cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A classical model for the electron

Abstract The construction of classical and semi-classical models for the electron has had a long and distinguished history. Such models are useful more for what they teach us about field theory than what they teach us about the electron. In this Letter I exhibit a classical model of the electron consisting of ordinary electromagnetism coupled with a self-interacting version of Newtonian gravity. The gravitational binding energy of the system balances the electrostatic energy in such a manner that the total rest mass of the electron is finite.
The disposal of industrial effluent by woods irrigation

A method for the disposal of industrially polluted effluent—by woods irrigation—is described, and the results of hydrologic investigations during the first year of operation are evaluated. It was found that the spraying of 400 to 600 inches depth of water on the woods area did not harm the vegetation, clog the soil, or result in saturation of the area. A maximum of about 50 million gallons of water were removed from the selected 180-acre disposal area weekly by ground-water discharge and evapotranspiration. Analyses of well water from the woods area showed no indication of pollution as a result of the disposal operation.
Sequential counselling that targeted individual health behaviours did not differ from simultaneous counselling that targeted multiple behaviours.

D J Hyman Correspondence to: Dr D J Hyman, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; dhyman@bcm.tmc.edu In patients with multiple behavioural risk factors for cardiovascular disease, is sequential counselling (SQC) that targets 1 behaviour at a time more effective than simultaneous counselling (SMC) that targets multiple behaviours? ### Design: randomised controlled trial (RCT). ### Allocation: unconcealed. ### Blinding: unblinded. ### Follow-up period: 18 months. ### Setting: 2 primary care clinics in the southwestern US. ### Patients: 289 African-American patients 45–65 years of age (mean age 53 y, 67% women) who had hypertension, currently smoked (cotinine >40 ng/ml for 24 h urine sample or reported smoking ⩾5 cigarettes/d for the past wk), had a 24-hour urine sodium level >100 mEq/l per day, and did not exercise regularly (ie, ⩾3 times/wk for ⩾30 min, hard enough to work up a sweat). Exclusion criteria included systolic blood pressure (BP) >180 mm Hg or diastolic BP >110 mm Hg, type 1 diabetes …
Mitochondrial translocation of Nur77 mediates cardiomyocyte apoptosis

Aims The cascade of events leading to compromised mitochondrial integrity in response to stress is mediated by various combinatorial interactions of pro- and anti-apoptotic molecules. Nur77, an immediate early gene that encodes a nuclear orphan receptor, translocates from the nucleus to mitochondria to induce cytochrome c release and apoptosis in cancer cells in response to various pro-apoptotic treatments. However, the role of Nur77 in the cardiac setting is still unclear. The objective of this study is to determine the physiological relevance and pathophysiological importance of Nur77 in cardiomyocytes. Methods and results Myocardial Nur77 is upregulated following cardiomyopathic injury and, while expressed in the postnatal myocardium, declines in level within weeks after birth. Nur77 is localized predominantly in cardiomyocyte nuclei under normal conditions where it is not apoptotic, but translocates to mitochondria in response to oxidative stress both in vitro and in vivo . Mitochondrial localization of Nur77 induces cytochrome c release and typical morphological features of apoptosis, including chromatin condensation and DNA fragmentation. Knockdown of Nur77 rescued hydrogen peroxide-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Conclusion Translocation of Nur77 from the nucleus to the mitochondria in cardiomyocytes results in the loss of mitochondrial integrity and subsequent apoptosis in response to ischaemia/reperfusion injury. Our findings identify Nur77 as a novel mediator of cardiomyocyte apoptosis and warrants further investigation of mitochondrial Nur77 translocation as a mechanism to control cell death in the treatment of ischaemic heart diseases.
Identification of 23 complementation groups required for post-translational events in the yeast secretory pathway

Cells of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant that is temperature-sensitive for secretion and cell surface growth become dense during incubation at the non-permissive temperature (37 degrees C). This property allows the selection of additional secretory mutants by sedimentation of mutagenized cells on a Ludox density gradient. Colonies derived from dense cells are screened for conditional growth and secretion of invertase and acid phosphatase. The sec mutant strains that accumulate an abnormally large intracellular pool of invertase at 37 degrees C (188 mutant clones) fall into 23 complementation groups, and the distribution of mutant alleles suggests that more complementation groups could be found. Bud emergence and incorporation of a plasma membrane sulfate permease activity stop quickly after a shift to 37 degrees C. Many of the mutants are thermoreversible; upon return to the permissive temperature (25 degrees C) the accumulated invertase is secreted. Electron microscopy of sec mutant cells reveals, with one exception, the temperature-dependent accumulation of membrane-enclosed secretory organelles. We suggest that these structures represent intermediates in a pathway in which secretion and plasma membrane assembly are colinear.
Critical care issues in the patient after major joint replacement.

Admission rates of orthopedic patients to intensive care units are increasing. Thus, an intensivist's familiarity with specific problems associated with major joint replacement surgery is of utmost importance in order to meet the needs of this particular patient population. In this article, the authors review the most commonly encountered complications after major hip and knee arthroplasty. Perioperative risk factors for morbidity and mortality and the epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiopulmonary complications in this patient population are discussed. Procedure-specific complications such as fat embolism and acrylic bone cement—related issues are reviewed.
How I do it: Side-to-side isoperistaltic strictureplasty for extensive Crohn's disease.

Bowel-sparing surgical techniques, such as the Heineke–Mikulicz and the Finney strictureplasty, have been proposed as an alternative to lengthy intestinal resection in the treatment of small bowel strictures in Crohn’s disease. However, these conventional strictureplasty techniques lend themselves poorly to cases of multiple short strictures closely clustered over a lengthy small bowel segment. In this article, we present the surgical technique of the side-to-side isoperistaltic strictureplasty, which is optimal in addressing these specific situations.
Performance continuity and differentiability in Monte Carlo optimization

This paper describes a class of Monte Carlo optimization problems for which unbiased derivative estimators of the infinitesimal perturbation analysis (IPA) type can be derived; and also a simple framework within which to establish unbiasedness. Of central importance are systems with continuous, piecewise differentiable sample performance functions. Experience suggests that continuity is, in practice, almost necessary for IPA to work. "Piecewise" differentiable is a concession to the discrete nature of many applied probability models. We discuss a variety of examples, including both static and dynamic systems.
Particle packing in latex films

Abstract Combination of light scattering and electron microscopy for characterization of packing texture in solid films of polyvinyl acetate is described. Evidence is presented for a sedimentation caused particle size gradient from top to bottom in a film of a large particle latex. The influence of the polymeric stabilizer on the optical heterogeneity of latex films is discussed in terms of a continuous matrix in which latex particles are imbedded. The possibility of phase separation according to particle size is presented.
Ferredoxin circular dichroism at 3600 cm-1

Abstract A very broad circular dichroism band is observed in reduced spinach ferredoxin at 3600 cm −1 . The maximum Δe is +1.1 M −1 · cm −1 . The rotational strength is if+1.0 · 10 −39 merg · cm 3 (+0.11 Debye-Bohr magneton); the minimum magnetic transition dipole moment is 0.14 Bohr magneton. These values are roughly consistent with expectations for a d → d transition of tetrahedrally coordinated Fe 2+ . No CD is detected in the oxidized protein between 5000 and 2800 cm −1 .
LONG-DISTANCE COMMUTING AND POPULATION CHANGE IN NEW YORK STATE

Examination of the relation between population change and long-distance commuting in New York State reveals a major change from the 1960s to the 1970s. During the 1960s, the population growth of minor civil divisions was largely a function of the strength of employment linkages to metropolitan centers. The decade of the 1970s, however, revealed a significant change. Though net population growth was lower throughout much of New York, the shift in the locus of growth was particularly notable. Metropolitan linkages alone were no longer sufficient to assure growth; it was instead the areas with linkages to nonrnetropolitan centers or those with linkages to both which experienced the highest rates of growth. The urbanization of the intermetropolitan periphery continued through the 1970s, but nonmetropolitan employment centers played an increasing role in this process.
Epitaxial growth of Si deposited on (100) Si

Epitaxial growth of deposited amorphous Si on chemically cleaned (100) Si has been found and layer‐by‐layer growth occurred at rates comparable to those in self‐ion‐implanted‐amorphous Si. There is no evidence for appreciable oxygen penetration into the deposited layer during storage in air. The critical factors in achieving epitaxial growth are fast (∼50 A/sec) deposition of Si onto a surface cleaned with a HF dip as a last rinse before loading into the vacuum system. Channeling and transmission electron microscopy measurements indicated that the epitaxial layers are essentially defect free. Secondary‐ion mass spectroscopic analysis showed about 1014 oxygen/cm2 at the amorphous/crystal interface. With either higher interfacial oxygen coverage or slow (∼2 A/sec) deposition, epitaxial growth rates are significantly slower.
Radial artery cannulation and complications in 1,000 patients: Precautions

A review of 1,000 radial artery cannulations performed over a 2-year period showed that, with careful selection of patients, by means of the Allen test and Doppler studies, and with the apparatus used, only two serious complications were encountered; embolectomy was necessary in one and arterial reconstruction in another. Twenty-four percent of patients had evidence of diminution of flow, but in none did it persist for more than 2 weeks. Critical factors in reducing complications were a short period of cannulation, use of a Teflon catheter, and a continuous arterial line flush system.
PMR chemical shifts of TFA in poly(gamma-bzyl L-glutamate) solutions.

The present communication describes a new way of studying helix–random coil transformations of polypeptide, poly-(γ-benzyl L-glutamate), in benzene–trifluoracetic acid (TFA) and chloroform–TFA systems. The difference between the PMR chemical shift of TFA with and without the polypeptide, measured as Δ, may be used to follow the conformational transition. This technique is particularly useful for concentrated solutions, where the PMR peaks of the polymer are so broad that no valuable information may be derived. As the TFA content increases in the system (at constant polymer concentration), Δ decreases normally whether the polymer is helical or random. However, Δ changes in a different way in the helix–random coil transition region, and actually increases with increasing TFA content. This peculiar behavior is explained in terms of the solvation of the helix and random coil structures.
Accelerating response in geriatric depression: A pilot study combining sleep deprivation and paroxetine

Elderly depressed patients often require an average of 12 weeks of pharmacotherapy before attaining remission. The delay between treatment initiation and remission may decrease compliance and prolongs suffering; hence, interventions that decrease the time to onset of antidepressant activity are needed. Our objective was to evaluate, in an open trial, the use of one night of total sleep deprivation combined with paroxetine to accelerate antidepressant response in elderly patients. Thirteen elderly patients with major depression were sleep-deprived for one night and started paroxetine on the night of recovery sleep. Patients were followed for twelve weeks, and clinical improvement was rated using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and a version of the Hamilton modified for sleep deprivation studies. 8/13 (62%) patients experienced significant improvement of depressive symptoms by 2 weeks. Within 12 weeks 11/13 (85%) patients responded to the combination of sleep deprivation and paroxetine. Median response time was 2 weeks. Clinical response at 12 weeks was correlated with changes in Sleep Deprivation Depression Rating Scale Scores between baseline and recovery sleep. In an open trial, the combined use of total sleep deprivation and paroxetine appears to be an effective method for speeding the onset of clinical antidepressant activity in geriatric depression and for improving early recognition of non-response. Depression and Anxiety 6:113–118, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Use of a Digital Readout Unit in Converting Spectrophotometric Data to Color Coordinates

Spectrophotometric data are automatically entered on IBM punched cards by means of a Librascope Digital Readout Unit for the General Electric Recording Spectrophotometer. Conversion to color coordinates is subsequently carried out on an IBM 650 computer. The over-all precision of the spectrophotometer-digitizer-computer system corresponds to 95% confidence limits of about 0.001 in trichromatic coefficients x and y or about 0.7 NBS units of color difference (Adams chromatic value formula, normalized as in ASTM Method D1482-57T). Taking results of the National Bureau of Standards as correct, the accuracy of the average of several measurements is within 0.0005 in trichromatic coefficients or 0.4 NBS units of color difference. The error frequency of the digitizer is currently below 1 in 7000 readouts, and can be reduced to less than 1 in 200 000 readouts.
Apoptosis in heart failure

A characteristic feature of heart failure is the progressive worsening of ventricular function over months or years despite the absence of clinically apparent intercurrent adverse events. The mechanism or mechanisms responsible for this hemodynamic deterioration are not known but may be related to progressive intrinsic contractile dysfunction of residual viable cardiac myocytes, or to ongoing degeneration and loss of myocytes, or both. This report will address the concept of ongoing cardiac myocyte loss that may occur during the course of evolving heart failure viewed from the perspective of apoptosis or "programmed cell death" as the potential mediator of cardiac muscle cell loss. In recent years, several studies have shown that constituent myocytes of failed explanted human hearts and hearts of animals with experimentally induced heart failure undergo apoptosis. Recent studies have shown that cardiac myocyte apoptosis also occurs after acute myocardial infarction, as well as in the hypertrophied heart and the aging heart, conditions frequently associated with the development of heart failure. Considerable work has also been conducted and novel concepts advanced to explain potential molecular triggers of cardiac myocyte apoptosis in heart failure. Although available data support the existence of myocyte apoptosis in the failing heart, questions essential to our understanding of the importance of myocyte apoptosis in this disease process remain unanswered. Lacking are studies aimed at identifying physiological factors inherent to heart failure that trigger myocyte apoptosis. Also lacking are studies that address the importance of myocyte apoptosis in the progression of left ventricular dysfunction. If loss of cardiac myocytes through apoptosis can be shown to be an important contributor to the progression of heart failure, and if factors that trigger apoptosis in the heart can be identified, such knowledge can potentially lead to the development of novel therapeutic modalities aimed at preventing, or at the very least retarding, the process of progressive ventricular dysfunction and the ultimate transition toward end-stage, intractable heart failure.
Biology of Microplitis demolitor (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), an Imported Parasitoid of Heliothis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) spp. and the Soybean Looper, Pseudoplusia includens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Microplitis Demolitor Wilkinson was collected in Queensland, Australia, and imported into the United States, where laboratory studies were conducted to determine its life history, host range, and other aspects of its biology. In all but 3 of 10 lepidopterous hosts tested, oviposition was attempted by M. demolitor, although only Heliothis zea (Boddie), H. virescens (F.), and Pseudoplusia includens (Walker) were suitable hosts for parasitoid development. A low number of parasitoids successfully developed from Trichoplusia ni (Hubner). Parasitoid development time from egg to pupation was ca. 8 days, and from pupation to adult emergence was 5 days at 27°C. Longevity of M. demolitor males and females was ca. 8 days.
Query Plan Execution in a Heterogeneous Stream Management System for Situational Awareness

Battlefield monitoring involves collecting streaming data from different sources, transmitting the data over a heterogeneous network, and processing queries in real-time in order to respond to events in a timely manner. Nodes in these networks differ with respect to their processing, storage and communication capabilities. Links in the network differ with respect to their communication bandwidth. The topology of the network itself is subject to change, as the nodes and links may become unavailable. Continuous queries executed in such environments must also meet some quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as, response time, throughput, and memory usage. We propose that the processing of the queries be shared to improve resource utilization, such as storage and bandwidth, which, in turn, will impact the QoS. We show how multiple queries can be represented in the form of an operator tree, such that their commonalities can be easily exploited for multi query plan generation. Query plans may have to be updated in this dynamic environment (network topology changes, arrival of new queries, arrival pattern of streams altered), this, in turn, necessitates migrating operators from one set of nodes to another. We sketch some ideas about how operator migration can be done efficiently in such environments.
Effect of Molecular Weight Distribution on Physical Properties of Natural and Synthetic Polymers

Abstract The molecular weights of rubberlike polymers are average values for mixtures of macromolecules which differ greatly in size. The heterogeneity of natural rubber was recognized as early as 1929 by Whitby. The fact that solutions of higher quality crude rubbers are more viscous than lower quality rubbers was observed by Axelrod in 1905. Other workers have separated rubber solutions into fractions of differing molecular weight and have studied the properties of the fractions. In the case of synthetic polymers, these heterogeneous mixtures of molecules have been characterized by fractional precipitation and construction of molecular-weight distribution curves. The particular type of distribution determined in this investigation is that obtained from weight average properties based on viscosity measurements of fractions of the polymers. Application of these methods to the characterization of natural polymers confirmed observations that a variety of molecular-weight distributions existed in the case of...
Improved smoothing spline regression by combining estimates of different smoothness

This paper studies nonparametric regression using smoothing splines. It proposes a method that combines smoothing spline estimates of different smoothness to form a final improved estimate. This new method is straightforward to implement, computationally inexpensive, and gives reliable performances in simulations.
Silencing KRAS Overexpression in Arsenic-Transformed Prostate Epithelial and Stem Cells Partially Mitigates Malignant Phenotype

Inorganic arsenic is a human carcinogen that likely targets the prostate. Chronic arsenic exposure malignantly transforms the RWPE-1 human prostate epithelial line to chronic arsenic exposed-prostate epithelial (CAsE-PE) cells, and a derivative normal prostate stem cell (SC) line, WPE-stem to arsenic-cancer SCs (As-CSCs). The KRAS oncogene is highly overexpressed in CAsE-PE cells and activation precedes transformation, inferring mechanistic significance. As-CSCs also highly overexpress KRAS. Thus, we hypothesize KRAS activation is key in causing and maintaining an arsenic-induced malignant phenotype, and hence, KRAS knockdown (KD) may reverse this malignant phenotype. RNA interference using shRNAmirs to obtain KRAS KD was used in CAsE-PE and As-CSC cells. Cells analyzed 2 weeks post transduction showed KRAS protein decreased to 5% of control after KD, confirming stable KD. KRAS KD decreased phosphorylated ERK, indicating inhibition of RAS/ERK signaling, a proliferation/survival pathway activated with arsenic transformation. Secreted metalloproteinase (MMP) activity was increased by arsenic-induced malignant transformation, but KRAS KD from 4 weeks on decreased secreted MMP-9 activity by 50% in As-CSCs. Colony formation, a characteristic of cancer cells, was decreased in both KRAS KD transformants. KRAS KD also decreased the invasive capacity of both cell types. KRAS KD decreased proliferation in As-CSCs, consistent with loss of rapid tumor growth. Genes predicted to impact cell proliferation (eg, Cyclin D1, p16, and p21) changed accordingly in both KD cell types. Thus, KRAS silencing impacts aspects of arsenic-induced malignant phenotype, inducing loss of many typical cancer characteristics particularly in As-CSCs.
Were you paying attention to where you looked? The role of executive working memory in visual search

Recent evidence has indicated that performing a working memory task that loads executive working memory leads to less efficient visual search (Han & Kim, 2004). We explored the role that executive functioning plays in visual search by examining the pattern of eye movements while participants performed a search task with or without a secondary executive working memory task. Results indicate that executive functioning plays two roles in visual search: the identification of objects and the control of the disengagement of attention.
Addressing data compatibility on programmable network platforms

Large-scale applications require the efficient exchange of data across their distributed components, including data from heterogeneous sources and to widely varying clients. Inherent to such data exchanges are (1) discrepancies among the data representations used by sources, clients, or intermediate application components (e.g., due to natural mismatches or due to dynamic component evolution), and (2) requirements to route, combine, or otherwise manipulate data as it is being transferred. As a result, there is an ever growing need for data conversion services, handled by stubs in application servers, by middleware or messaging services, by the operating system, or by the network. This paper's goal is to demonstrate and evaluate the ability of modern network processors to efficiently address data compatibility issues, when data is 'in transit' between application-level services. Toward this end, we present the design and implementation of a network-level execution environment that permits systems to dynamically deploy and configure application- level data conversion services 'into' the network infrastructure. Experimental results obtained with a prototype implementation on Intel's IXP2400 network processors include measurements of XML-like data format conversions implemented with efficient binary data formats.
USING TWO DIMENSIONAL NMR TECHNIQUES TO ASSIGN PROTON AND CARBON SPECTRA FOR COBALT(III) COMPLEXES DERIVED FROM LINEAR QUINQUEDENTATE LIGANDS CONTAINING NITROGEN AND SULFUR DONOR ATOMS

Abstract High resolution NMR spectroscopy was used to study the structure of a cobalt(III) complex derived from the linear quinquedentate ligand, 7-methyl-4, 10-dithia-l, 7, 13-tria-zatridecane, NH2-CH2CH2-S-CH2CH2-N(CH3)-CH2CH2-S-CH2CH2-NH2. The flexibility of this ligand allows it theoretically to form four distinct structural isomers with metal ions. The one dimensional proton spectrum exhibited by [Co(NSNSN)Cl]Cl2, is complicated and does not provide structural insight. A combined utilization of proton, carbon, DEPT, COSY, NOESY and HETCOR spectra was employed to establish geometric structure type, make individual proton assignments, identify proton-proton connectivities that result from scalar coupling, and distinguish interactions occurring as a result of through-space interactions. Information about the five-membered chelate ring orientations was also obtained. Two groups of signals were shown to correlate with each carbon signal, exhibiting a definite nonequivalence between geminal protons. Gemina...
Evaluation of circularity tolerance using Monte Carlo simulation for coordinate measuring machine

Abstract Coordinate measuring machines are used to gather data points from a specific object. A mass of geometric boundary data points has to be collected in order to estimate desired geometric parameters of part features. This paper presents a Monte Carlo modelling, simulation and heuristic results of the minimum sufficient data set to determine the accuracy of the circularity (roundness) tolerance measurement. An image processing procedure is incorporated in the research to approximate the true envelope of the circular feature from a two-dimensional image scan. The minimum sufficient data set is determined by a Monte Carlo simulation procedure based on relative errors of the calculated circular profiles. Results are presented to establish the criterion of selecting sampling data points and to study the probabilistic nature of the measurement procedures.
Living kidney donation : A survey of professional attitudes and practices

Living donation is an option for meeting the needs of patients with end-stage renal disease. We surveyed kidney transplant professionals to understand their attitudes, opinions, and practices regarding living donation and to generate a rough estimate of the national potential for living related kidney donation. Although this sample of health practitioners expressed strong support for living donation, their actual professional practice does not necessarily reflect such support. Given the disparity between support and practice, we recommend that leaders in the kidney transplant community focus on several concrete objectives to optimize living donation: estimate the underlying potential for living donation; identify and implement best demonstrated practices for making the living donation request; explore and respond to the ethical issues that surround living donation; and address the needs of both donors and recipients.
Force Models for Particle-Dynamics Simulations of Granular Materials

Engineering-mechanics contact models are utilized to describe the inelastic, frictional interparticle forces acting in dry granular systems. Simple analyses based on one-dimensional chains are utilized to illustrate wave propagation phenomena in dense and dilute discrete particulates. The variation of restitution coefficient with impact velocity is illustrated for a variety of viscous and hysteretic normal force models. The effects of interparticle friction on material strength in discrete-particle simulations are much closer to measured values than are theories that do not allow particle rotations.
The combination of macroeconomic forecasts

The paper examines combined forecasts based on two components: forecasts produced by Chase Econometrics and those produced using the Box-Jenkins ARIMA technique. Six series of quarterly ex ante and simulated ex ante forecasts are used over 37 time periods and ten horizons. The forecasts are combined using seven different methods. The best combined forecasts, judged by average relative root-mean-square error, are superior to the Chase forecasts for three variables and inferior for two, though averaged over all six variables the Chase forecasts are slightly better. A two-step procedure produces forecasts for the last half of the sample which, on average, are slightly better than the Chase forecasts.
Safety of Cooperative Collision Avoidance for Unmanned Aircraft

For Unmanned Aircraft to be routinely used in civil airspace, an effective collision avoidance function is one area deemed essential for safe operation. Like manned aircraft, avoiding collisions with transponder-equipped, or "cooperative" traffic is among the primary hazards. This paper discusses similarities and differences in the collision avoidance function and the necessity of developing various models of environmental and system components in the collision avoidance functional chain. Potential sensitivities and shortcomings of the TCAS collision avoidance system for unmanned aircraft are discussed. The analysis method of fast-time simulation can develop a rich sample of collision encounter events from the numerous statistical distributions. This provides an established means to demonstrate system compliance with safety targets, when they are established.
Accurate latency estimation in a distributed event processing system

A distributed event processing system consists of one or more nodes (machines), and can execute a directed acyclic graph (DAG) of operators called a dataflow (or query), over long-running high-event-rate data sources. An important component of such a system is cost estimation, which predicts or estimates the “goodness” of a given input, i.e., operator graph and/or assignment of individual operators to nodes. Cost estimation is the foundation for solving many problems: optimization (plan selection and distributed operator placement), provisioning, admission control, and user reporting of system misbehavior. Latency is a significant user metric in many commercial real-time applications. Users are usually interested in quantiles of latency, such as worst-case or 99th percentile. However, existing cost estimation techniques for event-based dataflows use metrics that, while they may have the side-effect of being correlated with latency, do not directly or provably estimate latency. In this paper, we propose a new cost estimation technique using a metric called Mace (Maximum cumulative excess). Mace is provably equivalent to maximum system latency in a (potentially complex, multi-node) distributed event-based system. The close relationship to latency makes Mace ideal for addressing the problems described earlier. Experiments with real-world datasets on Microsoft StreamInsight deployed over 1–13 nodes in a data center validate our ability to closely estimate latency (within 4%), and the use of Mace for plan selection and distributed operator placement.
A Global Obstacle-avoidance Map for Anthropomorphic Arms

More and more humanoid robots are used in human society, and they face a wide variety of complicated manipulation tasks, which are mainly to be achieved by their anthropomorphic arms. Obstacle avoidance for the anthropomorphic arm must be a fundamental consideration to guarantee the successful implementation of these tasks. Different from traditional methods searching for feasible or optimal collision-free solutions for the anthropomorphic arm, a global obstacle-avoidance map for the whole arm is proposed to indicate the complete set of feasible solutions. In this map, the motion of the arm can be appropriately planned to intuitively control the configuration of the arm in motion. First, the cubic spline function is adopted to interpolate some well-chosen path points to generate a smooth collision-free path for the wrist of the anthropomorphic arm. Second, based on the path function of the wrist, the time and the self-rotation angle of the arm about the “shoulder-wrist” axis are used to parameterize all p...
Short answer question case series: A dangerous cause of dyspnoea.

A 52-year-old man with hepatitis C and a remote history of recreational drug abuse presents with several days of shortness of breath, cough and malaise. He was seen at an outside hospital and diagnosed with pneumonia given his cough and shortness of breath. Subsequently, he was seen again and found to have a small abscess of his arm that was drained. On review of systems, he endorses nausea and generalised weakness but denies abdominal pain, chest pain, numbness, fever, headache or dizziness. On physical exam, he is afebrile but tachypnoeic, has decreased breath sounds at the bases, and has an appropriately healing incision site. Neurologically, he had drooping eyelids, decreased ability to adduct his right eye, blurred vision, a normal sensory exam and 4/5 diffuse muscle strength. He may have had worse proximal muscle strength, but this was difficult to distinguish due to poor effort. 1. What is the differential diagnosis for this patient? 2. How should this patient be evaluated? …
Parents' Facilitation of Friendships between Their Children with a Disability and Friends without a Disability:

This article is concerned with parental facilitation of friendships between children with a disability and peers without a disability. Previous research on typical children has pointed out that par...
A Primary Preventive Approach to Children's Drug Refusal Behavior: The Impact of Rehearsal-Plus

The effectiveness of a short-term prevention program to increase drug refusal behavior in a school-age population was assessed. Forty-two third-grade children were randomly assigned to one of three groups: rehearsal-plus, traditional, or attention control. Children in the rehearsal-plus group were taught specific drug refusal techniques and appropriate social skills, and were provided a rationale for each response. This procedure included behavioral training and elaborative rehearsal. Training occurred in four socially validated situations corresponding to settings where children were likely to be offered drugs. The traditional procedure consisted of instructions derived from a "Just Say No" drug program. Assessment focused on specific refusal behaviors, procedural knowledge, and self-efficacy. Significant gains in desired functioning and appropriate behavioral and social skills were found. The effectiveness of the rehearsal-plus procedure as a method of increasing adaptive responding in dangerous and/or anxiety-arousing situations is discussed.
Range bounding with Taylor models for global optimization

Taylor models provide enclosures of functional dependencies by a polynomial and an interval remainder bound that scales with a high power of the domain width, allowing a far-reaching suppression of the dependency problem. For the application to range bounding, one observes that the resulting polynomials are more well-behaved than the original function; in fact, merely naively evaluating them in interval arithmetic leads to a quadratic range bounder that is frequently noticeably superior to other second order methods. However, the particular polynomial form allows the use of other techniques. We review the linear dominated bounder (LDB) and the quadratic fast bounder (QFB). LDB often allows an exact bounding of the polynomial part if the function is monotonic. If it does not succeed to provide an optimal bound, it still often provides a reduction of the domain simultaneously in all variables. Near interior minimizers, where the quadratic part of the local Taylor model is positive semidefinite, QFB minimizes the quadratic contribution to the lower bound of the function, avoiding the infamous cluster effect for validated global optimization tasks. Some examples of the performance of the bounders for unconstrained global optimization problems are given, beginning with various common toy problems of the community, and also including a rather challenging Lennard-Jones problem.
Analysis of channel effects on direct-sequence and frequency-hopped spread-spectrum acoustic communication

Multiuser underwater acoustic communication is one of the enabling technologies for the autonomous ocean-sampling network (AOSN). Multiuser communication allows vehicles, moorings, and bottom instruments to interact without human intervention to perform adaptive sampling tasks. In addition, multiuser communication may be used to send data from many autonomous users to one buoy with RF communications capability, which will then forward the information to shore. The two major signaling techniques for multiuser acoustic communication are phase-shift keying (PSK) direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) and frequency-shift keying (FSK) frequency-hopped spread-spectrum (FHSS). Selecting between these two techniques requires not only a study of their performance under multiuser conditions, but also an analysis of the impact of the underwater acoustic channel. In the case of DSSS, limitations in temporal coherence of the channel affect the maximum spreading factor, leading to situations that may be better suited to FHSS signals. Conversely, the multipath resolving properties of DSSS minimize the effects of frequency-selective fading that degrade the performance of FSK modulation. Two direct-sequence receivers potentially suitable for the underwater channel are presented. The first utilizes standard despreading followed by decision-directed gain and phase tracking. The second uses chip-rate adaptive filtering and phase tracking prior to despreading. Results from shallow water testing in two different scenarios are presented to illustrate the techniques and their performance.
Power efficient monitoring management in sensor networks

Optimizing the energy consumption in wireless sensor networks has recently become the most important performance objective. We assume the sensor network model in which sensors can interchange idle and active modes. Given monitoring regions, battery life and energy consumption rate for each sensor, we formulate the problem of maximizing sensor network lifetime, i.e., time during which the monitored area is (partially or fully) covered. Our contributions include (1) an efficient data structure to represent the monitored area with at most n/sup 2/ points guaranteeing the full coverage which is superior to the previously used approach based on grid points, (2) efficient provably good centralized algorithms for sensor monitoring schedule maximizing the total lifetime including (1+ln(1-q)/sup -1/)-approximation algorithm for the case when a q-portion of the monitored area is required to cover, e.g., for the 90% area coverage our schedule guarantees to be at most 3.3 times shorter than the optimum, (4) a family of efficient distributed protocols with trade-off between communication and monitoring power consumption, (5) extensive experimental study of the proposed algorithms showing significant advantage in quality, scalability and flexibility.
History and Ecology of Chloroethene Biodegradation: A Review

(2003). History and Ecology of Chloroethene Biodegradation: A Review. Bioremediation Journal: Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 81-109.
A typology of parent rated child behavior for a national U.S. sample.

The purpose of the current study was to build on the emerging effort to produce a meaningful typology of child behavior for school-aged children. The Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) Parent Rating Scales for Children (PRS-C) norming data were collected for 2029 6- to 11-year-old children at 116 sites representing various regions of the United States. The PRS-C has 130 items that are rated by the parent on a 4-point scale of frequency, ranging from "never" to "almost always". The Ward method of cluster analysis was used to identify the initial centroids or cluster seeds in this norming sample. An iterative clustering method, a K-means procedure, was used to refine the Ward cluster solution. A nine-cluster solution was selected based on both rational and empirical considerations. The resulting clusters were labeled adapted, physical complaints/worry, average, well-adapted, minimal problems, attention problems, internalizing, general psychopathology-severe, and disruptive behavior problems. The nine-cluster solution is similar to those of Achenbach (1991), Thompson, Kronenberger, and Curry (1989), and other researchers. At the same time, some significant differences exist. The resulting typology points the way toward future cluster studies of child psychopathology and normal behavioral development by delineating additional research and theoretical directions.
Performance of multicarrier CDMA with successive interference cancellation in a multipath fading channel

A high capacity, low complexity, and robust system design for a successive interference cancellation (SIC) system is developed and analyzed. Multicarrier code-division multiple access (MC-CDMA) is used to suppress multipath and to overcome the multipath channel estimation problem in single-carrier SIC systems. In addition, an optimal power control algorithm for MC-CDMA with SIC is derived, allowing analytical bit-error rate expressions to be found for an uncoded system. Low-rate forward error-correcting codes are then added to the system to achieve robustness. It is found that the capacity of the coded system approaches the additive white Gaussian noise capacity for SIC, even in a fading multipath channel with channel estimation error. This indicates that MC-CDMA is very attractive for systems employing SIC.
Planetary LakeLander-A Robotic Sentinel to Monitor Remote Lakes

This field report describes the design and operations of the Planetary LakeLander PLL probe and its ground data systems. LakeLander's primary mission is to characterize the physical, chemical, and biological processes occurring in a high-altitude lake, and how they are being impacted by rapid deglaciation. LakeLander's secondary purpose is to test operation concepts for future exploration of Titan's lakes. The LakeLander probe is a permanently anchored buoy that measures both surface meteorology and water quality parameters in the top 40i¾?m of the water column. The concept of operations calls for the probe to continue collecting and downlinking data through the Andean winter, when the lake is inaccessible; this drives the power system design and forces a strong focus on system reliability, analogous to a space mission. The PLL ground data system provides the central archive of downlinked data. They are structured around a unified data-sharing web site that includes tools for mapping, data visualization, documentation, and numerical analysis. The web site provides a hub for engaging the science team and enables interdisciplinary collaboration. This report concludes with lessons learned during field deployment and several months of remote operations on the lake. Among the conclusions: 1 the choice to use an off-the-shelf profiling system has proven wise; 2 effective maintenance of a long-lived remote system requires extensive measurement, logging, and display of as many system variables as possible; and 3 the visualization sandbox component of the data-sharing web site has made numerical analysis of probe data much easier and more accessible to the entire interdisciplinary science team.
Hypersexual Disorder: A Proposed Diagnosis for DSM-V

Hypersexual Disorder is proposed as a new psychiatric disorder for consideration in the Sexual Disorders section for DSM-V. Historical precedents describing hypersexual behaviors as well as the antecedent representations and proposals for inclusion of such a condition in the previous DSM manuals are reviewed. Epidemiological as well as clinical evidence is presented suggesting that non-paraphilic “excesses” of sexual behavior (i.e., hypersexual behaviors and disorders) can be accompanied by both clinically significant personal distress and social and medical morbidity. The research literature describing comorbid Axis I and Axis II psychiatric disorders and a purported relationship between Axis I disorders and Hypersexual Disorder is discussed. Based on an extensive review of the literature, Hypersexual Disorder is conceptualized as primarily a nonparaphilic sexual desire disorder with an impulsivity component. Specific polythetic diagnostic criteria, as well as behavioral specifiers, are proposed, intended to integrate empirically based contributions from various putative pathophysiological perspectives, including dysregulation of sexual arousal and desire, sexual impulsivity, sexual addiction, and sexual compulsivity.
Treatment of tab characters by a compiler

How expensive is it for a compiler to process horizontal tab characters introduced arbitrarily into program text? The measurements discussed in this note show that if tabs are uniformly expanded by the source text input module of the compiler, the process of reading and tokenizing the source program is slowed by about 20 per cent. This overhead can be completely eliminated by using an ‘extra space count’ in the lexical analyser instead of a uniform expansion.
Avoiding high impacts of geospatial events in mission critical and emergency networks using linear and swarm optimization

Geospatial events continue to plague both wireless and wireline communication networks. The immediate effect of a large scale geospatial event is generally complete or partial loss of situational awareness caused by a lack of communications and media availability in the affected area, effectively isolating many people affected. Significant challenges have been reported by emergency responders, victims, and other involved persons immediately following the recent U.S. tornados and the earthquakes worldwide. Riots and protests can also act as geospatial events that stress communications resources in a geographic area. This research develops novel optimization models to identify and mitigate geospatial vulnerabilities in network designs before they occur. We use an integer linear program (ILP) to add nodes that reduces geographic vulnerability thus preventing users from being isolated by geospatial events. To expand the scope to include more solutions and a wider range of objective functions, a swarm optimization approach was also developed. Wireless propagation models that include obstructions like buildings and other terrain features are tested with these models as well.
Vortex dynamics and entrainment in rectangular free jets

Simulations of low-aspect-ratio, rectangular free jets are presented. The investigations focus on the entrainment and transitional vortex dynamics in compressible (subsonic) jets initialized with laminar conditions, a thin vortex sheet with slightly rounded-off corner regions, and uniform initial momentum thickness. A monotonically integrated large-eddy simulation approach based on the solution of the unsteady flow equations with high-resolution monotone algorithms is used. Inherent uncertainties in the jet entrainment measurement process are addressed using the database from laboratory experiments and simulations. Vorticity geometries characterizing the near flow field of low aspect-ratio (A) rectangular jets are demonstrated, involving: (i) self-deforming and (ii) splitting vortex rings; interacting ring and braid (rib) vortices including (iii) single ribs aligned with corner regions (A [ges ] 2) and (iv) rib pairs aligned with the corners (A = 1); (v) a more disorganized flow regime in the far jet downstream, where the rotational-fluid volume is occupied by a relatively weak vorticity background with strong, slender tube-like filament vortices filling a small fraction of the domain – as observed in fully developed turbulent flows. The near field entrainment properties of low-A rectangular jets are shown to be largely determined by the characteristic A-dependent coupling geometry of interacting rib and ring vortices and by vortex-ring axis-switching times.