cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Connections of Parole and Probation Agent Communication Patterns With Female Offenders’ Job-Seeking Self-Efficacy:

Using subsamples of 130 and 96 women on probation and parole, this research explores the direct effect of the supervising agent's communication patterns on client job-seeking self-efficacy. It also tests for the mediating effect through client psychological reactance, which is a feeling that one's freedoms are threatened. Agent and client reports of a conformity pattern of communication were associated with lower levels of job-seeking self-efficacy. Client reactance mediated this relationship. Agent and client reports of a conversational pattern of communication were associated with increased job-seeking self-efficacy. The results suggest that conformity-oriented communication should be avoided because of its potential to increase reactance and to promote low job-seeking self-efficacy. In contrast, conversational communication appears to have more positive effects on job-seeking self-efficacy. Findings highlight communication as a pathway through which agents can improve behavioral outcomes for women offenders searching for work.
The conversations we seek to avoid

Abstract The current work presents the first inquiry into the conversations people seek to avoid. We introduce the Topic Avoidance Process Model, proposing two distinct processes when an interaction partner brings up a topic one wishes to avoid. When topic avoidance is motivated by concern for creating a conflict, one is more likely to leave the conversation, through increased activating emotions (e.g., annoyance). When motivated by concern for privacy, one is more likely to remain quiet, through increased inhibiting emotions (e.g., anxiety). In addition, these pathways predicted whom individuals focused on during the conversation (others vs. the self) as well as authenticity felt during conversations in the workplace. Three data-driven studies identified people’s experiences with unwanted conversation topics, yielding the present model, then supported by five studies (Ntotal = 3200) using multiple methods, including retrospective recall, live conversations, and studies online and in the field as well as text analysis and machine learning.
Reading Kindleberger in Beijing: Xi Jinping’s China as a provider of global public goods:

In 2017, scholar Joseph Nye postulated that a rising China that failed to deliver global public goods could result in a ‘Kindleberger Trap’, failing, like the then rising United States about a cent...
The College Preparatory Pipeline: Disparate Stages in Academic Opportunities:

The rise in college preparatory coursework across American high schools appears not to affect college enrollment and graduation rates. This study uses the Civil Rights Data Collection to evaluate t...
A machine learning approach to measuring the quenched fraction of low-mass satellites beyond the Local Group

Observations suggest that satellite quenching plays a major role in the build-up of passive, low-mass galaxies at late cosmic times. Studies of low-mass satellites, however, are limited by the ability to robustly characterize the local environment and star formation activity of faint systems. In an effort to overcome the limitations of existing data sets, we utilize deep photometry in Stripe 82 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, in conjunction with a neural network classification scheme, to study the suppression of star formation in low-mass satellite galaxies in the local Universe. Using a statistically driven approach, we are able to push beyond the limits of existing spectroscopic data sets, measuring the satellite quenched fraction down to satellite stellar masses of ∼10 7 M ⊙ in group environments (M halo = 10 13−14 h −1 M ⊙ ). At high satellite stellar masses (≳10 10 M ⊙ ), our analysis successfully reproduces existing measurements of the quenched fraction based on spectroscopic samples. Pushing to lower masses, we find that the fraction of passive satellites increases, potentially signalling a change in the dominant quenching mechanism at M ⋆ ∼ 10 9 M ⊙ . Similar to the results of previous studies of the Local Group, this increase in the quenched fraction at low satellite masses may correspond to an increase in the efficacy of ram-pressure stripping as a quenching mechanism in groups.
MACcelerator: Approximate Arithmetic Unit for Computational Acceleration

As computationally expensive applications such as neural networks gain popularity, approximate computing has emerged as a solution for significantly reducing the energy and latency costs of extensive computational workloads. In this paper, we propose a highly accurate approximate floating point Multiply-and-Accumulate (MAC) unit for GPUs which significantly decreases power and delay costs of a MAC operation. We propose an intelligent input analysis scheme to approximate the addition stage of a MAC operation and an efficient Approximate Multiplier to simplify the multiplication stage. Our design has tunable accuracy, offering the flexibility of exchanging accuracy for increased efficiency. We evaluated our proposed design over a range of multimedia and machine learning applications. Our design offers up to $2.18\times and 3.21\times$ Energy-Delay Product improvement for machine learning and multimedia applications respectively while providing comparable quality to an exact GPU.
A process model for sputter deposition of thin films using molecular dynamics

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a process model for sputter deposition of thin films using molecular dynamics. A molecular dynamics model is developed to study the microstructure and intrinsic stresses of sputter-deposited thin films and the step coverage as a function of the process conditions. To perform efficient integration of the equation of motion and force calculations, a third-order discretization scheme with nonuniform time step is employed. Special attention is also given to the development of schemes for fast search of the neighbor atoms. A “position index method” that updates the Verlet neighbor table locally instead of reconstructing the entire neighbor table is proposed and implemented in order to perform faster calculations of the forces. The generalized Langevin equation (GLE) is used to simulate the constant temperature conditions during deposition processes. This allows the study of the effects of ion bombardment, chemical reactions, and many other processing conditions on thin film formation phenomena. A movable periodic boundary condition based on a constant external pressure technique is employed that considers the relationship between the stresses in the film and permits stress relaxation during the deposition process. The algorithm can therefore demonstrate successfully the effects of substrate conditions, such as external stresses and temperature, on the deposition phenomena. The global average intrinsic stresses of the film are calculated using an improved method, and it is possible to study the evolution of this stress with the film. A novel scheme to study the effect of the microstructure on local stresses with the help of a local stress parameter is also proposed and implemented in the chapter.
Moving for the Kids: Examining the Influence of Children on White Residential Segregation

White households with children are the least likely of all household types to live in integrated neighborhoods, yet few researchers have questioned whether children themselves influence residential...
Particle-hole symmetry and complementary quantum systems

It is well known that positive and negative ions derived from the same alternant hydrocarbon have almost indistinguishable electron spectra. Effective charges, bond orders, and many other properties also correlate between the two systems. These «alternancy» properties are due to the particle-hole symmetry, and they can be generalized far beyond alternant hydrocarbons. In general, with each quantum system one can associate a «complementary» system. The eigenstates of the complementary system are related to the eigenstates of the original system in the same way as the anionic eigenstates of an alternant hydrocarbon are related to the cationic eigenstates of this hydrocarbon. In particular, the (N + k)-electron spectrum of the complementary system is the same, up to the uniform shift, as the (N − k)-electron spectrum of the original system; the effective charges in the complementary system are opposite to the corresponding effetive charges in the original system; bond orders in the two systems between vertices of the same and of the opposite parity are, respectively, opposite and the same, etc. Each particle-hole symmetry operator associates with the original system one such complementary system. There is hence a large number of the systems complementary to the same original system. In the PPP model and in various generalizations of this model, systems complementary to conjugated hydrocarbons are Mobius-type alterations of original hydrocarbons. In the case of conjugated heterocompounds, there is a formal replacement of all heteroatoms with some other heteroatoms, with or without an additional Mobius-type change. Such complementary systems may correspond to entirely different molecules, and they also may describe some transition states of these molecules.
Complete extrusion of an endodontic silver point through the body of the mandible. Report of a case.

Abstract A 48-year-old white woman underwent endodontic treatment of the lower right second premolar, which was sealed with a silver point. The silver point later extruded itself through the body of the mandible and exited submandibularly through the skin.
Architectures and economics for pervasive broadband satellite networks

The size of a satellite network necessary to provide pervasive high-data-rate business communications is estimated, and one possible configuration is described which could interconnect most organizations in the United States. Within an order of magnitude, such a network might reasonably have a capacity equivalent to 10,000 simultaneous 3-Mbps channels, and rely primarily upon a cluster of approximately 3-5 satellites in a single orbital slot. Nominal prices for 3-6 Mbps video conference services might then be approximately $2000 monthly lease charge plus perhaps 70 cents per minute one way.
Effects of outflow pressure and vascular volume loading on thoracic duct lymph flow in adult sheep

Studies have shown that lymph flow rate from several tissues depends on the pressure at the outflow end of the lymphatics. The left thoracic lymph duct is the largest lymphatic vessel and it transports a majority of the body's lymph. We varied outflow pressure for the left thoracic lymph duct independent of venous pressure in six unanesthetized, nonpregnant adult ewes with chronic lymphatic and venous catheters. When outflow pressure was negative, the thoracic duct lymph flow rate was independent of outflow pressure and averaged 0.040 +/- 0.004 (SE) ml.min-1.kg body wt-1. Lymph flow began to decrease with increasing outflow pressure only when outflow pressure was significantly greater than venous pressure. Above this breakpoint, lymph flow decreased linearly with outflow pressure and ceased at an outflow pressure of 25.6 +/- 4.2 mmHg. After vascular volume loading with lactated Ringer solution, steady-state thoracic duct lymph flow increased to 351 +/- 54% of control and was independent of outflow pressure when outflow pressure was negative. As outflow pressure was elevated, lymph flow began to decrease at the same breakpoint as before volume loading, and lymph flow ceased at the same outflow pressure as before volume loading. Thus this study shows that there is a plateau where thoracic duct lymph flow rate is independent of outflow pressure. In addition venous pressure under normal or volume-loaded conditions is not an impediment to thoracic duct lymph flow in unanesthetized sheep. Large increases in venous pressure are required to totally block thoracic duct lymph flow.
THE ULTRASTRUCTURE OF LICHENS

Summary High resolution radioautography was used to demonstrate the transfer of carbon compounds from alga to fungus in Cladonia cristatella Tuck. After a 24 hour incubation with 14CO2, most of the label appeared in the algal chloroplast around the pyrenoid and in starch. The label in the fungus was present largely in the hyphal wall.
Structural organization of upstream exons and distribution of transcription start sites in the chicken c-myb gene.

Abstract We mapped and sequenced three upstream exons of the chicken c-myb gene and the regions flanking the first coding exon. We found multiple potential binding sites for transcription factors in the 5'-noncoding region, a T-rich stretch of 78 base pairs (bp) (68% T) in the first intron, and four fairly long open reading frames in the antisense direction of the first coding exon and its flanking regions. Three major transcription start sites, contained within a single 11-bp region, were identified by S1 nuclease analysis and primer extension. A sequence comparison of the avian and murine c-myb genes revealed a highly conserved sequence of 124 bp in the 5'-noncoding region. Its location between the putative transcription factor binding sites and the major transcription start sites suggests that it may play an important regulatory role in c-myb expression.
Dynamic analysis of soft tissues with hard inclusions

Research on the biomechanical behavior of soft tissues has drawn a lot of recent attention due to its application in tissue evaluation, early cancer detection, rehabilitation and surgery. Dynamic analysis of soft tissues not only provides histological, pathological and physiological information of the tissues, but also presents theoretical support for the modern medical imaging modalities (like Acoustic Radiation Force Imaging, Harmonic Motion Imaging, Supersonic Shear Imaging and Shear Wave Elasticity Imaging) based on tissue dynamics. Using our FEMSS (Finite Element Method with a State Space representation) technique, a realistic model of breast soft tissue with hard inclusions is geometrically discretized in ANSYS using finite elements, while a state space representation is adopted to characterize the motions of tissues stimulated by an internal radiation force. Our objective for this paper is to investigate the effects of size, location and mechanical properties of hard inclusions on the tissues’ response, frequency spectrum and forced vibration. The response differentiation between soft tissues with and without hard inclusions may reveal the resolution and delectability of the dynamic measurement and could lead in the development of new, more effective diagnostic techniques. Our simulation results indicate that the existence of hard inclusion(s) can significantly change the dynamic response of the tissue system. Specifically, hard inclusions may shift the spectrum of an elastic tissue system to a range of higher frequency, with larger sized hard inclusions causing bigger shifts. Furthermore, the location effect of hard inclusions is exhibited when a shallow one tends to vibrate with a larger magnitude at lower frequency than a deep hard inclusion. Finally, the tissue viscosity can significantly compress the range of high frequencies in the tissue system spectrum and cause the magnitude decrease of the forced vibration.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
A simulator for asynchronous hypercube communications

This paper describes a simulator for the development and study of software for hypercube multiprocessors with asynchronous communications. The main area of application for the simulator is the development of non-numerical algorithms for hypercubes. The paper discusses the properties of hypercube communications networks, the programmer interface to the simulator, the simulator implementation and programming examples.
An isomorphism theorem between the 7-adic integers and a ring associated with a hexagonal lattice

The primary goal of this paper is to prove that a ring defined by L. Gibson and D. Lucas is isomorphic to the ring of 7-adic integers. The ring, denoted byR 2, arises naturally as an algebraic structure associated with a hexagonal lattice. The elements ofR 2 consist of all infinite sequences in ℤ/(7). The addition and multiplication operations are given in terms of remainder and carries tables. The Generalized Balanced Ternary, denoted byG, is the subring ofR 2 consisting of all the finite sequences ofR 2. IfI k ′ is the ideal ofG consisting of all those sequences whose firstk digits are zero, then the second goal of the paper is to show that the inverse limit ofG/I k ′ is also isomorphic to the 7-adic integers.
Five SWI/SNF-Related, Matrix-Associated, Actin-Dependent Regulator of Chromatin (SMARC) Genes Are Dispersed in the Human Genome

The SWI/SNF-related, matrix-associated, actin-dependent regulators of chromatin (SMARC), also called BRG1-associated factors, are components of human SWI/SNF-like chromatin-remodeling protein complexes. We mapped five human SMARC genes toregions on four different human chromosomes, SMARCC1 to 3p23-p21, SMARCC2 to 12q13-q14, SMARCD1 to 12q13-q14, SMARCD2 to 17q23-q24, and SMARCD3 to 7q35-q36. SMARCC1, SMARCC2, and SMARCD1 are assigned to chromosomal regions that are frequently involved in somatic rearrangements in human cancers. SMARCD1 was mapped to the critical region of Allgrove syndrome; however, no mutation was identified in one Allgrove syndrome family studied.
Nonlinear Response of Vortex Breakdown over a Pitching Delta Wing

A e ow visualization study was carried out to investigate the response of breakdown location to small amplitude pitching oscillations of a delta wing. At moderate angles of attack, left and right breakdown locations are inphase and locked to the pitching frequency. At large angles of attack, low-frequency antisymmetric modes and the symmetric mode at the pitching frequency are observed simultaneously. The existence of multiple frequencies in the spectra and other features suggest that vortex breakdown behaves like a nonlinear self-excited oscillator.
Direct observation of conformation of a polymeric coating with implications in microarray applications

The conformation of a three-dimensional polymeric coating (copoly(DMA-NAS-MAPS)) and immobilization and hybridization of DNA strands on the polymer coated surface are investigated. A conformational change, specifically the swelling of the surface adsorbed polymer upon hydration, is quantified in conjunction with the application of this polymer coating for DNA microarray applications. Fluorescently labeled short DNA strands (23mers) covalently linked to the functional groups on the adsorbed polymer are used as probes to measure the swelling of the polymer. A fluorescence microscopy technique, Spectral Self-Interference Fluorescence Microscopy (SSFM), is utilized to directly measure the change in axial position of fluorophores due to swelling with subnanometer accuracy. Additionally, immobilization characteristics of single stranded DNA (ssDNA) and double stranded DNA (dsDNA) probes, as well as hybridization of ssDNA with target strands have been studied. The results show that ssDNA further away from the su...
Interleukin 1 production by a human acute monocytic leukemia cell line

Abstract Human interleukin 1 (IL-1) was produced under serum-free conditions, by stimulating a human monocytic leukemia cell line (THP-1) with silica or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The IL-1 from THP-1 cells has a molecular weight of 12,000–20,000, consistent with the low-molecular-weight form of IL-1 from human peripheral blood monocytes. Further characterization by isoelectro-focusing showed one major peak of activity at p I 7 for the THP-1 cell-derived IL-1. In contrast, the low-molecular-weight form of IL-1 from human monocytes has two major species, p I 5 and p I 7. This cloned THP-1 cell line produces levels of IL-1 activity comparable to those obtainable from peripheral blood monocytes. Thus THP-1 cells can serve as a valuable source of relatively homogenous human IL-1 for further purification and molecular characterization of its role in regulating immune functions.
Expression, folding, and characterization of small proteins with increasing disulfide complexity by a pT7-7-derived phagemid.

The expression, folding, and characterization of a series of small proteins with increasingly complex disulfide bond patterns were characterized. A phagemid was prepared from the pT7-7 plasmid to facilitate mutagenic studies with these proteins. cDNAs coding for bovine, rat, and human prolactin; human growth hormone; and bovine alpha-lactalbumin were amplified by PCR using primers that inserted restriction sites at the 5' and 3' ends and reduced the coding sequence to the mature methionyl protein with bacterially preferred codons in the 5' region. The expressed proteins were folded and oxidized by methods that allowed disulfide bond formation to occur either during or following folding. The effectiveness of the folding procedures was determined for each protein by electrophoresis, absorption spectroscopy, and functional studies. The redox conditions required for folding functional proteins varied as the number of disulfide bonds per unit molecular weight increased. Human growth hormone, 22 kDa; human prolactin, 23 kDa; and bovine prolactin, 23 kDa, contain two, three, and three disulfides, respectively, and are folded correctly by air oxidation performed during renaturation under alkaline conditions. Proper disulfide bond formation of rat prolactin, 23 kDa, containing three disulfide bonds required the addition of a reducing agent at the initiation of renaturation. Bovine alpha-lactalbumin, 14 kDa with four disulfide bonds, required complete renaturation prior to the removal of a reducing agent. SDS-gel electrophoresis under nonreducing conditions provided information regarding the proper folding of these proteins. The absorption of 250-nm light by disulfide bonds also provided information regarding the proper folding of rat prolactin and bovine alpha-lactalbumin.
Investigation of flow at leading and trailing edges of pitching-up airfoil

The dynamic stall process of an NACA 0012 airfoil undergoing a constant-rate pitching-up motion is studied experimentally in a water towing tank facility. This study focuses on the detailed measurement of the unsteady separated flow in the vicinity of the leading and trailing edges of the airfoil. The measurements are carried out using the particle image velocimetry technique. This technique provides the two-dimensional velocity and associated vorticity fields, at various instants in time, in the midspan of the airfoil. Near the leading edge, large vortical structures emerge as a consequence of van Dommelen and Shen type separation and a local vorticity accumulation. The interaction of these vortices with the reversing boundary-layer vorticity initiates a secondary flow separation and the formation of a secondary vortex. The mutual induction of this counter-rotating vortex pair eventually leads to the ejection process of the dynamic stall vortex from the leading-edge region. It is found that the trailing-edge flowfield only plays a secondary role on the dynamic stall process.
Helioseismology with the ACRIM instrument on the Solar Maximum Mission

The Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor (ACRIM) instrument on board SMM pioneered high-precision solar photometry from space, and provided the first detection of solar p-mode oscillations at low degree by this technique. The observations extended from February, 1980, until December, 1989, with a hiatus of low sampling rate in 1981-1984. During summer 1989, the instrument operated in a 'no-shutter' mode with continuous viewing between the orbital gaps. This resulted in a fourfold increase of the duty cycle, and an effective increase in the Nyquist frequency from 3.815 mHz to some tens of mHz. This review discusses the initial results from this campaign along with a general review of the analyses to date of the entire ACRIM data set.
PhoneLab: A Large Programmable Smartphone Testbed

As smartphones have emerged as the most widely deployed mobile computing platform, the scale of smartphone experimentation has lagged behind. New facilities enabling large-scale experiments are needed to ensure that research discoveries translate to the billions of smartphones in use today. To meet this challenge, we introduce PhoneLab, a 288-device smartphone testbed deployed at the University at Buffalo. PhoneLab provides access to smartphone users incentivized to participate in experiments while simplifying experiment data collection. The testbed will open for public experimentation in October, 2013, and continue to expand in 2014. To demonstrate the power of PhoneLab, we present three selected results from a usage characterization experiment run on 115 phones for 21 days. We use each result to motivate a future PhoneLab experiment, demonstrating how PhoneLab will enable mobile systems research.
Data communications: the implications of communication systems for protocol design

The construction of a communication network architecture, specifying protocols by which systems communicate, is a complex art. Much has been written about the optimal protocols for theoretical models of systems. This paper points out that protocol design must depend on the “nuts and bolts” of the systems which implement the protocols. Numerous examples are provided to support this thesis. The paper also briefly discusses other issues that influence protocol design and draws lessons for standards activities.
On the Number of Solutions of Systems of Random Equations

A variety of statistical properties have been developed for the number of solutions of an equation
Regulation of NK cell responsiveness to achieve self-tolerance and maximal responses to diseased target cells

Inhibitory receptors specific for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules govern the capacity of natural killer (NK) cells to attack class I-deficient cells ('missing-self recognition'). These receptors are expressed stochastically, such that the panel of expressed receptors varies between NK cells. This review addresses how the activity of NK cells is coordinated in the face of this variation to achieve a repertoire that is self-tolerant and optimally reactive with diseased cells. Recent studies show that NK cells arise in normal animals or humans that lack any known inhibitory receptors specific for self-MHC class I. These NK cells exhibit self-tolerance and exhibit functional hyporesponsiveness to stimulation through various activating receptors. Evidence suggests that hyporesponsiveness is induced because these NK cells cannot engage inhibitory MHC class I molecules and are therefore persistently over-stimulated by normal cells in the environment. Finally, we discuss evidence that hyporesponsiveness is a quantitative trait that varies depending on the balance of signals encountered by developing NK cells. Thus, a tuning process determines the functional set-point of NK cells, providing a basis for discriminating self from missing-self, and at the same time endowing each NK cell with the highest inherent responsiveness compatible with self-tolerance.
Diatoms from gut contents of museum specimens of an endangered minnow suggest long-term ecological changes in the Rio Grande (USA)

Diatoms consumed by Rio Grande silvery minnows (Hybognathus amarus) collected 104 years apart were used to deduce ecological requirements of this endangered species and to infer a possible cause of its decline based on environmental conditions in the Rio Grande. In 1874, foraged diatoms were largely motile, silt tolerant generalist and epipelic species (e.g. Navicula capitatoradiata, Navicula cryptotenella, Nitzschia palea, Sellaphora pupula) somewhat tolerant to pollution and indicative of eutrophic conditions, low dissolved oxygen, and high biological oxygen demand (BOD). In contrast, diatoms foraged in 1978 were mainly nonmotile epipsammic species (Fragilariaceae) sensitive to pollution and characteristic of low nutrient, oligotrophic conditions with high dissolved oxygen and low BOD. The large-scale difference in composition of the foraged diatom assemblages is consistent with a decline in nutrients and a shift in trophic state commonly associated with river regulation by dams. The results suggest that facilitating allochthonous input of detritus and nutrients into the Rio Grande ecosystem to meet foraging requirements for algivorous and detritivorous fish species such as H. amarus would be a good river restoration strategy.
Treating health care [being interactive]

The numbers are staggering. In a chilling report, the U.S. Institute of Medicine (10M) estimates that somewhere between 44,000 and 98,000 Americans die each year from "avoidable medical errors" costing the nation about US$17 billion to US$29 billion annually. Errors include failing to make timely and accurate diagnosis, selecting improper treatment, and following a treatment plan incorrectly. For example, hospital staff might give the wrong drug or dosage, or a surgeon might operate on the wrong body part. Errors in surgery or emergency treatment can be especially serious. The root causes of these errors are inadequate training, poor processes, and information systems that don't expose patient information at relevant times - sometimes leading to confusion about the patient's identity or the intended procedures. Network technologies show great promise in solving some of the dangerous and tragic "avoidable medical errors" that currently plague the health care industry.
Discovery of a meta-stable Al–Sm phase with unknown stoichiometry using a genetic algorithm

Unknown crystalline phases observed during the devitrification process of glassy metal alloys significantly limit our ability to understand and control phase selection in these systems driven far from equilibrium. Here, we report a new meta-stable Al5Sm phase identified by simultaneously searching Al-rich compositions of the Al–Sm system, using an efficient genetic algorithm. The excellent match between calculated and experimental X-ray diffraction patterns confirms that this new phase appeared in the crystallization of melt-spun Al90Sm10 alloys.
Evidence for an exocrine function of theAplysia atrial gland

The fact that the atrial gland ofAplysia californica contains peptides that will induce egg laying when injected into mature animals prompts consideration of the role played by the gland in the normal physiology of the animal. We have approached this consideration with a combination of morphologic and physiologic investigations. Morphologic study reveals the gland as a stratified epithelium comprised of three cell types. The only evidence for secretory activity was seen in the columnar epithelial cells containing large vesicular inclusions. These cells appear to discharge their secretory product into the lumen of the large hermaphroditic duct. While we cannot specify the contents of the secretion from the columnar cells, perfusate of the duct lumen contained bioassay active material only when the duct was exposed to depolarizing conditions. Though additional experiments in which exogenously administered atrial gland peptides were found to initiate egg laying in animals from which the source of the egg laying neurohormone had been extirpated, it appears likely that the atrial gland substances are not endocrine factors. Instead, their function must be sought among the exocrine products of the duct epithelium.
An Analysis of the Effect of Global Warming on the Intensity of Atlantic Hurricanes Using a GCM with Statistical Refinement

Abstract A statistical intensity adjustment is utilized to extract information from tropical cyclone simulations in a 50-km-resolution global model. A simple adjustment based on the modeled and observed probability distribution of storm lifetime maximum wind speed allows the model to capture the differences between observed intensity distributions in active/inactive year composites from the 1981–2008 period in the North Atlantic. This intensity adjustment is then used to examine the atmospheric model’s responses to different sea surface temperature anomalies generated by coupled models for the late twenty-first century. In the North Atlantic all simulations produce a reduction in the total number of cyclones, but with large intermodel spread in the magnitude of the reduction. The intensity response is positively correlated with changes in frequency across the ensemble. However, there is, on average, an increase in intensity in these simulations despite the mean reduction in frequency. The authors argue th...
Assessing the online social environment for surveillance of obesity prevalence.

Background Understanding the social environmental around obesity has been limited by available data. One promising approach used to bridge similar gaps elsewhere is to use passively generated digital data. Purpose This article explores the relationship between online social environment via web-based social networks and population obesity prevalence. Methods We performed a cross-sectional study using linear regression and cross validation to measure the relationship and predictive performance of user interests on the online social network Facebook to obesity prevalence in metros across the United States of America (USA) and neighborhoods within New York City (NYC). The outcomes, proportion of obese and/or overweight population in USA metros and NYC neighborhoods, were obtained via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance and NYC EpiQuery systems. Predictors were geographically specific proportion of users with activity-related and sedentary-related interests on Facebook. Results Higher proportion of the population with activity-related interests on Facebook was associated with a significant 12.0% (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 11.9 to 12.1) lower predicted prevalence of obese and/or overweight people across USA metros and 7.2% (95% CI: 6.8 to 7.7) across NYC neighborhoods. Conversely, greater proportion of the population with interest in television was associated with higher prevalence of obese and/or overweight people of 3.9% (95% CI: 3.7 to 4.0) (USA) and 27.5% (95% CI: 27.1 to 27.9, significant) (NYC). For activity-interests and national obesity outcomes, the average root mean square prediction error from 10-fold cross validation was comparable to the average root mean square error of a model developed using the entire data set. Conclusions Activity-related interests across the USA and sedentary-related interests across NYC were significantly associated with obesity prevalence. Further research is needed to understand how the online social environment relates to health outcomes and how it can be used to identify or target interventions.
Laser Doppler vibrometry measurements of the carotid pulse: biometrics using hidden Markov models

Small movements of the skin overlying the carotid artery, arising from pressure pulse changes in the carotid during the cardiac cycle, can be detected using the method of Laser Doppler Vibrometry (LDV). Based on the premise that there is a high degree of individuality in cardiovascular function, the pulse-related movements were modeled for biometric use. Short time variations in the signal due to physiological factors are described and these variations are shown to be informative for identity verification and recognition. Hidden Markov models (HMMs) are used to exploit the dependence between the pulse signals over successive cardiac cycles. The resulting biometric classification performance confirms that the LDV signal contains information that is unique to the individual.
A New Method for Digital Multitoning using Gray Level Separation

The problem of multitoning emerges as the result of advances on printing technology that allow the reproduction of different shades of gray applying techniques like multiple inks, different ink concentration or various dot sizes. The end result is an improvement in the quality of the reproduction. While some algorithms used for binary halftoning have been extended to deal with multitoning with a certain success, there is room for further improvement in the quality of the resulting images. Faheem, Arce, and Lau proposed gray level separation as a way to improve the quality of multitone images generated through error diffusion. In this paper a new gray level separation scheme is proposed whose objective is to ensure that black, gray and white pixels are printed in blue-noise patterns. The new scheme is applied to error diffusion as well as to the well known DBS algorithm. The results in both cases show an improvement in the texture of the printed patterns.
Scraping the surface: the techno-politics of modern streets in turn-of-twentieth-century Alexandria

This article questions the viability of separating technology from politics by examining how the introduction of modern streets in Alexandria – newly paved with a hard and durable surface, fitted with tram-rails, lined with poles, illuminated, and built over a modern network of drainage and water supply pipes – affected the city's evolving politics and social life. This history, most literally ‘from below’, aims to reinstate the agency of materials and networks as a key element of the complex social evolution of the city.
Transonic flow of moist air around a thin airfoil with non-equilibrium and homogeneous condensation

A new small-disturbance model for a steady transonic flow of moist air with non-equilibrium and homogeneous condensation around a thin airfoil is presented. The model explores the nonlinear interactions among the near-sonic speed of the flow, the small thickness ratio and angle of attack of the airfoil, and the small amount of water vapour in the air. The condensation rate is calculated according to classical nucleation and droplet growth models. The asymptotic analysis gives the similarity parameters that govern the flow problem. Also, the flow field can be described by a non-homogeneous (extended) transonic small-disturbance (TSD) equation coupled with a set of four ordinary differential equations for the calculation of the condensate (or sublimate) mass fraction. An iterative numerical scheme which combines Murman & Cole's (1971) method for the solution of the TSD equation with Simpson's integration rule for the estimation of the condensate mass production is developed. The results show good agreement with available numerical simulations using the inviscid fluid flow equations. The model is used to study the effects of humidity and of energy supply from condensation on the aerodynamic performance of airfoils.
Liquid-encapsulated Czochralski growth of InP crystals

Abstract This paper reports the results of our research on the growth of InP crystals used to provide high-quality substrates for GaInAsP/InP diode lasers and detectors. The crystals are grown by the liquid-encapsulated Czochralski (LEC) method using high-purity polycrystalline starting material that is synthesized from the elements in sealed fused-silica ampoules by the horizontal Bridgman method. By making a detailed study of the effects of changes in the LEC growth parameters, we have shown that the probability of twinning is decreased by increasing the temperature gradient at the crystal-melt interface. On the basis of this study we have developed a growth procedure that produces a high yield of twin-free boules. The temperature gradient required to obtain twin-free growth is significantly higher for crystals that are heavily doped with Zn (>1 × 1018 cm-3) than for those doped with lower concentrations of Zn or with other impurities.
Exercise and Intermittent Claudication I. Effect of Repetition and Intensity of Exercise

Four men with arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) were exercised on a treadmill on 4 different days to determine their maximal walking time (MWT) and the point at which their claudication pain (CPT) began. Each subject was exercised at 60%, 75%, and 90% of his MWT to determine the effect of work intensity on the systolic blood pressure at the ankle (AP). To measure the effect of exercise repeated on the same day, each subject walked five times each day on 4 different days at each of the three workloads. After each subject completed the required number of walks, his MWT was again measured on 4 separate days (one subject was retested only once) to determine whether it had changed. In every case the greatest reduction in AP occurred after the initial maximal walk but the submaximal intensities caused different responses in the different subjects. With repetition of exercise each subject displayed a progressive increase in either the AP level taken 2 minutes postexercise or the rate of recovery of AP to the pre...
Time and temperature dependent response of a wood–polypropylene composite

Abstract The effect of time and temperature on the mechanical properties of an extruded wood–polypropylene composite (WPC) material was investigated. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material, acquired from commercially available sheet piles, was adopted to establish the baseline performance for structural applications. Quasi-static and creep tensile tests were conducted at −10, 21, 30, 45 and 65 °C. The decrease in the modulus of elasticity and the modulus of rupture with the increase in temperature was characterized. Short-term tensile creep tests were conducted for 40% stress level at 21, 30 and 45 °C. The time–temperature superposition principle was implemented to model the long-term creep performance at 21 °C. The long-term creep response was predicted up to 7.9 years for the WPC material. The WPC material long-term creep prediction was validated by correlating the fractional deflections with experimental values obtained from long-term creep tests previously conducted for the same material formulation.
Are Union Wage Differentials in the United States Falling

This paper addresses several estimation and specification issues in estimating union wage differentials in the United States over the last two decades. Estimates provide strong evidence of a decline in the differential for women. For men, the differential appears to have declined for a person with overall average characteristics, but not for a male with characteristics of the average unionized male.
Maternal Hyperphenylalaninemia: Rapid achievement of metabolic control predicts overall control throughout pregnancy

Women with hyperphenylalaninemia are at risk of having offspring affected with the maternal phenylketonuria syndrome. Here we analyze the effect of the intervention of a nutritionist on plasma phenylalanine control in Maternal Hyperphenylalaninemia. We analyzed a retrospective cohort of 35 completed pregnancies in 20 women with Maternal Hyperphenylalaninemia who visited the metabolic nutritionist during the pregnancy to achieve metabolic control. Women who promptly achieved metabolic control had lower plasma phenylalanine concentrations for the remainder of the pregnancy when compared to women who did not achieve prompt control, and this difference reached statistical significance. The achievement of plasma phenylalanine concentrations within the desired target range by the time of the second visit to the nutritionist is a strong predictor of the ability to maintain the desired target range of plasma phenylalanine for the remainder of the pregnancy. Furthermore, we demonstrate that phenylalanine tolerance increases significantly by trimester in women with classical and variant hyperphenylalaninemia.
Thermal Reactor Synthesis of Nanoscale Ceramic Powders using Organosilazane Aerosols

This investigation involves the thermal conversion of an organosilazane precursors into ultrafine ceramic particles. In this process, aerosols of a reactive organosilazane precursor, [CH3SiHNH]n n = 3 or 4, are injected into a hot furnace to obtain Si3N4/SiC ceramic powders. One critical feature examined in this process was the rapidity of the powder synthesis, in a reaction which involves (i) elimination of ligand groups, (ii) formation of ceramic species, and (iii) condensation of ceramic species into ultrafine ceramic particles. Accompanying studies a model has been formulated to determine the gas cooling rate and particle size.
Physical Continuity and Trait Inference: A Test of Mischel's Hypothesis

An experiment was conducted to test Mischel's (1968) hypo thesis that peoples' persistent beliefs in behavioral consistency and traits is facilitated by the fact of constancy in physical character istics. Sixty subjects were presented with a description about and photographs of a stimulus person. In one condition, the set of pic tures depicted physical continuity, and in a second condition, the pictures illustrated discontinuity in physical appearance. Results supported Mischel's hypothesis: Subjects viewing stability in appear ance rated the stimulus person as more consistent in his behavior and ascribed more traits to him than subjects in the discontinuity condi tion.
Cerebral ammonia metabolism in patients with severe liver disease and minimal hepatic encephalopathy.

Cerebral ammonia metabolism was studied in five control subjects and five patients with severe liver disease exhibiting minimal hepatic encephalopathy. The arterial ammonia concentration in the control subjects was 30 ± 7 μmol/L (mean ± SD) and 55 ± 13 μmol/L in the patients (p < 0.01). In the normal subjects, the whole-brain values for cerebral blood flow, cerebral metabolic rate for ammonia, and the permeability-surface area product for ammonia were 0.58 ± 0.12 ml g−1 min−1, 0.35 ± 0.15 μmol 100 g−1 min−1, and 0.13 ± 0.03 ml g−1 min−1, respectively. In the patients, the respective values were 0.46 ± 0.16 ml g−1 min−1 (not different from control), 0.91 ± 0.36 μmol 100 g−1 min−1 (p < 0.025), and 0.22 ± 0.07 ml g−1 min−1 (p < 0.05). The increased permeability-surface area product of the blood-brain barrier permits ammonia to diffuse across the blood-brain barrier into the brain more freely than normal. This may cause ammonia-induced encephalopathy even though arterial ammonia levels are normal or near norm...
Neighboring extremals of dynamic optimization problems with path equality constraints

Neighboring extremals of dynamic optimization problems with path equality constraints and with an unknown parameter vector are considered in this paper. With some simplifications, the problem is reduced to solving a linear, time-varying two-point boundary-value problem with integral path equality constraints. A modified backward sweep method is used to solve this problem. Two example problems are solved to illustrate the validity and usefulness of the solution technique.
Laboratory Experiments on the Effect of Microtopography on Soil-Water Movement: Spatial Variability in Wetting Front Movement

The effect of microtopography on soil-water movement is a topic of interest for a range of disciplines, with experimental studies investigating the relationship between the two lacking. Laboratory experiments were conducted by simulating rainfall across packed soil surfaces to investigate the effect of microtopography on wetting front movement within experimental soil profiles. In small soil box experiments, the observed wetting fronts for soil profiles showed considerably deeper movement beneath a smooth surface than depressions for 12–60 min rainfalls. For large soil box experiments, the wetting front reached moisture sensors installed at 5 and 10 cm depths and corresponding to various rough and smooth surface features at significantly different times, with movement being most rapid beneath the smooth surface. Wetting front movement was “quicker” beneath surface peaks than depressions for the rough surface as attributed to 2D/3D unsaturated flow. This study provides valuable experimentally based insight into the effect of microtopography on soil-water movement.