cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
DMIP3S: distributed algorithms for power-conserving multicasting in static wireless ad hoc networks

In a static wireless ad hoc network, given a distinguished source node, and a subset of nodes called multicast group members, the minimum-energy multicast problem is to assign appropriate power levels to nodes in the network so that all group members are reachable from the source, and the total power usage is as small as possible. Computing effective power assignments and the multicast trees in a distributed manner is a major challenge. We devise two distributed algorithms for this problem. The central idea is called incremental power with potential power saving (IP3S). One algorithm, called DMIP3S (distributed multicast IP3S), is for small multicast groups and the other one, called P-DIP3S (pruning version of distributed IP3S), is for larger groups. Extensive simulations show that our distributed algorithms work even better than most known centralized ones. As far as we know, these are the first distributed algorithms for this problem.
An adaptive neural processing node

The design and test results for two analog adaptive VLSI processing chips are described. These chips use pulse coded signals for communication between processing nodes and analog weights for information storage. The weight modification rule, implemented on chip, uses concepts developed by E. Oja (1982) and later extended by T. Leen et al. (1989) and T. Sanger (1989). Experimental results demonstrate that the network produces linearly separable outputs that correspond to dominant features of the inputs. Such representations allow for efficient additional neural processing. Part of the adaptation rule also includes a small number of fixed inputs and a variable lateral inhibition mechanism. Experimental results from the first chip show the operation of function blocks that make a single processing node. These function blocks include forward transfer function, weight modification, and inhibition. Experimental results from the second chip show the ability of an array of processing elements to extract important features from the input data. >
LALM: a logic-aware layout methodology to enhance the noise immunity of domino circuits

The circuit performance is increasingly affected by signal integrity as cross-talk becomes more significant with scaling down of feature sizes. Many attempts have been made to improve noise immunity, but all require the sacrifice of speed as a tradeoff. In some circuits, P/G network is used as shielding wires to avoid cross-talk while maintaining the desired speed, but the use of the network is inherently restricted by electromigration, IR drop, Ldi/dt noise, etc. We propose a novel methodology at to enhance the noise immunity of domino circuits by reordering transistors as well as interconnects based on the functionality of the circuit. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first attempt to use the functionality of a circuit for the purpose of noise immunity enhancement. The methodology, named "Logic-Aware Layout Methodology" (LALM), uses several techniques that can be used to improve the signal integrity of domino circuits. Experimental results show that LALM is simple to apply yet useful in improving the noise immunity of domino circuits.
Seeking Mathematical Models for Skilled Actions

We wish to understand perception and skilled action in man or machine. The investigation, of which this chapter summarizes a preliminary part, reveals some new mathematical problems that may be important in studying the same systems that other persons are already studying quite competently from another viewpoint. This paper contains an explanation of the area in which these problems lie, and the reasons why they seem important.
Gordon Willard Allport: A Tribute

In tribute to Gordon Allport, this article discusses four interrelated topics. First, Allport's life at Harvard is briefly described. Next three interwoven features of his work are advanced to explain why his contributions to psychology are both unique and lasting. (1) His work offered a broadly eclectic balance of the many sides of psychology. (2) He repeatedly demonstrated the ability to formulate the discipline's central problems for the future and to propose innovative approaches to them. And (3) Allport's entire scholarly work presents a consistent, seamless and forceful perspective. These three points are then applied to his classic work The Nature of Prejudice. Though it was his most explicit attempt to influence public opinion, this famous volume also is balanced, ahead of its time, and elegantly written. It has organized the study of prejudice over the last half century. The article concludes with an explanation in personal terms for why those who knew him remember him so warmly 30 long years after his death.
An experimental adaptive array to suppress weak interfering signals

An experimental adaptive antenna system to suppress weak interfering signals is described. It is a sidelobe canceller with two auxiliary elements. Modified feedback loops are used to control the array weights. The received signals are simulated in hardware for parameter control. Digital processing is used for algorithm implementation and performance evaluation. The experimental results are presented. They show that interfering signals as much as 10 dB below the thermal noise level in the main channel are suppressed by 20-30 dB. Such a system has potential application in suppressing the interference encountered in direct broadcast satellite communication systems. >
Effect of Moisture in Total Mixed Rations on Feed Consumption and Milk Production and Composition in Holstein Cows

The DM levels in total mixed rations were maintained at 62.7, 52.8, and 45.8% by incorporating 38% of the DM from alfalfa silages of twi different DM contents into the ration to determine the effect on milk production and composition when fed to lactating Holstein cows. The alfalfa silages were stored at approximately 25 and 50% DM and harvested from the same field on consecutive days either direct-cut and bagged or wilted overnight before bagging. Silages were used (minimum of 8.5 kg of Dm/d) in a total mixed ration formulated to be isonitrogenous (using cottonseed meal) and isocaloric and fed to 144 lactating cows randomly allotted into three equal groups based on days in milk (initially 33 d), lactation number, and pretrial 3.5% FCM production. Yields of 3.5% FCM were 35.3, 35.7 and 35.4 kg, respectively, for the dry, intermediate, and wet rations and were not significantly different. Consumption of DM tended to decline as DM content of the ration decreased, but the decrease was not significant. Results showed that total mixed ration moisture levels evaluated in this trial had no significant effects on consumption of DM of isonitrogenous rations or milk yield and composition.
Reduced pinosome formation in a cell-fusion-impaired mutant of mouse lymphocytic cell line L5178Y.

Accumulation and release of a fluid-phase marker ([14C]-sucrose) were studied in a subline of the mouse lymphocytic cell line L5178Y and in a polyethylene glycol-resistant, intercellular-fusion-impaired mutant of this line. The mutant was found to accumulate [14C]-sucrose at a significantly slower rate than the parent. Analysis of release of preloaded label shows that the reduced rate of accumulation is due to a correspondingly low level of internalization, i.e., pinosome formation, rather than to a reduction in delivery of label to lysosomes. Cell-to-cell fusion and pinosome formation both involve a fusion event initiated at the extracellular surface of the plasma membrane, and we propose that the coordinate reduction in both processes suggests that they are mechanistically related.
Conformational study of N(epsilon)-(carboxymethyl)lysine adducts of recombinant alpha-crystallins.

Purpose. Lens proteins underwent nonenzymatic glycation, and the advanced glycation end products (AGEs) were detected by immunological assays. One of the major AGE structures is N?-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML). Since the involvement of AGEs in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications is speculated, the effects of CML formation on proteins were studied. Methods. CML adducts were generated in recombinant aA-and aB-crystallins by incubation with glyoxylic acid and NaBH 3 CN. SDS-PAGE and size exclusion chromatography were used to detect subunit degradation and high-molecular-weight (HMW) aggregation. Conformational change was determined by fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) measurements. The chaperone function was studied by DTT-induced aggregation of insulin. Results. Lysine modification was estimated to be 60–90% depending on the conditions of incubation. No subunit degradation or HMW aggregation was observed. Fluorescence and CD measurements detected a conformational change in CML adducts. Measurem...
Plasma charging damage in deep-submicron CMOS technology and beyond

Plasma charging damage in CMOS technology is reviewed. The gate-oxide thickness dependent sensitivity to charging damage is examined. Ultra thin gate-oxide can tolerate low to moderate charging stress at room temperature better than thicker oxide, but not at elevated temperature. When the charging stress level is high, gate-oxide reliability degradation will result regardless the stress temperature. When high-k dielectric replaces SiO/sub 2/ as gate-dielectric, plasma charging damage should become very severe again.
Compact laser frequency stabilization at 1.5 /spl mu/m using spectral hole burning

Summary form only given. Laser frequency stabilization to 200 Hz on a 5 ms time scale and to 1 kHz over 30 minutes has been demonstrated using persistent and transient spectral holes in inhomogeneously broadened resonances of Er/sup 3+/,D/sup -/:CaF/sub 2/, Er/sup 3+/:Y/sub 2/SiO/sub 5/, and Er/sup 3+/:KTiOPO/sub 4/ at cryogenic temperatures. Persistent spectral holes with lifetimes of weeks or longer provide a programmable and transportable secondary frequency reference, and kilohertz wide transient spectral holes provide excellent references at millisecond time scales appropriate for spectroscopy and coherent transient signal processing devices. This locking technique has significant applications to devices beyond the field of spectral hole burning.
With Strings Attached: Nonprofits and the Adoption of Donor Choice

Donors' ability to attach strings to their contributions has become increasingly prevalent in the nonprofit sector. Using the case of workplace charity, this article examines the determinants of no...
Investigation of broadband over power line channel capacity of shipboard power system cables for ship communication networks

Broadband over Power Line (BPL) technology has garnered significant attention lately due to recent advancements in solid state technologies and channel coding schemes. The successful application of BPL technology for in-home automation and networking has led to suggestions of applying BPL in other systems including ships. The application of BPL technology using the Shipboard Power System (SPS) as a potential communications network for ship automation systems has been proposed, to achieve recent U.S. Navy ship management concepts geared toward reducing ship manning while improving operational efficiency. This paper presents an analytical model developed to examine the channel response characteristics and estimated throughput capacity of SPS cables. The work used a multiconductor transmission line theory based approach to model the channel response of SPS distribution lines and estimated the channel throughput capacity using a “water-filling” communication technique. This work found that BPL using the SPS cables has a strong potential for use as a communications network for ship automation systems.
Hypervelocity Impact Phenomenon in Bulk Metallic Glasses and Composites

Collisions with debris are major cause of concern for spacecraft and satellites. Developing new materials that can combat these threats, while still providing low-density and sufficient toughness to survive launch loads, is important for future spacecraft design. In the current work, hypervelocity impacts are used to estimate the ballistic limit for bulk metallic glass and their composites and to investigate spalling behavior. The composites are shown to have excellent combinations of hardness and toughness for use as shields.
Loss of Plastoglobule Kinases ABC1K1 and ABC1K3 Causes Conditional Degreening, Modified Prenyl-Lipids, and Recruitment of the Jasmonic Acid Pathway

Plastoglobules (PGs) are plastid lipid-protein particles. This study examines the function of PG-localized kinases ABC1K1 and ABC1K3 in Arabidopsis thaliana. Several lines of evidence suggested that ABC1K1 and ABC1K3 form a protein complex. Null mutants for both genes (abc1k1 and abc1k3) and the double mutant (k1 k3) displayed rapid chlorosis upon high light stress. Also, k1 k3 showed a slower, but irreversible, senescence-like phenotype during moderate light stress that was phenocopied by drought and nitrogen limitation, but not cold stress. This senescence-like phenotype involved degradation of the photosystem II core and upregulation of chlorophyll degradation. The senescence-like phenotype was independent of the EXECUTER pathway that mediates genetically controlled cell death from the chloroplast and correlated with increased levels of the singlet oxygen–derived carotenoid b-cyclocitral, a retrograde plastid signal. Total PG volume increased during light stress in wild type and k1 k3 plants, but with different size distributions. Isolated PGs from k1 k3 showed a modified prenyllipid composition, suggesting reduced activity of PG-localized tocopherol cyclase (VTE1), and was consistent with loss of carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase 4. Plastid jasmonate biosynthesis enzymes were recruited to the k1 k3 PGs but not wildtype PGs, while pheophytinase, which is involved in chlorophyll degradation, was induced in k1 k3 and not wild-type plants and was localized to PGs. Thus, the ABC1K1/3 complex contributes to PG function in prenyl-lipid metabolism, stress response, and thylakoid remodeling.
Cooling history of the Pacific lithosphere

Plate tectonics is expressed most simply in oceanic plates where a thermal boundary layer or blithosphereQ forms and thickens as the plate cools during its journey away from mid-ocean ridges. Numerous studies based dominantly on surface observables have established that the oceanic lithosphere, particularly across the Pacific, does not cool continuously as it ages. Based on a seismic model of the Pacific upper mantle inferred from a new compilation of seismic surface wave dispersion measurements, we show that, on average, the Pacific lithosphere has experienced a punctuated cooling history, cooling diffusively at ages until ~70 Ma and then reheating in the Central Pacific between ages of 70 and 100 Ma predominantly at depths between 70 and 150 km. At ages from 100 Ma to about 135 Ma, the processes of reheating are substantially weaker than in the Central Pacific. We show that thermal boundary layer instabilities (TBI) develop naturally as the plate cools and, with the right rheology, can explain the mean characteristics of the observed cooling history of the Pacific plate. D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Adaptive fuzzy leader clustering of complex data sets in pattern recognition

A modular, unsupervised neural network architecture that can be used for clustering and classification of complex data sets is presented. The adaptive fuzzy leader clustering (AFLC) architecture is a hybrid neural-fuzzy system that learns online in a stable and efficient manner. The system used a control structure similar to that found in the adaptive resonance theory (ART-1) network to identify the cluster centers initially. The initial classification of an input takes place in a two-stage process: a simple competitive stage and a distance metric comparison stage. The cluster prototypes are then incrementally updated by relocating the centroid position from fuzzy C-means (FCM) system equations for the centroids and the membership values. The operational characteristics of AFLC and the critical parameters involved in its operation are discussed. The AFLC algorithm is applied to the Anderson iris data and laser-luminescent finger image data. The AFLC algorithm successfully classifies features extracted from real data, discrete or continuous, indicating the potential strength of this new clustering algorithm in analyzing complex data sets. >
Fabrication of 3D Microstructures from Interactions of Immiscible Liquids with a Structured Surface

A new lithography technique is presented that exploits the interactions of immiscible liquids with a structured surface. This highly parallel, "low-tech" method requires no dedicated equipment and easily produces curved and/or multi-level structures out of a variety of photoactive and non-photoactive materials.
Characteristics of Nausea Reported by HIV-Infected Patients Initiating Combination Antiretroviral Regimens

Reliable data on the incidence and severity of nausea accompanying combination antiretroviral therapies is lacking. A prospective time series design was used to assess the rate, severity, and distress of nausea in a cohort of 75 HIV-positive patients who were beginning or changing a combination of two or more antiretroviral medications. Data were collected via telephone at weekly intervals for 12 weeks. The rate of nausea across regimens was greatest at Week 1 (39%) and declined progressively over time. By Week 12, the rate of nausea was only 5%. Severity of nausea was ranked as moderate or severe by a substantial proportion of patients through Week 10; however, nausea severity and distress were also found to diminish over time. The nausea associated with combination antiretroviral therapy is quite common and may adversely affect medication adherence. Findings indicate that clinicians should consider initiating interventions for management of antiretroviral-related nausea at baseline.
Optical absorption in CaO single crystals

Abstract The optical absorption of CaO single crystals has been measured in the range 14.5 μ–200 mμ. Absorption bands begin at approximately 250 mμ on the high energy side of the visible region and at 10 μ on the low energy side. Ca(OH) 2 , which readily forms on the surface of these crystals when left standing, shows the strong (OH) stretching absorption at 2.755 μ. Surface effects also cause a weaker band at 260 mμ. Special precautions were necessary to eliminate these spurious absorptions. The forbidden band gap in CaO is definitely ⩾ 6.0 eV.
Molecular Profiling of Circulating Cytokine Levels in Human Ovarian Cancer Patients

Background: Growing evidence suggests that cytokines not only are associated with ovarian cancer development, drug resistance and metastasis, but also may provide valuable markers for ovarian cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Here, we determined the expression profiles of 43 plasma cytokines in ovarian cancer patients using this high throughput protein array technology developed in our laboratory. Materials and Methods: The expression of 43 cytokines from 13 ovarian cancer patients and 12 normal women was determined simultaneously using human cytokine antibody microarray technology. The differential expression of cytokines was analyzed using the Student's t-test and two-way hierarchical cluster analysis approach. Results: Our data showed that 22 cytokines were significantly increased in the plasma of ovarian cancer patients compared to normal women (t-test, two-tailed, p<0.05). The results from cytokine antibody array assays were in agreement with the published data, but also revealed a new group of cytokines whose expression levels were altered in ovarian cancer. Cluster analysis suggested an interesting link between cytokine profile and ovarian cancer. Conclusion: Human cytokine antibody arrays are a valuable tool to profile cytokine expression from patients' specimen. The cytokine profile may prove to be of diagnostic and prognostic significance in ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death among females (1, 2) in the United States and Europe. The diagnosis of ovarian cancer in the later stages was the primary case of mortality in most cases. Early diagnosis is the key to reducing ovarian cancer mortality rates . But even in late stages of the disease, the outcomes are highly variable. Clinicians and pathologists have repeatedly attempted to predict the biology of the tumor and, thus, the course of the disease, in individual patients to adjust therapy accordingly. Well-established conventional prognostic markers include International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, grade, patient age and residual tumor. Although these markers are useful, the required information is difficult to obtain in earlier stages. When the markers become obvious, the tumors already are in a later stage. Therefore, it is imperative that markers be developed for early diagnosis, prognosis and personalized medicine.
Prototype Visualization Tools For Multi-Experiment Performance Analysis

The analysis of modern, parallelized applications, such as scientific modeling, is of interest to a variety of people within the computing community of the Department of Defense (DoD). Persons desiring insight into the performance of these large programs include application users, application programmers/developers, portfolio and center managers, and others. The analysis needed requires the examination of large data sets obtained from various performance analysis sources including, but not limited to, hardware counters, software event counters, communications event counters, and unrelated instrumentation code inserted into programs. The PCAT (PerformanCe Analysis Team) at the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP) has developed a suite of tools consisting of a performance database access tool and four different visualization methods to aid diverse DoD users in analyzing certain performance issues associated with serial and, especially, parallel programs. The tools are written in Java and provide multiple views of different aspects of performance metrics associated with a performance database. Preliminary analysis of two different codes resulted in PCAT users identifying possible sources of performance degradation solely from examination of performance metrics, without access to the source code.
On Test and Computer Anxiety: Test Performance under CAT and SAT Conditions

This article examines the differences between computer adaptive (CAT) and self-adapted testing (SAT) along with possible differences in feedback conditions and gender. Areas of comparison include measurement precision/efficiency and student test characteristics. Participants included 623 undergraduates from a large Midwestern university who took math placement tests in a 4 (condition) × 2 (feedback) × 2 (gender) design. The four conditions included: a) CAT; b) SAT—Global; c) SAT—Individual; and d) SAT—Placebo groups. Multivariate Analysis of Variance was used to analyze the data. The perceived control hypothesis was used as a framework to explain the differences between CAT and SAT. Results indicated that measurement efficiency is differentially affected by the type of test condition with the SAT—Global condition performing worse than the others. Moreover, there were significant gender effects with regard to ability, test length, and test anxiety. There was no relative advantage for the inclusion of item ...
The Study of Democratic Peace and Progress in International Relations

This essay argues that the field of international relations has exhibited “progress” of the sort found in the natural sciences. Several well-known accounts of “science” and “progress” are adumbrated; four offer positive accounts of progress (those of Peirce, Duhem, Popper, and Lakatos) and one evidences a negative assessment (Kuhn). Recent studies of the democratic peace—both supporting and opposing—are analyzed to show that they satisfy the terms of each of the definitions of scientific progress.
Survival and development of Lymantria monacha (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) on North American and introduced Eurasian tree species.

Abstract Lymantria monacha (L.) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), the nun moth, is a Eurasian pest of conifers that has potential for accidental introduction into North America. To project the potential host range of this insect if introduced into North America, survival and development of L. monacha on 26 North American and eight introduced Eurasian tree species were examined. Seven conifer species (Abies concolor, Picea abies, P. glauca, P. pungens, Pinus sylvestris with male cones, P. menziesii variety glauca, and Tsuga canadensis) and six broadleaf species (Betula populifolia, Malus x domestica, Prunus serotina, Quercus lobata, Q. rubra, and Q. velutina) were suitable for L. monacha survival and development. Eleven of the host species tested were rated as intermediate in suitability, four conifer species (Larix occidentalis, P. nigra, P. ponderosa, P. strobus, and Pseudotsuga menziesii variety menziesii) and six broadleaf species (Carpinus caroliniana, Carya ovata, Fagus grandifolia, Populus grandidentata,...
Regularized Minimum Error Rate Training

Minimum Error Rate Training (MERT) remains one of the preferred methods for tuning linear parameters in machine translation systems, yet it faces significant issues. First, MERT is an unregularized learner and is therefore prone to overfitting. Second, it is commonly used on a noisy, non-convex loss function that becomes more difficult to optimize as the number of parameters increases. To address these issues, we study the addition of a regularization term to the MERT objective function. Since standard regularizers such as ‘2 are inapplicable to MERT due to the scale invariance of its objective function, we turn to two regularizers—‘0 and a modification of‘2— and present methods for efficiently integrating them during search. To improve search in large parameter spaces, we also present a new direction finding algorithm that uses the gradient of expected BLEU to orient MERT’s exact line searches. Experiments with up to 3600 features show that these extensions of MERT yield results comparable to PRO, a learner often used with large feature sets.
Ubiquity symposium: Evolutionary computation and the processes of life: opening statement

Evolution is one of the indispensable processes of life. After biologists found basic laws of evolution, computer scientists began simulating evolutionary processes and using operations discovered in nature for solving problems with computers. As a result, they brought forth evolutionary computation, inventing different kinds operations and procedures, such as genetic algorithms or genetic programming, which imitated natural biological processes. Thus, the main goal of our Symposium is exploration of the essence and characteristic properties of evolutionary computation in the context of life and computation.
Premesse di un’estetica africanista

First Premises of an Africanist Aesthetic identifies the essential attributes of the Africanist aesthetic through a careful exemplification and in contrast with the Europeanist ballet. It is the first study ever investigating these elements in dance. Thus, it provides a seminal methodological tool both for an understanding of the distinctive precepts of African-American Dance and for the disclosure of the underground traces of this culture and aesthetics in shaping Euro-American choreographers’ work, such as George Balanchine’s ballet.
Evidence for diploidy in Achlya bisexualis based on inheritance of cycloheximide resistance.

In a study of a cycloheximide-resistant mutant of the oomycete Achlya bisexualis Coker & Couch two important observations have been made. The first concerns the inheritance of cycloheximide resistance and the second is the position of meiosis in the life cycle of this organism. Induced cycloheximide-resistant mutants are known in several species of fungi. The inheritance of cycloheximide resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hansen was shown to be controlled by six genes, four of which were dominant and two recessive (Wilkie and Lee, 1965). Additional modifier genes were also hypothesized. In both Physarum polycephalum Schw. (Haugli et al., 1972) and Neurospora crassa Shear & Dodge (Hsu, 1963) resistance was shown to be controlled by two loci. In
Hepatic and splenic uptake of colloidal radiogold in rat after partial hepatectomy.

Summary1. Uptake of Au198 in liver and spleen was compared after hepatectomy or sham operation was carried out in Lewis and Wistar rats. 2. Female rats showed higher uptake of radiogold in liver and spleen than did males. 3. Three and 8 days after hepatectomy, male Lewis rats, and 3 days after hepatectomy male Wistar rats, showed greater uptake of radiogold in liver and spleen than did sham-operated controls. Similar but less pronounced differences were found in female Lewis rats. 4. Fifteen or 16 days after hepatectomy male and female Lewis rats showed no significant differences in hepatic or splenic uptake of radiocolloid, while in male Wistar rats splenic but not hepatic uptake was still increased. 5. Increased spleen/body weight ratios were observed in hepatectomized rats.
Removal of Foreign Quills by Porcupines

Are porcupines ( Erethizon dorsatum ) immune to the effects of the quills from another, or do they too experience the discomforts that any other mammal does when quilled? Over a period of years, observations and experiences with the porcupine colony at the Vivarium of the University of Buffalo, have supplied information on this question. The quill-studded club-like tail of a porcupine is very muscular, and with a strong direct blow it can drive several, to many very sharp quills as much as a half-inch or more into the body of its victim. When a quill has been buried in the victim's muscles, the movements of the muscles cause their fibers to catch against or engage the tips of the surface scales on the quill, and the contraction of the muscle fibers in turn draws the quill further into the victim's body tissues. Such a migratory quill or quill fragment may travel at the rate of nearly an inch per day (Shadle, Jour. Mamm., 28: 180–181, 1947), (Shadle and Po-Chedley, Jour. Mamm., 30: 172–173, 1949). The reactions of a mammal that has been quilled by a porcupine vary considerably according to several factors, some of which are: (a) the number of quills involved in the quilling, (b) the location of the area affected and the degree of sensitivity of the region involved, (c) the depth to which the quills penetrated the area, (d) the ability of the animal to endure pain and discomfort, (e) the excitability of the victim, (f) the length of time that the quills have been buried in the tissues, …
The Visible Hand: Markets, Politics, and Regulation in Post-Katrina New Orleans

In this article Huriya Jabbar examines how the regulatory environment in post–Hurricane Katrina New Orleans has influenced choice, incentives, and competition among schools. While previous research has highlighted the mechanisms of competition and individual choice—the “invisible hand”—and the creation of markets in education, Jabbar focuses here on how markets, especially those in education, are also governed by the “visible” hand of the government, which, through regulations and policies, influences how they operate and the outcomes they generate. She compares two governing agencies to examine how the different policy environments in New Orleans shaped school leaders' perceptions of competition and their behavioral responses to it. Her findings indicate that governing agencies constrain or enable school leaders' ability to respond to market pressures, sometimes mitigating and other times exacerbating inequities in the marketplace. These findings can inform other school districts across the United States...
The influence of the diaphragm descent on the movements of the heart

If the upper three fourths of the sternum, together with the corresponding ribs are resected, so that the heart remains intact within the pericardium attached to the diaphragm and, in addition, the severed sterno-pericardial bands are fastened to a wire substituted for the sternum, the movements of the heart correspond to those within the closed chest. The base descends, the apex rotates anteriorly and in so doing moves downward slightly. In such experiments the effect of diaphragm descent may be produced by discontinuing artificial respiration with the lungs in a state of partial inflation, in which event the animal resumes natural breathing. The phrenic nerves may also be stimulated during periods of apnea vera.By attaching strings to four or five separate points of the heart, large vessels and diaphragm and connecting them to receiving tambours which in turn transmitted their pulsations to recording tambours, it was possible to determine the effect of diaphragmatic traction graphically. The following o...
Releases of Trichogramma minutum and T. cacoeciae in an Apple Orchard and the Effects on Populations of Codling Moths

Continuous releases of a local strain of Trichogramma minutum Riley (in 1966, 1967, 1968) and of T. cacoeciae Marchal (in 1968) were made in portions of an apple orchard during the period when adult codling moths, Laspeyresia pomonella (L.), were present. In 1966, at harvest, fruit from the treated trees contained 27–34 larvae per 100 fruit; fruit from untreated trees contained 102–122 per 100 fruit. In 1967, 15.0% of the apples in the release area were injured at harvest compared with slightly less than 19.4% in the untreated check. In 1968, although the eggs of the codling moth and of the redbanded leafroller, Argyrotaenia velutinana (Walker), introduced into the release trees were 46–75% parasitized, 83.2–92.8% of the apples on the treated trees were infested or damaged at harvest.
Quantifying Spiral Ganglion Neurite and Schwann Behavior on Micropatterned Polymer Substrates

The first successful in vitro experiments on the cochlea were conducted in 1928 by Honor Fell (Fell, Arch Exp Zellforsch 7(1):69-81, 1928). Since then, techniques for culture of this tissue have been refined, and dissociated primary culture of the spiral ganglion has become a widely accepted in vitro model for studying nerve damage and regeneration in the cochlea. Additionally, patterned substrates have been developed that facilitate and direct neural outgrowth. A number of automated and semi-automated methods for quantifying this neurite outgrowth have been utilized in recent years (Zhang et al., J Neurosci Methods 160(1):149-162, 2007; Tapias et al., Neurobiol Dis 54:158-168, 2013). Here, we describe a method to study the effect of topographical cues on spiral ganglion neurite and Schwann cell alignment. We discuss our microfabrication process, characterization of pattern features, cell culture techniques for both spiral ganglion neurons and spiral ganglion Schwann cells. In addition, we describe protocols for reducing fibroblast count, immunocytochemistry, and methods for quantifying neurite and Schwann cell alignment.
Information, Computer Software, and the Evolution of Relations of Production

If public goods are defined as the products of high overhead, low marginal cost industries, then information is indeed a prototypical public good. Its marginal cost is virtually zero. If the popular wisdom, that we are becoming more of an information economy, is correct, then the tension between the existing system of social and property relations and optimal economic performance should be severe in the market for information.
Siting Urban Agriculture as a Green Infrastructure Strategy for Land Use Planning in Austin, TX

Green infrastructure refers to a type of land use design that mimics the natural water cycle by using the infiltration capacities of vegetation, soils, and other natural processes to mitigate stormwater runoff. As a multifunctional landscape, urban agriculture should be seen as a highly beneficial tool for urban planning not only because of its ability to function as a green stormwater management strategy, but also due to the multiple social and environmental benefits it provides. In 2012, the city of Austin adopted a major planning approach titled the “Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan” (IACP) outlining the city’s vision for future growth and land use up to 2039. The plan explicitly addresses the adoption of green infrastructure as a target for future land use with urban agriculture as a central component. Addressing this area of land use planning will require tools that can locate suitable areas within the city ideal for the development of green infrastructure. In this study, a process was developed to create a spatially explicit method of siting urban agriculture as a green infrastructure tool in hydrologically sensitive areas, or areas prone to runoff, in east Austin. The method uses geospatial software to spatially analyze open access datasets that include land use, a digital elevation model, and prime farmland soils. Through this method a spatial relationship can be made between areas of high surface runoff and where the priority placement of urban farms should be sited as a useful component of green infrastructure. Planners or geospatial analysts could use such information, along with other significant factors and community input, to aid decision makers in the placement of urban agriculture. This spatially explicit approach for siting potential urban farms, will support the integration of urban agriculture as part of the land use planning of Austin.
Measuring the Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Police Proactivity

To measure where officers engage in proactive, self-initiated activities, how much time they spend being proactive, and whether their proactive activities coincide with crime patterns. This study uses Andresen’s Spatial Point Pattern Test to compare the spatial similarity between police proactivity and crime, as well as regression modeling to explore the relationship between proactivity and crime and the time spent on proactivity and crime. In the jurisdiction examined, high levels of proactivity are noted. This proactive activity is more likely to occur in places where crime is most concentrated. Additionally, the number of proactive calls and the proactive time spent per crime-and-disorder call remain high and stable across spatial scales. For each crime call received at a street block, police initiated 0.7 proactive activities and spent approximately 28 min carrying out proactive works. This study develops a way of measuring proactive activity by patrol officers using calls for service data. We find that not only do officers in this jurisdiction exhibit higher levels of proactivity to prevent crime (compared to reacting to crime), but they also do so in targeted, micro-place ways. Agencies may consider using similar techniques to gauge the levels of proactivity in their agencies if proactive activity is a goal.
A Firm Level Study of Information Technology Productivity Using Financial and Market Based Measures

The benefits gained from information technology expenditures have been the subject of scholarly debate for nearly two decades. Varying results have been obtained in a variety of studies and no firm conclusion has been drawn on the benefits or lack thereof, to the economy as a whole, from this spending. The objective of this study was to investigate information technology productivity in a more comprehensive fashion. This included setting a longer time perspective, reviewing more current information, and measuring productivity using both market and financial based measures. The study reviewed a longer time frame than most, utilizing data from 1989–1999 and separately analyzed the same data set using two different groups of productivity measures – financial and market based. The major contribution of the study is that it provides a broad comprehensive analysis of the impact of information technology on firm and economic productivity.
‘In America è vietato essere brutte’: advertising American beauty in the Italian women’s magazine Annabella , 1945–1965

This article examines how the American conception of female beauty introduced new and distinct understandings of beauty and femininity to postwar Italy. In analysing beauty product advertisements from one of the most popular women’s magazines of the period, Annabella , the article articulates the components of the American beauty ideal and illustrates how these notions broke with previous Italian ideas of beauty. Moreover, the article also examines how this new ideal promoted democratic consumer capitalist values – freedom of choice, individualism, and affluence – which had an important political and cultural significance in Italy’s Cold War struggle. In light of this struggle and the country’s postwar redevelopment, the American beauty ideal sought to influence the women who read Annabella and the way in which they fashioned and identified themselves – as the Italian ‘Mrs Consumer.’
Modern Touchscreen Keyboards as Intelligent User Interfaces: A Research Review

Essential to mobile communication, the touchscreen keyboard is the most ubiquitous intelligent user interface on modern mobile phones. Developing smarter, more efficient, easy to learn, and fun to use keyboards has presented many fascinating IUI research and design questions. Some have been addressed by academic research and practitioners in industry, while others remain significant ongoing research challenges. In this IUI 2017 keynote address I will review and synthesize the progress and open research questions of the past 15 years in text input, focusing on those my co-authors and I have directly dealt with through publications, such as the cost-benefit equations of automation and prediction [9], the power of machine/statistical intelligence [4, 7, 12], the human performance models fundamental to the design of error-correction algorithms [1, 2, 8], spatial scaling from a phone to a watch and the implications on human-machine labor division [5], user behavior and learning innovation [7, 11, 12, 13], and the challenges of evaluating the longitudinal effects of personalization and adaptation [4]. Through this research program review, I will illustrate why intelligent user interfaces, or the combination of machine intelligence and human factors, holds the future of human-computer interaction, and information technology at large.
Automatic localization of casting defects with convolutional neural networks

Automatic localization of defects in metal castings is a challenging task, owing to the rare occurrence and variation in appearance of defects. Convolutional neural networks (CNN) have recently shown outstanding performance in both image classification and localization tasks. We examine how several different CNN architectures can be used to localize casting defects in X-ray images. We take advantage of transfer learning to allow state-of-the-art CNN localization models to be trained on a relatively small dataset. In an alternative approach, we train a defect classification model on a series of defect images and then use a sliding classifier method to develop a simple localization model. We compare the localization accuracy and computational performance of each technique. We show promising results for defect localization on the GRIMA database of X-ray images (GDXray) dataset and establish a benchmark for future studies on this dataset.
What is the impact of the 2017 cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis that evaluated the use of PCSK9 inhibitors for lowering cardiovascular disease and mortality?

Introduction: In 2017, Schmidt et al. conducted a Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of using proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors to reduce low-density-lipoprotein- cholesterol (LDL-C) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The Cochrane review was a systematic review and meta-analysis of 20 randomized, double-blinded trials that compared the use of PCSK9 inhibitors with statins/ezetimibe, ezetimibe, or placebo for a treatment duration of at least 24 weeks. The use of PCSK9 inhibitors lowered the risk for CVD (OR 0.86 (0.80 to 0.92)) but not mortality (OR 1.02 (0.91 to 1.14)) when compared to placebo.Areas covered: The following article evaluates the recently published Cochrane review and clarifies the efficacy of PCSK9 inhibitors for improving cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.Expert opinion: The Cochrane review discussed suggests that PCSK9 inhibitors are effective in lowering LDL-C and the risk of CVD but not the risk of mortality. Th...
Performance investigation of a micro-tubular flame-assisted fuel cell stack with 3,000 rapid thermal cycles

Abstract Solid oxide fuel cell research and development has faced challenges with slow startup, slow shutdown and a limited number of thermal cycles, which hinders the technology in areas like micro-combined heat and power. A novel micro combined heat and power system, based on a boiler/hot water heater with integrated micro-tubular flame assisted fuel cells (mT-FFCs), is proposed which requires rapid startup, shutdown and thousands of thermal cycles. A 9 cell mT-FFC stack is developed and operated in a two-stage combustor. Rapid startup and shutdown of the fuel cells is demonstrated. The first-stage combustor is ignited, turned off and re-ignited for a total of 3000 on/off, thermal cycles. A maximum heating rate of 966 °C.min −1 and a maximum cooling rate of 353 °C.min −1 is achieved while thermal cycling. Despite the presence of CO in the exhaust, the anode remains porous and crack free after ∼150 h of thermal cycling testing. The mT-FFC stack continues to generate significant power, even after completing the cycling test, and a low voltage degradation rate is reported.
Application of answer set programming for public health data integration and analysis

Public health surveillance systems routinely process massive volumes of data to identify health adverse events affecting the general population. Surveillance and response to foodborne disease suffers from a number of systemic and other delays that hinder early detection and confirmation of emerging contamination situations. In this paper we develop an answer set programming (ASP) application to assist public health officials in detecting an emerging foodborne disease outbreak by integrating and analyzing in near real-time temporally, spatially and symptomatically diverse data. These data can be extracted from a large number of distinct information systems such as surveillance and laboratory reporting systems from health care providers, real-time complaint hotlines from consumers, and inspection reporting systems from regulatory agencies. We encode geographic ontologies in ASP to infer spatial relationships that may not be evident using traditional statistical tools. These technologies and ontologies have been implemented in a new informatics tool, the North Carolina Foodborne Events Data Integration and Analysis Tool (NCFEDA). The application was built to demonstrate the potential of situational awareness--created through real-time data fusion, analytics, visualization, and real-time communication--to reduce latency of response to foodborne disease outbreaks by North Carolina public health personnel.
Workshop: Active Statements of Diversity in Engineering and Technical Courses, Part II

Continuing the fruitful conversation we began at ProComm 2017, we wish to look directly at how our syllabus, course policies, and communication promotes positive and thoughtful ways for including diversity, social justice, and ethics in engineering+technical classes (communication courses or otherwise). As we noted before, while there is a plethora of research and inquiry into STEM and diverse populations at the university level, we have found a dearth of solid, introspective, thoughtful advice on how to handle actual classroom/team and research lab interactions such that diversity is at the core of the working experience. Acknowledging power constructs that are necessarily part of college course, we want to provide examples and activities for participants to reconsider course structuring or policies that promote a pedagogy of positive and actively aware professionalism for students.
Beyond Man of Marble: deconstructing the shock worker myth in Polish documentary

This article examines a wave of documentary films about former shock workers (Stakhanovites) and model workers that were produced in Poland in the 1970s. These short works by Bohdan Kosinski, Krzys...