cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of GPS radio occultation soundings with radiosondes

[1] The radio occultation (RO) sounding technique that uses signals transmitted by the Global Positioning System (GPS) has evolved as an important global observing technology. In this paper, we compare RO refractivity profiles from the CHAMP (CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload) satellite mission with those calculated from radiosonde soundings over five geographical areas, each of which uses a different type of radiosonde. CHAMP RO soundings that occur within 2 hours and 300 km of radiosonde soundings are used during the period from June 2001 through March 2004. The comparison was made between the altitudes of 5–25 km, where RO soundings are most accurate. These results indicate that the RO soundings are of sufficiently high accuracy to differentiate performance of various types of radiosonde. The differences in performance among various types of radiosonde present a challenge for climate analysis. In this regard, RO is a considerably more robust measurement technique for climate monitoring.
First molecular study of prevalence and diversity of avian haemosporidia in a Central California songbird community

We studied avian haemosporidian parasites of the genera Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon in a riparian songbird community in Central California, USA, over a period of 2 years. We sequenced a well-characterized region of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene to identify the prevalence and diversity of these parasites from 399 birds. Of the 39.8 % of birds infected with haemosporidian parasites, most (30.8 %) were infected with Plasmodium. We identified 35 lineages, including 13 from the Plasmodium genus, 12 from Haemoproteus, and 10 from Leucocytozoon, 14 of which were novel lineages. In addition, we provide the first report of haemosporidian infections in 13 host species. Plasmodium prevalence ranged widely among host species from 0.0 to 68.6 %. We identified 2 Plasmodium lineages that were generalists, infecting multiple species across several families. One Plasmodium species, P. homopolare, was found in 84 individual birds representing 9 host species from 5 families, but primarily from Emberizidae. This is the first avian haemosporidian study utilizing molecular methods in California, which increases our understanding of the diversity and prevalence of avian haemosporidia affecting Passeriformes in this region and beyond.
A beam angle optimization technique for proton pencil beam scanning treatment planning of lower pelvis targets

The optimal proton pencil beam scanning (PBS) beam angle was calculated for a population of patients with lower pelvis targets. 10 patients were planned with a single PBS beam in the left lateral, right lateral, and posterior directions. A beam direction was considered to be optimal if it satisfied two metrics: shortest path length and least Hounsfield Unit (HU) variation. To determine these metrics, a ray-trace approach was adopted where the length of a ray represented the path length and the variation of HUs across the ray represented the HU variation. A Kolmogorov-Smirnov test determined the normalcy of the path length and HU variation at the 95% confidence level. Results showed that both the path length and HU variation were normally distributed. The path length was shortest for the posterior beam, and the left lateral beam had the least HU variation. Combining both optimization metrics, the posterior beam was more optimal since i) the path length was much shorter than the lateral beam’s path length, and ii) the HU variation along the posterior beam’s path length was only slightly less homogeneous than the HU variation along the lateral beam’s path length, but statistically similar. This study found that a posterior beam is optimal for lower pelvis targets when a single PBS beam is used.
Chip-scale Microscopy Imaging

We will discuss the design strategies and recent developments of chip-scale microscopy approaches, including digital in-line holography, optofluidic microscopy and self-imaging digital Petri dish platform. 150-word Biography: Mr. Guoan Zheng is a PhD student in Prof. Yang's lab at Caltech. His research focused on using computational optical sensing and imaging methods to develope cost-effective high-throughput microscopy modalities. He was the recipient of Lemelson-MIT Caltech student prize in 2011. Prof Yang graduated from MIT in 2002 and has steadily moved towards warmer climates thereafter. In December of 2003, after short stints at ESPCI (Paris) and Duke University, he settled down here at Caltech. He has received the NSF Career Award, the Coulter Foundation Early Career Phase I and II Awards, and the NIH Director's New Innovator Award. Discover Magazine included Prof Yang as one of the top 20 scientists under 40 in their list of Best Brains in Science 2008. Professor Yang's research area is biophotonics—the imaging and extraction of information from biological targets through the use of light. His research efforts can be categorized into two major groups - Optofluidics for biosensing and interferometry based imaging. Article not available.
Breeding of the Peregrine Falcon in Victoria, Australia

This study was conducted from September to December, in both 1976 and 1977, to investigate the demography and ecology of the Victorian Peregrine Falcon. At least 200 nesting areas were discovered and we report data on ninety-five sites throughout the State. The most common nest site (62 of 95) was a cliff (vertical escarpments, stone quarries and rocky knolls). Nest sites in trees were in hollows (17) and in stick nests of other birds (16). Extreme variation in selection of nest sites was observed. Exposure of cliff sites was significantly related to fledging success. Laying began in late August and the last young fledged in early December. The onset of breeding in 1977 was seven to ten days earlier than in 1976 in correlation with warmer drier conditions that spring. Clutch size averaged 2.81 and brood size, 2.24, for all sites hatching young. Over half (59.8%) of the occupied sites fledged young for a net productivity of 1.21 young per occupied site (2.02 young per successful site). Non-breeding adults occurred at 15.2 per cent of the occupied sites. Prey consisted of small to medium sized birds and a few mammals. Eighty-nine species of bird were identified as prey but three (Feral Pigeon 20%; Galah 15%; and Common Starling 16%) were the most important. Parrots as a group made up thirty-six per cent of the diet. Results are discussed in light of studies of Peregrines from northern temperate areas and comparisons made regarding breeding schedules, productivity and selection of nest sites. The Victorian Peregrine appears more adaptable to variation in habitat than most populations and, at least superficially, stability of the population is suggested by most aspects of its breeding ecology.
Economic inequality and optimal redistribution: A theoretical and empirical analysis

This research applies the innovative els model to estimate optimal redistribution as implemented through progressive income taxation, a “social safety net” represented by guaranteed minimum consumption, and allocation of total tax revenues between provision of a pure public good and financing guaranteed minimum consumption. In addition to the two traditional primary factors of production provided by the household to the economy (labor l and saving s), the els model adds a third primary factor: capital management effort e. The principal empirical basis for the model consists of estimates of capital wealth distribution and labor income distribution from the 2010 Survey of Consumer Finances. General insights are gained into the overall relationship between economic inequality and optimal redistribution, as well as specific insights into the effect of various economic parameters on this relationship.
A Model of Leadership: Therapy Groups for Ambivalent Emerging Adults

This article presents an approach to group therapy that is pertinent to the developmental ambivalence of emerging adults. This approach focuses on two leadership functions: emotional stimulation and executive function. Emotional stimulation refers to interventions that help members express their feelings, values, and personal attitudes, whereas executive function refers to interventions that establish group boundaries, manage time, and keep the group on course. This article describes a typology of interventions generated from sessions in which these two functions are applied to assist emerging adults in working through their ambivalence and defining their golden mean.
Prolonged Antitumor Effect of Indomethacin on Autochthonous Intestinal Tumors in Rats

Intestinal tumors were induced in randomly propagated Lobund Sprague-Dawley rats by dimethylhydrazine dihydrochloride and by methylazoxymethanol acetate. At 14, 63, and 77 days after exposure to a carcinogen, rats were fed, ad libitum, indomethacin in the drinking water (20 mg/liter) for 20 and 40 weeks. The development of intestinal tumors was prevented or retarded significantly compared to that of control animals. Among control rats at 20, 40, and 52 weeks, the numbers of tumors per rat were relatively constant, but the individual tumors were increased in size.
Colloquium 4 Commentary on Nikulin

If it were permitted by the editors, my comment could be titled, Plotinus: Thinker of Radical Matter. I will attempt to present Plotinus’s complex view of matter in II 4[12], which examines the nature of matter as the substrate in relation to the corporeal, with the different relation of qualitative and quantitative qualities to bodies and matter, and the consequent difference in the application of privation, ugly and evil to matter. An examination of comments about matter as the principle of evil contrary to the Good and as the cause of the weakness of the soul in I.8[51].6 & 14 do not introduce any radical change in Plotinus’s understanding of matter. Radical matter remains so precisely as formless.
Antimicrobial action of exogenous chitosan.

The objective of this chapter is to present fundamental factors (e.g. intrinsic and extrinsic) influencing chitosan as antimicrobial agent, for effective practical application. The antimicrobial activity of chitosan is well observed on a wide variety of micro-organisms including fungi, algae and some bacteria. However, the antimicrobial action is influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic factors such as the type of chitosan (e.g. plain or derivative); degree of chitosan polymerization; host natural nutrient constituency; substrate chemical and/or nutrient composition; and environmental conditions (e.g. substrate water activity (Aw) and/or moisture). Although both plain and derivative chitosans are effective as antimicrobial agents, there is a differential effect between them. Their differential antimicrobial effect is mainly exhibited in live host plants; thus the antifungal effect of N-carboxymethyl chitosan (NCMC) is different in vegetable as compared with graminea host. At the same time, pentamer and heptamer chitosan units seem to have better antifungal action than larger units. Chitosan antimicrobial action is more immediate on fungi and algae, followed by bacteria; the chitosan site of action is at the microbial cell wall.
The Politics of Corruption in Dictatorships

1. Introduction 2. Geographic concentration and political mobilization by small and medium-sized business firms 3. SME business association, multiparty legislature, and corruption 4. Geographic concentration and national SME association in autocracies: the empirical evidence 5. Empirical analysis of legislative institutions, SME firms, and corruption in autocracies 6. Jordan: institutional change and corruption 7. Malaysia: SME mobilization, and corruption 8. Uganda: the contrarian case 9. Conclusion and implications.
The L2-Theory. The Harish-Chandra Transform on the Schwartz Space of G//K

In this chapter we shall prove the main theorems of the L2-harmonic analysis on G//K. We shall obtain an explicit Plancherel formula for the Harish-Chandra transform f→ℋf as well as an inversion formula that expresses f in terms of ℋ f. We shall also obtain an analogue of the classical theorem of Paley and Wiener, characterizing the Harish-Chandra transforms of elements of Cc∞ (G//K).
Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of PnET-BGC to inform the development of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) of acidity in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Abstract The biogeochemical model, PnET-BGC, has been used to evaluate the long-term acid-base response of surface waters to changes in atmospheric acid deposition. We propose a methodology to identify the input factors of greatest model sensitivity and propagate uncertainty of input factors to model outputs. The quantified model uncertainty enabled application of an “exceedance probability” approach to determine allowable atmospheric deposition in the form of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for twelve acid-impaired streams in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Results indicate that acidification of surface water resulting from acidic deposition has been substantial. Even if current atmospheric deposition is reduced to pre-industrial levels, only one of the twelve impaired streams might be recovered to its site-specific standard by 2050. Our sensitivity analysis indicates that the model is most sensitive to precipitation quantity, air temperature and calcium weathering rate, and suggests further research to improve characterization of these inputs.
Flexibility and innovation in the FDA's novel regulatory approval strategies for hematologic drugs.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) negotiates the evidence necessary for drug approval with pharmaceutical sponsors. The resulting data package submitted in support of approval includes labeling that conveys the benefits and risks of a particular agent. Recent approvals in hematology
GaN-based high gain soft switching coupled-inductor boost converter

This paper explores a coupled inductor based interleaved boost converter with soft-switching auxiliary circuit for high gain DC-DC application. The converter is capable of offering high gain with a flexible choice of turns ratio of the coupled inductor but simultaneously maintaining a reduced voltage stress on the main switch. Either a passive or active clamp circuit can be used to limit the switch voltage stress arising due to the leakage of the coupled inductor. The additional auxiliary zero-voltage-transition (ZVT) circuit allows the switching node current to be diverted to an auxiliary inductor and a transistor placed across the main inductor, thus ensuring zero voltage turn-on of the main switch and improved converter efficiency. The auxiliary devices operate at zero current switching and this addition has no effect on the control of the main boost circuit. A 300 W GaN based hardware prototype with input from 30 V–40 V and 320 V output and operating at switching frequency of 200/300 kHz has been developed to validate the converter's operation in hardware.
Making Copyright a "Go Sign": Collaboration on Copyright Education, Advocacy and Creation at Princeton

Copyright issues impact daily life in academic in teaching, learning, and research. Copyright is most often seen as a stop sign due to the lack of knowledge of copyright. This negative view of copyright could hinder the learning potential and limit possibilities in teaching and research. Lack of knowledge of copyright also could lead to misconduct, or even worse, a law-suit. In the past two years, we have made a series of efforts at Princeton to improve the campus’ knowledge about copyright and to change the view of copyright from negative to positive through collaboration among campus partners, primarily the general council and the library. This poster shows programs and initiatives on copyright education, advocacy and creation from collaboration at Princeton.
Building and Sustaining a University-Anchored Collaborative Public Safety Data Network: The Northwest Indiana Model.

This article details the Northwest Indiana Public Safety Data Consortium (NWIPSDC), a privately funded data-sharing network housed at Indiana University Northwest, an anchor institution, that includes several private-sector participants and over 30 public safety agencies at all levels of government (local, county, state, and federal). The NWIPSDC is fully explained, as are the academic underpinnings that supported its foundation (anchor institutions, network governance, and organizational and systems theory). The consortium is then detailed. The article concludes by overviewing, from the faculty perspective, the benefits and opportunities as well as challenges and drawbacks for those considering this type of community-engaged service/research on such a scale and how administrators can help to alleviate these issues and concerns.
The Effects of a Shared Reading Intervention on Narrative Story Comprehension and Task Engagement of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a shared reading intervention on narrative story comprehension and task engagement of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A single-case multiple baseline design was used, and three elementary-aged students with ASD participated in this study. The shared reading intervention included before, during, and after reading strategies (i.e., topic anticipation, dynamic reading, story retelling). Results of this study indicated that all participants demonstrated noticeable improvements in reading comprehension. Despite the longer duration of intervention sessions as compared to baseline sessions, participants showed similar or better task engagement with intervention. Improved reading outcomes were maintained at follow up for all participants. Implications for practical implementation and future research were discussed.
Wilhelm Dilthey’s Views on Autobiography

The paper examines the role of autobiographical literature in Dilthey’s ‘critique of historical reason.’ The purpose of the essay is (1) to offer an in-depth analysis of Dilthey’s concept of autobi...
Literature Review on Demand Driven Supply Chain (DDSC)

This chapter reviews the concepts of Demand Driven Supply Chain and the methodologies for assessing companies in light of DDSC concepts currently available in the academic literature, and finally, provides a summary of the operational and financial benefits of moving towards a DDSC.
Transcriptional analysis of viral mRNAs reveals common transcription patterns in cells infected by five different filoviruses

Filoviruses are notorious viral pathogens responsible for high-consequence diseases in humans and non-human primates. Transcription of filovirus mRNA shares several common features with transcription in other non-segmented negative-strand viruses, including differential expression of genes located across the viral genome. Transcriptional patterns of Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV) have been previously described using traditional, laborious methods, such as northern blots and in vivo labeling of viral mRNAs. More recently, however, the availability of the next generation sequencing (NGS) technology has offered a more straightforward approach to assess transcriptional patterns. In this report, we analyzed the transcription patterns of four ebolaviruses—EBOV, Sudan (SUDV), Bundibugyo (BDBV), and Reston (RESTV) viruses—in two different cell lines using standard NGS library preparation and sequencing protocols. In agreement with previous reports mainly focused on EBOV and MARV, the remaining filoviruses used in this study also showed a consistent transcription pattern, with only minor variations between the different viruses. We have also analyzed the proportions of the three mRNAs transcribed from the GP gene, which are characteristic of the genus Ebolavirus and encode the glycoprotein (GP), the soluble GP (sGP), and the small soluble GP (ssGP). In addition, we used NGS methodology to analyze the transcription pattern of two previously described recombinant MARV. This analysis allowed us to correct our construction design, and to make an improved version of the original MARV expressing reporter genes.
Fully Printed, High Energy Density Flexible Zinc-Air Batteries Based on Solid Polymer Electrolytes and a Hierarchical Catalyst Current Collector.

Emerging applications such as flexible electronics and on-body medical devices have created an unmet need for a thin, high energy density, low cost, and low toxicity energy source. We propose here that metal air batteries are particularly attractive for these applications as they eliminate two of the thickness limiting components of other chemistries: the cation-storage cathode and thick encapsulation layers. For the first time, fully printed, ultrathin metal air batteries have been demonstrated with high areal capacities of ~2 mAh cm−2 for total cell thicknesses, of 140 mAh cm−3 which is among the highest ever reported for cells approaching 100 μm in thickness. The printed cell stack utilizes a printable solid polymer electrolyte based on a non-volatile hydroxide anion ionic liquid and a printed porous hierarchically-structured catalyst layer. The catalyst layer is composed of a porous carbon nanotube cathode current collector network supporting a nanoscale MnCo2O4—decorated reduced graphene oxide air catalyst. This novel combination of materials enables a monolithic, fully printed, and continuous fabrication sequence for ultrathin batteries based on low toxicity materials that does not require an assembled mechanical separator structure or electrolyte filling steps.
The ‘Platforms’ for Comparing Incommensurable Taxonomies: A Cognitive-Historical Analysis

This paper examines taxonomy comparison from a cognitive perspective. Arguments are developed by drawing on the results of cognitive psychology, which reveal the cognitive mechanisms behind the practice of taxonomy comparison. The taxonomic change in 19th-century ornithology is also used to uncover the historical practice that ornithologists employed in the revision of the classification of birds. On the basis of cognitive and historical analyses, I argue that incommensurable taxonomies can be compared rationally. Using a frame model to represent taxonomy, I show how rational comparisons were achieved in the historical case through compatible contrast sets and attribute lists. Through analyzing the cognitive processes of classification and concept representation, I further explain how rival taxonomies in the historical case could be rationally compared on ‘platforms’ rooted in such cognitive mechanisms as relational assumptions and preferences for body parts in conceptual processing.
Decoding human screams: perception of emotional arousal from pitch and duration

Screams are phylogenetically widespread and typically associated with emotionally intense contexts, and thus present a window into the evolution of vocal emotion expression. Screams are distinct from other vocalizations, but nonetheless exhibit acoustic variation. The purpose of this study was to assess whether humans are sensitive to this variation, specifically, whether they base perceptions of screamer arousal on the pitch and/or duration of screams. A forced choice task revealed a significant tendency to perceive longer or higher-pitched (but otherwise acoustically identical) screams as more emotionally intense than shorter or lower-pitched screams, respectively. This pattern was independent of participants’ gender, empathy score, and previous exposure to screams in the media. Furthermore, scream pairs exhibiting greater differences in duration yielded more consistent responses. Evolutionary implications relating to the acoustic correlates of arousal across mammalian species, as well as the socioecological functions of screams in other primates, are discussed.
Daenerys the Unready: Advice and Ruling in Meereen

Daenerys’ storyline in A Song of Ice and Fire is one of the most politically dense in the series, with Daenerys attempting to sort out the best thing to do for multiple factions while still holding on to her sense of self and principles. From Galazza Galare and Hizdahr zo Loraq to the Shavepate to Barristan Selmy, she struggles to find a balance between the needs and wants of all those whom her advisors represent. As she gives in more and more to the Meereenese advisors, she loses herself and her convictions, represented by her inability to control her dragons, locking up two of them, and ultimately rejecting Meereenese culture and embracing her true self by riding away on Drogon. Her constant struggle to be a fair, wise, and even-handed leader ultimately causes chaos in Slavers Bay, not least because many of her advisors are attempting to use her to reestablish Meereenese slavery and the noble houses, not actually helping her be a good ruler. Similarly, in Anglo-Saxon history, AEthelred Unraed, popularly known as AEthelred the Unready, took the throne under suspicious circumstances and struggled with a council whose members tended to fight amongst themselves and advance their own agendas rather than providing him with the best advice. Like Daenerys, AEthelred attempted to appease his enemies (in his case, outside invaders rather than internal insurgents) and lost the throne to one of said enemies for a time. This chapter examines the various advice, including prophecies, Daenerys has available to her while attempting to rule Meereen, with some comparison to AEthelred Unraed. It also examines how the adaptation in the television series spin-off Game of Thrones radically oversimplifies the politics in Slavers Bay and loses much of the nuance behind Daenerys’ actions, pushing her character towards the “madness” side of the Targaryen heritage. These oversimplifications ultimately make her into a stereotypical female leader: indecisive, irrational, and ruled by her emotions rather than by logic, a characterization that Martin seems determined to avoid.
An Efficient Parallel Computing Method for the Steady-State Analysis of Electric Machines Using the Woodbury Formula

This article describes a parallel computing method for the steady-state analysis of electric machines. In this method, due to the low rank of the coupling sub-matrix, the Woodbury formula is exploited to develop a highly efficient parallel algorithm to solve the formulated linearized block matrix. The algorithm and the analysis of the computational complexity are worked out in detail. The performance of the algorithm is demonstrated by an application example.
Privacy Preserving Techniques Applied to CPNI Data: Analysis and Recommendations.

With mobile phone penetration rates reaching 90%, Consumer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) can offer extremely valuable information to different sectors, including policymakers. Indeed, as part of CPNI, Call Detail Records have been successfully used to provide real-time traffic information, to improve our understanding of the dynamics of people's mobility and so to allow prevention and measures in fighting infectious diseases, and to offer population statistics. While there is no doubt of the usefulness of CPNI data, privacy concerns regarding sharing individuals' data have prevented it from being used to its full potential. Traditional de-anonymization measures, such as pseudonymization and standard de-identification, have been shown to be insufficient to protect privacy. This has been specifically shown on mobile phone datasets. As an example, researchers have shown that with only four data points of approximate place and time information of a user, 95% of users could be re-identified in a dataset of 1.5 million mobile phone users. In this landscape paper, we will discuss the state-of-the-art anonymization techniques and their shortcomings.
Quantum Field Theory and Analytic Functions of several Complex Variables

In recent years, the relativistic quantum theory of fields has led to a series of non-trivial problems in functional analysis and analytic function theory. It is the purpose of the present article to describe one aspect of these developments systematically.
A Vibrothermal Haptic Display for Socio-emotional Communication.

Touch plays a vital role in maintaining human relationships through social and emotional communication. The proposed haptic display prototype generates stimuli in vibrotactile and thermal modalities toward simulating social touch cues between remote users. High-dimensional spatiotemporal vibrotactile-thermal (vibrothermal) patterns were evaluated with ten participants. The device can be wirelessly operated to enable remote communication. In the future, such patterns can be used to richly simulate social touch cues. A research study was conducted in two parts: first, the identification accuracy of vibrothermal patterns was explored; and second, the relatability of vibrothermal patterns to social touch experienced during social interactions was evaluated. Results revealed that while complex patterns were difficult to identify, simpler patterns, such as SINGLE TAP and HOLD, were highly identifiable and highly relatable to social touch cues. Directional patterns were less identifiable and less relatable to the social touch cues experienced during social interaction.
An integrated assessment modeling framework for assessing primary and secondary impacts from carbon dioxide stabilization scenarios

As the nations of the world negotiate future controls on greenhouse gas emissions, a critical environmental policy issue becomes understanding the multiple environmental consequences of these controls. Here we describe an integrated assessment model for quantifying multiple environmental impacts of large-scale environmental initiatives and apply this model to climate change mitigation. Our analysis shows that reductions in global warming will be accompanied by reductions in ozone depletion, acid rain and mercury emissions, and desulfurization waste generation. We also conclude that the largest collateral benefits from reducing global climate change may be in the developing world. This result is critical since it is the developing nations who ultimately control the long-term success of any climate stabilization strategy.
Analysis of protein aggregation kinetics.

Abstract Given a set of kinetic data, then, the preceding discussions suggest the following approach to its analysis. 1. 1. For purposes of establishing the reaction, ignore the final stages and concentrate on the initial 10–20% of the reaction at first. A globally optimized model may be based on a faulty assumption for the initial steps. Thus, although the whole data set may look reasonably well fit, the reaction could be misrepresented, and thus the fit unhelpful if accuracy at the later stages has come at the expense of the initial phase of the reaction. 2. 2. What is the time course of the initial reaction? (A) Is the reaction exponential? Exponential growth gives dramatic lag times (see Fig. 3), whereas nonexponential “lag times” have a visible signal from time 0 (i.e., Fig. 2). If the data set shows the abrupt appearance of signals after a period of quiescence, the chances are excellent that the time course is exponential. High sensitivity measurement of the signal at times during the lag phase should be used to confirm the exponential nature quantitatively. Exponential reactions mean a secondary pathway is operative. (a) A cascade ( t n ) can look similar to an exponential, but may proceed from a multistep single-path reaction. Thus the exponential needs to be ascertained with some accuracy. (b) It is possible that some or all of the lag results from a stochastic process, i.e., formation of a single nucleus being observed. This, however, is likely to be accompanied by a secondary process, as few techniques are sensitive enough to detect a single polymer at a time, and having one nucleus form many polymers is a hallmark of a secondary process. Thus, the reproducibility of the kinetics must be established to rule out stochastics. If data show wide variation, stochastic methods as described earlier may be employed. (c) Given a secondary process, one must separate the primary nucleation process from the secondary process (by stochastic means or by use of the product B 2 A , as described earlier). (B) If the reaction does not begin with an exponential, is it parabolic? If so, it falls in the general class of linear polymerizations. 3. 3. What is the concentration dependence of the reaction(s)? This will separate nucleation processes from growth, and so on. 4. 4. If the initial reaction is neither exponential nor parabolic, a reaction mechanism needs to be proposed and evaluated. Solving the resulting equations is best done by linearization, which has the best chance of giving equations whose solutions and their sensitivity to parameters are readily understood. If this proves fruitful, full numeric solutions may be useful. 5. 5. At this point, the full reaction may be considered to completion. 6. 6. The physical basis of the description (sizes of parameters and their dependencies) needs to be finally considered to ensure that the mathematical success of the description rests on tenable physical grounds.
Eminent Domain, Municipalization, and the Dormant Commerce Clause

Municipalization is the process by which a local government unit becomes the owner and operator of a public service previously provided by a private entity, such as electrical services or other utilities. Municipalization has sometimes involved the government’s use of its eminent domain power to acquire ongoing enterprises by paying just compensation for privately owned utility companies. Federal doctrines, such as the dormant Commerce Clause, federal preemption and other federal constraints, should be used to limit or temper municipalization efforts to control national interests or subvert individual rights while allowing sufficient state power to regulate and experiment with solutions to local problems, such as the provision of a stable supply of electrical power at reasonable rates.Part I of this Article discusses efforts to municipalize privately held public utility companies and other ongoing enterprises through the use of eminent domain. Part II explores the federal constraints on using the eminent domain power to acquire an ongoing business based on the Fifth Amendment and the dormant Commerce Clause. Other federal constraints such as the Commerce Clause, the Tenth Amendment, the Supremacy Clause, the Contract Clause, and antitrust laws are also briefly discussed. Professor Saxer concludes that existing federal restraints on government power are not sufficiently protective of private property rights and suggests that we consider strengthening these limits through congressional action and by closely scrutinizing government motivation when the eminent domain power is used.
Elections in Africa: Are They 'nstruments of Democracy?'

In what ways do elections serve as instruments of democracy in Africa? Based on a multi-level analysis of Afrobarometer survey data from 17 sub-Saharan African countries, my study examines the influence of citizens’ perceptions of competitive elections (accountability and representation) on their confidence in African parliaments. While majoritarian electoral systems are designed to promote citizens’ direct control over policymakers, proportional representation (PR) systems are expected to increase the scope of representation of all factions of society. My study provides an empirical foundation for these expectations in Africa. Controlling for a variety of individual- and macro-level characteristics, I find that citizens’ perceptions of members of parliament (MPs)’ representation have a positive and significant effect on their trust in the legislature. In addition, my results suggest that the effect of political representation is mediated by electoral systems. Citizens in countries with PR systems are much more likely than those in majoritarian electoral systems to show positive attitudes toward the parliament when they feel elections enhance political representation. These findings have important implications for democratic learning and democratic development in Africa.
Spontaneous synchronization in multihop embedded sensor networks: demonstration of a server-free approach

A common time reference is essential for distributed sensing, especially when the individual sensors are communicating over wireless, possibly through several intermediate nodes. Prior art in time synchronization over multihop wireless sensor networks has focused on centralized solutions that utilize one or more beacons or distributed peer-to-peer approaches, validated only in simulation environments. In this work, we demonstrate distributed synchronization using nearest neighbor communication and no other central point of control. The technique was inspired by natural synchronization in colonies of fireflies and was implemented in an embedded wireless network. The goal was to synchronize speakers and displays at various nodes of the network and quantify the synchronization error as a function of network diameter and communication overhead. One interesting finding was that the error does not scale linearly with the diameter of the network as reported previously in the literature, since it depends on the frequency skew distribution of the participating node oscillators.
A Complete Automation of Unit Testing for Java Programs

Program testing is expensive and laborintensive, often consuming more than half of the total development costs, and yet it is frequently not done well and the results are not always satisfactory. However, testing is the primary method to ensure that programs comply with requirements. We describe our on-going project that attempts to completely automate unit testing of objectoriented programs. Our project investigates the use of an evolutionary approach, called genetic algorithms, for test data generation and the use of program specifications, written in JML, for test result determination. A proofof-concept tool has been implemented and shows that a complete automation is feasible for unit testing Java programs. Automated testing techniques such as ours can complement manual testing by testing significant portion of object-oriented programs, as methods in object-oriented programs tend to be small; manual testing can focus more interesting problems, e.g., inter-class testing.
High-level heterogeneous distributed parallel programming

Low-level language constructs are considered harmful for heterogeneous distributed parallel programming. A program makes unstructured use of these low-level language constructs may be difficult to understand and debug. In this paper, we discuss that IP (interacting process) is an ideal language for heterogeneous distributed parallel programming. An approach is proposed to realize IP programs through Multiparty Interaction (MI) protocol. The approach provides a synergy of heterogeneity, communication, distribution, and parallelism for programmers to transparently develop heterogeneous distributed parallel applications.
Oxygen uptake in infants and children: a simple method for measurement.

We have measured oxygen consumption continuously in children of any age by drawing room air through a hood placed over the child9s head. The oxygen concentration of mixed expired gas was measured with a new paramagnetic oxygen analyzer (Servomex OA 150). By in vitro tests the system was accurate to within 4.2% (standard deviation) of known oxygen uptakes calculated by burning ethyl alcohol. There was also good correlation between oxygen consumptions measured sequentially by this method and by conventional collection of expired air in a Douglas bag. When oxygen uptake is stable a sample of mixed expired gas can be withdrawn for analysis of carbon dioxide concentration by the Scholander technique. This allows calculation of carbon dioxide production and respiratory exchange ratio. In 22 children under 3 years of age the oxygen consumption at cardiac catheterization was 162 ± 34 ml/min/sq m or 8.8 ± 1.6 ml/min/kg (mean and standard devialion). The wide variability indicates the importance of measuring oxygen consumption rather than using tables of average values. The system is portable, inexpensive, stable and very easy to use.
Rape and Sexual Coercion

This article summarizes the biological and cultural approaches to the understanding of rape in human societies and evaluates these approaches by reference to studies demonstrating the incidence and social correlates of sexual coercion in the United States and cross-culturally. The biological, evolutionary view is compared and contrasted with the cultural approach proposed by anthropologists. The wide variation in the response to rape cross-culturally and intraculturally in the United States suggests that whatever the biological basis of male sexual aggression might be, family background and cultural context make a difference.
Mutated into Oblivion

Mendel9s Demon Gene Justice and the Complexity of Life. By Mark Ridley . Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 2000. 351 pp. 20 pounds. ISBN 0-297-64634-6. released in the US as . The Cooperative Gene How Mendel9s Demon Explains the Evolution of Complex Beings. Free Press, New York, 2001. 336 pp. $26, C$39.50. ISBN 0-7432-0161-2. Ridley offers an intriguing consideration of the origins, persistence, and future prospects of complex life. He discusses how organisms adapted to deal with mutational mistakes in the copying of DNA, and he interprets the complicated process of meiosis as a mechanism that evolved to check selfish genes.
PART-TASK SIMULATION TRAINING OF DRIVERS' PASSING JUDGMENTS

Subjects were pretested in an on-the-road situation requiring that they estimate the last possible moment for safely passing a lead vehicle in the face of an oncoming vehicle. The subjects were then exposed to a number of filmed scenes and again required to estimate the last possible safe moment for passing. Half the subjects received feedback concerning the accuracy of their estimates while the others did not. A post test conducted on the road showed that there was significant improvement in the performance of the group that had received feedback during the training session. /Author/
Metal artifact reduction in computed tomography by constrained optimization

Computed tomography (CT) streak artifacts caused by metal implants have long been recognized as a problem that limits various applications of CT imaging. An effective and robust algorithm is highly desirable to minimize metal artifacts and achieve clinically acceptable CT images. In this work, the raw projection data is viewed as "incomplete" in the presence of metal shadows. Shape and location of metal objects are automatically identified and used as prior knowledge for accurate segmentation of metal shadows in projection domain. An iterative algorithm based on constrained optimization is then used for the image reconstruction. This algorithm minimizes a quadratic penalized smoothness measure function of the image, subject to the constraint that the estimated projection data is within a specified tolerance of the available metal-shadow-excluded projection data, with image non-negativity enforced. The constrained minimization problem is optimized through the combination of projection onto convex sets (POCS) and steepest gradient descent of the smoothness measure objective. Digital phantom study shows that the proposed constrained optimization algorithm has superior performance in reducing metal artifacts, suppressing noise and improving soft-tissue visibility. Some comparisons are performed with the filtered-back-projection (FBP), FDK, POCS and constrained optimization with total-variation (TV) objective. Although the algorithm is presented in the context of metal artifacts, it can be generated to image reconstruction from incomplete projections caused by limited angular range or low angular sampling rate in both 2D and 3D cases.
An enzyme immunoassay for estimating small numbers of cells

In this report we describe an enzyme immunoassay for determination of cell number in small samples. The assay utilizes a commercially available monoclonal antibody that recognizes double- and single-stranded DNA and works with several different methods of cell fixation. DNA extraction is not required. Confluent, growth-arrested fibroblasts serve as standards. While most readily applicable to anchorage-dependent cells, addition of a centrifugation step allows the method to be applied also to anchorage-independent cells.
Genetic ablation of IGFBP-2 suggests functional redundancy in the IGFBP family.

Abstract Gene targeting allows mutations to be introduced selectively into any mouse locus of interest. This approach has already been used to demonstrate that insulin-like growth factor (IGF) peptides and receptors are required in vivo for normal prenatal growth. One of the IGFBP genes, IGFBP-2, has also been disrupted using gene targeting, and homozygous null BP-2 mice are characterized by a decreased spleen size most apparent during early postnatal stages and increased adult circulating levels of several other IGFBPs. These alterations are considered less dramatic than the phenotypes initially predicted based on the fetal IGFBP-2 expression pattern, although several physiological paradigms can be envisioned that will provide additional tests for specific aspects of IGFBP function. Since all six IGFBP genes are expressed during prenatal rodent development, as well as in adult tissues, the IGFBP-2 null phenotype must also be compared with genetic ablations involving members of other gene families and in the context of the other IGFBP expression patterns in rodent embryonic, extraembryonic, and uterine tissues.
A detailed gravity study of the Chattolanee Baltimore Gneiss Dome, Maryland, U.S.A.

Abstract A detailed gravity survey over the Chattolanee Baltimore Gneiss Dome in the Maryland Piedmont suggests that the dome is an arched recumbent fold. The Baltimore Gneiss, which cores the dome, has a negative density contrast with the surrounding Cambro-Ordovician marbles and schists and is coincident with a large minimum in the simple Bouguer gravity. Three north-south profiles, which cut across the east-west-trending surface exposure of the dome were modeled two-dimensionally. The models suggest that the Baltimore Gneiss is thickest and tightly folded in an inverted V shape to the east and thinner and broadly arched to the west. It is also possible to fit the gravity data with a mushroom-shaped body at the easternmost profile, which could suggest a diapiric origin for the dome, but this interpretation is not favored based on geological arguments. The Baltimore Mafic Complex, located to the south of the Chattolanee Dome, can be modeled as an approximately 1 km thick slab with a subhorizontal base, suggesting that it is a thrust sheet. By analogy with the Phoenix Baltimore Gneiss Dome, mapped by Crowley [2], the Cambro-Ordovician sediments surrounding the Chattolanee Dome may also be involved in the recumbent folding which would suggest that the dome was formed during the Ordovician Taconic orogeny.
Far-Infrared Spectrum of Cadmium Telluride

The infrared transmission spectrum of cadmium telluride was measured from 30 cm−1 to 4000 cm−1 (333 μ to 2.5 μ) at 290°, 83°, and 18°K. Six absorption bands, in addition to the fundamental transverse optical absorption, were observed and were identified as two-phonon transitions.
Folded forehead flap for reconstruction of full‐thickness defects of the cheek

A simplified technique is described for reconstruction of through-and-through full-thickness defects of the cheek following resection of cancer. The standard forehead flap is employed with an extended application, whereby it is folded over itself twice to provide both an inner and an outer lining. This alternative technique appears to be a reliable and quick way of obtaining both cover and lining for reconstruction of through-and-through defects of the cheek.