cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Which Drug Tests in Medical Emergencies

Three patients present to an emergency department. One has claimed to have overdosed on acetaminophen, one is maintained on theophylline but recently started taking erythromycin, and one is dehydrated but receives lithium. Which patient would benefit from quantitative determination of serum drug concentrations? Each of them would; in every case, measurement of drug concentrations in serum or plasma would affect the decision-making process for providing patient care. Clinical findings of tachycardia and vomiting would suggest theophylline toxicity, whereas tremor, ataxia, and clonus may indicate lithium poisoning. Because several disease states may produce signs and symptoms similar to those seen in overdose, the management of patients with these findings cannot be properly directed until the concentration of drug is known. Despite the refinement of didactic education during residency training, graduates frequently do not appreciate the range of pharmaceuticals whose concentrations can directly affect patient care. Clinicians relying on evidence-based medicine to select laboratory tests to support the management of poisoned patients have been disappointed. Which quantitative drug concentrations have clinical utility in emergency medicine practice …
A Wideband, Low Profile, Shorted Top Hat Monocone Antenna

A new, innovative, wideband antenna design which is short compared to wavelength and has an omni-directional radiation pattern that is theta polarized is investigated. The antenna design is a shorted top hat monocone that is λ/14.7 tall and has a 3:1 bandwidth. The bandwidth of the antenna was optimized by a genetic algorithm. To verify the results, a prototype was built. Modeled and measured results compared well. A link budget analysis was also performed to verify that the design performed as well or better than a monopole.
Development of serum antibodies during early infancy in rhesus macaques: implications for humoral immune responses to vaccination at birth.

Background A better understanding of immune responses in human infants could lead to more effective immunization and vaccination strategies in early life.
E. Amory Codman, surgeon of the 1990s

Abstract Ernest Amory Codman is known to orthopaedists primarily for his work in shoulder surgery. But his contributions reached many other fields of medicine, including pathology, radiology, anesthesiology, and most surgical subspecialties. Perhaps his most important work was that on the “end result idea,” an early approach to outcome studies that anticipated much of the current health-care climate. This article examines his life and explains his contributions to medicine and surgery and their pertinence to current practice. (J Shoulder Elbow Surg 1998;7;529-36.)
Triphasic oral contraceptive treatment alters the behavior and neurobiology of female cynomolgus monkeys

Oral contraceptives (OCs) are the most widely prescribed and effective of the reversible contraceptive methods. In addition to inhibiting ovulation, OCs alter central nervous system function in women; however, methodological problems have prevented clear human studies. Thus, in this experiment we investigated the effects of OC treatment on behavior, hypothalamic- pituitary-adrenal axis function and the central nervous system in 75 adult female cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) housed in social groups of four to five monkeys per pen. Monkey social groups were randomly divided into either a control or an OC treatment group which was administered a clinically prescribed OC (Triphasil(R), levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol tablets) for 2 years. OC treatment increased the frequency of contact aggression received, time spent in locomotion, and sitting close to another animal, and decreased time spent fearfully scanning. OC treatment decreased heart rate, increased activity levels, and increased baseline cortisol concentrations and the cortisol response to adrenocorticotropin compared to control animals. OC treatment decreased the prolactin response to fenfluramine suggesting decreased serotonergic activity. These results suggest that this triphasic OC disrupts social behavior, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation and the underlying central nervous system function.
The U. S. Geological Survey's Gravity program in California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Oregon

During the past 10 years, personnel of the U. S. Geological Survey have made about 14,000 observations of the Earth's gravity field in California, about 13,000 in Nevada, 3,400 in Oregon, and about 1,000 in the Hawaiian Islands. The total number of stations established in the four states is slightly in excess of 30,000. Much of this work has been done in support of the Geological Survey's basic programs of investigating natural resources, mapping regional geology, and studying geological processes [U. S. Geological Survey, 1963]. Several gravity investigations have also been conducted at the request of other Federal and state agencies to choose sites for underground nuclear weapons tests or to discover sources of such strategic commodities as uranium, boron, and water.
Resistive Anomalies at Ferromagnetic Transitions Revisited: The case of SrRuO 3

A Comment on the Letter by L. Klein, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 2774 (1996). The authors of the Letter offer a Reply.
Free Amino-Acids of the Tsetse Fly (Glossina).

IT was discovered some years ago that there is a substantial decrease in the residual (non-fatty) dry weight of the head and thorax of tsetse flies in the course of starvation1. Subsequent analysis of flies (Glossina swynnertoni Aust.) collected in the field at different stages of the hunger cycle showed that the thoracic residual dry weight decreases by as much as 0.25 mgm. towards the end of the hunger cycle (unpublished work). The findings suggest the existence of a non-fatty food reserve, and since neither glycogen nor reducing sugars could be demonstrated in amounts sufficient to account for these changes in weight, a study of the free amino-acids was undertaken in an attempt to identify the substances responsible.
Tosco-Abreojos fault zone: A Neogene transform plate boundary within the Pacific margin of southern Baja California, Mexico

Single-channel seismic-reflection profiles across the Pacific margin of southern Baja California show a series of northwest-trending ridges, troughs, and faults. The most significant feature is a lineament with a trend between N42°W and N32°W extending along the slope and outer shelf for at least 400 km and possibly more than 550 km. The lineament is marked by a series of scarps, steep-sided ridges, and elongate intraslope basins as much as 17 km wide and 700 m deep. Sea-floor morphology and deformation and/or truncation of subbottom reflectors along the lineament show that it is a continuous fault zone, named the Tosco-Abreojos fault zone. We believe that this zone was a major part of the Pacific–North American transform plate boundary between 4.5 and 12 to 14 m.y. ago. Sea-floor offsets and disruption of the youngest sediments observed on some reflection profiles indicate that recent movement has occurred in some areas.
The 73 kilodalton heat shock cognate protein purified from rat brain contains nonesterified palmitic and stearic acids.

A protein related to the 71 kilodalton inducible rat heat shock protein was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity in milligram amounts from brain tissue of nonheat-stressed rats. The protein has been designated as a stress cognate protein based on previous studies and data presented herein that this protein cross-reacted with a monoclonal antibody originally raised against the Drosophila 70 kilodalton heat shock protein. The purified protein had an apparent molecular mass of 73 kilodaltons when analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and an apparent mass of 150 kilodaltons as determined by nondissociative gel chromatography, suggesting that the purified protein is a homodimer. The purified protein had isoelectric points of 5.0 under nondissociative conditions and 5.6 when exposed to protein denaturants, suggesting loss of bound anionic molecules and/or net exposure of basic residues upon denaturation. Chloroform/methanol extraction of the purified protein and subsequent analyses by thin layer and gas-liquid chromatography resulted in the identification of palmitic and stearic acids noncovalently bound to the protein. Approximately four molecules of fatty acids were bound per dimer with palmitic and stearic acids present in a one-to-one ratio. The purified protein did not bind exogenously added radio-active palmitate, indicating that the fatty acid-binding sites of the cognate protein were fully occupied and that the associated fatty acids were too tightly bound to exchange readily. The possible significance of the fatty acids associated with the 73 kilodalton stress cognate protein is discussed.
Financing Sustainable Development: Crises of Legitimacy

This year presents us with two important opportunities to influence the direction of sustainable development financing - the UN Summit on Financing for Development and the World Summit on Sustainab...
Superconducting thin films of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O by laser ablation

Abstract Superconducting thin films of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O have been deposited by KrF excimer laser ablation. The best in situ films showed a T c onset of 110 K and a T c(0) of 76 K. A study of the laser plume revealed the presence of two distinct regimes. The forward directed component increased with fluence and the film composition was stoichiometric in this region. This is in agreement with the results on the 123 system by Venkatesan et al. [1]. The film properties were found to be critically dependent on the substrate temperature and temperatures close to melting gave rise to 2212 and 2223 phases. At lower temperatures, 2201 and amorphous phases were obtained. The film morphology and superconducting properties were a function of the target to substrate distance and the oxygen pressure during deposition and cooling. An increase in the target to substrate distance led to a deterioration of the properties due to the energy consideration for the formation of 2212 and 2223 phases. The best films were obtained using cooling pressures of 700 Torr. The microwave surface resistance of the films measured at 35 GHz dropped below that of copper at 30 K. Film growth was studied using X-ray diffraction and STM/AFM. This work is a discussion of the role of the different variables on the film properties.
Time orientation and temporal variation across work groups: Implications for group and organizational communication

This investigation sought to identify theoretically coherent and empirically robust dimensions underlying work group members’ perceptions of time (RQ1). We also tested the degree to which members’ time orientation varied across work groups (H1). Utilizing data from a self‐administered questionnaire completed by 337 employees of a national cable subcontractor with offices located in three regions of the United States, we identified three theoretically significant dimensions of time—separation, concurrency, and flexibility—via factor analysis (RQ1). The results of a discriminant function analysis conducted to test temporal differences among organizational groups supported H1. The findings suggest that work groups differ in theoretically meaningful ways with regard to time orientation and that their varied communication demands and patterns may contribute to these differences. Qualitative data are used to elaborate these results. Implications of these findings for communication, in general, and for group and...
On the properties of spin 2 particles

A theory of spin 2 particles has been worked out. The wave equations are of first order and a symbolic approach which is developed permits easy computation of quantities of physical interest. An interesting application of the sum rules for spin 2 particles is the calculation of the Coulomb scattering in relativistic Born approximation. The theory is also applied to calculate the decay of a spin 2+ particle into three pseudoscalar particles and into two Dirac particles. The bearing of the decay calculations on the spin 2+ hypothesis for the K-meson is discussed.
Schismogenesis and community: Pericles’ funeral oration

Pericles’ Funeral Oration is an artistic masterpiece. Some would say it is a pragmatic masterpiece as well because it achieved the purpose of uniting the Athenian community. However, from a long‐term, ecologically pragmatic perspective, the technique of building community through antithesis can have damaging effects on the larger social system of which the local community is a part. This essay analyzes and criticizes the Funeral Oration to extract a lesson in practical wisdom for our own time. While antithesis may be necessary for the creation of communal substance, rhetors and critics must be aware of the need to repair resulting damage done to the larger communicative ecosystem.
Copper Chelation Assay For Histamine in Tuna

A reported copper chelation method for histamine determination was modified for use in decomposing yellowfin tuna steaks. The assay consisted of histamine extraction with hot methanol, purification by rapid cation exchange chromatography, and addition of copper and a dye to the purified sample to form an easily visualized red complex with the histamine. This method detected histamine in the low mg% range in yellowfin tuna steaks with an accuracy comparable to the standard fluorometric histamine assay. It is an alternative to the standard assay when a visual test is desirable or a fluorometer is not available.
The role of specific protein-RNA and protein-protein interactions in positive and negative control of pre-mRNA splicing by Transformer 2

We have investigated the function of different structural domains of the Drosophila splicing regulator Transformer 2 (Tra2). We find that the ribonucleoprotein consensus sequence (RNP-CS) of Tra2 is required for male fertility and positive and negative control of alternative splicing in transgenic flies, as well as for in vitro binding of recombinant Tra2 to doublesex and tra2 pre-mRNAs. Thus, all of the known functions of Tra2 require specific protein-RNA interactions. We also show that one of the two arginine-serine (RS)-rich domains of Tra2 is dispensable, while the other is essential for all of the in vivo functions. Part of this domain is also required for RNA binding in vitro. Significantly, the essential RS domain is also required for specific protein-protein interactions. We find that Tra2 interacts with itself, with the splicing regulator Transformer, and with the general splicing factor SF2 in vitro and in the yeast two-hybrid system. These results demonstrate that both protein-RNA and protein-protein interactions are involved in tra2-dependent activation and repression of alternative splicing.
Searching for ET with FPGA’S

Summary form only given. Next generation radio telescopes, such as the Allen telescope array and the square kilometer array are composed of hundreds to thousands of smaller telescopes; these large arrays require peta-ops per second of real time processing to combine telescope signals, generate images, and search for radio signals from extraterrestrial civilizations. I will describe these telescopes, their instrumentation, and the motivation for peta-op/sec FPGA systems.
Experiments on Turbulence Management Using Screens and Honeycombs

The results of some experiments on turbulence management using combinations of honeycombs of different lengths and coarse and fine screens, carried out in highly nonuniform and turbulent flows generated in a 127-mm plexiglas pipe by an upstream fans, are presented. The performance of the devices as single manipulators and in combination is evaluated through hot-wire measurements of the mean and rms values of the longitudinal velocities over the pipe cross section. The results show that relatively short honeycombs, preceded by a coarse screen and followed by one or more fine screens, can be used for effective management of such flows.
Auto-ignition of hydrocarbons behind reflected shock waves

The paper reports on the study of auto-ignition of hydrocarbon-oxygen mixtures behind reflected shock waves. Because of their bearing on the problem of knock in internal combustion engines, n-heptane and iso-octane were chosen as the combustible species. Their stoichiometric mixtures with oxygen had to be diluted with 70% argon to reduce the influence of the boundary layer. Photographic records demonstrated the existence of two different modes of ignition, as has been previously established for the hydrogen-oxygen system. The pressure-temperature limits between these regions of mild and strong ignition were determined. From the same experimental tests, induction time data were obtained over the pressure range of 1-4 atm and the temperature interval of 1200-1700 K.
The Unwed Father: a "Non-Deviant" Rule Breaker

By and large, men (unwed fathers) responsible for impregnating unmarried women have successfully avoided being labeled deviant and have been largely overlooked as sociological research subjects. After they responded to newspaper advertisements, 140 men responsible for 176 extramarital pregnancies were interviewed to determine how they avoid being identified and sanctioned despite their apparent culpability. Factors investigated include: lack of a sense of moral trespass (including the double standard, perception of the pair relationship, and contextual moral meanings), visibility, and social distance. The apparent inconsistency between culpability of behavior and absence of labeling is reconciled by consideration of the “morality of consequences” and the “morality of intentions.” It is suggested that consideration of the interaction of rules based on these moralities contributes to an understanding of the labeling process.
Association Genetics of Coastal Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii, Pinaceae). I. Cold-Hardiness Related Traits

Adaptation to cold is one of the greatest challenges to forest trees. This process is highly synchronized with environmental cues relating to photoperiod and temperature. Here, we use a candidate gene-based approach to search for genetic associations between 384 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers from 117 candidate genes and 21 cold-hardiness related traits. A general linear model approach, including population structure estimates as covariates, was implemented for each marker-trait pair. We discovered 30 highly significant genetic associations [false discovery rate (FDR) Q < 0.10] across 12 candidate genes and 10 of the 21 traits. We also detected a set of 7 markers that had elevated levels of differentiation between sampling sites situated across the Cascade crest in northeastern Washington. Marker effects were small (r(2) < 0.05) and within the range of those published previously for forest trees. The derived SNP allele, as measured by a comparison to a recently diverged sister species, typically affected the phenotype in a way consistent with cold hardiness. The majority of markers were characterized as having largely nonadditive modes of gene action, especially underdominance in the case of cold-tolerance related phenotypes. We place these results in the context of trade-offs between the abilities to grow longer and to avoid fall cold damage, as well as putative epigenetic effects. These associations provide insight into the genetic components of complex traits in coastal Douglas fir, as well as highlight the need for landscape genetic approaches to the detection of adaptive genetic diversity.
Advances in OLED-based oxygen sensors with structurally integrated OLED, sensor film, and thin-film Si photodetector

Steps towards the improvement of a compact photoluminescence (PL)-based sensor array that is fully structurally integrated are described. The approach is demonstrated for oxygen sensing, which can be monitored via its effect on the PL intensity I or decay time τ of oxygen-sensitive dyes such as Pt octaethylporphryn (PtOEP) and its Pd analog (PdOEP). The integrated components include (1) an organic light emitting device (OLED) excitation source, which is an array of coumarin-doped tris(quinolinolate) Al (Alq3) pixels, (2) the sensor film, i.e., PdOEP embedded in polystyrene, and (3) the photodetector (PD), which is a plasma-enhanced CVD-grown p-i-n or n-i-p structure, based on amorphous or nanocrystalline (Si,Ge):H. These components are fabricated on common or separate substrates that are attached back-to-back, resulting in sensors with a thickness largely determined by that of the substrates. The fully integrated oxygen sensor is demonstrated first by fabricating each of the three components on a separate substrate. The PD was placed in front of a flow cell containing the sensor film, while the OLED array was "behind" the sensor film. This design showed the expected trend in monitoring different concentration of O2 via their effect on I, with improved detection sensitivity achieved by shielding the electromagnetic noise synchronous with the pulsed OLED. The detection sensitivity using the I monitoring mode is expected to further increase by reducing the OLED tail emission. The issue of the OLED background can be eliminated by monitoring the oxygen concentration via its effect on τ, where the OLED is pulsed and τ is measured while the OLED is off. Steps therefore focused also on shortening the response time of the PDs, and understanding the factors affecting their speed. Development of a sensor array, where the PD pixels are fabricated between the OLED pixels on the same side of a common substrate, is also discussed.
Accumulation of crude protein and oil contents

The crude fat content of whole seed and the crude protein level of defatted embryos were monitored on successive days after pollination. Seed of Buffalo gourd,Curcurbita foetidissima HBK, harvested during September–October, 1976, obtained a maximum oil and protein level in 38 to 42 days after pollination. Maximum protein and oil accumulation in seeds of theCucurbita digitata group (sample period June–July, 1976) andApodanthera undulata (sample period August–September, 1976) occurred between 34 and 38 days and 30 and 34 days after pollination, respectively. Variability within sample periods was attributed to the heterogeneity of the populations.
Mechanical studies of the esophageal function

The discussion centers on the use of mechanical principles, mathematical modeling, and concurrent manometric and videofluoroscopic data to study the esophageal function. Basic principles of mechanics indicate that intrabolus pressure must be distinguished from the direct contractile squeeze of the circular muscle on the manometric assembly. Because these two regions are mechanically distinct, pressure amplitude is not a proper indicator of the forces characterizing esophageal bolus transport. In the application of computer simulations to the transport of a fluid bolus through the aortic arch regions, it was discovered that separate contraction waves must exist in the upper and lower esophageal segments when bolus retention occurs. Through detailed analysis of enhanced concurrent manometric and videofluoroscopic data in human volunteers, we have found that a dual-wave characteristic across the transition zone is a normal reflection of the change in muscle types, each muscle type producing a separate contraction wave. In normal transport, these two contraction waves are properly coordinated spatially and temporally. However, during bolus retention, a mismatch in space and time between these two waves takes place. Analysis suggests that this mismatch is neurological rather than histological in origin, and occurs primarily within the lower smooth-muscle segment.
In whose interest? : international banking and American foreign policy

Looks at how recent trends in international banking have affected U.S. foreign policy, and suggests solutions to the conflict between the private interests of American banks and the public interest.
Sunlight Readable Transmissive LCDs

We propose a novel sunlight readable transmissive LCD embedded with a transflective film. Such a transflective film has high transmission to the backlight and high reflection to the ambient light. This new display is particularly suitable for outdoor applications under strong ambient light condition.
Independent and Interactive Contributions of Parenting Behaviors and Beliefs in the Prediction of Early Childhood Behavior Problems

SYNOPSIS Objective. This study examined interactions between parenting beliefs and parenting behaviors in the prediction of early childhood externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Design. The authors observed sensitive and negative intrusive parenting behaviors during infancy and toddlerhood in conjunction with self-reported maternal beliefs about the importance of discipline/control and concerns regarding spoiling in a community sample of 185 African American and European American mother–child dyads. Multiple regression techniques modeled interactions between parenting self-reported parenting beliefs and observed parenting behaviors to predict mother-reported child internalizing symptoms and mother-reported child externalizing symptoms at 30 and 36 months. The analyses also explored the role of ethnicity as a moderator of these relations. Results. The combination of high and average spoiling beliefs and low levels of sensitive parenting was associated with elevated child internalizing symptoms. Negativ...
Path dependent receding horizon control policies for Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Future Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) may use path-dependent operating policies to improve fuel economy. In our previous work, we developed a dynamic programming (DP) algorithm for prescribing the battery State of Charge (SoC) set-point, which in combination with a novel approach of route decomposition, has been shown to reduce fuel consumption over selected routes. In this paper, we propose and illustrate a receding horizon control (RHC) strategy for the on-board optimization of the fuel consumption. As compared to the DP approach, the computational requirements of the RHC strategy are lower. In addition, the RHC strategy is capable of correcting for differences between characteristics of a predicted route and a route actually traveled. Our numerical results indicate that the fuel economy potential of the RHC solution can approach that of the DP solution.
An adaptive direct-sequence spread-spectrum receiver for operation in fading channels with narrowband interference

An adaptive version of the GLRT (general likelihood-ratio test) receiver is presented, where the recursive least-squares (RLS) algorithm provides the desired joint estimates. Bit-error rate results are presented for a direct-sequence receiver with differential detection as a function of the number of iterations of the RLS algorithm. It is shown that convergence is achieved within a time period of 3 to 10 bit durations, depending on the particular combination of multipath and interference present. The GLRT receiver considered uses differential phase-shift keying (DPSK). >
Novel C-band tunable bandpass filter with low bias magnetic fields using partially magnetized ferrites

A compact magnetically tunable bandpass filter on partially magnetized yttrium iron garnet (YIG) substrate is presented. The bandpass filter led to a large frequency tunability of 7% (from 5.77 to 6.2GHz) under a low bias field of 0 to 100 Oe, while partially magnetized ferrites exhibit a tunable permeability μ r range from 0.71 to 0.94. The bandpass filter also exhibited a good impedance match and a low insertion loss of about 1 dB. These results are in sharp contrast to conventional YIG based tunable bandpass filters that need large bias fields of >1 kOe at C-band, and will lead to more compact tunable bandpass filters with low power consumption.
Bone and Mineral Guidelines for Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Call for Revision

Recent clinical studies of mineral metabolism in patients with chronic kidney disease have helped to verify and extend the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative practice guidelines for bone metabolism and disease that were published in 2003. In particular, investigations that examined calcium loading, vitamin D therapy, and mortality risk associated with serum calcium and phosphate in dialysis patients have been the most helpful clinically. As a consequence, there is now a growing interest to have the previous guidelines amended accordingly, which will be performed through the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes working group after a debate within the nephrology community. The new data support this call for revision in an attempt to improve survival of the dialysis patient by emphasizing the importance of intravenous vitamin D therapy and of preventing excess calcium loading. These studies also suggest avenues for future investigation into nontraditional causes and treatments of cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic kidney disease.
Distribution of iron in the gastrointestinal tract of the common vampire bat: Evidence for macrophage‐linked iron clearance

Iron in the tissues of the digestive tract of the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) has been studied using histochemical, electron microscopic, and autoradiographic methods. This animal is an obligate sanguivore and has a daily intake of dietary iron 800 times that of man. The amount and distribution of tissue iron is not affected by either a single blood meal or starvation but does reflect the degree of siderosis of each animal's liver and spleen. By 7 days after the injection of a trace amount of 55Fe into the peritoneal cavity, labelled siderotic macrophages are present both on the serosa and within the walls of the stomach and intestine. In the lower intestine, such cells can be derived from the germinal centers of Peyer's patches. Siderotic macrophages are often situated in the lamina propria under areas of siderotic epithelium. Label is also present in the apical cytoplasm of mucosal epithelial cells, a region of abundant siderosomes. The ultrastructure of these organelles is extremely variable. Accumulations of membranous whorls and stacks, "stippled bodies," ferritin molecules, and larger "ferruginous" complexes are bounded by one or a number of membranes. Iron is excreted when these epithelial cells are desquamated into the gut lumen. Similar Prussian blue-positive granules are present in the feces. Unlike other glandular cells, the parietal cells of the fundic caecum are siderotic. Their cytoplasm contains abundant siderosomes and ferritin with accumulations of amembranous ferritin bodies in the intracellular canalicular spaces. Prussian blue-positive granules are present in the lumens of fundic glands.
Large superconducting radio frequency construction projects

The SRF achievements of the last two decades will be reviewed; concentrating on the CEBAF, LEP, and SNS projects. The near term new SRF initiatives will also be presented.
Rateless Deluge: Over-the-Air Programming of Wireless Sensor Networks Using Random Linear Codes

Over-the-air programming (OAP) is a fundamental service in sensor networks that relies upon reliable broadcast for efficient dissemination. As such, existing OAP protocols become decidedly inefficient (with respect to energy, communication or delay) in unreliable broadcast environments, such as those with relatively high node density or noise. In this paper, we consider OAP approaches based on rateless codes, which significantly improve OAP in such environments by drastically reducing the need for packet rebroadcasting. We thus design and implement two rateless OAP protocols, rateless Deluge and ACKless Deluge, both of which replace the data transfer mechanism of the established OAP Deluge protocol with rateless analogs. Experiments with Tmote Sky motes on single-hop networks with packet loss rates of 7% show these protocols to save significantly in communication over regular Deluge (roughly 15-30% savings in the data plane, and 50-80% in the control plane), and multi-hop experiments reveal similar trends. Simulations further shows that our new protocols scale better than standard Deluge (in terms of communication and energy) to high network density. TinyOS code for our implementation can be found at http://nislab.bu.edu.
CHARACTERIZATION OF CELL WALL POLYSACCHARIDES OF JICAMA (PACHYRRHIZUS EROSUS) AND CHINESE WATER CHESTNUT (ELEOCHARIS DULICIS)

Alcohol insoluble solids (AIS) from jicama and Chinese water chestnut were isolated and analyzed to elucidate the similarity in texture between these two crispy vegetables. Pectins were the largest AIS component of both vegetables, comprising approximately 50% of AIS. Further analysis showed a similar composition of water soluble, chelator soluble, and alkaline soluble pectins in both jicama and water chestnut. Water chestnut contained a much larger hemicellulose component and a correspondingly smaller cellulose and lignin component than jicama. Fractionation of the hemicellulose and examination of molecular weight distribution and neutral sugar composition of various fractions revealed major differences between the two vegetables. These differences in structure and composition of hemicellulose may explain the observed differences in textural properties of these two crispy vegetables.
First-Party Content and Coordination in Two-Sided Markets

The strategic use of first-party content by two-sided platforms is driven by two key factors: the nature of buyer and seller expectations favorable versus unfavorable and the nature of the relationship between first-party content and third-party content complements or substitutes. Platforms facing unfavorable expectations face an additional constraint: their prices and first-party content investment need to be such that low zero participation equilibria are eliminated. This additional constraint typically leads them to invest more less in first-party content relative to platforms facing favorable expectations when first-and third-party content are substitutes complements. These results hold with both simultaneous and sequential entry of the two sides. With two competing platforms---incumbent facing favorable expectations and entrant facing unfavorable expectations---and multi-homing on one side of the market, the incumbent always invests weakly more in first-party content relative to the case in which it is a monopolist. This paper was accepted by Bruno Cassiman, business strategy.
Mutuality and difference: trinity, creation and the theological ground of the church's unity

A concept of the church current in post-Englightenment modernity, of a religious society founded for the voluntary association of like-minded individuals, continues to dominate among many Christians today, especially in North American and western European contexts. This idea of church if particularly threatened by difference and conflict. Differences in matters of faith and values in such an ecclesiology mean that someone must be wrong in their private religious opinions. And, even if these opinions are privately held, they may undo the weak bonds of association among members of a Christian fellowhip. Conflict, thus, is to be dreaded, and avoided. Unity for many in such an ecclesiology is synonymous with uniformity. Tolerance is theoretically valued, but toleration may mean little more than enlightened forvearance with the errors (i.e. differences) of others. The irony is that the church tht the church that can be undone by difference is a church more closely related to the polis of antiquity and the religious society of John Locke than to the diverse, vibrant, lively, and often messy communities of faith that spring to life on the pages of the NT. This essay seeks to advance an alternative ecclesiology conversant with classical trinitarian theology, grounded in the historical experience of the church, and open to certain streams of cultural pluralism.
Severity of cardiomyopathy associated with adenine nucleotide translocator-1 deficiency correlates with mtDNA haplogroup

Mutations of both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)-encoded mitochondrial proteins can cause cardiomyopathy associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. Hence, the cardiac phenotype of nuclear DNA mitochondrial mutations might be modulated by mtDNA variation. We studied a 13-generation Mennonite pedigree with autosomal recessive myopathy and cardiomyopathy due to an SLC25A4 frameshift null mutation (c.523delC, p.Q175RfsX38), which codes for the heart-muscle isoform of the adenine nucleotide translocator-1. Ten homozygous null (adenine nucleotide translocator-1(-/-)) patients monitored over a median of 6 years had a phenotype of progressive myocardial thickening, hyperalaninemia, lactic acidosis, exercise intolerance, and persistent adrenergic activation. Electrocardiography and echocardiography with velocity vector imaging revealed abnormal contractile mechanics, myocardial repolarization abnormalities, and impaired left ventricular relaxation. End-stage heart disease was characterized by massive, symmetric, concentric cardiac hypertrophy; widespread cardiomyocyte degeneration; overabundant and structurally abnormal mitochondria; extensive subendocardial interstitial fibrosis; and marked hypertrophy of arteriolar smooth muscle. Substantial variability in the progression and severity of heart disease segregated with maternal lineage, and sequencing of mtDNA from five maternal lineages revealed two major European haplogroups, U and H. Patients with the haplogroup U mtDNAs had more rapid and severe cardiomyopathy than those with haplogroup H.
MICROTUBULE PROTEIN : Identification in and Transport to Nerve Endings

The subunit protein of microtubules, tubulin, has been demonstrated to be present in isolated nerve endings by gel electrophoresis, amino acid composition, and peptide mapping. The tubulin constitutes approximately 28% of the soluble protein of the nerve endings. The transport of tubulin to the nerve endings has been demonstrated and its relationship to slow transport is discussed.
Could Flood Insurance be Privatised in the United States? A Primer

Since 1968, homeowners’ flood insurance in the United States has been mainly provided through the federally-run National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 raises the possibility of moving coverage to the private sector, assuming the market can price this risk effectively and that premiums reflect risk. This paper provides the first large-scale quantification of risk-based premiums for over 300,000 residences prone to either storm surge or inland flooding using commercially developed probabilistic catastrophe models, and compares these premiums with those currently charged by the NFIP. Our findings reveal significant differences between the two. In some areas, the NFIP charges prices that are more than 15 times the pure premium, while other areas are charged up to three times less than the pure premium. The paper discusses the market and policy implications of these findings.
Exchange Rate Credibility, the Agency Cost of Capital and Devaluation

When a country abandons a fixed, or target zone exchange regime it usually claims that the regime was "fundamentally" sound but that it was undermined by pernicious speculation. The validity of the claim is impossible to assess using only observable data-there always exists a future path of current account surpluses that would make the regime sound, and speculators' (investors'?) motives are unobservable. This paper analyzes the crucial role of imperfect credibility in a currency crisis with a stochastic dynamic rational expectations regime switch model. The exchange regime is sound, e.g., a currency board--the only market failure is that the Central Bank cannot make a credible commitment to maintain the regime. The paper has two innovations: (1) It specifies the cost of imperfect credibility, and (2) It quantifies the cost of imperfect credibility. Imperfect credibility generates small (but costly) average interest rate differentials. Imperfect credibility cannot generate large interest differentials, but a surprisingly small "fundamental" currency overvaluation added to the basic specification generates large interest rate differentials. The paper's main result--that a lack of credibility cannot generate large interest rate differentials in a sound regime--is robust. The model in the paper is stylized, but the results are rich. The policy maker (Central Bank) and investors optimize. Investors fear devaluation and the Bank cannot make a credible commitment to allay their fears. Investors demand an agency currency premium. There is no pernicious speculation--the premium fairly prices the country's assets but it increases the country's cost of capital. The Bank abandons the regime when the expected present value of the agency cost of capital outweighs the expected present value of the benefit from remaining in the regime. The model generates multiple rational expectations equilibria and a variety of patterns linking the exchange rate to the interest rate differential. I parameterized the model using estimates of the exchange rate process for Hong Kong. The model generated agency currency premiums average 1/2%. The model generated interest rate differentials are consistent with the interest differentials in Hong Kong before the Asian financial crisis in July of 1997. After July 1997 a lack of credibility is not sufficient to explain the observed interest rate differentials of 4-6%.
Reactive coupling between immiscible polymer chains: Acceleration by compressive flow

It is demonstrated that processing flow affects the kinetics of the interfacial coupling reaction between functional groups that are grafted to polymer chains. At melt temperatures the amine group on the end of nylon 6 chains reacts with maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene (PE-MA) and forms graft copolymers. Bilayers were made by lamination and coextrusion and adhesion was measured using asymmetric dual cantilever beam (ADCB). The amount of graft copolymer in the interface was quantified by X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS). With quiescent lamination, adhesion increased with temperature and the concentration of PE-MA. The adhesion metric, Gc (critical energy release rate), plotted as a function of Σ (interfacial copolymer density) fell on the same master curve, unifying reaction process, temperature and time. Gc was a linear function of Σ for low-copolymer coverage and weak adhesion. For relatively high coverage and strong adhesion, Gc scaled with Σ.[2] Coextrusion with compressive flow resulted in a reaction rate strikingly two-orders of magnitude faster than that without compressive flow. The rate in the noncompressive die was close to quiescent lamination. Even for lamination, when compressive flow was applied normal to the interface, the coupling reaction rate was also greatly accelerated. Several mechanisms are speculated for this remarkable acceleration in polymer chain coupling. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 3391–3402, 2013
A Life Course Perspective on Information Technology Work

Workforce Aging in the New Economy (WANE) is an international study of information technology workers in small- and medium-sized workplaces. The study was designed to explore life course issues, placing individuals in structural contexts that themselves change over time and addressing both life course management of the employees and how globalization and life course—related dimensions of the workforce jointly influence the management and survivability of small enterprises. Thus, the study links micro- and macroapproaches to understand life course issues. This article illustrates the approach with findings in two areas: how people make careers in changing work structures, and age and generational stratification issues. The article is dedicated to the memory of Chuck Longino, dear friend and colleague on the study research team, whose untimely death prevented him from seeing the project through to completion.
Determinantal methods in latent class analysis

Some extensions of the existing determinantal methods for solving the accounting equations in latent class analysis are presented. These extensions cover more cases than previous methods, give rise to new sufficient conditions for identifiability of the latent class model, and give insight into the necessity of various sufficient conditions for identifiability. These implications to the identifiability problem are discussed.
Homines in Extremis: What Fighting Scholars Teach Us about Habitus

I use the collection of “carnal ethnographies” of martial arts and combat sports assembled by Raul Sanchez and Dale Spencer under the title Fighting Scholars to spotlight the fruitfulness of deploy...
Cariogenic Actinomyces Identified with a β-Glucosidase-Dependent Green Color Reaction to Gardenia jasminoides Extract

The oral bacteria Actinomyces naeslundii and Actinomyces viscosus are known to contribute to the initiation and progression of human dental caries, especially root caries. We report that both A. naeslundii and A. viscosus react with a component in the Gardenia jasminoides extract to produce a distinct green product. This green color reaction was found to be dependent on the bacterial beta-glucosidase. The reaction is specific for cariogenic actinomyces, and it can detect as few as 10(4) cells of A. naeslundii and A. viscosus per ml.
Queuing with Alternating Priorities

For a service facility serving more than one class of customers a problem arises as to the order in which customers should be served i.e., the priority rule. A typical example is a manufacturing facility that produces two products to meet a random stream of incoming orders. In this paper the alternating priority rule also known as the "zero switch rule" is introduced and investigated. Two classes of customers are served by a single service facility. Customers of class ii = 1, 2 have priority over customers of class jj = 1, 2; j â 1 whenever a class i customer is in service. When the service facility is idle, the first arriving customer enters service and acquires the priority right for customers of his class. Within classes the "first-come, first-served" rule is observed. Customers' arrivals are assumed to be Poisson and service times are assumed to be arbitrarily distributed independent random variables. The steady-state densities of queuing times are formulated by the use of a special mathematical procedure. The expectations of queuing times and sizes of queues as well as the first two moments of the busy periods are obtained in terms of the basic parameters of the arrival process and service time distributions. All the results are related to the case where switching from one type of customers to another is not penalized by setup time. The alternating priority rule is compared to the "head-of-the-line" and the "first-come, first-served" rules with respect to expected queuing times and queue sizes. The last part of the paper discusses the possibilities of extending the suggested rule to cases involving more than two classes of customers and nonzero setup times and setup costs.
An Overview of Small Animal Veterinary Sonography

This article is an overview of the field of small animal veterinary sonography, including its history, examples of utilization, and a brief review of the small animal abdominal sonographic examinat...
On the Efficacy of Nonlinear Control in Uncertain Linear Systems

We consider a class of linear dynamical systems containing uncertain elements and subject to uncertain inputs, and for which either uncertain state or output is available. We construct a feedback control, utilizing measured state or estimated state, which guarantees that every system response is ultimately bounded within a certain neighborhood of the zero state. Performance resulting from use of this control is compared with that due to the use of purely linear feedback control.
Half-Helmholtz coils and a new sectorial coil scheme

When Helmholtz coils produce a uniform field, access to the uniform region may be hindered for vision or apparatus by one of the two coils. “Half-Helmholtz coils” have been devised to remove this hindrance. By using opposed compensating coils, nearly all of the coil bulk is moved to one side of the operating plane. Also described is a new sectorial coil idea that should greatly facilitate the experimental approach to magnetic lens design when such compensating coils are used.