cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Augmented transition networks (ATNs) for dialog control: A longitudinal study.

ABSTRACT Our research team has implemented over a dozen spoken natural language dialog systems in varied domains over the past decade. Each system uses the same underlying dialog controller – an augmented transition network (ATN) – for maintaining a cohesive, natural conversation with the user. In this paper, we will examine the evolution of our use of ATNs, present statistical analysis of the features of our ATNs, and discuss lessons learned. KEY WORDS Dialog, natural language processing, mixed initiative, augmented transition networks, virtual humans. 1. Introduction Since approximately 1996, our research team has worked on a series of PC-based applications in which the user interacts with responsive virtual characters. Applications have ranged from trauma patient assessment [1] to learning military tank maintenance diagnostic skills [2] to gaining skills in avoiding non-response during field interviews [3]. In these applications, the computer s im ul a te pro n’ b h v .Users interact with the virtual characters via voice, mouse, menu, and/or keyboard. We are certainly not alone in developing training, assessment, marketing, and oth erv iu alm np c s( ,.g[4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]), but the breadth across domains and the consistency of the underlying architecture allows us to m e as ur o yt’ p f nc lg id .We have developed a dialog system architecture that e nabl su r tog icp d v w hvirtual humans and see and hear their realistic responses [12]. As seen in Figure 1, among the components that underlie the architecture are a Language Processor and a Behavior Engine. The Language Processor accepts spoken input and maps this input to an underlying semantic representation, and then functions in reverse, mapping semantic representations to gestural and speech output. Our applications variously use spoken natural language interaction [2], text-based interaction, and menu-based interaction. The Behavior Engine maps Language Processor output and other environmental stimuli to virtual human behaviors. The underlying data structure of the Behavior Engine is an augmented transition network (ATN) to be described in more detail in Section 3. These behaviors include decision-making and problem solving, performing actions in the virtual world, and spoken dialog. The Behavior Engine also controls the dynamic loading of contexts and knowledge for use by the Language Processor. The virtual characters are rendered via a Visualization Engine that performs gesture, movement, and speech actions, through morphing of vertices of a 3D model and playing of key-framed animation files (largely based on motion capture data). Physical interaction with the virtual character (e.g., using medical instruments) is realized via object-based and instrument-specific selection maps [13]. These interactions are controlled by both the Behavior Engine and Visualization Engine.
Numerical Methods for Accurate Computation of Design Sensitivities for Two-Dimensional Navier-Stokes Problems

Gradient computations can be a limiting factor in algorithm efficiency and accuracy for optimization based design. In this paper, we present three parameterized flow problems and consider the evaluation of state sensitivities both theoretically and numerically. Existence and uniqueness results are given for the sensitivities of a specific group of two-dimensional Navier-Stokes problems. We then turn our attention to obtaining numerical approximations to state sensitivities. We show convergence of our numerical sensitivities using a problem having an exact solution. Next, two problems, flow around a cylinder and flow over a bump, are used to evaluate several computational schemes. In particular, a local projection scheme for improved state derivative approximations and the use of an adaptive finite element scheme are shown to be important techniques for obtaining accurate sensitivity approximations. Lastly, we evaluate the impact of these computational techniques on cost function and gradient calculation.
The Bereavement Experience

Important relationships do not end in death; there is too much at stake. After all, those persons with whom we have had a relationship of attachment were important sources of companionship, fulfillment, and security. They may have been central, also, at a more basic level, to our sense of self- and shared identity in their role of lover, spouse, child, or parent. They gave our lives meaning. They may have been a link to our future or to our past, a focus for our energies and our own efforts to make a difference, and a source of emotional rewards. Death may result in the loss of a loved one’s physical presence, but not the emotional or symbolic presence.
Perceived value of interactive digital textbook and adaptive learning: Implications on student learning effectiveness

The authors studied the perceived value of an interactive digital textbook LearnSmart (McGraw-Hill Education, New York, NY) and examined its implications on adaptive learning and student learning e...
Baseline cognitive function to predict survival in patients with glioblastoma.

10125Background: Overall survival of patients with glioblastoma (GBM) remains dismal with range from 12-14 months. In addition to the oncologic burden that these patients face during the disease tr...
Approaching the Study of Business and Management as Science

One very strong admonition of the Carnegie Foundation and the Ford Foundation in 1959 was that business school research should follow a model of pursuing knowledge by a scientific method. This position implies that business is a science and can better be understood through a scientific approach to study. This chapter uses complexity theory to illustrate a hierarchy of sciences, each building upon another. As we move “up” a hierarchy of sciences, inductive inference becomes more challenging. This chapter concludes by discussing the differences between “pure” science and “applied” science. Implications of this distinction for twenty-first-century business schools are discussed.
Structured Data Extraction: Wrapper Generation

Web information extraction is the problem of extracting target information items from Web pages. There are two general problems: extracting information from natural language text and extracting structured data from Web pages. This chapter focuses on extracting structured data. A program for extracting such data is usually called a wrapper. Extracting information from text is studied mainly in the natural language processing community.
The study on critical dimension target prediction for etch process : IE: Industrial Engineering

Foundry FAB manufactures a variety of semiconductor products with adverse mixture of process flows. For process control, it is a challenge to define some critical dimension measurement items target of each unique product characteristic before new tape out (NTO). After some wafers pilot run completed, a proper measurement target was defined. The engineers have to waste valuable resources for measurement retargeting and expense extra process time to validate these changes satisfied.As we know, the mask layout pattern density (PD) has highly correlated with measurement target. However, traditional regression model results can not satisfy advanced processes requirements. In this study, we proposed new factors, including local pattern density, line density and traditional global pattern density (GPD) into model. Furthermore, the regression model was refined with machine learning, k-NN (k-th Near Neighbor), to enhance the prediction accuracy for NTO measurement target. The simulation result showed average prediction accuracy come up to 85% above, compared with previous 61% only. Even some layers accuracy achieved 95% above.
Five Generations of Russian Constitutions: Russia as Part of the Western Legal Heritage

The paper is devoted to the study of the relationship between the Russian constitutional history and Western legal traditions. The author argues the position according to which the constitutionalism has been a part of Russian legal history for centuries. On one view of Russian legal history, a written constitution remained an aspiration of the Russian people that was only partly realized in 1906. Marxist legal thought contemplated, or predicted, the “withering away of law” after a proletarian Revolution; adopting a constitution seemed counter-intuitive to this projected vector of history. This paper explores in general outline the five generations of the constitutions of Russia (1918, 1925, 1937, 1978, and 1993) and the maturing of a constitutional tradition in Russia which has led from a blueprint for communism to fully-fledged constitutional rule-of-law social State in which the constitution acts as a restraint upon the exercise of State power and performs the role that a constitution routinely performs as part of the western legal heritage. The author concludes the 1993 Russian Constitution is, for the first time, a living document that could be considered as a reaction against the Russian past, the embodiment of Russian experience, and the repository of Russian values and desires for its future.
Shunt-Bronchial Fistula with Coughing Up and Swallowing of Cerebrospinal Fluid: Rare Complication of Ventriculopleural Shunt.

Background Erosion of the distal catheter into lung parenchyma is an extremely rare complication of ventriculopleural shunt placement. Case Description We report a 51-year-old woman with a history of parasagittal meningioma invading the sagittal sinus who presented with recurrent pneumonia after placement of a ventriculopleural shunt. A nuclear study revealed accumulation of radiotracer material sequentially in the right hemithorax, trachea, mainstem bronchi, stomach, and bowel. The ventriculopleural shunt had eroded into the patient's lung parenchyma, with the effect of cerebrospinal fluid draining into the respiratory system and then being coughed up and swallowed into the gastrointestinal system. Conclusion Surgeons should be aware of the potential complication of a ventriculopleural shunt eroding through the lung parenchyma to cause a shunt-bronchial fistula with persistent coughing and recurrent pneumonias. Shuntogram nuclear imaging may be useful in the diagnosis of the complication.
Data-Driven Simulation Model of Operating Rooms in Hospital

Abstract Operating rooms in the hospital are one of the most expensive units. Therefore, the utilization and improving the efficiency of OR is a major interest for the various researcher. The presented research uses simulation to determine the utilization of operating rooms in a real hospital. The objective is to create a reusable model, that can be modified to create any other hospital model. The model was built using the data-driven technique. The data-driven model is built using customized objects and flexible add-ins. The add-ins use information stored in a data file and create a model from it. The various scenarios were created in the simulation to test the flexibility of the model. The data-driven simulation model is found to be flexible and is reusable. The flexible add-in is not limited to an operating room.
Searching for primordial black hole evaporation signal with AMON

Primordial black holes (PBHs) are expected to gradually evaporate and then explode violently during the last few seconds of their lives, each one producing a burst of high energy particles. For PBHs evaporating near the Sun (r . 1 pc), these particles could be detected in coincidence by several observatories with large fields of view, such as IceCube (neutrinos), HAWC (gamma rays) and Pierre Auger (gamma rays, neutrons and protons). The short temporal structure of the anticipated PBH evaporation signal provides a very low false positive rate for any possible detection. We will present the discovery potential of the Astrophysical Multimessenger Observatory Network (AMON) for PBH evaporation events. AMON aims to discover multimessenger transient sources by performing real-time and archival coincidence searches from multiple observatory subthreshold data streams. In this approach, a distinctive PBH evaporation signature may be probed by conducting coincidence analysis from a few years of subthreshold neutrino, gamma-ray and cosmic ray data. Detection of PBH evaporation events would be a scientific breakthrough confirming Hawking’s hypothesis of black hole radiation and cosmological models of phase transitions, and would allow us to probe physics at the highest energy scale as well as quantum gravity.
Chapter 4 – Matte Smelting Fundamentals

Publisher Summary This chapter introduces the fundamentals of matte smelting and the influence of process variables. Matte smelting is the most common way of smelting copper–iron sulfur concentrates. The primary purpose of matte smelting is to turn the sulfide minerals in solid copper concentrate into three products: molten matte, molten slag, and offgas. This is done by reacting them with oxygen. Smelting strategy involves a series of trade-offs and the most significant is that between matte grade and recovery. The industrial matte smelting equipment and procedures vary, but all smelting processes have a common sequence of events. It entails heating, oxidizing, and fluxing the concentrate at high temperatures, approximately at 1250℃. Matte smelting oxidizes most of the iron and sulfur in its input concentrates. Total oxidation of iron and sulfur would not only produce molten copper, but also result in large copper oxide losses in slag. The chapter also provides compositions of industrial concentrates, fluxes, mattes, slags, and dusts for various matte smelting processes.
Polyester Mesh Dressings Reduce Delayed Wound Healing and Reoperations Compared with Silver-Impregnated Occlusive Dressings after Knee Arthroplasty.

Abstract Background New dressings aimed at reducing surgical wound complications after knee arthroplasty continue to evolve. We compared wound complications and reoperations between 2 dressings: 2-octyl cyanoacrylate adhesive and polyester mesh (Dermabond® Prineo®, “mesh”) and silver-impregnated occlusive dressings and n-butyl-2-cyancacrylate adhesive (AQUACEL® Ag SURGICAL cover dressing with SwiftSet™, “standard"). Methods This retrospective cohort study reviewed 353 consecutive partial and total knee arthroplasties performed by a single surgeon; 6 were excluded for not using either dressing type. Thus, 347 cases were separated into 2 cohorts: mesh (n = 176) and standard dressing (n = 171). Demographics and risk factors were similar, except for age. Surgical and closure techniques were consistent in all patients. Delayed wound healing was assessed by the surgeon at the 2-week office visit for drainage, suture abscess, or wound edge separation. Secondary outcome measures include infection, office-based closure, and return to the operating room for reclosure. Results There were 2 instances of delayed wound healing in the mesh group and 16 in the standard dressing group (1.14% vs 9.36%, P ≤ .0001). There were significantly fewer reoperations in the mesh group than in the standard group (0 vs 2.33%, P = .04). There were no infections or office-based closures. Conclusions Mesh dressings were associated with fewer episodes of delayed wound healing and reoperations than the standard dressing. A possible mechanism may be that this brand of mesh distributes wound tension more evenly. In addition, because it remains in place longer during the immediate postoperative period, it may work via prolonged wound edge support.
Survival of a serotype 4b strain and a serotype 1/2a strain of Listeria monocytogenes, isolated from a stone fruit outbreak investigation, on whole stone fruit at 4 °C.

Abstract In the summer of 2014, a multistate outbreak of listeriosis associated with contaminated stone fruit (peach and nectarine) was reported. A serotype 4b variant Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) strain of singleton Sequence Type (ST) 382 was isolated from clinical samples and stone fruit associated with the outbreak. A serotype 1/2b Lm strain of ST5, Clonal Complex 5 was isolated only from outbreak-associated stone fruit, not from clinical samples. Here we investigated the fate of the serotype 4b and 1/2b strains, at two inoculation levels (high level at 3.7 logCFU/fruit and low level at 2.7 logCFU/fruit), on the surfaces of white peach, yellow peach and yellow nectarine stored at 4 °C for 26 days. After rinsing the fruits, we determined the Lm levels in the rinsates and on the peels. We enumerated Lm using a direct plating method and compared two chromogenic agars. The Lm populations rapidly declined in the first 3 days and then declined more slowly until Day 19/21. The maximum decline was 1.6 logCFU/fruit on yellow peach inoculated with serotype 4b at high level. For fruits inoculated with high-level Lm, the lowest level of Lm (1.7 logCFU/fruit) was observed on for white peach inoculated with serotype 1/2b, and the highest level of Lm (2.6 logCFU/fruit) on Day 19/21 was observed on yellow peach inoculated with the serotype 1/2b strain. For fruits inoculated with low-level Lm, the lowest level of Lm (1.3 logCFU/fruit) was observed on yellow nectarine inoculated with either the serotype 4b or 1/2b strain, and the highest level of Lm (1.7 logCFU/fruit) on Day 19/21 was observed on yellow peach inoculated with ST382. The D-values ranged from 15 days to 28 days. Lm remained viable until the end of storage (Day 26), but the levels were not significantly different from those on Day 19/21. The types of stone fruit and Lm strain did not significantly affect the survival of Lm. These results demonstrate that contaminated stone fruit can carry a potential risk for causing listeriosis in susceptible populations. Comparison of direct plating results using two chromogenic agars showed that RAPID' L. mono and Agar Listeria Ottavani & Agosti performed equivalently for enumerating Lm on stone fruit. The fruit rinsing recovered 80% to 84% of Lm from fruit surfaces.
Affordable Degrees at Scale: New Phenomenon or New Hype?

Following the initial proliferation of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), a more recent trend has emerged toward offering "Affordable Degrees at Scale" or "Large, Internet-Mediated Asynchronous Degrees". In this research, we set out to understand this space: the range in tuition costs for these programs, the variety of admissions standards, and the types of assessments used to evaluate these non-traditional students. In the process, however, we found that in many ways, these programs may not be as new as we initially perceived: similarly-priced online programs have existed from traditional universities for years. In this research, we explore these two questions: what are these new degrees at scale, and how do they actually differ from traditional programs? To explore this, we collected materials for 35 MOOC-based graduate degrees and numerous non-MOOC-based comparable degrees. We then explored the patterns in tuition, admissions requirements, and syllabus information. In this paper, we report the trends we identified in MOOC-based degrees, and attempt to answer the question: what makes these programs different from non-MOOC-based online programs of the past? Ultimately, we find that this new era of programs is similar in many observable ways.
A systematic research review: How to best treat post-traumatic stress disorder in children post-natural disaster

This paper is a systematic research review examining the best treatment intervention for children experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or PTSD-like symptoms after a natural disaster e...
Rationalization of belonging: Transnational community endurance:

Contemporary thinkers are pessimistic about the endurance of transnational communities. The deviant case of the century-and-a-half-old transnational Esperanto community features a process that can ...
Diagnostic Accuracy of an Esophageal Screening Protocol Interpreted by the Speech-Language Pathologist.

Oropharyngeal and esophageal dysphagia may occur simultaneously. However, symptoms are often evaluated separately. Few standardized, multi-texture esophageal screening protocols exist as an addition to the modified barium swallow study (MBSS). Given the gap in MBSS evaluation standards, providers may be lacking information needed to fully assess the swallowing process and create appropriate dysphagia management plans. The aim was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of a standardized esophageal screening protocol performed by an SLP compared to formal reference esophageal examinations. A cross-sectional analytic study was performed. Consecutively referred patients who underwent same-day consultation with the SLP and a gastroenterologist were included. MBSS with a standardized esophageal screen was performed. Same-day formal esophageal testing was completed and included timed barium emptying study or high-resolution manometry. Summary diagnostic accuracy measures were calculated. Seventy-three patients matched the inclusion criteria. Median age was 62.5 years (25–87), 55% were female. Sensitivity of the esophageal screen for the detection of esophageal abnormality was 83.7% (95% CI 70–91.9%); specificity was 73.7% (95% CI 55.6–85.8%). The positive likelihood ratio was 3.14 (95% CI 1.71–5.77), whereas the negative likelihood ratio was 0.22 (95% CI 0.11–0.45). Positive and negative predictive values were 82% and 76%, respectively. Use of a systematic, multi-texture esophageal screen protocol interpreted by SLPs accurately identifies multiphase dysphagia and should be considered in addition to standard MBSS testing. Inclusion of a cursory esophageal view may more adequately assess dysphagia symptoms and help to promote multidisciplinary care.
The sexual wholeness model: An initial evaluation with two samples.

Based upon the psychological needs delimited in self-determination theory, we created the sexual wholeness model to encapsulate the different dimensions (physical, emotional, and meaning) that create couple sexuality. We evaluated the model with data from two national samples (Sample 1, n = 610; Sample 2, n = 884), by examining the association between sexual, relationship, and life satisfaction, and attachment with the different elements of the sexual wholeness model using harmonious sexual passion as an intermediate variable. The emotional dimension had the strongest associations in both samples with harmonious sexual passion and all other outcomes except attachment. The physical dimension of sexuality had a surprisingly strong association with attachment and sexual satisfaction. In addition, couples' self-evaluation of the degree of sexual wholeness in their relationship was strongly associated with harmonious passion and all other outcomes, providing another level of validity to the dimensions of the model and the potential utility for using this model to assist in couple therapy.
Multi-Objective Optimization of 2.5D and 3D Meta-Atoms

Metamaterial and metasurface devices (i.e., meta-devices) have shown tremendous potential for disrupting conventional RF and optical components due to their ability to manipulate the propagation of electromagnetic waves in a tailored fashion. These meta-devices are generally synthesized from building blocks known as “meta-atoms” whose properties are engineered to achieve a specific electromagnetic response. In order to maximize the performance of these meta-atoms, numerical optimization techniques are often employed in conjunction with rigorous full-wave electromagnetics solvers due to their complex behaviors and the lack of established design rules. In this presentation, inverse-design strategies based on multi-objective optimization are introduced and used to realize high performance 2.5D and 3D meta-atom building blocks which can be used to synthesize a variety of meta-devices.
The Impact of Headquarters Agreements on Human Resources Management of the United Nations System

According to the understanding of the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, host country agreements may be defined as international agreements concluded between the United Nations or organizations within the United Nations system and States hosting the United Nations and its subsidiary organs, which regulate the status, privileges and immunities of the United Nations offices and activities in their territories. They implement by and large the contents of articles 104 and 105 of the United Nations Charter. Furthermore, they reflect the thrust of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations of 13 February 1946,1 the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies of21 November 19472 and the Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of 1 July 1959.3 Considering the relevance of managementrelated issues in the context of host country agreements, subsequent deliberations will essentially concentrate on headquarters agreements as one type of host country agreement, i.e. either on headquarters of the organization itself, or on headquarters of a principal organ, if it is locally detached from the other principal organs, or on major subordinated bodies of a Secretariat such as the Economic and Social Commissions of the United Nations.
Molecular Resonance Calculations Applications of Complex-Coordinate and Complex Basis Function Techniques

Resonances in low-energy (0–10eV) electron scattering from molecules have been observed in a large number of cases(1,2) with target molecules ranging in size from H2 to naphthalene (C10H8). In fact, almost every organic molecule containing a double bond displays at least one low-energy resonance.(2) The mechanism of formation for these low-energy resonances can be viewed in two superficially different, but essentially equivalent, ways, depending on whether we initially adopt the point of view of the atomic physicist or quantum chemist. From both points of view, most of the resonances below 5-eV incident energy in electron-molecule scattering can be thought of in the first approximation as “shape” resonances, that is, not involving electronic excitation of the target molecule.
Neuroimaging in Epilepsy

1. Historical Perspectives of Neuroimaging in Epilepsy Harry T. Chugani and Ajay Kumar 2. MRI: Overview of MR Techniques for Epilepsy Vivek Gupta and Richard A. Bronen 3. Malformations of Cortical Development Renzo Guerrini and Francesco Zellini 4. Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Hoby Hetherington 5. Functional MRI William Davis Gaillard 6. Diffusion MRI in Epilepsy Rajkumar Munian Govindan and Harry T. Chugani 7. Magnetoencephalography Based Source Imaging for Epilepsy and Language Localization Robert C. Knowlton and Lawrence W. Ver Hoef 8. Positron Emission Tomography: Glucose Metabolism Studies in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Thomas R. Henry 9. Positron Emission Tomography: Glucose Metabolism in Extratemporal Lobe Epilepsy Csaba Juhasz and Harry T. Chugani 10. Positron Emission Tomography: Brain Glucose Metabolism in Pediatric Epilepsy Syndromes Aimee F. Luat and Harry T. Chugani 11. Flumazenil Positron Emission Tomography Matthias J. Koepp 12. Alpha-Methyl-L-Tryptophan Positron Emission Tomography Carlos E. A. Batista, Diane C. Chugani, and Harry T. Chugani 13. Other PET Ligands used in Epilepsy William H. Theodore 14. SPECT Scanning for Epileptic Seizures R. Edward Hogan, Elson L. So, and Terence J. O'Brien 15. Multimodality Neuroimaging and Future Directions Otto Muzik and Harry T. Chugani INDEX
ANHYDROBIOSIS IN EMBRYOS OF THE BRINE SHRIMP ARTEMIA: CHARACTERIZATION OF METABOLIC ARREST DURING REDUCTIONS IN CELL-ASSOCIATED WATER

Upon entry into the state of anhydrobiosis, trehalose-based energy metabolism is arrested in Artemia embryos (cysts). We have compared changes in the levels of trehalose, glycogen, some glycolytic intermediates and adenylate nucleotides in hydrated embryos observed under conditions of aerobic development with those occurring after transfer to 50moll −1 NaCl. This treatment is known to reduce cellassociated water into a range previously referred to as the ametabolic domain. The trehalose utilization and glycogen synthesis that occur during development of fully hydrated cysts are both blocked during desiccation. Upon return to 0.25 moll −1 NaCl both processes are resumed. Analysis of glycolytic intermediates suggests that the inhibition is localized at the trehalase, hexokinase and phosphofructokinase reactions. ATP level remains constant during the 6-h period of dehydration, as does the adenylate energy charge. An additional dehydration experiment was performed in 5.0moll −1 NaCl containing 50mmoll −1 ammonium chloride (pH9-0). The resulting level of gaseous ammonia in the medium has been shown to maintain an alkaline intracellular pH (pHi) in the embryos. The metabolic response to dehydration under these conditions was very similar to the previous dehydration series. Thus, these results are taken as strong evidence that the metabolic suppression observed during dehydration does not require cellular acidification, in contrast to the pronounced inhibitory role of low pHi during entry of hydrated embryos into the quiescent state of anaerobic dormancy. The arrest of carbohydrate metabolism seen during anhydrobiosis indeed appears to be a strict function of embryo water content.
Epidemiologic Application of a Dosimetric Model of Dust Overload

Evidence from laboratory animals suggests that certain rates of deposition of dust can slow the normal clearance of the lungs by macrophages. If this occurs in humans, then estimates of exposure or dose for epidemiologic models may be improved by explicitly incorporating this «overload» phenomenon into lung dose estimates. Using a model of dust overload, the authors estimated the lung dust dose for a group of workers exposed to silicon carbide dust. From a knowledge of underlying biologic mechanisms and using goodness of fit tests, the authors identified parameters for the dosimetric model that yielded dose estimates which fit the epidemiologic data well. The dosimetric estimates also compare favorably with cumulative exposure as risk predictors of radiographic evidence of pulmonary fibrosis. The evidence for overload is not strong, however, since the data are also consistent with other clearance patterns including very slow linear one-compartment clearance. Nevertheless, in some data sets, use of a dosimetric model instead of cumulative exposure to dust may reduce misclassification in exposure and improve fit to epidemiologic data. Furthermore, evidence of a better fit would provide valuable information about biologic mechanisms or aspects of dose such as the effect of short-term, high-intensity exposures. These in turn might provide information about prevention strategies such as standard setting
National Center for Atmospheric Research storage accounting and analysis possibilities

While most high-performance computing system operators diligently track computing usage and utilization on a job-by-job basis, far fewer sites have implemented mechanisms for tracking and accounting for usage of their storage systems. As we enter an era of larger and larger data holdings, the need to monitor, track, and analyze users' consumption of storage resources becomes more critical for planning, operating, and managing petascale storage environments. The National Center for Atmospheric Research has long had a formal accounting mechanism in place for its archival storage system and has recently extended a similar mechanism to its recently acquired 11-PB disk resource. The collected data help National Center for Atmospheric Research's users manage their data holdings, provide administrators with reporting and analysis capabilities to guide the use and management of these vital resources, and offer necessary information to support data management policies. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Robust, compact implementation of an off-axis digital holographic microscope.

Recent advances in digital technologies, such as high-speed computers and large-format digital imagers, have led to a burgeoning interest in the science and engineering of digital holographic microscopy (DHM). Here we report on a novel off-axis DHM, based on a twin-beam optical design, which avoids the limitations of prior systems, and provides many advantages, including compactness, intrinsic stability, robustness against misalignment, ease of use, and cost. These advantages are traded for a physically constrained sample volume, as well as a fixed fringe spacing. The first trade is not overly restrictive for most applications, and the latter provides for a pre-set assembly alignment that optimizes the spatial frequency sampling. Moreover, our new design supports use in both routine laboratory settings as well as extreme environments without any sacrifice in performance, enabling ready observation of microbial species in the field. The instrument design is presented in detail here, along with a demonstration of bacterial video imaging at sub-micrometer resolution at temperatures down to –15 °C.
Laboratory studies of spectroscopic markers for the characterization of surface erosion by plasmas

The erosion rates in portions of fusion plasma devices like the ITER tokamak are sufficiently high that nearly real-time information on cumulative removal is needed for control and machine safety. We are developing a digitally-encoded scheme to indicate the depth of erosion at numerous poloidal and toroidal, locations around ITER. The scheme uses materials embedded in the walls and divertors to present remotely detectable signals. This paper reports laboratory experiments on prototype markers consisting of combinations of upt to five elements (Au, Pd, Ag, In, Ga) along with Au, Pt, and Ta pure metals. The markers were bonded to 4-D carbon-carbon composite of the type proposed for use in the ITER first wall, and exposed to He bombardment in the lower-hybrid-driven plasma of the atomic beam facility at PPL. The paper describes this device. Light emission was characterized using a 1 m Czerny—Turner vacuum ultraviolet monochromator. The samples were characterized both before and after plasma exposure by Auger spectroscopy. We report the time-dependent behavior of the spectra of the visible and ultraviolet light emitted by the plasma. When the markers are uncovered by the erosion, emission lines of the marker elements are easily distinguished from the He background plasma lines. The dependence of the light intensity on bias voltage is compared to the known sputtering yields of the elements. The optical detection method allows exploration of the threshold dependence of these multi-element targets. An exponential dependence of yield above threshold was observed for all of the elements studied, in contrast to previous models.
Characteristics of pituitary colloid proteins and their correlation with blood pressure in the rat.

Salt resistant rats (R-strain of Dahl) accumulate large amounts of colloid in the pituitary cleft. Such colloid is largely absent in pituitaries of salt susceptible rats (S-strain of Dahl). Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of pituitary cleft colloid from R rats shows 4 proteins, designated Rl, R2, R3 and R4 in order of decreasing electrophoretic mobility. These proteins have apparent molecular weights of 52,000, 63,000, 130,000 and >235,000, respectively. Their apparent isoelectric points as determined by preparative isoelectric focusing are 4.82, 5.02, 5.54 and 4.35, respectively. Ferguson plots for Rl, R2 and rat albumin suggest that Rl and R2 are size isomers of albumin. The molecular weights of R2, R3 and R4 suggest that R2 may polymerize to form a dimer and tetramer. Chronic feeding of 8% NaCl diet for 6 weeks does not influence pituitary accumulation of Rl protein in either R or S rats. Pituitary Rl accumulation does, however, segregate with resistance to salt-induced hypertension in genetic exper...
Knowledge discovery in very large databases

Dealing with very large databases is one of the defining challenges in data mining research and development. When a data base is not a static repository of data, or if the data come from different data sources and putting all data together might amass a huge database for centralized processing, knowledge discovery in such data environments cannot be a one-time process. Existing techniques include data sampling, windowing, bagging, boosting, batch learning, hierarchical meta-learning, and parallel and distributed data mining. This talk will provide a review on these techniques, and present our own recent research efforts on multi-layer induction and synthesizing association rules from different data sources.
Phenoloxidase forms of the Florida spiny lobster: Immunological and spectropolarimetric characterization

Abstract 1. 1. In vivo activation of cuticular phenoloxidase (PO) of Florida spiny lobster is apparently mediated by some mechanism other than tryptic activity. 2. 2. Endogenously activated (EAPO) and trypsin activated (TAPO) forms of Florida spiny lobster PO show differences in their secondary structure as evidenced by circular dichroism spectropolarimetry. 3. 3. EAPO and TAPO forms of Florida spiny lobster possess identical antigenic determinants.
Application of external customized waveforms to a commercial quadrupole ion trap

The Finnigan LCQ quadrupole ion trap has recently become part of the repertoire of instruments for many analytical laboratories. The LCQ commercial design, while employing complex waveforms to manipulate ions, does not allow the application of many state-of-the-art user-defined waveforms that enable one to perform other complex ion manipulations. The work presented here describes the simple modifications made to the LCQ electronics to allow the application of external customized waveforms. Results show that externally generated waveforms can be applied to the endcap electrodes while still working within the context of the commercial software and hardware. Double resonance, multiple ion isolation, and multiple ion excitation experiments are demonstrated to reveal the effectiveness of these modifications.
Modular arrangement of functional domains along the sequence of an aminoacyl tRNA synthetase.

Gene deletions show that much of Escherichia coli alanine tRNA synthetase is dispensable for each of three activities and that these activities appear to require specific domains arranged linearly along the polypeptide. Thus, variable fusions of extra polypeptide domains to a catalytic core may account for the diverse sizes of aminoacyl tRNA synthetases.
Ketone body oxidation by mouse hepatoma BW7756.

Abstract Studies on the mouse hepatoma BW7756 reveal that mitochondria from the neoplastic tissue, unlike those from normal liver tissue, are able to utilize ketone bodies as respiratory substrates and contain succinyl-CoA: acetoacetate CoA transferase. This enzyme is rerequired for ketone body utilization and is virtually absent in normal liver mitochondria. These results suggest that malignant hepatocytes, as a consequence of their production and release of large quantities of cholesterol, derive metabolic advantage over neighboring normal hepatocytes by being able to consume ketone bodies synthesized by normal cells in response to the elevated cholesterol levels.
Children and welfare reform: A view from an experimental welfare program in Minnesota.

Little is known about the effects of the most recent welfare reform initiatives--which include work mandates, time limits, and enhanced earnings disregards--on children's outcomes. This is partly because the ways in which maternal employment and income affect children more generally are not well understood. This article describes the effects on child development of the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), a welfare program that began prior to 1996 federal welfare reform legislation. The present study utilized MFIP's unique, three-group research design to untangle the effects of different components of the program, and, in turn, discover how each component's effects on parents' income or employment affected children's development. This study's findings showed that MFIP increased employment rates and decreased poverty and, according to reports from mothers, children were less likely to exhibit problem behaviors and more likely to perform better and be more highly engaged in school. These findings, based on a total of 879 participants, bolster the long-standing literature that has associated poverty with worse outcomes for children by confirming, in a rigorous experiment, that incremental increases in income for working poor parents bring benefits to children.
Dependence of Phonon Frequencies on the Pseudopotential Form Factor for Aluminum

The phonon frequencies were calculated for aluminum from a theory based on Coulomb interactions among the ions, Born-Mayer repulsion between nearest-neighbor ion cores, and a local pseudopotential interaction between ions and conduction electrons. For both a Harrison modified point-ion potential and a local Heine-Abarenkov potential, the parameters of the theory were determined to give the best over-all fit to the measured phonon dispersion curves. For the two pseudopotentials so determined, the Born-Mayer repulsion was found to be negligible, the screened form factors ${w}_{q}$ are the same for $0\ensuremath{\le}q\ensuremath{\le}1.8{k}_{F}$ and are in good agreement with Fermi-surface data, and the calculated phonon frequencies are the same. The calculated frequencies depend sensitively on $|{w}_{q}|$ for $0\ensuremath{\le}q\ensuremath{\le}2{k}_{F}$, and also depend strongly on some average of $|{w}_{q}|$ for larger $q$.
Is percutaneous liver biopsy safe in patients with hepatitis C and end-stage renal disease?

Is percutaneous liver biopsy safe in patients with hepatitis C and end-stage renal disease?
Application of the tandem differential mobility analyzer to studies of droplet growth or evaporation

Abstract The tandem differential mobility analyzer (TDMA) is useful for studying phenomena that lead to size changes in submicron aerosol particles. Evaporation, condensation and chemical reactions within airborne droplets are examples of such phenomena. With this method, aerosols of a known size are selected with a differential mobility analyzer (DMA). These monodisperse aerosols then undergo processes that result in growth or shrinkage; the extent of growth or shrinkage is determined with a second DMA. In this paper, a theoretical treatment of a TDMA system is presented, and procedures for laboratory implementation are discussed. The theory is presented in an analytic form that can be encoded for on-line or off-line data analysis. Statistical techniques are used to calculate the precision with which size changes can be determined, and results of these analyses are confirmed experimentally. It is shown that diameter changes can be measured with a precision of about 0.3% using available instrumentation. For aerosols in the 0.01–0.2 μm diameter range where the technique works best, this corresponds to diameter changes of 0.03–0.6 nm, or the characteristic thickness of a monolayer.
Long-term memory in speech perception: some new findings on talker variability, speaking rate and perceptual learning

Abstract This paper summarizes results from recent studies on the role of long-term memory in speech perception and spoken word recognition. Experiments on talker variability, speaking rate and perceptual learning provide strong evidence for implicit memory for very fine perceptual details of speech. Listeners apparently encode specific attributes of the talker's voice and speaking rate into long-term memory. Acoustic-phonetic variability does not appear to be “lost” as a result of phonetic analysis. The process of perceptual normalization in speech perception may therefore entail encoding of specific instances or “episodes” of the stimulus input and the operations used in perceptual analysis. These perceptual operations may reside in a “procedural memory” for a specific talker's voice. Taken together, the present set of findings are consistent with non-analytic accounts of perception, memory and cognition which emphasize the contribution of episodic or exemplar-based encoding in long-term memory. The results from these studies also raise questions about the traditional dissociation in phonetics between the linguistic and indexical properties of speech. Listeners apparently retain non-linguistic information in long-term memory about the speaker's gender, dialect, speaking rate and emotional state, attributes of speech signals that are not traditionally considered part of phonetic or lexical representations of words. These properties influence the initial perceptual encoding and retention of spoken words and therefore should play an important role in theoretical accounts of how the nervous system maps speech signals onto linguistic representations in the mental lexicon.
Constructing the public: the ‘substantive sieve’ and personal norms in US Forest Service Planning

In fulfilling its public involvement requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) the US Forest Service sometimes favours scientific, technical or legally-based public input over comments that explicitly express the values or preferences of the public. We trace the roots of this tendency to the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) NEPA regulations and to agency planning guidelines that direct agency employees to address only ‘substantive’ or ‘significant’ comments. We term this guidance and the tendency to favour certain types of public input the ‘substantive sieve’, and show how it may influence agency constructions of the public. We discuss the implications of our findings in the context of agency NEPA public involvement processes.
Driving-force effects on the rate of long-range electron transfer in ruthenium-modified cytochrome c

Two new Ru-modified, Zn-substituted derivatives of horse heart cytochrome c have been prepared, Rua{sub 4}L(histidine-33)-Zn-cyt c (a = NH{sub 3}; L = pyridine, isonicotinamide). Molecular mechanics modeling indicates that the 11.7 {angstrom} edge-to-edge separation between the redox centers is virtually identical with that reported for the Ru-pentaammine derivative. Rates of photoinduced charge separation and recombination in Rua{sub 4}L (His-33)-Zn-cyt c lie in the range of 2.0 {times} 10{sup 5}-3.3 {times} 10{sup 6} s{sup {minus}1} (22{degree}C). These kinetics, along with those already reported, provide a total of eight intramolecular electron-transfer reactions that have been measured in Ru-M-cyt c (M = Fe, Zn) at driving forces (-{Delta}G{degree}) ranging from 0.18 to 1.05 eV. The variation of the rate with driving force is in general agreement with the semiclassical theory of electron-transfer reactions. Fitting the Ru-Zn-cyt c charge-separation data yields a reorganization energy ({lambda}) of 1.15 (5) eV and an electronic coupling matrix element (H{sub AB}) of 0.13 (1) cm{sup {minus}1}. The charge-recombination data are fit with the parameters {lambda} = 1.24 (5) eV and H{sub AB} = 0.10 (1) cm{sup {minus}1}, and the Ru-Fe cyt c electron-transfer rate can be described with {lambda} = 1.2 eV and H{sub AB} = 0.03 cm{supmore » {minus}1}.« less
Four-month-olds' recognition of complementary-contour forms

Abstract Four-month-old long- and Short-looking infants were habituated to a visual form from which 50% of the contour was removed. Infants were then tested for recognition of the visual form with paired comparison trials in which two other 50%-degraded visual forms were simultaneously presented. One of the two degraded forms presented in the test trials was a novel form, and the other form was comprised of the “complementary contour” (e.i., the contour not previously shown) of the degraded habituation stimulus. Thus, the task involved a testof infants' recognition of a form across stimuli that shared no common contour. Only infants with attentional profiles characterized by shorter fixation durations recognized forms when tested inthis way. These results suggest that some infants are in fact capable of generalizing from one coplementary image to another; the observation of this ability short-looking infants is consistent with previous suggestions of differences in visual encoding as a function of individual differences in fixation duration.