cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The 'Unhyphenated American' Phenomenon: An Individual-Level Analysis of Causes and Consequences

Since 1980, the U.S. Census has asked Americans to indicate their “ancestry or ethnic origin.” In the 2000 Census, more than 20 million Americans reported being of “American” ancestry. These “unhyphenated Americans” are obviously not all Native-Americans, but are European-Americans eschewing a foreign ancestral identification. The regions of the country where these unhyphenated Americans are concentrated were also some of the only places where Barack Obama earned a lower percentage of the vote in 2008 than John Kerry did in 2004 and also had some of the lowest pro-Obama (and highest pro-Clinton) voting patterns among Democratic partisans in the 2008 Democratic primaries. This paper seeks to investigate the “unhyphenated American” phenomenon by taking advantage of a novel dataset that provides individual-level information on ancestral self-identification and political behavior. Specifically, I seek to address two central questions: 1) what leads some people to claim “American” ancestry despite being white Americans of European ancestry, and 2) what are the political implications of this “American” ancestral self-identification? The results of this analysis will extend and contribute to existing preliminary research on the “unhyphenated American” phenomenon (see Arbour and Teigen 2011; Arbour 2011, e.g.).
Hospice use among Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) or managed-care organization (MCO) enrollees with leukemia and myeloma.

10025Background: Hospice services are “carved out” of Medicare MCO contracts and covered by FFS Medicare. This financially incentivizes MCOs to enroll their patients (pts) in hospice early, and may...
Characterizing genetic integrity of rear-edge trout populations in the southern Appalachians

Vertebrate populations at the periphery of their range can show pronounced genetic drift and isolation, and therefore offer unique challenges for conservation and management. These populations are often candidates for management actions such as translocations that are designed to improve demographic and genetic integrity. This is particularly true of coldwater species like brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), whose numbers have declined greatly across its historic range. At the southern margin, remnant wild populations persist in isolated headwater streams, and many have a history of receiving translocated individuals through either stocking of hatchery reared fish, relocation of wild fish, or both during restoration attempts. To determine current genetic integrity and resolve the genetic effects of past management actions for brook trout populations in SC, USA, we genetically assessed all 18 documented remaining brook trout populations along with individuals acquired from six hatcheries with recorded stocking events in SC. Our results indicated that six of the 18 streams showed signs of hatchery admixture (range 57–97%) and restored patches retained genetic signatures from multiple source populations. Populations had among the lowest genetic diversity (min average HE = 0.147) and effective number of breeders (mean Nb = 31.2) estimates observed throughout the native brook trout range. Populations were highly differentiated (mean pair-wise FST = 0.396), and substantial genetic divergence was evident across major river drainages (max pair-wise FST = 0.773). The lowest local genetic diversity and highest genetic differentiation ever reported for this species make its conservation a challenging task, particularly when combined with other threats such as climate change and non-native species. We offer recommendations on managing peripheral populations with depleted genetic characteristics and provide a reference for determining which existing populations will best serve as sources for future translocation efforts aimed at enhancing or restoring wild brook trout genetic integrity.
Lambda = 2.4 - 5 Micron Spectroscopy With the James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam Instrument

The James Webb Space Telescope near-infrared camera (JWST NIRCam) has two 2.2' x 2.2' fields of view that can be observed with either imaging or spectroscopic modes. Either of two R 1500 grisms with orthogonal dispersion directions can be used for slitless spectroscopy over 2.4 - 5.0 microns wavelength in each module, and shorter wavelength observations of the same fields can be obtained simultaneously. We describe the design drivers and parameters of the grisms and present the latest predicted spectroscopic sensitivities, saturation limits, resolving powers, and wavelength coverage values. Simultaneous short wavelength (0.6 -- 2.3 microns) imaging observations of the 2.4 -- 5.0 microns spectroscopic field can be performed in one of several different filter bands, either in-focus or defocused via weak lenses internal to NIRCam. The grisms are available for single-object time series spectroscopy and wide-field multi-object slitless spectroscopy modes in the first cycle of JWST observations. Potential scientific uses of the grisms are illustrated with simulated observations of deep extragalactic fields, dark clouds, and transiting exoplanets. Information needed to plan observations using these spectroscopic modes are also provided.
Influence of Poly(Ethylene Glycol) End Groups on Poly(Ethylene Glycol)-Albumin System Properties as a Potential Degradable Tissue Scaffold

Chronic dermal lesions, such as pressure ulcers, are difficult to heal. Degradable tissue scaffold systems can be employed to serve as a provisional matrix for cellular ingrowth and facilitate regenerative healing during degradation. Degradable regenerative tissue scaffold matrices can be created by crosslinking albumin with functionalized poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) polymers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the stability of PEG-albumin scaffold systems formed using PEG polymers with three different functionalized end chemistries by quantifying in vitro system swellability to determine the most promising PEG crosslinking polymer for wound healing applications. Of the three polymers evaluated, PEG-succinimidyl glutarate (SG) exhibited consistent gelation and handling characteristics when used as the crosslinking agent with albumin. PEG-SG polymers were identified as an appropriate synthetic crosslinking moiety in a PEG-albumin scaffold system, and further in vitro and in vivo evaluation of this scaffold system is merited.
Nichiren Buddhism and Deweyan Pragmatism: An Eastern-Western Integration of Thought

Let me begin by thanking the members of the George F. Kneller Advisory Committee and you the members of the American Educational Studies Association for inviting me to give the annual Kneller Lectu...
Should the sale of analgesic mixtures and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) continue to be allowed as over-the-counter (OTC) medications?

The excessive use of analgesics and non-steroidal antiflammatory agents (NSAIDs) is strongly associated with an increased prevalence of chronic renal insufficiency, some cases requiring long term replacement therapy (dialysis/transplantation). Analgesic nephropathy (AN) is now a well defined entity characterized by papillary necrosis and/or chronic interstitial nephritis. The elderly are especially susceptible and more frequently use these medications. Although the overall incidence of AN is low considering the widespread usage and pain and suffering alleviated by their ready availability over-the-counter (OTC), the need, as public policy, to better protect our citizens by restricting free access to these drugs remains open to debate.
A numerical simulation method in time domain to study wind-induced excitation of traffic signal structures and its mitigation

Abstract Traffic signal structures, commonly used to control traffic, have exhibited fatigue failure in their connections due to wind-induced vibration. This study focuses on developing a generalized method to predict the coupled across- and along-wind responses of a traffic signal light structure in normal or yawed wind by combining the aerodynamic properties of such a multi-component structure with a numerical simulation technique to generate wind loads and resulting responses in the time domain. The methodology and data presented here can be applied to any signal structure to explore its dynamic behavior, estimate its fatigue life and devise mitigation means such as dampers. The tip response of the mast arm and the maximum stress at its joint were calculated for a given signal light structure and validated with field measurements to demonstrate the methodology for a range of wind speeds and yaw angles. Results indicate that yawed wind below a speed of 9 m/s from the backside of the signal light and vortex shedding of the mast arm are the primary reasons of large-amplitude vibration, and the maximum stress exceeds the endurance limit that can cause fatigue failure over time. A modified signal light design to mitigate this problem is proposed.
Novel Kras-mutant murine models of non-small cell lung cancer possessing co-occurring oncogenic mutations and increased tumor mutational burden

Despite recent advances in lung cancer immunotherapy, a major obstacle to the progress in the field is the lack of preclinical models that recapitulate the genetic and immunologic complexity of human disease. Conditional genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harbor the common oncogenic mutations of the disease, but these models possess low tumor mutational burden (TMB), which limits their utility in immunotherapy studies. Here, we establish novel Kras-mutant murine models of NSCLC bearing common genetic alterations associated with the disease and increased TMB, by in vitro exposure of cell lines derived from GEMMs of NSCLC [KrasG12D (K), KrasG12DTp53-/- (KP), KrasG12DTp53+/-Lkb1-/- (KPL)] to the alkylating agent N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU). Increased TMB was associated with enhanced anti-tumor T cell responses and improved anti-PD-1 efficacy in syngeneic models, across all genetic backgrounds. However, anti-PD-1 efficacy was comparatively modest in the KPL cell lines with increased TMB, which possessed a distinct immunosuppressed tumor microenvironment (TME) primarily composed of granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (G-MDSCs). This phenotype is consistent with findings in human NSCLC where LKB1 loss is a driver of primary resistance to PD-1 blockade. In summary, these novel Kras-mutant murine NSCLC models bearing common co-occurring mutations with increased TMB possess clinically relevant TMEs and recapitulate the genetic complexity and therapeutic vulnerabilities of human NSCLC. We anticipate that these immunogenic models will facilitate the development of novel immunotherapies in NSCLC.
The Impact of Financial Aid on Associate Degree Attainment for Rural Community College Students: A Comparison of Rural, Urban, and Suburban Patterns:

Objective: Increasing rural community college degree attainment is very important to foster rural areas’ economic and social well-being. Rural community colleges differ greatly from their suburban ...
Differential Activation and Functional Plasticity of Multimodal Areas Associated with Acquired Musical Skill

Abstract Training of a musical skill is known to produce a distributed neural representation of the ability to perceive music and perform musical tasks. In the present study we tested the hypothesis that the audiovisual perception of music involves a wider activation of multimodal sensory and sensorimotor structures in the brain, including those containing mirror neurons. We mapped the activation of brain areas during passive listening and viewing of the first 40 s of “Ode to Joy” being played on the piano by an expert pianist. To do this we performed brain functional magnetic resonance imaging during the presentation of 6 different stimulus contrasts pertaining to that musical melody in a pseudo-randomized order. Group data analysis in musically trained and untrained adults showed robust activation in broadly distributed occipitotemporal, parietal and frontal areas in trained subjects and much restricted activation in untrained subjects. A visual stimulus contrast focusing on the visual motion percept of moving fingers on piano keys revealed selective bilateral activation of a locus corresponding to the V5/MT area, which was significantly more pronounced in trained subjects and showed partial linear dependence on the duration of training on the left side. Quantitative analysis of individual brain volumes confirmed a significantly greater and wider spread of activation in trained compared to untrained subjects. These findings support the view that audiovisual perception of music and musical gestures in trained musicians involves an expanded and widely distributed neural representation formed due to experience-dependent plasticity.
Determination of in vitro dry matter, protein, and fiber digestibility and fermentability of novel corn coproducts for swine and ruminants.

New processes are being used in some dry-grind ethanol plants in the United States and Brazil to improve ethanol yield and efficiency of production while also providing nutritionally enhanced corn coproducts compared with conventional corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). The objectives of this study were to determine the chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of 5 conventional corn DDGS sources and 10 emerging novel corn coproducts for swine and ruminants, and compare coproducts produced using similar processes in the United States and Brazil. Chemical composition, on a dry matter (DM) basis, among the 15 coproducts ranged from 18.5% to 54.7% for crude protein (CP), 12.3% to 51.4% for neutral detergent fiber (NDF), 1.6% to 8.6% for acid detergent fiber, 4.7% to 12.3% for ether extract, and 1.6% to 8.6% for ash. For swine, in vitro hydrolysis of DM and CP were greater (P 0.05) among all sources except one U.S. DDGS source that had less fermentable DM. High-protein and yeast dried distillers grains (Ultramax, UM; StillPro, SP) coproducts also had comparable (P > 0.05) DM fermentability for swine, but UM coproducts had greater (P < 0.01) DM and CP hydrolysis compared with SP. High-protein distillers dried grains (HP-DDG) from Brazil had greater (P < 0.01) DM and CP hydrolysis, but less (P < 0.01) DM fermentability for swine than HP-DDG produced in the United States, using the same process. For ruminants, total DM digestibility was greater (P < 0.01) in conventional DDGS sources from the United States compared with the two DDGS sources from Brazil. Total protein digestibility for ruminants was comparable and above 81% for all coproducts except for a DDGS source from Brazil, a HP-DDG source from the United States, and a UM sample. Interestingly, the corn fiber + solubles coproduct had not only relatively high digestibility of NDF (67.9%), DM (91.6%), and total CP (81.9%) for ruminants, but it also had relatively high total tract digestibility of DM (86.2%) and CP (69.9%) for swine. These results suggest that nutrient digestibility of conventional DDGS sources produced in the United States appear to be greater than corn Brazilian DDGS sources, but new process technologies being implemented in ethanol and coproduct production in both countries can enhance the nutritional value of corn coproducts for both swine and ruminants.
Phylogeny, Diversity, and Distribution of Micryletta (Anura: Microhylidae) in Myanmar

The microhylid genus Micryletta, often called Paddy Frogs, is a taxonomically modest group of frogs currently comprised of eight species distributed across India, China, and Southeast Asia. None of the recent investigations into this group have explicitly focused on the diversity of these frogs in Myanmar, a critically undersampled region previously thought to contain only one species of Micryletta, M. inornata. Recent field expeditions to Myanmar conducted by the authors have resulted in the discovery of numerous populations of Micryletta in the northern and southern portions of the country in Kachin State and Tanintharyi Region, respectively. In this study, we investigate the status of these populations, their taxonomic identities, and broadly assess the diversity of this enigmatic group of frogs in Myanmar. Using comparative morphological and molecular data, we find the diversity of Micryletta in Myanmar has been poorly appreciated, which we demonstrate with the discovery of M. aishani, a species previously only known from neighboring India, and M. lineata, a species originally described from Peninsular Thailand. Our investigation into the taxonomic status of M. lineata demonstrates the validity in the recognition of this species, which is supported with evidence derived from morphology, geography, and molecular data. We additionally provide a detailed re-description of this species based on novel specimens from southern Myanmar. We also document M. inornata sensu stricto in Myanmar, sympatric with M. lineata, bringing the total to three species of Micryletta occurring in Myanmar.
Forecasting Shares Outstanding

Despite the importance of EPS forecasts as benchmarks, little is known about their denominator: shares outstanding forecasts. Because investing clients have limited demand for accurate share forecasts, we predict that analysts develop share forecasts strategically to facilitate EPS incentives. We divide earnings forecasts by EPS forecasts to infer analysts’ share forecasts and evaluate their properties. Analysts’ forecasts of shares outstanding are significantly less accurate than simple time-series models; however, these same forecasts actually improve EPS forecast accuracy. Additional analysis explains why: analysts use share forecasts to herd EPS toward the consensus. That is, share forecast errors often have the same sign as street earnings forecast errors, moving EPS closer to the consensus and to actual EPS, and significantly reducing EPS dispersion. Analysts also appear to use share forecasts to cater to management. Specifically, bias in share forecasts facilitates firms’ ability to meet or beat (“MB”) EPS benchmarks and is consistent with manager preferences (i.e., deflating EPS forecasts at short horizons and inflating at longer horizons). Much of the MB effect arises because analysts fail to incorporate predictable variation in shares outstanding, such as past repurchases. Interviews with sell-side analysts confirm that clients have limited demand for share forecasts, consistent with the inattention and strategic use of forecasts documented in our study.
Biopharmaceutical properties of natural products

Abstract To reach their site(s) of action in the body, natural products must first go through the absorption processes. The degree to which they successfully reach the bloodstream depends largely on their biopharmaceutical properties. Thus biopharmaceutical properties of natural molecules play a crucial role in determining their efficacy and therapeutic activity. In this chapter, we focus on the various biopharmaceutical properties that need to be considered while designing an oral dosage form for a particular natural product, and how these properties affect its overall performance. Specifically, we discuss the three main issues such as solubility, permeability, and presystemic metabolism. First, a natural molecule must be released from the dosage form and dissolves in the fluids of gastrointestinal tract. Next, it must survive the gut environment and get across intestinal cell membranes. Finally, it must escape metabolic enzymes in both the intestine and the liver before reaching the systemic circulation. While these issues have been extensively studied and established for conventional drugs, until recently they have been mainly neglected in regard to natural molecules. This chapter discusses the issues of solubility, permeability, and presystemic metabolism and apply them to natural compounds and consider targeting to the mitochondria.
Hazard Risk Awareness and Disaster Management: Extracting the Information Content of Twitter Data

Abstract The use of social media platforms such as Twitter significantly increases during natural hazards. With the emergence of several social media platforms over the past decade, many studies have investigated the applications of these platforms during calamities. This study presents a comprehensive spatiotemporal analysis of textual content from millions of tweets shared on Twitter during Hurricane Harvey (2017) across several affected counties in southeast Texas. We propose a new Hazard Risk Awareness (HRA) Index, which considers multiple factors, including the number of tweets, population, internet use rate, and natural hazard characteristics per geographic location. We then map the HRA Index across southeast Texas. Utilizing a dataset of 18 million tweets, we employ Natural Language Processing (NLP) along with a set of statistical techniques to perform analysis on the textual data generated by Twitter users during Hurricane Harvey. This enables us to subdivide the tweet contents into several categories per county that would inform crisis management during the event. In all, our study provides valuable information at the county level before, during, and after Harvey that could significantly help disaster managers and responders to minimize the consequences of the event and improve the preparedness of the residents for it. Since HRA is derived based on the meteorological observations and some demographic information, depending on the availability of such dataset and the nature of the hazard (i.e., flood, wildfire, hurricane, and earthquake), this index can be calculated and employed for assessing the risk awareness of a community exposed to either of these natural hazards.
A controlled experiment to assess relationships between plant diversity, ecosystem function and planting treatment over a nine year period in constructed freshwater wetlands

Abstract Two fundamental questions for wetland restoration science are: how do early management practices affect long term plant species diversity, and how does diversity affect ecological function? Here, we report on a nine year study conducted in six replicate experimental wetland ecosystems designed to shed light on the impact of different planting treatments and nutrient enrichment on plant species diversity and on a variety of indicators of structure and function. Pairs of high- and low-intensity planting treatments were initiated with native seeds and vegetative propagules. In the high-intensity treatment, vegetative propagules that did not establish were replanted in years three and four. An unplanted treatment was seeded through natural recruitment alone. Annual inventories of the presence and percent cover of plant species were used to derive measures of native Shannon–Weaver diversity and the floristic quality assessment index (FQAI). We found that higher plant species diversity was achieved early and was sustained in planted versus unplanted wetlands. However, no differences were evident between high- and low-intensity planting treatments. Although the prevalence of dominant species shifted over time, overall measures of plant diversity did not change between early and later succession in either planted or unplanted treatments. We found no relationships between plant diversity and a variety of direct and indirect measures of ecosystem structure and function, including aquatic community metabolism, aboveground productivity, soil organic matter accumulation and nutrient concentration. Fertilizer was applied in years eight and nine to simulate nutrient loading from agricultural runoff. Plant species diversity had no detectable effects on nutrient uptake rates in response to fertilization. Conversely, fertilization did not measurably alter species diversity in the two years following addition. We conclude that early management efforts were important in achieving a sustained and resilient enhancement in plant species diversity, but that elevated biodiversity resulting from planting did not measurably alter function. We speculate that control of invasive species in all treatment groups during early years of management resulted in high species diversity levels in unplanted as well as planted groups and that species diversity levels in all wetlands were therefore well above levels at which effects of plant species diversity on ecosystem function saturate.
Human epidermal receptor 2-amplified salivary duct carcinoma: regression with dual human epidermal receptor 2 inhibition and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor combination treatment.

Background Salivary ductal carcinoma is a rare cancer with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Human epidermal receptor 2 (HER2)-directed treatment has been attempted in HER2-amplified or overexpressed salivary gland malignancies with limited success. Methods We report resolution of measurable disease and minimal residual disease in a patient with salivary duct cancer treated with trastuzumab, lapatinib, and bevacizumab, with treatment ongoing for more than 2 years. Results This treatment has been tolerated well except for grade 2 diarrhea and mucositis, which required a dose reduction of lapatinib to 1000 mg daily. The response observed was achieved in spite of receiving extensive prior therapy, including trastuzumab and/or chemotherapy for 20 months on which his tumors progressed. Conclusion The combination of trastuzumab, lapatinib, and bevacizumab may warrant investigation as a non-cytotoxic alternative for treatment of HER2-amplified or overexpressed salivary duct carcinoma and other HER2-amplified or overexpressed salivary gland tumors, particularly those not responsive to trastuzumab monotherapy. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 36: E25–E27, 2014
Determining actual response time in P-FRP

A purely functional model of computation, called Priority-based Functional Reactive Programming (P-FRP), has been introduced as a new paradigm for building real-time software. Unlike the classical preemptive model of real-time systems, preempted events in P-FRP are aborted and have to restart when higher priority events have completed, making the response time of events dependent on the execution pattern of higher priority events. Though methods to determine approximate values for the response time of P-FRP events have been presented, no convenient method has yet been established to determine actual response time. A common method for computing actual response time in the preemptive model does not give guaranteed results in P-FRP. A simulation based approach is computationally expensive and not feasible in most practical situations. We show that an exhaustive enumeration technique for idle periods is a more efficient technique, and can be easily adopted to determine actual response time in P-FRP.
Ch 4: Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) in Five Continents and Three Narratives: Similarities and Differences

Organized and targeted state interventions in private markets, especially with respect to investments beyond their own territories, have raised complex issues. These public activities effectuated through private markets abroad, particularly when undertaken in the form of sovereign wealth funds (SWFs,) raise issues with respect to the viability of the private market-based foundations of globalization. These issues become more acute as the separation between the economic and political interests of sovereign investors becomes less clear and as that blurred line of separation crosses over from the domestic to international arenas. The issues become more complex as SWFs become ever more varied in structure, objectives, operations and habits. The most successful response has produced a master narrative, a transcendent and universal truth, of SWFs, that situates this phenomenon legitimately within the logic the emerging anarchic and polycentric global ordering, and two alternative visions. Yet even within these narratives, the myth of the monolithic SWF has resulted in a tendency to exclude rather than study the variety and regionalization of SWFs as they are developing in fact. Is it possible to discern regional affinities among SWFs even within the emerging narratives within which SWFs are conceived? This chapter explores SWF regionalization grounded in three distinct narrative foundations for SWF regionalism — an economic purpose narrative, a legalist narrative, and a corporatist narrative. The first currently serves as the “master narrative” of SWFs and as the lens through which SWFs are understood and around which analysis (especially social science and political analysis) and theory tend to be structured. The other two are alternative narratives that sometimes layer and sometimes seek to displace the master economics narrative. Each produces its own approach to understanding SWF regionalism. My thesis is that geographic proximity alone does not explain the variation in SWF form, though political and cultural affinity may. Instead, the distinctive narratives within which SWFs are conceptualized produce forms of regionalization that provide a powerful tool for structuring analysis of differences among national SWF models. But each tends to ignore the heterogeneity of SWF form and operation (which aligns with the anarchy and polycentricity of globalization). More importantly each serves to reinforce power structures that are used instrumentally — in this case to suggest a grand theory of SWF legitimacy and the conditions under which it can be realized. In particular, the “regional” categories discernable through the distinctive lenses of the narratives produce clearly distinctive “regions” of SWFs, grounded on the logic of the narrative rather than on the geographic home of the SWF. Part II considers the logic of each of the narratives. Part III then considers regionalization under each of these narratives, with a focus on the connection between geographic and narrative regionalism.
A Review of “The Civilian and the Military: A History of the American Antimilitarist Tradition”

Victory in war makes many promises. Peace is chief among them. Once the guns go silent, though, the prospect for peace quickly dissipates. New enemies appear soon after the old ones are vanquished....
Energy-Efficient Bootstrapping Protocol for Sensor Networks.

Sensor networks are poised for increasingly wider uses in many military and civil applications. We present a bootstrapping protocol for a class of sensor networks in which the network has high-energy entities called gateways apart from the low-energy sensors. Most research activity in the field of sensor networks focuses on organizing the network and then proceeds to look for energy saving. However, we argue that bootstrapping done inefficiently can be a major source of energy wastage. We present an energy-aware mechanism for initializing the network. Our proposed approach focuses on avoiding collisions in the bootstrapping phase and stresses on keeping receiver/transmitter units off whenever possible to preserve energy. In addition, our mechanism synchronizes the sensor nodes to the gateway’s time base so that TDMA based communication can be used. We study the performance of our mechanism using simulation and compare it to the performance of a basic approach in which sensor nodes have to keep their receivers ON throughout the bootstrapping process, and show the scalability of our system as compared to such approaches.
A Markov Chain Monte Carlo Sampler for Mixed Boolean/Integer Constraints

We describe a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC)-based algorithm for sampling solutions to mixed Boolean/integer constraint problems. The focus of this work differs in two points from traditional SAT Modulo Theory (SMT) solvers, which are aimed at deciding whether a given set of constraints is satisfiable: First, our approach targets constraint problems that have a large solution space and thus are relatively easy to satisfy, and second, it aims at efficiently producing a large number of samples with a given (e.g. uniform) distribution over the solution space. Our work is motivated by the need for such samplers in constrained random simulation for hardware verification, where the set of valid input stimuli is specified by a "testbench" using declarative constraints. MCMC sampling is commonly applied in statistics and numerical computation. We discuss how an MCMC sampler can be adapted for the given application, specifically, how to deal with non-connected solution spaces, efficiently process equality and disequality constraints, handle state-dependent constraints, and avoid correlation of consecutive samples. We present a set of experiments to analyze the performance of the proposed approach.
The Kinetics of TiO2‐based Solar Cells Sensitized by Metal Complexes

The sections in this article are Introduction History DSSC Design Function of the DSSC Performance of a DSSC Kinetics Processes Charge Injection Recombination to the Dye Regeneration Conclusion Acknowledgment Keywords: dye-sensitized solar cells; titanium dioxide; metal complexes; kinetics
Multi-domain diagnosis of end-to-end service failures in hierarchically routed networks

This paper investigates an approach to improving the scalability and feasibility of probabilistic fault localization in communication systems by exploiting the domain semantics of computer networks. The proposed technique divides the computational effort and system knowledge among multiple, hierarchically organized managers. Each manager performs fault localization in the domain it manages and requires only the knowledge of its own domain. Since failures propagate among domains, domain managers cooperate with each other to find a consensus explanation of the observed disorder. We show through simulation that the proposed approach increases the effectiveness of probabilistic diagnosis and makes it feasible in networks of considerable size 1.
Reconstitution of Nitrate Reductase Activity and Formation of Membrane Particles from Cytoplasmic Extracts of Chlorate-Resistant Mutants of Escherichia coli

The reconstitution of nitrate reductase activity in mixtures of cytoplasmic fractions from the chlorate-resistant mutants chlA, B, C , and E which are lacking this activity was investigated, and the membrane-like particulate material which formed during this reconstitution was analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. When chlA and chlB extracts are incubated together, the cytoplasmic membrane proteins present in the particles which are formed are contributed by both mutants, and the proteins are essentially the same as the proteins in the cytoplasmic membrane fractions of the two mutants. Identical amounts of protein become particulate when cytoplasmic extracts of any of the mutant strains or wild-type strains are incubated at 32 C either singly or in mixtures, and the formation of particulate material does not appear to be a consequence of nitrate reductase reconstitution. Experiments with wild-type strains indicate that the membrane proteins in the cytoplasmic extract are derived from the cytoplasmic membrane during cell breakage. Reconstitution experiments involving various combinations of preincubated and unincubated extracts of the mutants have allowed a preliminary identification of three types of components which are necessary for the formation of active nitrate reductase: (i) a soluble factor present only in extracts from induced chlB; (ii) a different soluble factor which is missing in chlB but is present in extracts from wild-type, chlA, chlC , and chlE; and (iii) a complex including the nitrate reductase protein which is inactivated by preincubation of the mutant extracts.
Recent insights into the cellular biology of atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis occurs in the subendothelial space (intima) of medium-sized arteries at regions of disturbed blood flow and is triggered by an interplay between endothelial dysfunction and subendothelial lipoprotein retention. Over time, this process stimulates a nonresolving inflammatory response that can cause intimal destruction, arterial thrombosis, and end-organ ischemia. Recent advances highlight important cell biological atherogenic processes, including mechanotransduction and inflammatory processes in endothelial cells, origins and contributions of lesional macrophages, and origins and phenotypic switching of lesional smooth muscle cells. These advances illustrate how in-depth mechanistic knowledge of the cellular pathobiology of atherosclerosis can lead to new ideas for therapy.
Rapid Discrimination and Characterization of Vanilla Bean Extracts by Attenuated Total Reflection Infrared Spectroscopy and Selected Ion Flow Tube Mass Spectrometry

Abstract: Vanilla beans have been shown to contain over 200 compounds, which can vary in concentration depending on the region where the beans are harvested. Several compounds including vanillin, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, guaiacol, and anise alcohol have been found to be important for the aroma profile of vanilla. Our objective was to evaluate the performance of selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for rapid discrimination and characterization of vanilla bean extracts. Vanilla extracts were obtained from different countries including Uganda, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Madagascar, and India. Multivariate data analysis (soft independent modeling of class analogy, SIMCA) was utilized to determine the clustering patterns between samples. Both methods provided differentiation between samples for all vanilla bean extracts. FTIR differentiated on the basis of functional groups, whereas the SIFT-MS method provided more specific information about the chemical basis of the differentiation. SIMCA's discriminating power showed that the most important compounds responsible for the differentiation between samples by SIFT-MS were vanillin, anise alcohol, 4-methylguaiacol, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde/trimethylpyrazine, p-cresol/anisole, guaiacol, isovaleric acid, and acetic acid. ATR-IR spectroscopy analysis showed that the classification of samples was related to major bands at 1523, 1573, 1516, 1292, 1774, 1670, 1608, and 1431 cm−1, associated with vanillin and vanillin derivatives. Practical Application: Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflectance and selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry have shown to be quick and reliable methods for analyzing vanilla extracts which could be utilized as a quality assurance tool in the fragrance, flavoring, and food industries.
Breakpoint determination and ethanol self-administration using an across-session progressive ratio procedure in the rat.

Background: Progressive ratio schedules are used to determine the “breakpoint” or limit to the amount of “work” that a subject is willing to perform to obtain a reinforcer. Reinforcing efficacy is inferred from the breakpoint values, which are typically measured in a single session by increasing the number of responses required for successive reinforcer presentations. This procedure is not feasible, however, when assessing the reinforcing efficacy of a substance that can change as a function of its physiological actions during self-administration, as in the case of ethanol. Methods: The present study made use of a procedure that increased the response requirement across single daily sessions rather than within a session. Completion of the response requirement in each daily session resulted in the presentation of a drinking tube that allowed for self-administration of ethanol for a 20-min period. This procedure made possible the assessment of ethanol-directed appetitive (number of lever presses) and consummatory (number of licks and intake volume) behaviors. Reliable responding for 10% ethanol was initiated using sucrose-substitution on a fiwed ratio (FR) 4 schedule in male Long Evans rats. Then four successive breakpoint determinations were made which were separated by a return to the FR4 schedule to re-establish baseline responding. Results: The results indicated that there was an increase in breakpoint values from the first to the second determination, which was then stable over the following three determinations. Individual rats reached breakpoints as high as 240 lever presses to receive access to 10% ethanol and maintained ethanol intake over sessions in the 1.0 g/kg range. Ethanol intake (g/kg), however, was stable across all four determinations (mean 0.86 ± 0.06 to 1.01 ± 0.10). Moreover, ethanol intake was not related to the preceding appetitive responding, as no differences between intake on the session before a breakpoint (high FR) and the following baseline period (FR4) were observed. Conclusions: This model provides an assessment of the distinct mechanisms that mediate ethanol-seeking versus ethanol consumption in subjects that drink measurable amounts of ethanol, with the appetitive behaviors not altered by the pharmacological effects of ethanol.
Walk or Drive between Stores?: Designing Neighbourhood Shopping Districts for Pedestrian Activity

What design features are associated with people choosing to walk vs. drive between activities within shopping districts? This exploratory study used mixed-logit discrete choice modelling to analyze survey responses from 286 retail pharmacy store customers who travelled by personal automobile to one of 20 San Francisco Bay Area shopping districts, and then visited at least two activity locations within the district. The 91 customers who walked rather than drove within the shopping district tended to travel shorter distances and have several other common personal characteristics. After controlling for these factors, respondents were significantly more likely to walk when the main commercial roadway had fewer driveway crossings and a lower speed limit.
Characterizing, measuring, and utilizing the resolution of CT imagery for improved quantification of fine-scale features

Abstract Quantitative results extracted from computed tomographic (CT) data sets should be the same across resolutions and between different instruments and laboratory groups. Despite the proliferation of scanners and data processing methods and tools, and scientific studies utilizing them, relatively little emphasis has been given to ensuring that these results are comparable or reproducible. This issue is particularly pertinent when the features being imaged and measured are of the same order size as data voxels, as is often the case with fracture apertures, pore throats, and cell walls. We have created a tool that facilitates quantification of the spatial resolution of CT data via its point-spread function (PSF), in which the user draws a traverse across a sharp interface between two materials and a Gaussian PSF is fitted to the blurring across that interface. Geometric corrections account for voxel shape and the angle of the traverse to the interface, which does not need to be orthogonal. We use the tool to investigate a series of grid phantoms scanned at varying conditions and observe how the PSF varies within and between slices. The PSF increases with increasing radial distance within slices, and can increase tangentially with increasing radial distance in CT data sets acquired with relatively few projections. The PSF between CT slices is similar to that within slices when a 2-D detector is used, but is much sharper when the data are acquired one slice at a time with a collimated linear detector array. The capability described here can be used not only to calibrate processing algorithms that use deconvolution operations, but it can also help evaluate scans on a routine basis within and between CT research groups, and with respect to the features within the imagery that are being measured.
I want to go home: Empowering the lost mobile device

It is estimated that over 8 million cell phones are lost or stolen each year [7]; often the loss of a cell phone means the loss of personal data, time and enormous aggravation. In this paper we present machine-learning based algorithms by which a cell phone can discern that it may be lost, and take steps to enhance its chances of being successfully recovered. We use data collected from the Reality Mining project [10] to create a suite of realistic test cases that model lost cell phone behavior. On these data sets our best algorithms can identify cases of a lost mobile device, based on its behavior over the previous 3 hours, with close to 100% accuracy. In addition, the algorithm generates false positive identifications with probability less than 3%; for individuals with relatively predictable lifestyles the False Positive Rate is substantially less. We also use the Reality Mining data to construct a set of test cases that model the behavior of a stolen phone, and show that similar algorithmic techniques give reasonable results in this setting as well.
Source apportionment of stack emissions from research and development facilities using positive matrix factorization

Abstract Research and development (RD other factors had similar profiles for two or more buildings but not all four. At least one factor for each building was identified that contained a broad mix of many species and constraints were used in PMF to modify the factors to resemble more closely the off-shift concentration profiles. PMF accepted the constraints with little decrease in model fit.
AN EVALUATION OF DETECTION METRICS FOR AN INTEGRATED CATALYST CONTROLLER AND DIAGNOSTIC MONITOR

Abstract An integrated, model-based methodology for three-way automotive catalyst control and diagnostic monitoring utilizing a limited integrator model with an adaptive integral gain is outlined in this work. This adaptive gain, which is a measure of the catalyst oxygen storage capacity, is used both by the controller to provide information on the dynamic catalyst behavior and by the diagnostic monitor to provide information on long-term catalyst deactivation and short-term emission control device failure. Nonparametric test statistics using various metrics computed from a moving window sample of the adaptive gain are compared to determine their ability to detect changes in catalyst system performance with a number of differently aged catalysts. These diagnostic monitoring metrics have been applied to 4.6 liter ULEV II gasoline engine data tested over an EPA Federal Test Procedure drive cycle.
Expression of Transforming Growth Factor β Type III Receptor Suppresses Tumorigenicity of Human Breast Cancer MDA-MB-231 Cells

Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) promotes tumor progression in some model systems including human breast cancer cells. In this study, we report that human breast cancer cell lines express reduced amounts of TGF-β type III receptor (RIII) when compared with untransformed human mammary epithelial cells. Consequently, we examined whether expression of RIII in human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells could reduce TGF-β's tumor promoting activity by sequestering active TGF-β isoforms produced by the cells. A tetracycline-repressible human RIII expression vector was stably transfected into the cell line. RIII expression in a pool of transfected clones and a single clone was found to be reversibly repressed by tetracycline treatment. Expression of RIII reduced the amount of active TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 in the conditioned medium. The medium conditioned by control cells showed a significantly higher growth inhibitory effect than that conditioned by RIII-transfected cells on the growth of the mink lung epithelial CCL64 cells. A conditioned medium collected from RIII-transfected cells treated with tetracycline significantly increased its growth inhibitory activity to that of control cells. Expression of RIII also reduced tumor incidence and growth rate in two separate experiments when the cells were inoculated in athymic nude mice. Treatment of the mice with tetracycline repressed RIII expression in the tumors generated by RIII-transfected cells and increased tumor incidence and growth rate. These results suggest that TGF-β RIII can reduce tumorigenicity of MDA-MB-231 cells apparently by sequestering TGF-β isoforms produced by these cells.