cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microscopic description of the surface dipole plasmon in large Na N clusters ( 950 ≲ N ≲ 12 0 5 0 )

Fully microscopic random phase approximation/local density approximation calculations of the dipole plasmon for very large neutral and charged sodium clusters ${\mathrm{Na}}_{N}^{Z+}$ in the size range $950\ensuremath{\lesssim}N\ensuremath{\lesssim}12050$ are presented. Sixty different sizes are considered altogether, which allows for an in-depth investigation of the asymptotic behavior of both the width and the position of the plasmon.
A thick CESL stressed ultra-small (Lg=40nm) SiGe-channel MOSFET fabricated with 193nm scanner lithography and TEOS hard mask etching

A 100A-thick SiGe (22.5%) channel MOSFET with gate length down to 40nm has been successfully integrated with 14A nitrided gate oxide as well as a 1200A high-compressive PECVD ILD-SiNx stressing layer as the contact etching stop layer (CESL) that enhances the PMOS electron mobility with +33% current gain. To achieve a poly-Si gate length target of 400A (40nm), a 193nm scanner lithography and an aggressive oxide hard mask etching techniques were used. First, a 500A-thick TEOS hard mask layer was deposited upon the 1500A-thick poly-Si gate electrode. Second, both 1050A-thick bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) and 2650A-thick photoresist (P/R) were coated and a 193nm scanner lithography tool was used for the gate layout patterning with nominal logic 90nm exposure energy. Then, a deep sub-micron plasma etcher was used for an aggressive P/R and BARC trimming down processing and the TEOS hard mask was subsequently plasma etched in another etching chamber without breaking the plasma etcher’s vacuum. Continuously, the P/R and BARC were removed with a plasma ashing and RCA cleaning. Moreover, the patterned Si-fin capping oxide can be further trimmed down with a diluted HF (aq) solution (DHF) while rendering the RCA cleaning process and the remained TEOS hard mask is still thick enough for the subsequent poly-Si gate main etching. Finally, an ultra narrow poly-Si gate length of 40nm with promising PMOS drive current enhancement can be formed through a second poly-Si etching, which is above the underneath SiGe (22.5%) conduction channel as well as its upper 14A-thick nitrided gate oxide.
Marijuana effect expectancies: Relations to social anxiety and marijuana use problems

High social anxiety is related to marijuana problems, yet the nature of this relation remains unclear. We examined relations between marijuana effect expectancies, social anxiety, and marijuana among undergraduates (N=337). Social anxiety was related positively to Negative Expectancies and negatively to Tension Reduction Expectancies. Among socially anxious individuals, greater belief that marijuana produces Cognitive and Behavioral Impairment was associated with greater marijuana use rates. Negative Expectancies mediated the social anxiety-marijuana problems link. These data provide new insight into problematic marijuana use among this high-risk group.
Nuclear Energy Sources and Stellar Evolution

The behavior of a star with a thermonuclear energy source consistent with our present knowledge about nuclear reactions is studied in relation to the problems of stellar evolution and interpretation of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and mass-luminosity relation. It is found that in the case of ordinary thermonuclear reactions, with the absence of selective temperature effects (nuclear resonance) the central temperature and luminosity of the star (with constant mass) will rapidly increase in the process of evolution. If, however, such selective effects are present, the energy-production at the center of the star will cease, beginning with the stage when the central temperature reaches the selective value, and energy will be produced only in a spherical shell around the center. This shell will have exactly the selective temperature value corresponding to the thermonuclear reaction in question, and its radius will slowly increase in the process of evolution causing a very slow increase of luminosity. Finally, in the third stage of evolution, when all hydrogen necessary for thermonuclear reactions has been consumed, the star will start a rapid contraction and, passing through the high density stage, will end its life as a cool body. It is also indicated that the star model with a shell source does not possess the property of "super-stability" characteristic for the point-source models.
Beowulf: The Heroic, The Monstrous, and Anglo-Saxon Concepts of Leadership

Abstract The poem Beowulf highlights the leader's heroic role, and is one of the premier examples of literature as a form of leadership instruction. The heroic ideal is one in which leaders are defined by their ability to live in harmony with both the laws and noble norms of society, to overcome opposition, and to demonstrate the acquisition of virtue by the way the live. They are readily recognized as a contrast to the evils they oppose. At the same time, heroic leaders are exemplars for their followers, and receive much of their power by personifying the virtues to which both they and their followers are committed. Leadership thus unfolds in a net of shared expectations, well-defined and noble ideals, and demonstrated accomplishments. In this, the medieval and Anglo-Saxon ideals are wondrously modern.
Transient and persistent consequences of acute stress on long-term potentiation (LTP), synaptic efficacy, theta rhythms and bursts in area CA1 of the hippocampus.

Previous studies reported that exposure to an acute stressor of restraint and intermittent tailshock impairs long-term potentiation (LTP) in area CA1 of the rat hippocampus. In the first experiment, the longevity of the stress-induced impairment of LTP was determined. LTP of the excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) was impaired 2 but not 4 days after stressor cessation. Exposure to the stressor also persistently enhanced the synaptic response to the tetanic stimulation patterned after theta rhythm activity (10, 100 Hz bursts delivered at 5 Hz). In a second experiment, we tested the hypothesis that exposure to the stressor enhanced synaptic efficacy itself. EPSPs were recorded from freely moving rats before, during and after stressor exposure. The synaptic response was not enhanced during stressor exposure. Instead, cessation of the stressor (and perhaps movement associated with release from restraint) induced a transient (<2 min) decrease in synaptic efficacy. To determine whether exposure to the stressor enhances endogenous theta rhythms in area CA1, electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings were obtained from freely moving rats before, during and after exposure to the stressor. The power of theta (4–8 Hz) and low frequency (0.1–3.9 Hz) activity was enhanced in response to the tailshock aspect of the stressor. Together, the results indicate that exposure to an acute stressful event increases theta activity and its cessation transiently decreases synaptic efficacy. These transient effects are succeeded by a persistently sensitized response to theta burst stimulation and impaired LTP. Synapse 26:209–217, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss Inc.
Multi-scale modeling to predict sub-surface damage applied to laser-assisted machining of a particulate reinforced metal matrix composite

Abstract A multi-scale finite element model (FEM) is developed to predict the post machined sub-surface damage in a particle reinforced metal matrix composite (MMC) subjected to laser-assisted machining (LAM). The MMC studied is an A359 aluminum matrix composite reinforced with 20% by volume fraction silicon carbide particles. In this model, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are carried out to parameterize traction–separation laws for the aluminum–silicon carbide interface. The parameterized traction–separation laws are then input into a finite element model, in the form of a cohesive zone model to subsequently simulate the sub-surface damage. In this manner, the multi-scale hierarchical model successfully bridges the atomic, micro and macro scales. Average values of the predicted quantities are compared with experimental results, and the favorable agreement confirms the validity of the multi-scale FEM.
Bullying at Lincoln Middle School: A Case Study.

In today’s age of increasing accountability and scrutiny for school leaders, the issue of school bullying is perhaps one of the most prominent challenges that the school administrator will address. This case study seeks to illuminate the topic of bullying, specifically within the middle school context, while drawing upon recent research and organizational theory. Lincoln Middle School is not unlike many middle schools across the nation that experience students bullying others. The administrators of Lincoln Middle use their greatest resource, their own staff and students, to address this issue and ultimately succeed in improving their school climate.
The Smad6-Histone Deacetylase 3 Complex Silences the Transcriptional Activity of the Glucocorticoid Receptor POTENTIAL CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Glucocorticoids play pivotal roles in the maintenance of homeostasis but, when dysregulated, may also have deleterious effects. Smad6, one of the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) family downstream transcription factors, interacts with the N-terminal domain of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) through its Mad homology 2 domain and suppresses GR-mediated transcriptional activity in vitro. Adenovirus-mediated Smad6 overexpression inhibits glucocorticoid action in rat liver in vivo, preventing dexamethasone-induced elevation of blood glucose levels and hepatic mRNA expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, a well known rate-limiting enzyme of liver gluconeogenesis. Smad6 suppresses GR-induced transactivation by attracting histone deacetylase 3 to DNA-bound GR and by antagonizing acetylation of histone H3 and H4 induced by p160 histone acetyltransferase. These results indicate that Smad6 regulates glucocorticoid actions as a corepressor of the GR. From our results and known cross-talks between glucocorticoids and TGFβ family molecules, it appears that the anti-glucocorticoid actions of Smad6 may contribute to the neuroprotective, anticatabolic and pro-wound healing properties of the TGFβ family of proteins.
Autonomous Load Following and Operational Aspects of the Star-LM HLMC Natural Convection Reactor

STAR-LM is a 300 to 400 MWt class modular, fully transportable, proliferation resistant, and passively safe reactor system that offers developing nations and power producers nearly autonomous operation for very long term. Autonomous load following is the ability of the reactor core power to adjust itself to match the heat removal as a consequence of inherent physical phenomena. STAR-LM achieves autonomous load following through the utilization of a fast neutron spectrum core, inert lead-bismuth eutectic primary coolant, high thermal conductivity transuranic nitride fuel, and 100+% natural circulation heat transport of the primary coolant. To investigate and demonstrate autonomous operation as well as other operational aspects, representative operational transients are analyzed for the 300 MWt STAR-LM design using a coupled thermal hydraulics-neutron kinetics plant dynamics analysis computer code. Autonomous load following without reactivity effects from control rods is demonstrated for decrease-in-turbine load and increase-in-turbine load transients. For initial startup, startup from hot standby, and normal shutdown transients effected by withdrawal or insertion of shutdown rods, the reactor transitions stably to the desired steady state.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Invasive Wisteria in the Southeastern United States: genetic diversity, hybridization and the role of urban centers

The increasing numbers and negative impacts of invasive species have prompted research on the relationship between human activities and the success of invasive horticultural plants. In this study, we use population genetic relationships to model the escape of a common garden vine, exotic Wisteria, into natural habitats. Urban and naturalized Wisteria populations in Charleston, South Carolina and Tallahassee, Florida were investigated using a combination of chloroplast, mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers. Fifty-nine of 72 (81.9%) Wisteria collections were hybrids of Wisteria sinensis and W. floribunda. Chi-square analysis of the distribution of shared W. floribunda haplotypes among naturalized and urban populations supports the relationship of time with invasion success. Naturalized populations were more similar to those in historic neighborhoods. The most common haplotype, F1, was encountered 22 times but its distribution was not significantly different between urban and naturalized populations. In contrast, a significantly higher proportion of haplotype F2 found in naturalized populations suggests that selection may also be acting within these populations. Finally, due to extensive human dispersal, there is no relationship between genetic distance and geographical distance among the populations sampled. We conclude that Wisteria’s long history of horticulture, rampant hybridization, and human-aided dispersal are all implicated in the successful ability of these plants to invade natural habitats throughout the USA.
Effects of obstruent consonants on fundamental frequency at vowel onset in English.

When a vowel follows an obstruent, the fundamental frequency in the first few tens of milliseconds of the vowel is known to be influenced by the voicing characteristics of the consonant. This influence was re-examined in the study reported here. Stops, fricatives, and the nasal /m/ were paired with the vowels /i,ɑ/ to form CVm syllables. Target syllables were embedded in carrier sentences, and intonation was varied to produce each syllable in either a high, low, or neutral pitch environment. In a high-pitch environment, F0 following voiceless obstruents is significantly increased relative to the baseline /m/, but following voiced obstruents it closely traces the baseline. In a low-pitch environment, F0 is very slightly increased following all obstruents, voiced and unvoiced. It is suggested that for certain pitch environments a conflict can occur between gestures corresponding to the segmental feature [stiff vocal folds] and intonational elements. The results are different acoustic manifestations of [stiff] in different pitch environments. The spreading of the vocal folds that occurs during unvoiced stops in certain contexts in English is an enhancing gesture, which aids the resolution of the gestural conflict by allowing the defining segmental gesture to be weakened without losing perceptual salience.
Foreclosure Crisis and Innovative Policy Responses: A Constructive Critique

This paper deals with the moral justification behind policy positions. Squeezed between the inevitability of having a welfare ideology and the mantra of value-neutrality (depoliticization), neoclassical policy economists tend to disguise their normative positions on policy matters as common sense. This attitude is particularly pronounced in what I will call "the rhetoric of worthiness," whereby the neoclassical approach justifies its advocacy that certain people should not be helped. This normative position is disguised by a vocabulary (e.g., moral hazard) claimed to be politically neutral. The present paper criticizes this neoclassical mode of policy evaluation in favor of a more socially conscious and innovative policy approach.
Behavior of NiMnGa Under Dynamic Magnetic Fields Considering Magnetic Diffusion and Eddy Current Power Loss

Prior experimental measurements by the authors demonstrated large reversible strains of up to –0.41% along the [001] crystal direction of a cylindrical Ni50 Mn28.7 Ga21.3 rod driven with a magnetic field along the same direction and no external restoring force. This represents an unusual configuration which can lead to solenoid transducers with enhanced energy density and bandwidth relative to standard electromagnet devices. Although a number of constitutive models have been developed which quantify magnetic field induced strain (MFIS) in these materials, models incorporating both the MFIS and transducer dynamics are scarce. This paper presents a transducer model that is built in three steps. In the first step, classic thermodynamics is used to calculate the volume fraction ξ of an ideal two-variant system as a function of magnetic fields and stresses. Bulk strains are then calculated through stochastic homogenization of the volume fraction. The transducer dynamics are quantified in the third step through calculation of magnetic diffusion in the sample, eddy current losses, and skin depth effects. The strain output is quantified at various magnetic field frequencies.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Domain-Independent Attribution. Part II: Its Value in the Verification of Dynamical Theories of Frontal Waves and Frontogenesis

Abstract Theories of frontogenesis and frontal waves describe development in terms of the interaction of a basic state or environmental flow with a frontal flow. The basic-state flow may comprise a large-scale confluent–diffluent deformation field and/or an alongfront temperature gradient. The frontal flow is seen as evolving as a result of its interaction with the environmental flow. Such theories make specific predictions about the effect of the basic-state flow on the frontal flow. To test these predictions, counterparts of the basic-state flows and frontal flows used in theoretical models must be extracted from atmospheric data. Here the concept of attribution is used to identify such counterparts. In the present context, attribution refers to the process whereby a part of the wind field is attributed to a part of the vorticity or divergence field. It is mathematically equivalent to the process by which a part of a field of electric potential is associated with an element of total charge density in el...
Reduced triglyceride secretion in response to an acute dietary fat challenge in obese compared to lean mice.

Obesity results in abnormally high levels of triglyceride (TG) storage in tissues such as liver, heart and muscle, which disrupts their normal functions. Recently, we found that lean mice challenged with high levels of dietary fat store TGs in cytoplasmic lipid droplets in the absorptive cells of the intestine, enterocytes, and that this storage increases and then decreases over time after an acute dietary fat challenge. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of obesity on intestinal TG metabolism. More specifically we asked whether TG storage in and secretion from the intestine are altered in obesity. We investigated these questions in diet-induced obese (DIO) and leptin-deficient (ob/ob) mice. We found greater levels of TG storage in the intestine of DIO mice compared to lean mice in the fed state, but similar levels of TG storage after fasting. In addition, we found similar TG storage in the intestine of lean and DIO mice at multiple time points after an acute dietary fat challenge. Surprisingly, we found remarkably lower TG secretion from both DIO and ob/ob mice compared to lean controls in response to an acute dietary fat challenge. Furthermore, we found altered mRNA levels for genes involved in regulation of intestinal TG metabolism in lean and DIO mice at fasting and in response to an acute dietary fat challenge. More specifically, we found that many of the genes related to TG synthesis, chylomicron synthesis, TG storage and lipolysis were induced in response to an acute dietary fat challenge in lean mice, but this induction was not observed in DIO mice. In fact, we found a significant decrease in intestinal mRNA levels of genes related to lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation in DIO mice in response to an acute dietary fat challenge. Our findings demonstrate altered TG handling by the small intestine of obese compared to lean mice.
The Thermal Stability of a Single-Grain Mg-Zn-Y Icosahedral Quasicrystal

The stability of the Mg-Zn-Y icosahedral quasicrystal (IQC) has been studied by long-term annealing of a single grain IQC in quartz tubes. Decomposition of the IQC was observed after annealing at high temperatures (T≥773 K) sealed in Ar. During the decomposition process, the quasilattice parameter a R was found to decrease, associated with a decrease in Mg content of the IQC phase as confirmed by quantitative x-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy analyses. In addition, a new cubic approximant has been found in the annealed samples. This cubic approximant has a face-centered cubic (fcc) structure with lattice parameter of a = 1.276 nm, which is about (1/τ) times smaller than that of the fcc W'-(MgZnY) with a = 2.05 nm reported previously (where τ is the golden ratio).
Gandhi’s Agrarian Legacy: Practicing Food, Justice, and Sustainability in India

M.K. Gandhi’s social and environmental thought continues to shape the contemporary practices of Brahma Vidya Mandir, an intentional community in Paunar, Maharashtra. Since its founding in 1959, members have wrestled with the practical implications of translating Gandhian values such as self-sufficiency, non-violence, voluntary simplicity, and public service into specific practices of food production and consumption. Members of Brahma Vidya Mandir and associated farmers imagine and enact their responses to contemporary agrarian failures in religiously inflected language drawn from the Bhagavad-Gita, a central Hindu text, and they use this text as a guide to develop agricultural practices that they deem non-violent. Brahma Vidya Mandir’s existence and the counternarrative prompt our imaginings of what it means to enact alternative agricultural and social practices and help us envision new possibilities of adapting and applying these ideas to other social and geographic contexts.
New insights into the regulation of somatotrope function using genetic and transgenic models

Abstract Growth hormone (GH) secretion is under the control of the hypothalamic hormones GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) and somatostatin (SRIF), and is regulated by feedback effects of GH and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). GHRH and SRIF act on somatotropes by binding to G-protein—coupled receptors. GHRH activates the stimulatory G protein (G s ), leading primarily to activation of adenylyl cyclase and protein kinase A. SRIF activates the inhibitory G protein (G i ). Several animal models enable the study of various disorders of GH secretion in vivo. Genetic models of impaired GH secretion include the little ( lit ) mouse, the dwarf ( dw ) rat, the fatty ( fa ) rat, and the high-growth ( hg ) mouse. Transgenic models of impaired and excessive GH secretion, respectively, include the tyrosine hydroxylase-human GH (TH-hGH) transgenic mouse and the metallothionein-human GHRH transgenic mouse. These models encompass a wide spectrum of disorders of GH secretion, involving defects of hypothalamic regulation, feedback control at the pituitary level, or the mechanism of GHRH action in the somatotrope. They may provide insights into our understanding of human GH secretory disorders.
An outline of a taxonomy of computer security research and development

Resea.rch in computer security in t,he la.st. deca.cle has in general been concent.rated in a. few a.rea.s: highly trustworthy systems that protect data at different security levels. As people are starting to rea.lize how the computer security problem ca,n affect their lives in ways that may have little or nothing t.o do wit,11 these narrowly defined problems, resea.rch has been st,arting to broaden. However, this broa.dening of interest has been sporadic, and it is difficult to get, a,n overall picture of where research is heading. In this paper we present the outline of a taxonomy which will allow us to place existing and possibly fut,ure comput.er security research in context,. This ta.xonomy is int,ended to be a growing entity; a.s new a.reas of research open up we can extend the taxonomy to include them. The taxonomy also allows us to ident%ify area.s of resea.rch that are still relatively unexplored.
High conservation of a 5' element required for RNA editing of a C target in chloroplast psbE transcripts.

C-to-U editing modifies 30–40 distinct nucleotides within higher-plant chloroplast transcripts. Many C targets are located at the same position in homologous genes from different plants; these either could have emerged independently or could share a common origin. The 5′ sequence GCCGUU, required for editing of C214 in tobacco psbE in vitro, is one of the few identified editing cis-elements. We investigated psbE sequences from many plant species to determine in what lineage(s) editing of psbE C214 emerged and whether the cis-element identified in tobacco is conserved in plants with a C214. The GCCGUU sequence is present at a high frequency in plants that carry a C214 in psbE. However, Sciadopitys verticillata (Pinophyta) edits C214 despite the presence of nucleotide differences compared to the conserved cis-element. The C214 site in psbE genes is represented in members of four branches of spermatophytes but not in gnetophytes, resulting in the parsimonious prediction that editing of psbE C214 was present in the ancestor of spermatophytes. Extracts from chloroplasts from a species that has a difference in the motif and lacks the C target are incapable of editing tobacco psbE C214 substrates, implying that the critical trans-acting protein factors were not retained without a C target. Because noncoding sequences are less constrained than coding regions, we analyzed sequences 5′ to two C editing targets located within coding regions to search for possible editing-related conserved elements. Putative editing cis-elements were uncovered in the 5′ UTRs near editing sites psbL C2 and ndhD C2.
Learning objects for collaborative learning in engineering programmes

The importance of collaborative learning for engineering students to succeed in their programmes and in their professional careers is widely recognised. Many undergraduate engineering programmes include a variety of activities such as team projects and other collaborative activities to help students learn from each other. A number of researchers have worked on developing suitable technologies, such as specialised wikis, to support collaborative learning. Most of these tools are designed to be general-purpose, rather than being focused on specific items of knowledge. Along a different line, the approach of learning objects has focused on knowledge-related issues, ignoring collaborative-learning aspects. The goal of the work reported in this paper is to present an innovative model of learning objects that, while retaining the focus of a given learning object on a specific knowledge item, integrates collaborative learning into it. As we will see, the approach enables the instructor to scaffold the students’ ...
An interpolation test for a unit root in the presence of drift

This paper considers tests of the null hypothesis of a unit root in an observed time series against the alternative that the series is level stationary. Interpolation tests whose critical values depend upon the value of the drift parameter are compared to the standard Dickey-Fuller tests in Monte Carlo simulations. The interpolation test performs quite well especially against one-sided alternatives.
Correlated Parameters in Driving Behavior Models: Car-Following Example and Implications for Traffic Microsimulation

Behavioral parameters in car following and other models of driving behavior are expected to be correlated. An investigation is conducted into the effect of ignoring correlations in three parameters of car-following models on the resulting movement and properties of a simulated heterogeneous vehicle traffic stream. For each model specification, parameters are calibrated for the entire sample of individual drivers with Next Generation Simulation trajectory data. Factor analysis is performed to understand the pattern of relationships between parameters on the basis of calibrated data. Correlation coefficients have been used to show statistically significant correlation between the parameters. Simulation experiments are performed with vehicle parameter sets generated with and without considering such correlation. First, parameter values are sampled from the empirical mass functions, and simulated results show significant difference in output measures when parameter correlation is captured (versus ignored). Next, parameters are sampled under the assumption that they follow the multivariate normal distribution. Results suggest that the use of parametric distribution with known correlation structure may not sufficiently reduce the error due to ignoring correlation if the underlying assumption does not hold for both marginal and joint distributions.
Multiple drug resistance, the MDR gene, and the law of maximum perversity as it applies to oncology: an hypothesis.

The so-called Law of Maximum Perversity, generally stated, says that when more than one outcome is possible, that which is the more adverse is the outcome most likely to occur. In medical oncology, the most obvious expression of this law is the fact that all the neoplasms that are most sensitive to cytotoxic drugs and are most curable by chemotherapy, are rare and in numerical terms are not important as causes of cancer-related deaths. Conversely, the most commonly encountered neoplasms that make up the bulk of oncologic practice and that cause over 90 per cent of cancer-related deaths, are all relatively resistant to cytotoxic agents and are virtually never curable by chemotherapy administered in standard (i.e. non-transplant) doses. It is postulated that the biological properties and the normal tissue distribution of the multidrug resistance (MDR) gene and its product p-170 glycoprotein explain the observed incidences and distribution of tumours that are sensitive or insensitive to cytotoxic agents. The normal role of MDR is to protect cells from environmental carcinogens, and the tissues that are most at risk, and most richly supplied with MDR, will produce drug-resistant neoplasms. Current attempts at MDR reversal may facilitate the treatment of some tumours that are resistant to multiple drugs but may cause severe toxic effects as a consequence of abrogating the largely unknown physiologic functions of P-170.
Carving contiguous and fragmented files with fast object validation

''File carving'' reconstructs files based on their content, rather than using metadata that points to the content. Carving is widely used for forensics and data recovery, but no file carvers can automatically reassemble fragmented files. We survey files from more than 300 hard drives acquired on the secondary market and show that the ability to reassemble fragmented files is an important requirement for forensic work. Next we analyze the file carving problem, arguing that rapid, accurate carving is best performed by a multi-tier decision problem that seeks to quickly validate or discard candidate byte strings - ''objects'' - from the media to be carved. Validators for the JPEG, Microsoft OLE (MSOLE) and ZIP file formats are discussed. Finally, we show how high speed validators can be used to reassemble fragmented files.
Sensation seeking as risk factor for suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in adolescence.

Background High sensation seeking in adolescence is associated with engagement in risk-taking behaviors, especially substance use. Although depressed adolescents are prone to increased risk-taking, and suicidal behavior can be considered within the spectrum of risk-taking behaviors, the relationships between sensation seeking, depression, and suicidal behavior have not been explored.
NONLINEAR QUANTUM MECHANICS IMPLIES POLYNOMIAL-TIME SOLUTION FOR NP-COMPLETE AND P PROBLEMS

If quantum states exhibit small nonlinearities during time evolution, then quantum computers can be used to solve $\mathrm{NP}$-complete and # $P$ problems in polynomial time. We provide algorithms that solve $\mathrm{NP}$-complete and # $P$ oracle problems by exploiting nonlinear quantum logic gates. Using the Weinberg model as a simple example, the explicit construction of these gates is derived from the underlying physics. Nonlinear quantum algorithms are also presented using Polchinski type nonlinearities which do not allow for superluminal communication.
Educational context differences in prose recall in adulthood

ABSTRACT Content familiarity and syntactic complexity of target propositions were manipulated in short narratives. The subjects were 36 women divided equally into three groups on the basis of age and educational status: in-school young women (M = 21.6 years), out-of-school young women (M = 21.4 years), and old women (M = 70.3 years). Performance varied with educational status: The in-school young women outperformed the other two groups on measures of working memory and prose recall. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that (a) intrusions in free recall were associated with higher rated familiarity, (b) working memory accounted for a significant portion of the variance in recall from syntactically complex constructions, and (c) age had no predictive relationship with the recall of left-branching embeddings when differences in working memory were controlled. These results suggest a contextual conception of individual differences in discourse processing emphasizing the adaptive demands of different ag...
Discretization of a Continuous Curve

We consider the problem of approximating a finite-length continuous curve by a piecewise linear one whose segments are assumed to be connected by 2 DOF joints. We solve the problem under the assumption that the endpoints of the line segments lie on the continuous curve. Analytical expressions for the relative orientations of each pair of line segments as a function of a single rotational DOF are found. This angle can be chosen arbitrarily or used to optimize a secondary task. The motivating application for this paper is the control of a snake-like robot using gaits designed from shape primitives.
Effects of HIV-prevention interventions for samples with higher and lower percents of Latinos and Latin Americans: a meta-analysis of change in condom use and knowledge.

This meta-analysis (N = 110,092) assessed the efficacy of HIV-prevention interventions across samples with higher and lower concentrations of Latinos/Latin Americans. Findings indicated that groups with higher percents of Latinos increased condom and HIV-related knowledge to a lesser extent than groups with lower percents of Latinos/ Latin Americans. Moreover, groups with greater percents of Latinos/Latin Americans only benefited from intervention strategies that included threat-inducing arguments, whereas groups with lower percents of Latinos/Latin Americans benefited from numerous strategies. In addition, groups with greater percents of Latinos/Latin Americans increased condom use when interventions were conducted by a lay community member, whereas groups with lower percents of these groups increased condom use the most in response to experts. Not surprisingly, there were important differences among Latinos/Latin Americans with different education levels, different genders, and US/Latin American nationality.
Precarious balance: Th17 cells in host defense.

Lineage-specific responses from the effector T-cell repertoire form a critical component of adaptive immunity. The recent identification of Th17 cells—a third, distinct lineage of helper T cells—collapses the long-accepted paradigm in which Th1 and Th2 cells distinctly mediate cellular and humoral immunity, respectively. In this minireview, we discuss the involvement of the Th17 lineage during infection by extracellular bacteria, intracellular bacteria, and fungi. Emerging trends suggest that the Th17 population bridges innate and adaptive immunity to produce a robust antimicrobial inflammatory response. However, because Th17 cells mediate both host defense and pathological inflammation, elucidation of mechanisms that attenuate but do not completely abolish the Th17 response may have powerful implications for therapy.
Thermal processing of ceramic superconductors in the system Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O

Superconductors in the system Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O were prepared from mixtures with initial cation proportions of 1111 and 6356. The effects of heat-treatment conditions, particularly, temperature, atmosphere, and cooling rates, on diamagnetic transition characteristics, were investigated. Calcined powders were found to be comprised primarily of the “2122 phase”. The transition temperature associated with this phase was determined to range from 60–80 K, depending upon the thermal processing conditions. By contrast with YBa2Cu3O7−gd, the superconducting transition temperature, TC, was found to 1. (i) decrease on annealing in oxygen and 2. (ii) increase with increasing cooling rate in air. The increase in TC observed for rapid cooling and quenching was related to an oxygen deficiency effect rather than to the cooling rate per se. An additional phase associated with a higher transition temperature of 112 K was present in all samples. The Meissner effect for this secondary phase was greatest for powder calcined at temperatures lower than the optimum conditions for the formation of the 2122 phase. The Tc for the second phase was found to be independent of the thermal processing conditions.
Non-Monotonic Force-Dissociation Rate Relation Improves Ensemble Performance of Multiple Molecular Motors

Molecular motor-based intracellular transport is important for cell function. There is mounting experimental evidence that multiple motors work together to transport cargos in a cell. However, how these motor assemblies perform collectively is poorly understood and in particular it is still unclear how different mechano-chemical parameters of single motors affect ensemble function. Here we investigate whether using monotonic force-dissociation relation above and below motor stall force is a correct approximation for single motor dynamics and whether it can reproduce experimentally observed in-vitro multiple motor behavior. This is a relevant and important question because recent models of multiple motor based transport use Kramers's theory formula for the force dependent dissociation rates of a single motor employing an assumption that the force-dissociation relation for single motors is monotonic. We find that a detailed analysis of our experimental observations is inconsistent with such an assumption. Instead, we propose a class of single motor models where force dissociation relations need not be monotonic above single motor stall force and which successfully explain the experimental observations.
Assignment of the four disulfides in the N-terminal somatomedin B domain of native vitronectin isolated from human plasma.

The primary sequence of the N-terminal somatomedin B (SMB) domain of native vitronectin contains 44 amino acids, including a framework of four disulfide bonds formed by 8 closely spaced cysteines in sequence patterns similar to those found in the cystine knot family of proteins. The SMB domain of vitronectin was isolated by digesting the protein with endoproteinase Glu-C and purifying the N-terminal 1–55 peptide by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. Through a combination of techniques, including stepwise reduction and alkylation at acidic pH, peptide mapping with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry and NMR, the disulfide bonds contained in the SMB domain have been determined to be Cys5:Cys9, Cys19:Cys31, Cys21:Cys32, and Cys25:Cys39. This pattern of disulfides differs from two other connectivities that have been reported previously for recombinant forms of the SMB domain expressed in Escherichia coli. This arrangement of disulfide bonds in the SMB domain from native vitronectin forms a rigid core around the Cys19: Cys31 and Cys21:Cys32 disulfides. A small positively charged loop is created at the N terminus by the Cys5: Cys9 cystine. The most prominent feature of this disulfide-bonding pattern is a loop between Cys25 and Cys39 similar to cystine-stabilized α-helical structures commonly observed in cystine knots. This α-helix has been confirmed in the solution structure determined for this domain using NMR (Mayasundari, A., Whittemore, N. A., Serpersu, E. H., and Peterson, C. B. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 29359–29366). It confers function on the SMB domain, comprising the site for binding to plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 and the urokinase receptor.
The Operational Mesogamma-Scale Analysis and Forecast System of the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command. Part III: Forecasting with Secondary-Applications Models

Output from the Army Test and Evaluation Command’s Four-Dimensional Weather System’s mesoscale model is used to drive secondary-applications models to produce forecasts of quantities of importance for daily decision making at U.S. Army test ranges. Examples of three specific applications—a sound propagation model, a missile trajectory model, and a transport and diffusion model—are given, along with accuracy assessments using cases in which observational data are available for verification. Ensembles of application model forecasts are used to derive probabilities of exceedance of quantities that can be used to help range test directors to make test go–no-go decisions. The ensembles can be based on multiple meteorological forecast runs or on spatial ensembles derived from different soundings extracted from a single meteorological forecast. In most cases, the accuracies of the secondary-application forecasts are sufficient to meet operational needs at the test ranges.
THE CAUSES OF WAR AND THE CONDITIONS OF PEACE

I organize this review and assessment of the literature on the causes of war around a levels-of-analysis framework and focus primarily on balance of power theories, power transition theories, the relationship between economic interdependence and war, diversionary theories of conflict, domestic coalitional theories, and the nature of decision-making under risk and uncertainty. I analyze several trends in the study of war that cut across different theoretical perspectives. Although the field is characterized by enormous diversity and few lawlike propositions, it has made significant progress in the past decade or two: Its theories are more rigorously formulated and more attentive to the causal mechanisms that drive behavior, its research designs are more carefully constructed to match the tested theories, and its scholars are more methodologically self-conscious in the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods.
A General Approach to Sampled-Data Modeling for Power Electronic Circuits

A general sampled-data representation of the dynamics of arbitrary power electronic circuits is proposed to unify existing approaches. It leads, via compact and powerful notation, to disciplined modeling and straightforward derivation of small-signal models that describe perturbations about a nominal cyclic steady state. Its usefulness is further illustrated by considering the representation and analysis of a class of symmetries in circuit operation. The results of the application of this methodology to modeling the small-signal dynamics of a series resonant converter are described. The results correlate well with simulation results obtained on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Parity Simulator. What is of greater significance is the fact that the small-signal model is obtained in a completely routine way, starting from a general formulation and working down to the actual circuit; this contrasts with the circuit-specific analyses that are more typical of the power electronics literature. The automatability of this procedure is also discussed, and it is pointed out that the key ingredients for automatic generation of dynamic models from a circuit specification are now available.
Adjustment Problems and Maladaptive Relational Style A Mediational Model of Sexual Coercion in Intimate Relationships

Four hundred and fifty-three married or cohabitating couples participated in the current study. A meditational model of men’s perpetration of sexual coercion within an intimate relationship was examined based on past theories and known correlates of rape and sexual coercion. The latent constructs of adjustment problems and maladaptive relational style were examined. Adjustment problem variables included perceived stress, perceived low social support, and marital discord. Maladaptive relational style variables included psychological aggression, dominance, and jealousy. Sexual coercion was a combined measure of men’s reported perpetration and women’s reported victimization. As hypothesized, adjustment problems significantly predicted sexual coercion. Within the meditational model, adjustment problems were significantly correlated with maladaptive relational style, and maladaptive relational style significantly predicted sexual coercion. Once maladaptive relational style was introduced as a mediator, adjustm...
Clinical and silent stroke following aortic valve surgery and transcatheter aortic valve implantation

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been introduced as an alternative to conventional surgery for high-risk patients with aortic stenosis. A recently published randomized clinical trial demonstrated reduction of mortality in high-risk or inoperable patients when compared to medical treatment or balloon aortic valvuloplasty. Despite this evidence of superiority, the rate of TAVI complications is high, and perhaps the most devastating of the nonfatal complications is cerebral injury. This review will compare the incidence of stroke and "silent" cerebral injury after surgical aortic valve replacement and after TAVI and will discuss mechanisms that can lead to cerebral injury during these procedures and subsequently how to prevent this with new protection devices.
Densitometric Evaluation Of Myocardial Contrast Accumulation

Obstructive lesions in the coronary arterial tree may impair capillary or myocardial contrast accumulation, commonly known as myocardial blush. Densitometric assessment of the blush in cine-fluorography presupposes that the part of the cine-frame that represents the myocardium (or well defined part of it) can be retrieved on sequential frames. In the present operator-interactive approach, the blush is determined by digital subtraction. The procedure is the following: (1) A mask is selected by the operator before injection of the contrast medium at a selected instant within the heart cycle. (2) On one frame from the post-injection film series taken at the same phase of the heart cycle as the mask the operator may identify as many as 3 analyzing windows (polygons) which cover various areas on the myocardium. The computer then finds the same areas represented by the windows on each frame, computes the integral of the optical density distribution over them, and subtracts these values from the respective integrals on the mask. A plot of the subtracted data as a function of time gives the myocardial contrast turnover at selected sites.© (1977) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Adaptive modulation in an OFDM communications system with artificial neural networks

In order to combat fading in an OFDM communications system, adaptive modulation techniques have been employed which can improve the performance. We propose that an artificial neural network (ANN) can be inserted in an OFDM system that would provide the information necessary to perform an adaptive modulation of the subcarriers. The performance of the system is evaluated in terms of symbol error probability. The results of our simulations allow us to validate our hypothesis.