The feasibility of using pyrolytic laser-induced chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) to deposit carbon coatings on moving fused quartz substrates is investigated. This LCVD system uses a CO2 laser to locally heat a substrate in open air to create a hot spot. Pyrolysis of hydrocarbon species occurs and subsequently deposits a layer of carbon film onto the substrate surface. The results of this study indicate that growth kinetics and the geometry of uniform carbon stripes deposited by pyrolytic LCVD strongly related to the laser power, the traverse velocity of the substrate, the type of hydrocarbon species used in deposition, and the diameter of the substrate. The deposition rate of carbon film increases exponentially with the laser power, while an increase in traverse velocity of the substrate will also increase the deposition rate until a maximum deposition rate is reached; further increases in the traverse velocity will decrease the deposition rate. We suspect that this optimal deposition rate is caused by substrate motion, which affects the substrate surface temperature, and consequently the effective surface area available for film deposition. The substrate temperature is observed to behave linearly with the deposition parameters considered in this study.
Syndrome X-like alterations in adult female rats due to neonatal insulin treatment.

Hypothalamic structures are decisively involved in the regulation of body weight and metabolism. In syndrome X, complex metabolic alterations are present, which in women are found to be associated with disturbances of reproductive function and altered androgen levels. In previous experiments in rats, it was shown that a temporary intrahypothalamic hyperinsulinism during early life predisposes to overweight and diabetogenic disturbances later in life, associated with disorganization of hypothalamic regulatory centers. To investigate the possible long-term consequences of elevated peripheral insulin levels during ontogenesis, the following experiment was performed. Newborn female Wistar rats were treated during neonatal life with daily subcutaneous injections of long-acting insulin ([IRI group] 0.3 IU on days 8 and 9 of life and 0.1 IU on days 10 and 11 of life), whereas control animals (CO) received daily NaCl injections. This temporary exposure to increased insulin levels during a critical developmental period resulted in an increased body weight gain including juvenile life and adulthood (P < .01), accompanied by hyperinsulinemia (P < .01), impaired glucose tolerance (P < .05), and increased systolic blood pressure in adulthood (P < .025). No significant alterations were detected either in cyclicity and fertility or in the levels of testosterone, androstenedione, or dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in IRI rats. Morphometric evaluation of hypothalamic nuclei showed a reduced numerical density of neurons (P < .025) and a decreased neuronal volume density (P < .025) within the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMN) of the IRI rats, whereas the antagonistic lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) was morphometrically unchanged. Newborn offspring of IRI rats (F1 generation) were overweight (P < .05) and had an increased pancreatic insulin concentration (P < .02). In conclusion, perinatal hyperinsulinism seems to predispose to the later development of syndrome X—like changes in female rats, possibly due to impaired organization of hypothalamic regulators of body weight and metabolism.
(Ir)reconcilable differences? The debate concerning nursing and technology.

Purpose: To review and critique the debate concerning nursing and technology. Technology has been considered both at one at odds with nursing. Organizing Construct: Mitcham's (1994) concepts of technological optimism and romanticism. Source: Nursing literature since 1960. Methods: Historical analysis. Findings: Technological optimists in nursing have viewed technology as an extension of and as readily assimilable into humanistic nursing practice, and nursing as socially advantaged by technology. Technological romantics have viewed technology as irreconcilable with nursing culture, as an expression of masculine culture, and as recirculating existing gender and social inequalities. Conclusions: Both optimists and romantics essentialize technology and nursing, treating the two as singular and fixed entities. The (ir)reconcilability of nursing and technology may be a function of how devices are used by people in different contexts, or of the (ir)reconcilability of views of technology in nursing.
Computer simulations of large-scale defect clustering and nanodomain structure in gadolinia-doped ceria

Abstract The aggregation of defects in gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC) into clusters and larger domains has been studied by atomistic computer simulation. It is found that sub-nanoscale defect clusters prefer a pyrochlore-type structure in which the dopants and vacancies are at next-nearest-neighbor sites, and have a tendency to grow into larger clusters. It was determined that, as defect clusters grow into nanoscaled domains, the C-type rare earth structure, in which the dopants and vacancies are at nearest-neighbor sites, becomes more stable. Simulations suggest that nanodomains serve as the precursor of phase separation and can be easily formed during synthesis. It is believed that doping concentration limits the size of the nanodomains, and this causes GDC to favor small pyrochlore-type clusters at lower concentrations, but C-type nanodomains at higher concentration. Because of this transition, GDC is expected to show initially an increase in conductivity and then a decrease with increasing doping concentration. The lattice parameter of GDC should also show the same trend and could be used as an indicator of the predominant defect structure. The cation mobility is believed to be another important factor limiting the size of defect clusters, and can be used to control the formation of nanodomains during synthesis and thereby improve the electrolyte performance.
Does assisted reproductive technology cause birth defects

Purpose of review Observational studies have reported small but increased risk of birth defects associated with assisted reproductive technology (ART) pregnancies. We intend to review the current data on this issue to provide essential information for patient counseling. Recent findings There is lack of consensus on whether ART per se increases the risk of birth defects, genetic and imprinting disorders, mostly due to the bias inherent to the observational studies, which suggest 30-40% increased risk of birth defects with ART. Recent reports suggest that apparent risks for adverse outcome following ART may be largely related to parental infertility-linked factors. Criteria used to define birth defects bring challenges as well. Summary All couples undergoing these procedures should be counseled about the current information suggesting elevated risks of birth defects, genetic abnormalities and imprinting disorders associated with infertility and the infertility treatment with ART. In order to elucidate the controversy whether ART is associated with adverse outcome in the offspring, a multinational collaborative effort is needed, as the required sample size is between 10 000 and 84 000 or more.
Intentional Replantation of Teeth: A Clinical Evaluation

Intentional replantation is reserved for those teeth that cannot be treated by routine methods. The technique is described, and long-term follow-up cases are cited.