cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An identity-based authentication and key establishment scheme for multi-operator maintained Wireless Mesh Networks

Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) offer broadband wireless Internet access with flexible and cost-effective deployment. Security is one of the key issues should be considered before WMNs get widespread use. Authentication and key establishment (AKE) schemes enable two entities to share common communication keys in an authentic way. In a WMN, a Mesh Client (MC) and the accessing Mesh Router (MR) need to need to authenticate each other before the secure connection could be set up between them. Due to mobility of MCs, a WMN needs to have efficient authentication and key establishment scheme to provide adequate security while meeting the Quality of Service (QoS) requirements, especially during clients handoff. Mesh routers (MRs) also need to authenticate each other before set up the wireless connection. In this paper, we propose a authentication and key establishment scheme for WMN based on the identity-based cryptography (IBC), which enables efficient key agreement and mutual authentication between network entities in a WMN. Through this distributed authentication key establishment scheme, network entities can authenticate each other and establish pairwise communication keys with substantially reduced communication overhead and authentication delay.
Contributions of mineral and organic components to tidal freshwater marsh accretion

Abstract Vertical accretion in tidal marshes is necessary to prevent submergence due to rising sea levels. Mineral materials may be more important in driving vertical accretion in tidal freshwater marshes, which are found near the heads of estuaries, than has been reported for salt marshes. Accretion rates for tidal freshwater marshes in North America and Europe ( n = 76 data points) were compiled from the literature. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses revealed that both organic and mineral accumulations played a role in driving tidal freshwater marsh vertical accretion rates, although a unit mass of organic material contributed ∼4 times more to marsh volume than the same mass input of mineral material. Despite the higher mineral content of tidal freshwater marsh soils, this ability of organic matter to effectively hold water and air in interstitial spaces suggests that organic matter is responsible for 62% of marsh accretion, with the remaining 38% from mineral contributions. The organic material that helps to build marsh elevation is likely a combination of in situ production and organic materials that are deposited in association with mineral sediment particles. Regional differences between tidal freshwater marshes in the importance of organic vs. mineral contributions may reflect differences in sediment availability, climate, tidal range, rates of sea level rise, and local-scale factors such as site elevation and distance to tidal creeks. Differences in the importance of organic and mineral accumulations between tidal freshwater and salt marshes are likely due to a combination of factors, including sediment availability (e.g., proximity to upland sources and estuarine turbidity maxima) and the lability of freshwater vs. salt marsh plant production.
Concurrent Device/Specification Cause–Effect Monitoring for Yield Diagnosis Using Alternate Diagnostic Signatures

In this paper, an efficient methodology for die level test-and-diagnosis for Analog/RF circuits is developed. The key contribution of this work lies in the ability to both determine the DUT specifications as well as the underlying Spice-level model parameters from the same DUT test response on a per chip basis, thereby providing quicker and higher diagnostic resolution. The test and diagnosis procedures are enabled by a new computationally efficient test stimulus generation algorithm that simultaneously targets test sensitivity and parameter model diagnosability. This allows cause-effect analysis to be performed that relates perturbations in the spice-level model parameters to the DUT performance metrics (specifications). Further, cause-effect diagnosis is achieved at a test cost comparable to prior testing schemes that target only pass/ fail classification of tested devices.
Mechanism of potassium alum crystal growth from solution

Abstract This paper examines crystal growth models that have been proposed to describe the crystallization of potassium alum within narrow supersaturation ranges in order to determine whether or not these models can correlate recent growth rate data taken over broad supersaturation ranges.
Picosecond pulse operation of a dye laser containing a phase-conjugate mirror

We have demonstrated picosecond pulse operation of a synchronously pumped cw dye laser in which one of the conventional laser mirrors is replaced by an internally self-pumped BaTiO(3) phase-conjugate mirror. The laser pulses, of about 15-psec duration, were close to transform-limited. This Letter represents the first report to our knowledge of steady-state picosecond pulse operation of a laser containing a phase-conjugate reflector.
A volumetric reconstruction algorithm for stationary source inverse-geometry CT

Stationary source inverse-geometry CT (SS-IGCT) has been proposed as a new system architecture that has several key advantages over traditional cone beam CT (CBCT). One advantage is the potential for acquiring a large volume of interest with minimal cone-beam artifacts and with very high temporal resolution. We anticipate that SS-IGCT will use large, stationary source arrays, with gaps in between separate source array modules. These gaps make reconstruction challenging because most analytic reconstruction algorithms assume a continuous source trajectory. SS-IGCT is capable of producing the same dataset as a traditional scanner taking multiple overlapping axial scans, but with segments of the views missing from each axial scan because of gaps. We propose the following, two-stage volumetric reconstruction algorithm. In the first stage, the missing rays are estimated in a spatially varying fashion using available data and geometric considerations, and reconstruction proceeds with standard algorithms. The missing data are then re-estimated by a forward projection step. These new estimates are quite good and the reconstruction can be performed again using any algorithm that supports multiple parallel axial scans. Although inspired by iterative reconstruction, our algorithm only needs one "iteration" of forward- and back-projection in practice and is efficient. Simulations of a thorax phantom were performed showing the efficacy of this technique and the ability of SS-IGCT to suppress cone-beam artifacts compared to conventional CBCT. The noise and resolution characteristics are comparable to that of CBCT.
A Comparison of the Underlying Event in Jet and Minimum Bias Events

In order to determine more accurately the energy contribution in a jet cone due to the underlying event, and in oder to understand better the ambient event environment at both the Tevatron and the LHC, a study has been carried out in CDF of the energy distribution in a cone of radius 0.7 in both jet and in minimum bias events. The results from CDF data from Run 1b have been compared with results from passed through the detector simulation program QFL.2
Using Data to Assess Staffing and Services: University of Iowa Main Library

The Main Library Service Desk is a one-stop academic help center located between a newly renovated student-focused space called the Learning Commons and the library collections. Services began with the first day of classes, August 26, 2013, and assessment has been ongoing, in part due to the availability of data. Staffing levels, staffing hours, and roving services were all analyzed and changed to better meet the needs of our users.
What do deep sea pressure fluctuations tell about short surface waves

[1] Short waves centered at the gravity to capillary transition (13.5 Hz) dominate the slope statistics of the sea surface and are responsible for most of the air-sea momentum transfer (wind stress). Little is known about short “gravities.” In contrast, long gravities, with their characteristic κ−4 spectrum, have extensive observational support. We propose a fundamental distinction between long gravities, with their saturated (wind-independent) spectrum, and short gravities, with their wind-dependent spectrum. Evidence comes (surprisingly) from sea-floor pressure fluctuations associated with non-linear interactions between oppositely traveling surface waves of half their frequency. The bottom pressure spectrum shows a transition at about 6 Hz (3 Hz surface wave frequency) from an f−7 to an f−3 dependence that we associate with the long to short surface gravity wave transition. Further, the requirement of oppositely traveling energy places an integral restraint on the directional spread of the surface waves.
Central areolar pigment epithelial dystrophy

We examined nine members of a family with a unique hereditary macular dystrophy by using stereoscopic color photography, fluorescein angiography, electroretinography, electro-oculography, dark adaptation, H-R-R color plates, and the Farnsworth-Munsell 100-hue test. The disorder was transmitted as an autosomal-dominant trait with increased penetrance and variable expression. Four of the family members, representing three successive generations, exhibited defects in macular pigmentation ranging from a 1-disk diameter excavation to a more subtle central loss of macular pigment. Only one eye with macular hemorrhage had decreased visual acuity; visual acuity in this eye was 20/25 when the hemorrhage resolved. All other retinal function studies were normal. The unusual nonprogressive areolar depigmentation of the central macula together with normal retinal functions made it impossible to classify this disorder, and indicated a new and unreported dominant macular dystrophy, central areolar pigment epithelial dystrophy.
Motion Vector Field Estimation Using Brightness Constancy Assumption and Epipolar Geometry Constraint

Abstract. In most Photogrammetry and computer vision tasks, finding the corresponding points among images is required. Among many, the Lucas-Kanade optical flow estimation has been employed for tracking interest points as well as motion vector field estimation. This paper uses the IMU measurements to reconstruct the epipolar geometry and it integrates the epipolar geometry constraint with the brightness constancy assumption in the Lucas-Kanade method. The proposed method has been tested using the KITTI dataset. The results show the improvement in motion vector field estimation in comparison to the Lucas-Kanade optical flow estimation. The same approach has been used in the KLT tracker and it has been shown that using epipolar geometry constraint can improve the KLT tracker. It is recommended that the epipolar geometry constraint is used in advanced variational optical flow estimation methods.
Bootstrap for the case-cohort design

The case-cohort design facilitates economical investigation of risk factors in a large survival study, with covariate data collected only from the cases and a simple random subset of the full cohort. Methods that accommodate the design have been developed for various semiparametric models, but most inference procedures are based on asymptotic distribution theory. Such inference can be cumbersome to derive and implement, and does not permit confidence band construction. While bootstrap is an obvious alternative, how to resample is unclear because of complications from the two-stage sampling design. We establish an equivalent sampling scheme, and propose a novel and versatile nonparametric bootstrap for robust inference with an appealingly simple single-stage resampling. Theoretical justification and numerical assessment are provided for a number of procedures under the proportional hazards model.
High yield isolation and effect on proton leakage of glyceollins I and III

Abstract A simple, high-yield method for the isolation of the pterocarpan phytoalexins glyceollin I and III has been developed. Isolation and purification were achieved using a combination of silica gel column and preparative radial chromatography. Isomers I and Ill were purified to > 95% as shown by HPLC. Both caused proton leakage from sealed red beet tonoplast vesicles and isolated tonoplast vacuoles. Glyceollin III was more active than glyceollin I in causing proton leakage.
Selection of Type I and Type II methanotrophic proteobacteria in a fluidized bed reactor under non-sterile conditions.

Type II methanotrophs produce polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), while Type I methanotrophs do not. A laboratory-scale fluidized bed reactor was initially inoculated with a Type II Methylocystis-like dominated culture. At elevated levels of dissolved oxygen (DO, 9 mg/L), pH of 6.2–6.5 with nitrate as the N-source, a Methylobacter-like Type I methanotroph became dominant within the biofilms which did not produce PHB. A shift to biofilms capable of PHB production was achieved by re-inoculating with Type II Methylosinus culture, providing dissolved N2 as the N-source, and maintaining a low influent DO (2.0 mg/L). The resulting biofilms contained both Types I and II methanotrophs. Batch tests indicated that biofilm samples grown with N2 became dominated by Type II methanotrophs and produced PHB. Enrichments with nitrate or ammonium were dominated by Type I methanotrophs without PHB production capability. The key selection factors favoring Type II were N2 as N-source and low DO.
Insight Maker: A general-purpose tool for web-based modeling & simulation

A web-based, general-purpose simulation and modeling tool is presented in this paper. The tool, Insight Maker, has been designed to make modeling and simulation accessible to a wider audience of users. Insight Maker integrates three general modeling approaches – System Dynamics, Agent-Based Modeling, and imperative programming – in a unified modeling framework. The environment provides a graphical model construction interface that is implemented purely in client-side code that runs on users’ machines. Advanced features, such as model scripting and an optimization tool, are also described. Insight Maker, under development for several years, has gained significant adoption with currently more than 20,000 registered users. In addition to detailing the tool and its guiding philosophy, this first paper on Insight Maker describes lessons learned from the development of a complex web-based simulation and modeling tool.
Breastfeeding in survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma treated with chest radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Female survivors of therapeutic chest radiation often question whether they will have difficulty with breast feeding, given their prior exposure to breast radiation. In the current study, the rates of successful breastfeeding in long-term survivors who received chest radiotherapy (CXRT) as a treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) were examined. METHODS: A survey study of survivors of HL who were treated at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy in Boston from 1969 through 1996 was performed. Patients were queried about childbearing and breastfeeding. The authors analyzed self-reported breastfeeding success in women who reported live births after CXRT and compared them with a sibling control group. RESULTS: Overall, 83 female survivors of HL who were treated with CXRT reported at least 1 birth after treatment. There were a total of 141 post-HL pregnancies resulting in births. In these women, the median age at the time of the HL diagnosis was 23 years (range, 14-40 years) and the median radiation dose was 41 grays (Gy) (range, 27-46 Gy). For survivors, 57 of the 94 (61%) breastfeeding attempts were successful, whereas within the control group, 74 of the 94 (79%) attempts were successful (P = .044). Accounting for maternal age at first birth and birth era, multivariable analysis suggested that HL survivors treated with CXRT may be less likely to breastfeed successfully than their siblings (odds ratio, 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.2-1.0 [P = .06]). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of female HL survivors who were treated with CXRT report being able to breastfeed successfully. However, the results of the current study indicate a trend toward less successful breastfeeding in survivors as a previously unreported late effect of radiation. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.
Tissue transplantation immunity in the adult newt, Diemictylus viridescens. III. The effects of X‐irradiation and temperature on the allograft reaction

Graded dosages of x-irradiation from 500r to 3000r inhibited destruction of Diemictylus viridescens allografts at 23 ± 0.5°C for at least as long as the survival time of the hosts (up to 35 days). Lymphocytes were observed in 20% of the grafts whose hosts received 500r and 1000r but they were present in far weaker concentrations than seen in any control grafts at all stages of rejection. No lymphocytes were evident in any grafts on hosts irradiated with 1500r, 2000r, and 3000r. The effects of various temperatures on allograft rejection in the newt were also examined. There was no difference in the mean survival times of grafts maintained at 30°C and 23°C. At 20°C, however, hemostasis and hemorrhaging were significantly delayed by a factor of 1.6 and 1.7 times, respectively, when compared with the findings at 23°C. At 10–15°C, no hemostasis or hemorrhaging were displayed for 191 days after transplantation. Lymphocytes, however, were apparent in very low concentrations in the tissues of some of the grafts and localized destruction of a few melanophores were noted. Two grafts maintained at 10–15°C for 155 days and then transferred to 20°C were completely destroyed within 36 days. This destruction was more rapid than for grafts initially maintained at 20°C.
Release characteristics of polymethacrylate nanospheres containing coumarin-6

Sustained release nanospheres were prepared from the polymethacrylates Eudragit S(100) and E(100) containing a water insoluble dye by a salting-out method. Coumarin-6 was used as a model for insoluble analgesics to ascertain uptake and release properties dependent on polymer characteristics and pH. Morphology and particle size were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Particles were smooth, spherical and uniform with diameters ranging from 0.6-0.8 micro m. Yield was 38% and 86% for E(100) and S(100), respectively, and encapsulation of coumarin-6 efficiency was 58% and 75%, respectively. Coumarin-6 was stable within the polymer matrix at temperatures from -20 degrees C to 45 degrees C for 4 months. Release was most efficient from S(100) polymers in phosphate buffer at pH 7.4 and 8.0 reaching a maximum; 5 hours prior to samples at pH 7.0 and 9.0. Release was biphasic and concentration as a function of the square root of time produced linear data suggesting a Higuchi type diffusion from a polymer matrix. Release from E(100) was 65% lower than that from S(100) and was not solely dependent upon the ionization of polymer but most likely due to a combination of factors including buffer ionization.
Stable fault-tolerant adaptive fuzzy/neural control for a turbine engine

Stimulated by the growing demand for improving the reliability and performance of systems, fault-tolerant control has been receiving significant attention since its goal is to detect the occurrence of faults and achieve satisfactory system performance in the presence of faults. To develop an intelligent fault-tolerant control system, we begin by constructing a design model of the system using a hierarchical learning structure in the form of Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy systems. Afterwards, the fault-tolerant control scheme is designed based on stable adaptive fuzzy/neural control, where its online learning capabilities are used to capture the unknown dynamics caused by faults. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed methods has been studied by extensive analysis of system zero dynamics and asymptotic tracking abilities for both indirect and direct adaptive control cases, and by "component level model" simulation of the General Electric XTE46 turbine engine.
The VLSI Package-An Analytical Review

Current very large-scale integrated (VLSI) chip packaging options, with a special emphasis on the various size and chip I/O complexity issues are reviewed, quantitatively. The two basic packaging options reviewed are the hermetic chip carrier (HCC) and the pin grid array (PGA). The impact that chip input/output (I/O) has on the "size" growth of packages as single chip enclosures, as well as that of the chips themselves, is considered. It is shown that the HCC is inherently more area-efficient for almost any high I/O configured VLSI chip, especially if the chip size growth that must be anticipated is considered as I/O's of 400 arc entertained. After quantitative considerations of discrete packaging options are exhausted, it is finally recommended that a multicbip VLSI module should be seriously considered as a more efficient packaging concept. This, however, requires some innovation directed toward the development of adequate prepackaged chip testing. This could be facilitated through the incorporation of physically testable I/O ports on the "passivated" VLSI chip; e.g., flip chip "bumps," tape-automated bonding (TAB), or beam lead chip interconnects.
Technical grade but not recrystallized α-naphthylthiourea potentiates superoxide release by rat neutrophils stimulated in vitro by phorbol myristate acetate

alpha-Naphthylthiourea (ANTU) causes pulmonary edema and pleural effusion in rats. It has been suggested that ANTU pneumotoxicity may be mediated by blood neutrophils (PMNs) via the release of reactive oxygen species. Accordingly, we tested the effect of technical grade ANTU (tANTU) on the ability of rat peritoneal PMNs to release superoxide (O2-). tANTU did not itself stimulate O2- production by PMNs, but it increased the O2- released in response to PMN stimulation by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). This effect was dependent upon the amount of tANTU added. In PMNs activated in vitro by a submaximal PMA stimulus, addition of 20 micrograms/ml tANTU doubled superoxide release. When tANTU was recrystallized from ethanol, the purified ANTU was not effective in potentiating the effect of PMA on PMNs. This suggests that an impurity in technical grade ANTU is capable of increasing O2- release by stimulated PMNs. tANTU and recrystallized ANTU caused similar pneumotoxicity in rats in vivo, suggesting that the unidentified impurity does not markedly influence the biologic effects of ANTU.
Personality and Emotional Response: Strategic and Tactical Responses to Changing Political Circumstances

Emotions enable people to navigate various political environments, differentiating familiar situations where standard operating procedures are suitable from unfamiliar terrain when more attention is needed. While previous research identifies consequences of emotion, we know less about what triggers affective response. In this article, the authors investigate what role personality has in the operation of the systems of affective intelligence. Using experimental data as well as responses from the 2000 and 2004 American National Election Studies, the authors first consider whether personality affects the activation of emotional response. Next, they explore the degree to which citizen attitudes like openness to information and compromise are explained by personality characteristics and subconscious emotional response. Finally, they consider the implications of these results for our normative understanding of democratic citizenship.
Mother – child attachment in later middle childhood: Assessment approaches and associations with mood and emotion regulation

Abstract This study examined the overlap and validity of several measures of mother – child attachment developed for preadolescents. Validity was assessed in part by examining how attachment is related to children's mood and emotion regulation. Mother – child attachment was assessed in a sample of 9 to 11 year-old children using a story stem interview technique and questionnaires. Positive and negative mood were scored from daily logs completed by children. Emotion regulation was assessed with mothers' reports of constructive coping and teacher reports of children's ability to tolerate frustration. Interview and questionnaire measures of attachment were not consistently related to one another, although both were related to mood and emotion regulation. As expected, secure attachment and maternal secure base support were related to higher levels of positive mood, more constructive coping, and better regulation of emotion in the classroom, with effects stronger for emotion regulation than for mood. Children ...
Relics of cosmic quark condensation.

The influence of the QCD phase transition on the standard cosmological model is examined. Physical mechanisms are analyzed which transport energy and baryon number during the cosmological transition from free-quark (unconfined) to hadron (confined) phases of matter, with particular attention to an effect described by Witten---the concentration of baryons in low-entropy bubbles. Two limiting regimes of transport, hydrodynamic flow and neutrino conduction, are discussed and their relative importance under various circumstances is clarified. The spatial distribution of specific entropy at the end of the transition, and its subsequent evolution, is described using a spherical shell model. Inhomogeneities which persist until the epoch of nucleosynthesis can lead to nuclear products with very different chemical composition from the standard hot big bang, both because of contamination from regions with entropy orders of magnitude less than the cosmic average and because of variation in neutron-to-proton ratio caused by differential diffusion of these reactants into voids of higher-than-average entropy. These events may produce observable distortions in cosmic light-element abundances; in particular, the deuterium abundance may be increased by orders of magnitude. Thus, it is perhaps more appropriate to regard nucleosynthesis as a constraint on the parameters of the phase transition than as a precise probe of the cosmic baryon density or the number of neutrino species.
Convergent, RIC-8-Dependent Gα Signaling Pathways in the Caenorhabditis elegans Synaptic Signaling Network

We used gain-of-function and null synaptic signaling network mutants to investigate the relationship of the Gαq and Gαs pathways to synaptic vesicle priming and to each other. Genetic epistasis studies using Gαq gain-of-function and null mutations, along with a mutation that blocks synaptic vesicle priming and the synaptic vesicle priming stimulator phorbol ester, suggest that the Gαq pathway generates the core, obligatory signals for synaptic vesicle priming. In contrast, the Gαs pathway is not required for the core priming function, because steady-state levels of neurotransmitter release are not significantly altered in animals lacking a neuronal Gαs pathway, even though these animals are strongly paralyzed as a result of functional (nondevelopmental) defects. However, our genetic analysis indicates that these two functionally distinct pathways converge and that they do so downstream of DAG production. Further linking the two pathways, our epistasis analysis of a ric-8 null mutant suggests that RIC-8 (a receptor-independent Gα guanine nucleotide exchange factor) is required to maintain both the Gαq vesicle priming pathway and the neuronal Gαs pathway in a functional state. We propose that the neuronal Gαs pathway transduces critical positional information onto the core Gαq pathway to stabilize the priming of selected synapses that are optimal for locomotion.
Laparoscopic vs Open Colectomy: Outcomes Comparison Based on Large Nationwide Databases

Hypothesis Laparoscopic colectomy has significant advantages over open colectomy in the treatment of diverticular disease with respect to the length of hospital stay, routine hospital discharge, and postoperative morbidity and mortality. Design Retrospective secondary data analysis. Patients and Setting Patients with primary International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification procedure codes for laparoscopic (709 patients [3.8%]) and open sigmoid resection (17 735 patients [96.2%]) were selected from the 1998, 1999, and 2000 Nationwide Inpatient Samples. These databases represent 20% stratified probability samples of all US community hospital discharges. Sampling weights were used to allow generalization of the study findings to the overall US population. Multiple linear and logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the risk-adjusted association between the surgery type and patient outcomes. Main Outcome Measures Length of hospital stay, in-hospital complications, in-hospital mortality, and the rate of routine discharge. Results The patients had a mean age of 59.8 years; they were preponderantly white (89.1%) and female (54.0%). After adjusting for other covariates, laparoscopic sigmoidectomy was associated with a shorter mean hospital stay (laparoscopic sigmoidectomy vs open sigmoidectomy, 7.47 vs 9.37 days; P P = .03), a lower overall complication rate (odds ratio, 0.64; 95% confidence interval, 0.47-0.88; P = .007), and a higher routine hospital discharge rate (odds ratio, 2.21; 95% confidence interval, 1.51-3.21; P Conclusion Laparoscopic sigmoid resection in patients with diverticular disease has statistically and clinically significant advantages over open sigmoid resection with respect to the length of hospital stay, rate of routine hospital discharge, and postoperative in-hospital morbidity.
Results of resident-performed laser in situ keratomileusis.

Purpose To analyze the results of resident-performed laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). Setting Rush University Medical Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Methods This retrospective study comprised 44 consecutive eyes of 22 patients who had LASIK performed from August 2000 through February 2002. Based on preoperative spherical equivalent, the eyes were divided into a low myopia group (A) (−1.0 to −6.0 diopter [D]) and a higher myopia group (B) (> −6.01 D). Preoperative and postoperative spherical equivalent (SE), best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) were measured and analyzed within each group. Patients had at least 2 follow-up visits, with the second visit occurring between 1 and 9 months postoperatively. Results Preoperatively, the mean SE in Group A was −3.93 D ± 1.53 (SD) and in Group B, −8.49 ± 1.70 D. At the final visit, the SE in Group A decreased to −0.29 ± 0.55 D and in Group B, −1.09 ± 0.87 D. The UCVA in Group A at the final visit was 20/20 or better in 43% of eyes and 20/40 or better in 100% of eyes. In Group B, the UCVA was 20/20 or better in 31% of eyes and 20/40 or better in 75% of eyes. In all eyes, the BCVA improved by 1 line in 16% or remained the same in 84%. No eyes lost any lines of BCVA. The SE taken at the last visit was within ±0.5 D in 69% of all eyes and within ±1.0 D in 82% of all eyes. The incidence of patients needing retreatment in resident-performed LASIK surgery was 3 of 44 (6.8%). Conclusions Laser in situ keratomileusis performed by residents is a safe and effective procedure for correction of refractive error. Postoperative UCVA, refractive error, retreatment rate, and loss of BCVA were consistent with published results from nonresident surgeons. These results also exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirements for LASIK surgery.
Data preservation and long term accessibility in high energy physics at the 2nd International Conference on Frontiers in Diagnostic Technologies in Frascati, Italy

Abstract Recently there have been significant developments in high energy physics (HEP) data preservation projects while other large data volume experiments are now also facing for the first time insuring the long term accessibility of their data. In this presentation, the status of advanced HEP data preservation projects as well as the challenges and plans for projects newly facing this task will be presented. The continuing efforts to develop guidelines and tools, the justifications for these efforts and the state of discussions of more open accessibility of the data and how this is foreseen to be managed are included.
Communication Patterns and Expressed Emotion in Families of Persons With Mental Disorders

Interaction in 40 families of persons with bipolar disorders or schizophrenia was analyzed as a stochastic process to examine communication patterns between patients and parents relative to parents' level of expressed emotion (EE). Interaction sequences were coded with the Relational Control Coding System, and Markov process characteristics of order (degree of sequential dependency), stationarity, and role homogeneity were assessed with log-linear analysis. Communication patterns in high-EE families with both disorders showed more serial dependence--were more "tightly joined"--than low-EE families. However, both low- and high-EE families of persons with bipolar disorders competed for control, while there were marked differences in control patterns in low- and high-EE families of persons with schizophrenia, with low-EE families not at all competitive and high-EE families highly competitive. Difference in both responsiveness and competition for control were much stronger in dual-parent families. It was concluded that high-EE families have a family system that combines over-responsiveness with conflict about "who's in charge".
An animated MATLAB/SIMULINK tool for gas metal arc welding control experimentation

This paper details the simulation and animation package developed for a gas metal arc welding process (GMAW) in the measurement and control engineering research center (MCERC) of Idaho State University (ISU). This package is developed using MATLAB/SIMULINK, a numerical analysis software.
Conservation of natural enemies in cotton: comparative selectivity of acetamiprid in the management of Bemisia tabaci.

The integrated control concept emphasizes the importance of both chemical and biological control for pest suppression in agricultural systems. A two-year field study was conducted to evaluate the selectivity of acetamiprid for the control of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) in cotton compared with a proven selective regime based on the insect growth regulators (IGRs) pyriproxyfen and buprofezin. Acetamiprid was highly effective in controlling all stages of B tabaci compared with an untreated control, and generally produced lower pest densities than the IGR regime. Univariate analyses indicated that nine of 17 taxa of arthropod predators were significantly depressed with the use of acetamiprid compared with an untreated control, including common species such as Geocoris punctipes (Say), Orius tristicolor (White), Chrysoperla carnea Stephens sensu lato, Collops vittatus (Say), Hippodamia convergens Guerin-Meneville, and Drapetis nr divergens. Compared with results from independent, concurrent studies using mixtures of broad-spectrum insecticides at the same research site, acetamiprid depressed populations of fewer predator taxa; but, for eight predator taxa significantly affected by both regimes, the average population reduction was roughly equal. In contrast, only four taxa were significantly reduced in the IGR regime compared with the untreated control and three of these were omnivores that function primarily as plant pests. Principal response curves analyses (a time-dependent, multivariate ordination method) confirmed these patterns of population change for the entire predator community. Predator:prey ratios generally increased with the use of both IGRs and acetamiprid compared with an untreated control, but ratios were consistently higher with IGRs. Parasitism by aphelinid parasitoids was unaffected or depressed slightly in all insecticide regimes compared with the control. Because of its high efficacy, acetamiprid may play an important role in later stages of B tabaci control where less emphasis is placed on selectivity. However, our results suggest that acetamiprid would be a poor substitute for the currently used IGRs in the initial stage of control where insecticide selectivity is crucial to a functional integrated control program for B tabaci in cotton.
Plant species richness increases resistance to invasion by non-resident plant species during grassland restoration

Questions During restoration of bare subsoil, are planted grassland communities with low species richness more susceptible to invasion by non-residents than communities augmented by additional species? What are the mechanisms of invasion resistance in early succession? Location Lexington, Virginia, USA (37.8°N, −79.4°W). Methods We planted 62 3 × 3 m plots on compacted clay subsoil with 20–21 replicates of three, 12 and 24 native species. Plots were sampled non-destructively using a stratified random point-intercept method each summer for 5 yr to determine number of species and percentage cover per species, which were classified as residents (planted), internal non-residents (planted in other plots) or external non-residents. Results A negative relationship between planted species richness and invasion developed by the fourth year after planting and strengthened thereafter. Plots consisting of a single, highly dominant, resident C3 grass species were vulnerable to invasion. With the exception of one species, which seems to have overcome resistance with a high seed rain, external non-resident species were less diverse and less abundant in higher diversity plots. Conclusions Increased planted species richness was correlated with increased resistance to invasion by non-residents, and we attribute this effect to a combination of the sampling effect and species complementarity, potentially augmented by high species dominance/low evenness in the low species richness plots.
Tourism and the ethnic division of labor

Ethnic tourism is defined as that form of tourism where the cultural exoticism of natives is the main tourist attractant. It involves complex ethnic relations and a division of labor among three groups: tourists, tourees (natives who, literally, make a spectacle of themselves), and middlemen (who mediate tourist-touree encounters and provide catering facilities). The Mexican town of San Cristobal in the Chiapas Highlands has increasingly become, over the last 30 years, a major center of ethnic tourism, involving North American, European, Japanese, and Mexican tourists, mostly local ladino middlemen, and several indigenous Maya groups. The study describes the ethnic division of labor developed around tourism in San Cristobal and the impact of tourism on ethnic relations.
The genome of Polaromonas naphthalenivorans strain CJ2, isolated from coal tar-contaminated sediment, reveals physiological and metabolic versatility and evolution through extensive horizontal gene transfer.

Summary We analysed the genome of the aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading, facultatively chemolithotrophic betaproteobacterium, Polaromonas naphthalenivorans strain CJ2. Recent work has increasingly shown that Polaromonas species are prevalent in a variety of pristine oligotrophic environments, as well as polluted habitats. Besides a circular chromosome of 4.4 Mb, strain CJ2 carries eight plasmids ranging from 353 to 6.4 kb in size. Overall, the genome is predicted to encode 4929 proteins. Comparisons of DNA sequences at the individual gene, gene cluster and whole-genome scales revealed strong trends in shared heredity between strain CJ2 and other members of the Comamonadaceae and Burkholderiaceae. blastp analyses of protein coding sequences across strain CJ2's genome showed that genetic commonalities with other betaproteobacteria diminished significantly in strain CJ2's plasmids compared with the chromosome, especially for the smallest ones. Broad trends in nucleotide characteristics (GC content, GC skew, Karlin signature difference) showed at least six anomalous regions in the chromosome, indicating alteration of genome architecture via horizontal gene transfer. Detailed analysis of one of these anomalous regions (96 kb in size, containing the nag-like naphthalene catabolic operon) indicates that the fragment's insertion site was within a putative MiaB-like tRNA-modifying enzyme coding sequence. The mosaic nature of strain CJ2's genome was further emphasized by the presence of 309 mobile genetic elements scattered throughout the genome, including 131 predicted transposase genes, 178 phage-related genes, and representatives of 12 families of insertion elements. A total of three different terminal oxidase genes were found (putative cytochrome aa3-type oxidase, cytochrome cbb3-type oxidase and cytochrome bd-type quinol oxidase), suggesting adaptation by strain CJ2 to variable aerobic and microaerobic conditions. Sequence-suggested abilities of strain CJ2 to carry out nitrogen fixation and grow on the aromatic compounds, biphenyl and benzoate, were experimentally verified. These new phenotypes and genotypes set the stage for gaining additional insights into the physiology and biochemistry contributing to strain CJ2's fitness in its native habitat, contaminated sediment.
Enhanced Soil Flushing for Simultaneous Removal of PAHs and Heavy Metals from Industrial Contaminated Soil

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals are environmental concerns and must be removed to acceptable levels. This paper evaluates different flushing agents to enhance the remediation of soil contaminated with PAHs and heavy metals at a former manufactured gas plant site. Four flushing column tests at a constant hydraulic gradient of 1.2 were conducted using four different flushing agents, which included deionized water, chelant (0.2 M EDTA), surfactant (5% Igepal CA-720), and cyclodextrin (10% hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin or HPCD). Additional column tests using Igepal and HPCD at a lower hydraulic gradient of 0.2 were con- ducted to investigate the effects of rate-limited desorption or solubilization of PAHs. The results showed that the EDTA produced the maxi- mum metal removal from the soil compared with deionized water, Igepal, and HPCD under different hydraulic gradient conditions. The 0.2 M EDTA flushing solution removed approximately 25-75% of the toxic heavy metals found in the soil. None of the PAHs were removed from the soil when deionized water and EDTA were the flushing solutions. The PAHs removal efficiencies in the Igepal and HPCD systems decreased as the hydraulic gradient decreased. However, the surfactant-enhanced systems were more efficient in removing PAHs from the soil than the HPCD systems under high- and low-hydraulic gradients. The results also demonstrated that the removal of PAHs in surfactant-enhanced systems depended upon the micelles formation, whereas in the HPCD-enhanced systems, it depended upon the ster- ioselective diffusion of the PAHs to the nonpolar cavity of the HPCD. Overall, this study showed that the contaminant removal in soil flushing systems depends on the flushing solution affinity and selectivity toward the target contaminant and the existing hydraulic gradient condition. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)HZ.1944-8376.0000076. © 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers. CE Database subject headings: Soil pollution; Soil treatment; Remediation; Hydrocarbons; Heavy metals. Author keywords: Soil flushing; Remediation; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Heavy metals.
Structural comparison of suberanilohydroxamic acid (SAHA) and other zinc-enzyme inhibitors bound to a monomeric zinc species

Abstract Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) and similar proteins contain an active Zn–OH group and have been targets for inhibitors. Known inhibitors such as suberanilohydroxamic acid (SAHA), suberohydroxamic acid (SBHA), valproic acid, and 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) derivatives act on these enzymes by binding to the zinc center. To examine how these drugs interacted with zinc centers and to examine their structural differences, a homogeneous zinc complex was synthesized and reacted with SAHA, SBHA, valproic acid, and 8-HQ to form stable adducts, which were characterized by spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. A comparison of their structures with known complexes and enzyme active sites bound to drugs was performed in order to understand how these drugs interact with their targets.
Sequence compression by a hippocampal model: a functional dissection

The hippocampus is hypothesized to store memories of experiences during waking hours and then teach the cerebral cortex by broadcasting back this stored information during slow-wave sleep or during moments of wakeful inactivity1,2,3. Skaggs and McNaughton4 identified this rebroadcast in rats that experienced a repetitively sequenced experience. We have presented a hippocampal model of this phenomenon5,6 which spontaneously rebroadcasts previously learned sequential information. In addition to spontaneous recall, the model also replays the learned sequence information much faster than the original experience, a phenomenon known as temporal compression. The increases produced by the model, ranging from ten to forty-fold faster than the learned rate, are quite comparable to the reported compression observed experimentally by Skaggs and McNaughton4. In the model, two parameters are important for controlling the amount of temporal compression. The first is the overall level of activity (e.g., number of cell firings per timestep) and the second is the timespan of the rule governing associative synaptic modification. Increasing either of these parameters can produce more compression.
Isozyme Variation Among Bacterial Isolates Originating From the Screwworm Fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Isozyme surveys were used to compare genetic variation within and among strains of the bacterium, Proteus rettgeri (Hadley, Elkins, and Caldwell). One strain was a standard American Type Cell Culture strain (ATCC 9250), whereas eight other strains were recovered from larva or pupa of the screwworm fly, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel), of varied geographic or animal host origins. Observations of 16 different enzyme systems of each bacterial isolate revealed extensive inter- and intrastrain variation in the numbers or positions of enzyme bands recorded among samples from different phases of culture growth or from different growth media. Similar differences were likewise noted among strains when they were sampled at the same growth phase. Hierarchical clustering and multidimensional analyses of the data produced groupings of the bacterial strains which suggested that their enzyme patterns were influenced by factors related to their geographic distribution or their animal host origins.
External auditory canal defect management and reconstruction.

BACKGROUND The external auditory canal (EAC) is an area commonly involved by skin cancers. Knowledge of the anatomy of this area and proper evaluation and management of patients with these malignancies is essential. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with an understanding of the anatomy of the EAC, the options available for the treatment of EAC cancers, and repair of the resulting surgical defects. METHODS AND MATERIALS A review of the current literature was performed to summarize the current literature on this topic. RESULTS There are a variety of surgical options available for the treatment of these cancers whose use depends on the location and extent of the tumor. It is important to follow a logical reconstructive algorithm after tumor resection to optimize both functional and cosmetic results.