cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cognitive complexity of self-administered depression measures.

Abstract Background Self-administered depression measures are important tools for research and practice, but their utility depends on the quality of the measurements they yield. Respondent comprehension is essential for meaningful measurement and prior studies have used readability indices to assess comprehensibility. Readability, however, is only one aspect of comprehension and empirical evidence shows that comprehension and measurement quality decrease as the cognitive complexity of standardized questions increases. Thus, cognitive complexity may provide a useful guide for selecting measures to maximize measurement quality. Methods This study compared the cognitive complexity of 15 self-administered depression measures. Four aspects of cognitive complexity (length, readability, linguistic problems and number) were combined to characterize overall complexity. Results Measures varied considerably. The most cognitively complex measures, likely to be most difficult to comprehend, were the Inventory to Diagnose Depression (IDD), the Hamilton Depression Inventory (HDI, Full and Short Versions), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI, BDI-II, BDI-PC). The least complex measures, likely to be easiest to comprehend, were the Harvard National Depression Screening Day Scale (HANDS), the Revised Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression Self-Report Problem Inventory (RHRSD) and the Zung Self-Rated Depression Scale (SDS). This multidimensional approach to assessing complexity and comprehensibility yielded different results than readability indices alone. Limitations This study did not include all self-administered depression measures and did not examine the relationship of cognitive complexity to actual responses to depression measures. Conclusions Since cognitive complexity is likely to limit comprehension and reduce measurement accuracy, it merits consideration in selection of self-administered depression measures.
96 Social stressors in relation to intimate partner violence against native american women

Abstract PURPOSE: To identify associations between various social stressors and intimate partner violence (IPV) against Native American women. METHODS: A cross-sectional, in-person interview study was conducted with 431 low-income Native American women 14 through 45 years of age. Participants included Native women (79.3% response rate) attending tribally operated Women-Infant and Children's Nutritional Program (WIC) clinics in western Oklahoma during a six month period in 1999 as well as a convenience sample of Native women recruited from tribal facilities and a vocational school. Intimate partner violence was assessed using modified, revised Conflict Tactics Scales. Participant's, partner's, and family social stress measures were examined in relation to severe physical and sexual IPV during the past year. RESULTS: Among women with a steady male partner (n = 370), past-year prevalence of severe IPV was 23.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 19.5, 28.4). In logistic regression analyses controlling for the participant's age as well as problem drinking behavior of the participant and partner, three social stressor variables remained strongly associated with severe IPV: women receiving welfare assistance had a 2.7-fold (95% CI: 1.1, 6.8) increased odds of severe IPV; women scoring high on a nine item socioeconomic stressor scale had a 2.5-fold (CI: 1.2, 5.1) increased odds of IPV; and for each 1 unit increase in partner's perceived stress score, the odds of severe IPV increased 2.3-fold (95% CI: 1.4, 3.7). CONCLUSION: Within a low-income population of Native Americans, social stressors were found to be strongly associated with past-year severe IPV. These data suggest that IPV intervention and prevention strategies for Native American women would need to take into account the social and historical context of Native women and their families.
A search with Copernicus for interstellar N2 in diffuse clouds

Multiple Copernicus scans of two N2 band regions (near 958.5 and 960.2A) of Delta Sco and Epsilon Per are reported. The observations indicate upper limits for the number of N2 molecules equal to 1.0-3.8 times 10 to the -12th/sq cm and 1.2-4.4 times 10 to the -12th/sq cm, respectively; the limits depend on the cloud temperature. It is suggested that the limits are consistent with the column densities predicted by chemical models for diffuse interstellar clouds, and the predicted relative abundances are presented in terms of the ratio of N(N2)/(2N(H2) + N(Hl)).
A hybrid radial basis function and data envelopment analysis neural network for classification

We propose a hybrid radial basis function network-data envelopment analysis (RBFN-DEA) neural network for classification problems. The procedure uses the radial basis function to map low dimensional input data from input space @? to a high dimensional @?^+ feature space where DEA can be used to learn the classification function. Using simulated datasets for a non-linearly separable binary classification problem, we illustrate how the RBFN-DEA neural network can be used to solve it. We also show how asymmetric misclassification costs can be incorporated in the hybrid RBFN-DEA model. Our preliminary experiments comparing the RBFN-DEA with feed forward and probabilistic neural networks show that the RBFN-DEA fares very well.
Five-Year Healthcare Utilization and Costs Among Lower-Risk Drinkers Following Alcohol Treatment

BACKGROUND: Lower-risk drinking is increasingly being examined as a treatment outcome for some patients following addiction treatment. However, few studies have examined the relationship between drinking status (lower-risk drinking in particular) and healthcare utilization and cost, which has important policy implications. METHODS: Participants were adults with alcohol dependence and/or abuse diagnoses who received outpatient alcohol and other drug treatment in a private, nonprofit integrated healthcare delivery system and had a follow-up interview 6 months after treatment entry (N = 995). Associations between past 30-day drinking status at 6 months (abstinence, lower-risk drinking defined as nonabstinence and no days of 5+ drinking, and heavy drinking defined as 1 or more days of 5+ drinking) and repeated measures of at least 1 emergency department (ED), inpatient or primary care visit, and their costs over 5 years were examined using mixed-effects models. We modeled an interaction between time and drinking status to examine trends in utilization and costs over time by drinking group. RESULTS: Heavy drinkers and lower-risk drinkers were not significantly different from the abstainers in their cost or utilization at time 0 (i.e., 6 months postintake). Heavy drinkers had increasing odds of inpatient (p CONCLUSIONS: Performance measures for treatment settings that consider treatment outcomes may need to take into account both abstinence and reduction to nonheavy drinking. Future research should examine whether results are replicated in harm reduction treatment, or whether such outcomes are found only in abstinence-based treatment. Language: en
Predation by squirrel monkeys and double-toothed kites on tent-making bats

Central American squirrel monkeys (Saimiri oerstedi) appear to recognize the modified leaves that phyllostomid bats utilize for diurnal roost sites. The monkeys visually and manually search these bat tents for both bats and insects. Adult males are the most successful at capturing bats. Nonvolant juvenile bats are more vulnerable to monkey predation than are adults. Bats that escape monkey predation frequently are captured by doubletoothed kites (Harpagus bidentatus) that tend foraging troops of monkeys. Predation by squirrel monkeys, coupled with that of double-toothed kites, may be a significant source of mortality for tent-making bats.
Polarization effects in transfer reactions

In the discussion1) of this topic presented at the Madison conference five years ago, a table listing the transfer reactions for which polarization effects had been measured up to that time was given. The great majority of the experiments involved measurement of the vector analyzing power, and a total of around 200 transitions had been studied. In the five years since the Madison meeting, measurements on over 400 additional transitions have been carried out. While most of these studies involve (d,p) and (d,t) reactions, results on several other transfer reactions have now been reported. The present discussion attempts to give a representative sample of recent work, but does not treat the large amount of work which has been done on few-nucleon systems. Measurements of deuteron tensor analyzing powers are omitted from this summary, since they are discussed in more detail in the following paper.
Solid Solution Range and Microstructures of Melt‐Grown Mullite

The solid solution range of melt-grown mullite was examined by crystal-chemical methods. The maximum Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ content as determined by EDX was approx. =83.6 wt %, 75 mol %, or the nominal composition 3Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ X SiO/sub 2/. For samples of overall composition 81 to 83 wt% Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/, extra lines indicating crystallographic superstructure appeared in Guinier X-ray patterns. The corresponding TEM microstructure consisted of a mullite matrix finely twinned on (001), the twins being 0.02 to 0.10 ..mu..m wide, with oriented exsolutin of ..cap alpha..-Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/, often twinned, also being present. The analogy between mullite superstructure and that of plagioclase feldspars, as well as the relevance of these findings to the SiO/sub 2/-Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ metastable phase equilibria are discussed.
The Effect of Silicon on the Leaf Proteome of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Plants under Cadmium-Stress

The best known silicon (Si)-accumulating plant, rice (Oryza sativa L.), stores most of its Si in leaves, but the importance of Si has been limited to a mechanical role. Our initial studies showed that Si-induced cadmium (Cd) tolerance is mediated by the enhancement of instantaneous water-use-efficiency, carboxylation efficiency of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase (RuBisCO), and light-use-efficiency in leaves of rice plants. In this study, we investigated changes in the rice leaf proteome in order to identify molecular mechanisms involved in Si-induced Cd tolerance. Our study identified 60 protein spots that were differentially regulated due to Cd and/or Si treatments. Among them, 50 were significantly regulated by Si, including proteins associated with photosynthesis, redox homeostasis, regulation/protein synthesis, pathogen response and chaperone activity. Interestingly, we observed a Si-induced up-regulation of a class III peroxidase and a thaumatin-like protein irrespective of Cd treatme...
Structure of L-alaninatodiphenylboron

The structure of the title compound consists of a five-membered boroxazolidone ring in which a diphenylboron fragment bonds to the oxygen and nitrogen atoms of the amino acid. The B−N distance of 1.61(1) A is the shortest reported for such compounds. Other parameters are as would be expected by comparison to similar species.
A prospective study evaluating the role of obesity and obstructive sleep apnea for outcomes after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation.

Effect of Obesity and OSA on Outcomes Post AF Ablation. Background: Obesity and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have a strong association with atrial fibrillation (AF). The purpose of this study was to prospectively determine the effects of obesity, assessed by the body mass index (BMI) and OSA on the efficacy of catheter ablation of AF. Methods: The patient population consisted of 109 patients (mean age: 60 ± 10 years, 79% male, 67% paroxysmal, mean BMI 28 ± 5 kg/m2) who underwent catheter ablation of AF. Based on BMI, patients were classified as normal (<25 kg/m2), overweight (≥25 and <30 kg/m2), or obese (≥30 kg/m2). OSA was assessed by the Berlin questionnaire. Clinical success was defined as at least 90% reduction in AF burden after 3-month blanking period. Mean duration of follow-up was 11 ± 4 months. Results: Of the 75 patients with clinical success, 25 (33%) had normal BMI, 29 (39%) were overweight, and 21 (28%) were obese. Among the 34 patients with failed outcome, 5 (15%) had normal BMI, 14 (41%) were overweight, and 15 (44%) were obese (P = 0.04). Twenty-eight of the 48 patients with OSA (58%) had clinical success as opposed to 47 of the 61 patients (77%) without OSA (P = 0.036). On multivariate analysis, only BMI emerged as an independent predictor of procedural failure ((OR 1.11, CI: 1.00–1.21, P = 0.03). Conclusions: The results of this prospective study show that obesity, a modifiable risk factor, is an independent predictor of procedural failure after catheter ablation of AF. Whether treating obesity may improve the results of catheter ablation of AF warrants further investigation. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 21, pp. 521-525, May 2010)
Generating fault hypotheses with a functional model in machine-fault diagnosis

Traditional experiential knowledge-based diagnostic systems have suffered in their application to real-world problems due to their inability to handle unanticipated situations. Subsequently, diagnostic reasoning approaches have been developed that rely on a model of the device's normal operation to mitigate these shortcomings; these systems are called model-based diagnostic systems. The models of model-based systems are primarily a representation of the actual components of the device, which each have a defined behavior, along with a description of the topology of the device. The behavior of the device is simulated by introducing values into the device's inputs and propagating their effects throughout the interconnected components. Model-based systems often require an excessive amount of computation and data to arrive at a solution, primarily because information about any component in the model can only be utilized to make additional inferences about the components which are physical proximal to it in the...
Characterization of the nighttime low‐latitude water ice deposits in the NASA Ames Mars General Circulation Model 2.1 under present‐day atmospheric conditions

[1] This effort advances the exploration of the current Martian water cycle by analyzing the nighttime equatorial water ice deposits in the NASA Ames Mars General Circulation Model (version 2.1). The possibility that the current Martian water cycle plays a role in the generation or maintenance of the longitudinally confined tropical maxima of water-equivalent hydrogen (WEH) in the near-surface regolith is also investigated. Mars Odyssey Orbiter Gamma Ray suite observations indicate that tropical latitudes exhibit longitudinally distinct maxima of the presence of near-surface hydrogen, likely in the form of hydrated minerals, in the Arabia and Tharsis regions. Atmospheric numerical simulations with the NASA Ames Mars General Circulation Model produce an annual water cycle that faithfully reproduces the cycle derived from Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer measurements. This simulated water cycle produces maxima of near-surface tropical water condensation at longitudes consistent with the WEH maxima regions, though these maxima are shifted north of the Odyssey Gamma Ray suite WEH regions. While the simulated pattern of near-surface tropical water condensation does exhibit a longitudinal structure consistent with the observed WEH maxima, it is concluded that the current water cycle is not playing a dominant role in the formation or retention of those maxima. Thus, atmospheric involvement in the formation of the WEH-rich regions must occur during past climatic conditions, if at all.
Characterization of λc ∼5 μm Hg:Cd:Te arrays for low-background astronomy

Hg:Cd:Te grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy onto a lattice matched Cd:Zn:Te substrate with Double Layer Planar Heterostructure architecture holds promise of extremely low, near theoretical dark current out to wavelengths beyond 5 micrometers while eliminating the persistent images and reduced short-wave quantum efficiency disadvantages of the liquid phase epitaxial (LPE) material now in widespread astronomical use. We report on the characterization of two Rockwell FPAs consisting of (lambda) c approximately 4.75 micrometers MBE material hybridized to 1K by 1K HAWAII multiplexers within the context of establishing their performance relative to the stringent focal plane goals for the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST). The effort has concentrated primarily on characterizing total FPA noise at selected temperatures from 30 to 90 K although short wave quantum efficiency and image persistence have also been measured. The test procedures are based on the use of both DC and variance nosie techniques and, at T approximately 60K, have allowed characterization of the total noise as the sum of separate contributions due to dark current, read noise and read charge. The test facility and characterization techniques are described and results, which verify the remarkable potential of this material to exceed the NGST performance goals at temperatures both at, and also significantly higher than, the approximate 30K now anticipated for the NGST NIR focal pane, are presented.
The effects of fluoride concentration and the level of cariogenic challenge on caries development in desalivated rats.

Dental caries is an infectious and transmissible disease that continues to affect the majority of people. The presence of carbohydrate, mainly sucrose in the diet, is an important factor in its occurrence. The amount of fluoride required for optimal protective effect where there is a high caries challenge is unclear. Differences in the intensity of cariogenic challenge, for whatever reason, may play a part in determining fluctuations in the effectiveness of fluoride. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of fluoride on the development of caries and explore the cariostatic effect of fluoride under various levels of cariogenic challenge. The study comprises two experiments. In experiment I, 60 desalivated Sprague Dawley rats infected with Streptococcus sobrinus were offered the following to drink for 21 days: group (1), sterile distilled water (SDW); (2) 10 parts/10(6) F SDW; (3) 20 parts/10(6) F SDW; (4) 30 parts/10(6) F SDW; (5) 40 parts/10(6) F SDW. In experiment II, eight groups of 9 rats were placed in a Konig Hofer programmed feeder and were exposed to different levels of cariogenic challenge through varying frequency of eating and offered water containing 10 parts/10(6) F. In experiment I, exposure to 20, 30 and 40 parts/10(6) F reduced caries development significantly: fluoride, at 10 parts/10(6), reduced the severity of the carious lesions. In this model of severe cariogenic challenge, the results suggest that elevated concentrations of fluoride might be effective in patients at high caries risk. In experiment II, fluoride reduced the incidence and severity of smooth-surface caries in all groups. The protective effect of fluoride decreased as the number of exposures to sugar increased. It is concluded that the effectiveness of fluoride is influenced by the level of cariogenic challenge and that consideration should be given to adjusting the level of fluoride exposure based on perceived caries risk, and that there is a maximum therapeutic effect of fluoride beyond which no additional protection can be expected.
Presence of octopamine in firefly photomotor neurons.

Abstract Various tissues involved in producing luminescence in larval fireflies ( Photuris versicolor ) were examined for the presence of octopamine. These tissues included the terminal abdominal ganglion (A8) which innervates the paired lantern organs, the cell bodies of the photomotor neurons and the isolated larval lanterns. A previous study has identified the 4 motoneurons arising from A8 which bilaterally innervate the paired larval lanterns through symmetrical axons existing both sides of the ganglion. Individual photomotor neuron somata were isolated, pooled and found to contain about 0.03 pmol/soma, giving an effective concentration of 2.8 mM octopamine. Significant amounts of octopamine were also found within the peripheral effector tissue. The presence of octopamine throughout the luminescence-producing pathway further supports the hypothesis that octopamine serves a neurotransmitter function in firefly bioluminescence. In this system, it appears that octopamine serves a more direct role as a neurotransmitter than that postulated for its modulatory and hormonal functions in other arthropod systems. Furthermore, the bioluminescent response of the larval firefly lantern provides a useful dynamic system to study the physiology, pharmacology and biochemistry of octopaminergic transmission.
New models for shallow foundations

Abstract Due to the recent development in construction techniques, fabrications of precast concrete units and numerical analysis, new foundations models were proposed. It is believed that these models will have higher bearing capacity and produce less settlement than similar conventional ones, resulting in an economical design. The present study presents the analysis of the stress distribution below different models. The results showed a reduction in the vertical, horizontal and shear stresses within a depth equal to the foundation width up to 20, 45 and 109%, respectively.
The relationships of trait verbal aggressiveness and frequency of viewing and enjoyment of television sitcoms

Verbal aggressiveness is the tendency to attack the self‐concept of another person with the intent to inflict psychological pain (Infante & Wigley, 1986). This study focused on how low and high verbally aggressives differ in the television sitcoms they watch and how enjoyable they find those shows. Participants (N = 555) first completed the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale. Then they were asked how often they watch particular television sitcoms and if they watched a given sitcom, how entertaining they found that show to be. The sitcoms included in this study were those that were televised in April 1996. Of the 33 shows included in the analyses, low verbal aggressives differed from high verbal aggressives on 8 shows for frequency of watching and on 11 shows for entertainment value.
A planarian p53 homolog regulates proliferation and self-renewal in adult stem cell lineages

The functions of adult stem cells and tumor suppressor genes are known to intersect. However, when and how tumor suppressors function in the lineages produced by adult stem cells is unknown. With a large population of stem cells that can be manipulated and studied in vivo, the freshwater planarian is an ideal system with which to investigate these questions. Here, we focus on the tumor suppressor p53, homologs of which have no known role in stem cell biology in any invertebrate examined thus far. Planaria have a single p53 family member, Smed-p53, which is predominantly expressed in newly made stem cell progeny. When Smed-p53 is targeted by RNAi, the stem cell population increases at the expense of progeny, resulting in hyper-proliferation. However, ultimately the stem cell population fails to self-renew. Our results suggest that prior to the vertebrates, an ancestral p53-like molecule already had functions in stem cell proliferation control and self-renewal.
Empirical chlorophyll algorithm and preliminary SeaWiFS validation for the California Current

Anewempirical chlorophyll algorithmisproposedfor SeaWiFS(Sea- viewing WideField-of-viewSensor) and other ocean colour sensors. TheCAL-P6 algorithm uses a sixth-order polynomial of the ratio of normalized water leaving radiances (L W N) at 490nmand 555nmand is based on 348 measurements of L W N and chlorophyll-a in the California Current. Validation of the SeaWiFS-derived chlorophyll values with 27 concurrent in situ measurements showed high correla- tion (r 2 =0.93 in the log± log space) but signi® cant overestimation by SeaWiFS at high chlorophyll-a concentration. The problem was traced to signi® cant under- estimationof theSeaWiFS-derivedL W N (490) athighchlorophyll-a concentration (3± 5mgmO 3 ). Further re® nement of the atmospheric correction is needed for SeaWiFS to attain its goal of 35% accuracy for chlorophyll retrieval in the coastal zone.
Institutional Analysis of Infrastructure Problems: Case Study of Water Quality in Distribution Systems

Civil engineers working with public infrastructure face institutional problems, but they are hard to explain and no effective methodology for analyzing them has been available to civil engineers. As applied to public infrastructure, the term “institution” includes more than agencies and organizations, and extends to laws, customs, and management behaviors. A methodology for institutional analysis should provide a systematic way to answer questions about infrastructure that include: what are the laws and controls; what are the incentives; who has control and which roles; and what is the management culture? The methodology is presented and a case study of institutional problems with water quality in distribution systems identifies technical issues and gaps in institutional arrangements that inhibit solutions to them: fragmented authority, inadequate legal controls stemming from poor technical understanding, faulty incentive structures, management cultures, and unclear roles and responsibilities, made worse ...
Facile, modular transformations of RAFT block copolymers via sequential isocyanate and thiol -ene reactions

We describe a robust strategy utilizing reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and sequential transformations involving carbamate formation and thiol-ene click addition to synthesize well-defined functional block copolymers. The hydroxy-functional block copolymer scaffold, poly[(N,N-dimethylacrylamide)-b-(N-(2-hydroxyethyl)acrylamide)] (PDMAn-b-PHEAm) was first prepared via RAFT, requiring no protecting group chemistry. The hydroxyl groups of the HEA block were then reacted with 2-(acryloyloxy)ethylisocyanate (AOI) or allylisocyanate (AI) resulting in acrylate- and allyl-functionalized copolymer precursors, respectively. The efficiencies of both Michael and free radical-mediated thiol-ene addition reactions were investigated using model thiol compounds having alkyl, aryl, hydroxyl, carboxylic acid, amine and amino acid functionalities. The steps of RAFT polymerization, isocyanate-hydroxyl coupling and thiol-ene addition can be accomplished under mild conditions, thus offering a facile, modular route to the synthesis of functional copolymers from a single polymeric precursor.
Do males offset the cost of female aggression? An experimental test in a biparental songbird

Aggressive behavior in females is thought to be costly due to a trade-off between aggression and parental care. In biparental systems, resolution of this trade-off may depend on the extent to which males mitigate the cost of female aggression. Using a population of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) in which intrasexual aggression has been shown to be beneficial to females in acquiring a nesting cavity, but costly in terms of offspring quality, I asked if the cost of female aggression is offset by her partner. First, I determined if pairs mate disassortatively by aggressiveness and whether the degree of dissimilarity of aggressiveness correlates with parameters of reproductive success. I then experimentally handicapped males to test whether female aggressiveness becomes more costly when males provision young less. I found no evidence of disassortative mating, although pairs differing more in aggressiveness laid more and larger eggs. When male provisioning was reduced, offspring were no worse in quality, but nestling mortality increased. Aggressive behavior was only associated with a fitness cost in control nests. Therefore, males may mitigate the cost of aggression for their female partners indirectly, not by compensating for poor parenting by aggressive females, but instead by females investing more heavily in reproduction when mated to a male that is more different from her own phenotype. To the extent this differential allocation outweighs the cost of aggressiveness, male phenotype may play a key role in understanding the selective pressures shaping the evolution of aggressive behavior in females. Key words: assortative mating, differential allocation, female aggression, parental care, trade-off, tree swallow. [Behav Ecol]
Frequency domain joint channel and phase noise estimation in OFDM WLAN systems

A frequency domain channel estimator for OFDM is derived in the presence of phase noise. In an OFDM frame transmission (e.g., WLAN), channel estimation is performed based on the full-block pilot symbol at the preamble. The estimate is then used to decode subsequent OFDM data symbols in the same frame. Channel estimation, however, can be severely degraded in the presence of phase noise. The proposed approach removes the effect of phase noise when estimating the channel response. When this improved channel estimate is used to detect OFDM data symbols, large improvement in bit error rate is observed.
Learning to Teach with Technology: From Integration to Actualization

In their review of literature on information technology and teacher education, Willis and Mehlinger (1996) asserted, “Most preservice teachers know very little about effective use of technology in education and leaders believe there is a pressing need to substantially increase the amount and quality of instruction teachers receive about technology” (p. 978). This is not surprising given that the United States Office of Technology Assessment (U.S. Congress, 1995) report found that technology was not a central component of teacher preparation programs in most colleges of education. A summary of the key findings states, “Most technology instruction in colleges of education is teaching about technology as a separate subject, not teaching with technology across the curriculum. Seldom are students asked to create lessons using technologies or practice teaching with technological tools” (p. 165). Clearly there is a need to integrate technology into teacher preparation.
Immigration Policy and Economic Growth

The impact of immigration on economic welfare and social stability has been the subject of controversy in the English-speaking world since the sixteenth century. Tudor monarchs, colonial governors, and American presidents have generally supported liberal entry laws on the premise that they spur economic development. This is understandable, as a large and growing economy confers political benefits on its national leaders, both domestically and in foreign affairs. The British Parliament and the American Congress, however, reflecting the mood of a populace typically more concerned with social stability than with aggregate economic growth, have frequently taken a less sanguine view of aliens. In the United States, social concerns religious, racial, and ethnic create strong political pressure to curtail entry by aliens. Yet, in what is viewed in this Article as the first phase of American immigration policy, the migration from European nations, immigration was essentially unrestricted.1 For nearly a century and a half, economic self-interest overcame political opposition to open entry.2 The passage of the Act of May 19, 1921 (the 1921 Immigration Act) heralded the beginning of the second phase of United States immigration policy.3 Since its enactment, the nation has attempted to limit entry by immigrants without fully assessing either the longterm economic consequences of lower aggregate immigration or the criteria used for admissions. Since limitations first were imposed, only a fraction of all immigrants admitted have been selected because they possess skills that would benefit the nation. Although the
Efficient reconstruction of block-sparse signals

In many sparse reconstruction problems, M observations are used to estimate K components in an N dimensional basis, where N > M ≫ K. The exact basis vectors, however, are not known a priori and must be chosen from an M × N matrix. Such under-determined problems can be solved using an l 2 optimization with an l 1 penalty on the sparsity of the solution. There are practical applications in which multiple measurements can be grouped together, so that K × P data must be estimated from M × P observations, where the l 1 sparsity penalty is taken with respect to the vector formed using the l 2 norms of the rows of the data matrix. In this paper we develop a computationally efficient block partitioned ho-motopy method for reconstructing K × P data from M × P observations using a grouped sparsity constraint, and compare its performance to other block reconstruction algorithms.
Geologic Evaluation by Radar of NASA Sedimentary Test Site

Interdisciplinary research on the geoscience value of radar systems is being conducted by geoscientists and electrical engineers at the Center for Research in Engineering Science (CRES), University of Kansas, Lawrence. This paper presents a segment of the research in which the investigators studied similarities and contrasts between panchromatic aerial photography and radar imagery from the Cane Springs area in Arizona, for which precise surface geologic data are available. Lithologic and structural information is available on the radar imagery which is not as apparent on the air photography; however, the converse is also true. Interpretations also reveal the fundamental advantage of multisensor reconnaissance, in which several discrete parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are utilized. The resulting extrapolation of data can provide a valuable supplement to geological reconnaissance.
Laboratory design for introductory course of microproessors

Nowadays, most engineering related depart- ments offer microprocessor courses due to the broad appli- cations of computers. However, understanding the basic concept of a microprocessor behind the physical device is a difficult task for most primary learners. Under this circum- stance, laboratory exercises are considered to be the essen- tial approach in enabling students to understand the basic structure and functionality of a computer. This paper pro- poses a way to design laboratories for the introductory course of micr oprocessors. The emphasis focuses on the exercises of A ssembly language programming and hard- ware/software co-design such that through the laboratories, students can gradually understand the fundamentals of m i- croprocessor design. Furthermore, a course project is pr o- vided to asce rtain the amount of knowledge that students have gained from the labs. In review the results of the pro- ject as well as the final exam of the course, the design of labs has shown a satisfactory result.
Lead levels down in U.S. rivers

Lead concentrations in major U.S. rivers declined from 1974 to 1985 in two-thirds of the 300 sites tested by the U.S. Geological Survey. The downward trends were statistically significant for 30% of the stations. Preliminary evaluation of more recent data indicates that lead concentrations are continuing to decline. Higher lead concentrations were measured at some sites in the Texas Gulf and lower Mississippi Valley regions but were due largely to lower river flow. A few water samples exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency established limit of 50 ppb, and none were from sources of drinking water supplies.
Impact of Diabetes Disclosure on Perceptions of Eating and Self-Care Behaviors

PURPOSE This study investigated whether disclosure of diabetes and gender influenced perceptions of eating and self-care behaviors. METHODS A vignette was developed in which a hypothetical friend engaged in diabetes self-care behaviors during a meal. Respondents (231 young adults) read vignettes that varied according to a 2 x 2 design (male vs female, preventative disclosure vs nondisclosure of diabetes). Participants answered 12 questions, which resulted in 2 factors: concern for friend and encourage professional help. RESULTS Significantly higher scores resulted on the concern for friend and encourage professional help factors when diabetes was not disclosed. Female characters also received significantly higher scores on the concern for friend factor. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with diabetes who choose to disclose their illness may prevent negative or incorrect perceptions related to self-care and eating behaviors, and may have a decreased likelihood that a true eating disorder would be identified by others.
Tackling dilemmas in supporting 'the whole person' in online patient communities

Online health communities that engage the patient as a whole person attend to personal and medical needs in a holistic manner. Whether current communities structure interaction between health professionals and patients to address the whole person is an open question. To gain insights into this question, we examined a sample of online patient communities to understand health professionals' involvement in bringing in medical advice into peer-patient conversations. We found the communities fall short in supporting the whole person, because (1) patient expertise and clinical expertise generated by health professionals are shared separately, and (2) patients' quantified data are separate from narrative experiences. Such separation in the design of these systems can lead to limitations in addressing patients' interwoven medical and personal concerns. We discuss dilemmas and design implications for supporting the whole person in online patient communities.
Comparison of trap types for surveying insect communities in Idaho sagebrush steppe ecosystems

Abstract Insects represent an abundant and diverse group of community members throughout terrestrial ecosystems. Because of their abundance and diversity, insects can be useful for monitoring and assessing change and disturbance within ecosystems. However, to utilize insects as indicators of change, the individual insect components present within ecosystems must be identified. We compared the use of several passive (non-baited) trap types on two sagebrush steppe sites in southern Idaho. Species of insects in 12 orders were captured at the two sites, with the most abundant numbers captured in the orders Microcoryphia, Hemiptera, Diptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera. A combined total of 23,579 insects were captured during the 3, 5-day sample periods, of which 3342 were beetles (Coleoptera). Pitfall traps and Japanese beetle traps provided the most information on abundance and richness of both the overall insect and beetle communities present on the sites. Blue Japanese beetle traps proved very effective at c...
On the automatic numerical evaluation of definite integrals

Abstract : A critical examination is made of two common approaches to the automatic evaluation of definite integrals. It is shown that on the grounds of efficiency and reliability it is generally preferable to use families of common point high precision formulae directly over the whole interval of integration than to apply low precision formulae to an adaptively subdivided range. Many examples are given to illustrate the conclusions. (Author)
Terrorism from Above and Below in the Age of Globalization

This paper explains how the intensification of globalization as the modern world system has increased the occurrence of terrorism from above (i.e. state actors) and from below (i.e. non-state actors). We cannot adequately grasp the essence and characteristics of modern terrorism without understanding the larger cultural, social, economic, and political contexts in which it takes place. Since terrorism has been conceptualized, defined, and theorized by those who have contradictory interests and objectives and since the subject matter of terrorism is complex, difficult, and elusive, there is a wide gap in establishing a common understanding among the scholars of terrorism studies. Most experts on the subject look at this issue from a narrow perspective by ignoring the reality that terrorism is a “social cancer” for all human groups affected by it. First, this paper defines the concept of terrorism in relation to different forms of terrorism, and explains how it has increased with the intensification of globalization. Second, taking the events of 9/11 and the case of Ethiopian state terrorism, the piece explores the general impacts of all forms of terrorism.
binpac: a yacc for writing application protocol parsers

A key step in the semantic analysis of network traffic is to parse the traffic stream according to the high-level protocols it contains. This process transforms raw bytes into structured, typed, and semantically meaningful data fields that provide a high-level representation of the traffic. However, constructing protocol parsers by hand is a tedious and error-prone affair due to the complexity and sheer number of application protocols.This paper presents binpac, a declarative language and compiler designed to simplify the task of constructing robust and efficient semantic analyzers for complex network protocols. We discuss the design of the binpac language and a range of issues in generating efficient parsers from high-level specifications. We have used binpac to build several protocol parsers for the "Bro" network intrusion detection system, replacing some of its existing analyzers (handcrafted in C++), and supplementing its operation with analyzers for new protocols. We can then use Bro's powerful scripting language to express application-level analysis of network traffic in high-level terms that are both concise and expressive. binpac is now part of the open-source Bro distribution.
Mutation and the evolution of ageing: from biometrics to system genetics

A notable success for evolutionary genetics during the past century was to generate a coherent, quantitative explanation for an apparent evolutionary paradox: the tendency for multicellular organisms to show declining fitness with age (senescence, often referred to simply as ‘ageing’). This general theory is now widely accepted and explains most of the features of senescence that are observed in natural and laboratory populations, but specific instantiations of that theory have been more controversial. To date, most of the empirical tests of these models have relied on data generated from biometric experiments. Modern population genetics and genomics provide new, and probably more powerful, ways to test ideas that are still controversial more than half a century after the original theory was developed. System-genetic experiments have the potential to address both evolutionary and mechanistic questions about ageing by identifying causal loci and the genetic networks with which they interact. Both the biometrical approaches and the newer approaches are reviewed here, with an emphasis on the challenges and limitations that each method faces.
The impact of receiving a master's degree in nonprofit management on graduates' professional lives

This article reports on a study of the outcomes of receiving a specialized master’s degree in nonprofit management as perceived by graduates of three such programs in the United States. A literatur...
Evaluating process in child and family interventions: aggression prevention as an example

This article reports on 2 studies designed to develop and validate a set of measures for use in evaluating processes of child and family interventions. In Study 1 responses from 187 families attending an outpatient clinic for child behavior problems were factor analyzed to identify scales, consistent across sources: Alliance (Satisfactory Relationship with Interventionist and Program Satisfaction), Parenting Skill Attainment, Child Cooperation During Session, Child Prosocial Behavior, and Child Aggressive Behavior. Study 2 focused on patterns of scale scores among 78 families taking part in a 22-week preventive intervention designed to affect family relationships, parenting, and child antisocial and prosocial behaviors. The factor structure identified in Study 1 was replicated. Scale construct validity was demonstrated through across-source convergence, sensitivity to intervention change, and ability to discriminate individual differences. Path analysis validated the scales' utility in explaining key aspects of the intervention process. Implications for evaluating processes in family interventions are discussed.
Children's Drawings: A Cross-Cultural Analysis from Japan and the United States

Research suggests that children's drawings are reflective of their culture. In the drawings of seven and eight year old children from Japan and the United States it was found that Japanese children drew significantly fewer smiles, a higher number of details and larger figures. Findings are interpreted within cultural differences.
Effect of long-term consumption of amylose vs amylopectin starch on metabolic variables in human subjects

Long-term consumption of high-amylose starch on insulin and glucose response was investigated in 24 men: 10 control and 14 hyperinsulinemic (HI) subjects. Subjects consumed products made with standard (70% amylopectin, 30% amylose) or high-amylose (70% amylose, 30% amylopectin) cornstarch for two 14-wk periods in a crossover pattern. Starch products replaced usual starches in the self-selected diet for 10 wk followed by 4 wk of a controlled diet. After a starch-tolerance test with bread made from the starch consumed during that period, the insulin response curve area was significantly lower in all subjects after amylose consumption (P < 0.002). Glucose responses in HI and control subjects were similar and did not vary with the type of starch. Fasting triglyceride concentrations were significantly lower in subjects who consumed the high-amylose compared with the standard-starch diet throughout the study. Chronic consumption of high-amylose foods normalized the insulin response of hyperinsulinemic subjects and showed a potential benefit for diabetic subjects.
Fatal Granulomatous Acanthamoeba Encephalitis Mimicking a Stroke, Diagnosed by Correlation of Results of Sequential Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Biopsy, In Vitro Culture, Immunofluorescence Analysis, and Molecular Analysis

Amebic infections involving the central nervous system are rare and difficult to diagnose. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at timed intervals may be helpful, where scans reveal enhancing lesions and increased signal. We report a unique case of granulomatous amebic encephalitis that was proven pathologically with progressive radiological findings on MRI.
THE EFFECTS OF GAMMA -HYDROXYBUTYRATE ON THE SLEEP OF NARCOLEPSY PATIENTS : A DOUBLE-BLIND STUDY

The effects of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB: 25 mg/kg h.s. and 3 h later) vs. placebo on objectively evaluated nighttime sleep and daytime sleepiness in narcolepsy were evaluated in a double-blind, counterbalanced crossover design. Twenty narcolepsy patients were given an overnight polysomnogram (PSG), followed by a daytime multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) at baseline and on the 1st and 29th days of GHB and placebo treatment. The overnight PSGs indicated that the narcolepsy patients had the following significant results during GHB versus placebo treatment: decreased stage 1 (p = 0.012), increased stage 3 (p = 0.008), increased delta (stage 3 and 4 combined) sleep (p = 0.049), fewer stage shifts (p = 0.002), and fewer awakenings (p = 0.006). Minutes of wakefulness were significantly increased only for the last 2 h of the 8 h sleep period on GHB versus placebo (p = 0.019), which is beyond the time of GHB's direct influence. The MSLTs indicated that the narcolepsy patients had a marginally increased sleep latency mean during GHB versus placebo treatment (p = 0.074) and significantly increased total stage 0 (wakefulness) on day 29 of GHB versus day 29 of placebo treatment (p = 0.038). Female narcolepsy patients had significantly fewer naps with REM sleep (REM naps) on day 29 of GHB vs. day 29 of placebo treatment (p = 0.020). The therapeutic effect of GHB in narcolepsy patients, i.e., decreases cataplexy, appears to be due to its improving nocturnal sleep quality, since its half-life is only 1.5 to 2 h. It is conjectured that GHB, an endogenous neurochemical, may be a sleep neurotransmitter or neuromodulator, since GHB rapidly induces sleep, and increases sleep continuity and delta sleep without suppressing REM sleep in both normals and narcolepsy patients.