cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Learning Generative Models of Social Interactions with Humans-in-the-Loop

The development of agents that can engage in human social interaction has become critical in an increasingly wide range of applications. The focus of this work is modeling agents for social skills training where learners can interact with the autonomous characters in social scenarios and thereby acquire skills that can be applied in the real world. A key goal in the design of these systems is to allow users to explore various actions and tactics while still having the agents generate consistent and diverse responses. Providing the ability to explore different tactics raises a significant content challenge for the design of agents. To tackle the creative content creation problem, this paper introduces a humans-in-the-loop iterative process to automatically generate rich, varied content from a small amount of vignettes provided by online crowd workers. Specifically, this process uses the crowd to iteratively refine and improve an ensemble of generative models. The results show that the iterative, ensemble based approach generates more coherent and novel interactions than alternative non-ensemble, non-iterative approaches. The results presented in this paper can potentially provide the basis for flexible agent-based training systems.
Occupational Risk and the Theory of the Compensating Wage Differential

Industrial risks and injuries are one way of marking the differences in privilege and status between employers and employees. They signify a fundamental clash of interests that goes to the heart of social inequality. Noting that workplace and industrial casualties are statistically at least three times more serious than street crime, 1 some policy experts argue that there should be no double standard for occupational and public exposure to various gases, chemicals, particulates, radiation, noise, and other forms of environmental pollution; they believe that industrial employees should be protected as much as the public is. According to proponents of this point of view, workers ought not to have to trade their health and well-being for wages. Moreover, they maintain, paying a person to put himself at risk at work is not substantially different from murder for hire. Sanctioning this belief, Judge Patrice de Charette, a French magistrate, caused substantial controversy when, in 1975, he and a deputy went to a refinery to arrest and imprison the plant manager where a worker had been killed in an industrial accident. When he was denounced by higher French authorities, de Charette maintained: “I don’t see why it is less serious to let men die at work than it is to steal a car.” 2
Proposal for Slepian-States-Based DV- and CV-QKD Schemes Suitable for Implementation in Integrated Photonics Platforms

Quantum key distribution (QKD) leverages underlying principles of quantum mechanics to realize distribution of keys with verifiable security. Despite appealing features of QKD, there are some fundamental and technical challenges that need to be solved prior to its widespread applications. First, QKD secret-key rate (SKR) is fundamentally limited by channel loss, as dictated by the rate-loss tradeoff. Quantum repeaters would be an ultimate solution to overcome this problem; however, they are well beyond the reach. The second challenge lies in the scalability and cost. Future's QKD systems must be suitable for mass production with low cost, reliable realignment-free operations, and small power consumption. To solve for these problems in a simultaneous manner, we propose to encode information in the orthogonal Slepian sequences’ bases. Such an approach is highly robust against turbulence effects in free-space optical links and dispersion effects/fiber nonlinearities in fiber-optics channels, thereby improving QKD distance. Moreover, exploiting multidimensional encoding space enables high spectral efficiency QKD so that the SKR can be significantly improved. Critically, generation, processing, and detection of Slepian states can be reliably implemented in an integrated quantum photonics platform, based on both reflective and transmissive waveguide Bragg gratings (WBGs). Proposed reflective/transmissive WBG-based Slepian states are applicable to both discrete variable and continuous variable QKD systems.
Applications of Deep Learning in Intelligent Transportation Systems

In recent years, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) have seen efficient and faster development by implementing deep learning techniques in problem domains which were previously addressed using analytical or statistical solutions and also in some areas that were untouched. These improvements have facilitated traffic management and traffic planning, increased safety and security in transit roads, decreased costs of maintenance, optimized public transportation and ride-sharing company's performance, and advanced driver-less vehicle development to a new stage. This papers primary objective was to provide a review and comprehensive insight into the applications of deep learning models on intelligent transportation systems accompanied by presenting the progress of ITS research due to deep learning. First, different techniques of deep learning and their state-of-the-art are discussed, followed by an in-depth analysis and explanation of the current applications of these techniques in transportation systems. This enumeration of deep learning on ITS highlights its significance in the domain. The applications are furthermore categorized based on the gap they are trying to address. Finally, different embedded systems for deployment of these techniques are investigated and their advantages and weaknesses over each other are discussed. Based on this systematic review, credible benefits of deep learning models on ITS are demonstrated and directions for future research are discussed.
Persisting patriarchy: Intersectionalities, negotiations, subversions

In Persisting Patriarchy, Kochurani Abraham explores various feminist social responses to social hierarchy, structures of patriarchy, gender inequality, and hegemonic religiosity. The plight of Ind...
Myocardial Infarction in an Infant with Complete Recovery of Function

Introduction: Myocardial infarction (MI) in infants without congenital abnormality of the coronary arteries is a rare entity with high mortality. We describe our experience managing such a patient. Case: The patient was born at 32/6 weeks’ gestation with cleft lip and palate. While in the NICU, a murmur was noted and echocardiography revealed a PFO and PDA. Coronary arteries appeared to have normal origin and flow. He was discharged home at 2 months of life and remained asymptomatic. At 4 months of age he underwent myringotomy tube placement and cleft lip repair with general anesthesia. …
The Mouse Cortical Interareal Network Reveals Well Defined Connectivity Profiles and an Ultra Dense Cortical Graph

The inter-areal wiring pattern of mouse cerebral cortex was analyzed in relation to an accurate parcellation of cortical areas. Twenty-seven retrograde tracer injections were made in 19 areas of a 41 area (plus 7 sub-area) parcellation of the mouse neo-, parahippocampal and perirhinal cortex. Flat mounts of the cortex and multiple histological markers enabled detailed counts of labeled neurons in individual areas. A weight index was determined for each area-to-area pathway based on the Fraction of Extrinsically Labeled Neurons (FLNe). Data analysis allowed cross species comparison with the macaque. Estimation of FLNe statistical variability based on repeat injections revealed high consistency across individuals and justifies using a single injection per area to characterize connectivity. The observed lognormal distribution of connections to each cortical area spanned 5 orders of magnitude and revealed a distinct connectivity profile for each area, analogous to that observed in macaque. The resulting graph has a density of 97% (i.e. 97% of connections that can exist do exist), considerably higher than the 66% density reported for the macaque. Our results provide more sharply defined connectivity profiles and a markedly higher graph density than shown in a recent probabilistic mouse connectome.
Learning from failure: A systematized review

Iteration and improvement are important attributes of design, tacitly indicating that failure is also a part of the process. There are different conceptions of failure in engineering contexts than in other academic settings. Therefore, for beginning designers, these failure experiences may be perceived as mishaps, lowering confidence or interest. Given the seeming disconnect between the nature of design and the goal to foster design identities, it is important to understand experiences of failure and key elements in making failure a learning experience while designing. To map, assess, and synthesize findings related to failure experiences, a systematized literature review was conducted using the EBSCO Education Source database and conference proceedings from the American Society of Engineering Education and IEEE Frontiers in Education annual conferences. Search terms included variants of “failure” and STEM or design education. Thirty-five articles were identified with primary source investigations of failure in the classroom and included in the thematic synthesis. Key findings highlight varied interpretations of failure, even in design, student reactions to failure experiences, failure as a mechanism to uncover key concepts and promote reflection, and the importance of a safe climate for encountering failure.
Suppression of ground resonance in rotorcraft using active landing gear

This article examines the fundamental aspects of controlling ground resonance in rotorcraft equipped with actively controlled landing gear. Ground resonance is a mechanical instability affecting ro...
Fractionalization, Rent Seeking, and Economic Freedom

Diversity is often thought to create conflict and harm economic institutions. We hypothesize, however, that the impact of diversity is conditional on political institutions, and may be negative in some settings but positive in others, due to differences in the nature of rent seeking in different regimes. To test this hypothesis, we estimate the impact of diversity on economic freedom, conditional on the level of political rights. We find that the marginal impact of ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity on economic freedom is positive in the most democratic nations, and that the marginal impact of ethnic diversity is negative in the most autocratic nations. Our results suggest that the nature of the relation between diversity and economic institutions may be more complicated than prior literature conveys.
Robust time-optimal control of robotic manipulators under payload uncertainty

This paper presents a new robust time-optimal control (TOC) strategy for robotic manipulators with payload uncertainty. This strategy, featuring combination of off-line optimization and online adaptation, determines the optimum switching time for control torques in real time according to actual system state. Simulation study has shown that this strategy can guarantee a robot arm to move always along TOC trajectory regardless of changes in payload over a wide range. >
An investigation into teens' attitudes towards fast-food brands in general: a cross-cultural analysis.

Abstract The global teenager hypothesis suggests that communication technology advances have served to homogenize the values, fashion preferences, and attitudes of the world's teenagers. This study examines attitudes towards fast-food brands in general among Chinese, Japanese, and American teenagers. The purpose of the study was to examine similarities and differences in such attitudes across these three markets. The results show that significant differences in brand attitudes exist between teens from each of these three nations. This study provides global fast-food managers with unprecedented empirical research concerning the idiosyncrasies underlying teenage fast-food brand attitudes.
Critical Thinking and Intractable Disagreement

The discipline of informal logic is devoted to the study of the nature and value of argument. The Critical Thinking (CT) movement is the sub-discipline that applies the lessons of informal logic to the undergraduate and K-12 curriculum. While argument has many functions, one of the most obvious and important is the rational resolution of disagreement. Thus, a natural development of the CT movement is to tie the study of argument to democratic culture by using contemporary controversial social issues as the subject matter of critical thinking courses. The assumption is that students will develop reasoning skills and that real progress can be made with respect to the controversial topics.
Diversity Climates in Human Service Agencies

Abstract This article focuses on “diversity climates” of human service agencies. An organization's diversity climate is comprised of both the degree of member heterogeneity and efforts to promote and sustain an environment conducive to maximizing the benefits of that heterogeneity. Data are from diversity audits conducted in 161 nonprofit and public human service agencies that provide health/mental health, welfare, child/adolescent, educational, and community programs. Findings indicate racial and gender segregation in that most organizations have management and staff that are overwhelmingly White and female. Strategies for the promotion of diversity tend to be basic and limited and are not likely to result in substantial or long-lasting change that would embed diversity into an organization's culture. Public welfare agencies appear to have the weakest diversity climates. Discussion addresses concerns regarding the absence of robust diversity climates in human service agencies.
Dna synthesis in isolated HeLa nuclei. A system for continuation of replication in vivo.

A nuclear system from synchronized HeLa cells is described which continues DNA replication at sites which were active in vivo. Under the defined optimal conditions the initial rates of DNA replication in isolated nuclei range from 50 to 100% of that in the cells of origin; 1—2% of the HeLa DNA can be replicated in vitro. Proteins of the cytosol are essential to the stabilization of the replication system. Experiments in which the parental strands were fractionally labelled with bromodeoxyuridine provide evidence that the ordered nature of DNA replication in vivo is preserved in the system in vitro. Repair replication of homopolymer synthesis was insignificant under the conditions of study.
Visual cortex organization in primates: theories of V3 and adjoining visual areas.

Abstract After years of experimentation and substantial progress, there is still only limited agreement on how visual cortex in primates is orcognized, and what features of this organization are variable or stable across lines of primate phylogeny. Only three visual areas, V1, V2, and MT, are widely recognized as common to all primates, although there are certainly more. Here we consider various concepts of how the cortex along the outer border of V2 is organized. An early proposal was that this region is occupied by a V3 that is as wide and as long as V2, and represents the visual hemifield as a mirror image of V2. We refer to this notion as the classical V3 or V3-C. Another proposal is that only the dorsal half of V3-C exists, the half representing the lower visual quadrant, and thus the representation is incomplete (V3-I) by half. A version of this proposal is that V3-I is discontinuous, extremely thin in places, and highly variable across individuals, much as a vestigial or degenerate structure might be (V3-IF-incomplete and fragmented). A fourth proposal is that there is no V3. Many results suggest that a series of visual areas border V2, none of which has the characteristics of V3. Alternatively, the possibility exists that primate taxa differ with regard to visual areas bordering V2. Currently, much of the supporting evidence for a classical V3 comes from fMRI studies in humans, much of the evidence for a series of bordering areas comes from New World Monkeys and prosimian galagos, and much of the evidence for a V3-I or V3-IF comes from macaque monkeys. Possibly all these interpretations of visual cortex organization are valid, but each for only one of the major groups of primate evolution. Here, we suggest that none of these interpretations is correct, and propose instead that a modified V3 (V3-M) exists in a similar form in all primates. This V3-M is smaller and thinner than V3-C, discontinuous in the middle, but with comparable dorsal and ventral halves representing the lower and upper visual hemifields, respectively. Because the evidence for V3-M is limited, and it stems in part from our ongoing but incomplete comparative studies of V1 connections in primates, this suggestion requires further experimental evaluation and it remains tentative.
Rate and Filter Effects on the Developing Middle-Latency Response

Auditory middle-latency responses (MLRs) were obtained from 71 unanesthetized gerbils ranging in age from 10 to > 90 days. Effects of age, stimulation rate, high- and lowpass filter settings and filter slope were examined. MLR amplitude decreased significantly with increased stimulation rate at all ages, at rates up to 40/s. The detection of MLR waves (presence or absence) varied inversely with the rate of stimulation only in immature subjects. The amplitude of waves B (15 ms) and C (25 ms) was significantly larger with a highpass filter setting of 3 Hz as compared to 10 and 30 Hz. This effect was significantly more pronounced in developing animals as compared to adults. MLR amplitude was greater with a filter slope of 6 dB/octave as compared to 48 dB/octave, (10-2 000 Hz) and this effect was also significantly greater in developing animals than in adults. There was no interaction between lowpass filter setting and age (100 vs. 2 000 Hz). A prominent positive wave occurring at approximately 50 ms was pres...
Nutritional effects of parasitic infections and disease.

Publisher Summary The statement by Chandler (1953) that “Diet exerts profound influences on the course of parasitic infections” can be amply supported by data from studies with viruses, rickettsia, spirochetes, fungi, and animal parasites. The general concept that malnutrition leads to an increase in infections and parasitic disease in a population has to be qualified by the statement that the production and severity of the specific disease is determined by the kind of nutritional deficiency that exists. Parasitologists (using biochemical techniques), biochemists, and pharmacologists are discovering extensive material for study in the field of animal parasitology and are starting to fill the great gaps in knowledge about the fundamental principles and facts that enable cells to live a parasitic existence and adapt themselves to a variety of environmental changes necessary to complete their life cycles. This chapter reviews the physiological and metabolic behavior of animal parasites as affected by nutritional factors and points out the status of knowledge about the mechanisms involved in the production of disease, with emphasis on animal parasites infecting man and the diseases they produce.
A theory of type qualifiers

We describe a framework for adding type qualifiers to a language. Type qualifiers encode a simple but highly useful form of subtyping. Our framework extends standard type rules to model the flow of qualifiers through a program, where each qualifier or set of qualifiers comes with additional rules that capture its semantics. Our framework allows types to be polymorphic in the type qualifiers. We present a const-inference system for C as an example application of the framework. We show that for a set of real C programs, many more consts can be used than are actually present in the original code.
Randomized Phase II Clinical Trials

Traditionally, Phase II trials have been conducted as single-arm trials to compare the response probabilities between an experimental therapy and a historical control. Historical control data, however, often have a small sample size, are collected from a different patient population, or use a different response assessment method, so that a direct comparison between a historical control and an experimental therapy may be severely biased. Randomized Phase II trials entering patients prospectively to both experimental and control arms have been proposed to avoid any bias in such cases. The small sample sizes for typical Phase II clinical trials imply that the use of exact statistical methods for their design and analysis is appropriate. In this article, we propose two-stage randomized Phase II trials based on Fisher's exact test, which does not require specification of the response probability of the control arm for testing. Through numerical studies, we observe that the proposed method controls the type I error accurately and maintains a high power. If we specify the response probabilities of the two arms under the alternative hypothesis, we can identify good randomized Phase II trial designs by adopting the Simon's minimax and optimal design concepts that were developed for single-arm Phase II trials.
Abnormal yolk sac function induced by chlorambucil

Es wird gezeigt, dass Chlorambucil eine teratogene Wirkung, die durch Storungen der Nahrungsubertragung des Dotterblaschens verursacht wird, besitzt, was die Annahme nahe legt, Missbildungen seien durch ein abnormales «Mikromilieu» bedingt.
Tracer-gas techniques for measuring ventilation in a single zone

Abstract Tracer-gas techniques have become widely used to measure the ventilation rates in buildings. A tracer gas is an idealized substance used to tag volumes of air so as to be able to infer their bulk movement; the properties of a perfect tracer are discussed. The basic principle involved is that of conservation of mass (of both air and tracer gas) as expressed in the continuity equation; by monitoring the injection and concentration of the tracer, one can infer the exchange of air. This report will summarize the techniques in use. Although there is only one continuity equation, there are many different experimental injection strategies and analytical approaches. These different techniques may result in different estimates of ventilation due to uncertainties and biases of the procedures. This report will analyse the spectrum of techniques, including some of the relevant error analyses.
Guinea-pig model of Diastolic Heart Failure characterized at three different pathophysiological states

Diastolic heart failure (DHF) is a recently recognized syndrome defined as heart failure with preserved systolic cardiac pump function. We developed a minimally invasive, physiologically relevant, gradual pressure-overload experimental model of DHF in Guinea Pigs (GP). GP were divided into two groups - control and treatment. Based on a dose-response curve and time period study, we established the pressure overload model by surgically implanting Angiotensin II pumps (400ng/kg/min)/saline pumps (0.9%) in female Dunkin Hartley Guinea pigs (400g); up to 12 weeks. At different time points three stages were identified in this model 1) initial hypertensive, 2) compensatory DHF, and 3) decompensated diastolic/systolic heart failure as based on invasive hemodynamic and M-mode echocardiography analyses at 4, 8, and 12 weeks of Angiotensin II treatment. Thus, maximum positive dP/dt increased ∼50% at stage 2 and decreased ∼55% at stage 3; LV hypertrophy was ∼10% at stage 2, and ∼55% at stage 3. We conclude that chronic treatment with Angiotensin II is a useful experimental model of compensated and decompensated diastolic HF in the guinea-pig.
Why is sulfuric acid a much stronger acid than ethanol? Determination of the contributions by inductive/field effects and electron-delocalization effects

Two different and complementary computational methods were used to determine the contributions by inductive/field effects and by electron-delocalization effects toward the enhancement of the gas-phase deprotonation enthalpy of sulfuric acid over ethanol. Our alkylogue extrapolation method employed density functional theory calculations to determine the deprotonation enthalpy of the alkylogues of sulfuric acid, HOSO2-(CH2CH2)n-OH, and of ethanol, CH3CH2-(CH2CH2)n-OH. The inductive/field effect imparted by the HOSO2 group for a given alkylogue of sulfuric acid was taken to be the difference in deprotonation enthalpy between corresponding (i.e., same n) alkylogues of sulfuric acid and ethanol. Extrapolating the inductive/field effect values for the n = 1-6 alkylogues, we obtained a value of 51.0 ± 6.4 kcal mol(-1) for the inductive/field effect for n = 0, sulfuric acid, leaving 15.4 kcal mol(-1) as the contribution by electron-delocalization effects. Our block-localized wavefunction method was employed to calculate the deprotonation enthalpies of sulfuric acid and ethanol using the electron-localized acid and anion species, which were compared to the values calculated using the electron-delocalized species. The contribution from electron delocalization was thus determined to be 18.2 kcal mol(-1), which is similar to the value obtained from the alkylogue extrapolation method. The two methods, therefore, unambiguously agree that both inductive/field effects and electron-delocalization effects have significant contributions to the enhancement of the deprotonation enthalpy of sulfuric acid compared with ethanol, and that the inductive/field effects are the dominant contributor.
Predictors of switching antipsychotic medications in the treatment of schizophrenia

To identify patient characteristics and early changes in patients' clinical status that best predict subsequent switching of antipsychotic agents in the long-term treatment of schizophrenia. This post-hoc analysis used data from a one-year randomized, open-label, multisite study of antipsychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia. The study protocol permitted switching of antipsychotics when clinically warranted after the first eight weeks. Baseline patient characteristics were assessed using standard psychiatric measures and reviews of medical records. The prediction model included baseline sociodemographics, comorbid psychiatric and non-psychiatric conditions, body weight, clinical and functional variables, as well as change scores on standard efficacy and tolerability measures during the first two weeks of treatment. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to identify the best predictors of switching from the initially assigned antipsychotic medication. About one-third of patients (29.5%, 191/648) switched antipsychotics before the end of the one-year study. There were six variables identified as the best predictors of switching: lack of antipsychotic use in the prior year, pre-existing depression, female gender, lack of substance use disorder, worsening of akathisia (as measured by the Barnes Akathisia Scale), and worsening of symptoms of depression/anxiety (subscale score on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) during the first two weeks of antipsychotic therapy. Switching antipsychotics appears to be prevalent in the naturalistic treatment of schizophrenia and can be predicted by a small and distinct set of variables. Interestingly, worsening of anxiety and depressive symptoms and of akathisia following two weeks of treatment were among the more robust predictors of subsequent switching of antipsychotics.
Effects of Brooding Temperature and Molybdenum on the Turkey Poult

Day-old White Broad Breastfed male turkeys were brooded for 10 days in a Honeywell environmental chamber. The chamber was configured to brood one-half of the birds at 29 C and the other half at 35 C. The poults were fed a practical corn-soy starter diet containing .8% phosphorus and 1.35% calcium. A 5 ppm molybdenum supplement was given to half the birds at each temperature. A significant (P less than or equal to .05) temperature X diet interaction occurred with both bone ash and serum phosphorus. Bone ash and serum phosphorus were significantly lower (P less than or equal to .05) in poults fed the diet supplemented with 5 ppm molybdenum at 29 C. Molybdenum supplementation did not significantly affect bone ash at 35 C but significantly increased (P less than or equal to .05) serum phosphorus at this brooding temperature. Both body weight and serum calcium were significantly higher (P less than or equal to .05) in poults brooded at 35 versus 29 C. Diets containing the molybdenum supplement did not significantly affect either body weight or serum calcium.
Tackification of Textile Fiber Preforms in Resin Transfer Molding

Tackified textile fiber preforms are used widely in resin transfer molding (RTM) to produce aerospace-grade composite parts. To optimize the preforming process, a thorough understanding of many important material and process issues, such as fabric formability, preform dimension control, preform permeability, fiber wetting, and tackifier compatibility with the matrix resin, is essential. These issues are investigated based on a commercial tackifier (PT 500 from 3M). The results show that tackifier concentration, tackifier powder size, and the application conditions all play important roles in governing the moldability of tackified fiber preforms.
Using a Taxonomy of Differential Step Functioning to Improve the Interpretation of DIF in Polytomous Items: An Illustration

The assessment of differential item functioning (DIF) in polytomous items addresses between-group differences in measurement properties at the item level, but typically does not inform which score levels may be involved in the DIF effect. The framework of differential step functioning (DSF) addresses this issue by examining between-group differences in the measurement properties at each step underlying the polytomous response variable. The pattern of the DSF effects across the steps of the polytomous response variable can assume several different forms, and the different forms can have different implications for the sensitivity of DIF detection and the final interpretation of the causes of the DIF effect. In this article we propose a taxonomy of DSF forms, establish guidelines for using the form of DSF to help target and guide item content review and item revision, and provide procedural rules for using the frameworks of DSF and DIF in tandem to yield a comprehensive assessment of between-group measuremen...
Lost and found: cardiac stem cell therapy revisited

Several clinical trials of bone marrow stem cell therapy for myocardial infarction are ongoing, but the mechanistic basis for any potential therapeutic effect is currently unclear. A growing body of evidence suggests that the potential improvement in cardiac function is largely independent of cardiac muscle regeneration. A study by Fazel et al. in this issue of the JCI provides evidence that bone marrow–derived c-kit+ cells can lead to an improvement in cardiac function in mutant hypomorphic c-kit mice that is independent of transdifferentiation into either cardiac muscle or endothelial cells, but rather is associated with the release of angiogenic cytokines and associated neovascularization in the infarct border zone (see the related article beginning on page 1865). These findings suggest the potential therapeutic effect of specific paracrine pathways for angiogenesis in improving cardiac function in the injured heart.
The Design of a Parallel Dense Linear Algebra Software Library: Reduction to Hessenberg, Trididgonal, and Bidiagonal Form

This paper discusses issues in the design of ScaLAPACK, a software library for performing dense linear algebra computations on distributed memory concurrent computers. These issues are illustrated using the ScaLAPACK routines for reducing matrices to Hessenberg, tridiagonal, and bidiagonal forms. These routines are important in the solution of eigenproblems. The paper focuses on how building blocks are used to create higher-level library routines. Results are presented that demonstrate the scalability of the reduction routines. The most commonly-used building blocks used in ScaLAPACK are the sequencing BLAS, the parallel BLAS (PBLAS) and the Basic Linear Algebra Communication Subprograms (BLACS). Each of the matrix reduction algorithms consists of a series of steps in each of which one block column (orpanel), and/or block row, of the matrix is reduced, followed by an update of the portion of the matrix that has not been factorized so far. This latter phase is performed using Level 3 PBLAS operations and contains the bulk of the computation. However, the panel reduction phase involves a significant amount of communication, and is important in determining the scalability of the algorithm. The simplest way to parallelize the panel reduction phase is to replace the BLAS routines appearing in the LAPACK routine (mostly matrix-vector and matrix-matrix multiplications) with the corresponding PBLAS routines. However, in some cases it is possible to reduce communication startup costs by performing the communication necessary for consecutive BLAS operations in a single communication using a BLACS call. Thus, there is a tradeoff between efficiency and software engineering considerations, such as ease of programming and simplicity of code.
Carbon-carbon bond formation in the surprising rearrangement of diorganylzirconium dialkoxides : Linear dimerization of terminal olefins

The mechanism of the rearrangement of diorganylzirconium dialkoxides, such as R1(R2CH2)Zr(OEt)2, into organylzirconium hydride alkoxides of the type R1R2CHZr(OEt)2H, has been investigated as a function of the R1 and R2 substituents and been found to involve optimally an intramolecular migration of R1 to an sp3-hybridized C−H center. A remarkably rapid transfer hydrozirconation between Bun2Zr(OEt)2 and the olefin RCHCH2 now permits the synthesis of (RCH2CH2)2Zr(OEt)2, whose rearrangement offers a route to the linear olefin dimer R(CH2)4R.
Subpixel registration directly from the phase difference

This paper proposes a new approach to subpixel registration, under local/global shifts or rotation, using the phase-difference matrix. We establish the exact relationship between the continuous and the discrete phase difference of two shifted images and show that their discrete phase difference is a 2-dimensional sawtooth signal. As a result, the exact shifts or rotations can be determined to subpixel or subangle accuracy by counting the number of cycles of the phase-difference matrix along the frequency axes. The subpixel portion is represented by a fraction of a cycle corresponding to the noninteger part of the shift or rotation. The rotation angle is estimated by applying our method using a polar coordinate system. The problem is formulated as an overdetermined system of equations and is solved by imposing a regularity constraint. The tradeoff for imposing the constraint is determined by exploiting the rank constraint leading to a closed-form expression for the optimal regularization parameter.
A Comparison of the Hoop-Net Catches in Several Fish Habitats of Wheeler Reservoir

Abstract Hoop nets were fished in all four major habitats in Wheeler Reservoir, a T.V.A. main-stream impoundment, during a six-months' period in 1941. Long-nose gar, mooneye, skipjack, mud catfish, black bullhead, white bass, sauger, and crappie were best represented in the catch from the fast tailwater; drum were taken in greatest numbers in the upper “third,” which had retained many of the characteristics of the original river; rough-fish species were most commonly caught in the middle section with its extensive shallow backwaters; and Kentucky bass were best represented in the lower “third” where the water is less turbid than in other portions of the reservoir.
7.3: Presentation session: Poster session and reception: “Neuronal responses to simply prepared chitosan composite gels”

Hydrogels have been favored as neural tissue scaffold materials for brain repair. However, most of the polymers used today for neural tissue scaffold fabrication require chemical functionalization with neuro-adhesive molecules, which raises potential challenges for their clinical applications. In the present study, simply prepared chitosanbased composite gels were developed by physically blending chitosan into agarose hydrogel as a neuro-adhesive component. The responses of primary cortical neuron towards the scaffolds were investigated. Results confirmed the neuro-adhesive property of chitosan. Low molecular weight chitosan supported better neuron adhesion. Neuron differentiation was dependent on chitosan concentration, where 0.66–1.5 wt% was identified as an optimum range for neurite outgrowth.
The refractive index and dry mass distribution of mammalian erythrocytes

SUMMARY Quantitative microscopical methods are now of outstanding importance in the diagnosis and assessment of mammalian red blood cells. After release from the erythropoetic organs, all red blood cells in the peripheral blood of mammals pass through the reticulocyte stage before becoming mature erythrocytes. Therefore, the determination of reticulocyte number is used as an index of erythropoetic activity in clinical haematology. The corpuscular solid concentration, the corpuscular dry weight, the osmotic resistance and the size of red blood cells can be determined by use of microscopical methods. For the determination of the corpuscular solid concentration of erythrocytes, cell refractometry by the use of phase-contrast microscopy has proved to be a very sensitive and accurate method. The dry weight of single erythrocytes may likewise be obtained by the use of interference microscopy with relatively high accuracy. Both of these methods might also be of use in clinical haematology. In the experimental work described in this paper, both methods mentioned above are used to answer the question: whether and under what conditions the refractive index as a criterion of measurement of the solid concentration and the relative dry weight can be determined separately for reticulocytes and erythrocytes from the same blood sample by use of microscopical methods alone. The frequency distributions of refractive indices and relative dry weights determined on human reticulocytes and mature erythrocytes show significantly lower mean values for the reticulocyte generation in accordant with findings published by other authors and obtained by use of sometimes entirely different methods. The additional information gained by the determination of the frequency distribution of refractive index and dry weight of reticulocytes and mature erythrocytes separately in a blood sample and the necessity for simplifying and automating such methods for haematological diagnosis are discussed.
Age-Related Differences in Susceptibility to Carcinogenesis. II. Approaches for Application and Uncertainty Analyses for Individual Genetically Acting Carcinogens

In an earlier report we developed a quantitative likelihood-based analysis of the differences in sensitivity of rodents to mutagenic carcinogens across three life stages (fetal, birth to weaning, and weaning to 60 days) relative to exposures in adult life. Here we draw implications for assessing human risks for full lifetime exposures, taking into account three types of uncertainties in making projections from the rodent data: uncertainty in the central estimates of the life-stage-specific sensitivity factors estimated earlier, uncertainty from chemical-to-chemical differences in life-stage-specific sensitivities for carcinogenesis, and uncertainty in the mapping of rodent life stages to human ages/exposure periods. Among the uncertainties analyzed, the mapping of rodent life stages to human ages/exposure periods is most important quantitatively (a range of several-fold in estimates of the duration of the human equivalent of the highest sensitivity "birth to weaning" period in rodents). The combined effects of these uncertainties are estimated with Monte Carlo analyses. Overall, the estimated population arithmetic mean risk from lifetime exposures at a constant milligrams per kilogram body weight level to a generic mutagenic carcinogen is about 2.8-fold larger than expected from adult-only exposure with 5-95% confidence limits of 1.5- to 6-fold. The mean estimates for the 0- to 2-year and 2- to 15-year periods are about 35-55% larger than the 10- and 3-fold sensitivity factor adjustments recently proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The present results are based on data for only nine chemicals, including five mutagens. Risk inferences will be altered as data become available for other chemicals.
MITF mediates cAMP-induced protein kinase C-β expression in human melanocytes

The cAMP-dependent pathway up-regulates MITF (microphthalmia-associated transcription factor), important for key melanogenic proteins such as tyrosinase, TRP-1 (tyrosinase-related protein 1) and TRP-2. We asked whether MITF is also a key transcription factor for PKC-β (protein kinase C-β), required to phosphorylate otherwise inactive tyrosinase. When paired cultures of human melanocytes were treated with isobutylmethylxanthine, known to increase intracellular cAMP, both protein and mRNA levels of PKC-β were induced by 24 h. To determine whether MITF modulates PKC-β expression, paired cultures of human melanocytes were transfected with dn-MITF (dominant-negative MITF) or empty control vector. By immunoblotting, PKC-β protein was reduced by 63±3.7% within 48 h. Co-transfection of an expression vector for MITF-M, the MITF isoform specific for pigment cells, or empty control vector with a full-length PKC-β promoter–CAT (chloramphenicol acetyltransferase) reporter construct (PKC-β/CAT) into Cos-7 cells showed >60-fold increase in CAT activity. Melanocytes abundantly also expressed MITF-A, as well as the MITF-B and MITF-H isoforms. However, in contrast with MITF-M, MITF-A failed to transactivate co-expressed PKC-β/CAT or CAT constructs under the control of a full-length tyrosinase promoter. Together, these results demonstrate that MITF, specifically MITF-M, is a key transcription factor for PKC-β, linking the PKC- and cAMP-dependent pathways in regulation of melanogenesis.
Discussion of Hiroshi Kunita’s Article: Analysis of nondegenerate Wiener-Poisson functionals and its applications to Itô’s SDE with jumps

Malliavin (1978) introduced new methods for the study of functionals defined on Wiener space. Concepts, such as smoothness and non-degeneracy of maps of Wiener space into Euclidean spaces were studied and regularity of the induced distributions of smooth non-degenerate maps was established through integration by parts formulae. In the beginning, this was limited to Wiener space and could handle solutions of stochastic differential equations driven by Brownian motion and could show that their distributions have smooth densities under appropriate ellipticity or hypo-ellipticity conditions.
The determinants of housing maintenance and upkeep: a case study of Providence, Rhode Island

Housing maintenance and upkeep poses a concern to the health and well-being of the urban environment. While the number of ‘substandard’ residences continues to grow, especially in the older North-eastern and Midwestern industrial centres, an awareness and understanding fo residential maintenance and upkeep, its causes, and its impact on the economic and social well-being of the urban area remain vague and inconclusive. Several theories of housing maintences have been developed with each attributing maintenance and unkeep decisions to a variety of institutions and individuals; the market, ‘failure’ of the market, profit-seeking bebaviour of the landlord, and public policies. Each theory emphasizes only one or maybe two of these institutions in providing an explanations of maintenance and upkeep often using cross-sectional data to test their hypotheis. This study, using a combination of cross-sectional and to upkeep as a dynamic phenomenon, part of a complex process of housing quality change. For this reaso...
The intraductal approach to breast cancer

Breast cancer is a disease that has been common in the United States and Western Europe for many years. As countries around the world develop more prosperous economies, we are seeing rapid rises in the rates of breast cancer—especially in the younger generations who have ‘‘benefited’’ from the new prosperity during their pubertal growth spurts and young adult years. 1 We can no longer see breast cancer as a disease of just aging Western populations. Our primary successful tool to increase diagnosis at earlier stages in the West has been mammography. In a postmenopausal woman in a relatively wealthy Western country, annual screening with mammography, although it may only give a lead time bias of 12–18 months over clinical exam, saves lives by finding tumors smaller, when our therapies are more effective. Unfortunately, for all our Western advances in breast cancer we still arguably do not have effective means of screening young premenopausal women for the earliest stages of this disease. Our best prevention strategies for premenopausal women are either bilateral amputation (alias prophylactic mastectomy) or a solitary SERM (tamoxifen), which may reduce incidence but hardly has an effect on death rates. At a time when the world needs effective screening for the earliest stages of breast cancer in the youngest women, we have little promising to offer. Kapenhas-Valdes et al. 2 have provided a compre
Myths of neuropsychology

Abstract Progress in clinical neuropsychology is being made, but not at the rate that is found in the other clinical neurosciences. One reason for this is the unquestioned acceptance of erroneous beliefs by neuropsychologists. These beliefs include the following: (1) we know what our tests measure; (2) we have tests specifically sensitive to frontal lobe functioning; (3) patient self-report is reliable in indicating probable cognitive status and cognitive change; (4) above-average performances on neuropsychological tests are expected when intellectual abilities are above average; (5) most clinical neuropsychologists are unable to do research due to a lack of time; and (6) relationships with other neuropsychologists are of little importance. In each case, evidence is presented to show that these are erroneous beliefs that are limiting progress in our field.
Sex, Reproductive Status, and Cost of Tail Autotomy via Decreased Running Speed in Lizards

Autotomy, voluntary shedding of body parts to permit escape, is a theoretically interesting defense because escape benefit is offset by numerous costs, including impaired future escape ability. Reduced sprint speed is a major escape cost in some lizards. We predicted that tail loss causes decreased speed in males and previtellogenic females, but not vitellogenic females already slowed by mass gain. In the striped plateau lizard, Sceloporus virgatus, adults of both sexes are subject to autotomy, and females undergo large increases in body condition (mass/length) during vitellogenesis. Time required for running 1 m was similar in intact autotomized males and previtellogenic females, but increased by nearly half after autotomy. Vitellogenic females were slower than other lizards when intact, but their speed was unaffected by autotomy. Following autotomy, speeds of all groups were similar. Thus, speed costs of autotomy vary with sex and reproductive condition: decreased running speed is not a cost of autotomy in vitellogenic females or presumably gravid females. Costs of autotomy are more complex than previously known. Speed and other costs might interact in unforseen ways, making it difficult to predict whether strategies to compensate for diminished escape ability differ with reproductive condition in females.