cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Uniform convergence of the multigrid V-cycle for an anisotropic problem

In this paper, we consider the linear systems arising from the standard finite element discretizations of certain second order anisotropic problems with variable coefficients on a rectangle. We study the performance of V-cycle multigrid method applied to the finite element equations. Since the usual regularity and approximation assumption does not hold for the anisotropic finite element problems, the standard multigrid convergence theory cannot be applied directly. In this paper, a modification of the theory of Braess and Hackbusch will be presented. We show that the V-cycle multigrid iteration with a line smoother is a uniform contraction in the energy norm. In the verification of the hypotheses in our theory, we use a weighted L 2 -norm estimate for the error in the Galerkin finite element approximation and a smoothing property of the line smoothers which is proved in this paper.
The racial geography of street vice

Abstract Street vice (anonymous prostitution, gambling, and the sale of illicit drugs) is spatially concentrated and confined largely to Black neighborhoods in central cities, even though demand is quite evenly distributed throughout the general population. We show how this pattern can arise through the interacting location decisions of sellers, buyers, and non-user households. Areas with high demand density (cities) have lower prices and more tightly packed sellers in equilibrium relative to areas with lower demand density (suburbs) under autarky. When trade between city and suburb is possible, competitive pressure from the city lowers suburban prices and seller density. Higher income households distance themselves from street vice, causing the exposed population to become poorer and disproportionately Black. Even mild preferences over neighborhood racial composition can then induce lower income Whites to exit, resulting in racial segregation. The relationship between segregation and exposure to vice can be non-monotonic and discontinuous: decreased segregation implies greater sorting by income, and hence larger wage disparities between city and suburb. If such disparities get too large, all sales can shift discontinuously to the city and result in higher overall Black exposure even though more Blacks now reside in the suburbs.
Effects of 5-bromo-2'deoxyuridine (BrdU) implants on hepatic cytochrome P-450 content and beta-oxidation activity in rats and mice.

ABSTRACTStandard regulatory toxicity tests are frequently supplemented with additional compound specific analysis. Analysis of hepatic cytochrome P-450 content, hepatic β-oxidation activity (biochemical analysis), and cell proliferation rates are examples of these analyses that are included when past experience or similarity to other compounds, suggest that a presently tested compound may have an effect. Until now, separate subsets of animals have been designated for cell proliferation analysis and biochemical analysis, because it was unknown if implantation of 5-bromo-2'deoxyuridine (BrdU) filled osmotic pumps (BrdU implants) would effect the rate of hepatic-β or hepatic cytochrome P-450 content.The purpose of the current study was to determine if BrdU implants had an effect on hepatic cytochrome P-450 content, β-oxidation activity, or the measurement of these enzymes in rats and mice. The BrdU was administered through subcutaneous osmotic pump implants.The rate of hepatic peroxisomal p-oxidation was not...
EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF THE INFERENTIAL SYSTEM FOR DISTILLATION CONTROL

An inferential control scheme has been applied to control the bottoms—product composition of a laboratory-scale n-propanol-methanol, distillation column. The closed-loop performance of the inferential control system is compared with the conventional proportional-integral control system. The application of inferential control resulted in improved response for disturbances in feed composition and feed flow rate.
Pentylenetetrazole induced changes in cerebellar energy metabolism.

Pentylenetetrazole was administered to Swiss-Albino mice, producing clonic-tonic seizures. Other groups were pretreated with one of the three anticonvulsants: phenytoin, clonazepam, or sodium valproate. Mice were sacrificed during the preseizure (1 minute) stage and at the onset of clonic-tonic seizures (2 minutes). Glucose, glycogen, ATP, and phosphocreatine were measured in layers of the parietal cortex and cerebellar vermis. Cortical metabolites were unchanged, or increased slightly, suggesting decreased utilization. In both cerebellar layers, glucose and glycogen were significantly decreased, and phosphocreatine was decreased in the molecular layer. These results indicate a regionally selective effect for pentylenetetrazole on cerebral energy metabolites. Pretreatment with anticonvulsants reduced the severity of the seizure, and eliminated the effect of pentylenetetrazole on glucose and glycogen.
The Tropical Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere in the GEOS-2 GCM

The structure of the tropical upper troposphere and lower stratosphere in the GEOS-2 General Circulation Model (GCM) is discussed. The emphasis of this study is on the reality of monthly-mean temperature and water vapor distributions in the model, compared to reasonable observational estimates. It is shown that although the zonal-mean temperature is in good agreement with observations, the GCM supports an excessive zonal asymmetry near the tropopause compared to the ECMWF Reanalyses. In reality there is a QBO-related variability in the zonally averaged lower stratospheric temperature which is not captured by the model. The observed upper tropospheric temperature and humidity fields show variations related to those in the sea surface temperature, which are not incorporated in the GCM; nevertheless, there is some interannual variability in the GCM, indicating a component arising from internal processes. The model is too moist in the middle troposphere (500 hPa) but too dry in the upper troposphere, suggesting that there is too little vertical transport or too much drying in the GCM. Transport into the stratosphere shows a pronounced annual cycle, with drier air entering the tropical stratosphere when the tropopause is coldest in northern winter; while the alternating dry and moist air masses can be traced ascending through the tropical lower stratosphere, the progression of the anomalies is too rapid.
Mutual coupling in a finite planar array with interelement holes present

The mutual coupling in a finite planar array with interelement holes present was considered. A computer program designed to study mutual coupling between rectangular waveguides was modified to include coupling between elements of different sizes. This modified program was used to study the problem of widely spaced rectangular waveguides that form smaller rectangular holes in the ground plane. Comparisons with experimental data confirmed the validity of the model. Tests run at various hole sizes showed that holes that are much smaller than their cutoff size have little effect on the coupling. For the rectangular-hole case, hole widths of less than half the cutoff width of the dominant mode had little effect. >
Restrictiveness in Case Theory

Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 2. Argument case and case alternations 3. A typology of case systems 4. Linker interactions 5. Icelandic 6. Changes in linking 7. Case semi-preservation 8. Conclusions Notes References Index.
Prognostic significance of p53 mutations in colon cancer at the population level.

Some studies have reported that p53 mutations or certain types of p53 mutation are associated with poor prognosis in colon cancer, while other studies have failed to show such a relationship. None of these previous studies was population-based. We therefore evaluated the prognostic significance of p53 mutations in a large, population-based study of 1,464 individuals with colon cancer from Utah and California. Mutations in exons 5-8 were detected by SSCP analysis, followed by sequencing of aberrant bands. p53 mutations were identified in colon cancers from 665 of 1,464 (45.4%) individuals. p53 mutations were significantly more common in distal tumors (p < 0.01), tumors of relatively high stage (p = 0.04), tumors without MSI (p < 0.01) and tumors without Ki-ras mutations (p < 0.01). In a univariate analysis, tumors with p53 mutations were associated with a significantly worse 5-year survival than those with wild-type p53 (53.4% vs. 58.8%, p = 0.04); significantly worse prognosis also was seen with missense mutations, transitions, transversions, mutations affecting the structure of the p53 molecule, mutations within the beta-sandwich motif and mutations in proximal tumors. In multivariate analyses, however, the only significant predictors of poor prognosis were G245 hot spot mutations (HRR = 2.16, 95% CI 1.06-4.40) and p53 mutations in proximal tumors (HRR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.07-1.63). We conclude that overall p53 mutational status is not an independent predictor of poor prognosis in colon cancer. However, specific classes of mutations, namely, the G245 hot spot mutation and mutations in proximal tumors, are related to significantly worse survival even after adjusting for age and stage.
Functional relationships for determining similarities and differences in comparative cognition

Pigeons, capuchin monkeys and rhesus monkeys were trained in nearly identical same/different tasks with an expanding 8-item training set and showed qualitatively similar functional relationships: increasing novel-stimulus transfer (i.e., concept learning) as a function of the training-set size and the level of transfer eventually becoming equivalent to baseline training performance. There were also some quantitative functional differences: pigeon transfer increases were more gradual and baseline-equivalent transfer occurred at a larger set size (256 items) than for monkeys (128 items). Other pigeon groups trained at 32 and 64-item initial set sizes showed improved transfer (relative to expanding the 8-item training set), equivalent to the monkey species' transfer at these same training set sizes. This finding of equivalent concept learning over a portion of the functional range (8, 32, and 64 items or 64-4096 training pairs) is discussed in terms of species differences: carryover effects from smaller-set training, evolved neural systems, cognitive and cortical modules, and general distributed learning systems for "higher-order" cognitive abilities.
Optimality of Beamforming for MIMO Multiple Access Channels Via Virtual Representation

In this correspondence, we consider the optimality of beamforming for achieving the ergodic capacity of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) multiple access channel (MAC) via virtual representation (VR) model. We assume that the receiver knows the channel state information (CSI) perfectly but that the transmitter knows only partial CSI, i.e., the channel statistics. For the single-user case, we prove that the capacity-achieving beamforming angle (c.b.a.) is unique, and there exists a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold below which beamforming is optimal and above which beamforming is strictly suboptimal. For the multi-user case, we show that the c.b.a is not unique and we obtain explicit conditions that determine the beamforming angles for a special class of correlated MAC-VR models. Under mild conditions, we show that a large class of power allocation schemes can achieve the sum-capacity within a constant as the number of users in the system becomes large. The beamforming scheme, in particular, is shown to be asymptotically capacity-achieving only for certain MAC-VR models.
Family, Ethnicity, and Immigrant Youths’ Educational Achievements:

Data from the 1988 National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS) are used to examine immigrant youths’ reading comprehension and mathematics’ standardized scores as well as their parents’ demographic characteristics and parent-child relations that could influence children’s educational achievements. The comparisons were among parents who had emigrated from Asian, Central and South American, or the less often included European countries and their first- and second-generation offspring. It appeared that Asian students did somewhat better than the other groups. However, regardless of ethnicity and also as hypothesized, parents’ aspirations for their children to obtain more education as well as the children’s own aspirations generally were positively related to their children’s doing well in school. Contrary to previous research, though, ethnic background did not consistently differentiate parental help with homework or parent-child conversations about school on the adolescents’ standardized scores.
Evaluation of the virulence of a Streptococcus pneumoniae neuraminidase-deficient mutant in nasopharyngeal colonization and development of otitis media in the chinchilla model

Considerable evidence has implicated Streptococcus pneumoniae neuraminidase in the pathogenesis of otitis media (OM); however, its exact role has not been conclusively established. Recently, an S. pneumoniae neuraminidase-deficient mutant, ΔNA1, has been constructed by insertion-duplication mutagenesis of the nanA gene of S. pneumoniae strain D39. The relative ability of ΔNA1 and the D39 parent strain to colonize the nasopharynx and to induce OM subsequent to intranasal inoculation and to survive in the middle ear cleft after direct challenge of the middle ear were evaluated in the chinchilla model. Nasopharyngeal colonization data indicate a significant difference in the ability of the ΔNA1 mutant to colonize as well as to persist in the nasopharynx. The neuraminidase-deficient mutant was eliminated from the nasopharynx 2 weeks earlier than the D39 parent strain. Both the parent and the mutant exhibited similar virulence levels and kinetics during the first week after direct inoculation of the middle ear. The ΔNA1 neuraminidase-deficient mutant, however, was then completely eliminated from the middle ear by day 10 postchallenge, 11 days before the D39 parent strain. Data from this study indicate that products of the nanA gene have an impact on the ability of S. pneumoniae to colonize and persist in the nasopharynx as well as the middle ear.
Delta-front hyperpycnal bed geometry and implications for reservoir modeling: Cretaceous Panther Tongue delta, Book Cliffs, Utah

The Cretaceous Panther Tongue has an upward-coarsening and -thickening pattern and is well exposed in extensive large outcrops in the Book Cliffs area, west-central Utah. The deposits have been interpreted as having formed in a fluvial-dominated river delta environment that generated highly sediment-concentrated sustained (turbidity) flows during flooding, producing hyperpycnal-flow deposits on the delta front despite some resemblance to deep-water turbidites. The facies associations indicate terminal distributary channel, channel mouth, and proximal delta-front and distal delta-front depositional environments. The measured paleocurrents indicate a south-southwest transport of the sediments. The thickness of the hyperpycnal sandstone beds ranges from centimeters to meters. Sandstones are characteristically parallel laminated, sometimes structureless or rarely display inclined strata of cut-and-fill type. The sandstone hyperpycnal beds dominate the delta-front clinoforms and dip southward, consistent with the other paleocurrent indicators. Individual sandstone beds in the clinoforms have dips that range from 0.1 on the distal delta front (lower part of the outcrops) to 3 in the proximal parts (upper part of the outcrops). The hyperpycnal beds can be traced from a proximal mouth-bar environment to the distal delta front over a distance of hundreds of meters. As individual beds extend from mouth bar to distal delta-front environments, they become systematically finer grained and thinner. Over short distances (hundreds of meters), the beds thin with rates ranging between 0.0001 (i.e., dm/km) to 0.02 (i.e., tens of meters per kilometer). The sandstone beds thin to a greater degree in a dip direction than along strike, indicating a relatively strike-elongate (flow-normal) geometry of the hyperpycnal flows and of the delta lobes. The wider than longer geometry of the delta-front beds requires that reservoir development be more focused upon the downdip facies changes (heterogeneities) than the lateral (along strike) heterogeneities.
Modeling Transmission of Microwaves Through Dynamic Vegetation

In this paper, we develop a model for estimating canopy opacity tau for sweet corn. We estimate the refractive index based upon moisture distribution in the corn during different stages of growth. The moisture distribution was observed during two season-long field experiments. We found that the moisture content decreased linearly as the height of the corn increased, with the distribution closer to Gaussian in the fruit region during reproductive stages. The tau obtained from our model was compared to that estimated using a widely used Jackson model. In general, our tau estimates were higher than those obtained using the Jackson model, with a root mean-square difference (rmsd) of up to 0.23 Np between the two models. The tau values were used in a microwave emission model at C-band, and the model estimates of brightness were compared with field observations. We found that the model brightness temperatures matched well with observations, with rmsd values of 5.13 and 4.88 K, using our model and the Jackson model for tau, respectively.
Can We Incentivize Sensing in a Light-Handed Way?

The current approach to regulate spectrum sensing seems light-handed (just specify the target sensitivity), but has very heavy-handed consequences. The problem is that sensitivity is an intermediate metric that is convenient for certification, but is not reflecting the true externalities imposed by inadequate sensing. This mismatch causes overhead: usually an overinvestment in sensing at the single-radio level and the inability to exploit synergies across multiple radios because the benefit does not show up in the certification metric of sensitivity. Light-handed approaches have the benefit of allowing such flexibility but come with their own overheads. This paper explores this question in some detail to see if criminal-law inspired light-handed approaches can work without imposing more overhead than it is worth.
Expressing Preferences in a Principal-Agent Task: A Comparison of Choice, Rating, and Matching

One of the more disturbing yet important findings in the social sciences is the observation that alternative tasks result in different expressed preferences among choice alternatives. We examine this problem not from the perspective of an individual making personal decisions, but from the perspective of an agent trying to follow the known values of a principal. In two studies, we train people to evaluate outcomes described by specific attributes and then examine their ability to express these known values with three common tasks: ratings of individual alternatives, choices among triples of alternatives, and matching pairs of alternatives to indifference. We find that each preference assessment method has distinct strengths and weaknesses. Ratings are quick, robust at following known values, and are perceived as an easy task by respondents. However, because ratings require projection to an imprecise response scale, respondents have difficulty when applying them to more complex preference structures. Further, they place too much weight on negative information, a result that is consistent with reference-dependent loss aversion. Choice is perceived as the most realistic task and the one about which people feel the most confident. However, choices exhibit the most negativity, which, in addition to flowing from the same perceptual bias of ratings, may be exacerbated by a screening strategy that excludes alternatives possessing the lowest level of an attribute. Finally, the matching task takes the most time and is perceived to be the most difficult. It shows minimal biases, except for one glaring flaw, a substantial overweighting of the matching variable. This bias is consistent with a well-known compatibility bias and suggests that agents can learn to use a matching task appropriately for all attributes except the matching variable itself. The article concludes with a discussion of the theoretical mechanisms by which these biases infiltrate different elicitation modes and a summary of managerial implications of these results.
The Wisdom of the Egoist: The Moral and Political Implications of Valuing the Self

There is a traditional understanding of what morality is, an under-standing that most contemporary moral philosophers take for granted. This understanding is not itself a theory, but rather an account of the phenomenon of morality, to which these philosophers have thought any theory of the phenomenon must conform if it is to be considered successful as either an explanation or a justification of our moral life. According to this account, there are three prominent features that, together, characterize the moral:First, moral action and moral regard are taken to be other-regarding. While some philosophers have identified a certain kind of self-respect as part of morality, in general morality has been thought to involve duties to others, requiring that they be treated with respect. Self-interest is generally taken to be outside the province of the moral.
Analysis of the embryonic sources and mechanisms of development of posterior levels of chick neural tubes

The mechanisms of development of posterior levels of neural tubes of chick embryos were analyzed by study of serial cross-sections of a continuous series of normal embryos between 40 to 72 hours of incubation. Two extirpation experiments were performed in ovo on other embryos of the same stages. Descriptive studies revealed the presence of an overlap zone in which two types of neural tube formation occurred. Open neural tube formation (by fusion of neural folds) occurred dorsally in this region; closed neural tube formation (by canalization of solid medullary cord tissue) occurred ventrally. Extirpation of the posterior end of the neural plate produced defects within the lumbosacral region, indicating that the posterior neural plate participates in the formation of the lumbosacrum, and that the overlap zone is therefore in the lumbosacral region. Extirpation of the prospective neural tissue in the anterior end of the tail bud indicated that only the most posterior levels of the neural tube originate exclusively by cavitation of the tail bud. In both extirpation experiments a neural tube formed independently within the tail bud tissue, indicating that formation of the neural tube in this region is not dependent upon direct continuity with neural tissue anteriorly.
The dynamic yin-yang interaction of CXCR4 and CXCR7 in breast cancer metastasis

The contribution of CXCR7 to the tumor microenvironment has introduced a new level of complexity to CXCL12 signaling in breast cancer. In the previous issue of Breast Cancer Research, Hernandez and colleagues delineate the roles of CXCR4 and CXCR7 in tumor invasion and metastasis. The authors demonstrate that co-expression of CXCR7 and CXCR4 results in inhibition of CXCL12-mediated invasion, reduced intravasation of tumor cells into the vasculature, and fewer lung metastases compared with parental tumors. The results of this study suggest the combination of small molecule inhibitors of CXCR4 and CXCR7 could dramatically reduce invasion, intravasation, and metastasis and could be highly beneficial for the treatment of invasive breast cancer.
Sphere-bound-achieving coset codes and multilevel coset codes

A simple sphere bound gives the best possible tradeoff between the volume per point of an infinite array L and its error probability on an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. It is shown that the sphere bound can be approached by a large class of coset codes or multilevel coset codes with multistage decoding, including certain binary lattices. These codes have structure of the kind that has been found to be useful in practice. Capacity curves and design guidance for practical codes are given. Exponential error bounds for coset codes are developed, generalizing Poltyrev's (1994) bounds for lattices. These results are based on the channel coding theorems of information theory, rather than the Minkowski-Hlawka theorem of lattice theory.
Plasma Homocysteine Concentration, Statin Therapy, and the Risk of First Acute Coronary Events

Background— Elevated homocysteine levels are associated with increased coronary risk, and it has been suggested that homocysteine screening may provide a method to identify high-risk patients for aggressive primary prevention. Methods and Results— Homocysteine was measured at baseline and after 1 year among 5569 participants in the Air Force/Texas Coronary Atherosclerosis Prevention Study (AFCAPS/TexCAPS), a randomized trial of lovastatin in the primary prevention of acute coronary events. The effects of homocysteine, LDL cholesterol, and lovastatin on risk were assessed over 5.2 years of trial follow-up. Median baseline homocysteine levels were significantly higher among study participants who subsequently had acute coronary events compared with those who did not (12.1 versus 10.9 μmol/L, P<0.001). The relative risks of future events from lowest (referent) to highest quartile of homocysteine were 1.0, 1.6, 1.6, and 2.2 (P<0.001). These effects were similar among those allocated to lovastatin and those al...
Applications of multidimensional distributions in electrostatics

The multidimensional Dirac delta function and the Heaviside unit step function are shown to be analytical tools of use in solving classical demonstrations of Gauss's Law in electrostatics. Applications in spherically symmetric and cylindrically symmetric scenarios are presented-and verified by the differential form of Gauss's Law.
Improving an introductory course on digital logic

Our department has systematically revised and improved the computer engineering component of our curriculum. This effort included the improvement of our sophomore level course on digital logic. The introductory course on digital logic was improved with hardware and software projects. Hardware projects consist of take home experiments while software projects entail the use of LogicWorks for circuit simulation and OrCAD for programming PLDs. We discuss these projects in detail.
Esophageal replacement with a reversed gastric tube.

Ten patients have been presented in whom esophageal replacement with a reversed gastric tube has been accomplished. This operation provides a physiological means of esophageal replacement and offers the following advantages: 1. The reversed gastric tube looks and functions like a normal esophagus. 2. All foods can be swallowed in a normal manner. 3. The entire esophagus can be replaced. 4. Eighty per cent of the stomach remains in the abdomen retaining the normal storage function. 5. Peptic esophagitis does not occur because the antrum, which does not secrete acid, forms the portion of the reversed gastric tube which is anastomosed to the esophagus. 6. There is no intestinal organ or foreign material interposed between the proximal esophagus and the stomach. 7. The blood supply to the reversed gastric tube is excellent. 8. The reversed gastric tube is brought to the neck through a subcutaneous tunnel. If the esophageal obstruction is caused by a benign stricture or an inoperable carcinoma, thoracotomy need not be performed.
Microbial Transformations of Minerals and Metals: Recent Advances in Geomicrobiology Derived from Synchrotron-Based X-Ray Spectroscopy and X-Ray Microscopy

The field of geomicrobiology has embraced efforts to define and quantify the role of microbial organisms in low-temperature geochemical processes. However, any mechanistic understanding of the interactions between microbial organisms and minerals or metals requires analytical tools with the appropriate chemical sensitivity and spatial resolution. In the past several years, increasing application of nanometer-, micron-, and bulk-scale synchrotronbased X-ray techniques has provided new insights regarding the feedbacks among microbial growth, mineral dissolution, redox transformations, and biomineralization processes. In this review, recent findings derived from X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray microprobe mapping, and X-ray microscopy studies are integrated to provide a new view of the dynamic biogeochemistry occurring at the microbe-mineral interface.
c-myc and skp2 coordinate p27 degradation, vascular smooth muscle proliferation, and neointima formation induced by the parathyroid hormone-related protein.

Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) contains a classical bipartite nuclear localization signal. Nuclear PTHrP induces proliferation of arterial vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). In the arterial wall, PTHrP is markedly up-regulated in response to angioplasty and promotes arterial restenosis. PTHrP overexpression exacerbates arterial restenosis, and knockout of the PTHrP gene results in decreased VSMC proliferation in vivo. In arterial VSMC, expression of the cell cycle inhibitor, p27, rapidly decreases after angioplasty, and replacement of p27 markedly reduces neointima development. We have shown that PTHrP overexpression in VSMC leads to p27 down-regulation, mostly through increased proteosomal degradation. Here, we determined the molecular mechanisms through which PTHrP targets p27 for degradation. S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (skp2) and c-myc, two critical regulators of p27 expression and stability, and neointima formation were up-regulated in PTHrP overexpression in VSMC. Normalizatio...
Psychosocial variables associated with binge eating in obese males and females.

Objective This study tested a psychosocial model of binge eating symptoms in obese men and women. Predictor variables included depression, dietary restraint, self-esteem, weight cycling, history of teasing, body dissatisfaction, and neuroticism. Method Participants (N = 808) completed a packet of self-report questionnaires. Results Weight cycling, teasing about weight and shape, body dissatisfaction, negative affect, and dietary restraint comprised the best fitting models (original and cross-validation) for binge eating in women and men. These variables explained 61–72% of the variance in symptoms of binge eating in the samples of men and 70% of the variance in the samples of women. Although the male and female models were mostly similar, notable differences between them were found. Discussion The variables that comprise these etiological models should be considered in the development of prevention programs for obese binge eaters. Longitudinal studies, however, are needed to examine these etiological paths and to test for causal relationships. © 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 30: 217–221, 2001.
Performance based reliability optimization for computer networks

This paper addresses the important problem of allocating capacities to the links of a computer network such that the performance based reliability is maximized and a cost constraint is satisfied. The performance and reliability of a computer network depends both on the reliabilities and capacities of the communication links and the computing elements. Performance based reliability oriented capacity allocation scheme is developed for computer networks. In this scheme capacities are allocated to the links of the network such that the performance based reliability is maximized using the genetic algorithm (GA). The overall effectiveness of a computer network can be measured in terms of the previously developed measure, the average network throughput. This measure computes performance based reliability from the network connectivity point of view. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the GA based approach, the results obtained using the GA are compared with optimal solutions obtained by an exhaustive search of the problem state space.
Da tela às ruas

Reflexoes sobre os smartmobs, os efeitos da era docomputador em nosso ambiente, e a acao coletiva. O artigo alem dissodebate sobre a natureza das revolucoes tecnologicas e seu impacto emproblemas politicos, incluindo estabilidade e controle politico.
Overexpression of fragile X gene (FMR-1) transcripts increases cAMP production in neural cells

Fragile X syndrome results from amplification of an unstable trinucleotide (CGG) repeat in the first exon of FMR-1, the "fragile X gene." This mutation silences the gene, resulting in loss of expression of the FMR proteins (FMRP), a series of RNA-binding proteins generated by alternative splicing of FMR-1 transcripts. We have shown that cAMP production is diminished in cells from patients with fragile X syndrome. To establish a direct relationship between FMR-1 expression and cAMP metabolism, FMRP isoforms 1 and 7 were overexpressed in the neurotumor hybrid cell line HN2. Cyclic AMP production in clonal HN2 lines overexpressing FMRP was significantly higher than in nonoverexpressing control lines and increased with increasing total FMR-1 mRNA on Northern blots and FMRP signal on Western blots. These data support a role for FMRP in the regulation of cAMP signal transduction by increasing intracellular cAMP, perhaps through a mechanism involving binding and enhanced translation of mRNA(s) for cAMP cascade proteins. Diminished cAMP production in the absence of FMR-1 may provide one neurochemical mechanism through which FMR-1 influences cognitive function.
Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Children The Importance of Physical Activity

Considerable evidence has accrued that cardiovascular disease (CVD) has its beginnings during childhood, with some reports of endothelial damage occurring in early adolescence. Thus, early prevention and intervention on developing cardiometabolic risk factors is important. Presently, diet and exercise are strategic parts of any CVD prevention or treatment program. Although diet is important, the effects of exercise training or regular moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity go beyond simply modifying the traditional risk factors. For children, the majority of studies show that regular physical activity can lower elevated blood pressure, positively influence lipid profiles, reduce inflammation, and improve vascular functioning. These changes are most evident in children who exercise and lose weight. Despite these potential benefits of physical activity, not all studies on children have found positive effects of habitual physical activity on CVD risk factors. Reasons for these differences are discu...
Prevention of catheter-related bloodstream infections in patients on hemodialysis: challenges and management strategies

Catheter-related bloodstream infections are a significant source of morbidity and mortality in the end-stage renal disease population. Although alternative accesses to undergoing renal replacement therapy exist, many patients begin hemodialysis with a dialysis catheter due to logistic and physiologic factors involved in arteriovenous fistula creation and maturation. Colonization of catheters via skin flora leads to the production of biofilm, which acts as a reservoir for virulent bacteria. Preventative therapies center on appropriate catheter maintenance, infection control measures, and early removal of devices as patients transition to other access. Despite best efforts, when conservative measures fail to prevent infections in a high-risk population, antimicrobial lock therapy should be considered as an option to combat catheter-related bloodstream infections.
Research on the Interaction between CL-20 and NC-NG System via DSC/TG-MS

Under the condition that the samples were resolved in the proper solution,the interaction between CL-20 andNC-NG system were investigated by the use of DSC/TG-MS technology.The interaction rules are that the decompositionprogress of CL-20 and NC-NG systems not only have some physical interaction,but also have obvious chemical interaction.Theresult shows that the sublimation progress of NG and the decomposition progress of CL-20 have been moved along evidently andthe decomposition progress of NC-NG systems have been delayed.The thermal weightlessness of different size of CL-20 alsoindicated that the CL-20 with larger size has twice weightlessness,while the CL-20 with smaller size has once during thermaldecomposition procedure.
Dementia secondary to metabolic and nutritional abnormalities.

Two of the causes of dementia that are most often overlooked are reviewed—metabolic and nutritional abnormalities. The effects of nutrients on the elderly and brain function are described, along with the metabolic causes of dementia and their possible mechanisms.
Advance selling to strategic consumers

Advance selling of goods and services is a form of separating purchase from consumption. It is often employed when consumers are uncertain about their consumption utilities until a short time period before consumption. A book to be released, a concert to attend, or a cruise to take are some examples. Invariably, in consumers’ mind inventory availability (of copies, seats, or rooms) is a concern. In this paper we study a retailer’s inventory and pricing decisions in an advance selling scenario that involves consumers who are strategic. Some consumers not only consider advance and spot prices, but also the uncertainty in future availability of the product (during the spot period) and in their consumption utility from it. We characterize the optimal inventory management and pricing policies, and discuss several interesting aspects of the solution. For example, it can be optimal for the retailer to limit advance sales even if there is more demand for it, and it can be optimal for the retailer to limit its inventory even though there is more capacity to keep it, but not both.
Disaster Relief Mental Health Resources: Community-Based Interventions and Implications for the Middle East

The purpose of this chapter is to review disaster relief community-based mental health resources. The goal is to learn how these resources can be adapted to encompass a community-driven perspective. It examines evidence-based best practices in disaster relief on both a national and community level. These practices will be specifically related to recovery and relief efforts in New Jersey following Hurricane Sandy, but will be discussed in a broader context of implications for the Middle East. A foundation of community-based participatory research and critical consciousness will be used as a framework to develop potential interventions that will empower the community to acquire tools that will aid in their recovery.
Interaction of X-Ray Photons With Abrikosov Vortices in Josephson Tunnel Junctions With a Bulk Niobium Base Electrode

γ-rays can be efficiently detected by superconductor devices exploiting the interaction of single γ-ray photons with Abrikosov vortices [12] . In order to prove the feasibility of this novel detection mechanism, Josephson tunnel junctions were fabricated on bulk polycrystalline niobium base electrodes consisting of 0.3-mm-thick niobium foils, and investigated under 55Fe X-ray. The fabrication process is discussed with a particular attention to the treatment of the surface of the niobium foil. Niobium-bulk/Al/AlO x /Al/niobium Josephson junctions with different circular areas were tested at the temperature T = 4.2 K and their current–voltage and Josephson critical current dependence on parallel magnetic field were characterized. The experimental magnetic field dependences of the Josephson critical current have been well fitted by the Airy diffraction pattern. Depinning of Abrikosov vortices under X-ray photons has been observed by means of variation of the magnetic dependence of the Josephson critical current.
Neural responses to negative outcomes predict success in community-based substance use treatment.

Background and aims Activation in some specific brain regions has demonstrated promise as prognostic indicators in substance dependent individuals (SDIs) but this issue has not yet been explored in SDIs attending typical of community-based treatment. We used a data-driven, exploratory approach to identify brain-based predictors of treatment outcome in a representative community sample of SDIs. The predictive utility of brain-based measures was evaluated against clinical indicators, cognitive-behavioral performance, and self-report assessments. Design Prospective clinical outcome design, evaluating baseline functional magnetic resonance imaging data from the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) as a predictor of 3-month substance use treatment outcomes. Setting Community-based substance use programs in Bloomington, Indiana, USA. Participants Twenty-three SDIs (17 male, ages 18-43) in an intensive outpatient or residential treatment program; abstinent 1-4 weeks at baseline. Measurements Event-related brain response, BART performance, and self-report scores at treatment onset, substance use outcome measure (based on days of use) Findings Using voxel-level predictive modeling and leave-one-out cross-validation, an elevated response to unexpected negative feedback in bilateral amygdala and anterior hippocampus (Amyg/aHipp) at baseline successfully predicted greater substance use over the 3-month study interval (p ≤ 0.006, cluster-corrected). This effect was robust to inclusion of significant non-brain-based covariates. A larger response to negative feedback in bilateral Amyg/aHipp was also associated with faster reward-seeking responses after negative feedback (r(23) = -0.544, p = 0.007; r(23) = -0.588, p = 0.003). A model including Amyg/aHipp activation, faster reward-seeking after negative feedback, and significant self-report scores accounted for 45% of the variance in substance use outcomes in our sample. Conclusions An elevated response to unexpected negative feedback in bilateral amygdala and anterior hippocampus (Amyg/aHipp) appears to predict relapse to substance use in people attending community-based treatment.
Data and Metadata Brokering – Theory and Practice from the BCube Project

EarthCube is a U.S. National Science Foundation initiative that aims to create a cyberinfrastructure (CI) for all the geosciences. An initial set of “building blocks” was funded to develop potential components of that CI. The Brokering Building Block (BCube) created a brokering framework to demonstrate cross-disciplinary data access based on a set of use cases developed by scientists from the domains of hydrology, oceanography, polar science and climate/weather. While some successes were achieved, considerable challenges were encountered. We present a synopsis of the processes and outcomes of the BCube experiment.
Medical and Device Options for Patients with End-Stage Heart Failure

In modern times, heart failure has increasingly become a major public health issue, with a prevalence of approximately 5.1 million in North America [1]. Furthermore, one in 7 Americans are age 65 or greater, with this proportion set to rise to one in 5 by 2050 [2]. Given the age-dependent increase in incidence and prevalence of heart failure, the proportion of heart failure will only continue to increase; already, it is one of the main causes of death and hospitalization in this age group. Combined with demographic improvements in life expectancies and recent improvements in the treatment of heart-failure, the proportion of patients that develop advanced heart failure has also increased substantially. The majority of patients with so-called “end-stage” heart failure are characterized by advanced structural heart disease and profound symptoms of heart failure at rest or upon minimal exertion despite maximal guideline-directed medical treatment, and typically fall into stage D of the ABCD classification of the American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA), and class III–IV of the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification (see Table 1.2 for a full explanation of heart failure classifications). There are varying etiologies of such severe heart failure, which can broadly be divided into ischemic and non-ischemic; these may include unstable arrhythmias, idiopathic cardiomyopathies and many others. Regardless of the etiology, the subgroup of stage D heart failure demonstrates a particularly high 5-year mortality rate of 80% [1], and thus requires special therapeutic interventions. This chapter will assume background knowledge in the principles of heart failure and its early management, and will cover current medical and device strategies for the management of end-stage heart failure, with acknowledgement to the options of mechanical circulatory support and cardiac transplantation which will be covered in detail in upcoming chapters.
Event Detection Based on Nonnegative Matrix Factorization: Ceasefire Violation, Environmental, and Malware Events

Event detection is a very important problem across many domains and is a broadly applicable encompassing many disciplines within engineering systems. In this paper, we focus on improving the user’s ability to quickly identify threat events such as malware, military policy violations, and natural environmental disasters. The information to perform these detections is extracted from text data sets in the latter two cases. Malware threats are important as they compromise computer system integrity and potentially allow the collection of sensitive information. Military policy violations such as ceasefire policies are important to monitor as they disrupt the daily lives of many people within countries that are torn apart by social violence or civil war. The threat of environmental disasters takes many forms and is an ever-present danger worldwide, and indiscriminate regarding who is harmed or killed. In this paper, we address all three of these threat event types using the same underlying technology for mining the information that leads to detecting such events. We approach malware event detection as a binary classification problem, i.e., one class for the threat mode and another for non-threat mode. We extend our novel classifier utilizing constrained low rank approximation as the core algorithm innovation and apply our Nonnegative Generalized Moody-Darken Architecture (NGMDA) hybrid method using various combinations of input and output layer algorithms. The new algorithm uses a nonconvex optimization problem via the nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) for the hidden layer of a single layer perceptron and a nonnegative constrained adaptive filter for the output layer estimator. We first show the utility of the core NMF technology for both ceasefire violation and environmental disaster event detection. Next NGMDA is applied to the problem of malware threat events, again based on the NMF as the core computational tool. Also, we demonstrate that an algorithm should be appropriately selected for the data generation process. All this has critical implications for design of solutions for important threat/event detection scenarios. Lastly, we present experimental results on foreign language text for ceasefire violation and environmental disaster events. Experimental results on a KDD competition data set for malware classification are presented using our new NGMDA classifier.