cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Weight, Weight Change, and Mortality in a Random Sample of Older Community-Dwelling Women

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between measured weight, weight change, and 6-year mortality risk in a random sample of 648 community-dwelling women aged 65 and older from Baltimore, Maryland. MEASUREMENTS: Data were collected using a standardized questionnaire and administered in person by trained interviewers. Questionnaires were completed annually from 1984 to 1986, and body weight was measured at each interview. Weight was defined as body mass index (BMI) of low ( 28 kg/m2). Four mutually exclusive categories of weight change of at least 4.5% in BMI over the three annual interviews were developed to describe all possible weight change patterns: weight gain, weight loss, no change, and weight cycling. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 106 women (16%) died. Women with low baseline BMI, regardless of weight change, and those who lost weight, regardless of baseline BMI had increased mortality risk. Women with average baseline BMI and weight loss had a very high mortality risk (hazard ratio (HR) 3.84, 95% Confidence interval (CI) 2.14-6.89). Women who weight cycled had increased mortality risk at low and high baseline weights, and a nonsignificant increased risk at average baseline weight (P = .069). Analyses were adjusted for age, education, smoking, alcohol usage, and pre-existing illness and included an interaction between weight change and baseline BMI. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that white, older, community-dwelling women are at an increased risk of mortality if they are underweight, lose weight, or weight cycle. J Am Geriatr Soc 47:1409–1414, 1999.
Inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes by elite clonal extracts of oregano (origanum vulgare)

Food safety continues to be a major concern for the food industry in recent years. One of the industry's top priorities has been to find alternative ways to preserve their newly developed foods while satisfying the increasing consumer demand to produce safe, all-natural products. In order to achieve this “clean label”, much research has been devoted to the use of effective plant-based antimicrobials, such as those from herbs and spices, to replace chemical preservatives. However, due to the cross-pollination character of herbs and spices, there is a lot of genetic heterogeneity among different batches of the same plant species. This poses a problem for the routine use of plants, and their extracts, as a barrier towards microbial growth. In order to combat this, a unique tissue-culture-based selection strategy was used to isolate an elite phenolic phytochemical-producing clonal line of oregano (Origanum vulgare). Ethanol extracts of this elite clonal line of oregano were then used to study its inhibitory a...
Receiver-driven multicast over wireless with distributed source coding and FEC

We address the problem of robust low-delay video multicast over wireless networks and propose an MPEG/H.26x compatible receiver-driven multicast system. Distributed source coded (DSC) data and forward error correction (FEC) coded parity data are sent to different multicast groups. Heterogeneous receivers with different bandwidth and channel conditions can dynamically switch between subscribing to FEC multicast group(s) and DSC multicast group(s) to enhance the quality of decoded video based on their individual decoding status. Simulations show that this approach has advantages over pure-FEC based schemes and random intra-refresh, especially when the delay constraint is stringent and the transmission channel loss has a bursty nature, as is true in wireless channels.
Statistical inference for template aging

A change in classification error rates for a biometric device is often referred to as template aging. Here we offer two methods for determining whether the effect of time is statistically significant. The first of these is the use of a generalized linear model to determine if these error rates change linearly over time. This approach generalizes previous work assessing the impact of covariates using generalized linear models. The second approach uses of likelihood ratio tests methodology. The focus here is on statistical methods for estimation not the underlying cause of the change in error rates over time. These methodologies are applied to data from the National Institutes of Standards and Technology Biometric Score Set Release 1. The results of these applications are discussed.
Field Independence as a Function of Sex, Sex-Roles, and the Sex-Role Appropriateness of the Task

Two experiments were conducted to explain the sex difference in field independence by reference to socialization factors. It was hypothesized that the sex-role appropriateness of the task as masculine- or feminine-typed would influence the performance of masculine and feminine women in a manner congruent with their sex-role orientation. 28 pilot subjects and 100 subjects in Study 2 were equally divided between the sexes. Both studies used the Bern Sex-role Inventory, but different versions of the Embedded Figures Test. The over-all results suggested that feminine women varied their performance according to task appropriateness, although not always in a manner congruent with their sex-role orientation. Androgynous individuals and masculine men did not alter their performance.
New approaches to genetic manipulation of mice: tissue-specific expression of ACE

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a central role in body physiology, controlling blood pressure and blood electrolyte composition. ACE.1 (null) mice are null for all expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). These mice have low blood pressure, the inability to concentrate urine, and a maldevelopment of the kidney. In contrast, ACE.2 (tissue null) mice produce one-third normal plasma ACE but no tissue ACE. They also have low blood pressure and cannot concentrate urine, but they have normal indices of renal function. These mice, while very informative, show that the null approach to creating knockout mice has intrinsic limitations given the many different physiological systems that no longer operate in an animal without a functioning RAS. To investigate the fine control of body physiology by the RAS, we developed a novel promoter swapping approach to generate a more selective tissue knockout of ACE expression. We used this to create ACE.3 (liver ACE) mice that selectively express ACE in the liver but lack all ACE within the vasculature. Evaluation of these mice shows that endothelial expression of ACE is not required for blood pressure control or normal renal function. Targeted homologous recombination has the power to create new strains of mice expressing the RAS in selected subsets of tissues. Not only will these new genetic models be useful for studying blood pressure regulation but also they show great promise for the investigation of the function of the RAS in complicated disease models.
Validation of a chemiluminescent enzyme immunometric assay for plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone in the dog.

Background: The concentration of canine adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) is usually determined by radioimmunoassay. However, chemiluminescent assay techniques have many advantages for clinical endocrine testing. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to validate a commercially available chemiluminescent assay for determination of canine ACTH concentration and to determine whether protease inhibitors are appropriate for use in the chemiluminescent assay system. Methods: Biological specificity was evaluated by treatment of 3 dogs with ovine corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) followed by serial measurements of ACTH and by comparison with a previously validated immunoradiometric assay. All samples were collected both in the presence and absence of aprotinin, a protease inhibitor. The assay was further evaluated by measurement of intra-assay precision, interassay precision, and recovery after dilution. Results: Baseline ACTH concentrations ranged from 5.6 to 15.3 pg/mL, and maximum ACTH concentrations of 158 to 1240 pg/mL were observed 30–60 minutes after CRH administration. Plasma samples collected with aprotinin had significantly lower ACTH concentrations than did samples collected without aprotinin. The intra-assay coefficients of variance (CVs) ranged from 4.1 to 8.2%, and interassay CVs ranged from 4.6 to 14.8%. Recovery after dilution with canine plasma ranged from 93.4 to 103.0% of predicted concentration; however, inadequate recovery was observed with other diluents. There was a high correlation with the immunoradiometric assay (r= .925) but a significant negative bias (-32.9, 95% confidence interval −50.8 to −14.9). Conclusions: This chemiluminescent assay is a valid technique for measurement of ACTH in canine plasma. ACTH concentration measured by chemiluminescence is lower than that measured by immunoradiometry. Aprotinin decreases the measured concentration of ACTH, and this effect should be taken into account when interpreting results. Diluents supplied with the kit should not be used for dilution of canine samples.
PMU placement for dynamic equivalencing of power systems under flow observability constraints

Abstract In this paper we develop two graph-theoretic algorithms for placing Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) in a multi-area power system network with the objective of identifying its dynamic equivalent model. The system is considered to be divided into clusters of synchronous generators and loads, with each area connected to other sets of areas through designated transmission networks. We first show that in order to derive the equivalent line parameters connecting the different areas we must have PMUs placed at the minimum vertex cover of the bipartite graphs formed between every pair of node-sets arising from the boundary buses of these areas. Considering further that the number of tie-lines observable from any given PMU is constrained by an upper limit, we derive two sets of algorithms to compute the sub-optimal minimum cover, first for a bipartite graph and then for any general topology. The respective algorithms are referred to as CONPLAC and CONITPLAC. Results are illustrated using a IEEE 34-bus system pointing to the robustness of the proposed algorithms against time-varying network topology. Finally, we present statistical analyses to describe how the final set of chosen PMU locations and the computational time of these algorithms depend on network size, complexity and measurement constraints.
Failure of cortisone and hydrocortisone to replace pteroylglutamic acid and citrovorum factor in microbial growth.

SummaryCortisone and hydrocortisone, added to standard assay media, failed to support or to potentiate the growth of S. faecalis, L. casei, or Le. citrovorum.
Extremal Regular Graphs with Prescribed Odd Girth

The odd girth of a graph G gives the length of a shortest odd cycle in G. Let ?(k, g) denote the smallest n such that there exists a k-regular graph of order n and odd girth g. It is known that ?(k, g) ? kg/2 and that ?(k, g) = kg/2 if k is even. The exact values of ?(k, g) are also known if k = 3 or g = 5. Let ?x?e denote the smallest even integer no less than x, ?(g) = (?1)g ? 1/2, and s(k) = min {p + q | k = pq, where p and q are both positive integers}. It is proved that if k ? 5 and g ? 7 are both odd, then formula] with the exception that ?(5, 7) = 20.
Linear approximation of fractional transfer functions of distributed parameter systems

A new method to approximate distributed parameter systems, which normally have an infinite dimension, by finite dimensional linear systems is presented. The impulse and step responses of the original systems are well approximated by using the singular value decomposition. A telegraph cable example is presented to demonstrate the usefulness of the method.
Auditory extinction: the effect of stimulus similarity and task requirements

Auditory extinction was examined in six patients with right hemisphere lesions, using an auditory double simultaneous stimulation task using letters spoken in male and female voices. Patients had to detect where the stimuli were located, and identify either the letter or the voice (the task-relevant dimension). Auditory extinction was greatest when the two stimuli were the same on the task-relevant dimension, paralleling previous studies of visual extinction. Furthermore, we found that errors of omission were much less frequent in the contralesional field if the patients were not required to report both identity and the location of stimuli. These results are consistent with the notion that auditory extinction may be due in part to a failure to bind together identity and location.
The Reef Flat and ‘Two-Meter Eustatic Terrace’ of Some Pacific Atolls

Characteristics of Indo-Pacific coral reefs long cited as evidence of a recent decline in sea level include: (1) the reef “flat” or pavement, (2) intertidal and supratidal flat erosion remnants of cemented coral rubble, and (3) erosion of the shores of reef islets. Our examination of 25 low islands and 8 high islands in the Caroline and Marshall Islands during the 1967 Scripps Institution of Oceanography Expedition CARMARSEL leads us to conclude that the reef flats in the western Pacific generally are not simply erosional platforms but represent an equilibrium surface between upward accretion by reef-building organisms and erosion at the mean level of low tides. Intertidal and supratidal coral rubble and calcareous sand accumulate above low-tide level during storms forming all of the visible land in the visited low islands. This rubble is currently being cemented and welded to the reef flats between tidal limits, and probably is also being cemented as beachrock and island conglomerate below the fluctuating water table of the cays. Topographically highest cemented carbonate rocks of the Caroline and Marshall Islands are uniformly less than 2 m above the adjacent reef flat, and entirely in the intertidal zone, hence, within the tidal range of present sea level. Flat horizontal surfaces of small extent occur on shore rocks, locally truncating inclined beds of beach rock. These surfaces roughly correspond to the upper limit of contemporary cementation somewhat modified by gravel scour. Comparison with rock platforms of a slightly elevated atoll of the Tuamotus, Raroia, indicates that the Marshall and Caroline Islands do not display expectable features of uplift or of subsiding sea level.
Serum-activated assembly and membrane translocation of an endogenous Rac1:effector complex

Rho family GTPases (Cdc42, Rac1, and RhoA) function downstream of Ras [1], and in a variety of cellular processes [2]. Studies to examine these functions have not directly linked endogenous protein interactions with specific in vivo functions of Rho GTPases. Here, we show that endogenous Rac1 and two known binding partners, Rho GDP dissociation inhibitor (RhoGDI) and p21-activated kinase (PAK), fractionate as distinct cytosolic complexes. A Rac1:PAK complex is translocated from the cytosol to ruffling membranes upon cell activation by serum. Overexpression of dominant-negative (T17N) Rac1 does not affect the assembly or distribution of this Rac1:PAK complex. This is the first direct evidence of how a specific function of Rac1 is selected by the assembly and membrane translocation of a distinct Rac1:effector complex.
Stem and Soil Applications of Systemic Insecticides to Cotton for Control of Lygus hesperu

Azodrin® (3-hydroxy- N -methyl- cis crotonamide dimethyl phosphate) and UC-21149 (2-methyl-2-(methylthio) propionaldehyde O -(methylcarbamoyl) oxime) were applied to cotton plants as stem and soil treatments in small-plot and greenhouse experiments for control of Lygus Hesperus Knight. In the small-plot tests, Azodrin, applied as a stem treatment, gave effective control between 2 and 9 days after treatment, and UC-21149, applied as a sidedness, gave effective control 9-16 days after treatment. The effectiveness of UC-21149 seemed to increase after irrigation. In the green-house experiments, the periods of effective control were similar, but mortality of the test insects was somewhat higher.
LABORATORY AND POND EVIDENCE FOR SHRIMP (Penaeus stylirostris) PREDATION BY DAMSELFLY NYMPHS (Ischnura rarnburi)

A negative relationship was found between damselfly nymph population density and final shrimp population density in ponds. The importance of damselfly nymphs as potential predators of post-larval shrimp and the effect of shrimp size, salinity, and substrate type on this predatory relationship were evaluated by a series of laboratory experiments. When 5–10 nymphs and 15 post-larval shrimp were stocked in tanks with a 0.96 m2 bottom area and containing 150 liters of water, each nymph averaged killing 1.7 shrimp per day at 10 ppt salinity and 0.6 shrimp per day at 20 ppt. Damselfly predation rates were inversely related to the three shrimp sizes (average 8.55, 12.89, and 17.30 mm). Presence or absence of a natural muddy substrate had no effect on shrimp mortality caused by nymphs. The results of these experiments strongly suggest that predation of damselfly nymphs on post-larval shrimp, when they occur together in ponds, may be a serious problem for the culturist.
Exploring mobile phone‐sharing practices in Ghana

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present research evidence on mobile phone sharing practices in a developing country context.Design/methodology/approach – The study adopted an exploratory approach, using a combination of in‐depth interviews, non‐random surveys and field observations of mobile phone users and mobile payphone service providers.Findings – The paper finds that there are multiple dimensions to mobile phone sharing and that it is an important means of giving respondents the ability to communicate under different circumstances of need. However, most research respondents preferred or were aspiring to personal phone ownership and a reduction of the need to share. This preference was demonstrated in respondents' attitudes and actual behavior with respect to sharing phones with family and friends, as well as the use of payphones.Research limitations/implications – Due to the exploratory and largely qualitative research approach, the findings may not be generalizable. The results provide evi...
On Mobots and Classrooms: The Converging Languages of the New Capitalism and Schooling

Owing to social and technological changes, we are witnessing the beginnings of a global, hyper-competitive `new capitalism' reorganizing economic and social relationships within and between busines...
Accurate inclusion mass screening: a bridge from unbiased discovery to targeted assay development for biomarker verification

Verification of candidate biomarker proteins in blood is typically done using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) of peptides by LC-MS/MS on triple quadrupole MS systems. MRM assay development for each protein requires significant time and cost, much of which is likely to be of little value if the candidate biomarker is below the detection limit in blood or a false positive in the original discovery data. Here we present a new technology, accurate inclusion mass screening (AIMS), designed to provide a bridge from unbiased discovery to MS-based targeted assay development. Masses on the software inclusion list are monitored in each scan on the Orbitrap MS system, and MS/MS spectra for sequence confirmation are acquired only when a peptide from the list is detected with both the correct accurate mass and charge state. The AIMS experiment confirms that a given peptide (and thus the protein from which it is derived) is present in the plasma. Throughput of the method is sufficient to qualify up to a hundred proteins/week. The sensitivity of AIMS is similar to MRM on a triple quadrupole MS system using optimized sample preparation methods (low tens of ng/ml in plasma), and MS/MS data from the AIMS experiments on the Orbitrap can be directly used to configure MRM assays. The method was shown to be at least 4-fold more efficient at detecting peptides of interest than undirected LC-MS/MS experiments using the same instrumentation, and relative quantitation information can be obtained by AIMS in case versus control experiments. Detection by AIMS ensures that a quantitative MRM-based assay can be configured for that protein. The method has the potential to qualify large number of biomarker candidates based on their detection in plasma prior to committing to the time- and resource-intensive steps of establishing a quantitative assay.
Clamping the clamp of RNA polymerase

Bacterial NusG and its archaeal and eukaryal orthologues Spt5 are the only general transcription factors conserved across the three domains of life. The best studied among them, NusG, is found to be associated with the majority of the transcribed genes in the genome (with its paralogue RfaH picking up the slack) (Belogurov et al , 2009), and is implicated in regulating the lateral mobility of RNA polymerase (RNAP) (Bar‐Nahum et al , 2005; Herbert et al , 2010), transcription termination and anti‐termination (Nudler and Gottesman, 2002), coordinating transcription and translation (Burmann et al , 2010; Proshkin et al , 2010), and silencing horizontally transferred genes (Cardinale et al , 2008). Understanding of the mechanism of these factors requires detailed structural information about the complexes they are a part of, most importantly that of transcription elongation. Several high‐resolution structures of proteins from this family are available, but until now the attempts to co‐crystallize NusG or Spt5 with its primary target, RNAP, have failed. Two recent works from the labs of Murakami (Klein et al , 2011) and Cramer (in this issue of The EMBO Journal ) succeeded in circumventing the problems that plagued the conventional strategies.
Effect of cholecalciferol supplementation on inflammation and cellular alloimmunity in hemodialysis patients: data from a randomized controlled pilot trial.

Background Memory T-cells are mediators of transplant injury, and no therapy is known to prevent the development of cross-reactive memory alloimmunity. Activated vitamin D is immunomodulatory, and vitamin D deficiency, common in hemodialysis patients awaiting transplantation, is associated with a heightened alloimmune response. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that vitamin D3 supplementation would prevent alloreactive T-cell memory formation in vitamin D-deficient hemodialysis patients. Methods and Findings We performed a 12-month single-center pilot randomized, controlled trial of 50,000 IU/week of cholecalciferol (D3) versus no supplementation in 96 hemodialysis patients with serum 25(OH)D<25 ng/mL, measuring effects on serum 25(OH)D and phenotypic and functional properties of T-cells. Participants were randomized 2∶1 to active treatment versus control. D3 supplementation increased serum 25(OH)D at 6 weeks (13.5 [11.2] ng/mL to 42.5 [18.5] ng/mL, p<0.001) and for the duration of the study. No episodes of sustained hypercalcemia occurred in either group. Results of IFNγ ELISPOT-based panel of reactive T-cell assays (PRT), quantifying alloreactive memory, demonstrated greater increases in the controls over 1 year compared to the treatment group (delta PRT in treatment 104.8+/−330.8 vs 252.9+/−431.3 in control), but these changes in PRT between groups did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.25). Conclusions D3 supplements are safe, effective at treating vitamin D deficiency, and may prevent time-dependent increases in T-cell alloimmunity in hemodialysis patients, but their effects on alloimmunity need to be confirmed in larger studies. These findings support the routine supplementation of vitamin D-deficient transplant candidates on hemodialysis and highlight the need for large-scale prospective studies of vitamin D supplementation in transplant candidates and recipients. Trial Registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01175798
Solving transition independent decentralized Markov decision processes

Formal treatment of collaborative multi-agent systems has been lagging behind the rapid progress in sequential decision making by individual agents. Recent work in the area of decentralized Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) has contributed to closing this gap, but the computational complexity of these models remains a serious obstacle. To overcome this complexity barrier, we identify a specific class of decentralized MDPs in which the agents' transitions are independent. The class consists of independent collaborating agents that are tied together through a structured global reward function that depends on all of their histories of states and actions. We present a novel algorithm for solving this class of problems and examine its properties, both as an optimal algorithm and as an anytime algorithm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first algorithm to optimally solve a non-trivial subclass of decentralized MDPs. It lays the foundation for further work in this area on both exact and approximate algorithms.
A measurement of the energy and timing resolution of the GlueX Forward Calorimeter using an electron beam

The performance of the GlueX Forward Calorimeter was studied using a small version of the detector and a variable energy electron beam derived from the Hall B tagger at Jefferson Lab. For electron energies from 110 MeV to 260 MeV, which are near the lower-limits of the design sensitivity, the fractional energy resolution was measured to range from 20% to 14%, which meets the design goals. The use of custom 250 MHz flash ADCs for readout allowed precise measurements of signal arrival times. The detector achieved timing resolutions of 0.38 ns for a single 100 mV pulse, which will allow timing discrimination of photon beam bunches and out-of-time background during the operation of the GlueX detector.
Recurrent stroke in childhood cancer survivors

Objective: To estimate the rates and predictors of recurrent stroke among survivors of pediatric cancer who have had a first stroke. Methods: The Childhood Cancer Survivor Study is a retrospective cohort study with longitudinal follow-up that enrolled 14,358 survivors ( Results: Among 329 respondents (74% response rate), 271 confirmed a first stroke at a median age of 19 years (range 0–53), and 70 reported a second stroke at a median age of 32 years (range 1–56). In a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model, independent predictors of recurrent stroke included cranial radiation therapy (CRT) dose of ≥50 Gy (vs none, hazard ratio [HR] 4.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4–13.7), hypertension (HR 1.9; 95% CI 1.0–3.5), and older age at first stroke (HR 6.4; 95% CI 1.8–23; for age ≥40 vs age 0–17 years). The 10-year cumulative incidence of late recurrent stroke was 21% (95% CI 16%–27%) overall, and 33% (95% CI 21%–44%) for those treated with ≥50 Gy of CRT. Conclusion: Survivors of childhood cancer, particularly those previously treated with high-dose cranial radiation, have a high risk of recurrent stroke for decades after a first stroke. Although these strokes are mostly occurring in young adulthood, hypertension, an established atherosclerotic risk factor, independently predicts recurrent stroke in this population.
“I Seen My Opportunities and I Took 'Em:” Political Corruption in the American States

This study is an empirical examination of political corruption in the American states. Using the number of public officials who are convicted of crimes involving corruption as the dependent variable, four explanations of corruption are examined--historical/cultural, political, structural, and bureaucratic. We find that corruption is associated with historical/cultural forces, political forces (especially turnout and party competition), and bureaucratic forces (government size and policies that increase bribe opportunities). Structural factors (e.g., campaign finance reporting requirements, centralization, direct democracy) are unrelated to the incidence of corruption. Finally, the study shows some evidence that prosecution of corrupt public officials was subject to partisan and racial targeting during the Reagan administration and racial targeting during the Carter administration.
Sympathetic and parasympathetic responses to specific diversified adjustments to chiropractic vertebral subluxations of the cervical and thoracic spine

Objective The aims of this study were to investigate the response of the autonomic nervous system based upon the area of the spine adjusted and to determine if a cervical adjustment elicits a parasympathetic response and if a thoracic adjustment elicits a sympathetic response.
Super-resolution processing technique for vector sensors

Vector sensors are used in radar, sonar and communications applications. Vector sensors use measurements from multiple, co-located sensors to achieve improved spatial resolvability. Vector sensors obtain multi-variate measurements at a point by measuring the signal in multiple polarizations or the spatial derivatives of the signal. This study focuses on vector sensors which measure the spatial derivatives of the signal. The measurement of the spatial derivatives allows one to extrapolate the signal over an aperture significantly greater than the real aperture of the sensors themselves. The degree to which the signal can be extrapolated will depend on the number of spatial derivatives which are measured. In practice, the vector sensors measure only the lowest order spatial derivatives of a signal. This limits the size of the aperture over which the signal can be extrapolated. In this paper, a super-resolution processing technique is developed for extending the aperture by estimating the higher order spatial derivatives from the measured lower order derivatives. A linear prediction (LP) model is used to write the higher order derivatives in terms of the lower order derivatives. The coefficients of the LP model are estimated using the measurements. The Least Mean Square (LMS) algorithm is used to estimate the LP coefficients from the vector sensor measurements. The LP model is then used to estimate the higher order spatial derivatives. Using the higher order derivatives, the signal can be extrapolated over a larger aperture. The LP model that relates the higher order spatial derivatives to the measured lower order derivatives is formulated. For the purpose of clarity, the study focuses on one-dimensional vector sensors. Simulations are used to study the effectiveness of this technique. The improvement in the spatial resolution is studied as a function of the order of the LP process and signal-to-noise ratio.
History of personal dosimetry performance testing in the United States

The basis for personal dosimetry performance testing in the United States is ANSI/HPS N13.11 (2001). Now in its third edition, this standard has been in place since 1983. Testing under this standard is administered by the National Voluntary Accreditation Program (NVLAP), and accreditation of dosimetry processors under this program is required by US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations. The US Department of Energy (DOE) also maintains a testing program for its laboratories and contractors, administered by the Department of Energy Laboratory Accreditation Program (DOELAP). A focus in recent years has been the modification of ANSI/HPS N13.11 to allow acceptance by both testing programs in order to bring harmonisation to US personal dosemeter processing testing. Since there is no type testing program in the US for personal dosemeters, the testing philosophy of ANSI N13.11 has always combined elements of type testing and routine performance testing. This philosophy is explored in detail in this presentation, along with trends in the development of the document to its present state. In addition, a look will be taken at what the future holds for the next revision of the document, scheduled to begin in 2005.
A framework of requirements tracing using UML

Requirements tracing supports software development work by tracing the changes made to the models. There are two functions in requirements tracing: change tracking and influence analysis. Change tracking is the function of searching the models and model elements in the production sequence. Furthermore, one correction of an element in a model often leads to new corrections to other elements. Influence analysis is the function of finding those elements that need to be additionally corrected. The requirements tracing models are drawn with UML diagrams. UML (Unified Modeling Language) is an industrial-standard visual modeling language established by the OMG (Object Management Group).
Reliable forward walking parameters from head-track data alone

Head motion during real walking is complex: The basic translational path is obscured by head bobbing. Many VE applications would be improved if a bobbing-free path were available. This paper introduces a model that describes head position while walking in terms of a bobbing free path and the head bobs. We introduce two methods to approximate the model from head-track data.
RF MEMS on the radar

This article gives an overview of applications of radio frequency (RF) microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology in radio detection and ranging (radar). RF MEMS components for radar include attenuators, limiters, (true-time-delay) phase shifters, transmit/receive (T/R) switches and tunable matching networks. Radar subsystems that benefit from RF MEMS technology include active electronically scanned arrays (T/R modules), passive electronically scanned arrays (lenses, reflect arrays, subarrays, and switched beamformers), and radomes. Using a bottom-up approach, the figures of merit for RF MEMS technology are related to the figures of merit for radar subsystems. The article also discusses ultrawideband RF MEMS reflect array and T/R module design as examples. First, electronically scanned array, radar and RF MEMS fundamentals are briefly introduced.
Sr evolution in the West Greenland-Labrador craton: a model for early Rb depletion in the mantle

Abstract A model for Sr evolution in the West Greenland-Labrador region is proposed based on the available data for granitic gneisses ranging in age from 3.6 AE to 1.9 AE and for recent continental tholeiites from West Greenland. The evolution of initial Sr isotopic composition is consistent with a two-stage model for the mantle in this area with a constant Rb/Sr ratio of 0.014 ± 0.002 from ∼ 4.45 AE through the present. The model suggests the mantle may have been depleted in Rb ∼ 4.45 AE ago if the Earth was originally chondritic with respect to Rb and Sr. This age of differentiation is consistent with recently proposed terrestrial differentiation based on Pb Pb analyses of ancient Amitsoq gneiss feldspars (∼4.47 AE, Gancarz and Wasserburg, 1977). A linear regression of the gneisses, if extrapolated to the present, predicts the present value of Sr87/Sr86 of the mantle in this area to be 0.7034 ± 0.0003 which is the measured Sr isotopic composition of the recent Svartenhuk tholeiites. Various implications of the model with respect to early Earth history, mantle evolution and pre-emplacement histories of gneissic suites are discussed.
Geobacter sulfurreducens Contains Separate C- and A-Adding tRNA Nucleotidyltransferases and a Poly(A) Polymerase

The genome of Geobacter sulfurreducens contains three genes whose sequences are quite similar to sequences encoding known members of an RNA nucleotidyltransferase superfamily that includes tRNA nucleotidyltransferases and poly(A) polymerases. Reverse transcription-PCR using G. sulfurreducens total RNA demonstrated that the genes encoding these three proteins are transcribed. These genes, encoding proteins designated NTSFI, NTSFII, and NTSFIII, were cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The corresponding enzymes were purified and assayed biochemically, resulting in identification of NTSFI as a poly(A) polymerase, NTSFII as a C-adding tRNA nucleotidyltransferase, and NTSFIII as an A-adding tRNA nucleotidyltransferase. Analysis of G. sulfurreducens rRNAs and mRNAs revealed the presence of heteropolymeric RNA 3′ tails. This is the first characterization of a bacterial system that expresses separate C- and A-adding tRNA nucleotidyltransferases and a poly(A) polymerase.
Jackknifing estimated weighted least squares: Jewls

This paper investigates regression analysis of experimental designs with replications, assuming variance heterogeneity, possibly combined wioth nonnormality. These replication yield variance estimators which result in Estimated Weighted Least Squares (EWLS). Jackknifing yields confidence intervals for these nonlinear EWLS estimators. The Validity of these confidence intervals is examined in a Monte Carlo experiment. Jackknifed EWLS estimators result in better confidence iintervals than simple EWLS.
Synthesis of Replicative Form Deoxyribonucleic Acid and Messenger Ribonucleic Acid by Gene IV Mutants of Bacteriophage S13

Gene IV mutants of bacteriophage S13 are known to be blocked in infectious replicative form (RF) DNA synthesis, producing only a small fraction of the RF formed by wild-type phage. This investigation shows that gene IV mutants form only parental RF and are blocked in the synthesis of any progeny RF, either infectious or noninfectious. This was determined by density labeling of RF in cells treated with mitomycin C to suppress host deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis. RF synthesis was also studied in untreated cells, using methylated albumin columns to separate RF from host DNA. In this case it was also found that synthesis of progeny RF by gene IV mutants is negligible. It has been found by DNA-ribonucleic acid (RNA) hybridization experiments that gene IV mutants form at least as much or more messenger RNA than wild-type phage. Therefore, parental RF alone can form messenger RNA in appreciable amounts.
The effects of time windowing on the accuracy of the short-pulse propagation technique

The accuracy of the short-pulse propagation (SPP) technique is evaluated for different time windowing methods. An algorithm written to replace the conventional program used for the signal processing step of the SPP technique allows control over the placement of the time window with respect to the pulse data. The values of the attenuation coefficient calculated using this algorithm are compared to VNA measurements to assess accuracy. Using the results from different time windowing techniques, a rule set for accurate time windowing of SPP data is developed.
Psychological effects on the child raised by an older sibling.

It is postulated that a preadolescent child must bring to bear on a sibling he has to raise open or hidden attitudes of unmitigated violence that are a function of his biological and psychological immaturity. Therefore the experience of being raised by an older sibling may entail a very harmful element that stems directly from the unmitigated violence of the older sibling's feeling and attitudes.
Inhibition of Pyricularia oryzae, the Gray Leaf Spot Pathogen of Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne), by AH010, a Novel Fungicidal Material

ABSTRACT Mycelial growth of Pyricularia oryzae on amended potato-dextrose agar was inhibited to 50% of controls by ≥1250 ppm AH010 (40% benzalkonium chloride, 60% urea) and almost completely prevented by 10,000 ppm AH010. P. oryzae spore germination was completely inhibited by ≥18.6 ppm AH010 in sterile deionized water, and inhibition at 18.6 and 46.5 ppm AH010 was abolished by potato-dextrose broth. Sub-inhibitory concentrations of salicylic acid (SA; 50, 75, and 100 μM) negated the delaying effect of 9.3 ppm AH010 on spore germination. Maximal protection of perennial ryegrass plants from gray leaf spot disease (70–80% symptom reduction) was obtained with 2000 ppm foliar-applied AH010. Foliar-applied SA (2 mM) provided modest disease suppression that was dependent upon time of application and light regime. However, 2 mM SA antagonized disease suppression by AH010. Phytotoxicity of AH010 to L. perenne was observed, and this was conditioned by AH010 concentration and light regime.
A stochastic model for palaeomagnetic field variations

SUMMARY Regeneration of the Earth’s magnetic field by convection in the liquid core produces a broad spectrum of time variation. Relative palaeointensity measurements in marine sediments provide a detailed record over the past 2 Myr, but an explicit reconstruction of the underlying dynamics is not feasible. A more practical alternative is to construct a stochastic model from estimates of the virtual axial dipole moment. The deterministic part of the model (drift term) describes time-averaged behaviour, whereas the random part (diffusion term) characterizes complex interactions over convective timescales. We recover estimates of the drift and diffusion terms from the SINT2000 model of Valet et al. and the PADM2M model of Ziegler et al. The results are used in numerical solutions of the Fokker–Planck equation to predict statistical properties of the palaeomagnetic field, including the average rates of magnetic reversals and excursions. A physical interpretation of the stochastic model suggests that the timescale for adjustments in the axial dipole moment is set by the dipole decay time τd .W e obtain τd = 29kyr from the stochastic models, which falls within the expected range for the Earth’s core. We also predict the amplitude of convective fluctuations in the core, and establish a physical connection to the rates of magnetic reversals and excursions. Chrons lasting longer than 10 Myr are unlikely under present-day conditions. However, long chrons become more likely if the diffusion term is reduced by a factor of 2. Such a change is accomplished by reducing the velocity fluctuations in the core by a factor of √ 2, which could be attributed to a shift in the spatial pattern of heat flux from the core or a reduction in the total core heat flow.
New N-halamine biocidal polymers

A new series of N-halamine polymers has been synthesized and tested in granular form, on glass and as fiber substrates for efficacy at inactivating bacteria. Copolymers and grafted copolymers were prepared with 4-(alkyl acryloxymethyl)-4-ethyl-2-oxazolidinones and commercial monomers or polymers. These polymers are inexpensive to synthesize and are efficient biocides in granular form and as surface-coated disinfectants. They can be coated on glass, plastic, and fibrous materials, which gives them considerable potential as commercial disinfectants. They could be used for a variety of industrial, commercial, and medical applications.
How Online Content is Received by Users in Social Media: A Case Study on Facebook.com Posts

In social media platform such as Facebook.com and Twitter, there are many settings in which users can publicly post content. A number of these sites ofier mechanisms for other users to make responses to these content: a canonical example is from Facebook.com, where posts come with annotations like\1,492 people like this"or\view all 307 comments". Usually these user-generated content have the efiectiveness of gaining in∞uence for their publishers in social media by getting positive comments or \like". The in∞uence gained from users varies widely across difierent posts, and reasoning about the efiectiveness of a post for gaining in∞uence is an important task in social media analysis. In this paper we develop a framework for analyzing and modeling how the online content get in∞uence in the social media platform, using a large-scale collection of Facebook.com posts as the dataset. We flnd that the efiectiveness of a post to gain in∞uence depends not just on its content but also on when it is published and in a subtle way on how the post relates to their users’ interests. As part of our approach, we also propose a simple and natural method to model and predict the efiectiveness of a post in gaining social in∞uence. The experimental results on the real-world dataset is consistent with our flndings. Our work provides a new method to analyze the social media from data mining view, which contrasts with a number of theories from marketing and sociology.
Concave finite elements for the cloning algorithm

Publisher Summary Analysis of wave propagation in unbounded media requires the analysis of an indented semi-infinite domain. The boundaries of the finite element mesh must be as parallel as possible to the indentation, to avoid interfering with the wave propagation. The wave propagation within the wave-absorbing boundary is central to the study of soil-structure interaction. For a building in unbounded media—such as the earth, such a boundary is necessarily concave. The concave elements are algebraically more complicated than their convex analog. Consequently, computational tools including computer algebra are indispensable to the creation of a generic formulation, which applies to any concave shape. Shape functions for concave elements require a higher order formulation than is required for convex shapes. Nevertheless, a smooth, integrable representation can be constructed.
Alexithymia and Executive Function in Younger and Older Adults.

Objective: Alexithymia is associated with adverse mental and physical health outcomes. Determining neuropsychological factors associated with alexithymia may aid in elucidating its underlying mechanisms and identifying treatment targets. Accumulating evidence indicates that executive dysfunction may co-occur with alexithymia in younger adults (YA). However, research on this link in older adults (OA), who may be at greater risk for alexithymia, is scant. This study determined associations between alexithymia and executive function (EF) in healthy younger and OA. Alexithymia was predicted to be associated with poorer EF in both age-groups. Method: Younger (n = 65, aged 18–30; 46% female) and OA (n = 44, aged 61–92; 73% female) completed the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, three EF tasks (Verbal Fluency, Design Fluency, and Trail Making), measures of memory and verbal IQ, and a self-report measure of depressive symptoms. Three EF composites were created to assess verbal EF, visuospatial EF, and global EF....
Effect of Corn Endosperm Containing Different Levels of Amylose on Angoumois Grain Moth Biology. 1. Life Cycle, Certain Physiological Responses, and Infestation Rates

Highly significant differences in the weight of Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier) moths were found when the larvae were reared in strains of corn with endosperm differing in levels of amylose. No significant difference was found between kernels with respect to the number of moths emerging per kernel. However, in another test where moths had a free choice of a strain for oviposition, there was a highly significant difference. The first, last, and average day of moth emergence varied among the different strains of corn. The life span of moths varied with males living a shorter period than did the female moths. The difference in length of life of the same sex between the different strains of corn was not significant. No significant difference was indicated in the number of eggs produced when moths in the larval stage were reared in different strains of corn. When moths were collected from certain strains and used to infest previously non infested cars at 6-week intervals, a decreasing rate of infestation was obtained in some strains of corn. When moths were switched from one strain to another experimental strain, the response was such that it was evident that the food source of the 1st-generation larva caused the response rather than the food source of the parental larva.
Graduate Training in Entomology: Departments in Liberal-Arts Colleges

During the summer of 1970, a group of students was asked to conduct an evaluation of graduate training in entomology within various entomology and nonentomology departments. My particular assignment was to coordinate that portion of the evaluation which pertained to a separate department of entomology in a school of liberal arts and sciences (or its equivalent). Questionnaires were sent to the children of two representative departments and to the graduate students within each of these departments. Additional information was gained through questionnaires sent to recent graduates and through personal interviews with graduate students, recent graduates, and faculty members.