cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ecological restoration assessment of Adyar creek and estuary using meiofaunal communities as ecological indicators for aquatic pollution

Abstract The Adyar estuary has lost its pristine condition and is under great ecological stress due to urbanization, discharge of untreated sewage, solid waste disposal, industrial effluents and encroachments for the past two decades. As a result of degradation, many vital attributes of Adyar estuary such as clean water, faunal and floral diversity and its role as spawning and nursery ground of commercially important finfish and shellfish were lost. In order to restore the ecology of Adyar estuary, Govt.of Tamil Nadu has taken up restoration measures. The present paper deals with the diversity of meiobenthic fauna in the eco-restoration part and non-restoration part to assess the ecological status of Adyar creek and estuary with the help of their ecological indices and physicochemical parameters. In the present study, a total of thirty-nine species belonging to twenty groups of meiofauna were recorded from four stations of Adyar creek and estuary. The Number of meiofaunal species recorded in stations I, II, III and IV were 21, 22, 29 and 34, respectively. Nematodes and rotifers occurred in higher diversity than other meiofaunal groups. The overall density of meiofauna from four stations were ranged between 30 ± 8.33 to 3264.44 ± 378.65 Ind. /10 cm 2 . In general, higher density of meiofauna was recorded in estuary than the creek. Percentage composition of individual meiofauna groups ranged from 0.01% (gastrotrichs) to 54.9% (rotifers) in all the four stations. Monthly variations in the ecological indices of diversity, dominance and evenness of meiofauna of the four stations of Adyar creek and estuary showed variations in different stations, months and seasons. Results indicate restoration process of the Adyar creek enhanced the physicochemical parameters and meiofaunal diversity. These measures have helped to assess the eco-restoration of the Adyar estuary and are reflected in the favourable diversity of pollution indicator species of meiofauna. The ecological diversity indices and colonization of the restored station provide base-line data for estuarine ecosystem.
Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome associated with pulmonary pathogens

Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) is an exaggerated immune response to a variety of pathogens in response to antiretroviral therapy-mediated recovery of the immune system in HIV-infected patients. Although IRIS can occur in many organs, pulmonary IRIS, associated with opportunistic infections such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Pneumocystis jirovecii, is particularly associated with high morbidity and mortality. The pathology of IRIS is associated with a variety of innate and adaptive immune factors, including CD4+ T-cells, CD8+ T-cells, γδ T-cells, natural killer cells, macrophages, the complement system and surfactant proteins, Toll-like receptors and pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Although there are numerous reports about the immune factors involved in IRIS, the mechanisms involved in the development of pulmonary IRIS are poorly understood. Here, we propose that studies using gene-deficient murine and nonhuman primate models will help to identify the specific molecular targets associated with the development of IRIS. An improved understanding of the mechanisms involved in the pathology of pulmonary IRIS will help to identify potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in this syndrome.
Absolute space-based sensor registration using a single target of opportunity

Bias estimation for multiple passive sensors using common targets of opportunity has been researched extensively. However, the proposed solutions required the use of multiple (two or more) passive sensors. In order to remove this constraint, we provide in this paper a new methodology using a single exoatmospheric target of opportunity seen in a single satellite borne sensor’s field of view to estimate the sensor’s biases simultaneously with the state of the target. The satellite is equipped with an optical sensor that provides the Line Of Sight (LOS) measurements of azimuth and elevation to the target. The evaluation of the Cram´er-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) on the covariance of the bias estimates, and the statistical tests on the results of simulations show that this method is statistically efficient.
Can Ecological Restoration Meet the Twin Challenges of Global Change and Scaling Up, Without Losing Its Unique Promise and Core Values?

The words we use to describe phenomena in science shape our understanding of those phenomena, much more so than we often realize. This is especially true in fields driven by strong policy agendas, like restoration ecology and the practice of ecological restoration. The twin challenges of accelerating global change and upscaling global restoration practice make it more imperative than ever to define the terms and the scope of ecological restoration clearly, and differentiate it from other ameliorative land management practices like rehabilitation. Poor definitions and loose use of language will otherwise lead to muddled conception and planning of projects, confused and disappointed stakeholders, and failure to exploit the enormous potential of this radical conservation strategy for both human well-being and the recovery of biodiversity and ecosystem functions. It is also important to be aware of the rhetorical devices that have given some momentum to the so-called “novel” ecosystems concept within the restoration community. The advocates of this concept initially used it to alert restorationists to the gravity of the global change challenge. But it has been unfortunately formulated through increasingly polemical language to effect a major and dangerous policy shift: abandoning the pursuit of the ambitious but still valid promise inherent in the phrase “ecological restoration,” in favor of the management of degraded landscapes for diminished ecosystem goods and services. While we are always “restoring the future,” there is no good reason to abandon the goal of restoring ecosystems to their historical trajectories, and the historical reference system remains an essential tool for the identification of the specifics of this goal. The author considers the contributions to the symposium from these perspectives. He concludes that if we clarify the language we use about restoration, and are appropriately mindful of the dynamics of global change and the complex social and ecological dynamics of large-scale restoration, this discipline and practice can indeed mature to become the gold standard and cutting edge for conservation in this century.
An On-Chip Temperature Sensor for the Measurement of RF Power Dissipation and Thermal Gradients

In this chapter, a design methodology is presented that aims at the extraction of RF circuit performance characteristics from the DC output of an on-chip temperature sensor. Any RF input signal can be applied to excite the circuit under examination because only dissipated power levels are measured, which makes this approach attractive for online thermal monitoring and built-in test scenarios. A fully-differential sensor topology is introduced that has been specifically designed for this method by constructing it with a wide dynamic range, programmable sensitivity to DC and RF power dissipation, as well as compatibility with CMOS technology. Furthermore, a procedure is outlined to model the local electro-thermal coupling between heat sources and the sensor, which is used to define the temperature sensor’s specifications as well as to predict the thermal signature of the circuit under test.
Making a North American Dictionary after Avis

Dr. Johnson impugned his fellow dictionary makers by defining a lexicographer as a harmless drudge. Were a present day dictionary maker to take a Johnsonian editorial liberty and use Walter S. Avis as a personal example in defining lexicographer , that famous definition would need to take a very different form. One would have to include such adjectives as generous, tireless, dedicated, farseeing, and innovative. Avis knew circumstantially that the modern lexicographer can occasionally be elevated above the status of mere “harmless drudge,” but certainly Dr. Johnson could not have been expected to anticipate the kind of dilemma Avis described in “Trade Names, Lexicographers, and the Law” (1978).
Stochastic analysis of a slotted communication channel

A digital communication channel is a “pipe” moving bits from one point to another. The number of bits that can be moved in a unit time is called the speed of the channel. On December 6, 1991 Shlomo Halfin from Bellcore described a model of digital communication channel which uses “slotted” protocol where messages must be transmitted in a single time slot; several messages can be sent in one time slot as long as there is sufficient room in the slot. He concentrated on the particular protocol of “next-fit” bin packing algorithm, as studied in his recent paper [1] with E.G. Coffman, Jr., A. Jean-Marie and P. Robert. He concluded his talk with some open problems.
Aqua-{6,6'-dimeth-oxy-2,2'-[ethane-1,2-diylbis(nitrilo-methyl-idyne)]diphenolato}methano-lmanganese(III)) perchlorate hemihydrate.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [Mn(C18H18N2O4)(CH3OH)(H2O)]ClO4·0.5H2O, contains two complex cations and two perchlorate anions, one of which is disordered over two positions in a 0.767 (8):0.233 (8) ratio. The MnIII atoms are in distorted octa­hedral environments. In addition to the equatorial tetra­dentate salicylaldimine ligand, each Mn is axially coordinated by both a methanol and a water mol­ecule. The complex is a dimer held together by multiple strong and weak hydrogen-bonding inter­actions between the coordinated water mol­ecule on one monomer with all the phenolic and meth­oxy O atoms on the other monomer. In addition, the two perchlorate anions are linked by hydrogen bonds to the two methanol mol­ecules coordinated to each Mn center. The Mn—O phenolic bond distances range from 1.868 (2) to 1.882 (2) A while the Mn—N distances range from 1.978 (2) to 1.981 (2) A. Mn—O distances for the axial water and methanol ligands are longer at 2.226 (2)/2.257 (2) and 2.313 (2)/2.324 (2) A, reflecting the usual Jahn–Teller distortion as found in MnIII complexes.
The Significance of Protein and Lipid Mobility for Catalytic Activity in the Mitochondrial Membrane

The growing knowledge of the properties and interactions of membrane lipids and proteins permits a better understanding of the role of these components in membrane structure and function. Although a generally complete picture is still lacking, it is becoming increasingly clear that diffusional and rotational motion of membrane lipids and proteins are associated with some membrane functions. Clearly, such motion is a force favoring randomization of lipids and proteins in the plane of the membrane. Although motion and randomization may occur, the principle of structural order is satisfied with a polar lipid bilayer providing for precise orientation of integral and peripheral proteins relative to the membrane plane.
Pricing Cyber Security Insurance: A Copula Model Using an Objective, Verifiable, Loss Measure

Cybersecurity breaches may be correlated due to geography, similar infrastructure, or use of a third-party contractor. We show how a copula model may be used to estimate the probability of an attack where breaches may be correlated among firms. Losses arising from cybersecurity breaches have an unknown distribution. We propose the stock price reaction to a breach as an objective measure of the loss in wealth sustained by the firm due to a breach, a loss that can be modeled and that insurers can use to price cyberinsurance products. This loss measure reflects the immediate and long-term effects of a breach, including reputational effects and other intangible impacts that are otherwise more difficult to quantify. We examine stock returns for 258 cybersecurity breach announcements over 2011-2016 in order to obtain the empirical loss distribution. We find a five-day abnormal return of -1.44%. Seventy-one percent of these 258 announcements result in a negative abnormal return, and a gamma distribution provides an excellent fit to these losses. In addition to introducing a copula model for correlated losses, our study shows that insurers can use either the empirical stock market distribution of losses or the theoretical (gamma) distribution in the pricing of cyberinsurance.
Cocurricular Engagement as Catalysts Toward Students’ Leadership Development and Multicultural Competence

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are associations between college students’ participation in cocurricular activities and their development of leadership and multicultural competence. We analyzed survey data from seven large, public research universities in 2015. The results suggest administrative and social cocurriculars were positively associated with students’ leadership development, while a broader mix (i.e., administrative, social, and creative) of cocurriculars were positively associated with students’ multicultural competence.
Quadriceps Snip in 321 Revision Total Knee Arthroplasties: A Safe Technique in a Matched Cohort Study

Abstract Background Quadriceps snips (QSs) are commonly used to gain enhanced exposure during revision total knee arthroplasties (TKAs). The goals of this study were to evaluate the longer-term clinical outcomes and complications in a contemporary cohort of patients treated with QS and to compare them to a matched cohort treated with standard exposure during revision TKAs. Methods We retrospectively identified 3107 revision TKAs performed at our institution between 2002 and 2012. QS was performed in 321 of these knees. Each QS revision TKA was 1:1 matched to a control (standard exposure) based on age, gender, body mass index, surgery date, and reason for revision. Clinical outcomes studied included Knee Society Score, range of motion, and extensor lag. Other outcomes assessed were complications (especially extensor mechanism disruption) and survivorship. Mean follow-up was 5 years. Results The mean Knee Society Score improvement was not significantly different between groups (P = .9). At latest follow-up, the mean range of motion was 93° in the QS group and was slightly higher at 100° in the control group (P = .002). Postoperative extensor lag of 10 degrees or more was present in 21 (6.7%) QS knees versus 19 (6.8%) control knees (P = .95). Complication rates were similar in both groups with extensor mechanism disruption occurring in 3 in the QS group (0.7% at 10 years) versus 4 in the control group (0.8% at 10 years; P = .91). Kaplan-Meier survivorships free of revision for aseptic loosening, free of any revision, and free of any reoperation were similar at 10 years (85%, 71%, and 61%, respectively, in the QS group vs 89%, 70% and 60%, respectively, in the control group). Conclusion This matched cohort study is the largest to report the results of QS and also the largest to report results compared with patients treated with standard exposure. Building on the results of smaller historical series, this study demonstrates QS was a facile technique in complex revision TKAs allowing for safe exposure with few complications. Level of Evidence III (case-control study).
Intelligent Robots for Flexible Packaging

Problems, such as automated palletizing, bin-picking, automated storage and retrieval, automated kitting of parts for assembly, and automated warehousing are currently being considered for expert solutions. The use of expert robots or automated systems often consist of specialized computer programs, manipulators and integrated sensors has been demonstrated with a variety of applications. Games such as robot checkers, peg games, etc. have been developed as test demonstrations. Actual solutions for automated palletizing, pit-carb basket loading, etc. have also been developed for industrial applications at our Center. The generic concepts for flexible packaging will be described in this chapter, some unsolved problems discussed, and some applications briefly described. The significance of this work lies in the broad application of flexible packaging to a variety of generic industrial problems. Solutions can improve product quality, reduce waste, and eliminate the potential for human injuries.
Cutting Edge: Batf3 Expression by CD8 T Cells Critically Regulates the Development of Memory Populations.

The basic leucine zipper transcription factor ATF-like 3 (BATF3) is required for the development of conventional type 1 dendritic cells that are essential for cross-presentation and CD8 T cell-mediated immunity against intracellular pathogens and tumors. However, whether BATF3 intrinsically regulates CD8 T cell responses is not well studied. In this article, we report a role for cell-intrinsic Batf3 expression in regulating the establishment of circulating and resident memory T cells after foodborne Listeria monocytogenes infection of mice. Consistent with other studies, Batf3 expression by CD8 T cells was dispensable for the primary response. However, Batf3-/- T cells underwent increased apoptosis during contraction to contribute to a substantially reduced memory population. Batf3-/- memory cells had an impaired ability to mount a robust recall response but remained functional. These findings reveal a cell-intrinsic role of Batf3 in regulating CD8 T cell memory development.
Percutaneous treatment of left ventricular assist device outflow graft obstruction

Owing to the growing population with end stage heart failure, the use of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have become more widely accepted. Although survival has improved with newer generation LVADs, multiple complications including pump failure due to outflow graft obstruction have become more clinically relevant. Patients with this complication will present with heart failure symptoms due to inadequate unloading of the left ventricle by LVAD. This rare complication often requires open surgical repair in an already high-risk patient population. Alternative means to relieve the obstruction via percutaneous intervention has been described in rare cases. We present two unique cases of LVAD outflow graft obstruction which were percutaneously treated successfully. This article illustrates a potential treatment strategy for outflow graft obstruction with stenting as an alternative to open-heart surgery.
SiC MOSFET Corner and Statistical SPICE Model Generation

This paper presents a novel approach to generate corner and statistical SPICE models for SiC MOSFETs. The technique is derived from the mature IC industry standard approach known as Backward Propagation of Variance. Physically based, scalable SiC MOSFET SPICE models are required to simulate the correlations between electrical specifications and process variations. The methodologies presented are applicable to other power discrete devices such as super-junction MOSFETs, IGBTs, and GaN HEMTs.
Neonatal Seizures and Metabolic Epilepsies

The neonatal period is the most common time for seizures to occur over the lifespan. The etiology can be quite varied and considerations include traumatic (related to birth process), vascular (ischemic/hemorrhagic stroke), electrolyte abnormalities, structural, or due to an underlying genetic or metabolic disorder. In approximately 50% of neonates, seizures can be refractory to first-line therapies. In neonates who have medically refractory seizures and status epilepticus of unknown etiology, further evaluation should be performed for metabolic and genetic causes which may have alternative treatment options. Additional clues to a potential underlying disorder include dysmorphic features on examination, structural neuroimaging abnormalities (callosal dysgenesis, sulcal/gyral abnormalities, abnormal spectroscopy, etc.), encephalopathy, and suppression-burst pattern on EEG.
Fragmentation of Ventricular Extrasystoles: A Potential New Electrocardiographic Window to Uncover Patients at Risk.

Fragmented QRS (fQRS) is a marker of conduction block due to myocardial scar that presents in electrocardiography (ECG) as an additional one or more R wave (R') or notching in the S wave nadir in contiguous leads. However, fQRS description on premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) has not been previously described. We describe a case of a 67-year-old male with a past medical history of prediabetes, hypertension and coronary artery disease who presented after an ophthalmic procedure with asymptomatic PVCs and episodes of bigeminy. Initial ECG showed an isolated fQRS in V2. However, during PVCs significant extrasystoles fragmentation was seen in other coronary territories. Upon reviewing his most recent cardiac catheterization, it showed a 40% ostial and 70% distal left anterior descending stenosis with a mid-segment patent stent, 95% first diagonal stenosis and totally occluded proximal right coronary artery. Identification of diffuse fQRS known to be associated with myocardial scar, sustained arrhythmic events and sudden cardiac death, particularly when seen in the inferior leads, became extremely relevant in our patient. We noted that ejection fraction reduction from 52% to 34% on his last coronary intervention was crucial to decide if an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator would be needed. PVC fragmentation might be a new ECG marker that could uncover both scar and arrhythmia potential in patients at risk of adverse cardiac events.
Arabian Slights: The Trump Administration’s Breaches of International Refugee Treaties and a Road to Reversing Trump’s Wrongs

The Trump administration was notorious against refugees in general and refugees from Muslim countries in specific. While the European Union was subject to a refugee crisis at the time due to Arabs fleeing to the European borders in high numbers, Trump wanted to avoid a refugee crisis in the US at any cost, including violating International Refugee treaties and the US Constitution. In this article, we evaluate Trump administration’s policies and executive orders regarding refugees in light of two International Refugee treaties, namely: The Convention against Torture and other Cruel Inhumane or Degrading Treatment (“UNCAT”) and the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. Furthermore, this article scrutinizes the Trump administration’s foreign policies that were intentionally aiming at undermining refugees’ protections under International Refugee treaties by defunding a vital Refugee organization such as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (“UNRWA”). Moreover, we argue that Trump did not only breach International Refugee treaties, but also the First Amendment of the US Constitution and two notable US Supreme Court doctrines: The Charming Betsy and the Chevron doctrines. In addition, this article evaluates Biden’s recently adopted executive orders and policies concerning refugees whose purpose was to reverse Trump’s international and constitutional law breaches. Finally, this article offers a constructive criticism of Biden administration’s newly adopted refuge policies, proposing viable legal solutions to the US-refugee dilemma.
Factors Associated With Calling 911 for an Overdose: An Ethnographic Decision Tree Modeling Approach.

Objectives. To identify factors that influence when people who use drugs (PWUDs) call 911 for an overdose. Methods. We conducted 45 qualitative interviews and 180 surveys with PWUDs who had recentl...
Efficient FPGA Implementation of a Convolutional Neural Network for Radar Signal Processing

Although neural networks, especially convolutional neural networks (CNNs), have been successfully applied to many domains, there have not found many radar applications mainly due to a paucity of available training data. Focusing on fixed-site radars, this work uses in-situ collected data to train a CNN classifier and suppress clutter components that allow targets to “hide in plain sight.” This paper describes a software and hardware co-design approach for implementing a neural network to improve radar signal processing. At the algorithm level, we propose using the ResNet10 model structure and other optimizations trained using the angle-Doppler spectrum of returns at each range. The FPGA implementation is then carefully optimized to better tradeoff performance and energy efficiency. Experimental results show our approach achieves better performance than conventional methods and exceed the requirement by more than $2.5 \times$. Meanwhile our energy consumption is much lower than other platforms like GPU. Our optimization methods can be applied to other CNN structures for efficiency improvement.
Mitigation strategies for airborne disease transmission in orchestras using computational fluid dynamics

The COVID-19 pandemic forced performing arts groups to cancel shows and entire seasons due to safety concerns for the audience and performers. It is unclear to what extent aerosols generated by wind instruments contribute to exposure because their fate is dependent on the airflow onstage. We use transient, second-order accurate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and quantitative microbial risk assessment to estimate aerosol concentrations and the associated risk and assess strategies to mitigate exposure in two distinct concert venues. Mitigation strategies involved rearranging musicians and altering the airflow by changing HVAC settings, opening doors, and introducing flow-directing geometries. Our results indicate that the proposed mitigation strategies can reduce aerosol concentrations in the breathing zone by a factor of 100, corresponding to a similar decrease in the probability of infection.
Pollination and Pollinators

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the role of insects in pollination as vector. Pollination in its most basic sense is the transfer of pollen from the male sex organ (anther) to the receptive portion of the female sex organ (stigma) in flowering plants. If the transfer is successful, it leads to fertilization, production of seed, and reproduction of the plant. This process often involves some sort of external vector such as wind, water, or animals. Some flowering plants may reproduce without the aid of pollen vectors, using mechanisms such as vegetative reproduction, apomixis, or automatic selfing. Many flowering plants are adapted to insects as pollinators and provide primary rewards that attract and keep the pollen vectors returning to flowers. Rewards include nectar, pollen, lipid secretions, food bodies, scents, resins, and material for nest building. In addition to primary rewards, most insect-pollinated flowers also produce a number of cues or signals that distinguish them from other species and promote the ease by which an insect can relocate a rewarding flower, thereby encouraging the insect to move pollen from flower to flower of the same species. These signals include odors, colors, shapes, textures, and tastes. These signals are often combined into patterns that have been recognized as syndromes related to the type of pollen vector. For example, a typical butterfly-pollinated flower that would be red, have little odor, possess a landing platform, have nectar hidden at the base of a deep tube that can be reached by the long coiled butterfly proboscis, have nectar that would be high in amino acids, and have flowers that would be open during the day.
Assessing the Ability of Different Types of Loads to Participate in Adaptive Load Management

This chapter attempts to find the right strategy to utilize the loads on Flores and Sao Miguel most efficiently, in order to make the power systems of those islands sustainable and clean. In exploring the right technologies for the island, we recognize the need for different demand response program schemes for different loads. We differentiate the different types of loads according to their physical attributes and define the right decision tools and time frames for each type. The time frames of control range from the scheduling and shifting of seasonal or weekly loads to rescheduling some flexible loads days ahead of consumption, and adjusting the energy consumption of some loads in near real time. Specific examples of the loads on both Flores and Sao Miguel are also given, along with detailed descriptions of the numeric values of the loads and their ability to adjust to system conditions or price.
A case for new MPI fortran bindings

The Fortran language has evolved substantially from the Fortran 77 bindings defined in the MPI-1 (Message Passing Interface) standard. Fortran 90 introduced interface blocks (among other items); subsequently, the MPI-2 standard defined Fortran 90 bindings with explicit Fortran interfaces to MPI routines. In this paper, we describe the Open MPI implementation of these two sets of Fortran bindings and point out particular issues related to them. In particular, we note that strong typing of the Fortran 90 MPI interfaces with user-choice buffers leads to an explosion of interface declarations; each choice buffer must be expanded to all possible combinations of Fortran type, kind, and array dimension. Because of this (and other reasons outlined in this paper), we propose a new set of Fortran MPI bindings that uses the intrinsic ISO_C_BINDING module in Fortran 2003. These new bindings will allow MPI interfaces to be defined in Fortran that directly invoke their corresponding MPI C implementation routines – no additional layer of software to marshall parameters between Fortran and C is required.
Inductively coupled plasma spectrometry: noise characteristics of aerosols, application of generalized standard additions method, and Mach disk as an emission source

This dissertation is focused on three problem areas in the performance of inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source. The noise characteristics of aerosols produced by ICP nebulizers are investigated. A laser beam is scattered by aerosol and detected by a photomultiplier tube and the noise amplitude spectrum of the scattered radiation is measured by a spectrum analyzer. Discrete frequency noise in the aerosol generated by a Meinhard nebulizer or a direct injection nebulizer is primarily caused by pulsation in the liquid flow from the pump. A Scott-type spray chamber suppresses white noise, while a conical, straight-pass spray chamber enhances white noise, relative to the noise seen from the primary aerosol. Simultaneous correction for both spectral interferences and matrix effects in ICP atomic emission spectrometry (AES) can be accomplished by using the generalized standard additions method (GSAM). Results obtained with the application of the GSAM to the Perkin-Elmer Optima 3000 ICP atomic emission spectrometer are presented. The echelle-based polychromator with segmented-array charge-coupled device detectors enables the direct, visual examination of the overlapping lines Cd (1) 228.802 nm and As (1) 228.812 nm. The slit translation capability allows a large number of data points to be sampled, therefore, the advantage of noise averaging is gained. An ICP is extracted into a small quartz vacuum chamber through a sampling orifice in a water-cooled copper plate. Optical emission from the Mach disk region is measured with a new type of echelle spectrometer equipped with two segmented-array charge-coupled-device detectors, with an effort to improve the detection limits for simultaneous multielement analysis by ICP-AES.
Non-Syntactic Word Prediction for AAC

Most icon-based augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices require users to formulate messages in syntactic order in order to produce syntactic utterances. Reliance on syntactic ordering, however, may not be appropriate for individuals with limited or emerging literacy skills. Some of these users may benefit from unordered message formulation accompanied by automatic message expansion to generate syntactically correct messages. Facilitating communication via unordered message formulation, however, requires new methods of prediction. This paper describes a novel approach to word prediction using semantic grams, or "sem-grams," which provide relational information about message components regardless of word order. Performance of four word-level prediction algorithms, two based on sem-grams and two based on n-grams, were compared on a corpus of informal blogs. Results showed that sem-grams yield accurate word prediction, but lack prediction coverage. Hybrid methods that combine n-gram and sem-gram approaches may be viable for unordered prediction in AAC.
Impact Probe Displacement in a Supersonic Turbulent Boundary Layer

Eight circular pitot probes ranging in size from 2 to 70 percent of the boundary-layer thickness were tested to provide experimental probe displacement results in a two-dimensional turbulent boundary layer at a nominal free-stream Mach number of 2 and unit Reynolds number of 8 million per meter. The displacement obtained in the study was larger than that reported by previous investigators in either an incompressible turbulent boundary layer or a supersonic laminar boundary layer. The large probes indicated distorted Mach number profiles, probably due to separation. When the probes were small enough to cause no appreciable distortion, the displacement was constant over most of the boundary layer. The displacement in the near-wall region decreased to negative displacement in some cases. This near-wall region was found to extend to about one probe diameter from the test surface.
Designing, implementing, and evaluating the Patient Navigation Model: Filling the gaps in the HIV continuum of care in Los Angeles County

Objective HIV treatment is only manageable with access to adequate medical care and effective treatment. Gardner et al. [1] developed a cascade of engagement, and retention in HIV care and treatment. The fundamental elements of the continuum of care were confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report of December 2, 2011. This report stated that only 19% of HIV-positive individuals have been able to attain viral suppression. Although various programs have utilized patient navigation, there is no evidence-based model that has been evaluated. Our intervention combines trained professionals conducting a minimum of four structured sessions with rigorous evaluation and cost analysis component in partnership with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Uncoupling of excitation from contraction in uterine smooth muscle in near-term ewes

We infused forskolin in 30% ethanol or 30% ethanol systemically in seven chronically catheterized near-term sheep to determine the response of ovine uterine musculature to cyclic adenosine monophosphate stimulation. Maternal and fetal arterial pressures, fetal venous pressure, intrauterine pressure, and uterine electromyogram activity were monitored continuously. Prostaglandin E 2 was infused at a delivery rate that caused a minimal 5 mm Hg increase in intrauterine pressure with definite contraction-like pressure spikes and associated uterine electromyogram activity. Forskolin (10 mg in 30% ethanol) or ethanol (vehicle) was then infused for 20 minutes. The prostaglandin E 2 challenge was repeated 3 minutes later and again every 30 minutes over a 2½-hour period. Data were analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance. Infusion of ethanol ( n = 2) had no apparent effect on either the intrauterine pressure or the uterine electromyogram response to prostaglandin E2 challenge. Forskolin infusion ( n = 5) caused an attenuation of the intrauterine pressure response to prostaglandin E 2 for 93 minutes. This effect was greatest 33 minutes after the infusion ended when the integrated pressure signal was 37% of the initial prostaglandin E 2 response. The forskolin infusion had no effect on uterine electromyogram response to prostaglandin E 2 . We conclude that forskolin causes an uncoupling of excitation from contraction in the intact near-term ovine uterus.
Concepts of aggregation and their quantification: A critical review with some new results and applications

Various indices of spatial patterns based on plot counts are reviewed for theoretical population models appropriate to ecological studies. It is seen that many of the indices proposed in the literature are essentially equivalent to either the index ω= σ2/μ or to the index γ= (σ2-μ)/μ2, thus providing a variety of motiviations and interpretations of these two indices as measures of spatial patterns.
Negotiation and the IPO Offer Price: A Comparison of Integer versus Non-integer IPOs

We investigate the pricing of 4,523 initial public offerings of common stock with offer dates between 1981 and 2000. Our study documents that approximately three-fourths of IPOs have integer offer prices. Average initial returns for IPOs with integer offer prices are significantly higher (25.5 percent) than those priced on the fraction of the dollar (8.1 percent). Higher initial returns for integer offerings are observed for 18 of the 20 years of our study and over various ranges of offer prices. Initial returns for integer and fractional IPOs are similar for the subsample of offerings priced below the original filing range. However, significant differences are found for IPOs priced within and above the filing range. For instance, the average initial return for integer offerings priced above the filing range is 65.5 percent compared to 19.9 percent for those priced on the fraction of the dollar. Similar to the arguments made by Harris (1991), we hypothesize that integer versus fractional dollar IPOs are the result of negotiations between the issuing firm and underwriter. Under the negotiation hypothesis, the frequency of integer pricing should be a positive function of the offer price and uncertainty. With greater uncertainty, the extent of underpricing for integer offerings should be higher than for fractional offerings as the investment bank seeks to manage its underwriting risk. We present evidence supportive of the negotiation hypothesis. Specifically, we observe that the frequency of integer prices for the sample of IPOs priced at $15 and above is about twenty percentage points higher than for those IPOs priced below $10 per share. We also document that both the cross-sectional standard deviation of initial returns and the ex-post standard deviation of daily stock returns is highest for offerings priced on the dollar. This higher level of uncertainty for integer offerings is consistent with their high degree of underpricing.
Cell-cell interactions that modulate neuronal development in the leech.

Mitotic lineage has been found to determine the cellular identity of leech neurons (reviewed in Stent et al., 1992), Int. Rev. Neurobiol. 33:109–133. However, the details of the adult phenotype of many neurons in the central nervous system of the leech have been shown to be shaped by interactions either with other neurons or with non-neuronal tissues in the environment. Four effects of cell-cell interactions will be considered in this article: stimulation of mitosis that generates new neurons, modulation of cell death or axonal retraction, modification of neurotransmitter metabolism, and modification of other physiological properties. In all cases, the interactons that modify development are thought to occur at a location distant from the soma, requiring that signals be transmitted a significant distance from the site of interaction to the metabolic machinery in the soma. 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Experimental Study of Error Sources in Skin-Friction Balance Measurements

An experimental study has been performed to determine potential error sources in skin-friction balance measurements. A floating-element balance, large enough to contain the instrumentation needed to systematically investigate these error sources has been constructed and tested in the thick turbulent boundary layer on the sidewall of a large supersonic wind tunnel. Test variables include element-to-case misalignment, gap size, and Reynolds number. The effects of these variables on the friction, lip, and normal forces have been analyzed. Results indicate that some of the intuitive assumptions generally held by designers and users of skin-friction balances may not be valid. For example, it was found that larger gap sizes were preferable to smaller ones; that small element recession below the surrounding test surface produced errors comparable to the same amount of protrusion above the test surface; and that normal forces on the element were, in some cases, large compared to the friction force. The principle contributions of this paper are (1) that users of skin-friction balances can use the data contained in this paper to estimate the errors involved in their measurements, and to make corrections if necessary, and (2) that the results of this study may lead to the development of new and improved devices for direct skin-friction measurement.
Future Directions for Government Information

L'acces aux informations federales a change compte tenu de la politique administrative du president Clinton, de la reduction des budgets federaux, de l'evolution des technologies et des demandes des utilisateurs. En effet, la plupart des informations sont diffusees par voies electroniques et particulierement sous formats en ligne. En ce qui concerne les bibliotheques, l'acces aux informations federales s'est democratise, et egalement pour les utilisateurs qui disposent de materiel electronique, seulement, si l'information n'est disponible que sur ces supports, elle devient difficile d'acces. La politique d'information des Etats Unis est donc presentee dans cet article
Selective effects of alcohol on Wisconsin card sorting test performance

Social drinker volunteers were randomly assigned to the four cells of a balanced placebo design, with 10 males and 10 females per cell. They consumed a beverage which contained either tonic water only, or tonic water plus sufficient vodka to induce peak blood alcohol levels of approximately 0.05%. Subjects then completed a computer version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) in two runs. Compared to tonic only, beverage alcohol selectively increased per cent perseverative errors as well as other measures of perseveration and the number of trials, p less than 0.05. Results are interpreted in terms of an hypothesized differential action on functions of the frontal cortex in addition to possible non-specific effects of alcohol. Issues pertaining to expectancy interpretations are also discussed.
A method to account for non-steady state conditions in measuring traffic hysteresis

This paper investigates the hysteresis loops commonly observed in freeway traffic flow by analyzing the evolution of speed-spacing relationships as vehicles undergo stop-and-go oscillations. The measurement method is based on the kinematic wave model with variable wave speed to account for non-steady state conditions that arise during acceleration/deceleration. We find that hysteresis takes place less frequently and in smaller amplitude than previously thought.
Thermal catalytic polymerization of mortars impregnated with styrene-acrylonitrile

Standard test specimens of mortar were cured under water for 15 days to achieve satisfactory strength. They were dried without allowing dehydration reactions to occur, evacuated to 40 millimeters (mm) Hg, and impregnated with a styreneacrylonitrile comonomer, which gives the highest strength after polymerization. Positive pressure of 0.6 N/mm2 was applied and thermal catalytic polymerization was carried out. Optimum initiator concentration was found to be 2 percent. Strength (compressive and tensile) increases with polymerization temperature up to 120°C, above which rapid deterioration occurs due to monomer loss, production of short chains with high polymerization rates, and the possibility of polymer degradation at high temperature. Optimum polymerization period of' 10 hours was selected. Inexpensive methods for field polymerization were tried at 95°C. Hot water yields a strength more than double that obtained with a, flow of hot air and about 80 percent of that obtained radiolytically. While hot air accelerates evaporation, hot water forms a hydraulic head above the capillaries and decreases the monomer losses tremendously.
How local is that optimum? k-optimality for DCOP

In multi-agent systems where sets of joint actions (JAs) are generated, metrics are needed to evaluate these sets and efficiently allocate resources for the many JAs. For the case where a JA set can be represented by multiple solutions to a DCOP. we introduce k-optimality as a metric that captures desirable properties of diversity and relative quality, and apply results from coding theory to obtain upper bounds on cardinalities of k-optimal JA sets. These bounds can help choose the appropriate level of k-optimality for settings with fixed resources and help determine appropriate resource allocation for settings where a fixed level of k-optimality is desired.
Rheological Behavior and Potential Cross‐Linking of Pacific Whiting (Merluccius productus) Surimi Gel

Gelation behavior and potential cross-linking of Pacific whiting (Merluccius productus) surimi were affected by setting temperatures and an enzyme inhibitor. Gels of Pacific whiting surimi with salt and beef plasma protein were compared with those containing guanidine hydrochloride, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and β-mercaptoethanol. The strongest gels were formed at 25 o C setting followed by 90 o C heating. Hydrogen and hydrophobic bonds appeared to strongly influence gel formation, while the influence of disulfide bonds was moderate. Viscosity scanning during setting at different temperatures was also useful to estimate effects of enzymes and inhibitors
Quantification of Interaction Between ELF-LF Electrc Fields and Human Bodies

A numerical method, based on surface-charge integral equations, has been developed to quantify the interaction of ELF-LF electric fields with a human body that has a realistic shape and arbitrary posture and is situated in a realistic environment. The induced electric fields at the body surface and inside the body, the induced body current, and effects of the grounding impedance can be accurately quantified by the present method. The agreement between the method and various existing experimental data is very good.
The logic of identity and resemblance in culturally appropriate health care.

Greater diversity in the health care workforce is frequently proposed as a means of addressing health disparities between minority and majority populations in the USA by improving health care access and quality for minority groups. ‘Culturally appropriate’ health care programs that include ethnic resemblance between physician and patient are emerging as new technologies of knowledge and power in a wide range of health care settings. Based on participant-observation research and interviews with patients and health care providers at a federally funded New England clinic, this article uses theories of cultural identity supported by ethnographic examples to examine arguments in favor of patient—provider resemblance. While ethnic identity is often assumed to incorporate cultural expertise or competence, in practice, developing and maintaining such expertise is the result of repeated performances developed in part through didactic trainings described herein. Claims for the efficacy of patient—provider resemblan...