cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Energy Production, Frictional Dissipation, and Maximum Intensity of a Numerically Simulated Tropical Cyclone*

A tropical cyclone (TC) viewed as a heat engine converts heat energy extracted from the ocean into the kinetic energy of the TC, which is eventually dissipated due to surface friction. Since the energy production rate is a linear function while the frictional dissipation rate is a cubic power of surface wind speed, the dissipation rateisgenerallysmaller thantheproductionrateinitiallybutincreasesfasterthantheproductionrate asthestormintensifies.Whenthedissipationrateeventuallyreachestheproductionrate,theTChasnoexcess energy to intensify. Emanuel hypothesized that a TC achieves its maximum potential intensity (E-MPI) when the surface frictional dissipation rate balances the energy production rate near the radius of maximum wind (RMW). Although theE-MPIagreeswell withthemaximumintensityofnumericallysimulated TCsinearlier axisymmetricmodels,thebalancehypothesisneartheRMWhasnotbeenevaluated.Thisstudyshowsthatthe frictional dissipation rate in a numerically simulated mature TC is about 25% larger than the energy production rate near the RMW, while the dissipation rate is lower than the energy production rate outside the eyewall. This finding implies that the excess frictional dissipation under the eyewall should be partially balanced by the energy production outside the eyewall and thus the local balance hypothesis underestimates the TC maximum intensity. Both Lagrangian and control volume equivalent potential temperature (ue) budget analysesdemonstratethattheenergygainedbyboundarylayerinflowairduetosurfaceentropyfluxesoutside of and prior to interaction with the eyewall contributes significantly to the energy balance in the eyewall through the lateral inward energy flux. This contribution is further verified using a sensitivity experiment in whichthesurfaceentropyfluxesareeliminatedoutsidearadiusof30‐45 km,whichleadstoa13.5%reduction in the maximum sustained near-surface wind speed and a largely reduced size of the model TC.
On the Kirkwood-modified Tait equation

The pairwise additive potential energy and molecular distribution functions are obtained for a one-dimensional fluid satisfying a version of the Kirkwood-modified Tait equation of state.
What Makes a Respondent-Driven Sampling “Seed” Productive? Example of Finding At-Risk Massachusetts Men Who Have Sex with Men

Several recent studies have sought to elaborate upon the applicability and validity of respondent-driven sampling (RDS) to find hard-to-reach samples in general and men who have sex with men (MSM) in particular. Few published studies have elucidated the characteristics associated with initial RDS participants (“seeds”) who successfully recruited others into a study. A total of 74 original seeds were analyzed from four Massachusetts studies conducted between 2006 and 2008 that used RDS to reach high-risk MSM. Seeds were considered “generative” if they recruited two or more subsequent participants and “non-generative” if they recruited zero or one participant. Overall, 34% of seeds were generative. In separate multivariable logistic regression models controlling for age, race, health insurance, HIV status, and the study for which the seed was enrolled, unprotected anal sex in the past 12 months [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 6.68; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 1.27–35.12; p = 0.03], cocaine use during sex at least monthly during the past 12 months (AOR = 8.81; 95% CI = 1.68–46.27; p = 0.01), and meeting sex partners at social gatherings (AOR = 7.42; 95% CI = 1.58–34.76; p = 0.01) and public cruising areas (AOR = 4.92; 95% CI = 1.27–19.01; p = 0.02) were each significantly associated with increased odds of being a generative seed. These findings have methodological and practical implications for the recruitment of MSM via RDS. Finding ways to identify RDS seeds that are consistently generative may facilitate collecting a sample that is closer to reflecting the MSM who live in all of the communities in a given location or study sample.
A comparative study of two sympatric species within the genus Callinectes: osmoregulation, long-term acclimation to salinity and the effects of salinity on growth and moulting

Abstract Juvenile blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, and lesser blue crabs, C. similis Williams, were exposed to a range of salinities for 67 days to determine if salinity exerted species specific differential effects on growth and moulting. Growth was measured in terms of carapace width, wet weight, dry weight and ash-free dry weight. Growth rates of the two species (% increase in dry weight/day) were differentially affected by salinity. C. similis juveniles exposed to 5‰ grew significantly slower than those exposed to 10‰, with those at 30‰ exhibiting intermediate growth rates. Salinity had no effect on growth rates of C. sapidus by any measure of weight or carapace width. C. sapidus grew at faster rates than C. similis at low salinity as measured by wet and dry weight, and at all treatments as measured by carapace width. Growth per moult (wet weight) of C. similis was greater than that of C. sapidus. However, intermoult periods of C. similis were longer and exhibited a more pronounced effect of salinity than those of C. sapidus. Feeding rates and hemolymph osmolalities were measured at the beginning and end of the 67 day exposure period. Weight-adjusted feeding rate of C. sapidus increased significantly after 67 days exposure to low salinity, whereas that of C. similis decreased significantly. Each species exhibited a decline in hemolymph osmolality at low salinities by the end of the exposure period. In order to determine if either species exhibits an ontogenetic shift in ability to regulate hemolymph osmolality, juvenile and adult C. sapidus and C. similis were collected and exposed to a range of salinities for measurement of hemolymph osmolalities. These crabs were collected and exposed separately from those used in the 67 day exposure. Adult C. sapidus maintained higher hemolymph osmolalities than juveniles when exposed to low salinities (≤25‰). Hemolymph osmolalities of adult C. similis exposed to low salinity varied with salinity of collection site. Those from a high salinity site (30‰) exhibited hemolymph osmolalities no different than juveniles when exposed to salinities of 2.5 and 10‰. Those from a lower salinity site (22‰) exhibited greater hemolymph osmolalities than juveniles, osmoregulating at levels insignificantly different from adult C. sapidus. Results of this study indicate that although previously published studies may have overestimated the effects of low salinity on C. similis relative to it`s more euryhaline congener C. sapidus, effects of salinity alone are probably sufficient to limit this species' distribution to waters of 10‰ or greater.
Assessment in Graduate and Professional Education: Present Realities, Future Prospects.

A number of suggestions are offered for assessment-related research and practice in advanced-degree programs.
Effect of sickle cell erythrocytes on in vitro growth characteristics of certain bacteria.

SummaryHomozygous sickle cell (S-S) red blood cells were less capable of fostering surface growth of Hemophilus influenzae, Diplococcus pneumoniae, and Streptococcus salivarius in Trypticase soy agar than were normal adult (A-A) red blood cells.
Abstract 2475: Effect of mTOR inhibition by rapamycin on promotion of skin tumors in BK5. Aktwt transgenic mice

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Akt is a serine/threonine kinase involved in a variety of cellular responses including cell survival and proliferation. It has been shown that PI3K/Akt signaling is frequently altered (upregulated) in human cancers. mTOR is one of the Akt downstream signaling pathways that regulates protein synthesis, cell growth and proliferation. mTOR exists in two complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2. Our laboratory previously reported that tumor promoters including TPA, okadaic acid (OA), and chrysarobin (CHRY) activate epidermal Akt after topical treatment of mouse epidermis and mouse primary cultured keratinocytes. Activation of Akt during tumor promoter treatment leads to enhanced downstream signaling including mTORC1 pathways. BK5. Aktwt transgenic mice where Akt is overexpressed in basal epidermis were significantly more sensitive to two-stage carcinogenesis, showing tumors with a much shorter latency, considerably larger in size, and enhanced progression of papillomas to SCCs. Importantly, Akt transgenic mice showed significant elevations in several downstream signaling pathways both in the absence and presence of TPA, including mTORC1 activity. Collectively, the studies with transgenic mice overexpressing Akt in epidermis (BK5.Aktwt) have suggested that activation of mTORC1 signaling may contribute to the process of skin tumor promotion. In this study, we have examined the ability of rapamycin, a known inhibitor of mTOR, on mTORC1 signaling in relation to its effect on TPA-induced epidermal cell proliferation and skin tumor promotion. Rapamycin given at doses of 1 μmol, 100 nmol, 20 nmol, and 5 nmol 30 min prior to 6.8 nmol TPA treatment inhibited mTORC1 activity in a dose-dependent manner. Notably, in a multiple treatment regimen (4 applications of rapamycin and TPA over a two week period) high doses of rapamycin significantly inhibited TPA-induced Akt phosphorylation at serine 473 as well as mTORC1 signaling in a dose dependent way, suggesting mTORC2 inhibition induced by prolonged high dose rapamycin treatment. The ability of rapamycin (at doses of 100, 20, and 5 nmol per mouse) to inhibit skin tumor promotion by TPA in BK5. Aktwt transgenic mice was compared with wild-type mice. Rapamycin significantly reduced TPA promotion in BK5.Aktwt mice, however, it was less effective compared to similar doses used in wild-type mice. The data demonstrate that rapamycin, although less effective, still retained significant inhibitory activity toward TPA promotion even when Akt and mTOR activities were elevated. These data demonstrate an important role for mTOR signaling in skin tumor promotion of TPA. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2475.
Mig-7 Linked to Vasculogenic Mimicry

Solid tumor development consists of a series of stages during which cells undergo genetic and phenotypic alterations that allow cancer cells to evade normal regulation and to finally colonize distant sites in the body. In this issue of The American Journal of Pathology, Petty et al report that expression of a relatively understudied protein called migration-inducing protein 7 (MIG7 or Mig-7) facilitates tumor cell dissemination by increasing invasion and promoting the process of vasculogenic mimicry.1 Vessels that form during tumorigenesis are usually lined by an endothelium, but abnormal vessel development in which cancer cells directly line vessels or blood channels within tumors have been described and termed vasculogenic mimicry.2,3,4,5 One of the earliest descriptions of these tumor-lined vasculogenic channels was by Willis, who stated in 1948 that “in rapidly growing tumors, [vessels] consist of little more than irregular channels lined by endothelium only or by naked tumor cells.”2 These structures have also been noted by vascular biologists as a category of blood vessel or “blood channels lacking an endothelial lining” in which “blood percolates around and between tumor cell chords” that occur in tumors.3 Renewed interest in these structures occurred after publication of a manuscript in 1999 by a group led by Mary Hendrix, which reported tumor lined-blood channels in areas of looping extracellular matrix in uveal and cutaneous melanomas.4 Since then, the slow process of unraveling the genes, signaling pathways, and pathophysiological significance of these structures has been underway.6,7,8,9,10 This remains a very important area of research with significant implication for therapeutic development.11,12
Human control of a simple two-hand grasp

We investigated how people control fast, accurate movements of a load using a simple two-hand grasp. By providing a clear instruction to several subjects, we isolated a single control strategy. The kinematics produced by this control strategy are nearly indistinguishable from those produced during single-hand movements, but the torques are quite different: one hand accelerates not only itself, but also the load and the other hand, while the other hand brakes the hand-load-hand system. As a result, the hands squeeze the load with a large force during the movement. The dynamics of the hand-load-hand system are of the same form as the dynamics of a single-hand system. Apparently, by taking advantage of this dynamic similarity and of the spring-like properties of muscle, the human motor control system can control the two-hand grasp system simply by modifying the muscle activation patterns used to control single-hand movements. The task dynamics of two-hand grasp do not require that the load be squeezed during the movement, and squeezing the load wastes torque that could be used to move more quickly. However, the human motor control system may choose this squeezing strategy because it reliably brakes the hand-load-hand system despite inherent variability in the braking of individual hands.
The influence of redemption time frame on responses to incentives

In the present research, Construal Level Theory is used to predict that consumers will mentally characterize incentive offers differently as a function of their redemption time frames. Data from two experiments indicate that concrete features, such as the face value of an offer or its mode of presentation (as a dollar figure or as a percentage discount), are prominent for incentives with short time frames but not for incentives with long ones. In the latter case, abstract features, such as the incentive’s goal congruity or fit with personal values, are more likely to influence responses.
Opening a window on the information systems field: submissions to ISR, 1987-1992

We report an analysis of the manuscripts submitted to the journal Information Systems Research (ISR) during its start-up years, in an effort to provide a foundation for assessing the performance of the journal, and to open a window on the structure and growth of the IS field. An examination of the research questions addressed by the submissions led to the formulation of a series of categories characterizing the evolving research activity of the field and the identification of a compact set of overarching themes. We present the findings with the goal of broadening the perspectives which individual members of the IS research community have of ISR and to help fuel community discourse about the nature and proper direction of the field. >
Comparison of four insulation schemes for reduction of natural convective heat transfer in rectangular enclosures

Abstract This paper reports a comparative study of using four insulation schemes to reduce natural convective heat transfer in two-dimensional rectangular enclosures. The SIMPLER algorithm was used to solve the equations governing heat and fluid flow in the enclosures. Reduction in heat transfer was determined for a wide range of conditions and the effectiveness of the different insulation schemes was established.
Reusing simulation components: cost: a component-oriented discrete event simulator

COST (Component-Oriented Simulation Toolkit) is a general-purpose discrete event simulator. The main design purpose of COST is to maximize the reusability of simulation models without losing efficiency. To achieve this goal, COST adopts a component-based simulation worldview based on a component-port model. A simulation is built by configuring and connecting a number of components, either off-the-shelf or fully customized. Components interact with each other only via input and output ports, thus the development of a component becomes completely independent of others. The component-port model of COST makes it easy to construct simulation components from scratch. Implemented in C++, COST also features a wide use of templates to facilitate language-level reuse.
Spatially Resolved Measurements of Size and Velocity Distributions of Aerosol Droplets from a Direct Injection Nebulizer

Aerosol droplet sizes and velocities from a direct injection nebulizer (DIN) are measured with radial and axial spatial resolution by phase Doppler particle analysis (PDPA). The droplets on the central axis of the spray become finer and their size becomes more uniform when ≈20% methanol is added to the usual aqueous solvent. This could explain why the analyte signal is a maximum at this solvent composition when the DIN is used for inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICPMS). Mean droplet velocities are 12 to 22 m s−1with standard deviations of ±4 to ±7 m s−1. The outer fringes of the aerosol plume tend to be enriched in large droplets. The Sauter mean diameter (D3,2) and velocity of the droplets also vary substantially with axial position in the aerosol plume.
The Message Is in the Bottle: Latino Youth Communicating Double Standard Ideologies through Photovoice.

Background Young Latinas living in the United States experience inordinate sexual and reproductive health outcome disparities. However, though prioritized as subjects for prevention, they are also often denied sexual agency. Purpose This article reports the results of a study conducted to examine young Latino/a participants' perspectives on communicating and learning about sexuality in school and family settings. Methods A Photovoice project was conducted with 20 Latino/a high school students. Each participant received a digital camera to take photos for 2 discussion sessions. Participants discussed select photos in relation to self-generated topics. Results One overarching theme, double standards in expectations about sexual communication, and 2 related subthemes, contrasting gender expectations in sexual desire and pleasure and confirming ideologies in sexual taboos and disconnections, emerged during discussions. Discussion The persistence of a double standard placing responsibility for sexual protectio...
Protein C anticoagulant pathway and its role in controlling microvascular thrombosis and inflammation.

Objective: To review the physiologic and biochemical mechanisms that suggest that protein C and activated protein C (APC) have unique properties that make them good candidates for the treatment of microvascular thrombosis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and sepsis. Data Sources: A summary of published medical literature from MEDLINE search files and published reviews on protein C physiology, biochemical properties, and activity in experimental and human sepsis. Data Summary: Protein C is critical to the regulation of microvascular coagulation, as seen most clearly in humans born with congenital deficiency of protein C, who develop neonatal purpura fulminans. Protein C supplementation reverses the lesion formation. In primate models of sepsis, APC blocks disseminated intravascular coagulation initiated by Escherichia coli infusion, and inhibition of APC function exacerbates both the coagulant and inflammatory responses of the animals to sublethal levels of E. coli. In vitro experiments have shown that APC can inhibit neutrophil binding to selectins: Endothelial cell protein C receptor, a protein C/APC binding receptor, can bind to proteinase 3 bound to Mac-1 on leukocytes, potentially blocking tight leukocyte adhesion; and APC can inhibit tumor necrosis factor-a secretion by monocytes and other cell lines by interfering with nuclear factor-KB nuclear translocation. By blocking nuclear factor-κB nuclear translocation, cytokine- and endotoxin-mediated adhesion molecule up-regulation is decreased. These properties of APC are consistent with a large number of animal studies demonstrating that APC can diminish complications of crush injury and leukocyte damage to lung and other tissues in response to sepsis and decrease the inflammatory response. The animal studies are consistent with the phase 2 studies reported on APC use in the treatment of human sepsis. Conclusions: The protein C pathway is uniquely poised to interfere with the microvascular coagulation and inflammation that follows challenge with endotoxin. By limiting leukocyte activation, cytokine elaboration, and microvascular coagulation, APC has been shown to prevent organ damage in experimental models of sepsis. These results are consistent with the initial phase 2 reports of APC therapy in human sepsis suggesting a clinical benefit and demonstrating anti-inflammatory activity with several reports of apparent protein C effectiveness in severe sepsis, especially meningococcemia.
Interference in pigeons’ long-term memory viewed as a retrieval problem

In Experiment 1, three (experimental) groups of pigeons (n=8) acquired a successive wavelength discrimination in Phase 1 and a reversal in Phase 2; then, after a 24-h delay, they received a wavelength generalization test in extinction (Phase 3). For one group (“Context Same”), the same context was present throughout; for both others, a different context was used for Phase 1 and Phase 2. One group received the generalization test in the presence of Context 1, the other in Context 2. The Context Same and Context 2 experimental groups showed “recency,” with all gradients peaking at the reversal S+ value. The Context 1 group yielded several different response patterns but never showed recency, thus revealing context-generated proactive interference. In Experiment 2, eight subjects learned the original discrimination and its reversal in different contexts, and each bird was tested alternately (within a session) in both contexts. Under this condition, the test contexts were effective retrieval cues. In every case, the gradients obtained in each context peaked sharply at the appropriate S+ value. These experiments indicate that conflicting memories may be stored along with their associated contexts such that they can be retrieved by an appropriate manipulation of contextual cues at the time of retention testing.
Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Theoretical 1D Amplification Factors for Earthquake Ground-Motion Prediction

We investigate the use of site factors derived from theoretical one- dimensional ground-response analyses as a means by which to estimate seismic site effects for earthquake ground-motion prediction. We review a set of theoretical site factors derived from equivalent-linear analyses for specific geologic categories in the Los Angeles area and the San Francisco Bay area. The theoretical site factors are a function of the peak horizontal acceleration for the reference rock site condition and the depth to firm material (taken as depth to the 1 km/sec shear-wave isosurface). We apply the site factors to predict the response spectral acceleration of ground motions at recording sites in a manner that mimics how they would typically be used in engineering practice: empirical ground-motion prediction equations are used to estimate a reference (rock) spectrum that is then modified by using the theoretical site factors. Analysis of residuals between the data and model predictions indicates that the theoretical site factors are able to capture the average effects of sediment nonlinearity. The analyses also show that short-period spectral accelerations are underpredicted and that long-period spectral accelerations are overpredicted. The underprediction at short periods may result from overestimation of a soft-to-firm reference rock correction factor that is needed to apply the site factors. The overprediction bias at long periods varies with depth, suggesting that the depth term in the site factors may not fully account for the effect of basin geometry at long periods.
Functional development of the rat urinary bladder after pre- or postpubertal castration.

Experiments were done to evaluate the role of sex hormones in the functional development of the rat urinary bladder. Rats were orchiectomized or ovariectomized at 30 (prepubertal) or 70 (postpubertal) days of age and bladders were removed 1 month later. An additional group of immature male and female rats was used in which the bladders were removed at 30 days of age. There were only minor differences in contractile responses of bladder strips from any group to electrical field stimulation, ATP, carbachol, or KCl compared to age-matched controls. There were no differences in responses of bladder strips from immature females or males to the adrenergic agonists, isoproterenol, norepinephrine, or methoxamine. Bladders from the pre- and postpubertally castrated rats and their controls relaxed fully in response to isoproterenol, but strips from prepubertally castrated rats relaxed significantly less in response to norepinephrine than those from other groups. Approximately one half of the bladder strips from prepubertally castrated rats failed to relax by at least 50% in response to norepinephrine; these same strips responded to methoxamine with exaggerated contractions. Our data indicate that the normal development of rat bladder α-adrenergic responsiveness is adversely altered by prepubertal castration. We postulate that this may result from an alteration in the relative expression of α1-adrenergic receptor subtypes.
Sternohyoid muscle biopsy. A diagnostic technique in respiratory failure of neuromuscular origin.

Patients with neuromuscular disease may develop respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation. We describe a sternohyoid muscle biopsy technique as a diagnostic aid in such patients undergoing tracheostomy for prolonged ventilatory support. The biopsy procedure is quick and without added discomfort or morbidity for the patient. Our preliminary observations in three patients suggest that the sternohyoid muscle biopsy may be a useful diagnostic tool in this selected group of patients. (Chest 1991; 100:540-43)
Novel γ-secretase modulators for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: a review focusing on patents from 2010 to 2012.

Introduction: γ-Secretase is the enzyme responsible for the final step of amyloid precursor protein proteolysis to generate Aβ peptides including Aβ42 which is believed to be a toxic species involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression. γ-Secretase modulators (GSMs) have been shown to selectively lower Aβ42 production without affecting total Aβ levels or the formation of γ-secretase substrate intracellular domains such as APP intracellular domain and Notch intracellular domain. Therefore, GSMs have emerged as an important therapeutic strategy for the treatment of AD. Areas covered: The literature covering novel GSMs will be reviewed focusing on patents from 2010 to 2012. Expert opinion: During the last review period (2008 – 2010) considerable progress was made developing GSMs with improved potency for lowering Aβ42 levels, but most of the compounds resided in unfavorable central nervous system (CNS) drug space. In this review period (2010 – 2012), there is a higher percentage of potent GSM chemical ma...
Abstract ES3-2: Clinical Trial Designs for New Therapies: What Agents Should We Study?

Biologically-targeted, novel agents hold great promise in breast cancer, but require adjustments to traditional study design, conduct and patient selection to be tested safely, effectively and economically. Key questions to be address in this talk include: Is the drug safe? Is it hitting the target? Can we identify the “right” patients to test? In what setting do we test it? Toxicities of these agents move well-beyond traditional myelosuppression and fatigue, encompassing almost every organ system and requiring changes in monitoring and management to assure safety. Dosing and assessment strategies must be aimed at optimally modulating target and assessing whether hitting the target has the desired effect on the natural history of the disease. The concurrent development of predictive biomarkers is necessary to select appropriate study subjects, which may be limited to a relatively small subset of patients with the disease. Finally, selecting the best therapeutic setting (treatment naive, refractory, acquired resistance) can greatly impact the performance of the agent and requires knowledge of cancer biological evolution through the metastatic process. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr ES3-2.
Wetting transitions and surface critical phenomena at solid-fluid interfaces

Abstract The van der Waals density functional model of inhomogeneous fluids introduced by Teletzke et al. is applied to construct global phase diagrams that display wetting transition points, thin to thick thin-film transition points, and accompanying surface critical, tricritical, and multicritical points of a solid-fluid interface. The model is based on mean field theory, yields an integral equation for density distributions, can be solved analytically, and predicts both first- and second-order wetting transitions depending on location in field variable space. Here we show that the model, although mathematically simple, predicts thin to thick thin-film transition and surface critical, tricritical, and multicritical phenomena. The various transition and critical points are obtained directly by solution of algebraic equations derived from the model. The global phase diagrams have as coordinates the temperature and chemical potential and an interaction potential parameter W which is the ratio of characteristic energy of two-body solid-fluidinteraction to fluid-fluid interaction. Diagrams are constructed for three values of the three-body interaction potential energy parameter, W3 = 1 3 , 1, and 3, corresponding to the three phase diagrams of Nakanishi and Fisher who inferred the diagram structure from scaling studies of a magnetic system obeying the Landau-Ginzburg free energy model. Our results agree with their critical exponents Δ and Δ1 for the ordinary, special, and extraordinary multicritical points. However, we find a quantitative difference between our results and the parameter range over which Nakanishi and Fisher suggested one of the scaling relations holds.
The QCD hadron spectrum and the number of dynamical quark flavors

Abstract Results from simulations of QCD using zero, two and four flavors of dynamical staggered fermions are reported. Simulation parameters were chosen to keep the rho mass in lattice units the same for the different numbers of flavors. The four flavor hadron spectrum is nearly parity doubled and the pion decay constant is about a factor of two smaller than for two flavors. These results, obtained on lattices of size about 1.5 fermi, show strong effects of quark loops at zero temperature and will be checked on larger volumes.
Variation of physical properties of alluvium in an arid basin

Abstract We have used geologic and geophysical data from 139 drill holes in Yucca Flat, an alluvium-filled basin within the Nevada Test Site, to study the ways in which differing sources and transport processes of the alluvium are reflected in variations in physical parameters. Bulk density, grain density, pore water, and carbon dioxide are routinely measured in the subsurface alluvium for each drill hole, and porosity is calculated from the first three of these parameters. The alluvium is derived principally from three source rocks exposed along the perimeter of the basin: Plleozoic elastic and carbonate sedimentary rocks, and Tertiary volcanic tuff. The alluvium of Yucca Flat is subdivided into an older volcanic-rich basal tuffaceous alluvium and an overlying younger mixed alluvium; the latter is composed of both Paleozoic and Tertiary fragments, except near isolated source terranes, where it may be derived from only one of these rock types. The mixing of different sources where individual fans merge and coalesce at the center of the basin is reflected by progressive changes in the physical properties. Alluvium consisting of dominantly Paleozoic debritus has high density and relatively low water content and porosity, whereas alluvium composed of dominantly volcanic debris has low density and high porosity and water content. Mixing of these deposits near the center of the basin is reflected by intermediate densities. Water content and porosity are greatest at the center of the basin, where the alluvial sediments have undergone the greatest amount of distal fining and sorting.
Correlations of electrical conductivity to slag composition and temperature

The electrical conductivity of slags is an important factor in the design of electric smelting furnaces. Although there are many experimental studies on this subject, as yet there are no quantitative correlations of conductivity to slag composition and temperature. The objective of this work was to develop such correlations, on the basis of the experimental data by various other authors. The results show that in the concentration range of industrial-type SiO2-CaO-MgO-MnO slags the slag conductivity can be expressed as a linear function of the molar concentrations of the basic oxides; in the concentration range of industrial nonferrous slags, where the iron oxide content is usually over 20 pct, the slag conductivity can be expressed as an exponential function of the molar concentrations of the iron and basic oxides. The effect of temperature on slag conductivity, in the industrial range of interest, can be accounted for by means of an Arrhenius-type of equation.
Delivering online advertisements inside images

We present in this paper a new channel to deliver online advertisements along with Web images and show a new business model to monetize billions of Web images. The idea is intuitively inspired by image displaying processes on the Web, which typically require people to wait a few seconds before they see full resolution images. This is due to large file sizes and limited network bandwidth. To utilize idle time and the display area, we propose an innovative method for non-intrusively embedding ads into images in a visually pleasant manner. To maintain a smooth user experience, we utilize the thumbnail of the full-resolution image because it is small and visually similar to the full-resolution image. At the client side, a rendering engine first enlarges and blurs the thumbnail, and then blends the pre-chosen ads information into the enlarged image. Based on this idea, we propose three typical scenarios that can adopt the proposed image-advertising mode. More importantly, we can encourage providers of images or other users to participate in our online image ads service by tagging or annotating images. We envision revenue sharing with the providers participating in our service, and we expect that a large number of users will actively submit, tag and annotate images using the system. We have implemented a prototype image ads system, and conducted a series of experiments and user studies to evaluate such a new advertisement channel. The experimental results and user studies show that the proposed online image ad delivery is a non-intrusive ads mode, and the proposed solution is practical. This work also opens multiple new research directions ranging from multimedia to web data mining
Minority-carrier lifetime analysis of silicon epitaxy and bulk crystals with nonuniformly distributed defects

Existing analyses of the pulsed response of an MOS capacitor for minority-carrier lifetime determination result in a lifetime value averaged over most of the depletion region width. The authors present an analysis of MOS capacitance-versus-time data that enables minority-carrier generation lifetime to be plotted as function of depletion-region depth. The technique is shown to be useful for samples with bulk or buried interfacial layer defects that have defect-free surfaces. Data are presented for intrinsically gettered bulk crystals and extrinsically gettered Si (2%Ge) epitaxial layers with misfit dislocations. For samples that do have uniform lifetimes, the measurement time required for determining carrier lifetime is reduced by more than an order of magnitude. >
Reactions to youth crime: perceptions of accountability and competency*

Recent changes in juvenile justice policies have stimulated debate among legal professionals and social scientists. As such, public opinion concerning juvenile offenders is an important and timely topic for empirical study. In the present study, respondents read a scenario about a juvenile who committed a crime, and then decided on a sentence and rated perceptions of the juvenile's accountability and legal competence. Four between-subject factors were manipulated: age of the defendant (11 versus 14 versus 17 years), type of crime (shooting versus arson), crime outcome (victim injured versus died), and time delay between the instigating incident and the crime (immediately versus one day). The type and outcome of the crime were major motivating factors in sentencing decisions and perceptions of legal competence, and, although younger offenders were seen as less accountable and less competent than older offenders, sentence allocation and attitudes towards punishment were not significantly affected by offender age.
EQUILIBRIUM DATA FOR OSMOTIC CONCENTRATION of POTATO IN NACL-WATER SOLUTION

Equilibrium data needed in modeling of osmotic dehydration are reported for unblanched diced potato in contact with aqueous solutions of sodium chloride. Diced potato, 1 cm cubes, were equilibrated with 0–12% (w/w) aqueous NaCl solutions at three temperatures (8, 21 and 35°C). the mass fraction of total solids nonsalt (wF3) in potato at equilibrium was modeled as a function of mass fraction of total solids in the fresh material at full turgor (wF3), concentration of NaCl in the external solution (wIB) and temperature. Using wF3 and wIB, and assuming that the activity of NaCl in the potato tissue and the external solution at equilibrium are equal, equilibrium densities were calculated based on the principle of volume additivity. the predicted and experimentally measured equilibrium densities were in close agreement.
Neural networks as a new strategy for computing

A case is presented for neural networks as a complement to traditional approaches. It is argued that when a procedure is well defined, traditional approaches work well, but the neural network will be superior for those cases where the procedure is not yet known, where associations are used extensively, or where operations are performed directly on real-time data. It is suggested that neural networks might provide a solution to escalating software costs, more user friendly interfaces, and a better match to new technologies such as optics. >
Phase-coupled two-dimensional speckle tracking algorithm

A new two-dimensional (2-D) speckle tracking method for displacement estimation based on the gradients of the magnitude and phase of 2-D complex correlation in a search region is presented. The novelty of this approach is that it couples the phase and magnitude gradients near the correlation peak to determine its coordinates with subsample accuracy in both axial and lateral directions. This is achieved with a minimum level of lateral interpolation determined from the angles between the magnitude and phase gradient vectors on the sampled (laterally interpolated) 2-D cross-correlation grid. The key result behind this algorithm is that the magnitude gradient vectors' final approach to the true peak is orthogonal to the zero-phase contour. This leads to a 2-D robust projection on the zero-phase contour that results in subsample accuracy at interpolation levels well below those needed using previously proposed methods. A full description of the 2-D, phase-coupled approach is given, including two implementations based on a geometric projection and constrained optimization. In addition, a robust fast search algorithm that allows the localization of the true peak without the need for exhaustive search is given. Experimental validation on three data sets from speckle-generating phantoms undergoing uniform diagonal motion, uniform axial deformation, and nonuniform lateral flow is given. It is shown that estimated 2-D displacement fields obtained using the phase-coupled technique display a full range of values covering the dynamic range without evidence of quantization. In comparison, a previously published method using 1-D phase-projection after lateral interpolation produces severely quantized lateral displacement fields (at the same levels of interpolation as the 2-D, phase-coupled method)
Participatory justice: The politics of the future

Opinion polls indicate public confidence and participant satisfaction in the adversarial justice system have eroded significantly in the past couple of decades, as “inconsistency and uncertainty, delay and alienation of the community” (NAC 1973) have continued as perennial problems. The alternative of plea bargaining or dispositional justice has not fared much better, as several states have abolished the procedure and the last major national study of the criminal justice system called for outlawing the procedure nationwide (NAC 1973). An emerging alternative to the adversarial and dispositional systems is mediation and arbitration, sometimes called “participatory justice.” A model illustrates how arbitration-mediation can be used for all criminal cases; and it is argued that this participatory justice system is in harmony with the emerging sociopolitical world as envisioned by futurists such as Toffler and Naisbitt.
DeskCube: using physical zones to select and control combinations of 3D navigation operations

We present the DeskCube, a new passive input device, together with a space-division scheme using physical above-the-surface zones to select and control the desired 3D navigation operations that gives users simple scene-in-hand control over the virtual 3D world.
Simplified Method of “Push‐Pull” Test Data Analysis for Determining In Situ Reaction Rate Coefficients

The single-well, ``push-pull`` test method is useful for obtaining information on a wide variety of aquifer physical, chemical, and microbiological characteristics. A push-pull test consists of the pulse-type injection of a prepared test solution into a single monitoring well followed by the extraction of the test solution/ground water mixture from the same well. The test solution contains a conservative tracer and one or more reactants selected to investigate a particular process. During the extraction phase, the concentrations of tracer, reactants, and possible reaction products are measured to obtain breakthrough curves for all solutes. This paper presents a simplified method of data analysis that can be used to estimate a first-order reaction rate coefficient from these breakthrough curves. Rate coefficients are obtained by fitting a regression line to a plot of normalized concentrations versus elapsed time, requiring no knowledge of aquifer porosity, dispersivity, or hydraulic conductivity. A semi-analytical solution to the advective-dispersion equation is derived and used in a sensitivity analysis to evaluate the ability of the simplified method to estimate reaction rate coefficients in simulated push-pull tests in a homogeneous, confined aquifer with a fully-penetrating injection/extraction well and varying porosity, dispersivity, test duration, and reaction rate. A numerical flow andmore » transport code (SUTRA) is used to evaluate the ability of the simplified method to estimate reaction rate coefficients in simulated push-pull tests in a heterogeneous, unconfined aquifer with a partially penetrating well. In all cases the simplified method provides accurate estimates of reaction rate coefficients; estimation errors ranged from 0.1 to 8.9% with most errors less than 5%.« less
Contemporary Sino-Southeast Asian Relations

China's growth has brought important benefits to Southeast Asia. China's "new diplomacy" has accommodated many of the region's political concerns and its economic expansion has been an engine of growth for Southeast Asia. However, China's rise brings challenges as well. China's rapid naval build-up, more intensified disputes in the South China Sea, environmental problems and questions over China's ultimate goals create concerns in the region. Southeast Asia's strategy has been to accommodate China's rise while striving to maintain the American position in the region. Southeast Asia has been successful in this strategy, although this balance will be increasingly difficult as China's power increases.
Eddi: interactive topic-based browsing of social status streams

Twitter streams are on overload: active users receive hundreds of items per day, and existing interfaces force us to march through a chronologically-ordered morass to find tweets of interest. We present an approach to organizing a user's own feed into coherently clustered trending topics for more directed exploration. Our Twitter client, called Eddi, groups tweets in a user's feed into topics mentioned explicitly or implicitly, which users can then browse for items of interest. To implement this topic clustering, we have developed a novel algorithm for discovering topics in short status updates powered by linguistic syntactic transformation and callouts to a search engine. An algorithm evaluation reveals that search engine callouts outperform other approaches when they employ simple syntactic transformation and backoff strategies. Active Twitter users evaluated Eddi and found it to be a more efficient and enjoyable way to browse an overwhelming status update feed than the standard chronological interface.
How entertainment-education programmes promote dialogue in support of social change.

Mass media messages often prompt dialogue among listeners or viewers. Such dialogue may reinforce social stability or lead to pro-social change. If the dialogue prompted by a mass media programme i...
Low-Complexity Coordinated Interference-Aware Beamforming for MIMO Broadcast Channels

A novel Coordinated Interference-aware Beamforming (CIB) technique for Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) Broadcast Channels (BC) is introduced. The CIB technique uses a method based on maximization of the Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR) at the front end of each receiver to balance the signal strength and the multi-user interference plus noise. This results in a closed form solution that can be used with any number of transmit and receive antennas. The resulting computational complexity is not more than well known non-iterative linear beamforming techniques. The new technique, even when equal power is assigned to each data stream, outperforms the sum rate achieved by the non-iterative linear beamforming techniques when employing waterfilling power allocation. Optimality of CIB is analyzed in some extreme cases of Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) and the number of users. In contract to the intuition that Block Diagonalization Zero Forcing (BDZF) and other ZF techniques perform very well in large number of users since they are designed for canceling interuser interference, the sum rate of the proposed CIB grows faster than ZF. Additionally, the CIB provides more flexibility when employing further upper layer scheduling algorithms by supporting both diversity and spatial multiplexing for each user.
Soap opera video on handheld computers to reduce young urban women's HIV sex risk.

The purpose of this study was to develop a soap opera video, A Story about Toni, Mike, and Valerie, designed to communicate HIV risk reduction themes. The study evaluated viewing the video and responding to audio computer assisted self-interview (ACASI) on a handheld computer. The sample was 76 predominately African American women, aged 18–29, in sexual relationships with men. Data were collected in urban neighborhoods in the northeastern United States. A pretest-posttest control group design with systematic assignment indicated statistically significant reduction in expectations to engage in unprotected sex in the experimental group. The handheld computer was found to be acceptable to view the near feature length video and complete ACASI. To date, no study has reported on use of video and ACASI on a handheld device to reduce HIV risk. The significance is the potential to stream health promotion videos to personal devices, such as cell phones.