cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thermodynamic modelling of interconnected systems Part I: conservative coupling

Abstract In this paper we extend results of Wyatt, Siebert and Tan by deriving an energy flow model in terms of thermodynamic energy rather than stored energy as in the standard Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) approach to energy flow modelling. This modified energy flow model shows that energy flows according to thermodynamic energy and that this property holds for an arbitrary number of nonidentical subsystems independently of the strength of the coupling. These results are compared with SEA energy flow predictions by means of illustrative examples. In particular, it is shown that for multiple coupled oscillators, SEA energy flow predictions based upon blocked energy may be erroneous, while predictions based upon thermodynamic energy are correct. In particular, the thermodynamic energy flow model correctly predicts zero net energy flow in the case of equal temperature subsystems.
Simplicity and transparency

Suppose that a researcher has discovered a credible natural experiment and designed a study akin to the best examples I have surveyed in previous chapters. This researcher then faces a central question: how should the data be analyzed? This second part of the book takes up this central question. For reasons I will discuss extensively, the analysis of natural experiments should ideally leverage both qualitative and quantitative methods. There are important choices to be made with respect to both modes of analysis. This chapter and the next discuss quantitative analysis, leaving qualitative tools to Chapter 7. In this chapter, I describe the definition and estimation of causal effects. The role of chance variability—including assumptions about sampling processes and procedures for calculating standard errors—is left for Chapter 6. A central theme of this chapter and the next is that the quantitative analysis of natural experiments can and should be very simple. Often, a minimum of mathematical manipulation is involved. For example, straightforward contrasts between the treatment and control groups—such as the difference in average outcomes in these two groups—often suffices to provide evidence of causal effects. Such difference-of-means (or difference-of-percentages) analysis plays a central role in each kind of natural experiment, from standard natural experiments and regression discontinuities to instrumental-variables designs. The potential simplicity of quantitative data analysis provides an important advantage of natural experiments, for a number of reasons. First, it implies that statistical results are often easy to convey and interpret. Generally, just one or a few main quantitative tests are most relevant to testing key hypotheses. Rather than presenting the estimated coefficients from multivariate models in long tables of regression results, analysts may have more space in articles to discuss the research design and substantive import of the results.
Impact-actuated linear microvibromotor for micro-optical systems on silicon

Electrostatic actuation has received much attention recently for its potential application in microelectromechanical systems. However, in order to generate the forces needed in many applications, very high voltages (>100 V) are often required. Actuators based on impact have been shown to be a feasible alternative. With impact, a very large force of short duration can be delivered to move a microelement. We describe a surface-micromachined linear-motion microvibromotor to perform this function. The microvibromotor offers: large range of motion, high velocity and precise positioning. Our initial application is to position optical elements, such as mirrors or diffraction gratings, in a micro-optical system on silicon. >
Sediment Transport under Nonequilibrium Conditions

The concept of a spatial lag between the local sediment-transport rate and the equilibrium sediment-transport rate is described. Needs for improved scaling laws for sediment motion and interpretation of movable-bed model results are put forward. Suggestions for future research are presented.
Growth of Listeria monocytogenes at 10°C in Milk Preincubated with Selected Pseudomonads 1.

Preliminary studies involving co-inoculation of Listeria monocytogenes with Pseudomonas fragi into whole or skim milk demonstrated that neither inhibition nor stimulation of growth occurred for either organism. Additional investigations involved preincubation of whole milk, skim milk, and 10% reconstituted nonfat dry milk (NDM) for 3 d at 10°C with P. fragi , Pseudomonas fluorescens P26, P. fluorescens T25, or P. fluorescens B52, followed by inoculation with L. monocytogenes and further incubation at 10°C. Growth curves of L. monocytogenes were constructed for each treatment combination and generation times were statistically compared for differences. Results indicated that L. monocytogenes did not affect growth or survival of the preincubated Pseudomonas spp. However, growth rates of L. monocytogenes were significantly (P<0.05) enhanced in milks preincubated with pseudomonads. Doubling times of L. monocytogenes were reduced by up to 3 h when grown in milk preincubated with Pseudomonas spp. Three strains of P. fluorescens showed more stimulation of the growth rate of L. monocytogenes compared to P. fragi in preincubated whole or skim milk but not in preincubated NDM. Milk composition had little effect on growth of either genus when incubated alone. Results of this study indicate that L. monocytogenes can grow in the presence of Pseudomonas spp. either as a co-inoculant or following preincubation in milk at 10°C. Furthermore, data suggest that the presence of the pseudomonads may enhance growth of L. monocytogenes in milk.
Microcomputer Applications for Strategic Management in Education

(1990). Microcomputer Applications for Strategic Management in Education. Journal of Research on Computing in Education: Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 140-141.
Improved model predictive current control of permanent magnet synchronous machines with fuzzy based duty cycle control

Model predictive current control uses a model of the machine and an appropriate cost function to indirectly control electromagnetic torque and reactive power. However, due to sensitivity of model predictive control (MPC) to system parameters, need for high sampling frequency, and high torque and flux ripples, this method is not employed in a wide variety of commercial drives. Incorporating the concept of duty cycle and applying two voltage vectors during a sampling period can reduce the torque and stator current ripples of a model predicative current controlled synchronous machine. In this paper, duty cycles of the voltage vectors are determined effectively using a fuzzy logic modulator. In addition, a full order Luenberger observer is designed for accurate estimation of motor variables in presence of parameter uncertainties. Matlab and real-time simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed MPC.
The Vicarious Bases of Perceived Injustice

Profound differences exist in how Americans from various racial and ethnic groups view police and court officials. We argue that vicarious experiences contribute to this racial and ethnic divide. Drawing on research on social communication, social network composition, and negativity biases in perception and judgment, we devise a theoretical framework to articulate why vicarious experiences magnify racial and ethnic disparities in evaluations of judicial actors. Four hypotheses are tested using original survey data from the state of Washington. Results provide strong evidence that vicarious experiences influence citizens’ evaluations of both police and courts, and they do so in a manner that widens racial divides in how those actors are perceived.
An effective collaborative spectrum sensing method against SSDF attack

Spectrum sensing plays an important role in improving the spectrum utilization of cognitive radio networks (CRN). However, Byzantine attackers may incur the spectrum sensing performance degradation severely. Therefore, this paper presents an effective Correlation coefficient method against Byzantine attack (also known as SSDF attack) for collaborative spectrum sensing problem. Firstly, the proposed method exploits the path loss factor to improve the reliability of the data. And then, the fusion center utilizes the correlation of the perceived data in different time windows to detect the attackers. Eventually, the fusion center makes the final decision by comparing the detection statistics and the threshold weighted with path loss factor. Simulation results testify the effectiveness of the presented algorithm.
Specific MT1-MMP silencing reduces prostate cancer cell proliferation and bone matrix degradation

2926 Membrane type 1- matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP, also known as MMP-14) was originally identified as an activator of pro-MMP-2, but recent studies demonstrated its type I collagenolytic activity. We reported that MT1-MMP expression is associated with the transition from benign prostate epithelium to prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia in radical prostatectomy specimens (Clin Cancer Res 5: 4105, 1999). MT1-MMP has also been shown to be highly expressed in various human prostate cancer (PC) cell lines. Type I collagen is the major component of the bone extracellular matrix (ECM), and remodeling of the bone ECM is a hallmark of PC metastasis. We hypothesized that metastatic PC cells use proteases such as MT1-MMP to degrade bone ECM thereby promoting secondary tumor growth. In the current study, an expression vector with a DNA insert encoding human MT1-MMP siRNA was designed based on preliminary transfection experiments with MT1-MMP siRNA oligonucleotides. DU145 PC cells, which express relatively high levels of MT1-MMP, were stably transfected with either the MT1-MMP siRNA vector or a control vector containing a scrambled DNA insert. RT-PCR and immunoblot showed a substantial downregulation of MT1-MMP expression at both the gene and protein levels in cloned populations of MT1-MMP siRNA expressing cells. A specific MT1-MMP activity assay revealed a 78% reduction of MT1-MMP enzymatic activity (P
Early Detection of the Initiation of Sit-to-Stand Posture Transitions Using Orthosis-Mounted Sensors

Assistance during sit-to-stand (SiSt) transitions for frail elderly may be provided by powered orthotic devices. The control of the powered orthosis may be performed by the means of electromyography (EMG), which requires direct contact of measurement electrodes to the skin. The purpose of this study was to determine if a non-EMG-based method that uses inertial sensors placed at different positions on the orthosis, and a lightweight pattern recognition algorithm may accurately identify SiSt transitions without false positives. A novel method is proposed to eliminate false positives based on a two-stage design: stage one detects the sitting posture; stage two recognizes the initiation of a SiSt transition from a sitting position. The method was validated using data from 10 participants who performed 34 different activities and posture transitions. Features were obtained from the sensor signals and then combined into lagged epochs. A reduced number of features was selected using a minimum-redundancy-maximum-relevance (mRMR) algorithm and forward feature selection. To obtain a recognition model with low computational complexity, we compared the use of an extreme learning machine (ELM) and multilayer perceptron (MLP) for both stages of the recognition algorithm. Both classifiers were able to accurately identify all posture transitions with no false positives. The average detection time was 0.19 ± 0.33 s for ELM and 0.13 ± 0.32 s for MLP. The MLP classifier exhibited less time complexity in the recognition phase compared to ELM. However, the ELM classifier presented lower computational demands in the training phase. Results demonstrated that the proposed algorithm could potentially be adopted to control a powered orthosis.
Monitoring Stratospheric Ozone From Space

Satellites have allowed us to measure the global distribution of the atmosphere’s ozone content on a daily basis. This lecture describes how this data can be used to determine ozone trends, emphasizing some of the difficulties which must be overcome to determine an accurate trend from satellite data. The experience gained from nearly 14 years of TOMS data and 11 years of SBUV data have shown that accurate trends can be obtained if special attention is given to the problem of calibration drift.
Photo-Initiated Reduction of CO2 by H2 on Silica Surface

The reduction of CO2 is a promising route to produce valuable chemicals or fuels and create C-neutral resource cycles. Many different approaches to CO2 reduction have been investigated, but the ability of vacuum UV (VUV) irradiation to cleave C-O bonds has remained largely unexplored for use in processes that convert CO2 into useful products. Compared with other photo-driven CO2 conversion processes, VUV-initiated CO2 reduction can achieve much greater conversion under common photochemical reaction conditions when H2 and non-reducible oxides are present. Infrared spectroscopy provides evidence for a chain reaction initiated by VUV-induced CO2 splitting, which is enhanced in the presence of H2 and silica. When the reaction is carried out in the presence of silica or alumina surfaces, CO yields are increased and CH4 is formed as the only other detected product. CH4 production is not promoted by traditional photocatalysts such as TiO2 under these conditions. Assuming improvements in lamp and reactor efficiencies with scale up, or coupling with other available CO/CO2 hydrogenation techniques, these results reveal a potential, simple strategy by which CO2 could be valorized.
Effects of Asphalt Mixture Type on Asphalt Pavement Interlayer Shear Properties

AbstractThis study compares the interlayer shear properties of pavement layers composed of different asphalt mixture types. Two dense asphalt mixtures (one surface mixture with Tennessee designatio...
Limitations of the 2015 ATA Guidelines for Prediction of Thyroid Cancer: A Review of 1947 Consecutive Aspirations.

Background The 2015 American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines have been proposed to aid in the management of thyroid nodules by determining whether fine needle aspiration is indicated. Objective To determine whether the ATA guidelines contribute to the overdiagnosis of thyroid cancer. Patients and Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of ultrasound-imaged thyroid nodules (n = 1947) consecutively aspirated at a tertiary care center from 1 October 2009 to 22 February 2016. Nodules were retrospectively reviewed, assigned a 2015 ATA morphology, and placed into one of five 2015 ATA categories of risk (ATA-1, 70% to 90% risk) by a reader who was blinded to cytology. ATA category was compared with cytopathology. The positive predictive value (PPV) of each ATA category was calculated with respect to cancer. Numbers needed to aspirate and Pearson correlations were calculated. Interrater agreement for ATA category across five readers was assessed. Results The PPV for cancer increased by ATA category [category 1 to 5, respectively: 0% (0/14), 2% (4/249), 5% (36/733), 12% (104/850), 28% (28/101)]. The number needed to sample to detect one papillary cancer was 125 (ATA-2), 49 (ATA-3), 13 (ATA-4), and 5 (ATA-5). The overall interrater agreement for ATA score across all five readers was fair (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.460). Conclusions The 2015 ATA guidelines stratify risk for thyroid cancer; however, the stratification system is overly optimistic regarding cancer detection rates for the higher-risk nodules, and there is only fair interrater agreement.
Responsive Parenting: One Approach for Teaching Single Parents Parenting Skills.

Responsive Parenting is a program designed to use parents in helping teach other parents to apply a behavior analysis approach in managing the behavior of their children. Attempts were made by the ...
Molecular Biology of Mantle Cell Lymphoma

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma with nearly uniform tendency for recurrence and untimely demise despite intensive chemotherapeutic approaches. This has underscored a need for more targeted approaches to improve remission duration, salvage relapsed disease, and ultimately cure this malignancy. The following chapter will highlight progress to date in unraveling the complex biology of this disease with an emphasis on pathways amenable to targeted intervention.
Is It Happening Now

One of the major obstacles to some people when it comes to opening their minds to evolution is the vast amount of time the earth has been in existence and how slowly evolution occurs. Even if punctuated equilibrium were correct in all cases of evolution, the process would still have taken eons and eons, because abrupt change in geologic time is still impossibly slow for humans to observe, given that we typically live for 70–80 years, while “rapid” evolutionary change takes thousands. We do not see evolution happening. Rather, we deduce that it has happened from the evidence we have, just as the police solve crimes they did not see by making deductions from evidence they find.
Clinical Reasoning: A 22-year-old man presenting with headache and right leg jerks.

A 22-year-old man with no pertinent medical history presented to our emergency department with headaches, nausea, vomiting, and right leg jerks. Two days prior, he developed a sudden-onset, throbbing headache that was 6/10 in severity involving his entire head. He denied photophobia/phonophobia or visual changes. He felt dizzy and lightheaded without room spinning. The next day, he noticed his right leg felt “heavy.” That evening, he had nausea and 2 episodes of emesis. The next morning, he awoke with insuppressible “twitches” in his entire right leg. These were not painful and occurred every few seconds at rest and with activity. No history of similar headaches, abnormal movements, trauma, seizures, sick contacts, or recent travel was noted. Family history was unremarkable. He had normal development, completed high school, and worked full-time installing solar panels.
Language: Being Forthright

The purpose of scientific writing is to inform. Therefore, the attitude of the writer should be forthright; it should be sincere and straightforward. To be forthright in your writing, you have to control your tone. Tone is whatever in your language indicates the attitude that you, the writer, have towards your subject. Also, to be forthright you should select strong nouns and verbs. Nouns and verbs are the most important words in sentences. When your nouns and verbs are weak, your writing becomes lethargic.
Surgical Skill Assessment using Motor Control Features and Hidden Markov Model

Surgical Skill Assessment has increased interest through which the training and objective feedback to surgeons can be given based on the task performance. In this paper, motor control features which are a part of psychomotor learning, are developed based on the camera plane coordinates of the tip of the tools from the videos of surgeons performing the Urethro-Vesicle Anastomosis (UVA) surgical task. Classification into Novices (N) and Experts (E), when compared to the manual encoding of subject expertise based on the Dreyfus model, resulted in high accuracy. Additionally, this study could form a basis for closed loop surgical training, specifically for the novitiate surgeons.
The R-Loop: An Additional Chromatin Feature for Gene Regulation in Arabidopsis.

R-loops are three-stranded nucleic acid structures composed of a DNA-RNA hybrid and a displaced single-stranded DNA. R-loops are stable structures, as they form an intermediate A/B conformation of the RNA-DNA hybrid that is more stable than the B form of double-stranded DNA or the A form of the
A new simulation model for kidney transplantation in the United States

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) has been using simulation models for over two decades to guide the evolution of organ allocation policies in the United States. UNOS kidney simulation model (KPSAM), which played a crucial role in the 2014 U.S. kidney allocation policy update, is also available to the general public as an executable file. However, this format offers little flexibility to its users in trying out different policy proposals. We describe the development of a discrete-event simulation model as an alternative to KPSAM. It is similar to KPSAM in incorporating many clinical and operational details. On the other hand, it offers more flexibility in evaluating various policy proposals and runs significantly faster than KPSAM due to its efficient use of modern computing technologies. Simulated results closely match actual U.S. kidney transplantation outcomes, building confidence in the accuracy and validity of the model.
Depression and Anxiety: Integrating the Tripartite and Cognitive Content-Specificity Assessment Models

The cognitive content-specificity hypothesis proposes that depression and anxiety can be discriminated on the basis of unique cognitive profiles. Alternatively, the Tripartite model suggests that, although depression and anxiety share a general distress factor, anhedonia is a characteristic of depression with anxious arousal a characteristic of anxiety. Past research devoted to integrating these two models has been limited in a number of ways. To remedy these limitations, this study attempted to assess the complete Tripartite model and used a multidimensional cognitive assessment tool to handle the heterogeneity of anxious cognitive content. Results on data collected from 411 clients seeking services at a university counseling center suggested that a one-to-one mapping between Tripartite dimensions and cognitive content was possible. Further, variables from each model simultaneously explained unique variance in depression and anxiety ratings.
A breakfast of champions: brand marketing lessons from the Great Depression

This paper aims to examine whether the behavior of brands during the Great Depression held lessons for the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.,A review of brand marketing and advertising from the 1920s and 1930s.,There are many learnings from the Great Depression that are instructive for today’s brand marketers dealing with COVID-19.,The review of the literature is not comprehensive and the findings are subjective.,Today’s brands can learn a great deal from the 1930s such as to take advantage of opportunities and avoid mistakes in today’s difficult environment.,By handling today’s challenges skillfully, brands can refresh relationships with consumers overwhelmed with choices.,Though there was some commentary on this subject following the Great Recession of 2009, there has been little written about the lessons in brand marketing in the current situation.
Architecture Design of a Smart Farm System Based on Big Data Appliance Machine Learning

The size of the world's population increased at a Revolution. The modern expansion of human numbers started but environmental degradation with lack of urban services. To satisfy the growing of human food, worldwide demand for grain the area under production should be increased, and productivity must be improved on yields area firstly. To evaluate the Smart Farming sub-use cases' overall outcome, each economic and environmental benefits, social aspects, and the technical evolution path were evaluated. We have like an significant improvement in the economic outcome of the farm. This paper proposed an implementation of BMS (Big Data Application Machine Learning-based Smart Farm System) with an emphasis on crop productivity and the importance of farmers' income increase. Increasing crop productivity is also important to increase essentials' income, enhance farmer field-level insights, and actionable knowledge to produce when the crop is of the best quality or selling it with a good price. Therefore, in the Smart Farm system proposed in this paper specially in case of big data science, we need to consider data analysis and machine learning as the most important steps and then we can include the value of big data science. Machine learning is an essential ability to learn from data and provide data-driven information, decisions, and forecasts. Traditional approaches to machine learning were developed in a different era, like the data set that fully integrates memory. In addition to the characteristics of Big Data, they create obstacles to traditional techniques. One of the objectives of this document is to summarize the challenges of machine learning with Big Data.
Methodological Socialization and Identity: A Bricolage Study of Pathways Toward Qualitative Research in Doctoral Education:

Trends toward convergence on common methodologies and standardized templates restrict the diversity of qualitative methods in organizational research. Considering that graduate education is a criti...
Achilles Tendon Repair With Modified Giftbox Technique Using Nonabsorbable Suture Loops

Background:Achilles tendon ruptures occur most commonly in male individuals aged between 30 and 60 years.Indications:Surgical options for treatment of acute midsubstance Achilles tendon ruptures in...
Role of magnetic resonance neurography in intercostal neuralgia; diagnostic utility and efficacy.

Objective:To evaluate the utility and efficacy of MR neurography (MRN) in the diagnostic work-up for intercostal neuralgia and to assess the treatment course and outcomes in MRN-imaged clinically s...
Weapons, warfare, and women: the dangerous lives of Early Bronze Age women in central Anatolia

This article explores what the archaeological study of female-identified burials with weapons as grave goods reveals about our understanding and imposition of gender roles in past societies, and in...
HP Workflow Research: Past, Present, and Future

Workflow research at HP Labs has evolved through three stages during the past four years. Our effort started with the enhancement of an existing HP workflow product — WorkManager. Then, based on customers’ feedback, a new workflow prototype was developed to support the requirements of enterprise complex business process management. This formed the base for HPs second generation workflow product — AdminFlow. We are now exploring the third generation of workflow system that supports the Internet computing paradigm.
Risk-based decision analysis at hazardous waste contaminated sites: Current understanding and future directions

The existing approach for decision-making at hazardous waste contaminated sites consists of two stages, risk assessment and risk management. Risk assessment includes quantification of the probability of occurrence of harm to human health, e.g., cancer risk, and the evaluation of the significance of this probability. Risk management determines when a risk level is unacceptable, and if so, identification of possible actions, and decision-making to choose the best corrective action to achieve regulatory compliance. In this paper, the shortcomings of the currently practiced risk management and the needs for future research to improve the decision-making process are discussed.
Home/family, peer, school, and neighborhood correlates of obesity in adolescents.

Objective This study was designed to 1) identify the most important home/family, peer, school, and neighborhood environmental characteristics associated with weight status and 2) determine the overall contribution of these contexts to explaining weight status among an ethnically/racially diverse sample of adolescents. Design and Methods Surveys and anthropometric measures were completed in 2009-2010 by 2,793 adolescents (53.2% girls, mean age = 14.4 ± 2.0, 81.1% non-white) in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota schools. Data representing characteristics of adolescents' environments were collected from parents/caregivers, friends, school personnel, and Geographic Information System sources. Multiple regression models controlled for adolescent age, ethnicity/race, and socioeconomic status. Results The variance in body mass index (BMI) z-scores explained by 51 multicontextual characteristics was 24% for boys and 22% for girls. Across models, several characteristics of home/family (e.g., infrequent family meals) and peer environments (e.g., higher proportion of male friends who were overweight) were consistently associated with higher BMI z-scores among both boys and girls. Among girls, additional peer (e.g., lower physical activity among female friends) and neighborhood (e.g., perceived lack of safety) characteristics were consistently associated with higher BMI z-scores. Conclusions Results underscore the importance of addressing the home/family and peer environments in future research and intervention efforts designed to reduce adolescent obesity.
Automatic selection of representative proteins for bacterial phylogeny

Although there are now about 200 complete bacterial genomes in GenBank, deep bacterial phylogeny remains a difficult problem, due to confounding horizontal gene transfers and other phylogenetic "noise". Previous methods have relied primarily upon biological intuition or manual curation for choosing genomic sequences unlikely to be horizontally transferred, and have given inconsistent phylogenies with poor bootstrap confidence. We describe an algorithm that automatically picks "representative" protein families from entire genomes for use as phylogenetic characters. A representative protein family is one that, taken alone, gives an organismal distance matrix in good agreement with a distance matrix computed from all sufficiently conserved proteins. We then use maximum-likelihood methods to compute phylogenetic trees from a concatenation of representative sequences. We validate the use of representative proteins on a number of small phylogenetic questions with accepted answers. We then use our methodology to compute a robust and well-resolved phylogenetic tree for a diverse set of sequenced bacteria. The tree agrees closely with a recently published tree computed using manually curated proteins, and supports two proposed high-level clades: one containing Actinobacteria, Deinococcus, and Cyanobacteria ("Terrabacteria"), and another containing Planctomycetes and Chlamydiales. Representative proteins provide an effective solution to the problem of selecting phylogenetic characters.
Information filtering via fuzzy hierarchical induction

An adaptive algorithm is proposed in this work for teaming the user profile based on his initial profile and on queries' interpretation using fuzzy concept hierarchies. The dynamics of the user profile is modeled by employing a new concept, time-words vector hyperspace. The preliminary results from applying this new approach are promising. Future plans and recommendations for further expanding are provided.
The wireless networking engine with IP quality of service

Rockwell Collins is developing a Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) compliant waveform to provide ad-hoc, dynamic wireless networking to mobile users on the battlefield. At the heart of this waveform is a flexible software system, the "Wireless Networking Engine" (WNE), which manages the transport of user data over multihop, dynamically changing radio links. The WNE allows Quality of Service (QoS) parameters to be associated with the data so that it can be handled in a manner appropriate to its bandwidth, priority, latency, and reliability requirements. The WNE also provides congestion and flow control feedback to help prevent the network from becoming overloaded with user traffic.
Recommender Systems: An Introduction, by Dietmar Jannach, Markus Zanker, Alexander Felfernig, and Gerhard Friedrich

Recommender systems research is tremendously interdisciplinary, as a glance at any of the proceedings from the recent ACM Recommender Systems conferences reveals. Approaches inspired by microeconom...
Raman scattering in V3Si, V3Ge, Nb3Sn, and Nb3Sb: Damping of the Eg optical phonon by interband electronic excitations

We report measurements of the ${E}_{g}$ optical phonon in ${\mathrm{V}}_{3}$Ge, ${\mathrm{V}}_{3}$Si, and ${\mathrm{Nb}}_{3}$Sb, and of the ${T}_{2g}$ optical phonon in ${\mathrm{Nb}}_{3}$Sb measured from 9 to 400 K. The ${E}_{g}$ optical phonon in ${\mathrm{V}}_{3}$Ge has an anomalous width, shape, and temperature dependence, similar to that seen in ${\mathrm{V}}_{3}$Si and ${\mathrm{Nb}}_{3}$Sn. Both the ${E}_{g}$ and ${T}_{2g}$ optical phonons in ${\mathrm{Nb}}_{3}$Sb, on the other hand, show no anomalous behavior and can be understood in terms of simple anharmonic interactions. We point out the existence of a linear correlation between the magnetic susceptibility and the ${E}_{g}$ phonon linewidth for ${\mathrm{V}}_{3}$Si, ${\mathrm{V}}_{3}$Ge, and ${\mathrm{Nb}}_{3}$Sn. Scaling arguments show that the ${E}_{g}$ phonon linewidth of these three compounds exhibits very similar temperature dependences, with the remaining small differences yielding information concerning the distribution of the joint electronic density of states with respect to the Fermi level. These anomalies are attributed to coupling of the ${E}_{g}$ phonon to interband electronic transitions between the flat bands emanating from the ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{12}$ level. A simple model of the interaction quantitatively reproduces the temperature dependence of the ${E}_{g}$ phonon linewidth.
Pseudolocalized three-dimensional solitary waves as quasi-particles

Abstract A higher-order dispersive equation is introduced as a candidate for the governing equation of a field theory. A new class of solutions of the three-dimensional field equation are considered, which are not localized functions in the sense of the integrability of the square of the profile over an infinite domain. For this new class of solutions, the gradient and/or the Hessian/Laplacian are square integrable. In the linear limiting case, an analytical expression for the pseudolocalized solution is found and the method of variational approximation is applied to find the dynamics of the centers of the quasi-particles (QPs) corresponding to these solutions. A discrete Lagrangian can be derived due to the localization of the gradient and the Laplacian of the profile. The equations of motion of the QPs are derived from the discrete Lagrangian. The pseudomass (“wave mass”) of a QP is defined as well as the potential of interaction. The most important trait of the new QPs is that, at large distances, the force of attraction is proportional to the inverse square of the distance between the QPs. This can be considered analogous to the gravitational force in classical mechanics.
Studies on Amphibian Metamorphosis XV. Direct Tympanic Membrane Formation from Dermal Plicae Integument Transplanted to the Ear Region

The writer has previously shown that fully developed anuran dermal plicae undergo complete regression following heteroplastic transplantation to the larva. Subsequent retransplantation to the ear region of metamorphosing larvae results in the development of normal tympanic membranes. Whether such transformation will occur following direct transplantation of dermal plicae to the ear region was tested in the present work by the following operations: Autoplastic R. clamitans and R. palustris transplantations resulted, in general, in little or no regression of dermal plicae. Homoplastic transplantations resulted in complete regression in R. clamitans and partial regression in R. palustris . In the former species, partial, and in the latter, no tympanic membrane development occurred. Heteroplastic transplantations from R. clamitans to R. palustris and R. catesbeiana resulted in complete regression in both cases, with the development of well-formed tympanic membranes. Heteroplastic transplantations from R. palustris resulted in partial regression on R. clamitans hosts and usually no tympanic membrane development. Transplants on R. catesbeiana hosts underwent complete regression and tympanic membrane formation. The conclusions are reached that autoplastic transplantations usually do not result in dermal plicae regression; homoplastic transplantations result in partial to complete regression but without tympanic membrane formation; while heteroplastic transplantations usually involve complete regression and full tympanic membrane development. Initial heteroplastic transplantation to larval hosts is thus not essential, in that direct heteroplastic transplantation from young frogs to the ear region of metamorphosing larvae will result in total regression of dermal plicae structure and complete membrane formation.
Nuclear small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene-based characterization, molecular phylogeny and PCR detection of the Neoparamoeba from western Long Island Sound lobster

Western Long Island Sound (LIS) lobsters collected by trawl surveys, lobstermen and coastal residents during 2000 to 2002 were identified histologically as infected with a parasome-containing amoeba. Primers to conserved SSU rRNA sequences of parasome-containing amoebae and their nonparasome-containing relatives were used to amplify overlapping SSU rRNA fragments of the presumptive parasite from gill, antenna, antennal gland and ventral nerve cord of infected lobsters. The consensus sequence constructed from these fragments had 98% or greater nucleotide sequence identity with SSU rRNA gene sequences of strains of Neoparamoeba pemaquidensis and associated with high confidence in distance- and parsimony-based phylogenetic analyses with strains of Neoparamoeba pemaquidensis and not members of the family Paramoebidae, e.g., Paramoeba eilhardi. Primers designed to SSU rRNA sequences of the lobster amoeba and other paramoebid/vexilliferid amoebae were used in a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol to test DNA extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues of lobsters collected during the 1999 die-off, when this amoeba initially was identified by light and electron microscopy and reported to be a paramoeba of the genera Paramoeba or Neoparamoeba (Mullen et al. 2004). All sequences amplified from 1999 lobsters, with the exception of one, had 98% to 99% identity to each other, and the 1999 PCR product consensus had 98% identity to Neoparamoeba pemaquidensis strains CCAP 1560/4 (AF371969.1) and 1560/5 (AF371970.1). Molecular characterization of the amoeba from western LIS lobsters by direct amplification circumvents a collective inability to culture the organism in vitro, provides insight into the molecular epidemiology of neoparamoebiasis in American lobster, and allows for PCR-based detection of infected lobsters for future research and diagnostics.
Renal actions of atrial natriuretic factor: a mathematical modeling study.

Atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) is a peptide hormone that increases renal NaCl and water excretion. Several renal sites of ANF action have been identified, but general agreement has not been reache...
Age matters: the effects of volatile organic compounds emitted by Trichoderma atroviride on plant growth

Studying the effects of microbial volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on plant growth is challenging because the production of volatiles depends on many environmental factors. Adding to this complexity, the method of volatile exposure itself can lead to different responses in plants and may account for some of the contrasting results. In this work, we present an improved experimental design, a plate-within-a-plate method, to study the effects of VOCs produced by filamentous fungi. We demonstrate that the plant growth response to VOCs is dependent on the age of the plant and fungal cultures. Plants exposed to volatiles emitted by 5-day-old Trichoderma atroviride for 14 days exhibited inhibition, while plants exposed to other exposure conditions had growth promotion or no significant change. Using GC–MS, we compared fungal volatile emission of 5-day-old and 14-day-old T. atroviride. As the fungi aged, a few compounds were no longer detected, but 24 new compounds were discovered.
Artillery Through the Ages: An etymology

This paper examines the etymology of the word artillery , following its various uses throughout its history in the English language to discover how it entered common parlance and how its meaning has changed. Using the Oxford English Dictionary as the primary source for definitions and references to other works, the brief essay traces the word's evolution from a French loan to a naturalized English word. Multiple definitions are examined, with a number of its historical literary appearances addressed and explained. Textual references are largely culled from Middle English works from the 15th-17th centuries, though the essay ends with a brief discussion of the word's modern uses. Artillery seems to have undergone merely a narrowing of meaning in the centuries since its first appearance, and not a particularly drastic one; its current meaning is quite similar, or at least strongly related, to that of the 14th century.
Neutrinos in the bulk: A higher-dimensional approach to neutrino phenomenology

Abstract In this talk, I discuss recent developments concerning the possibility of large extra spacetime dimensions and their relation to neutrino physics. After briefly reviewing how such dimensions can lower the fundamental GUT, Planck, and string scales, I then outline how these scenarios lead to a new higher-dimensional seesaw mechanism for generating neutrino oscillations — perhaps even without neutrino masses. I also discuss how neutrino flavor oscillations can occur in a higher-dimensional theory even if the Standard Model on the brane is flavor-diagonal, the bulk theory is flavor-neutral, and the brane/bulk couplings are flavor-blind. This talk reports on work done in collaboration with Emilian Dudas, Tony Gherghetta, and Ina Sarcevic.
In-situ tunable laser fluorescence analysis of hydrocarbons

Laser-induced fluorescence with fiber optic light delivery and collection has been applied for remote analysis of aromatic hydrocarbons. We report laboratory and field data acquired with a transportable and fully wavelength tunable laser system.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Determining in-flight tracker accuracy

Evaluating a system in flight poses challenges that are not found in a laboratory type environment. This paper discusses some of the issues in conducting an in-flight test to evaluate tracker accuracy, such as head movement, synchronization of time, changing coordinate systems and interpolating data. The paper's technical approach outlines one possible solution to deal with in-flight challenges.
Optofluidic phantom mimicking optical properties of porcine livers

One strategy for assessing efficacy of a liver transplant is to monitor perfusion and oxygenation after transplantation. An implantable optical sensor is being developed to overcome inadequacies of current monitoring approaches. To facilitate sensor design while minimizing animal use, a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based liver phantom was developed to mimic the optical properties of porcine liver in the 630-1000 nm wavelength range and the anatomical geometry of liver parenchyma. Using soft lithography to construct microfluidic channels in pigmented elastomer enabled the 2D approximation of hexagonal liver lobules with 15mm sinusoidal channels, which will allow perfusion with blood-mimicking fluids to facilitate the development of the liver perfusion and oxygenation monitoring system.
Extremely high speed solar wind: 29–30 October 2003

[1] On 29-30 October 2003 the Solar Wind Electron Proton Alpha Monitor (SWEPAM) instrument on the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft measured solar wind speeds in excess of 1850 km/s, some of the highest speeds ever directly measured in the solar wind. These speeds were observed following two large coronal mass ejection (CME) driven shocks. Surprisingly, despite the unusually high speeds, many of the other solar wind parameters were not particularly unusual in comparison with other large transient events. The magnetic field reached -68 nT, a large but not unprecedented value. The proton temperatures were significantly higher than typical for a CME in the solar wind at 1 AU (>10 7 K), but the proton densities were moderate, leading to low to moderate proton beta. The solar wind dynamic pressure was not unusual for large events but, when coupled with the large negative B z , was sufficient to cause intense geomagnetic disturbances.
Evaluating the workload of on-call psychiatry residents: which activities are associated with sleep loss?

Objectives The purpose of this study was to review the workload inventory of on-call psychiatry residents and to evaluate which activities were associated with reductions in on-call sleep.
Large Payload Streaming Database Sort and Projection on FPGAs

In recent years, real-time analytics has seen widespread adoption in the business world. While it provides useful business insights and improved market responsiveness, it also adds a computational burden to traditional online transaction processing (OLTP) systems. Analytics queries involve complex database operations such as sort, aggregation, and join that consume significant computational resources, and, when executed on the same system, may affect the performance of OLTP queries. In this paper, we try to address this issue by accelerating two such database operations, namely, projection and sort, using a field programmable gate array (FPGA). Our prototype is implemented on an Alter a Stratix V FPGA and achieves an order of magnitude speedup in the sort operation compared to baseline software. Furthermore, our prototype implements projection in parallel with other query operations on FPGA, thus completely eliminating the cost of projection without consuming any extra cycles on the FPGA. FPGA accelerated sort and projection have been integrated with our previous work on accelerating other query operations [1], making our analytics acceleration prototype on FPGA applicable to a wider variety of queries.
Theoretical study of geometry and nucleophilicity of the exocyclic methylene in five-membered ring cyclic ketene acetals, neutral and protonated, containing pnictogen and chalcogen heteroatoms

A series of neutral and protonated five-membered ring cyclic ketene acetals have been examined computationally for any trends in nucleophilicity in the exocyclic methylene and for their ground state geometries. A total of 58 different species were examined, 29 neutral molecules and the corresponding 29 protonated species. The heteroatoms that were used in the heterocyclic ring were a combination of nitrogen, phosphorus, and arsenic from the pnictogen family and oxygen, sulfur, and selenium from the chalcogen family. All geometries were initially optimized at using density functional theory and all stationary points were confirmed to be either minima or transition states through vibrational analysis. All the geometries were consequentially optimized using Moller–Plesset second order perturbation theory with a polarized triple zeta basis set. The main focus of the study was the nucleophilicity of the exocyclic methylene carbon atom and its dependence on heteroatom substitution. As probes for nucleophilicity, the proton affinities of the neutral species, the bond lengths of the exocyclic double bond, and atomic charges were used. The study also resulted in some interesting molecular geometries.