cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Robust Human Activity and Sensor Location Corecognition via Sparse Signal Representation

Human activity recognition with wearable body sensors receives lots of attentions in both research and industrial communities due to the significant role in ubiquitous and mobile health monitoring. One of the most concerned issues related to this wearable technology is that the sensor signals significantly depends on where the sensors are worn on the human body. Existing research work either extracts location information from the activity signals or takes advantage of the sensor location information as a priori information to achieve better activity recognition performance. In this paper, we present a sparse signal-based approach to corecognize human activity and sensor location in a single framework. Therefore, the wearable sensor is not necessarily constrained to fixed body position and the deployment is much easier although the recognition difficulty becomes much more challenging. To validate the effectiveness of our approach, we run a pilot study in the lab, which includes 14 human activities and seven on-body locations to recognize. The experimental results show that our approach achieves an 87.72% classification accuracy (the mean of precision and recall), which outperforms classical classification methods.
The emotional harbinger effect: Poor context memory for cues that previously predicted something arousing

A key function of memory is to use past experience to predict when something important might happen next. Indeed, cues that previously predicted arousing events (emotional harbingers) garner more attention than other cues. However, the current series of five experiments demonstrates that people have poorer memory for the context of emotional harbinger cues than of neutral harbinger cues. Participants first learned that some harbinger cues (neutral tones or faces) predicted emotionally arousing pictures and others predicted neutral pictures. Then they studied associations between the harbinger cues and new contextual details. They were worse at remembering associations with emotional harbingers than with neutral harbingers. Memory was impaired not only for the association between emotional harbingers and nearby digits, but also for contextual details that overlapped with or were intrinsic to the emotional harbingers. However, new cues that were inherently emotionally arousing did not yield the same memory impairments as the emotional harbingers. Thus, emotional harbinger cues seem to suffer more from proactive interference than do neutral harbinger cues, impairing formation of new associations with cues that previously predicted something arousing.
Adapting Computer Game Technology to Support Engineering Laboratories

Today’s youth has become accustomed to and skilled in computer gaming. The potential use of multi-player computer games as an educational tool has drawn significant attention. Computer games exhibit several features that could provide the students with an effective learning experience. This paper introduces different methodologies for adopting computer game technologies such as the “Source” game engine (used in “Half-Life 2”) and “Second Life” to develop game-based interactive student laboratory environments. A number of predefined scenarios can be scripted which exercise the students’ problem solving skills by mimicking typical problems that might occur when carrying out actual hands-on experiments in a traditional student laboratory. The suitability of several gaming platforms for implementing such laboratory environments is discussed. The article concludes with some observations on the most relevant aspects of game platforms that can help to create engaging and effective digital learning environments to support engineering laboratories.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Cationic silver halide complexes in dimethyl sulphoxide, acetone, and acetonitrile

Abstract The solubilities of silver halides in solutions of silver nitrate or silver perchlorate in acetonitrile, dimethyl sulphoxide, and acetone were measured. The stability constants of the complex ions which are formed, Ag2X+ and Ag3X2+, were determined and compared with the stability constants for these complex ions in water.
Characterization and control of a monolithically fabricated bistable module for microrobotic applications

Microrobots are widely used for microassembly and micromanipulation. However achieving performances compatible with the work in the microworld requires the use of bulky and expensive systems for measurement, signal processing and real time control. In this paper, we present the characterization and the control of a bistable module that can be used to build microrobots. This bistable module is fabricated monolithically using microfabrication technology. It offers two stable and blocked positions. High resolutions can be reached using this approach. Static and dynamic characteristics of the bistable module are studied and an open-loop control strategy is proposed in order to switch smoothly from one position to the other. The presented bistable module is the basic module for building digital microrobots.
Electrostatic dust detection on remote surfaces

Abstract The inventory of dust in next-step magnetic fusion devices will be regulated for safety reasons, however diagnostics to measure in-vessel dust are still in their infancy. Advances in dust particle detection on remote surfaces are reported. Grids of interlocking circuit traces with spacing in the range 125–25 μm were biased to 30 V. Impinging dust creates a short circuit and the resulting current pulse was recorded. The detector response was measured with particles scraped from a carbon fiber composite tile and sorted by size category. The finest 25 μm grid showed a sensitivity more than an order of magnitude higher than the 125 μm grid. The response to the finest particle categories (5–30 μm) was two orders of magnitude higher than the largest (125–250 μm) category. Longer duration current pulses were observed from the coarser particles. The results indicate a detection threshold for fine particles below 1 μg/cm 2 .
Local CSI Based Selection Beamforming for AF MIMO Relay System with Direct Link

We propose a novel transmission scheme for a relay system that consists of a source, an amplify-and-forward (AF) relay, and a destination, which are all multi-antenna nodes and employ beamforming. The proposed scheme is based merely on local channel state information. The source transmits to the relay only when the source finds that the source-destination link will be in outage. In so doing, the proposed scheme lends itself to providing better average spectral efficiency. We derive an exact closed-form expression of the outage probability for Rayleigh fading channels and determine the system diversity gain. Numerical results validate the analytical results and show that, for the scenarios considered and for given spectral efficiency, the proposed scheme provides improved outage probability compared to the recently developed technique.
Preschoolers' Acquisition of Scientific Vocabulary Through Repeated Read-Aloud Events, Retellings, and Hands-On Science Activities

This study explored 3- and 4-year-old children's development of scientific vocabulary from participation in repeated interactive read-aloud events and retellings of three informational picture books about light and color, followed by hands-on science activities. Thirty-two children attending a YWCA preschool were matched by age and general vocabulary knowledge and randomly assigned to a retelling or no retelling condition. Repeated measures ANOVA of pretest and posttest scores on a free recall target vocabulary test revealed significantly higher scores for 4-year-olds, those with higher vocabulary knowledge, and those who retold the books. Children used significantly more target words across the three retellings.
Some promising innovations in taxicab operations

Several shared-ride passenger transportation services which could be offered by taxicabs are currently prohibited in U.S. cities by state or local regulations. Although relaxation of these regulations has been advocated on numerous occasions, little regulatory change has occurred to date. Moreover, the taxicab industry has rarely been considered as a potential provider for publicly subsidized transportation services. This paper discusses several promising innovations in taxicab service provisions and subsidy mechanisms which have been implemented or proposed recently in U.S. cities. The paper argues for more well-designed experimentation with such innovations as a means of stimulating greater interest on the part of planners, policy-makers, regulators, and public transportation operators in broadening the role of taxicabs in urban transportation.
The approximation of temperature distributions in homogeneous exothermic reactions

Abstract A transient heat conduction equation governing the temperature distribution in a material undergoing a homogeneous first order reaction is formulated in terms of dimensionless variables. A simplification of the equation is derived in which the reaction rate is considered to be independent of the temperature variation, for purposes which require an analytical approximation to the solution. The approximate solution provides useful physical bounds on the exact solution, and in limiting cases converges to it. The conditions for which such an approximation is valid are shown to depend upon the magnitude of two dimensionless parameters, one being the analog for homogeneous reactions of the quantity which measures the departure from isothermality in heterogeneous reactions. Equations for the transient temperature distributions in several simple cases are exhibited, showing the dependence of the solution upon physical parameters, and applications are discussed.
Relation of metformin treatment to clinical events in diabetic patients undergoing percutaneous intervention

Diabetic patients undergoing coronary interventions have worse clinical and angiographic outcomes than do patients without diabetes. Metformin, an insulin sensitizer, may decrease the occurrence of these outcomes. Diabetic patients in the Prevention of Restenosis with Tranilast and its Outcomes Trial were identified through their medical records (n = 2,772). In this trial, 1,110 diabetic patients received nonsensitizer therapy (insulin and/or sulfonylureas) and 887 received sensitizer therapy (metformin with or without additional therapy). Logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios (ORs) (sensitizer vs nonsensitizer therapy) of any clinical event (death, myocardial infarction, or ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization) and adjusted for multiple risk factors. Multivariate analysis showed no effect of lesion characteristics on clinical outcomes. Compared with patients on nonsensitizer therapy, those on sensitizer therapy showed an adjusted OR of 0.72 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.57 to 0.91, p = 0.005) for any clinical event. The differences between the nonsensitizer therapy group and the sensitizer group were attributable mainly to decreased rates of death (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.77, p = 0.007) and myocardial infarction (OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.66, p = 0.002). In our retrospective analysis, use of metformin in diabetics undergoing coronary interventions appeared to decrease adverse clinical events, especially death and myocardial infarction, compared with diabetic patients treated with nonsensitizer therapy.
Life-span and cancer: the induction time of tumors in diverse animal species treated with nitrosodiethylamine

To ascertain the possible relationship between animal lifespan and the rate of tumor development, the results of carcinogenesis studies in various species treated with similar doses of a carcinogenic nitrosamine have been compiled from the literature. Comparable experiments in 20 species of mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and fish were analyzed. The animals received approximately 1000 mg/kg body wt (400-2500 mg/kg) lifetime total dose of nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA). Animals with lifespans varying from 3 years (mouse) to > 50 years (snake) developed tumors with latent periods of roughly 1 year (range 0.5-1.9 year), showing no relationship to lifespan. The evidence suggests that the time dependence of tumor development is more likely related to the cumulative dose of carcinogen than to lifespan and the rate of aging.
The end of identity? The implications of postmodernity for political identification

Nationalism, it is widely agreed, is a phenomenon of modernity. What, then, are the implications of a shift toward postmodern culture for patterns of political identification? To address this question, I start by returning to first principles and theorize why people identify at all. I then highlight five important contemporary trends and their possible effects on identity, given this theory. I expect postmodern political identities to be more diffuse, diverse, instrumentally‐determined, context‐dependent, and less essentialized than those of modernity. I conclude that they may in fact be different enough from modern variants as to no longer warrant the appellation political identities.
Phase I study of ftorafur, an analog of 5‐fluorouracil

Ftorafur, a furanyl analog of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), is reported to be five to six times less toxic and possibly more effective in cancer of the breast and colon than 5-FU. The drug was synthesized, formulated, and utilized in toxicologic studies, and then in 24 patients with advanced incurable malignancies. When Ftorafur is given by intravenous push, it results in immediate flushing, dizziness, nausea, retching, and in some cases transient hypotension. These immediate side effects are largely eliminated by administering the drug slowly by infusion. In patients, 60 mg/kg of Ftorafur given i.v. daily for up to 10 days resulted in mild toxicity. However, 80 mg/kg given i.v. daily for 7 days resulted in severe toxicity, with nausea, vomiting, stomatitis, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia. These studies confirm those of the Russian investigators as to toxicity and dosage, even with a different method of administration more convenient for therapy. Phase II studies are presently being carried out to compare the effectiveness of Ftorafur and 5-FU.
Agile development in computer science education: practices and prognosis

Agile approaches to software development share a particular set of values [2,4]: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.Working software over comprehensive documentation.Customer collaboration over contract negotiation.Responding to change over following a plan.Many agile methodologies were developed in response to so-called disciplined methodologies that emphasize detailed documentation and formal processes, and that are often associated with ISO compliance or the CMM. However, there is growing recognition that both agile and disciplined approaches have advantages, and that often a combination can be very effective [1].Many faculty are exploring and experimenting with ways to integrate agile concepts and practices into academic programs in areas such as computer science, software engineering, and information systems. This special session will help us work together in agile ways to better understand the importance and role(s) of agile concepts and practices, successful ways to incorporate them in academic settings, potential pitfalls, and key questions that should be explored further. We want to gather input from a wide range of people in different sub-disciplines and programs.We will begin with a very brief overview of agile concepts and practices, followed by brief statements from each of the five speakers, to give other participants a sense of the range of possibilities (25 min). Next, we will poll participants to identify a set of topics within agility that they want to discuss further (5 min). Participants will then gather into subgroups for each topic, and each subgroup will identify best practices, interesting ideas, and open questions for that topic (30-35 min). Each subgroup will then give a brief report to the entire group, and we will conclude with a few minutes of general discussion (10-15 min).
Microbiology, Genomics, and Clinical Significance of the Pseudomonas fluorescens Species Complex, an Unappreciated Colonizer of Humans

Pseudomonas fluorescens is not generally considered a bacterial pathogen in humans; however, multiple culture-based and culture-independent studies have identified it at low levels in the indigenous microbiota of various body sites. With recent advances in comparative genomics, many isolates originally identified as the "species" P. fluorescens are now being reclassified as novel Pseudomonas species within the P. fluorescens "species complex." Although most widely studied for its role in the soil and the rhizosphere, P. fluorescens possesses a number of functional traits that provide it with the capability to grow and thrive in mammalian hosts. While significantly less virulent than P. aeruginosa, P. fluorescens can cause bacteremia in humans, with most reported cases being attributable either to transfusion of contaminated blood products or to use of contaminated equipment associated with intravenous infusions. Although not suspected of being an etiologic agent of pulmonary disease, there are a number of reports identifying it in respiratory samples. There is also an intriguing association between P. fluorescens and human disease, in that approximately 50% of Crohn's disease patients develop serum antibodies to P. fluorescens. Altogether, these reports are beginning to highlight a far more common, intriguing, and potentially complex association between humans and P. fluorescens during health and disease.
The chemoreception in the lateral-line organs of teleosts.

1) Chemoreception was investigated of the receptor end organ on the flank skin in several fresh water and sea water bony fish by recording the electrical responses in single fibers of the lateral-line nerve (X) and of the accessory lateral-line nerve (VII). Three species of fish, catfish (Ictalurus), mullet (Mugil) and carp (Cyprinus) were studied extensively.2) Responses of the receptor organ to monovalent cations, K+, Na+, Rb+, NH4+, Li+, and Cs+ in the solution were observed on all fishes studied. Among them K+ had the strongest effect. Inorganic anions were ineffective. In fresh water fish the sensitivity of the end organ was much superior to that of marine fish. The responses to various concentrations of Na+ were almost parallel to responses to K+, although somewhat smaller in fresh water fish, while in marine fish the sensitivity to Na+ was much inferior to that to K+. Such a fact may come from an abundance of Na+ in the environment. In those end organs divalent cations like Ca++, Mg++ and Sr++ suppressed excitatory effects of monovalent cations when the former were applied simultaneously or in sequence to the end organ. Tetrodotoxin also produced a similar effect. Such suppressive effects were reversible. After rinsing the end organ with fresh water or sea water thoroughly, those effects subsided completely.3) In euryhaline fish when they move from sea water to fresh water or vice versa, the sensitivity to K+ and Na+ changes within a certain period of time from the type of marine fish to that of fresh water fish or in the opposite direction. In a mullet the complete change of sensitivity of the end organ occurred in 7 days.4) In the case of catfish there were observed a variety of responses to chemical stimuli, not only to monovalent cations but also to divalent ones and several others as well. Some fibers were very sensitive to NH4+, or specifically to quinine or glutamate. None of them responded to sugar.5) Histological studies have disclosed that(a) the catfish has various types of end organs innervated by the lateral line nerve and the accessory lateral-line nerve on the flank skin; canal neuromasts, large and small pit organs and many terminal buds.(b) The mullet has 12 or 13 rows of the lateral-line organs on the flank skin. The scale along each lateral-line has a groove at its central part and a single neuromast is located in it. Through a small hole a few lateral-line nerve fibers reach to the end organ. Each groove is discrete and independent so that there is no lateral-line canal. From such structure of the lateral-line system the end organs in grooves are thought to be free neuromasts.(c) On the flank skin of the carp there are free neuromasts and terminal buds as well as canal neuromasts. The terminal buds, however, are not as numerous as in the catfish.
The Forward–in-Time Upstream Advection Scheme: Extension to Higher Orders

Abstract A generalized forward-in-time upstream advective operator following the methodology of Crowley is developed and advective schemes of orders 1 through 10 are tested analytically and numerically. Flux forms of these schemes are also derived with Crowley’s methodology. It is shown that thew flux forms do not reduce to the advective form with constant velocity and grid spacing for schemes of order 3 and higher and they are not as accurate as the advective form. A new flux form is derived which does reduce to the advective form under the conditions of constant velocity and grid spacing. The schemes were tested in two dimensions using time splitting. In the rotating cone test, the advective and new flux forms performed identically, while the other flux form had larger dissipation and dispersion errors. In the deformational flow field test, the advective forms were unstable for both time steps tested. Use flux forms were less unstable for the higher Courant number and the domain as a whole was stable fo...
Neuregulin and erbB Receptors Play a Critical Role in Neuronal Migration

Abstract The migration of neuronal precursors along radial glial fibers is a critical step in the formation of the nervous system. In this report, we show that neuregulin–erbB receptor signaling plays a crucial role in the migration of cerebellar granule cells along radial glial fibers. Granule cells express neuregulin (NRG), and radial glia cells express erbB4 in the developing cerebellum and in vitro. When the glial erbB receptors are blocked, neurons fail to induce radial glia formation, and their migration along radial glial fibers is impaired. Moreover, soluble NRG is as effective as neuron–glia contact in the induction of radial glia formation. These results suggest that the activation of glial erbB4 by NRG is an early critical step in the neuronal migration program.
Instructional development: Fruit fly or lemming?

While I generally agree with this paper, I believe that formative evaluation begins earlier in the design process than Baker suggests and includes those elements of needs assessment associated with project design. We have, for example, found it extremely important, long before a course or program is outlined or a student manual or instructional unit produced, to gather detailed information about our students. What skills and attitudes do they bring to our class7 Are our assumptions about prior learning cor-
Monosynaptic vestibular nerve input to vestibular and adjacent reticular neurons projecting into the ascending medial longitudinal fasciculus

Abstract This electrophysiological study provides evidence that cat neurons both within and ventral to the cytoarchitectural boundary of the vestibular nuclei project into the region of the contralateral ascending medial longitudinal fasciculus. Many of these neurons, including the more ventral ones, receive monosynaptic input from the vestibular nerve. The vestibular complex thus appears to include part of what traditionally has been called reticular formation.
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Three-Dimensional Echo Monitoring and Guidance

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) was first performed in 2002. With the Edwards-Sapien valve, more than 20,000 to 25,000 TAVI procedures have now been performed worldwide. In this paper, we share our experience using live three-dimensional (3D) transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to guide and monitor TAVI. At our medical center, we have performed more than 150 transfemoral TAVI procedures. Three-dimensional TEE is useful for precise measurement of the aortic annulus in multiple planes, confirming aortic valve stenosis severity and morphology, monitoring of the position of guidewires and catheters, identifying the ventricular and aortic edges of the valve stent, and optimizing bioprosthetic valve positioning. Post-deployment 3D TEE is also used to assess the severity of residual aortic regurgitation as well as to identify potential complications of the procedure including valve malpositioning.
Why it works (when it works): success factors in online creative collaboration

Online creative collaboration (peer production) has enabled the creation of Wikipedia and open source software (OSS), and is rapidly expanding to encompass new domains, such as video, music, and animation. But what are the underlying principles allowing online creative collaboration to succeed, and how well do they transfer from one domain to another? In this paper, we address these questions by comparing and contrasting online, collaborative animated movies, called collabs, with OSS projects. First, we use qualitative methods to solicit potential success factors from collab participants. Then, we test these predictions by quantitatively analyzing a data set of nearly 900 collabs. Finally, we compare and contrast our results with the literature on OSS development and propose broader theoretical implications. Our findings offer a starting point for a systematic research agenda seeking to unlock the potential of online creative collaboration.
Dimensions of Conscience in Mid-adolescence: Links with Social Behavior, Parenting, and Temperament

The purpose of this study was to determine whether aspects of conscience cohere into broader dimensions and to examine how these broader dimensions of conscience relate to parenting, temperament, and social behavior. One hundred and thirteen adolescents (M age = 15.88 years, 51% female) completed measures of sympathy, guilt, empathic anger, shame, moral reasoning, and internalization. Factor analyses revealed two dimensions of conscience: moral affect (which included guilt, shame, sympathy, and empathic anger) and moral cognition (which included internalization and prosocial moral reasoning). Parental discipline related to both dimensions of conscience, albeit in different ways. High levels of parental inductive discipline and low levels of parental power assertion were associated with high levels of moral affect, whereas high levels of persistent discipline were associated with increased moral cognition. High negative reactivity, however, was only associated with high levels of moral affect. In general, higher levels of moral affect were associated with prosocial behavior and moral conduct during bullying. Higher levels of moral cognition were associated with less participation in bullying, more altruistic behavior, and more frequent helping of the victims of bullying. The discussion focuses on the dimensions of moral conscience in adolescence.
The Incidence of Blood Spots in Eggs and its Relation to First Year Mortality

Abstract In addition to hereditary influences (Quinn and Godfrey, 1940; Lerner and Smith, 1942; Jeffrey and Pino, 1943; Nalbandov and Card, 1944), non-genetic factors are known to affect the incidence of blood-spots in eggs. One of these is the season of the year although there is disagreement between the data of Lerner nad Smith (1942) and Nalbandov and Card (1944) on the one hand, and Jeffrey (1945) on the other with respect to the direction of seasonal trend. A managemental or nutritional factor (access to range) has also been found to decrease blood-spot incidence (Nalbandov and Card, 1944). The present note is based on an attempt to determine whether still another factor, specifically mortality, has a relation to this defect. Two series of S. C. White Leghorn pullets hatched in consecutive years were studied. All eggs laid in the first laying year (to October 1 of the second year of life) . . .
Comments on ‘Generalized erythroderma and palmoplantar hyperkeratosis in a patient receiving TNF‐alpha antagonist therapy’

Keywords: cutaneous T-cell lymphoma; erythroderma; peripheral blood; psoriasiform dermatitis; TNF-alpha
Electromigration Study of the Al-Cu/Ti/Al-Cu System

We have investigated unpassivated Al-Cu(4.5%)/Ti/Al-Cu laminated structures for their electromigration behavior for linewidths between 5 ? and 1.5 ? We find that although line opens are not the dominant failure mode, significant mass accumulation occurs all along the line leading to the real possibility of extrusion induced shorts. In our experiments laminated structures had lifetimes in excess of conventional Al-Cu lines by at least a factor of 10. Cu migration takes place in the early part of the stripe life. Al migration occurs preferentially from the top layer. Furthermore, a decrease of the line resistance, unlike in conventional structures, is observed during current stress. The Ti intermetallic layer does not show any motion.
Why highly expressed proteins evolve slowly

Much recent work has explored molecular and population-genetic constraints on the rate of protein sequence evolution. The best predictor of evolutionary rate is expression level, for reasons that have remained unexplained. Here, we hypothesize that selection to reduce the burden of protein misfolding will favor protein sequences with increased robustness to translational missense errors. Pressure for translational robustness increases with expression level and constrains sequence evolution. Using several sequenced yeast genomes, global expression and protein abundance data, and sets of paralogs traceable to an ancient whole-genome duplication in yeast, we rule out several confounding effects and show that expression level explains roughly half the variation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein evolutionary rates. We examine causes for expression's dominant role and find that genome-wide tests favor the translational robustness explanation over existing hypotheses that invoke constraints on function or translational efficiency. Our results suggest that proteins evolve at rates largely unrelated to their functions and can explain why highly expressed proteins evolve slowly across the tree of life.
Real-time A* algorithm for optimal variable gain proportional-integral-derivative control systems

The application of heuristic search to optimal control systems is investigated. A modified algorithm known as real-time A* (RTA*) is proposed for online implementation of a heuristic optimal tracking control system. The heuristic forward search mechanism of the A* yields the same optimal path as the backward search of dynamic programming which is commonly used in the optimal control problem. A relationship between heuristic evaluation, f=g+h, and tracking performance measure, J, for the optimal tracking control systems is given. Experimental results are given to show the application of the heuristic search RTA* to an online optimal variable gain proportional-integral-derivative (OVGPID) control system. >
Pointer and escape analysis for multithreaded programs

This paper presents a new combined pointer and escape analysis for multithreaded programs. The algorithm uses a new abstraction called parallel interaction graphs to analyze the interactions between threads and extract precise points-to, escape, and action ordering information for objects accessed by multiple threads. The analysis is compositional, analyzing each method or thread once to extract a parameterized analysis result that can be specialized for use in any context. It is also capable of analyzing programs that use the unstructured form of multithreading present in languages such as Java and standard threads packages such as POSIX threads.We have implemented the analysis in the MIT Flex compiler for Java and used the extracted information to 1) verify that programs correctly use region-based allocation constructs, 2) eliminate dynamic checks associated with the use of regions, and 3) eliminate unnecessary synchronization. Our experimental results show that analyzing the interactions between threads significantly increases the effectiveness of the region analysis and region check elimination, but has little effect for synchronization elimination.
A local shape function (LSF) method for time-domain inverse scattering

The authors present a novel LSF inverse scattering algorithm for time-domain inverse scattering. The method is derived by using a T-matrix formulation and interpreting the results in the time domain. A finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) forward solver along with a volumetric boundary condition is used to generate the forward scattering data and Frechet derivative and transposed operators. In this manner, the inverse scattering problem may be solved with only three calls to a FDTD forward solver per iteration. Some preliminary results of the application of this technique are shown. >
Transcriptional Activation of Scavenger Receptor Expression in Human Smooth Muscle Cells Requires AP-1/c-Jun and C/EBPβ: Both AP-1 Binding and JNK Activation Are Induced by Phorbol Esters and Oxidative Stress

Abstract —Reactive oxygen species generated by treatment of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) with either phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate or with the combination of H2O2 and vanadate strongly induce expression of the class A scavenger receptor (SR-A) gene. In the current studies, cis- acting elements in the proximal 245 bp of the SR-A promoter were shown to direct luciferase reporter expression in response to oxidative stress in both SMCs and macrophages. A composite activating protein-1 (AP-1)/ets binding element located between –67 and –50 bp relative to the transcriptional start site is critical for macrophage SR-A activity. Mutation of either the AP-1 or the ets component of this site also prevented promoter activity in SMCs. Mutation of a second site located between –44 and –21 bp, which we have identified as a CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) element, reduced the inducible activity of the promoter in SMCs by 50%, suggesting that combinatorial interactions between these sites are necessary for optimal gene induction. Interactions between SMC nuclear extracts and the SR-A promoter were analyzed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. c-Jun/AP-1 binding activity, specific for the –67- to –50-bp site, was induced in SMCs by the same conditions that increased SR-A expression. Moreover, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, H2O2, or the combination of H2O2 and sodium orthovanadate (vanadate) activated c-Jun–activating kinase. The binding activity within SMC extracts specific for the C/EBP site was shown to be C/EBPβ in SMCs. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that reactive oxygen species regulate the interactions between c-Jun/AP-1 and C/EBPβ in the SR-A promoter. Furthermore, induction of oxidative stress in THP-1 cells, with a combination of 10 μmol/L vanadate and 100 μmol/L H2O2, induced macrophage differentiation, adhesion, and SR activity. These data suggest that vascular oxidative stress may contribute to the induction of SR-A expression and thereby promote the uptake of oxidatively modified low density lipoprotein by both macrophage and SMCs to produce foam cells in atherosclerotic lesions.
Measuring Increases In Horizontal Equity In The Absence Of Certain Itemized Deductions And Phase Outs

A topic that generates extensive debate and concern is the perception of fairness in the US tax system. This “fairness” is often defined as vertical equity – taxpayers with different amount of income pay different amounts of taxes, and horizontal equity – taxpayers with the similar income pay the same level of taxes. Since the late 1980s, the number of phase outs in the United States individual income tax system has increased substantially. The effect of these phase outs has, in some cases, increased certain societal-valued activities, while at the same time discouraged reduction in taxes to others who are viewed as upper-income. On the other hand, some of these phase outs, and the ability to use them, may simply be a matter of luck or timing, or both. When this is the case, the tax liability of two people with very similar incomes may become very different, thus decreasing horizontal equity. This study begins by examining changes in horizontal equity (as measured by the coefficient of variation) when deleting two individual tax deductions. Using the Internal Revenue Service Tax File database for roughly 60,000 married filing joint returns, we examined the sensitivity of equity measures to two “artificial” changes in the tax laws – the disallowance of the mortgage interest deduction and the charitable contribution deduction. Not surprising, we find the disallowance of either or both deductions increases horizontal equity. Additionally, in the absence of phase outs (using the 1989 IRS tax file), we prove that as income groups become more numerous (and hence narrow bands of income), horizontal equity increases as well. This outcome is at odds with prior tax equity studies that make the assumption that increasing or decreasing the number of equal circumstance groups (taxpayers with similar income) will have no substantive effect on the outcome of horizontal equity measures. It also shows that increasing phase outs, when only benefits some in even very narrow income groups, has the effect of decreasing horizontal equity. This study has important implications in two respects. First, from a methodological standpoint, prior studies should have strengthened their assumption on the number of equal income groups used. Second, from a public policy perspective, continuing to increase the number of phase outs within the tax system further distorts horizontal equity, thus undermining the fairness and equity perception of the tax system.
Variation in the Population Structure of Yukon River Chum and Coho Salmon: Evaluating the Potential Impact of Localized Habitat Degradation

Abstract We used microsatellite and mitochondri-al DNA–restriction fragment length polymorphism (mtDNA–RFLP) analyses to test the hypothesis that chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta and coho salmon O. kisutch in the Yukon River, Alaska, exhibit population structure at differing spatial scales. If the hypothesis is true, then the risk of losing genetic diversity because of habitat degradation from a gold mine near a Yukon River tributary could differ between the two species. For each species, collections were made from two tributaries in both the Innoko and Tanana rivers, which are tributaries to the lower and middle Yukon River. The results revealed a large difference in the degree and spatial distribution of population structure between the two species. For chum salmon, the microsatellite loci (F-statistic (F ST) = 0.021) and mtDNA (F ST = −0.008) revealed a low degree of interpopulation genetic diversity on a relatively large geographic scale. This large-scale population structure should minimize, although no...
Polanyi and christological dualisms

The problem which this article addresses comprises representative Christological dualisms, long in the making, which have come to a head in the twentieth century. They include the Jesus of history and Christ of faith dichotomy, Christology from above as opposed to Christology from below, and ontological Christology over against functional Christology. Behind such dualisms are genuine and fundamental dualities whose integration has been severely damaged in modern theology through the compounding of longstanding dualisms in Western Thought with modern critical thought as shaped by rationalism, empiricism, and scepticism. In this essay I wish to show how Michael Polanyi's theories of being and knowing have much to offer in overcoming the above dualisms. The prospect of such was already made evident to me several years ago in the work of Thomas F. Torrance, and more recently in the work of Colin Gunton. My present purpose is not just to repeat what they have already said, but rather to carry this project forward by applying major theories of Polanyi especially to Christological dualisms. While Torrance has made extensive use of Polanyi in addressing dualisms in theology, it is not in such Christological texts as Space, Time and Incarnation or Space, Time and Resurrection, that Polanyi is especially utilized. However, in The Mediation of Christ Polanyi's influence seems implicit where Torrance addresses the dualist, including gnostic, threat to Christology in the early centuries of the Christian church.
Husbands Caring for Wives with Dementia: A Longitudinal Study of Continuity and Change

The longitudinal study reported in this article examines how the patterns of change over time for husbands who continue to care for their spouses in the community compare with husbands who place their spouses in nursing homes. There were 74 older men enrolled in the study initially; follow-up interviews were conducted with the available husbands who continued to provide care in their own homes or who had placed their spouses in nursing homes after one year. Potential theoretical relevance of the current findings and their implications for health and mental health social workers in terms of assessment, treatment, and program development for older male caregivers is highlighted.
Age differences in (±) 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-induced conditioned taste aversions and monoaminergic levels.

Preclinical work indicates that adolescent rats appear more sensitive to the rewarding effects and less sensitive to the aversive effects of abused drugs. The present investigation utilized the conditioned taste aversion (CTA) design to measure the relative aversive effects of (±)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; 0,1.0, 1.8 or 3.2 mg/kg) in adolescent and adult Sprague-Dawley rats. After behavioral testing was complete, monoamine and associated metabolite levels in discrete brain regions were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD) to determine if adolescent animals displayed a different neurochemical profile than do adult animals after being exposed to subcutaneous low doses of MDMA. Adolescent rats displayed less robust MDMA-induced taste aversions than adults during acquisition and on a final two-bottle aversion test. MDMA at these doses had no consistent effect on monoamine levels in either age group, although levels did vary with age. The relative insensitivity of adolescents to MDMA’s aversive effects may engender an increased vulnerability to MDMA abuse in this specific population.
The Presidency, the Electoral College, and the Three-Fifths Clause

The three-fifths clause of Article I, section 2, paragraph 3 is one of the most controversial provisions of the Constitution. Commentators who view the Constitution as a proslavery document contend that the "extra" representation given to slave states by the three-fifths clause played an important role in maintaining what they view as Southern dominance of the legislative process in the pre-Civil War era. In recent years, a number of scholars, including Akhil Amar, Paul Finkelman, and David Walker Howe have extended this critique to include the claim that the structure of the presidential selection process should also be considered proslavery. Noting that the three fifths clause is a significant factor in determining the makeup of the electoral college, these scholars argue a) that the rejection of a plan for direct election of the President was a concession to the Southern states and b) that in practice, the structure of the electoral college allowed Southerners to unfairly influence presidential choices. This article disputes both of those claims.
2.01x Elements of Structures MITx on edX Course Report - 2013 Spring

This report describes 2.01x: Elements and Structures, one of the first 11 courses offered by MITx on edX, a platform for delivering massive open online courses (MOOCs). Offered in the Spring of 2013, 2.01x covers a first course on the mechanical behavior of deformable structural elements, following the curriculum of an MIT on-campus course in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. This report describes the course structure, in terms of the number of basic e-text, auto-graded problems, and video components. Following a methodology established for analysis of the first 17 HarvardX and MITx courses (Ho et al, HarvardX and MITx: The first year of open online courses), course registrants are described in terms of viewed, explored, and certified sub-populations, together with demographics. The diversity of student activity in the course, and the persistence of student interactions with the courseware, are addressed. The report concludes with descriptions of special features in 2.01x, including the use of Matlab-based code submission problems.
Enhancement of Curcumin Fluorescence by Ascorbic Acid in Bicontinuous Microemulsion

Steady-state fluorescence spectro-photometric technique is used in this work to determine the chemical parameters of the complex formed between curcumin and ascorbic acid in bicontinuous microemuslion (Bμen). The Bμen liquid used is made up of a four-components system (water–oil-surfactant and co-surfactant (1-pentanol)) in the ratio of 42.11:13.7:21.34:22.85 % w/w. The oil and surfactant used are tetradecane and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. Curcumin is known to have low solubility in water, but liberally soluble in Bμen, hence the use of Bμen in this study. The observed fluorescence intensity of curcumin was enhanced by introduction of ascorbic acid to the curcumin solution. The increase in the fluorescence intensity showed a very good linearity with a regression coefficient of 0.9974. The association constant, Ka, that resulted between curcumin and ascorbic acid was calculated as 2.15 × 104 with the free energy of association, ∆Ga, of −24.71 kJ/mol. The ratio of the complex that was formed by these two molecules was determined as 1:1.
AN EFFECTIVE APPROACH FOR SOLVING THE BINARY ASSIGNMENT PROBLEM WITH SIDE CONSTRAINTS

The binary assignment problem with a side constraint requiring the objective function to receive a specified value, which in general is an NP-hard problem, has been the focus of several papers in recent years. The current literature addresses various theoretical aspects of the problem, with a particular emphasis on a simplifying special case, but stops short of giving any computational experience. In this paper, we present a simple reformulation that enables the problem, and some of its extensions, to be solved by commonly available heuristic methods. We present preliminary computational experience with a Tabu search method that illustrates the effectiveness and computational robustness of the approach.
Compact Modeling of Magnetic Tunneling Junctions

We present a simple, yet physical compact model of a magnetic tunnel junction that captures relevant physical effects needed for a realistic memory design and proposes an accurate noise simulation method that can be implemented in a circuit simulator without introducing additional nodes. We also discuss the limitations of existing compact modeling approaches.