cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Strange Ultrametric Geometry

The main purpose of this paper is to answer a question raised by Dence in [2]. In that article, he defines a certain kind of metric, called an ultrametric, on the rationals Q and questions whether it can be extended to Q x Q, while still maintaining its special properties. We do just that in this article, creating thereby an unusual geometry that is very close to a model of Euclidean geometry in the sense that most of the Euclidean axioms are satisfied. However, it is quite different from the ordinary model of Euclidean geometry in many ways. Thus it shows that when attempting proofs in axiomatic geometries, one must not rely too much on 'common sense', but rather on straightforward deductions form the axioms and previous theorems. To construct our model, we need to introduce the concept of an ultrametric distance. Recall that a metric on S is a function d: SxS->[O,oo) such that for x, y, zES, (1) d(x,y)=O iff x=y; (2) d(x, y) = d(y, x); and (3) d(x, z) _ d(x, y) + d(y, z). Hence, on the real line R, ordinary distance (i.e., d(a, b) = la b 1) is a metric. To get an ultrametric distance, we replace (3) by the condition (3') d(x, z) _ max(d(x, y), d(y, z)). The reader will easily notice that (3') is a strictly stronger condition than (3) and that the ordinary distance function on R is not an ultrametric. We now describe a particular ultrametric distance function on the set Q of rational numbers. Given x E Q, X7 0, write x = 2k(a/b) where a and b are odd integers. Then the exponent k is uniquely determined. We then define Ix 12 = (1/2)k and d(x, y) = x y 12. If x = 0, then IX = 0. For example, if x = 5/12 = 2-2(5/3), then [x 12 = (1/2)-2 = 4. The verification that this function satisfies the ultrametric inequality can be found in [1]. (There is nothing special about the number 2 in this definition. Any prime number p will work: if x = pk(alb), where a and b are relatively prime to p, then we can define Ix |P = (1/p)k. And even this is a specific case in the general theory of ultrametric spaces. A nice discussion of some of these general abstract ideas can be found in [2].) Dence raised the question as to whether or not we can non-trivially extend this ultrametric to two dimensions. Let us first examine a few possible ways of extending, all of which fail. If A = (a,, a2), B = (b,, b2) E Q X Q, define D1(A, B) = d(al, b1) + d(a2, b2) and D2(A, B) = d(al, b1) (where d is the ultrametric distance on Q described above). Then both of the above functions fail to satisfy the ultrametric distance inequality; in fact D2 is not even metric. A more familiar way to extend a metric is exhibited by D3(P1, P2) = (d(pi, p2)2 + d(ql, q2)2)1"2. The reader will recognize that this is the same procedure as is used in extending the ordinary distance function on R to the Cartesian plane. Unfortunately, though D3 is a metric, it also does not satisfy the ultrametric inequality. To see this, let A = (1/2,1/2), B = (0, 1), C = (1/3, 2/3); then
Examining Multimedia Competencies for Educational Technologists in Higher Education

The authors investigated educational technology multimedia competencies for professionals who work in higher education institutions. Similar studies have been proposed, but none of them have focused on competencies required in the context of higher education. An online survey adapting sixteen competency factors from a study conducted by Rizhaupt and Martin (Educational Technology Research and Development 62(1), 13–33, 2014) was distributed to educational technologists to obtain their perceptions regarding the levels of importance of each of the competency factors. One hundred and forty educational technologists responded to the survey. The results of ordinal regression analysis showed that gender, years of experience, academic degree, and job titles significantly explained respondents’ different opinions about the levels of importance of the sixteen competency factors. The authors contended that future research should explore competencies that are attributed to specific job titles within the realm of educational technology.
A CONVERSATION ABOUT HEALTH CARE REFORM

Abstract Professor Victor R. Fuchs is the Henry J. Kaiser Jr Professor at Stanford (California) University, where he applies economic analysis to social problems of national concern, with special emphasis on health and medical care. He holds joint appointments in the Economics Department and the School of Medicine's Department of Health Research and Policy. Professor Fuchs is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association and a member of the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He was the first economist to receive the Distinguished Investigator Award of the Association for Health Services Research and has also received the Baxter Foundation Health Services Research Prize. Professor Fuchs is president-elect of the American Economic Association. His latest book, The Future of Health Policy, was published by Harvard University Press in 1993. The following edited conversation between Professor Fuchs and Linda Hawes Clever, MD, Editor of the journal, took place on April 8, 1994.
Numerical analysis of the translation of the filament winding composite case with metal boss

A numerical method was used to analyze the displacement field of filament winding composite case subjected to internal pressure.A layered solid element was used to simulate the filament winding composite dome with varying thickness.The numerical analysis results of the displacement fields of the domes agreed with the hydrostatic test results.The research reveals that the displacement fields of the filament winding composite case with metal boss are determined by the size of the boss.The leading displacement of the fore dome is mainly about the composite case subjected to the internal pressure.The maximum value is 21.8 mm and the distance of the region to the polar is 400 mm.On the other hand,the leading displacement of the aft dome is mainly about the metal part subjected to the internal pressure.The maximum value is 30.4 mm and occurs in the aft closure.
A Dual Proto-Oncogenic and Tumor Suppressive Role of LRF/POKEMON In Hemopoietic Malignancies through Control of Cell Fate Decision

Abstract Abstract SCI-14 LRF (Leukemia/lymphoma-related factor, also known as POKEMON) is a member of the POZ and Kruppel (POK) family of transcription factors. LRF has been shown to play an essential role in embryonic development and to act as a master regulator of cellular differentiation in virtually any tissue where it is found expressed, including the hemopoietic compartment. As we will discuss, LRF inactivation in the mouse blocks cellular differentiation in both myeloid/erythroid and lymphoid compartments. On the other hand, LRF has been shown to possess a potent proto-oncogenic activity both in vitro and in vivo. In fact, LRF itself can transform primary cells in combination with known oncogenes and is also essential for cellular transformation of mouse embryonic fibroblasts. In addition, overexpression of LRF in immature B and T progenitor cells in vivo in the mouse lead to lethal precursor T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia. In agreement with this notion, LRF is aberrantly expressed in a variety of human cancers, including diffuse large B cell and follicular lymphomas, but also ovarian and breast cancers. Further, the LRF gene is found amplified in a subset of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs), illustrating a direct role in human cancer. However, we speculated that due to the key role of LRF in cell fate decisions, LRF/POKEMON loss could also contribute to tumorigenesis by blocking cellular differentiation. We will discuss provocative in vivo data in support of the notion that LRF/POKEMON can indeed act as a bona fide tumor suppressor representing a compelling example of two-faced cancer genes. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
The use of various rates of stress increase in progressive stress testing of insulation

Although it is essential to know the life of insulation at service stress, it is frequently impractical if not impossible to measure this life directly. Hence, service life is commonly inferred from accelerated aging tests in which one or more stresses have higher than normal values. Accelerated tests in which the stress of interest is continuously increased, commonly called progressive stress tests, have received considerable attention recently.1–4
Why club goods proliferated in investment finance

Why are there many club goods, and club good market structures, in investment finance? Why has there been such a proliferation of these types of goods and transaction structures in modern finance? The answers lie in the motivations and methods of financial firms to segment, package and offset risk and to increase profit potential.This paper presents a theoretical argument as to why, and how, financial products may migrate toward a club goods nature, differentiating between financial goods as units and “financial products” as a set of those unit goods. To develop this idea, I employ a goods typology matrix developed by the Ostroms and refined by McNutt. I introduce the concept of transmutation, in which actors employ technology and developments in theoretical finance to package financial goods into new financial products whose resultant property rights shift their good type in this typology matrix. Financial firms are active agents in this process through innovation, commonly called financial engineering.I then track the concurrent development, over the last half-century, of mortgage-backed securities and of financial “engineering” — the application of advanced mathematical techniques to develop new financial products. Financial firms are self-designing organizations whose organizational fluidity and capacity to financially engineer not only permits, but encourages and rewards, the design and redesign of financial goods. Property rights structures may change as a result, shifting along either or both dimensions of the financial goods typology. Pulling conceptual scaffolding on club goods from public choice and environmental economics gives us a new structural perspective on financial goods and empowers us with better governance ideas from these extensive literatures.
An eigenvector centrality-based mobile target tracking algorithm for wireless sensor networks

We propose an eigenvector centrality EVC-based tracking algorithm to trace the trajectory of a mobile radioactive dispersal device RDD in a wireless sensor network. We propose that the sensor nodes simply sum up the strengths of the signals sensed in the neighbourhood over a sampling time period and forward the sum of the signals to a control centre called sink. For every sampling time period, the sink constructs an adjacency matrix in which the entry for edge i, j is the sum of the signal strengths reported by sensor nodes i and j. The sink uses this adjacency matrix as the basis to determine the eigenvector centralities and uses the arithmetic mean calculated by the sink of the X and Y coordinates of the suspect sensor nodes those having larger EVC to predict the location of the RDD at a time instant corresponding to the middle of the sampling time period.
A self-limiting layer-by-layer etching technique for 2H-MoS2

We report controlled layer-by-layer removal of large-area, sulfurized, single-crystal molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) films using a digital etching technique, which utilizes oxidation and removal of the oxidized layer. We demonstrate a self-limiting oxidation process where Mo oxide covered the surface of MoS2. A constant etching rate of one monolayer/cycle and the uniformity of the etching process were also verified. We show that the etching of an integer number of MoS2 layers can be precisely controlled. No noticeable film quality degradation was observed after multiple cycles of digital etching, as confirmed by Raman mapping of the ratio of the and A1g peak intensities.
Amitosis of Polyploid Cells Regenerates Functional Stem Cells in the Drosophila Intestine.

Organ fitness depends on appropriate maintenance of stem cell populations, and aberrations in functional stem cell numbers are associated with malignancies and aging. Symmetrical division is the best characterized mechanism of stem cell replacement, but other mechanisms could also be deployed, particularly in situations of high stress. Here, we show that after severe depletion, intestinal stem cells (ISCs) in the Drosophila midgut are replaced by spindle-independent ploidy reduction of cells in the enterocyte lineage through a process known as amitosis. Amitosis is also induced by the functional loss of ISCs coupled with tissue demand and in aging flies, underscoring the generality of this mechanism. However, we also found that random homologous chromosome segregation during ploidy reduction can expose deleterious mutations through loss of heterozygosity. Together, our results highlight amitosis as an unappreciated mechanism for restoring stem cell homeostasis, but one with some associated risk in animals carrying mutations.
Light at night as an environmental endocrine disruptor

Environmental endocrine disruptors (EEDs) are often consequences of human activity; however, the effects of EEDs are not limited to humans. A primary focus over the past ∼30years has been on chemical EEDs, but the repercussions of non-chemical EEDs, such as artificial light at night (LAN), are of increasing interest. The sensitivity of the circadian system to light and the influence of circadian organization on overall physiology and behavior make the system a target for disruption with widespread effects. Indeed, there is increasing evidence for a role of LAN in human health, including disruption of circadian regulation and melatonin signaling, metabolic dysregulation, cancer risk, and disruption of other hormonally-driven systems. These effects are not limited to humans; domesticated animals as well as wildlife are also exposed to LAN, and at risk for disrupted circadian rhythms. Here, we review data that support the role of LAN as an endocrine disruptor in humans to be considered in treatments and lifestyle suggestions. We also present the effects of LAN in other animals, and discuss the potential for ecosystem-wide effects of artificial LAN. This can inform decisions in agricultural practices and urban lighting decisions to avoid unintended outcomes.
High dynamic range head mounted display based on dual-layer spatial modulation

The human visual system can perceive a much wider range of contrast than the addressable dynamic range afforded by the state-of-art head mounted displays (HMD). Increasing the dynamic range of HMDs becomes critical especially for augmented reality applications where the dynamic range of outdoor scenes can be as large as 14 orders of magnitude. In this paper, we present the integrated work of the design, implementation, calibration, and image-rendering algorithm of a high dynamic range HMD system. By using a pair of LCoS microdisplays as the spatial light modulators, accompanied with the relay optics to optically overlay the modulation layers, we demonstrate the reconstruction of high dynamic range images with high accuracy.
The Long Arm of the Digital Tether: Communication with Home during Study Abroad

A growing array of technological communication modes makes it possible for students to be in increasingly frequent contact with their parents while at college, and high-frequency contact has been associated with lower autonomy and self-regulation (Hofer & Moore, 2010). This study extends this research to investigate the influence of frequent contact with family and friends while studying abroad. Surveyed at the end of a semester abroad in Denmark, 417 students responded to survey questions that addressed frequency, mode, and initiation of communication with home, as well as communication with friends. Participants also answered questions about satisfaction with connectedness abroad, autonomy, self-regulation, parental regulation, and personal and cultural learning. Findings suggest that students were in contact with family as frequently as individuals surveyed at their home institutions, that parents continued to regulate from afar, and that the most common affective reaction to less potential for connectedness was “a sense of freedom.”
Cargo recognition and degradation by selective autophagy

Macroautophagy, initially described as a non-selective nutrient recycling process, is essential for the removal of multiple cellular components. In the past three decades, selective autophagy has been characterized as a highly regulated and specific degradation pathway for removal of unwanted cytosolic components and damaged and/or superfluous organelles. Here, we discuss different types of selective autophagy, emphasizing the role of ligand receptors and scaffold proteins in providing cargo specificity, and highlight unanswered questions in the field.
Recent and emerging technologies: Implications for women's safety

Abstract New technologies have multiple implications for women's safety and well-being. As emerging scholarship begins to capture the scope and psychosocial impact of technology-related violence, the literature can become outpaced by the rapid development of technologies, some of which are designed to protect women. This exploratory study conducted a series of online searches to document and describe new technologies that can be used to enhance or reduce women's safety. A total 23,100 web-based articles, including but not limited to news stories and marketing materials, were identified and screened; 495 were reviewed and key constructs were coded. Two thirds of the articles addressed how technology could protect women and over half addressed perpetration; 18.8% addressed both. Protection focused largely on two technologies –mobile telephones (37.2%) and wearable devices (19.4%) – and sexual or physical assault (57.2%). Perpetration focused on mobile telephones (58.4%) and e-mail (43.9%) and cyber- or in-person stalking (63.2%). Women are advised to alter their online behavior; negligible attention is given to tech companies' responsibilities. Of the 98 products identified, most (80.2%) – typically a wearable device or app – were described as protecting women from sexual or physical assault. The products are marketed, with little evidence, as a way for women to protect themselves from assault. The introduction of corporate messaging and profit into the long-standing issue of violence against women is changing the means by which women can be abused and simultaneously and perhaps inadvertently is reinforcing norms that hold women accountable for their victimization.
Time-Resolved Fluorescence Anisotropy Decay Studies in Proteins

Dynamic fluorescence methods have been applied to the study of the rotations of fluorophores in proteins (1–5). Fluorescence lifetimes of intrinsic fluorophores in proteins can span from a few picoseconds to tens of nanoseconds and the rotations can range from a few degrees to complete flips.
US Food and Drug Administration Recommendations on the Use of Surrogate Measures as End Points in New Anti-infective Drug Approvals.

Importance Regulatory and scientific guidelines stipulate that indirect, surrogate measures of patient benefit, such as a change in microbial culture status, should be used as primary end points only in pivotal trials of chronic conditions that are serious or life threatening and when the experimental therapy is expected to offer substantial benefit compared with available therapy. However, many recent US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) anti-infective drug approvals for acute and/or non–life-threatening diseases have been based on pivotal trials using surrogate measures as primary end points rather than clinical outcomes, such as symptom resolution or survival. Objectives To review FDA recommendations for primary end points in pivotal trials of new anti-infective drugs and assess the concordance of those recommendations with the regulatory and scientific conditions for the appropriate use of surrogate measures as primary trial outcomes. Evidence Review All guidance documents for antimicrobial drug development hosted on the FDA website were searched in November 2017; the search was updated in June 2018. For each document, 2 reviewers independently extracted data on the recommended primary end points for a pivotal or phase 3 trial. Findings Twenty-two FDA guidance documents met the inclusion criteria, which included recommendations for primary end points in pivotal clinical trials in 27 infectious disease indications. Twenty-one of 27 indications recommended surrogate outcomes as either the sole primary end point or as components of composite end points. None of the recommendations for the use of surrogate measures matched the regulatory and scientific conditions favoring indirect outcomes in place of clinical outcomes. Conclusions and Relevance The FDA guidance documents for developing new anti-infective agents frequently recommend indirect measures of patient benefit, rather than direct measures of patient benefit, as sole primary end points or components of primary end points. Existing guidance documents should be updated and revised to recommend appropriate clinical outcomes consistent with general scientific and regulatory parameters.
Semantic constraint, reading control, and the granularity of form-based expectations during semantic processing: Evidence from ERPs

We investigated the role that semantic constraint and participant control over stimulus presentation have on early stages of visual word recognition. Namely, we tested how the presence of a highly constraining sentential context influences the expectations that readers have during incremental sentence processing. Further, we tested whether allowing participants to self-pace the experiment affected early sensory perceptions of written stimuli. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in three experiments. Participants read sentences containing a target word from one of four conditions: 1) the target, spelled as expected; 2) the target with two internal characters transposed; 3) a nonword one vowel different from a target; or 4) an illegal consonant string. In Experiment 1, sentences were minimally constraining up to the target word (average cloze at target word: 0.01); in Experiments 2 and 3, sentences were highly constraining (average cloze at target word: 0.93). In both Experiments 1 and 2, sentences were presented using rapid-serial-visual presentation (RSVP). In Experiment 3, participants saw the same sentences used in Experiment 2 but were allowed to self-pace the presentation of each word in every trial. In Experiments 1 and 2, results showed early neural sensitivity to nonsensical consonant strings only, and only when they appeared within high constraint. In Experiment 3, results showed graded N170 effects to all target words containing unexpected visual information. P600 modulations were observed in all three experiments, indexing the difficulty of processing unexpected orthography, particularly in downstream, integrative processing. Results support a nuanced view of early visual processing, namely one arguing that visual processing is more fine-grained the more control participants have over how they read.
Academic Tracking of English Learners With Disabilities in Middle School

Despite increased attention to the academic progress of English learners (ELs) with disabilities as a result of the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, research has yet to investigate the education...
Continued Analysis on Multiscale Aspects of Tropical Cyclone Formation, Structure Change and Predictability in the Western North Pacific Region as Part of the TCS08 DRI

Abstract : The overarching objectives of this research project are to obtain an improved understanding of the formation, intensification, predictability and structure change of tropical cyclones in the Western Pacific region. These new insights will ultimately improve forecast guidance for U.S. Naval operations in this region. During this past year the PI and his research group have developed and further substantiated a new model for the phenomenon of secondary eyewall formation (SEF), a process that occurs frequently in mature tropical cyclones and is a continued forecast priority for storms threatening Naval and DOD operations in the Western North Pacific sector. The new model is based on a newly articulated paradigm of tropical cyclone intensification (discussed further below) that the PI has developed in collaboration with his distinguished international colleague, Professor Roger Smith from the University of Munich. Because of space constraints, only pertinent background information is provided to explain the basis for the new approach followed by a summary of some of the key new findings on the SEF problem. Other research supported by this grant is discussed in preceding annual reports and via the PI s website listed above.
Glenoid retroversion associates with deltoid muscle asymmetry in Walch B-type glenohumeral osteoarthritis

Background The etiologies of glenohumeral osteoarthritis (GHOA) and eccentric glenoid wear within GHOA are unknown, but muscular imbalance may play a role. The purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship between deltoid muscle area, GHOA, and eccentric glenoid wear. We hypothesized that patients with GHOA would have overall deltoid atrophy as compared with controls and that increasing posterior deltoid areas would associate with glenoid retroversion in the Walch B-type (eccentric) GHOA group. Methods The study was a retrospective review of computed tomography imaging studies. We included a control group of subjects without GHOA and a group of individuals with GHOA before undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty. We assigned Walch types via consensus. Cross-sectional area was measured for the anterior and posterior deltoid musculature demarcated via the scapular line, normalized to the total deltoid area. Absolute and normalized total, anterior, and posterior deltoid areas were compared between controls and the entire GHOA group. Normalized anterior and posterior deltoid areas were compared between Walch A-type and B-type GHOA patients within the GHOA group. Univariate linear regression was used to evaluate for an association between glenoid retroversion and normalized posterior deltoid areas in controls, Walch A-type, and Walch B-type patients. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the effects of normalized posterior deltoid area, age, sex, and height on glenoid retroversion within the Walch B-type subgroup. Results We included 99 patients with GHOA and 47 controls. The control and GHOA patients did not differ in absolute deltoid areas (21.8 ± 8.8cm2 vs. 20.6 ± 7.9cm2; P = .488). Patients with GHOA had a statistically significant increase in normalized posterior deltoid area (0.50 ± 0.10 vs. 0.46 ± 0.10; P = .032) and a reciprocal decrease in normalized anterior deltoid area (0.50 ± 0.10 vs. 0.54 ± 0.10; P = .040) compared with controls. Walch A-type and B-type patients did not differ in normalized posterior deltoid areas (0.50 ± 0.11 vs. 0.50 ± 0.10; P = .780). Normalized posterior deltoid area positively associated with glenohumeral retroversion in Walch B-type GHOA (R2 = 0.102; P = .020), a relationship maintained in multivariate linear regression, using gender, age, and height as covariates (standardized beta = 0.309, P = .027). Conclusion GHOA is not associated with deltoid atrophy, calling into question the suggestion that periarticular muscular atrophy in GHOA is secondary to disuse. Increasing normalized posterior deltoid area associates with increased glenoid retroversion in patients with Walch B-type glenoid morphology. Muscular imbalance may play a role in the etiology or progression of the glenoid deformity observed in eccentric GHOA.
Mst1/2 Kinases Inhibitor, XMU-MP-1, Attenuates Angiotensin II-Induced Ascending Aortic Expansion in Hypercholesterolemic Mice

Background: Ascending and abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAs) are asymptomatic, permanent dilations of the aorta with surgical intervention as the currently available therapy. Hippo-Yap signaling cascade plays a critical role in stem cell self-renewal, tissue regeneration and organ size control. By using XMU-MP-1, a pharmacological inhibitor of the key component of Hippo-Yap signaling, MST1/2, we examined the functional contribution of Hippo-Yap in the development of AAs in Angiotensin II (AngII)-infused hypercholesterolemic mice. Methods and Results: MST, p-MST, p-YAP, p-MOB and TAZ proteins in AngII-infused ascending and abdominal aortas were assessed by immunohistochemical and western blot analyses. To examine the effect of MST1/2 inhibition on AAs, western diet-fed low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor -/- mice infused with AngII were administered with either vehicle or XMU-MP-1 for 5 weeks. Hippo-YAP signaling proteins were significantly elevated in AngII infused ascending and abdominal aortas. XMU-MP-1 administration resulted in the attenuation of AngII-induced ascending AAs without influencing abdominal AAs and aortic atherosclerosis. Inhibition of Hippo-YAP signaling also resulted in the suppression of AngII-induced matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) activity, macrophage accumulation, aortic medial hypertrophy and elastin breaks in the ascending aorta. Conclusions: The present study demonstrates a pivotal role for the Hippo-YAP signaling pathway in AngII-induced ascending AA development.
STACKING DISORDER AND REACTIVITY OF KAOLINITES

Kaolinite is a clay mineral with diverse environmental, industrial, and agricultural applications. The influence of the crystallographic properties of kaolinite, e.g. structural disorder, on these applications is of great interest. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of kaolinite structural disordering over the last 70 years have revealed three main sources of layer-stacking disordering: (1) enantiomorphic stacking; (2) dickite-like stacking; and (3) random shift of layers. What influence do these stacking disorders have on the reactivity of kaolinite? The objective of the present study was to investigate the influence of stacking disorder on the intercalation and dissolution of kaolinite layers. To minimize the effect of particle size on reactivity, the 1–2 μm fractions of five geologic kaolinites were used. The 1–2 μm fractions varied in the degree of structural disorder. The kaolinites were: (1) intercalated with saturated CH3COOK solution at room temperature to examine the effect of stacking disorder on intercalation; and (2) dissolved in 4 M NaOH at 80°C to examine the effect of stacking disorder on kaolinite stability in alkaline solution. Samples with a low degree of stacking disorder intercalated twice as much and dissolved >1.5 times as much as the most disordered sample. The infrared spectrum of the undissolved kaolinite residue in 4 M NaOH showed relative intensities of OH-stretching bands characteristic of a kaolinite-dickite mixture. The binding strength (i.e. resistance to intercalation) of the undissolved residue by NaOH was high; the residue could not be intercalated by CH3COOK. Differences in the average interlayer binding strength were attributed to the greater proportions of dickite-like sequences in highly disordered kaolinite compared to ordered kaolinite specimens. These results suggested that the binding strength of kaolinite layers is proportional to the degree of stacking disorder. Dickite-like sequences, a type of stacking defect, contributed to the lower reactivity of highly disordered kaolinite.
Robust Quickest Change Detection in Statistically Periodic Processes

The problem of detecting a change in the distribution of a statistically periodic process is investigated. The problem is posed in the framework of independent and periodically identically distributed (i.p.i.d.) processes, a recently introduced class of processes to model statistically periodic data. An algorithm is proposed that is shown to be robust against an uncertainty in the post-change law. The motivation for the problem comes from event detection problems in traffic data, social network data, electrocardiogram data, and neural data, where periodic statistical behavior has been observed.
Using experience as a guide for problem solving

Much of the problem solving people do involves consideration of previous similar situations. Such natural problem solving integrates learning and analogy with problem solving itself. The transfer of knowledge from a previous case to a current one is guided by demands made by the problem solving process. Access to previous experiences keeps the problem solver from avoiding past mistakes and helps the problem solver specialize plans to particular types of situations. Both success and failure contribute to learning.
Apple Computers: From Class to Mass?

Apple Computers, despite being credited with pioneering the personal computer (PC) revolution by introducing products ahead of its time, never really succeeded in dominating the market. The computer industry got de-verticalised from the late 1980s and early 1990s (with Windows from Microsoft and processors from Intel) making PC's an affordable commodity with open standards. Apple rejected this trend and continued to promote its Mac OS (operating system), and closed architecture. While Microsoft, with Windows, became the biggest success story in the late 20th century, Apple never gained a strong foothold in the PC industry. From the early 1990s Apple's market share fell from 20% to 5%. By the end of 2004 it was only 3%. In order to promote its brand, Apple entered consumer electronics, and introduced its own line of retail stores. iPod, the company's digital music player, boasted an 87.3% market share among hard drive-based music players and boosted the Apple brand. This case explores the significance of technological innovations from a strategic perspective. The rapid pace of technological innovations in the computer industry has shortened the life span of strategies, from decades to months. In light of this fact the case also provokes debate on the innovator's advantage in business leadership. While in some cases innovators do rule the market, such as Intel in microprocessors, and SAP in ERP (enterprise resource planning) packages.
The case against micropayments

Micropayments are likely to continue disappointing their advocates. They are an interesting technology. However, there are many non-technological reasons why they will take far longer than is generally expected to be widely used, and most probably will play only a minor role in the economy.
Functional polymers, 32. 5-Methoxy- and 5-hydroxy-2H-benzotriazol-2-yl mono- or disubstituted resorcinols or phloroglucinols†‡

Four new 5-methoxy-2H-benzotriazol-2-yl mono- or di-substituted resorcinols and phloroglucinols 5a,b and 6a,b were synthesized by reaction of resorcinol or phloroglucinol with 4-methoxy-2-nitrobenzenediazonium chloride in a 1:1 or 1:2 mole ratio and subsequent reductive cyclization with zinc and sodium hydroxide. The methoxy groups of all four compounds were cleaved with dry hydrogen bromide gas in dimethylformamide leading to the corresponding hydroxyl derivatives 7a,b and 8a,b in nearly quantitative yields. Unlike the reaction of phloroglucinol with a large excess of 2-nitrobenzenediazonium chloride, which gave the trisubstituted product, with 4-methoxy-2-nitrobenzenediazonium chloride no phloroglucinol derivative with three 5-methoxy-2H-benzotriazol-2-yl groups could be obtained. All the resulting products were characterized by their IR, 1H, and 13C NMR, and UV spectra. The resorcinol derivatives (both methoxy- and hydroxy-) Showed λmax of 345 nm and an absorption coefficients as high as 4 · 104 l · mol–1 · cm−1, and the phloroglucinol derivatives a λmax of 350 nm and an absorption coefficient as high as 4,5 · 104 l · mol−1 · cm−1.
Visual Organization of Illusory Surfaces

A common factor in all illusory contour figures is the perception of a surface occluding part of a background. These surfaces are not constrained to be at constant depth and they can cross other surfaces. We address the problem of how the image organizations that yield illusory contours arise. Our approach is to iteratively find the most salient surface by (i) detecting occlusions; (ii) assigning salient-surface-states, a set of hypothesis of the local salient surface configuration; (iii, applying a Bayesian model to diffuse these salient-surface-states; and (iv) efficiently selecting the best image organization (set of hypothesis) based on the resulting diffused surface.
A Brief Description of the PROTOS-L System

The PROTOS-L system is an outcome of a research effort within the EUREKA Project PROTOS (Logic Programming Tools for Building Expert Systems, EU 56) aimed at overcoming some of the shortcomings of Prolog. It consists of a logic programming language including various advanced features together with a state-of-the-art implementation approach based on an abstract machine.
Canine Mammary Epithelial Neoplasms: Biologic Implications of Morphologic Characteristics Assessed in 232 Dogs:

We studied 232 dogs that underwent mastectomy for mammary epithelial neoplasms. The mastectomy specimens were evaluated according to structural parameters found to be prognostically significant in human mammary neoplasms, such as grade of atypia in non-invasive proliferations of duct epithelium, extent of malignant disease, and nuclear differentiation in malignant neoplasms. In this study, the biologic behavior of mammary lesions was assessed according to the frequency of development of de novo or recurrent invasive carcinoma within two years. Our data indicate that we can recognize structural variables which permit classification of mammary neoplasms into categories with distinct patterns of biologic behavior. In addition to normotypic proliferative lesions and invasive malignant neoplasms, we were able to identify precancerous atypic and non-invasive malignant neoplasms that are considered precursor lesions in women. Also, as in women, nuclear differentiation was found to be a prognostically significant...
Coring Lake Fati and Settlement Archaeology of the Middle Niger Lakes Region

A two-part archaeological and limnological study of the Malian Lakes Region has revealed the high research potential of the region. The exploratory reconnaissance of the Gorbi Valley, on the eastern edge of Lake Fati, identified, mapped and sampled eight new sites. The results of the survey suggest a long duration occupation of the Gorbi Valley, as well as possible connections with the populations of the Inland Niger Delta and southeastern Mauritania. The Lake Fati core represents the first lake sediment core from the western Sahel. This 5.4 m sediment core contains a continuous record of lake mud from 10.43 to 4.66 kyr BP. Analysis of the core reveals that Al and Si abundances are decoupled following a deposition of 16 cm of sand at 4.5 ka BP, with Al decreasing and Si increasing rapidly. This period of sand deposition is significantly younger than that of the transition at 5.5 ka BP recorded in marine cores from ODP site 658, taken off the Mauritanian coast, potentially extending the timeframe in which dune systems were stable and lake systems were at their highstand. While highlighting the need for more localized climate chronologies and archaeological investigations, this study may shed light on circumstances surrounding the initial colonization and further development of the Lakes Region.
Sialic acid specific lectins from Episesarma tetragonum (Decapoda, Grapsidae): isolation, purification and characterization

Two sialic acid specific lectins Episesarma tetragonum agglutinin–1 and 2 were purified from the hemolymph of the Mangrove crab, Episesarma tetragonum . The major lectin was purified using CNBr-activated sepharose 4B conjugated to fetuin. N-acetyl glucosamine containing buffer was used for elution. The hemagglutination activity of purified lectin was inhibited by glycoproteins containing Siaα, 2-3Galβ, 1-4 GlcNAc linkages. On SDS-PAGE, the molecular weight of calcium dependent lectin was observed to be 70 kDa. Lectin had the maximum activity at a wide range of pH (6.5 – 9.5) and temperature (0 - 40 °C). The physicochemical characteristics of the minor agglutinin showed that its hemagglutinating activity was calcium dependent, optimum at pH 8 – 9.5 and temperature 0 – 37 °C. The only potent inhibitor of minor lectin was bovine submaxillary mucin. An attempt was also made to purify minor lectin by affinity chromatography using bovine submaxillary mucin coupled to CNBr-activated sepharose 4B column. The lectin was eluted with elution buffer containing ethylene diamine tetra acetate. Strong inhibition of purified minor lectin by bovine submaxillary mucin and non-inhibitory action of de-O-acetylated bovine submaxillary mucin suggested that the lectin was O-acetyl sialic acid specific.
Rydberg Atom Collision Processes

Publisher Summary The chapter focuses on more recent experiments in the atoms in single, well-defined Rydberg states are employed. The theoretical approaches employed differ from those used for treating interactions involving atoms in ground or low-lying excited states; the latter utilize, in essence, a molecular approach in that potential curves or surfaces are determined for a small number of electronic states as a function of internuclear distance and these, and the coupling matrix elements between them serve as an input to a scattering calculation. Many of the theoretical approaches used to treat interactions between Rydberg atoms and charged particles, and their ranges of validity, have been reviewed in the chapter and present the collisions with atoms, molecules, and charged particles. Studies of collisions between Rydberg atoms, and either neutral or charged targets have revealed a wide variety of novel collision processes, many of that have enormous cross sections. The chapter concludes that further studies are required, for example, to determine how the collision processes depend on the angular momentum of the Rydberg electron and to elucidate the role of the core in collisions.
Aerodynamic characteristics of some lifting reentry concepts applicable to transatmospheric vehicle design studies

The aerodynamic characteristics of some lifting reentry concepts are examined with a view to the applicability of such concepts to the design of possible transatmospheric vehicles (TAV). A considerable amount of research has been done in past years with vehicle concepts suitable for manned atmospheric-entry, atmospheric flight, and landing. Some of the features of these concepts that permit flight in or out of the atmosphere with maneuver capability should be useful in the mission requirements of TAV's. The concepts illustrated include some hypersonic-body shapes with and without variable geometry surfaces, and a blunt lifting-body configuration. The merits of these concepts relative to the aerodynamic behavior of a TAV are discussed.
Treaty on Antarctic minerals and oil – what impact on science and environment?

The Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities (CRAMRA) was adopted in 1988. Of legitimate concern to all Antarctic scientists is CRAMRA's impact on the Antarctic environment and on the conduct of research; the treaty will have a positive effect on both.
Ratings of stimulus encoding similarity as related to concreteness and meaningfulness

Subjects rated nouns varying in both meaningfulness-frequency (M) and concreteness (C) on the within-occasion similarity, the between-occasion similarity, and the “uniqueness” of images produced to them, and learned paired associates using rated nouns as stimulus items. In a second study subjects were given recognition training on the previously rated nouns. Within-item encoding similarity (defined by ratings of successive images to the same word) was found to be positively related to both M and C, but between-item similarity of encodings (defined by the uniqueness ratings) was affected positively by C and negatively by M. Recall was related to C, to M, and to their interaction. There was some evidence that between-item similarity of encodings affects recognition, but no clear retention effect for within-item similarity. Results were discussed in terms of certain components and extensions of the encoding variability hypothesis.
Thermoelastic analysis of residual stresses in unidirectional, high‐performance composites

We present a thermoelastic analysis of the composite cylinder model for a undirectional composite including anisotropic fibers and an interphase region. We have found the magnitude of the residual thermal stresses on the micromechanics level induced by differential shrinkage between the anisotropic fibers and the matrix. For typical composites the largest residual stress is tension along the fiber direction, and a simple lower bound expression for this stress is given. Prediction of the magnitude of the thermal stresses requires knowledge of the thermal and physical properties of the matrix. The relevant properties for epoxy and thermoplastic matrices are discussed. The magnitude of the residual stresses can be reduced by tailoring the interphase region, but only if the interphase region serves to reduce the temperature for the onset of stress buildup. The volume fraction dependence of the longitudinal and transverse thermal expansion coefficients of the composite is compared to analogous expressions in the literature which do not include anisotropy of the fibers.
Copper-mediated cross-coupling of aryl boronic acids and alkyl thiols.

The cross-coupling of aryl boronic acids and alkanethiols mediated by copper(II) acetate and pyridine in anhydrous dimethylformamide affords aryl alkyl sulfides in good yield with a wide variety of substituted aryl boronic acids. The method is applicable to the synthesis of aryl sulfides of cysteine.
SOX 404: How do you control your internal control?

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) makes most publicly traded companies report on the effectiveness of their internal controls. That can be a daunting task.But this article offers practical advice and valuable checklists that will make the job easier. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
RNA processing and multiple transcription initiation sites result in transcript size heterogeneity in maize mitochondria

Variation in the length of the 5′ non-coding region of mitochondrial gene transcripts could result from multiple transcription initiation sites or post-transcriptional processing events. To distinguish between these possibilities, we have utilized the in vitro capping reaction catalyzed by guanylyl transferase to specifically label the 5′ end of primary, unprocessed transcripts. Hybridization of in vitro capped mtRNA to immobilized DNA from the 5′ flanking regions of 26 S, 18 S and 5 S rRNA genes and two proteincoding genes, ATP synthase subunit 9 (atp9) and apocytochrome b (cob), identified regions where transcription initiates. Single-strand specific RNase treatment of in vitro capped RNA hybridized to immobilized DNA containing the 5′ flanking sequences from cob and atp9 suggests that these genes have multiple transcription initiation sites. Direct mapping of transcription initiation sites for the rRNA genes indicated that single major transcription initiation sites exist at approximately 180 and 230 nucleotides upstream from the mature 26 S and 18+5 S rRNA genes, respectively. Labeling of processed transcripts bearing a 5′ hydroxyl moiety with T4 polynucleotide kinase and subsequent hybridization to the rRNA genes indicated that the mature forms of the rRNA are processed.
Toward a data structure for computer-aided design of transportation networks

Abstract Although there are a great variety of transportation network design applications, there are important similarities across all transportation networks. These similarities permit the construction of a single, relatively simple, data structure that satisfies the needs of both graphics and algorithms. This paper describes how this data structure was implemented as the basis of the General Network Editor— a program for graphical preparation of network data.