cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optical Constants of Polystyrene in the Vacuum Ultraviolet

The optical constants n and k for polystyrene in both bulk and chemically deposited thin-film form have been measured by the reflectance vs angle of incidence technique in the wavelength region from 584 to 2000 A. Four angles of incidence were used, and the effects of monochromator polarization were eliminated experimentally. The results differ from previously published data for the bulk form. The electron-energy-loss function −Im(1/∊) was calculated from n and k determined for the thin films and compared with values obtained previously by characteristic electron-energy-loss techniques. These two methods yield the same structure in the energy-loss function; however, there remains some difference in the magnitude of the 6.9-eV loss relative to the background.
Role of L1 in neural development: what the knockouts tell us.

Mutations in the cell adhesion molecule L1 cause severe developmental anomalies in the human nervous system. Recent descriptions of L1 gene knock-out mice from three research groups demonstrate that these mice are strikingly similar to humans with mutations in the L1 gene. In both humans and mice there are defects in the development of the corticospinal tract and cerebellar vermis, hydrocephalus, and impaired learning. The production of a viable animal model for X-linked hydrocephalus suggests that unanswerable questions posed by the human disease will finally be approachable using modern experimental methods.
Airways Obstruction in Patients With Long-term Asthma Consistent With Irreversible Asthma'

ABSTRACT Objective: To describe a series of eight patients with long-term asthma and pulmonary function consistent with “end-stage,” irreversible obstruction. Design: Retrospective descriptive analysis of patients with severe asthma. Setting: A university-based allergy-immunology service with a large population of corticosteroid-dependent patients with asthma. Patients: Eight patients with long-standing asthma and apparently irreversible airways obstruction despite long-term oral and inhaled corticosteroid therapy. Measurements: Pulmonary function data, radiographic studies including chest radiograph and high-resolution CT of the chest, and serologic analysis to rule out allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and α 1 -antitrypsin deficiency had been performed as indicated, and these results were obtained through chart review. Results: The age of the patients ranged from 41 to 58 years, with a mean duration of asthma of 39 years (SD = 12.4 years). No patient had evidence of any other pulmonary disease process. The mean duration of daily or alternate-day oral corticosteroid treatment was 15.8 years (SD = 11.8 years). Despite intensive pharmacotherapy, all patients had an FEV 1 57%; (42±12%;) with marked small airways disease as reflected in the forced expiratory flow between 25%; and 75%; of the FVC. Three of the eight patients demonstrated an accelerated decline in FEV 1 despite continuous systemic corticosteroids. Conclusions: We have described a series of eight patients with long-standing asthma who demonstrate irreversible airways obstruction despite long-term systemic and inhaled corticosteroids. The term “end-stage asthma” or irreversible asthma might be applied to these patients in whom fixed obstruction has occurred in the absence of other pulmonary diseases.
Elements of high order on finite fields from elliptic curves

We discuss the problem of constructing elements of multiplicative high order in finite fields of large degree over their prime field. We obtain such elements by evaluating rational functions on elliptic curves, at points whose order is small with respect to their degree. We discuss several special cases, including an old construction of Wiedemann, giving the first nontrivial estimate for the order of the elements in this construction.
The effects of beta‐adrenergic blocking agents on blood lipid levels

This review examines the effects of beta-adrenergic blocking agents on blood lipids. These agents have been effective in the treatment of angina and hypertension and in the reduction of recurrence of ischemic cardiac disease, such as myocardial infarction. Many beta blockers, however, have an adverse effect on blood lipids, especially by reducing high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and increasing triglycerides. One result is an unfavorable influence on the cholesterol ratio (expressed either as low-density lipoprotein [LDL]/HDL or total cholesterol/HDL). These cholesterol parameters have been shown to have a strong influence on coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. Studies have shown that antihypertensive therapy has reduced the incidence of cerebrovascular disease but, in many instances, has not reduced the incidence of CHD. A hypothesis for this lesser effect on coronary disease is that antihypertensive agents may be adversely affecting blood lipids. Thus, while one major risk factor for CHD is reduced, another may be somewhat enhanced. Pharmacologic properties of some beta blockers such as peripheral alpha blockade (e.g., with labetalol) or intrinsic sympathomimetic activity (ISA) (e.g., with pindolol) may counteract some of these negative lipid effects. An investigational beta blocker, bevantolol, which will be marketed shortly in the United States, has been effective in antihypertensive therapy. Bevantolol has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol and not adversely affect HDL cholesterol; in this way, bevantolol favorably influences the serum lipoprotein profile. Whether this effect will have clinical significance remains to be seen.
Statistical fluctuations and first-order phase transitions in heated rotating nuclei

Abstract For any temperature below 0.20 MeV, the finite-temperature Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov cranking theory predicts a sharp first-order phase transition in the i 1 3 2 model. However when statistical fluctuations in the pair gap are included, these phase transitions are smoothed out when the temperature is as low as 0.05–0.10 MeV.
Mechanical behavior of oats: Specific groat characteristics and relation to groat damage during impact dehulling

ABSTRACT Oat damage has negative effects on milling yield and finished product quality. Interrelationships among groat characteristics and mechanical behavior were analyzed to better understand groat damage caused by impact dehulling (ID). Regression of the natural logarithm (ln) of apparent stiffness (Smax) on the contents of ferulic acid, syringic acid, and moisture suggests that ferulic acid or perhaps diferulate cross-links increase groat stiffness, and syringic acid or perhaps syringate derivatives and moisture decrease groat stiffness. Polymer cross-linking decreases extensibility, and moisture (a plasticizer) softens polymers. Regression of ln of apparent toughness (T) on β-glucan and protein content implies that both polymers increase groat toughness. β-glucan is a cell-wall polymer, and the cell wall is known to confer toughness. The location of these polymers (perhaps concentrated in the bran) may also confer toughness. Regression of ln(ID) on moisture content, starch content, and T/Smax suggest...
The capitalization effects of school, residential, and commercial impact fees on undeveloped land values

Abstract Development impact fees are a controversial and relatively novel method of financing local public infrastructure. While their effects on home values have been examined extensively, very few studies have considered an important potential relationship with the price of undeveloped land. This study uses a 16 year panel of Florida property sales and impact fee rates to investigate the effects of various types of impact fee programs on the value of undeveloped residentially and commercially zoned parcels. Three main findings are obtained. First, school impact fee programs decrease the value of residentially zoned land but increase the value of commercially zoned parcels. Second, fees for water and sewer reduce the price of residentially zoned parcels but have no significant effect on commercially zoned land values. Finally, fees for other traditional categories like roads, police, and fire, seem to have stronger negative effects on commercially zoned land than on residentially zoned parcels.
The delivery of ambulatory diabetes care: structures, processes, and outcomes of ambulatory diabetes care.

Catherine Pihoker, Gun Forsander, Joseph Wolfsdorf and Georgeanna J Klingensmith Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital, Regional Medical Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Division of Diabetes, The Queen Silvia Children’s Hospital, Gothenborg, Sweden; Division of Endocrinology, Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, The Children’s Hospital, Aurora, CO, USA; and Barbara Davis Center, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, USA Corresponding author: Georgeanna J Klingensmith Department of Pediatrics The Children’s Hospital and Barbara Davis Center University of Colorado Denver Mail Stop A140 P.O. Box 6511 1775 N. Ursula Street Aurora, CO 80045 USA. Tel: (303) 724-6769; Fax: (303) 724-6779; e-mail: georgeanna.klingensmith@ucdenver.edu
Evaluation of fixative composition, fixative storage, and fixation duration on the fine structure and volume of root-cell nucleoli

Abstract The effect of various combinations of three fixative compositions (glutaraldehyde buffered in veronal acetate, cacodylate, and piperazine- N , N ′-bis[2-ethanesulfonic acid]—PIPES), two fixative storage times (fresh vs 6 weeks), and two fixation durations (3 h vs 9 days) on nucleolar fine structure and nucleolar volume in three root cell-types of oat seedlings ( Avena sativa L, cv Seger) were evaluated. All fixatives show overall good preservation of fine structure. Nucleolar components are distinct and well delineated in cells fixed in solutions buffered with either cacodylate or veronal acetate; the components are more condensed when preserved in fixative buffered with PIPES. Nucleolar volume is greatest in cells fixed in the cacodylate fixative, and smallest in those preserved in the PIPES fixative. Among the treatments tested, the PIPES fixative evidently best maintains nucleolar volume. Distracting particulate deposits are abundant on nuclei and nucleoli in cells preserved in the veronal-acetate fixative. Contrary to common assumptions, aging of buffered fixative at room temperature for 6 weeks seems to affect neither the general quality of cellular preservation nor the pH of the fixatives, although nucleolar volume is reduced by such treatment. Long-period fixation (9 days) results in destruction of membrane integrity (mitochondria, plastids, ER), and shrinkage of organelles from the cytoplasm. Nucleolar volume is reduced with prolonged fixation.
Development of social fear after amygdalectomy in infant rhesus monkeys

Abstract Infant rhesus monkeys were subjected to a bilateral amygdalectomy and were compared in group and individual situations with sham-operated controls. During the year following surgery significant group differences developed in the expression of fear responses. In general, the operated monkeys appeared less disturbed by novel stimuli than the controls. In group situations, however, the operated monkeys made more fear responses than the controls, especially: (1) when the test groups included unoperated monkeys; (2) when the length of the test session increased; and (3) when the monkeys grew older. Although other investigators have reported virtually normal behavior following bilateral amygdalectomy during infancy, it is clear from the present study that some behavioral changes still occur. The results also suggest that common generalization depicting amygdaloid monkeys as “fearless” does not accurately describe their long-term interactions with normal peers.
From the Normal Family to Alternate Families to the Quest for Diversity With Interdependence

This article traces the development of changes internal to households since the late 1960s. The discussion is set in the context of two competing theories—constructionism and functionalism, old and new. The notion of varieties of families is distinguished from household diversity. Variety refers simply to what are known as family variants or alternative lifestyles. Diversity is indicated by a structural and spatial situation in which there is both parity of and linkages among households.
ALFRED: an allele frequency resource for research and teaching

ALFRED (http://alfred.med.yale.edu) is a free, web accessible, curated compilation of allele frequency data on DNA sequence polymorphisms in anthropologically defined human populations. Currently, ALFRED has allele frequency tables on over 663 400 polymorphic sites; 170 of them have frequency tables for more than 100 different population samples. In ALFRED, a population may have multiple samples with each ‘sample’ consisting of many individuals on which an allele frequency is based. There are 3566 population samples from 710 different populations with allele frequency tables on at least one polymorphism. Fifty of those population samples have allele frequency data for over 650 000 polymorphisms. Records also have active links to relevant resources (dbSNP, PharmGKB, OMIM, Ethnologue, etc.). The flexible search options and data display and download capabilities available through the web interface allow easy access to the large quantity of high-quality data in ALFRED.
Visualizing virus population variability from next generation sequencing data

Advances in genomic sequencing techniques allow for larger scale generation and usage of sequence data. While these techniques afford new types of analysis, they also generate new concerns with regards to data quality and data scale. We present a tool designed to assist in the exploration of the genetic variability of the population of viruses at multiple time points and in multiple individuals, a task that necessitates considering large amounts of sequence data and the quality issues inherent in obtaining such data in a practical manner. Our design affords the examination of the amount of variability and mutation at each position in the genome for many populations of viruses. Our design contains novel visualization techniques that support this specific class of analysis while addressing the issues of data aggregation, confidence visualization, and interaction support that arise when making use of large amounts of sequence data with variable uncertainty. These techniques generalize to a wide class of visualization problems where confidence is not known a priori, and aggregation in multiple directions is necessary.
A Retrospective, Case-Control Pilot Study of the Natural History of Pediatric Gastroesophageal Reflux

The duration of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is an important factor in the development of esophageal complications. The objective of this study was to examine in a retrospective, case-controlled manner the prevalence of GERD in adults who were diagnosed with GERD in infancy or early childhood. Infants and children with nonsyndromic GERD diagnosed by an experienced pediatric gastroenterologist from 1976 to 1980 and control subjects seen for well-child care from 1980 to 1985 were included in this study. The subjects were located and contacted by telephone or mail and administered a brief structured questionnaire relating to their current history of GERD. GERD-A was defined as weekly heartburn or regurgitation of any severity, and GERD-B was defined as monthly heartburn or regurgitation greater than mild in severity. Sixty-five participants (31 patients and 34 controls) returned completed questionnaires and were subdivided into the three study groups as follows: Infant (15), Child (16), and Control (34). The prevalence of adulthood GERD-A was 13, 31, and 21% in the Infant, Child, and Control groups, respectively. Similarly, the prevalence of adulthood GERD-B was 20%, 44%, and 24%, respectively. The Child group tended to report more severe heartburn than the other groups. The Infant group tended to report more frequent regurgitation, and the Child group also reported a higher prevalence of nocturnal heartburn and more frequent use of GERD medications, although these were not statistically significant. These data suggest that pediatric GER is a heterogeneous disorder and that GERD occurring after infancy may be more predictive of the presence of GERD during adulthood. Longitudinal follow-up of a larger number of children is needed to answer the question of when classic adulthood GERD begins.
Coenzyme Q10 supplementation and heart failure

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Western world. Oxida-tive stress appears to play a pivotal role in atherosclerosis. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), one of the most important antioxidants, is synthesized de novo by every cell in the body. Its biosynthesis decreases with age and its deficit in tissues is associated with degenerative changes of aging, thus implicating a possible therapeutic role of CoQ10 in human diseases. There is evidence to support the therapeutic value of CoQ10 as an adjunct to standard medical therapy in congestive heart failure. However, much further research is required, especially in the use of state-of-the-art techniques to assess functional outcomes in patients with congestive heart failure.
On the optimality of open-loop LQG measurement scheduling

Revisits the problem of optimally controlling a linear-quadratic-Gaussian (LQG) plant and its measurement subsystem. The standard treatment of this problem uses dynamic programming to establish that LQG regulation and open-loop measurement scheduling are optimal. Here it is shown that these results can be obtained more directly using a straightforward conditioning argument that highlights the dependence of the results on the data independence, for open-loop schedules, of the LQG cost. >
Analysis of body size and fecundity in a grasshopper

Abstract We used linear regression, nonlinear regression and principal component analysis to examine the relationships among morphology, fecundity, and mating variables for lab-reared adult female Romalea microptera (Beauvois) (fam. Romaleidae) grasshoppers. Morphological variables included head width, pronotum length, femur length, adult eclosion mass, maximum mass reached before the 1st oviposition, and maximum mass reached before the 2nd oviposition. Fecundity (= reproductive) variables included clutch size Pod 1, clutch size Pod 2, total eggs Pods 1 + 2, mass Pod 1, mass Pod 2, time between adult eclosion and Pod 1, time between Pod 1 and Pod 2, and time between eclosion and Pod 2. Mating variables included number of matings and age of 1st mating. Most morphological variables were strongly positively correlated, and morphological variables (especially femur length, eclosion mass, and maximum body mass reached prior to oviposition) predicted many fecundity variables. Maximum body mass reached prior to ...
Political Reform and the Historical Trajectories of U.S. Social Movements in the Twentieth Century

We propose a political reform theory, a political and historical institutionalist argument that holds that shifts in political structures, partisan regimes and policy greatly influence movements. We appraise this argument, along with resource mobilization, political opportunity and media alternatives, by analyzing 600,000 articles in the New York Times and Washington Post that mention national U.S. social movement organizations (SMOs) in the largest 34 SMO industries across the twentieth century. We provide multivariate analyses of industry-level article mentions of SMOs and detailed analyses of the historical trajectories of coverage across the century. Although we find some support for major theories of movements and media influences, the political reform theory is strongly supported and outperforms standard political opportunity models. We conclude with suggestions to synthesize theories and for research on movement and media outcomes.
CONSTRUCTING PUBLIC SCHOOLING TODAY: DERISION, MULTICULTURALISM, NATIONALISM

In this article, Walter Parker brings structure and agency to the foreground of the current tumult of public schooling in the United States. He focuses on three structures that are serving as rules and resources for creative agency. These are a discourse of derision about failing schools, a broad mobilization of multiculturalism, and an enduring nationalism. Drawing on Anthony Giddens's structuration theory, Parker examines how these discourses figure in redefining school reform, redefining school curricula, and requiring schools once again to serve nationalistic purposes.
The Meanings of Professional Life: Teaching Across the Health Professions

Most of professional ethics is grounded on the assumption that we can speak meaningfully about particular, insulated professions with aims and goals, that conceptually there exists a clear "inside and outside" to any given profession. Professional ethics has also inherited the two-part assumption from mainstream moral philosophy that we can speak meaningfully about agent-relative versus agent-neutral moral perspectives, and further, that it is only from the agent-neutral perspective that we can truly evaluate our professional moral aims, rules, and practices. Several important changes that have occurred, or are currently taking place, in the structure of the health care professions, challenge those assumptions and signal the need for teachers of professional ethics to rethink the content of what we teach as well as our teaching methods. The changes include: influences and critique from other professions and from those who are served by the health professions, and influences and critique from professionals themselves, including increased activism and dissent from within the professions. The discussion focuses on changes that have occurred in the health-related fields, but insofar as similar changes are occurring in other professions such as law and business, these arguments will have broader conceptual implications for the way we ought to think about professional ethics more generally.
A Gaussian Calculus for Inference from High Frequency Data

In the econometric literature of high frequency data, it is often assumed that one can carry out inference conditionally on the underlying volatility processes. In other words, conditionally Gaussian systems are considered. This is often referred to as the assumption of “no leverage eect”. This is often a reasonable thing to do, as general estimators and results can often be conjectured from considering the conditionally Gaussian case. The purpose of this paper is to try to give some more structure to the things one can do with the Gaussian assumption. We shall argue in the following that there is a whole treasure chest of tools that can be brought to bear on high frequency data problems in this case. We shall in particular consider approximations involving locally constant volatility processes, and develop a general theory for this approximation. As applications of the theory, we propose an improved estimator of quarticity, an ANOVA for processes with multiple regressors, and an estimator for error bars on the Hayashi-Yoshida estimator of quadratic covariation
NITROGEN AND GAMETE PRODUCTION IN CHLOROCOCCUM ECHINOZYGOTUM (CHLOROPHYCEAE)1

The effects of nitrogen upon gamete production and upon the level of glutamine synthetase (GS) in dividing cells of Chlorococcum echinozygotum Starr have been studied. The level of GS in cells that are dividing is not negatively correlated to sexuality as proposed earlier. Instead, the level of GS in regenerating dividing cells appears closely related to the suitability of the nitrogen provided in the medium for general growth. The effects of metabolic inhibitors upon gamete production indicate that gamete differentiation involves transcription.
Littering as a Function of Prior Litter and The Presence or Absence of Prohibitive Signs1

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect on littering behavior of (1) two types of antilitter signs and (2) the condition of the environment (littered vs. unlittered). It was hypothesized that a sign with a threatening message (i.e., “Littering is Unlawful and Subject to a $10 Fine”.) would induce psychological reactance and therefore would be less effective than one emphasizing cooperation (i.e., “Pitch In!”). It was also predicted that littering would occur more frequently in littered than in nonlittered areas. The study was conducted on six levels of a city parking garage, each floor of which was exposed to a randomly selected combination of the sign and litter treatments. Relative to a no sign control condition, signs had the overall effect of reliably reducing the litter rate, but the “Pitch In” message was not found to be more effective than the “Unlawful” one. The littering rate was, as predicted, lowest in a clean environment. Finally, the impact of the signs was reliably influenced by the day of the observation. This finding was interpreted in terms of reactance theory and led to the conclusion that prior exposure is an important variable determining the effectiveness of signs.
Blood rheological characterization using the thickness-shear mode resonator

Thickness-shear mode (TSM) resonators have been used to characterize static rheological properties of plasma and whole blood samples. We demonstrated simple and rapid techniques for determining plasma viscosity without cell separation, for measuring erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and for tracking blood coagulation throughout the entire process. Additionally, mathematical models, previously developed to characterize surface-loaded resonators, were used to extract non-Newtonian and viscoelastic material properties of blood layers during sedimentation and coagulation experiments. These studies indicate the utility of the TSM resonator for several clinical applications. Because the resonators can be miniaturized, potential exists for extending the techniques for use inside the body or blood stream (in vivo).
Computer-aided interpretation of mass spectra

A system is described in which computer techniques are used to carry out major steps in the procedure for interpretation of high-resolution mass spectral data. These steps include identification and evaluation of the molecular ion, neutral fragments lost from the molecular ion, and characteristic ion series, followed by elucidation of specific structural details using a sub-routine for the particular compound class selected. The technique shows promise of not only increasing the interpreter's efficiency, but of providing more specific and detailed structural information from the spectral data.
Thalamocortical Connectivity Correlates with Phenotypic Variability in Dystonia

Dystonia is a brain disorder characterized by abnormal involuntary movements without defining neuropathological changes. The disease is often inherited as an autosomal-dominant trait with incomplete penetrance. Individuals with dystonia, whether inherited or sporadic, exhibit striking phenotypic variability, with marked differences in the somatic distribution and severity of clinical manifestations. In the current study, we used magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging to identify microstructural changes associated with specific limb manifestations. Functional MRI was used to localize specific limb regions within the somatosensory cortex. Microstructural integrity was preserved when assessed in subrolandic white matter regions somatotopically related to the clinically involved limbs, but was reduced in regions linked to clinically uninvolved (asymptomatic) body areas. Clinical manifestations were greatest in subjects with relatively intact microstructure in somatotopically relevant white matter regions. Tractography revealed significant phenotype-related differences in the visualized thalamocortical tracts while corticostriatal and corticospinal pathways did not differ between groups. Cerebellothalamic microstructural abnormalities were also seen in the dystonia subjects, but these changes were associated with genotype, rather than with phenotypic variation. The findings suggest that the thalamocortical motor system is a major determinant of dystonia phenotype. This pathway may represent a novel therapeutic target for individuals with refractory limb dystonia.
A Proteolytic Transmembrane Signaling Pathway and Resistance to β-Lactams in Staphylococci

β-Lactamase and penicillin-binding protein 2a mediate staphylococcal resistance to β-lactam antibiotics, which are otherwise highly clinically effective. Production of these inducible proteins is regulated by a signal-transducing integral membrane protein and a transcriptional repressor. The signal transducer is a fusion protein with penicillin-binding and zinc metalloprotease domains. The signal for protein expression is transmitted by site-specific proteolytic cleavage of both the transducer, which autoactivates, and the repressor, which is inactivated, unblocking gene transcription. Compounds that disrupt this regulatory pathway could restore the activity of β-lactam antibiotics against drug-resistant strains of staphylococci.
Robust Adversarial Risk Analysis: A Level-k Approach

Adversarial risk analysis is an active and important area of decision analytic research. Both single-actor decision analysis and multiple-actor game theory have been applied to this problem, with game theoretic methods being particularly popular. Although game theory models do explicitly capture strategic interactions between attackers and defenders, two of the key assumptions---decision making based on subjective expected utility maximization and common knowledge of rationality---are known to be descriptively inaccurate in some situations. This paper addresses these shortcomings by proposing, formulating, and illustrating the application of robust optimization methodologies to a level-k game theory model for adversarial risk analysis. Level-k game theory provides a practical method for modeling bounded rationality. Robust optimization provides an alternative way to model the actions of conservative players facing “deep” uncertainties about their environment---uncertainties that are possible to bound but that are difficult or impossible to represent using probability distributions. Our approach thus combines level-k and robust optimization insights to provide a computationally tractable model of boundedly rational players who are faced with significant and difficult to quantify uncertainties.
The Relationship Between Family Environment and Parenting Style: A Preliminary Study of African American Families:

The influence of parenting style on aspects of the family environment was addressed in a study of 174 9th graders, 11th graders, and collegefreshmen (96% Afri canAmerican). They completedBuri's Par...
BREAKDOWN OF THE VACUUM BY A STRONG GRAVITATIONAL FIELD

Hawking radiation can be thought of as resulting from the breakdown of the vacuum into photon pairs due to the strong gravitational field at the bounding surface of black holes. We show how this argument can be made quantitative and obtain Hawking's result.
Lagrange constraint neural network for audio varying BSS

Lagrange Constraint Neural Network (LCNN) is a statistical-mechanical ab-initio model without assuming the artificial neural network (ANN) model at all but derived it from the first principle of Hamilton and Lagrange Methodology: H(S,A)= f(S)- (lambda) C(s,A(x,t)) that incorporates measurement constraint C(S,A(x,t))= (lambda) ([A]S-X)+((lambda) 0-1)((Sigma) isi -1) using the vector Lagrange multiplier-(lambda) and a- priori Shannon Entropy f(S) = -(Sigma) i si log si as the Contrast function of unknown number of independent sources si. Szu et al. have first solved in 1997 the general Blind Source Separation (BSS) problem for spatial-temporal varying mixing matrix for the real world remote sensing where a large pixel footprint implies the mixing matrix [A(x,t)] necessarily fill with diurnal and seasonal variations. Because the ground truth is difficult to be ascertained in the remote sensing, we have thus illustrated in this paper, each step of the LCNN algorithm for the simulated spatial-temporal varying BSS in speech, music audio mixing. We review and compare LCNN with other popular a-posteriori Maximum Entropy methodologies defined by ANN weight matrix-[W] sigmoid-(sigma) post processing H(Y=(sigma) ([W]X)) by Bell-Sejnowski, Amari and Oja (BSAO) called Independent Component Analysis (ICA). Both are mirror symmetric of the MaxEnt methodologies and work for a constant unknown mixing matrix [A], but the major difference is whether the ensemble average is taken at neighborhood pixel data X's in BASO or at the a priori sources S variables in LCNN that dictates which method works for spatial-temporal varying [A(x,t)] that would not allow the neighborhood pixel average. We expected the success of sharper de-mixing by the LCNN method in terms of a controlled ground truth experiment in the simulation of variant mixture of two music of similar Kurtosis (15 seconds composed of Saint-Saens Swan and Rachmaninov cello concerto).© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Fast-scan cyclic voltammetry for the detection of tyramine and octopamine.

Tyramine and octopamine are biogenic amine neurotransmitters in invertebrates that have functions analogous to those of the adrenergic system in vertebrates. Trace amounts of these neurotransmitters have also been identified in mammals. The purpose of this study was to develop an electrochemical method using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry at carbon-fiber microelectrodes to detect fast changes in tyramine and octopamine. Because tyramine is known to polymerize and passivate electrode surfaces, waveform parameters were optimized to prevent passivation. No fouling was observed for octopamine when the electrode was scanned from 0.1 to 1.3 V and back at 600 V/s, while a small decrease of less than 10% of the signal was seen for 15 repeated exposures to tyramine. The technique has limits of detection of 18 nM for tyramine and 30 nM for octopamine, much lower than expected levels in insects and lower than basal levels in some brain regions of mammals. Current was linear with concentration up to 5 μM. This voltammetry technique should be useful for measuring tyramine and octopamine changes in insects, such as the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster.
Management of chylothorax via percutaneous embolization

Purpose of reviewThe purpose of this review is to present a novel radiologic percutaneous transabdominal technique for treating high-output chylothorax by thoracic duct embolization, and to demonstrate that it can be potentially safer than the traditional treatment by surgical open-chest thoracic du
Biphenotypic plasma cell myeloma: two cases of plasma cell neoplasm with a coexpression of kappa and lambda light chains.

Plasma cell neoplasm (PCM) is a medullary and extra medullary proliferation of clonal plasma cells that occurs due to accidental translocation of proto-oncogenes into immunoglobulin (Ig) gene loci. While the majority of plasma cell neoplasms are monoclonal, up to 2% of the PCMs [1] considered being biclonal based on electrophoretic analysis, characterized by secretion of paraprotein with two distinct heavy chains or light chains are possible and present unique diagnostic challenges. Methods: Traditionally protein electrophoresis has been used to diagnose, characterize, and monitor progression of plasma cell neoplasm. To characterize neoplastic plasma cells, in our institution, other ancillary studies, including in situ hybridization, flow cytometric analyses of plasma cell surface markers and cytoplasmic immunoglobulins with DNA ploidy, are also utilized routinely. Results: We present two cases of plasma cell myeloma in which the neoplastic plasma cells shows production of cytoplasmic kappa and lambda light chain, with secretion of free lambda light chain only. Co-expression of kappa and lambda light chain by the same neoplastic plasma cells is a rare but reported phenomenon. Conclusions: Our study indicates that serum electrophoresis alone could mischaracterize biphenotypic myeloma as monotypic plasma cell myelomas in the absence of additional testing methods.
Spin squeezing a cold molecule

In this article we present a concrete proposal for spin squeezing the cold ground-state polar paramagnetic molecule OH, a system currently under fine control in the laboratory. In contrast to existing work, we consider a single, noninteracting molecule with angular momentum greater than $1/2$. Starting from an experimentally relevant effective Hamiltonian, we identify an adiabatic regime where different combinations of static electric and magnetic fields can be used to realize the single-axis twisting Hamiltonian of Kitagawa and Ueda [M. Kitagawa and M. Ueda, Phys. Rev. A 47, 5138 (1993)], the uniform field Hamiltonian proposed by Law et al. [C. K. Law, H. T. Ng, and P. T. Leung, Phys. Rev. A 63, 055601 (2001)], and a model of field propagation in a Kerr medium considered by Agarwal and Puri [G. S. Agarwal and R. R. Puri, Phys. Rev. A 39, 2969 (1989)]. We then consider the situation in which nonadiabatic effects are quite large and show that the effective Hamiltonian supports spin squeezing even in this case. We provide analytical expressions as well as numerical calculations, including optimization of field strengths and accounting for the effects of field misalignment. Our results have consequences for applications such as precision spectroscopy, techniques such as magnetometry, and stereochemical effects such as the orientation-to-alignment transition.
Modeling the effect of relative humidity on nitrous acid formation in the Houston area

Abstract The field and laboratory based relative humidity (RH) impact on nitrous acid (HONO) heterogeneous reaction has not been considered in chemical transport models. This study parameterized this dependency into the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. In view of the positive linear correlation between the reaction rate and RH, the HONO heterogeneous reaction rate constants were respectively scaled by the factors of RH/30 and RH/40. Two corresponding sensitivity tests were carried out in the period of September 2013 in Houston. Both tests significantly improved modeled HONO concentrations and reduced the bias for NO2 in comparison with observations. However, the model is still not capable of reproducing the high HONO concentrations in the morning rush hours. Further work is needed to explore the underlying mechanisms for the early morning HONO formation.
Introduction to Lawyer Barons: What Their Contingency Fees Really Cost America

LAWYERS BARONS: WHAT THEIR CONTINGENCY FEES REALLY COST AMERICA, is a broad and deep inquiry into how contingency fees distort our civil justice system, influence our political system and endanger democratic governance. While the public senses that lawyers manipulate the justice system to serve their own ends, few are aware of the high costs that come with contingency fees. This book sets out to change that. LAWYERS BARONS is an expose of the corrupting influence of lawyers’ unrestrained financial incentives. Contrary to a broad academic consensus, the book argues that the financial incentives for lawyers to litigate are so inordinately high that they perversely impact our civil justice system and impose other unconscionable costs. It thus presents the intellectual architecture that underpins all tort reform efforts.The Introduction, reproduced here along with the book's Table of Contents, sketches out the plight of a 46-year-old wife who received a $1.4 million offer to settle a claim for the death of her husband who was killed while working on a railroad track bed. She was then approached by a lawyer who signed up her and referred her to another firm. Ultimately, she accepted the initial settlement offer. When she refused to pay the substantial sum demanded by the lawyer who recruited her, he sued her in state court. The courts found in favor of the lawyer stating that it was the widow’s fault that she failed to negotiate a retainer agreement that would provide the lawyers with a percentage of the value they added to the settlement offer. Too bad for the client who lacked the sophistication to realize that she needed a lawyer to negotiate a lawyer’s fee.
Many-to-one matchings without substitutability

Abstract We study the existence of stable matchings in the many-to-one college admission problem when there are no restrictions on college preferences. We show that the existence of a stable allocation is strongly tied to students having “harmonious preferences” over their sets of acceptable college choices. In other words, without any assumption on college preferences, a stable matching exists for any college admission problem if and only if there is no subset of students with misaligned college rankings.
Modification of chirped laser pulses via delayed rotational nonlinearity

To interpret single-shot measurements of rotational revival patterns in molecular gases excited by an ultrashort laser pulse, an analytical description of the probe pulse modulation by the impulsively excited medium is developed. A femtosecond pump laser pulse prepares a rotational wavepacket in a gas-phase sample, and the resulting periodic revivals are mapped into the frequency domain by using a substantially chirped continuum probe pulse. Since the standard approximate descriptions of probe pulse propagation are inapplicable (such as the slowly varying envelope approximation and the slowly evolving wave approximation), we propose an approach capable of incorporating both the substantial chirp of the pulse and the temporal dispersion of the medium response. Theory is presented for the case where the frequency change of the probe during the probe pulse duration is comparable with the carrier frequency. Analytical expressions are obtained for the probe signal modulation over the pump-probe interaction region and for the resulting heterodyned transient birefringence spectra. The approach is illustrated using the case of nitrogen gas.
Principles and Applications of Dual-Polarization Weather Radar. Part III: Artifacts

With the new data collected with polarimetric radars comes a set of new data quality issues and artifacts. It is important for these artifacts to be recognized and understood as such, thereby allowing operational meteorologists to focus on the interpretation of the physically important observations. In this third part of the series, artifacts found in polarimetric radar data are described and explained. These include attenuation and differential attenuation, nonuniform beam filling, depolarization streaks, and three-body scattering signatures. Examples of each are given, along with explanations of what they mean, and how they may be used to provide some information about a storm and its microphysics.
Steroid Hormone Receptors in Endometrial Stromal Sarcomas: A Biochemical and Immunohistochemical Study

Seven cases of endometrial stromal sarcoma (five low grade and two high grade) were analyzed immunohistochemically for the presence of estrogen and progesterone receptors. In four cases (three low grade and one high grade), these results were compared to biochemical findings. All low-grade endometrial stromal sarcomas were positive for progesterone receptors using immunohistochemical techniques. These results correlated well with biochemical evaluation of progesterone receptors. The high-grade endometrial stromal sarcomas were negative for progesterone and estrogen receptors by both methods. The advantages of immunohistochemical evaluation of steroid receptors have been well established in breast and endometrial carcinomas. This study demonstrates the usefulness of this technique in endometrial stromal sarcomas.
Financial Well-being of Chinese American Households

Financial counseling and education becomes more important in the recent economic crisis. Financial ratios quantify household financial well-being and can provide a quick and easy way to identify household financial strengths and weaknesses. Using the survey method, this study investigates the balance sheet ratios of 149 Chinese American households in five Midwestern states in the Northwest Central Region. Results showed that the majority of Chinese American households did not save at least 3 months income in their emergency fund and 31.1% of them had more liabilities than assets. However, an overwhelming majority of the households held over half of their net worth in investment assets. Chi-square test results showed that those who expected the economy to perform worse in the future were less likely to meet the 3-month emergency fund ratio guideline and homeowners were more likely than renters to be insolvent. The number of Chinese Americans continues to rise. Not meeting financial ratio guidelines could lead them to various financial problems. Financial education may help these households improve their understanding of the operation of U.S. financial and investment markets and increase their ability to achieve financial goals.
An Interpretation of Realistic Predicaments and New Path of Chinese Government's Network Supervision

A string of recent social events and crises has proved that the network is free in the real sense only if this kind of freedom is under supervision.Network supervision by the Chinese government has undergone an evolutionary process and at present it is faced with some realistic predicaments and challenges such as the composition of supervisory subjects,the scope of supervisory content,the selection of supervisory modes and the creation of a positive public opinion on network supervision.The new path design of network supervision in China should follow a systematic philosophical reflection.Most importantly,supervisory behaviors should conform to the well-accepted values of supervision,follow the rules of net operation,make good use of dialectics and integrate netizens'creativity with their self-discipline.In addition,the Chinese government should learn to utilize philosophical methods to formulate practicable measures of network supervision,handle the main conflicts in network supervision,pay close attention to net incidents,and strengthen the regulation and legislation of network supervision.
Modeling and Dynamic Optimization of a Hybrid Neuroprosthesis for Gait Restoration

A hybrid neuroprosthesis that combines functional electrical stimulation (FES) with an orthosis can be used to restore lower limb function in persons with paraplegia. This artificial intervention can substantially improve the walking duration vis-a-vis a sole FES walking system. However, it is unknown how to achieve optimal limb trajectories and their corresponding optimal control inputs for their use in the hybrid walking system. Optimization of limb angle trajectories and control inputs can minimize muscle fatigue due to FES and the metabolic fatigue in arms, which is caused by a user’s supported weight on a walker. Thus, reduction in total fatigue, due to optimization, can further enhance the benefits of the hybrid neuroprosthesis. We show that dynamic optimization can be used to compute stimulation/torque profiles and their corresponding joint angle trajectories which minimize electrical stimulation and walker push or pull forces. Importantly, the computation of these optimal stimulation or torque profiles did not require a predefined or a nominal gait trajectory (ie, a tracking control problem was not solved). Rather the trajectories were computed based only on predefined endpoints. Different optimal actuation strategies for FES and orthosis aided gait under various scenarios (eg, use of a powered or an unpowered orthosis combined with stimulation of all or a few selected lower-limb muscles) were calculated. The qualitative comparison of these results depict the advantages and disadvantages of each actuation strategy.
Fear of crime among Arab Americans in a culture of fear

As the minority group frequently at the centre of public fear in the post-9/11 era, Arab Americans’ own sentiment toward, and concerns with, crime, has eluded scholarly attention. This study invest...