cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Husserl and Heidegger on Human Experience: Spatiality and human identity

In recent metaphysics, a growing consensus has emerged that a revision of the traditional and common-sense conception of personal identity is required. Common-sense would have it that we are individuals characterized by a certain distinctive identity. This numerical identity makes each of us who we are over the entire period of our lives. The revisionist view finds our intuitions about our own identity to be ill-founded. Personal identity is reduced to mere relations of similarity between certain sets of mental and physical events. Instead of thinking of persons as characterized by strict numerical identity over time, the reductionist about personal identity takes mental or physical states to be numerically distinct person-stages. These person-stages are then regarded as ontologically more basic than persons who have identity over time. The psychological continuity that holds between person-stages may not always be one to one or transitive. This means that each person-stage may have more than one set of past and future person-stages of which it is the continuant and which are its continuants. Thus, persons or, rather, person-stages may coalesce and divide in a manner analogous to the fusion and fission of protists (such as amoebae). Heidegger offers a critique of reductionist tendencies in the traditional metaphysics of personal identity that anticipates some of the basic assumptions of the new theory. His discussion of personal identity has generally been ignored, even by scholars of Heidegger's thought.
Interactive vocabulary acquisition in XTRA

This paper describes a practical solution to on-line dictionary update in XTRA, a machine translation system developed by Xiuming Huang at the Computing Research Laboratory of New Mexico State University. The focus of the discussion in on IVES - an Interactive Vocabulary Enrichment System built by this writer for XTRA, It reflects an on-going effort at the laboratory to build embedded learning mechanisms in machine translation systems. Two types of learning are discussed, word learning and word sense learning. Each type of learning undergoes three routine processes: detection, acquisition, and evaluation. The emphasis of this paper is on the use of semantic preference violations in the detection of the need to learn new word senses.
Acoustics in the Division of Building Research

The Noise and Vibration Section of the Division of Building Research (DBR) is concerned as the name suggests, with problems of acoustics and vibration as they relate to buildings. The work in the Section includes (1) studies of basic physical processes of propagation of sound and vibration in buildings; (2) studies of responses of people to sounds and vibration in their environment; and (3) the development of standard methods of measurement of the appropriate physical descriptors. The commitment, beyond research, is to apply the knowledge gained to the solution of specific building problems and to disseminate the information in appropriate form to designers, builders and the public.
Strategic Response to Regulatory Thresholds: Evidence from the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Act

Many government programs contain regulatory thresholds below which entities are not subject to the regulation. This paper empirically examines the strategic response to regulatory thresholds using data from the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Act. To what extent do manufacturing facilities adjust their behavior to ensure that they are below the thresholds for reporting chemical use and release under Massachusetts' law? To what extent does this strategic response effect validity of the inferences using these data? The results suggest that the bias introduced by reporting thresholds may be significant. Up to 40 percent of the observed decline in reported toxic releases in Massachusetts may be attributed to strategic responses to the reporting thresholds. In addition, quartile rankings of facilities based on reported releases may be in error 45 percent of the time when behavior around the reporting thresholds is not taken into account. Because the regulatory thresholds for TURA are similar to many other state and federal "right-to-know" programs, including the widely used Toxics Release Inventory, the fact that strategic response to regulatory thresholds in TURA are significant suggests that such strategic responses may affect validity of environmental right-to-know data more broadly.
Clinical Trials to Support Prescription to Over-the-Counter Switches

In contrast to prescription drugs, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs require the consumer to make decisions about the use of the drug without the aid of a health-care professional. Clinical research studies designed to assess the ability of consumers to use the OTC drug label to guide their treatment with the drug are an essential element of OTC regulatory decision making. Label comprehension studies test the label's communication of key messages to consumers. Actual use studies elucidate consumer behaviors when using the proposed OTC drug in a simulated OTC environment. Examples of how these studies can be used to inform program development and decision making are illustrated by case studies. Keywords: Over the counter; omeprazole; orlistat; lovastatin; label comprehension
How hydrogeology has shaped the ecology of Missouri’s Ozark cavefish, Amblyopsis rosae, and southern cavefish, Typhlichthys subterraneus: insights on the sightless from understanding the underground

Two troglobitic fishes of conservation concern that inhabit Missouri are the Ozark and southern cavefishes, Amblyopsis rosae and Typhlichthys subterraneus, respectively. These species inhabit the groundwater of karstified bedrock in the Springfield and Salem plateau regions of the state, respectively. These two areas differ substantially – geographically, geologically, and hydrologically. This paper explores how these differences interact in shaping (1) the habitat in which these two species dwell, (2) the resulting ecological constraints that the fishes face, (3) how their ecologies and populations reflect these constraints, and (4) how conservation and management efforts may need to be tailored to best compliment the unique challenges that each species presents.
Expansion of coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and primary care utilization.

Context: Provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) expand Medicaid to all individuals in families earning less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) and make available subsidies to uninsured lower-income Americans (133 to 400 percent of FPL) without access to employer-based coverage to purchase insurance in new exchanges. Since primary care physicians typically serve as the point of entry into the health care delivery system, an adequate supply of them is critical to meeting the anticipated increase in demand for medical care resulting from the expansion of coverage. This article provides state-level estimates of the anticipated increases in primary care utilization given the PPACA's provisions for expanded coverage. Methods: Using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, this article estimates a multivariate regression model of annual primary care utilization. Using the model estimates and state-level information regarding the number of uninsured, it predicts, by state, the change in primary care visits expected from the expanded coverage. Finally, the article predicts the number of primary care physicians needed to accommodate this change in utilization. Findings: This expanded coverage is predicted to increase by 2019 the number of annual primary care visits between 15.07 million and 24.26 million. Assuming stable levels of physicians’ productivity, between 4,307 and 6,940 additional primary care physicians would be needed to accommodate this increase. Conclusions: The PPACA's health insurance expansion parameters are expected to significantly increase the use of primary care. Two strategies that policymakers may consider are creating stronger financial incentives to attract medical school students to primary care and changing the delivery of care in ways that lead to operational improvements, higher throughput, and better quality of care.
Leadership preferences of a generation Y cohort: A mixed‐methods investigation

Presently there are four generational cohorts in the workplace. Born from 1977 to 1997, the youngest cohort group, Generation Y, has 81 million members, of whom over 29 million are already in the workplace. The importance of leader-subordinate relationships in the workplace has been confirmed. In recognizing this, leaders must identify and adapt to the era-shaped needs of employees, who cannot fully participate in organizational life if their most urgent needs are not being met. The goal of this study was to determine leadership preferences of a Gen Y cohort as a means to enhance workplace relationships in the 21st-century organization. A sequential, mixed-methods study was employed to explore leadership preferences of a Gen Y cohort. Initially, focus-group interviews were used to generate leadership themes. Based on these themes, an instrument was designed, and Gen Y business students from three higher education institutions were surveyed. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the themes. Five leadership themes emerged in the focus groups and were confirmed through CFA.
Effects of Structured Roughness on Fluid Flow at the Microscale Level

It has been well established that there are no differences between microscale and macroscale flows of incompressible liquids. However, surface roughness has been known to impact the transport phenomena. This work aims to systematically quantify the effect of structured roughness geometries on friction factor in the laminar and turbulent flows as a precursor to the detailed heat transfer studies on these geometries. Experiments were conducted by varying the pitch (150–400 μm) and height (36–131 μm) of transverse rib roughness structures in rectangular channels such that the pitch-to-height ratio ranged from 2 to 8. The channel width was fixed at 12.70 mm and the length at 152.4 mm, while the channel gap was varied (230–937 μm). Tests were conducted over a Reynolds number range of 5–3400. The results are compared to the existing models, which do not account for specific roughness features such as pitch and height. A theoretical model is developed to predict the effect of roughness pitch and height on pressu...
Synthetic approaches to polypyridyl bridging ligands with proximal multidentate binding sites.

A series of 12 bridging ligands was prepared. These ligands include a central linker appended to two 1,8-naphthyrid-2-yl or two 1,10-phenanthrolin-2-yl units. The linkers include pyridazin-3,6-diyl, 1,8-naphthyrid-2,7-diyl, 2,2‘-bipyrid-6,6‘-diyl, 1,10-phenanthrolin-2,9-diyl, 1,2-di(2‘-pyrid-6‘-yl)ethyne, and 3,6-di(2‘-pyrid-6‘-yl)pyridazine. The ligands were synthesized from the diacetyl derivative of the central linker by a Friedlander condensation with either 2-aminonicotinaldehyde or 8-amino-7-quinolinecarbaldehyde. The precursor diacetyl derivatives were, in turn, prepared by pathways involving Stille and Sonogashira couplings. Examination of the electronic absorption spectra of the bridging ligands shows the strongest correlation to be between pairs of ligands having the same central linker. Complexation studies will follow.
Clinical and echocardiographic characteristics of hemodynamically significant pericardial effusions in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Echocardiographic-guided pericardiocentesis was found to be safe and efficacious in treating 11 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who had hemodynamically significant pericardial effusions. These patients tended to present early in their disease course, and men were more often affected.
Duration of hypoglycemia and need for intravenous glucose following intentional overdoses of insulin

To assess the treatment of intentional insulin overdoses with intravenous (IV) glucose, we reviewed the records of 17 attempts in 15 patients seen during a ten-year period. The mean age of our patients was 29 +/- 9 years, and the mean overdose of insulin was 386 +/- 276 units. Eight patients were insulin-dependent diabetics and seven patients had no history of diabetes. We found that the nondiabetics were more likely to present with hypoglycemia (serum glucose less than 50 mg/dL) and develop recurrent hypoglycemia, despite oral intake and IV glucose infusion, than were diabetic patients (P less than .05, Fisher's exact test). We also found a significant relation (P less than .01) between the amount of insulin taken as a single overdose and either the total amount of IV glucose administered or the total time of IV glucose treatment until the hypoglycemic effects of excess insulin had resolved (glucose [g] = 52 + (.699) (dose U), R = .929 and time [h] = 10.5 + (.028) (dose U), R = .817). No patient sustained permanent complications from hypoglycemia. We conclude that prolonged, aggressive IV glucose infusion and serial monitoring of serum glucose levels is required in insulin overdoses. These patients may become hypoglycemic much later than predicted from the conventional duration of action of the various insulin preparations.
A statistical approach to evaluating distance metrics and analog assignments for pollen records

The modern analog technique typically uses a distance metric to determine the dissimilarity between fossil and modern biological assemblages. Despite this quantitative approach, interpretation of distance metrics is usually qualitative and rules for selection of analogs tend to be ad hoc. We present a statistical tool, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, which provides a framework for identifying analogs from distance metrics. If modern assemblages are placed into groups (e.g., biomes), this method can (1) evaluate the ability of different distance metrics to distinguish among groups, (2) objectively identify thresholds of the distance metric for determining analogs, and (3) compute a likelihood ratio and a Bayesian probability that a modern group is an analog for an unknown (fossil) assemblage. Applied to a set of 1689 modern pollen assemblages from eastern North America classified into eight biomes, ROC analysis confirmed that the squared-chord distance (SCD) outperforms most other distance metrics. The optimal threshold increased when more dissimilar biomes were compared. The probability of an analog vs no-analog result (a likelihood ratio) increased sharply when SCD decreased below the optimal threshold, indicating a nonlinear relationship between SCD and the probability of analog. Probabilities of analog computed for a postglacial pollen record at Tannersville Bog (Pennsylvania, USA) identified transitions between biomes and periods of no analog.
Toll-like receptor-4 signaling and Kupffer cells play pivotal roles in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Background/Aims Studies in animal models and humans suggest a link between endotoxemia and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Since Kupffer cells are responsible for clearing endotoxin and are activated via endotoxin interaction with Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4), we examined the relationship between hepatic TLR-4 expression and Kupffer cell content during the genesis of steatohepatitis. Methods Male C57BL/6, C3H/HouJ and TLR-4 mutant C3H/HeJ mice were fed control or methionine/choline-deficient diet (MCDD). In one group of C57BL/6 mice, Kupffer cells were depleted by weekly intraperitoneal injections of clodronate liposomes. After 3 weeks, serum ALT activity and portal endotoxin levels were measured. Real-time PCR was used to examine mRNA expression of TLR-4, TLR-2, CD14, MD-2, TGFβ, TNFα, CD36, PPAR-α, liver fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) and collagen α1. Results We observed histological evidence typical of steatohepatitis, portal endotoxemia and enhanced TLR-4 expression in wild type mice fed MCDD. In contrast, injury and lipid accumulation markers were significantly lower in TLR-4 mutant mice. Destruction of Kupffer cells with clodronate liposomes blunted histological evidence of steatohepatitis and prevented increases in TLR-4 expression. Conclusions These findings demonstrate the importance of TLR-4 signaling and underscore a direct link between TLR-4 and Kupffer cells in the pathogenesis of steatohepatitis.
Endogenous S-nitrosothiols protect against myocardial injury

Despite substantial evidence that nitric oxide (NO) and/or endogenous S-nitrosothiols (SNOs) exert protective effects in a variety of cardiovascular diseases, the molecular details are largely unknown. Here we show that following left coronary artery ligation, mice with a targeted deletion of the S-nitrosoglutathione reductase gene (GSNOR−/−) have reduced myocardial infarct size, preserved ventricular systolic and diastolic function, and maintained tissue oxygenation. These profound physiological effects are associated with increases in myocardial capillary density and S-nitrosylation of the transcription factor hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) under normoxic conditions. We further show that S-nitrosylated HIF-1α binds to the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene, thus identifying a role for GSNO in angiogenesis and myocardial protection. These results suggest innovative approaches to modulate angiogenesis and preserve cardiac function.
Acute Toxicity and Hazard Assessment of Spinosad and R-11 to Three Cladoceran Species and Coho Salmon

Acute toxicity data and hazard assessments were developed for three cladoceran species, Ceriodaphnia dubia, Daphnia pulex, and Daphnia magna, and juvenile Coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch after exposure to the insecticide, spinosad and adjuvant R-11. The effect of a mixture of these compounds was also determined with C. dubia and O. kisutch. Spinosad was virtually non-toxic to O. kisutch. Hazard assessments indicated that R-11 posed no hazard to any of the species tested while spinosad only posed a hazard to C. dubia. Mixture studies indicated that spinosad and R-11 may interact synergistically in C. dubia.
Phosphate ester hydrolysis is catalyzed by a bacterial transferrin: potential implications for in vivo iron transport mechanisms.

Abstract Two synergistic anions, p -nitrophenyl phosphate ester ( NPP ) and SO 4 2 - , were found to form new stable assemblies with Fe 3+ and a bacterial transferrin, FbpA (FbpA = ferric binding protein). Fe 3+ FbpA–SO 4 undergoes rapid anion exchange in the presence of NPP to form Fe 3+ FbpA–NPP. Formation of Fe 3+ FbpA–NPP was found to accelerate the rate of hydrolysis of the bound phosphate ester ( k hyd = 1.6 × 10 −6 s −1 at 25 °C and pH 6.5) by >10 3 fold over the uncatalyzed reaction. These findings suggest a dual function for FbpA in vivo: transport of Fe 3+ across the periplasmic space to the inner membrane in certain gram-negative bacteria and hydrolysis of periplasmic polyphosphates.
POSTHARVEST STORAGE OF THE CULTIVATED MUSHROOM (Agaricus bisporus) AND ITS INFLUENCE ON QUALITATIVE PROTEIN CHANGES RELATED TO CANNED PRODUCT YIELD

Storage treatments (12°C, 95% RH) were applied to freshly harvested mushrooms for 0, 24 and 72 hr. Canned product yields were determined on replicated samples processed by a standardized procedure. Canned product yields increased 19% after 72 hr storage and total free amino acid content of the tissues increased proportionately. Electrophoretic analyses employing sodium dodecyl sulfate gels demonstrated that degradation of larger molecular weight proteins occurred during storage with a corresponding increase in the lower molecular weight fractions. Water-binding capacity and water-holding capacity of partially purified proteins prepared from treated lots increased as storage time progressed. Data substantiated the hypothesis that qualitative changes in mushroom proteins are a factor in the increased product yields obtained by postharvest storage of mushrooms.
Semiautomated Method for Determining Diethylstilbestrol in Low Dosage Tablet Formulations

A semiautomated analytical system was developed for the assay of diethylstilbestrol in tablet preparations. The automated methods are similar in principle to the USP manual procedure. The heart of the assay lies in the use of a coiled quartz capillary tubing with reflectorized backing as the irradiation cell. This method is suitable for concentrations of 0.5 mg. or greater active ingredient per tablet.
Dendritic spine dysgenesis contributes to hyperreflexia after spinal cord injury

Hyperreflexia and spasticity are chronic complications in spinal cord injury (SCI), with limited options for safe and effective treatment. A central mechanism in spasticity is hyperexcitability of the spinal stretch reflex, which presents symptomatically as a velocity-dependent increase in tonic stretch reflexes and exaggerated tendon jerks. In this study we tested the hypothesis that dendritic spine remodeling within motor reflex pathways in the spinal cord contributes to H-reflex dysfunction indicative of spasticity after contusion SCI. Six weeks after SCI in adult Sprague-Dawley rats, we observed changes in dendritic spine morphology on α-motor neurons below the level of injury, including increased density, altered spine shape, and redistribution along dendritic branches. These abnormal spine morphologies accompanied the loss of H-reflex rate-dependent depression (RDD) and increased ratio of H-reflex to M-wave responses (H/M ratio). Above the level of injury, spine density decreased compared with below-injury spine profiles and spine distributions were similar to those for uninjured controls. As expected, there was no H-reflex hyperexcitability above the level of injury in forelimb H-reflex testing. Treatment with NSC23766, a Rac1-specific inhibitor, decreased the presence of abnormal dendritic spine profiles below the level of injury, restored RDD of the H-reflex, and decreased H/M ratios in SCI animals. These findings provide evidence for a novel mechanistic relationship between abnormal dendritic spine remodeling in the spinal cord motor system and reflex dysfunction in SCI.
Recent advances in ferroelectric polymers

In the Polymer Electroprocessing Laboratory at Rutgers University, we have discovered that the odd-numbered nylons constitute the second known class of ferroelectric polymers1–3, and that polarized films exhibit piezoelectric properties similar to poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVF2) and copolymers of PVF2 and trifluoroethylene (PVF2/PVF3). A study of a series of these polymers including nylon 11, nylon 9, nylon 7 and nylon 5 showed that the remanent polarization produced in quenched, cold-drawn films was a linear function of polymer dipole density4. The highest remanent polarization produced was that of nylon 5, the value attained (P1=125mC/m2) being approximately 2.5 times that of PVF2. We also discovered that (unlike PVF2 or PVF2/PVF3) the remanent polarization could be stabilized to elevated temperatures (close to the polymer melting point). For nylon 5, the remanent polarization and piezoelectric response was stable to over 250°C5. We showed that the hydrogen-bonded sheet structure in nylon 11 for quenched cold-drawn films was parallel to the plane of the film, and that after application of high electric fields the hydrogen-bonded sheet structure was rotated 90° to an orientation perpendicular to the plane of the film3. A detailed X-ray diffraction study of the effects of humidity and electroprocessing on the switching behavior of nylon 5, nylon 7 and nylon 11 films was carried out5. The piezoelectric and pyroelectric response6 of these films was also determined. The different switching mechanisms observed and the measured piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties will be presented and discussed.
Height and body mass index values of nineteenth-century New York legislators

Previous studies of mid-nineteenth-century American BMI values have used data created by military academies and penitentiaries. This paper uses an alternative data set, constructed from legislative documents in which the heights and weights of New York State legislators were recorded. The results reveal that middle- to upper-middle class Americans maintained BMI values closer to the modern standard than did students and prisoners. The average BMI value among this group was 24 and their height-weight combinations did not greatly diverge from historical mortality risk optima.
Preparation, cation-exchange isolation and some properties of N′-methylethylenediamine-N,N,N′-triacetic acid

Abstract N′-Methylethylenediamine-N,N,N′-triacetic acid has been synthesized for the first time by a classical carboxymethylation procedure (yield 71%) using cation-exchange elution techniques to isolate the amino acid product from a complex reaction mixture, prior to crystallizing from an alcohol-water mixture. The product melted at 204–206° and its p K a values appear to be about 2.5, 5.4 and 10.3. The tri-negative anion of N′-methylethylenediamine-N,N,N′-triacetic acid forms a very stable complex with cupric ion and a moderately stable complex with calcium.
Kawasaki disease: a review.

Kawasaki disease, which was first described in Japan in 1967 by Dr. Tomisaku Kawasaki, is now the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children in developed nations. Kawasaki disease is an acute, self-limited vasculitis that primarily involves the coronary arteries (Newburger et al., 2004). Although it is more prevalent in Japan and in children of Japanese ancestry than among other people, the disease occurs in communitywide epidemics in children of all races. More than 4000 cases are diagnosed in the United States each year, with a 10-fold greater incidence in Japan. In 2000, 4248 hospitalizations were associated with the disease in the United States (Fimbres & Shulman, 2008; Holman, Curns, Belay, Steiner, & Schonberger, 2003). As expected, children of Japanese ancestry predominated, with an annual incidence of 112 per 100,000 children younger than 5 years. An annual incidence of 32.5 per 100,000 children younger than 5 years was reported for Americans of Asian and Pacific Island descent, compared with 16.9 for non-Hispanic African Americans, 11.1 for Hispanic children, and 9.1 for whites (Fimbres & Shulman, 2008; Holman et al., 2003). In the United States, 76% of children who present with Kawasaki disease are younger than 5 years, with the median age of onset being about 2 years (Chang, 2003; Holman et al., 2003). The disease occurs more commonly during the winter and early spring, and it affects more boys than girls by a ratio of 1.5 to 1.7:1 (Holman et al., 2003).
Beta-cell function and insulin resistance evaluated by HOMA in pancreatic cancer subjects with varying degrees of glucose intolerance

Background/Aims: To gain insights into pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer-associated diabetes. Methods: Using homeostasis model assessment (HOMA), we estimated β-c
Children, Adults, and Machines as Discovery Systems

1. IntroductionThis is a summary of recent research on the discovery process in which a commonframework for both psychological studies and machine learning (ML) approaches toscientific discovery is described. Early interest in the psychology of science can betraced to Bruner, Goodnow, & Austin (1956), Wason (1960), and Simon (1966, 1973),among others. The state of the art as of a dozen years ago is summarized in Tweney,Doherty, and Mynatt (1981). The more recent resurgence of interest in the "cognitivescience of science," particulary in ML can be attributed to Simon and his colleagues(Langley, Simon, Bradshaw & Zytkow, 1987; Kulkarni & Simon, 1988; Qin & Simon,1990, Cheng & Simon 1992; Valdes-Perez, Simon & Murphy, 1992). However, beyondthe projects that focus on the construction of computational models of the discoveryprocess (c.f., Shrager & Langley, 1990), there is a substantial amount of psychologicalresearch on various aspects of scientific discovery (e.g., Chin & Brewer, 1992; Brewer& Samarapungavan, 1991; Dunbar, 1989; Dunbar & Schunn, 1990; Gholson, Standish,Neimeyer & Houts, 1989; Giere, 1988; Gorman, 1992; Holland, Holyoak, Nisbett T Klayman & Ha, 1987; Kuhn, 1989; Schauble, 1990; Schauble, Klopfer& Raghavan, 1991; Sodian, Zaitchik & Carey, 1991; Vosniadou & Brewer, 1992).2. Scientific discovery as dual searchScientific discovery is a type of problem solving in which search takes place in twoquite distinct spaces: an hypotheses space and an experiment space (Klahr & Dunbar,1988). Each space represents accumulated knowledge, a set of operators, and a set ofgeneral heuristics for constraining search. Additionally, the process requires operatorsfor mapping between the two spaces. The SDDS ("Scientific Discovery as Dual Search")framework summarizes the way in which these component processes are organized. Itsthree major components include the following:
A fast, preconditioned conjugate gradient toeplitz solver

Abstract We give a simple factorization of an arbitrary hermitian, positive definite matrix in which the factors are well-conditioned, hermitian, and positive definite. In fact, given knowledge of the extreme eigenvalues of the original matrix A , we can achieve an optimal improvement, making the condition numbers of each of the two factors equal to the square root of the condition number of A . We apply this technique to the solution of hermitian, positive definite Toeplitz systems. Large linear systems with hermitian, positive definite Toeplitz matrices arise in some signal processing applications. We give a stable fast algorithm for solving these systems that is based on the preconditioned conjugate gradient method. The algorithm exploits Toeplitz structure to reduce the cost of an iteration to O ( n log n ) by applying the fast Fourier Transform to compute matrix-vector products. We use our matrix factorization as a preconditioner.
Stability measurements on the 50 kA SMES conductor

Abstract Stability measurements have been made on a large aluminium stabilized conductor designed for use in a superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) coil. The conductor has been built to carry 50 kA at 1.8 K and in 4.6 T field. It consists of a 25.4 mm diameter, high purity aluminium stabilizer with eight superconducting strands of 2.8 mm diameter each, composed of 60% Cu, 40% NbTi. The strands are set in eight helical grooves, evenly spaced around the outer diameter of the aluminium. The conductor is designed for use in full scale SMES units and has been tested in the 1 m diameter, three-turn test coil of the University of Wisconsin proof of principle experiment (POPE). The POPE facility includes the test coil, a 4 T background magnet, a dewar for a 1.8 K, 1 atm environment and a 100 kA d.c. power supply. Test results demonstrate good agreement with a new dynamic stability model. The balance of time-dependent heat generation during current diffusion and time-dependent cooling to the helium produces three new features of stability: 1, a threshold current for propagation; 2, large propagation velocities; and 3, a finite length travelling normal zone. POPE measurements verify all three features of the dynamic stability model.
Image retrieval with multiresolution color space quantization

The application of multiresolution color quantization and indexing schemes to color-based image retrieval is investigated in this research. We first perform a thorough comparison of different quantization schemes in RGB, HSV, YUV and CIELUV color spaces. Then, a new feature based on the octree structure of color quanitization is proposed to achieve efficient multiresolution image indexing and retrieval. Extensive experiments are performed to illustrate the performance of the proposed multiresolution retrieval approach.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Three-dimensional tomographic reconstruction in high voltage electron microscopy

The methodology is described, as developed at the Albany NIH Biotechnological High Voltage Electron Microscope Resource, for the three-dimensional reconstruction of objects in thick sections. The reconstructions are obtained from projection sets which are recorded by high voltage electron microscopy. The different steps of the procedure are illustrated in detail, using the cilium reconstruction as an example.
17β-Estradiol enhances neuronal differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells

Existing protocols show a variety in the percentage of neurons that can be generated from mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. In the current study, we compared effects of various differentiating conditions, including gelatin and poly-l-ornithine/fibronectin coatings, and NGF and 17β-estradiol treatments on the total yield of neurons, as well as, neurite growth and branching. Here, we show that combination of fibronectin coating with 17β-estradiol increased number of generated neurons over 50%. Poly-l-ornithine/fibronectin increased the percent of neurons in all cultures, suggesting its direct influence on neurogenesis. Addition of 17β-estradiol reduced mean neurite length in culture, but significantly increased branching. Our results indicate a substrate-dependent regulation of estrogen-induced ES cells differentiation into neuronal cells.
Staging vertigo and the vertigogram

SummaryDetails are given of a new integrated system for staging the two major components of Meniere's disease, hearing and vertigo, which can also be used for any inner ear disease, without a specific diagnosis. All that is required is a good history and a pure tone audiometer. The composite system consists of a complete cochlear profile for each ear showing the degree of hearing loss, tinnitus and aural pressure and a complete vertigo-disability profile, where vertigo, imbalance, and disability are individually assessed and staged on the basis of a concise descriptive approach to the various components of inner ear disease. The staging system for vertigo is new, simple and practical and based on the vertigogram. Staging vertigo can be modified as clinical experience warrants. It is suggested that the profiles can provide a simple and effective means by which all clinicians can classify and quantify in a few lines the various components of any inner ear disorder, and an effective basis for comparison of r...
Inability of E. coli ribosomes to interact simultaneously with the bacterial elongation factors EF Tu and EF G.

Abstract E. coli 70S ribosomes carrying EF G and GDP do not accept the ternary complex EF Tu-GTP-Phe-tRNA. In the reverse experiment, ribosomes charged with the EF Tu-GMP-PCP-Phe-tRNA complex are less active in binding EF G and GTP. These results demonstrate that both elongation factors cannot react simultaneously with the 70S ribosome, indicating that both factors bind to a common region on the ribosomes.
Behavioral ecology of the social wasp, Mischocyttarus mexicanus

1. The social biology of the polistine wasp Mischocyttarus mexicanus was studied in southern Florida at the Archbold Biological Station (January–May 1975=‘winter-spring’; November–December 1975 and January 1976=‘fall’). Nests were initiated by from one to twenty females (foundresses). The mean foundress-group size varied with season; most nests were founded by one female in winter-spring and by larger groups in the fall (Fig. 1). The females in a group were derived from one natal nest and were thus closely related. During the period between nest initiation and daughter emergence (predaughter phase) groups were stable in terms of membership. Approximately two months after nest initiation daughters began emerging; they remained on the nest, all as active foragers. Toward the end of the colony cycle future queens and males were produced. These gradually dispersed from their natal nests, the females leaving to found new nests. Mating probably occurred away from the nest. 2. Nest productivity (number of cells) at the end of the predaughter phase varied with the number of nest foundresses (Fig. 2). The number of cells/foundress was smaller in larger groups. 3. Survivorship of nests during the predaughter phase varied with group size, one-foundress nests suffering greater mortality than multiple-foundress nests (Table 3). Nests failed either when they were abandoned or when attacked by birds. Wasps sometimes renested or repaired the damaged nest. Larger nests were more likely to survive because these nests continued to be active after the disappearance of one female; this was impossible for single-foundress nests. 4. The number of queens (egg-layers) in a colony at any given time varied with group size and with season, one in winter-spring nests, and several in most fall nests. Among foundresses there were parallel hierarchies of dominance, defined in terms of degree of aggression (bitting frequency), ovarian development, and foraging frequency (Table 6). Away-from-the nest mortality rates of foraging foundresses (cofoundresses) and of lone-nesting females were greater than those of queens (Table 7). 5 Non-egg-laying foundresses were capable of laying eggs, because when queens were removed from nests, they were replaced by one of the cofoundresses. The replacement queen was in all cases the β-individual in the hierarchy previous to queen removal. 6. Mortality rates of foragers were lower in winter-spring than in fall. Many nestmates in large fall nests did no foraging but solicited others frequently. Durations of foraging trips for arthropods and nectar were longer in fall than in winter-spring because sources of prey and nectar were less available to wasps in fall. 7. Some possible effects of certain environmental factors (predation, abundance of food) on the foraging and social behavior of Mischocyttarus mexicanus are discussed.
SPINS: security protocols for sensor networks

As sensor networks edge closer towards wide-spread deployment, security issues become a central concern. So far, much research has focused on making sensor networks feasible and useful, and has not concentrated on security.We present a suite of security building blocks optimized for resource-constrained environments and wireless communication. SPINS has two secure building blocks: SNEP and mTESLA SNEP provides the following important baseline security primitives: Data confidentiality, two-party data authentication, and data freshness. A particularly hard problem is to provide efficient broadcast authentication, which is an important mechanism for sensor networks. mTESLA is a new protocol which provides authenticated broadcast for severely resource-constrained environments. We implemented the above protocols, and show that they are practical even on minimal hardware: the performance of the protocol suite easily matches the data rate of our network. Additionally, we demonstrate that the suite can be used for building higher level protocols.
The impact of database selection on distributed searching

The proliferation of online information resources increases the importance of effective and efficient distributed searching. Distributed searching is cast in three parts — database selection, query processing, and results merging. In this paper we examine the effect of database selection on retrieval performance. We look at retrieval performance in three different distributed retrieval testbeds and distill some general results. First we find that good database selection can result in better retrieval effectiveness than can be achieved in a centralized database. Second we find that good performance can be achieved when only a few sites are selected and that the performance generally increases as more sites are selected. Finally we find that when database selection is employed, it is not necessary to maintain collection wide information (CWI), e.g. global idf. Local information can be used to achieve superior performance. This means that distributed systems can be engineered with more autonomy and less cooperation. This work suggests that improvements in database selection can lead to broader improvements in retrieval performance, even in centralized (i.e. single database) systems. Given a centralized database and a good selection mechanism, retrieval performance can be improved by decomposing that database conceptually and employing a selection step.
Quakers and the Royal Society of London in the Seventeenth Century

One of the more vigorously debated problems of historical interpretation in recent years has been that of the relationship between Puritanism and science in the seventeenth century. The controversy over this problem has at times been heated, and it has attracted the participation of a number of scholars including Christopher Hill, Leo F. Solt, Hugh Kearney, Theodore K. Rabb, Barbara J. Shapiro, and Richard L. Greaves. The central question in the debate has been, ‘Did Puritanism contribute to the development and acceptance of scientific thought?’ Two major lines of argument have been followed. One has involved the examination of Puritan ideas and attitudes which may have been supportive of scientific endeavour. Included among these have been the Puritan emphasis upon empiricism, interest in the study of nature for the glory of God, and the support of free inquiry in opposition to authoritarianism. The other line of argument has involved the analysis of the membership of scientific groups such as the Royal Society of London in order to assess the level of Puritan participation and interest.
Surface hydrophobicity and water transport of the toad urinary bladder: Effects of vasopressin

The present study investigated whether the hydrophobic properties (wettability) of the luminal surface of the toad urinary bladder might play a role in modulating water transport across this epithelium. In the absence of vasopressin (ADH), water transport across the tissue was low, while luminal surface hydrophobicity (water contact angle) was relatively high. Following stimulation by ADH, water transport increased and surface hydrophobicity decreased. The addition of indomethacin to inhibit ADH-induced prostaglandin synthesis did not reduce these actions of ADH. In an attempt to alter water transport in this tissue, a liposomal suspension of surface-active phospholipids was administered to the luminal surface. This addition had no detectable influence on the low basal rates of water transport, but blocked the ADH-induced stimulation of water transport. We suggest that surface-active phospholipids on the toad bladder luminal membrane may contribute to the hydrophobic characteristics of this tissue. ADH may act to decrease surface hydrophobicity, facilitating the movement of water molecules across an otherwise impermeable epithelium. This surface alteration may be associated with the appearance of water channels in the apical membrane.
Scalable and Efficient Associative Processor Solution to Guarantee Real-Time Requirements for Air Traffic Control Systems

This paper proposes a solution to air traffic control (ATC) using an enhanced SIMD machine model called an Associative Processor (AP). Our solution differs from previous ATC systems that are designed for MIMD computers and have a great deal of difficulty meeting the predictability requirements for ATC, which are critical for meeting the strict certification standards required for safety critical software components. The proposed AP solution supports accurate predictions of worst case execution times and guarantees all deadlines are met. Furthermore, the software developed based on the AP model is much simpler and smaller in size than the current corresponding ATC software. As the associative processor is built from SIMD hardware, it is considerably cheaper and simpler than the MIMD hardware currently used to support ATC. We have designed a prototype for eight ATC real-time tasks on Clear Speed CSX600 accelerator that is used to emulate AP. Performance is evaluated in terms of execution time and predictability and is compared to the fastest host-only version implemented using OpenMP on an 8-core multiprocessor (MIMD). Our extensive experiments show that the AP implementation meets all deadlines that can be statically scheduled. To the contrary, some tasks miss their deadlines when implemented on MIMD. It is shown that the proposed AP solution will support accurate and meaningful predictions of worst case execution times and will guarantee that all deadlines are met.
Salsa: Puerto Rican and Latino music

Les debuts de la « salsa » musique portoricaine de New York a la fin des annees 60, et son evolution depuis
Denial of authorization to pediatric managed-care patients at an urban emergency department

Objective To assess whether some pediatric Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) patients denied authorization for payment of emergency department (ED) services do not meet established nonemergent triage criteria and thus might be at risk for poor outcomes. Design A consecutive case surveillance. Setting and participants A Chicago inner city university-based ED with a total patient volume of 42 000 patient visits per year, of which 30% are pediatric. Managed care is approximately 20%. Participants who were denied authorization for payment of ED services by their HMO were age 0–16 and subsequently left the ED without treatment. Variables studied Data were collected from the ED nurse's triage notes. Chief complaint, vital signs, and focused examination were used to categorize patients as emergent, urgent, or nonemergent based on previously published pediatric emergency department triage criteria. Results A total of 83 pediatric HMO patients between 0 and 16 years of age were denied authorization for payment of ED services and subsequently left the ED without treatment in the study period. Of these, only eight patients (9.6%) met criteria to be categorized as nonemergent, and 75 (90.4%) met criteria to be categorized as emergent or urgent. Of these 75 patients, 17 (22.7%) had abnormal vital signs as the sole criteria for the emergent/urgent categorization, 16 (21.3%) had chief complaints considered emergent, and 42 (56.0%) had chief complaints considered urgent. One patient was not categorized into either group because he had left the ED before his HMO's authorization decision was rendered. Conclusion The results suggest that many of our pediatric HMO patients denied payment for ED services are being placed at risk for poor outcomes. The results highlight the haphazard nature of telephone authorization by HMOs and question the safety of this triage practice. The patients who are denied authorization for payment of ED services and subsequently leave the ED need to be further studied to determine their ultimate outcomes.
Drag on a ceramic particle being pushed by a metallic solidification front

Abstract The drag force experienced by a ceramic particle being steadily pushed by a metallic solidification front is calculated using a sharp interface numerical technique. The effects of thermal conductivity ratio between the particle and the melt (less than one for the ceramic–metal system) are accounted for in obtaining the drag expression. The drag expression is cast in two forms, the first expresses the drag as a function of the thermal conductivity ratio between the particle and the melt and the second as a function of the radius of curvature of the solid–liquid interface.
Step fluctuation spectroscopy of Au(1 1 1) by LEEM

Abstract We report a study of the fluctuations exhibited by step edges on clean Au(1 1 1), using low energy electron microscopy. The research yields values for the surface mass diffusion coefficient D s and the orientation-dependent step stiffness β ˜ ( θ ) through the temperature range 900–1300 K. Uniform, threefold and sixfold components of the measured β ˜ ( θ ) on the 3 m surface have similar magnitudes and are only weakly temperature dependent. The measured D s are similar to values reported earlier for Pt(1 1 1) and Pd(1 1 1) at homologous temperatures, determined relative to the melting temperatures.
Acrosyndactyly with epidermoid inclusion cysts : evidence for the extrinsic theory

A case of acrosyndactyly was treated with routine syndactyly release and full-thickness skin grafts. Two epidermoid inclusion cysts were found within the syndactylyzed index and middle fingers. This association is discussed along with the mechanism that best explains this unusual occurrence.