cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Stiff Film Pattern Geometry on Surface Buckling Instabilities of Elastic Bilayers.

Buckling instabilities—such as wrinkling and creasing—of micropatterned elastic surfaces play important roles in applications, including flexible electronics and microfluidics. In many cases, the spatial dimensions associated with the imposed pattern can compete with the natural length scale of the surface instabilities (e.g., the wrinkle wavelength), leading to a rich array of surface buckling behaviors. In this paper, we consider elastic bilayers consisting of a spatially patterned stiff film supported on a continuous and planar soft substrate. Through a combination of experimental and computational analyses, we find that three surface instability modes—wrinkling, Euler buckling, and rigid rotation—are observed for the stiff material patterns, depending on the in-plane dimensions of the film compared to the natural wrinkle wavelength, while the intervening soft regions undergo a creasing instability. The interplay between these instabilities leads to a variety of surface structures as a function of the ...
Sensitivity and specificity of clinical testing for carpal tunnel syndrome.

ObjectiveThe present study evaluated the sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of six clinical tests in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).MethodsThere were 29 carpal tunnel syn...
Form and function of fetal and neonatal pulmonary arterial bifurcations

(d 1 1 d 2 )/d 0 , and the junction exponent, x ,i nd 0 5 d 1 1 d 2 , are postulated to be universal in nature. However, we have hypothesized that the perinatal pulmonary arterial circulation is an exception. Arterial diameters were measured in pulmonary vascular casts of a fetal lamb (140 days gestation/ 145 days term) and a neonatal lamb (1 day old). The values for b and x were evaluated in 10,970 fetal and 846 neonatal bifurcations sampled from the proximal and intermediate arterial regions. Mean values and confidence intervals (CI) for the fetus were b5 0.890 (0.886‐0.895 CI) and x 5 1.75 (1.74‐1.76 CI); and for the newborn were b5 0.913 (0.90‐ 0.93 CI) and x 5 1.79 (1.75‐1.82 CI). These values are significantly different from Murray’s law ( b. 1, x 5 3) or the West-Brown-Enquist law ( b5 1, x 5 2). Therefore, perinatal pulmonary bifurcation design appears to be distinctive and exceptional. The decreasing cross-sectional area with branching leads to the hemodynamic consequence of shear stress amplification. This structural organization may be important for facilitating vascular development at low flow rates; however, it may be the origin of unstable reactivity if elevated blood flow and pressure occurs. pulmonary arterial morphometry; branching complexity; heterogeneity
K+-Deuterium scattering

Abstract In the multiple scattering formalism for KNN system, low-energy K + - d elastic and inelastic scattering cross sections, as functions of the I = O , s -wave KN scattering length α 0 , and the K + -laboratory-momentum k L , are calculated. Using the experimental values for the I = 1, s -wave KN scattering parameters, α 1 (0) = −0.29 F, r 1 = 0.5 F, we find that the limited experimental data on the K + - d charge-exchange scattering can be explained by α 0 = −0.11 −0.04 +0.06 F. It is also observed that, unlike the case for K + - p scattering, higher partial waves contribute significantly to the K + - d scattering for K + -laboratory-momentum around 300 MeV/c or larger.
Mechanisms of arginine vasopressin-induced insulin secretion in RINm5F cells

The present study was undertaken to investigate the mechanism by which arginine vasopressin (AVP) increases insulin secretion in rat insulinoma (RINmSF) cells by using a specific phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor, U-73122, and a phospholipase A2 (PLAj) inhibitor, N-(p-amylcinnamoyl)anthranilic acid (ACA). AVP (0.1-100 niv!) increased insulin secretion and cytosolic free Ca^^ concentration 'Reprinted with permission from J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 1994, 207, 400-404. Copyright @ 1994 J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. ^ Author for correspondence. 27 ([Ca^^^Ji) dose-dependently. Moreover, U-73122 (2-8 |iM) inhibited the A VPinduced increases in the intracellular concentration of inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate (IP3) and [Ca^^Jj dose-dependently. At 8 j^M U-73122 abolished the AVP's effect on IP3 and [Ca"^]j, but it only reduced the AVP-induced increase in insulin secretion by 35%. In contrast, 8 |LIM U-73122 did not reduce the ionomycin (a Ca"^ ionophore, 100 nM)-induced increase in [Ca^^'ji. The discrepancy between the results of [Ca*"^]; and insulin secretion may be due to the multiple signal transduction pathways associated with the activation of AVP receptors, specifically the Ca^^-independent pathway. The phospholipase Aj inhibitor ACA (100 jiM) did not antagonize the AVP (10 nM)-induced increase in insulin release. These results suggested: 1) U-73122 blocks PLC activhies but fails to block other signal transduction pathways that trigger insulin secretion in these cells, and 2) AVP increases insulin release from RINmSF cells through both the PLC mediated Ca""^dependent and Ca^^'-independent pathways.
Coordinating multi-dimensional support in collaborative conversational agents

The field of computer supported collaborative learning has evolved an ontology of types of support for group learning. In recent years, conversational agents have been used successfully to realize forms of dynamic micro and macro level script based support for group learning. However, using existing architectures for managing the coordination of these agent-based behaviors (which can vary widely in scope, timing, and constraints), infelicitous "collision" of behaviors have been observed. In this paper, we introduce a new architecture that facilitates the development, coordination, and co-performance of multiple agent-based support behaviors.
Three-Dimensional Mitral Valve Morphology in Children and Young Adults With Marfan Syndrome.

Background Mitral valve (MV) prolapse is common in children with Marfan syndrome (MFS) and is associated with varying degrees of mitral regurgitation (MR). However, the three-dimensional (3D) morphology of the MV in children with MFS and its relation to the degree of MR are not known. The goals of this study were to describe the 3D morphology of the MV in children with MFS and to compare it to that in normal children. Methods Three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography was performed in 27 patients (3–21 years of age) meeting the revised Ghent criteria for MFS and 27 normal children matched by age (±1 year). The 3D geometry of the MV apparatus in midsystole was measured, and its association with clinical and two-dimensional echocardiographic parameters was examined. Results Compared with age-matched control subjects, children with MFS had larger 3D annular areas (P Conclusions Children with MFS have flatter and more dilated MV annuli, greater billow volumes, and smaller tenting heights compared with normal control subjects. Larger billow volume is associated with MR. Three-dimensional MV quantification may contribute to the identification of patients with MFS and other connective tissue disorders. Further study of 3D MV geometry and its relation to the clinical progression of MV disease is warranted in this vulnerable population.
Comparison of trends and outcomes of hematopoietic stem cell transplant in geriatric (≥ 65 years) and non-geriatric (50-64 years) patients with cancer.

e18143Background: Outcomes of hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) in the geriatric population have not been extensively studied and compared with younger patients. We have analyzed a database...
A Pilot Trial of Online Simulation Training for Ebola Response Education

This article describes a pilot trial of an internet-distributable online software package that provides course materials and built-in evaluation tools to train healthcare workers in high-risk infec...
Chronic itch management: therapies beyond those targeting the immune system.

Abstract Objective Chronic itch can be a debilitating, unrelenting symptom. Over the years, we have advanced our knowledge about immune-mediated itch (eg, atopic dermatitis) and have developed several treatments targeting these immune pathways. Chronic itch that is noninflammatory in nature is more elusive. However, we have gained some understanding of the neural component mediating itch and have made progress in treating this challenging symptom. Data Sources A comprehensive literature search was conducted, and data and literature were reviewed on the topics of chronic itch, its pathophysiology, and nonimmunological treatments for chronic itch that work on the nerves. Study Selections Basic science papers, review articles, case reports, and clinical trial data were considered. Results A variety of topical and systemic therapies targeting the nerves have shown effectiveness in treating patients with chronic itch of different types. Conclusion Treating chronic itch may be challenging, but an arsenal of treatments are available and many are on the horizon as we expand our knowledge of mechanisms of itch and the neural receptors involved.
Examination of stochastic and ordered methods to select optical filters for discrimination between chemical vibrational absorption bands

Recent developments have shown that an optical filter-based sensing approach, inspired by human color vision, is capable of high-confidence discrimination between chemicals with similar infrared vibrational absorption bands. A key design point for this technique lies in the selection of the optical filters, which provide good discrimination between chemicals. Filter selection is also intrinsically tied to the classification method employed for the discrimination itself. Thus, it is imperative that the classification method or methods to be used are well understood and that mathematical means exist to compare the discrimination results provided by independent sets of optical filters. To meet this challenge, we are examining means to assign cost values to each set of optical filters for a given associated classification method. In this effort, the cost value used is the volume formed by three unique discrimination vectors. This method is developed from machine learning approaches, which define cost functions for stochastic optimization routines. We discuss multiple computational methods to discriminate between chemicals with similar infrared vibrational absorption bands using unique infrared (IR) tristimulus values for each chemical. These IR-tri-stimulus values are determined by the interaction with the chemical absorption bands and three individual optical IR band-pass filters. Methods to determine the associated cost for various selections of these IR band-pass filters and associated mathematical operations are described and compared for the computational methods. We discuss the methods employed to select the IR optical filters and discuss how the flexibility of this approach demonstrates the power of this biomimetic sensing method.
Long-term taper and growth reductions following pruning intensity treatments in giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum)

A high degree of stem taper limits the potential value of giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindl.) J. Buchholz) when grown for timber. I measured the effects of pruning to different height ...
Quality in Nuclear Medicine

A.W.J.M. Glaudemans, J. Medema, A.K. van Zanten, and R.A.J.O. Dierckx, Eds., C.T.B. (Kees) Ahaus, Guest Ed. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2017, 466 pages, $135.99 This textbook is a comprehensive overview of policies and procedures in nuclear medicine as well as a
Clinical Factors Associated with Urinary Tract Cancer in Individuals with Lynch Syndrome.

Background: Lynch syndrome confers markedly increased risks of various malignancies, including urinary tract cancers (UTC; renal pelvis, ureter, bladder, and possibly kidney cancers). It is unknown how to determine which Lynch syndrome carriers are at highest UTC risk. Our aim was to identify clinical factors associated with UTC among Lynch syndrome carriers. Methods: The study population was a cohort of 52,758 consecutively ascertained individuals undergoing Lynch syndrome testing at a commercial laboratory. Clinical data were obtained from test request forms completed by the ordering provider. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were performed to identify factors associated with UTC among Lynch syndrome carriers. Results: Compared with noncarriers, Lynch syndrome carriers were significantly more likely to have had UTC (4.1% vs. 1.2%; P Conclusions: Specific clinical factors can reliably identify Lynch syndrome carriers most likely to be at risk for UTC. Impact: A predictable subset of Lynch syndrome carriers may be most likely to benefit from UTC surveillance/prevention.
Ovarian Function During Pregnancy and Lactation

Abstract Ovarian hormones play a crucial role leading up to and during early pregnancy, until hormone production is taken over by the placenta. The essential role of the ovary in this process starts with ovulation and development of the corpus luteum. Control of the corpus luteum is complex and involves not only hormones made by the ovary itself, but also many neuroendocrine and immunologic factors. After the corpus luteum has regressed, the ovary remains relatively quiet throughout pregnancy, although there are anatomic changes and there can be ovarian cysts that may be hormonally active. The period of quiescence generally persists during early stages of exclusive breastfeeding and lactation, although ovulation and fertility can resume as early as 2 weeks postpartum, especially in the absence of lactation.
A conjoint analysis of stated vaccine preferences in Shanghai, China.

Abstract It is not clear what kind of preferences parents in China would have for vaccines that could be added to a future immunization schedule. This study’s aim was to assess Chinese parents’ preferences for attributes of vaccines. We surveyed parents of young infants ≤3 months of age at immunization clinics in Shanghai, China, in 2017. We used a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to present parents with choices between two hypothetical profiles of vaccines which were described using the following attributes: cost, risk of side effect, location of vaccine manufacturer, vaccine testing, vaccine effectiveness, severity of disease, disease prevalence. A logistic regression output estimates of preference utilities. In total, 599 caregivers completed the DCE. Parents expressed lower preference for vaccines with a 30% chance of fever as an adverse event vs a 10% chance (OR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.44, 0.64), for vaccines only 85% effective vs those 95% effective (OR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.48, 0.62), and for imported vaccines (OR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.60, 0.92) and those not tested in Chinese children (OR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.37, 0.53) compared to domestic vaccines. More affluent groups preferred more expensive vaccines whereas less affluent groups did not express cost-based preferences. Promotion of vaccines in China should focus on parents’ stated preferences, which include past testing done in Chinese children – which is, in fact, required of all licensed vaccines in China. Information about these trials could emphasize low risk of adverse events and high effectiveness.
MANAGEMENT OF A LARGE LEFT VENTRICULAR MASS EXTENDING FROM THE MITRAL TO AORTIC VALVE

Left ventricular mass etiology include thrombi, myxomas and foreign objects which can all compromise cardiac and neurologic function. Presentations of large tissue is of significant importance and requires urgent surgical evaluation and treatment. 51-year-old female presented with shortness of
Newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: current treatment strategies, emerging therapeutic approaches and beyond

As we have just stepped into a new decade of hopes, the mountain of knowledge learned from multiple myeloma (MM) remains unmatched among cancers. In the last decade alone, this rapid-sequence learn...
Magnetic field–driven assembly and reconfiguration of multicomponent supraparticles

Suprastructures at the colloidal scale must be assembled with precise control over local interactions to accurately mimic biological complexes. The toughest design requirements include breaking the symmetry of assembly in a simple and reversible fashion to unlock functions and properties so far limited to living matter. We demonstrate a simple experimental technique to program magnetic field–induced interactions between metallodielectric patchy particles and isotropic, nonmagnetic “satellite” particles. By controlling the connectivity, composition, and distribution of building blocks, we show the assembly of three-dimensional, multicomponent supraparticles that can dynamically reconfigure in response to change in external field strength. The local arrangement of building blocks and their reconfigurability are governed by a balance of attraction and repulsion between oppositely polarized domains, which we illustrate theoretically and tune experimentally. Tunable, bulk assembly of colloidal matter with predefined symmetry provides a platform to design functional microstructured materials with preprogrammable physical and chemical properties.
How much do you Trust your Self-Driving Car? Exploring Human-Robot Trust in High-Risk Scenarios

Trust is an important characteristic of successful interactions between humans and agents in many scenarios. Self-driving scenarios are of particular relevance when discussing the issue of trust due to the high-risk nature of erroneous decisions being made. The present study aims to investigate decision-making and aspects of trust in a realistic driving scenario in which an autonomous agent provides guidance to humans. To this end, a simulated driving environment based on a college campus was developed and presented. An online and an in-person experiment were conducted to examine the impacts of mistakes made by the self-driving AI agent on participants’ decisions and trust. During the experiments, participants were asked to complete a series of driving tasks and make a sequence of decisions in a time-limited situation. Behavior analysis indicated a similar relative trend in the decisions across these two experiments. Survey results revealed that a mistake made by the self-driving AI agent at the beginning had a significant impact on participants’ trust. In addition, similar overall experience and feelings across the two experimental conditions were reported. The findings in this study add to our understanding of trust in human-robot interaction scenarios and provide valuable insights for future research work in the field of human-robot trust.
Domestic Application of Treaties (Second Edition)

Domestic courts today play a prominent role in treaty application. Traditional scholarship on the domestic application of treaties has focused on the distinction between monist and dualist legal systems. Part I of this chapter explains that distinction. Although the monist-dualist framework helps illuminate important formal differences among States, Part I suggests that scholarly preoccupation with the formal distinction between monism and dualism tends to obscure key functional differences among States. Hence, the remainder of the chapter adopts a functional approach, focusing primarily on the role of domestic courts in promoting compliance with treaty obligations and protecting treaty-based private rights. Part II explains the distinction between horizontal, vertical, and transnational treaty provisions. Part III addresses the functional distinction between nationalist and transnationalist approaches to judicial application of treaties. Part IV discusses the crucial role of domestic courts in promoting compliance with treaty obligations, especially transnational and vertical treaty obligations. The functional analysis in Parts II to IV shows that domestic courts play a key role in protecting private rights under transnational treaty provisions and promoting compliance with those provisions, but they play virtually no role in promoting compliance with horizontal treaty provisions. This is generally true for both monist and dualist States. The story with respect to vertical treaty provisions is more complicated. When domestic courts adopt a transnationalist approach, they play a key role in protecting private rights under vertical treaty provisions and promoting compliance with those provisions. When domestic courts adopt a nationalist approach, vertical treaty provisions may be under-enforced. There does not appear to be any significant correlation between a State’s formal classification as monist or dualist and the tendency of domestic courts in that State to function in a nationalist or transnationalist mode.
Does the Specialty of the Surgeon Performing Elective Anterior/Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion for Degenerative Spine Disease Correlate with Early Perioperative Outcomes?

Background Comparative effectiveness research has a vital role in health reform and policies. Specialty training is one of these provider-side variables, and surgeons performing the same procedure who were trained in different specialties may have different outcomes. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of spine surgeon specialty (neurosurgery vs. orthopedic surgery) on early perioperative outcome measures of elective anterior/lateral lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF/LLIF) for degenerative disc diseases. Methods In a retrospective, 1:1 propensity score–matched cohort study, 9070 patients were reviewed from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Propensity score matching and subgroup analysis were used. Results In both groups (single-level and multilevel ALIF/LLIF), patients operated on by neurosurgeons had longer operative time (188 minutes vs. 172 minutes/239 minutes vs. 221 minutes); shorter total hospital stay (71 hours vs. 90 hours/89 hours vs. 96 hours); and lower rates of return to the operating room (2.1% vs. 4.1%/2.4% vs. 4.2%), nonhome discharge (8.7% vs. 11.1%/10.1% vs. 14.9%), discharge after postoperative day 3 (22.0% vs. 30.0%/38.0% vs. 43.9%), and perioperative blood transfusion (2.1% vs. 5.1%/5.0% vs. 9.9%) (P Conclusions Our analysis found significant differences in early perioperative outcomes of patients undergoing ALIF/LLIF by neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons. These differences have significant clinical and cost implications for patients, physicians, program directors, payers, and health systems.
An improved k-angle coverage algorithm for multimedia wireless sensor networks based on two-layer tabu search

The multimedia Internet of Things system is helpful for real-time monitoring and research of vegetable growth status and related environmental variables in the greenhouse. However, dense interleaved growth of vegetables can create a blind area of multimedia sensors. Different vegetable angle views also have different characteristics. The single-angle view cannot accurately obtain the concerned status information. The traditional multimedia sensor coverage mainly focuses on making the sensing region contain as many targets as possible, but the monitoring view and quality cannot be guaranteed due to the limited view angle and visual occlusion. Based on the actual needs, this paper studies an angle coverage judgment method based on the sensor set. By analyzing the topological relationship between each target and each corresponding sensor set, a multi-objective optimization function including angle coverage and area coverage is established, which can monitor the planting region from k angles. To solve this function, this paper then designs a two-layer code solution based on the traditional tabu search algorithm framework and adopts adaptive local search to improve the global search. Experimental results show that the judgement method in this paper is more efficient than other methods. The studied algorithm can converge to the excellent solution and obtain a small node set covering the target region from multiple angles as much as possible, thus improving the monitoring quality of vegetable greenhouse.
Chlamydia Treatment Practices and Time to Treatment in Massachusetts: Directly Observed Therapy Versus Pharmacy Prescriptions.

BACKGROUND Directly observed therapy (DOT) is recommended for the treatment of chlamydia, however pharmacy prescriptions are frequently used. Adherence to DOT and the association between treatment method and time to treatment is unknown. METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of a randomized 2% of laboratory-confirmed chlamydia infections reported to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health from January 1, 2019 to May 31, 2019. Clinicians and pharmacies were contacted to ascertain treatment methods and timing. We assessed frequency of DOT and pharmacy prescriptions in the treatment of chlamydia infection in Massachusetts. We used log rank test to compare time to treatment initiation for patients receiving DOT versus pharmacy prescriptions. Data were stratified according to whether treatment was empiric or laboratory-driven. KEY RESULTS We ascertained full outcomes for 199 patients. Eighty patients received DOT and 119 patients received pharmacy prescriptions. DOT was more common among those receiving empiric treatment and pharmacy prescriptions were more common among those receiving laboratory-driven treatment. The median time to treatment was 1.5 days for patients treated with DOT and 3 days for those treated with pharmacy prescriptions. For both groups, the median time to treatment for empiric therapy was 0 days and for laboratory-driven therapy was 4 days. The differences in time to treatment were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS Pharmacy prescriptions are frequently used for the treatment of chlamydia in Massachusetts. We did not observe a significant difference in the time to treatment between DOT and pharmacy prescriptions.
A Visual Interface for on-the-fly Biological Database Integration and Workflow Design Using VizBuilder

Data integration plays a major role in modern Life Sciences research primarily because required resources are geographically distributed across continents and experts depend upon leveraging these digitally archived resources. The ever changing and exponentially growing digital archives pose a significant challenge for traditional data integration efforts and efficient development of data processing pipelines for scientific investigations. Thus a forceful argument can be made that in Life Sciences fast and ad hoc application design requiring data integration and workflow processing is urgently warranted. In this paper, we present a new visual application design toolkit, called VizBuilder , that can be used to design ad hoc applications at throw away costs by naive users in the Life Sciences to integrate remote databases and to design application pipelines. We leverage the recent development of BioFlow query language and LifeDB database management system that allows for such application design. We show that VizBuilder can be used as a front end query interface for LifeDB, with which robust and a wide range of applications can be developed at a very abstract and conceptual level without having to learn BioFlow. Users are able to express their application by drawing it using VizBuilder icons and connecting them in a meaningful way. Once completed, VizBuilder can compile and transform the visual application into an error-free BioFlow program to be executed in LifeDB. We present the functionality of VizBuilder using a real life application that our Life Sciences researchers have implemented and executed in LifeDB as part of their investigation.
The visual control of behaviour in fiddler crabs

The distribution of resolution around the eye of the fiddler crab Uca pugilator was measured using the pseudopupil, and the results were compared with various behavioural thresholds. As noted previously (Zeil et al. 1986) the eye has a band of greatly increased vertical resolution around the middle with inter-ommatidial angles as small as 1° (Figs. 1–3). In life this band images the horizon. The horizontal resolution is nearly constant throughout the eye. Males notice females when they subtend 2 to 3 inter-ommatidial angles, and distinguish males from females when they subtend 6 to 7 ommatidia (Fig. 6). Potential predators are detected when they subtend only one inter-ommatidial angle, and move through a similar angle. Using models, it was found that males respond to moving objects of the right size as though they were conspecifics, although they do not resemble crabs in shape. It is concluded that only one feature distinguishes other crabs from predators: whether they appear below or above the crab's horizon.
A Survey of Mass Customization in Practice

This paper is a literature review of the application of mass customization (MC) in businesses. We identified businesses that have applied the MC concept to create and deliver both tangible goods and intangible services in order to satisfy their customers’ needs and expectations. With an explanation of the key MC concepts, the research describes the key elements of MC, such as elicitation, process flexibility, and logistics. We also include a description of the four specific MC approaches: collaborative, adaptive, cosmetic, and transparent. Finally, we conclude that there exist many possible applications of MC that are yet to be explored.
Is Money Smart? - An Investigation of Mutual Fund Investor's Fund Selection Ability

With $2.1 trillion assets invested in mutual funds, investors spend enormous time and effort on selecting funds. Do investors in aggregate display fund selection ability? Gruber (1996) finds evidence to support selection ability among active mutual fund investors. Using a large sample of equity funds, my paper closely examines this Smart Money effect to determine its economic significance, and the potential reasons why it exists. I evaluate the performance of trading strategies based on fund flows using risk-adjusted returns as well as a performance measure conditioned upon changing economic conditions. The performance measures clearly indicate that investors purchasing and selling decisions are able to predict funds future performance. However, the trading strategies suggest that it is difficult to make significant excess profits by following the herd. Thus there is some evidence that informed investors are able to outperform the average fund consistently. There is marginal evidence that investors can beat the market. What is the source of the Smart Money effect? An analysis using the Ferson and Schadt (1995) conditioning methods indicates that it is not due to responses to macro economic information, nor due to predictable style effects, but likely due to manager-specific information. This lends support to the regulatory policy of requiring broad disclosure of fund information, and suggests that investors, on average, act intelligently in making their share purchase decisions.
Demand-based coscheduling of parallel jobs on multiprogrammed multiprocessors

This thesis describes demand-based coscheduling, a new approach to scheduling parallel computations on multiprogrammed multiprocessors. In demand-based coscheduling, rather than making the pessimistic assumption that all the processes constituting a parallel job must be simultaneously scheduled in order to achieve good performance, information about which processes are communicating is used in order to coschedule only these; the resulting scheme is well-suited to implementation on a workstation cluster because it is naturally decentralized. I present an analytical model and simulations of demand-based coscheduling, an implementation on a cluster of workstations connected by a high-speed network, and a set of experimental results. An analysis of the results shows that demand-based coscheduling successfully coschedules parallel processes in a timeshared workstation cluster, significantly reducing the response times of parallel computations. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Evidence for permafrost thaw and transport from an Alaskan North Slope watershed

Burial of organic carbon (OC) in marine sediments is one of the most important linkages between the short-term biologic carbon cycle and the long-term geologic carbon cycle. Yet much is still unknown about the fate of terrigenous OC in marine coastal margins. Here the delivery of particulate OC (POC) to the Colville River deltaic region in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea by particulates of varying densities is studied through the use of ramped temperature pyrolysis and radiocarbon analyses. The Colville River is the largest river in North America whose watershed is underlain completely by high Arctic permafrost tundra. A variety of sources of POC are considered, including terrestrial soils, Pleistocene-aged yedoma-like sediments, coastal peat erosion, and marine POC. We provide the first evidence that riverine POC from the Colville River contains old (Pleistocene-sourced) OC, suggesting ongoing thaw and mobilization of yedoma-like permafrost OC from this northern Alaskan watershed. Additionally, much of this OC appears to be fairly labile and therefore could be readily oxidized and returned to the atmosphere.
Robbins Pathological Basis of Disease. Ramzi S. Cotran, Vinay Kumar, and Tucker Collins, eds. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders Co., 1999, 1472 pp., $75.00. ISBN 0-7216-7335-X.

The new edition of this substantially enhanced and superbly illustrated “classic” textbook encompasses detailed and authoritative descriptions of our current understanding of disease mechanisms and their pathologic sequelae. As in previous editions, the book is organized into two major sections of unequal length. The first one-third encompasses 10 chapters dealing with molecular, cellular, and tissue reactions to injury caused by agents and/or pathophysiological processes that may affect any organ system, e.g., infections or environmental agents, nutritional deficiencies, vascular or immunologic reactions, and neoplasia. The remaining two-thirds of the book consists of 20 chapters describing etiologic mechanisms, pathologic lesions, diagnostic tests, when appropriate, and clinicopathologic correlations of diseases affecting specific organs or organ systems. Between the two sections, a substantially improved chapter on diseases of infancy and childhood has been …
Novel role of transient receptor potential vanilloid 2 in the regulation of cardiac performance

Transient receptor potential cation channels have been implicated in the regulation of cardiovascular function, but only recently has our laboratory described the vanilloid-2 subtype (TRPV2) in the...
Heart Rate Variability as a Marker of Self-Regulation

Self-regulation is central to many of the most important individual and societal problems today. We sought to determine whether the relationship between self-regulation and heart rate variability (HRV) could be replicated and extended. We hypothesized that baseline HRV would predict persistence on an anagram task, and that under conditions requiring greater self-control, HRV would increase. Two groups were given the same set of difficult and unsolvable anagrams. To induce self-regulatory fatigue, the suppression group was asked to try to not think of a white bear while the expression group was asked to try to think of a white bear. Baseline HRV predicted persistence on the unsolvable anagram. Both groups demonstrated changes in HRV relative to baseline, although we were unable to replicate findings that HRV was elevated during high self-regulatory effort. We were, however, able to replicate findings that the expression group persisted longer on the anagram task compared to the suppression group but only when accounting for physical activity scores. The present study advances our knowledge of the relationship between HRV and self-regulation, so that we can more successfully treat those with seriously impaired self-control.
Coupled channel theory of pion-nucleus reactions

A theory of nuclear reactions induced by pions is presented, which includes scattering and absorption on an equal footing. The theory is consistent with a quantum field theory of mesons, but is developed in an effective Schroedinger equation formulation, to be consistent with conventional multiple scattering methods which are here extended. Methods of application to practical calculations are discussed.
Modal Identification Study of Vincent Thomas Bridge Using Simulated Wind-Induced Ambient Vibration Data

In this paper, wind-induced vibration response of Vincent Thomas Bridge, a suspension bridge located in San Pedro near Los Angeles, California, is simulated using a detailed three-dimensional finite element model of the bridge and a state-of-the-art stochastic wind excitation model. Based on the simulated wind-induced vibration data, the modal parameters (natural frequencies, damping ratios, and mode shapes) of the bridge are identified using the data-driven stochastic subspace identification method. The identified modal parameters are verified by the computed eigenproperties of the bridge model. Finally, effects of measurement noise on the system identification results are studied by adding zero-mean Gaussian white noise processes to the simulated response data. Statistical properties of the identified modal parameters are investigated under increasing level of measurement noise. The framework presented in this paper will allow to investigate the effects of various realistic damage scenarios in long-span cable-supported (suspension and cable-stayed) bridges on changes in modal identification results. Such studies are required in order to develop robust and reliable vibration-based structural health monitoring methods for this type of bridges, which is a long-term research objective of the authors.
Investigating the stereochemistry of binding to HIV-1 protease with inhibitors containing isomers of 4-amino-3-hydroxy-5-phenylpentanoic acid

Summary A series of inhibitors containing all possible isomers of 4-amino-3-hydroxy-5-phenylpentanoic acid was synthesized and tested for inhibition of HIV-1 protease. Incorporation of the (3S,4S) isomer of the t-butyloxycarbonyl protected amino acid into the sequence Glu-Phe resulted in a potent inhibitor of HIV-1 protease (K i = 63 nM). This inhibitor is at least 47- times more potent than the inhibitors containing other isomers of 4-amino-3-hydroxy-5-phenylpentanoic acid, indicating that the (3S,4S) isomer is the preferred isomer for binding to HIV-1 protease.
Hostility and nonshared family environment: A study of monozygotic twins.

Abstract A sample of 25 adult male monozygotic (Mz) twin pairs completed the Cook and Medley Hostility scale, and Structural Analysis of Social Behavior measures of their parents′ behavior toward them during childhood. Results indicated that high levels of hostile control and low levels of positive involvement from parents were associated with high levels of self-reported hostility. To rule out possible genetic influences on this covariation between parental behavior and hostility, co-twin difference scores for hostility and parental behavior were computed and correlated. The more hostile Mz co-twin described his parents as exhibiting a greater degree of hostile control. Thus, nongenetic variance in hostility was associated with perceived differences in early environments. Implications for the development of hostility and its association with health are discussed.
Approximating Chaotic Behavior

Human subjects received feedback showing how closely their responses approximated the chaotic output of the logistic difference function. In Experiment 1, subjects generated analog responses by placing a pointer along a line. In Experiment 2, they generated digital responses in the form of three-digit numbers. In Experiment 3, feedback was sometimes provided and other times withheld. Responses came to approximate three defining characteristics of logistic chaos: Sequences were “noisy,” they were extremely sensitive to initial conditions, and lag 1 autocorrelation functions were parabolic in form. Chaos theory may describe some highly variable although precisely determined human behaviors.
The effect of design and operating conditions on melting in plasticating extruders

A previously proposed but further modified theoretical model for melting in plasticating extruders, in the form of a computer program, which predicts the amount of unmelted polymer at any point in the extruder, was used to simulate the effect of geometrical and operating variables on the melting performance of the extruder. The results indicate in increasing screw length required to complete melting with increasing throughput and a decreasing length of melting with increasing frequency of screw rotation. They further indicate the existence of an optimum barrel temperature for a maximum rate of melting, an optimum number of threads for a maximum melting rate, and a significant decrease in the rate of melting with increasing flight clearance. The effect of other geometrical variables and of operating conditions on the rate of melting and power consumption are also discussed.
Studies on species of Asclepias. I and II. Introduction and a comparative study of the roots.

The objectives of a pharmacognostical investigation of Asclepias tuberosa L., Asclepias syriaca L., Asclepias speciosa Torr., Asclepias incarnata L. var. alba Hort., Asclepias incarnata L. var. pulchra Hort., and Asclepias curassavica L. are discussed. Historical data and uses in medicine and pharmacy are presented. A greater part of the reort deals with the comparative histologies of the roots of the above-mentioned members of the genus.
Magnetic Circular Polarization of Luminescence from Self-Trapped Excitons in Alkali Halides

Strong magnetic circular polarization has been observed in many of the intrinsic recombination transitions from a number of alkali halide crystals. The measured $g$ factors, $g\ensuremath{\approx}2$, confirm the assignment that these transitions originate in triplet states of the self-trapped exciton. An analysis based on field-induced mixing of the ${B}_{2\mathrm{u}}$ and ${B}_{3\mathrm{u}}$ levels of the zero-field split-triplet state is consistent with the field and temperature dependence data for bromides and iodides.
La vie de la communauté juive en Pologne au XVIIIe siècle (note critique)

Durant les annees 1980, toute une serie de facteurs politiques, institutionnels et diplomatiques se sont combines pour une renaissance de l'historiographie juive polonaise qu'on ne peut comparer qu'a celle des annees 1930. La naissance du mouvement ouvrier Solidarite, au debut de la decennie, a conduit a court terme a la menace d'une intervention sovietique et a l'imposition de la loi martiale, mais elle a permis en meme temps aux Polonais d'exprimer un certain nombre de revendications politiques et culturelles auxquelles rien jusque-la ne faisait echo dans la vie officielle du pays. Parmi celles-ci, une reevaluation complete de l'experience historique moderne du pays depuis les fatals partages de la Pologne, a la fin du xviiie siecle. Or, dans toutes les confrontations avec le passe s'est posee la question des « Juifs de Pologne », de leur enracinement — ou de leur manque d'enracinement — dans le paysage historique et de leur condition de victimes de l'histoire, une histoire au cours de laquelle il y eut d'une certaine maniere convergence avec la nation polonaise, mais aussi par d'autres aspects essentiels une evidente divergence.
Holographic optical elements by dry photopolymer embossing

New dry photopolymer embossing (DPE) technology was developed recently at Du Pont to replicate highly efficient, deep groove surface relief holographic optical elements (HOEs). DPE technology utilizes Du Pont proprietary materials and processes to replicate with very high degree of precision almost any kind of surface relief or embossed holograms. Very sophisticated embossed HOEs with the width/depth aspect ratio of 1:20 were faithfully replicated by this technology. Dimensions of the replicated grooves or other structures vary from 0.1 micrometers to 3.5 micrometers . Such HOEs can be produced in different geometrical configurations and sizes, which are actually dictated by the master hologram. Embossed HOEs can be fabricated on a plastic film or sheet substrate of different types, thicknesses and shapes. Also glass and other inorganic materials can be used as substrates for these deep groove HOEs. To replicate high quality HOEs the master hologram must be recorded in metal, glass, or other hard surface material. DPE technology may provide substantial technological and economical advantage over existing conventional replication processes, such as injection molding, thermo-embossing, reaction molding or 2P (photo-polymerization) process, in replication of different types of embossed holograms and surface relief HOEs.
Designing and evaluating learning collaborations in post-secondary geography

The Association of American Geographers' Center for Global Geography Education (CGGE) offers online learning modules that support international collaborations in post-secondary geography with the aim of promoting international dialogue on relevant geographic issues. Through the module's collaborative learning activities, students have an opportunity to develop intercultural communication competence, broaden their international perspectives and build a sense of global citizenship. This paper explores ways to design effective online collaborative activities in general as well as methods to evaluate the impact of the CGGE modules on students' international perspectives.
Mathematical structures and psychological measurements

The nature of psychological measurements in relation to mathematical structures and representations is examined. Some very general notions concerning algebras and systems are introduced and applied to physical and number systems, and to measurement theory. It is shown that the classical intensive and extensive dimensions of measurements with their respective ordinal and additive scales are not adequate to describe physical events without the introduction of the notions of dimensional units and of dimensional homogeneity. It is also shown that in the absence of these notions, the resulting systems of magnitudes have only a very restricted kind of isomorphism with the real number system, and hence have little or no mathematical representations. An alternative in the form of an extended theory of measurements is developed. A third dimension of measurement, the supra-extensive dimension, is introduced; and a new scale, the multiplicative scale, is associated with it. It is shown that supra-extensive magnitudes do constitute systems isomorphic with the system of real numbers and that they alone can be given mathematical representations. Physical quantities are supra-extensive magnitudes. In contrast, to date, psychological quantities are either intensive or extensive, but never of the third kind. This, it is felt, is the reason why mathematical representations have been few and without success in psychology as contrasted to the physical sciences. In particular, the Weber-Fechner relation is examined and shown to be invalid in two respects. It is concluded that the construction of multiplicative scales in psychology, or the equivalent use of dimensional analysis, alone will enable the development of fruitful mathematical theories in this area of investigation.