cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Optimal Semi-Partitioned Scheduler Assuming Arbitrary Affinity Masks

Modern operating systems allow task migrations to be restricted by specifying per-task processor affinity masks. Such a mask specifies the set of processor cores upon which a task can be scheduled. In this paper, a semi-partitioned scheduler, AM-Red (affinity mask reduction), is presented for scheduling implicit-deadline sporadic tasks with arbitrary affinity masks on an identical multiprocessor. AM-Red is obtained by applying an affinity-mask-reduction method that produces affinities in accordance with those specified, without compromising feasibility, but with only a linear number of migrating tasks. It functions by employing a tunable frame of size |F|. For any choice of |F|, AM-Red is soft-real-time optimal, with tardiness bounded by |F|, but the frequency of task migrations is proportional to |F|. If |F| divides all task periods, then AM-Red is also hard-real-time-optimal (tardiness is zero). AM-Red is the first optimal scheduler proposed for arbitrary affinity masks without future knowledge of all job releases. Experiments are presented that show that AM-Red is implementable with low overhead and yields reasonable tardiness and task-migration frequency.
Advanced Glycation End Products Are Associated With Inflammation and Endothelial Dysfunction in HIV.

OBJECTIVE To compare levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) between HIV-infected patients and uninfected controls and assess the relationship between AGEs, HIV, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction. DESIGN Cross-sectional study involving 90 individuals (68 HIV+ and 22 healthy controls matched by age and sex). METHODS AGE levels were assessed using 3 different modalities: free AGEs were measured in the serum, skin autofluorescence (AF) was determined with a noninvasive reader, and dietary AGEs were estimated using 24-hour dietary recalls. Markers of inflammation, immune activation, and endothelial dysfunction were also measured. Wilcoxon rank-sum and χ tests were used to compare AGEs between groups. Spearman correlations were used to explore relationships between variables while adjusting for different covariates. RESULTS Overall, 71% were men and 68% were African American, with a median age of 53 years. Among HIV-infected individuals, all participants were on antiretroviral therapy by design, and most participants (78%) had an undetectable HIV-1 RNA level (≤20 copies/mL). Skin AF and serum AGEs were significantly higher in HIV-infected participants compared with uninfected controls (P < 0.01), whereas no differences in dietary AGEs were found between groups (P = 0.2). In the HIV-infected group, but not in controls, skin AF and circulating AGEs were significantly associated with inflammatory and oxidative markers, and with markers of endothelial dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest intrinsic production of AGE in HIV-infected individuals. The relationship between serum/skin AGE and inflammatory, oxidative, and cardiovascular markers highlights the potential implications of AGEs in chronic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in HIV, suggesting a new potential target for HIV-associated heightened inflammation and cardiovascular risk.
LoCal: a language for programs operating on serialized data

In a typical data-processing program, the representation of data in memory is distinct from its representation in a serialized form on disk. The former has pointers and arbitrary, sparse layout, facilitating easy manipulation by a program, while the latter is packed contiguously, facilitating easy I/O. We propose a language, LoCal, to unify in-memory and serialized formats. LoCal extends a region calculus into a location calculus, employing a type system that tracks the byte-addressed layout of all heap values. We formalize LoCal and prove type safety, and show how LoCal programs can be inferred from unannotated source terms. We transform the existing Gibbon compiler to use LoCal as an intermediate language, with the goal of achieving a balance between code speed and data compactness by introducing just enough indirection into heap layouts, preserving the asymptotic complexity of traditional representations, but working with mostly or completely serialized data. We show that our approach yields significant performance improvement over prior approaches to operating on packed data, without abandoning idiomatic programming with recursive functions.
A Model for Evaluating Special Education Programs: An Application to Determining the Management and Instructional Benefits of Microcomputers.

The recent technological explosion in microcomputers offers much promise to special educators and students. Many schools currently employ microcomputers to assist in the development and management ...
Adventures in Psychobiography and the Study of Lives: A Personal Journey

Personal life histories are, I believe, interwined with the creation and development of every tradition in psychology. This includes psychoanalysis, behaviorism and humanistic psychology. A useful review of this work is in the Handbook of Psychobiography (2005). Examples in this chapter are Freud, Karen Horney and B. F. Skinner. We also look briefly at a post-modern critic of psychology, Michel Foucault. How important are personal experiences and politics in opposition to psychology? More recently, I have argued that individual life histories are also relevant in understanding philosophers such as Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein, discussed in this chapter. Surprisingly, there may be more personal dimensions in statistics than assumed. Examples discussed here are Sir Ronald Fisher and Jerzy Neyman. This chapter reviews the adventures of an advocate of the study of individual lives interacting with supporters and opponents of the project through years as a graduate student at Harvard from 1969 to 1975, and as a professor at UC Berkeley from 1979 to 2010. With Gardner Lindzey (Lindzey & Runyan, 2007), I co-edited the most recent volume of the History of Psychology in Autobiography in 2007. This includes a wider array of perspectives than my own, with chapters by Elliot Aronson, Elizabeth Loftus, Albert Bandura, Walter Mischel, Daniel Kahneman, Ulric Neisser, and others. Many of these accounts are fascinating. I wonder, gentle reader, how has it been going for you? What experiences have you had encountering the variety of “hard” or “soft” traditions you have been exposed to?
Approximation Schemes for a Unit-Demand Buyer with Independent Items via Symmetries

We consider a revenue-maximizing seller with $n$ items facing a single buyer. We introduce the notion of symmetric menu complexity of a mechanism, which counts the number of distinct options the buyer may purchase, up to permutations of the items. Our main result is that a mechanism of quasi-polynomial symmetric menu complexity suffices to guarantee a $(1-\varepsilon)$-approximation when the buyer is unit-demand over independent items, even when the value distribution is unbounded, and that this mechanism can be found in quasi-polynomial time. Our key technical result is a polynomial time, (symmetric) menu-complexity-preserving black-box reduction from achieving a $(1-\varepsilon)$-approximation for unbounded valuations that are subadditive over independent items to achieving a $(1-O(\varepsilon))$-approximation when the values are bounded (and still subadditive over independent items). We further apply this reduction to deduce approximation schemes for a suite of valuation classes beyond our main result. Finally, we show that selling separately (which has exponential menu complexity) can be approximated up to a $(1-\varepsilon)$ factor with a menu of efficient-linear $(f(\varepsilon) \cdot n)$ symmetric menu complexity.
Hürthle cell lesions of the thyroid: Progress made and challenges remaining

Hurthle cell-predominant thyroid fine needle aspirations (FNA) are encountered frequently in routine practice, yet they are often challenging to diagnose accurately and are associated with significant interobserver variability. This is largely due to the ubiquity of Hurthle cells in thyroid pathology, ranging from nonneoplastic conditions to aggressive malignancies. Although limitations in cytomorphologic diagnoses likely will remain for the foreseeable future, our knowledge of the molecular pathogenesis of Hurthle cell neoplasia and application of molecular testing to cytologic material have increased dramatically within the past decade. This review provides context behind the challenges in diagnosis of Hurthle cell lesions and summarizes the more recent advances in diagnostic tools.
Conformal truncation of chern-simons theory at large Nf

We set up and analyze the lightcone Hamiltonian for an abelian Chern-Simons field coupled to Nf fermions in the limit of large Nf using conformal truncation, i.e. with a truncated space of states corresponding to primary operators with dimension below a maximum cutoff Δmax. In both the Chern-Simons theory, and in the O(N) model at infinite N, we compute the current spectral functions analytically as a function of Δmax and reproduce previous results in the limit that the truncation Δmax is taken to ∞. Along the way, we determine how to preserve gauge invariance and how to choose an optimal discrete basis for the momenta of states in the truncation space.
Anesthesia for Deep Brain Stimulation

Movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor and dystonia can be refractory to medical treatment resulting in a poor quality of life. Deep brain stimulation is a functional neurosurgical procedure effective in significantly improving the symptoms. It involves insertion of an electrode close to the deep brain target site and stimulating it through a battery operated pulse generator implanted in the chest wall. The insertion of the electrode is generally done with the patient awake and the head attached to a stereotactic frame in a MRI suite. The anesthetic management is challenging in view of the remote location, airway management, monitoring of neurocognitive function, ensuring patient comfort, maintaining stable cardiopulmonary status and prompt recognition of serious complications like acute airway obstruction, intracranial hemorrhage and venous air embolism. A comprehensive preoperative assessment, patient reassurance, meticulous planning and effective communication with the surgeon can result in a good patient outcome.
A Systematic Review of Research on Personalized Learning: Personalized by Whom, to What, How, and for What Purpose(s)?

Teachers, schools, districts, states, and technology developers endeavor to personalize learning experiences for students, but definitions of personalized learning (PL) vary and designs often span multiple components. Variability in definition and implementation complicate the study of PL and the ways that designs can leverage student characteristics to reliably achieve targeted learning outcomes. We document the diversity of definitions of PL that guide implementation in educational settings and review relevant educational theories that could inform design and implementation. We then report on a systematic review of empirical studies of personalized learning using PRISMA guidelines. We identified 376 unique studies that investigated one or more PL design features and appraised this corpus to determine (1) who studies personalized learning; (2) with whom, and in what contexts; and (3) with focus on what learner characteristics, instructional design approaches, and learning outcomes. Results suggest that PL research is led by researchers in education, computer science, engineering, and other disciplines, and that the focus of their PL designs differs by the learner characteristics and targeted outcomes they prioritize. We further observed that research tends to proceed without a priori theoretical conceptualization, but also that designs often implicitly align to assumptions posed by extant theories of learning. We propose that a theoretically guided approach to the design and study of PL can organize efforts to evaluate the practice, and forming an explicit theory of change can improve the likelihood that efforts to personalize learning achieve their aims. We propose a theory-guided method for the design of PL and recommend research methods that can parse the effects obtained by individual design features within the “many-to-many-to-many” designs that characterize PL in practice.
Validation of Maternal Recall of Iron Folic Supplementation During Antenatal Care in Rural Southern Nepal

Objectives This study's primary objective is to examine the validity of maternal recall of iron folate supplementation during antenatal care and factors associated with accuracy of maternal recall.
Examining pre-term birth and cesarean section rates in gestational carrier pregnancies.

This study sought to report on the route and gestational age at delivery of gestational carrier (GC) pregnancies with respect to the GCs’ prior obstetric history. A retrospective analysis of all GC pregnancies from one of the largest surrogacy agencies in California between 2008 and 2018 was performed. Available demographic data and obstetric history, including a history of prior cesarean section (CS) and preterm birth (PTB), were collected for each GC and correlated to outcomes of the index GC pregnancy. Primary outcomes for the index GC pregnancies included delivery route and gestational age at delivery. Eight-hundred-thirty-six GCs were included in our analysis. 319 (38.2%) delivered via CS, and 517 (61.8%) delivered vaginally. 60 (18.8%) of the CS deliveries were due to multifetal gestation. Primary CS rate in singleton GC pregnancies was 38.5%. In women without a history of CS, neither age, BMI, interpregnancy interval, prior parity, nor year of delivery impacted the primary singleton CS rate (all, P > 0.05). Of GCs with a history of a prior CS (n = 350, 41.9%), 218 (62.3%) had a vaginal delivery after CS (VBAC) and 132 (37.7%) had a repeat CS. Women who had successful VBACs were significantly younger than those who had repeat CS (mean 33.7 vs. 35.2 years, P = .003). BMI was lower in patients who had a VBAC compared to those that had a repeat CS (mean BMI 24.6 vs. 25.5, P = 0.074), although this did not reach statistical significance. In GCs with a history of CS, interpregnancy interval, year of delivery, prior parity, and multiple gestation in the index GC pregnancy did not impact mode of delivery. VBAC rates did not change over the study period (P = 0.757). Overall PTB rate was 15.1%. Most PTB in GC pregnancies were in those with a history of PTB, and PTB was more likely in singletons rather than multifetal gestations (76.7% in singletons vs. 30% in multiples) in patients with history of PTB (P < 0.001). Those with no history of PTB and who carried multiples had a low rate of PTB; in fact, in this group, only 1 out of 35 patients had a PTB with multiples. Both primary CS and PTB rates in singleton GC pregnancies are higher than national averages. CS rates are independent of age, BMI, and interpregnancy interval. In GCs with a history of a CS, VBAC rates well exceed national averages and are higher in younger GCs with a lower BMI. PTB rates are impacted primarily by the GCs obstetric history. In those GCs without a history of PTB, rates of PTB are low, even in those with a multifetal gestation.
Cyclotron Maser Instability as a Resonant Limit of a Space Charge Wave

In place of a treatment in phase space, we present in this paper a macroscopic, fluid-like, description of cyclotron maser instabilities in a simple geometrical configuration. The approach follows that commonly used in conventional microwave devices. The usual dispersion relationship for cyclotron maser instability is recovered by considering the synchronous interaction between the space charges on the relativistic beam with the surrounding electromagnetic structure. The charge bunching processes are described. This analysis is also valid for nonsynchronous interactions.
Effects of Defects on Tension Coupons Undergoing an Accelerated Environmental Spectrum

The preliminary results of a screening program assessing the criticality of the effects of defects which are likely to diminish the tensile strength of an advanced composite coupon will be presented. The defects include holes, delaminations, ply separations, and scratches. The measure of criticality is the ability to sustain a required tensile load. The flaw screening tests are a step towards selecting a critical (likely) flaw to be tested in the serviceability program. These test results and conclusions will be reported.
Pharmacological management of acute and chronic bronchial asthma.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the rational basis for the pharmacological treatment of acute and chronic bronchial asthma in adult patients. The historical context of asthma pharmacotherapy is addressed, followed by considerations of the pathophysiology of asthma, the scientific basis of its pharmacological therapy, and the clinical effectiveness of various therapies. Finally, specific recommendations regarding management of acute and chronic asthma are offered. Until recently, most theories of the pathophysiology of asthma focused exclusively on bronchial smooth muscle and the reversible limitation of airflow produced by bronchoconstriction. While these factors remain pertinent, the current focus has shifted to investigating the underlying processes thought to be responsible for airway inflammation, hyper responsiveness, and bronchoconstriction. The goals of asthma therapy include maintenance of normal activity and normal pulmonary function, prevention of chronic symptoms and acute exacerbations, and avoidance of toxic medication effects. While bronchodilator drugs have traditionally been the mainstay of asthma therapy, anti-inflammatory drugs are now advocated as first-line therapy for almost all patients. Drugs used to treat asthma can be divided into bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory agents. The bronchodilators include β -adrenergic receptor agonists, methylxanthines, and anticholinergic agents. Anti-inflammatory drugs in current use include coritcosteroid preparations, cromolyn sodium, and nedocromil sodium. The effectiveness and safety of inhaled corticosteroids as anti-inflammatory agents is now well established, though they should of course be administered in the lowest possible effective dose. Cromolyn sodium and nedocromil sodium are well tolerated, but less effective anti-inflammatory agents that may be useful alone or in combination with inhaled steroids in selected patients.
Tumor in the Dorsal Aspect of the Forearm

The posterior compartment of the arm consists of a single muscle, the triceps. This powerful muscle is the only extensor of the elbow except for the anconeus, which contributes only slightly to this action. The triceps, as its name implies, arises from three heads. The long head, springing from the infraglenoid tuberosity and adjacent capsule of the shoulder joint, descends in front of the teres minor and behind the teres major and the medial head of the muscle.
Shape from Appearance: A Statistical Approach to Surface Shape Estimation

This paper is concerned with surface shape estimation by a method in which an empirically determined associative model relating appearance to surface shape is used. Significantly, the estimated model is more accurate than the algorithm that generates the examples. The method presented here is a generalization of shape from shading methods that does not rely upon idealized models of the image formation process. As a relative of shape from shading, this method more accurately recovers small surface detail than is possible with methods such as stereo and motion. The present approach is a continuous analogue of pattern recognition and is closely related to methods of joint space learning used in robotics. Experiments on real scenes are used to illustrate the concepts involved.
Research Spotlight: Vegetation‐climate feedback hot spots in Europe

[1] Changing temperatures affect the growth of vegetation, which in turn can affect climate through changes in surface reflectivity, carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption, and evapotranspiration. These vegetation feedbacks to climate can be important, especially on local or regional scales, but regional climate models often do not include these feedbacks. Wramneby et al.e ran simulations that included vegetation dynamics in a regional climate model of Europe. They found three areas that could be hot spots for vegetation climate feedbacks. In their simulations, by the end of the 21st century in the Scandinavian mountains, a positive vegetation-warming feedback would occur as warming temperatures result in forest expansion, which masks snow cover. Forest reflects less light than snow, leading to further increased warming. In central Europe the simulations indicate that a negative vegetation-warming feedback would take place as increased CO2 levels stimulate plant growth; this would mitigate warming through increased evapotranspiration, which cools the surface. In southern Europe, rising temperatures would lead to increased dryness in the summer, which restricts plant growth and survival, leading to positive warming feedback through reduced evapotranspiration. (Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, doi:10.1029/2010JD014307, 2010)
Some properties of dynamic feedback neural nets

The authors present models of feedback neural nets which are described by nonlinear differential equations. They show that their earlier proofs for convergence to bounded regions and for the existence of a finite number of equilibria are independent of the symmetry of the interconnection matrix and thus are also applicable to more general nongradient dynamic neural nets. However, when the interconnect matrix is asymmetric, the network is not guaranteed to have only (finite) equilibria as its limit set. The authors present computer simulations of a three-neuron network which demonstrate the coexistence of two stable equilibria within the same quadrant. The three-neuron example hence contradicts a recent theorem in the literature. >
The Pathogenesis of Sindbis Virus Infection in Athymic Nude Mice

The pathogenesis of avirulent Sindbis virus infection was studied in normal and athymic nude mice. Marked differences in the immune response to infection were observed in nude and normal animals. In contrast to the intense mononuclear inflammatory cell response seen in the brains of normal mice 5 to 7 days after intracerebral injection of Sindbis virus, minimal inflammatory changes were observed in nude mouse brains. In addition, only IgM anti-Sindbis virus antibody was detected in nude mice whereas normal animals produced IgG as well. Despite these differences, the clinical outcome of the infection and the clearance of virus from the CNS was the same in both groups of mice. After footpad inoculation of virus, the lymphoproliferative responses of popliteal lymph node cells (LNC) from nude mice to Sindbis virus were meager or absent whereas normal LNC responded well (stimulation index = 38, 6 days after infection). Differences in the kinetics of the neutralizing antibody response to Sindbis virus were also observed. Although Ab production was not different through day 6, normal animals possessed 10-fold more anti-viral antibody 10 days after inoculation. It is concluded from these studies that mature T cells do not play a role in the clearance of Sindbis virus from the CNS of mice and that the early Ab response (IgM) and/or nonspecific defense mechanisms may be of greater importance in recovery from acute viral encephalitis.
Operation of IGBTs at low temperatures

The static and dynamic performance of 600 V, n- and p-channel, vertical insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) at temperatures as low as 77 K has been measured and analyzed. Both types of IGBTs demonstrate a better performance at low temperatures in turn-off times and maximum gate controllable current, at the expense of a slightly higher forward drop. >
Identifying and Addressing Students' Alternative Conceptions of the Causes of Global Warming: The Need for Cognitive Conflict.

School-age children are frequently exposed to issues related to global warming/global climatic change. Yet, their conceptions regarding the scope and nature of this phenomenon are often incomplete or even inconstant with predominant scientific understandings. The complex conceptual knowledge required to understand issues related to global warming create learning situations that harbor the development of incomplete or inaccurate ideas related to global warming. This study presents some of those misconceptions and discusses strategies for mitigation.
Judicial Construction of Application of Chapter VA of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947

The Industrial Disputes Act as it stood in 1947 had no provision for payment of 'lay-off' and 'retrenchment' compensation in case workmen were laid off or retrenched in case of certain contingencies. Though some progressive employers used to voluntarily pay and Industrial Tribunals and courts used to award such compensation at times, the situation was far from satisfactory. This situation was addressed in 1953 when as a consequence of accumulated stocks in textile industry, textile mills were threatened with the effect of closure of one or more shifts entailing lay-off or retrenchment of a large number of workers employed in the industry. Thus, to avoid industrial unrest in the country, the President of India promulgated the Industrial Disputes (Amendment) Ordinance, 1953. As a result, Chapter VA containing Sections 25A to 25J was inserted by Act No. 43 of 1953 with effect from this Chapter relates to 'Lay-off and Retrenchment'. The researcher believes that this Chapter is extremely important to the working of any industry because it is the workmen who make the industry function and if they are dissatisfied or removed then it will hamper the working of the industry. The researcher in this research paper will be dealing with the issues regarding the applicability of this Chapter VA as interpreted by courts.
Distributed algorithms for event tracking through self-assembly and self-organization

Environmental disasters often have costly and long-lasting effects. The speed and effectiveness of intervention depend on our ability to obtain timely information. In this paper, we propose an approach by which the event is “swarmed” by a set of mobile nodes that organize themselves around it and follow it as it moves. Our focus is on the distributed algorithms that are run on each of the autonomous nodes. Each node is “subjected” to a set of forces from the environment (data being sensed) and from each other (messages heard from neighboring nodes). The set of forces combine to lead the nodes to self-assemble: Nodes (cells) assemble into larger cells; cells break into smaller ones based on the forces they are subjected to so that the number of cells around the event is always close to optimal. The set of forces also lead the cells to self organize by forming patterns that surround the event and maintain connectivity. Although the set of forces was custom fit to our needs, we use similar phenomena in chemistry to reason about the forces and show that they lead to the desired emergent behavior.
Waste facility experience and perceptions of waste‐related health and safety risks

Based on ecological theory, we hypothesize that positive experience with waste facility siting and storage will reduce the perceived health and safety risks associated with waste sites. Evidence is presented from data collected in 15 communities in the states of Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Colorado. Seven of these communities are hosting or were potential sites for hazardous waste facilities, four were the sites of other types of rural industrial developments and four were communities that had experienced only baseline socioeconomic activity. Surveys of residents in each of these communities on a variety of issues including concerns related to the health and safety of waste storage are examined and compared. The results indicate that residents in communities with positive experience with waste facilities perceive lower waste‐related health and safety risks than residents in other types of communities when controls are included for other sociodemographic and perceptual factors.
A comparison of EMG procedures in the carpal tunnel syndrome with clinical-EMG correlations

One hundred and twenty-two patients were selected on the basis of symptoms of finger numbness and tingling thought to suggest carpal tunnel syndrome. The severity of the symptoms was graded and the patients were studied with seven established EMG procedures, motor inching to the abductor pollicis brevis and second lumbrical muscles, and sensory inching. Symptom severity was compared with the degree of nerve conduction abnormality and results from symptomatic hands with those abnormal results from patient's asymptomatic hands. Motor inching to the abductor pollicis brevis muscle was the most sensitive study and, when combined with sensory inching, gave a sensitivity of 97–100% (depending on symptom severity). Motor inching to the second lumbrical muscle alone detected the lesion site in several severely involved nerves. Guidelines are suggested with which one can estimate the likelihood that a patient's finger sensory symptoms are on the basis of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Impairments of the Protein C System and Fibrinolysis in Infection-Associated Stroke

Background and Purpose Infection/inflammation appears to be an important predisposing risk factor for brain infarction, but little is known regarding underlying molecular mechanisms. We examined the hypothesis that patients with brain infarction preceded by infection/inflammation within 1 week could be identified by a distinctive procoagulant laboratory profile characterized by abnormalities in the protein C system and endogenous fibrinolysis. Methods We performed a case-control study examining the relationship between preceding systemic infectious/inflammatory syndromes and selected immunohematologic variables in 36 patients with acute brain infarction and 81 control subjects (community control subjects [n=47] and hospitalized nonstroke neurological patient controls [n=34]). Results The stroke group had a lower mean level of the circulating antithrombotic enzyme activated protein C (APC) (4.33±0.34% [log-transformed percentage of control value, mean±SD]) than community control subjects (4.51±0.27%, P<.02...
Perinatal inflammation and lung injury.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) remains the major morbidity of extreme preterm birth. The incidence of BPD has remained stable despite recent efforts to reduce postnatal exposures to volutrauma and hyperoxia. This review will focus on recent clinical and experimental insights that provide support for the concept that the ‘new BPD’ is the result of inflammation-mediated injury and altered lung development during a window of vulnerability in genetically susceptible infants that is modified by maternal and postnatal exposures.
Carbide precipitation in welds of two-phase austenitic-ferritic stainless steel

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and microanalytical chemistry were performed on sensitized samples of duplex welds that exhibited both skeletal ferrite microstructures and lath ferrite microstructures. The objective was to understand why welds with lath ferrite, contrary to a theoretical prediction, are not immune to sensitization. Most of the ferrite-austenite (α-γ) interphase boundaries in the welds with skeletal ferrite were curved and incoherent, while those in welds with lath ferrite were predominantly planar and semicoherent. The density of carbide precipitation on incoherent boundaries was much greater than that on semicoherent boundaries. Carbide precipitates on incoherent boundaries were typically equiaxed, while those on semicoherent boundaries had very high aspect ratios and appeared to form along ledges in the interphase boundary. During sensitizing heat treatments, the chromium-depleted zone on the ferrite side of the interphase region transformed to austenite, causing the α-γ interphase boundary to move into the ferrite region. This markedly increased the width of the chromium-depleted zone in the austenite phase and extended the time of heat treatment required to replenish the zone with chromium. It is proposed that migration of the α-γ interphase boundary, which occurs to a much greater extent in the welds with lath ferrite, is responsible for their unexpected susceptibility to sensitization at 550°C.
Differential information and optimal feedback policy in new classical macroeconomic models

Abstract We demonstrate the optimality of feedback policy in a new classical model without impediments to market clearing. This result is robust. The monetary authority does not have superior information: All agents are aware of the policy maker's actions and know the policy rules. The model is Lucas structural in the sense that the reduced form parameters for price and output do not depend on the policy parameters. Finally, the results do not require the persistence of the effects of the shocks either through the stochastic structure or other propagation mechanisms.
Cosmic 21 cm Delensing of Microwave Background Polarization and the Minimum Detectable Energy Scale of Inflation

We propose a new method for removing gravitational lensing from maps of cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization anisotropies. Using observations of anisotropies or structures in the cosmic 21 cm radiation, emitted or absorbed by neutral hydrogen atoms at redshifts 10 to 200, the CMB can be delensed. We find this method could allow CMB experiments to have increased sensitivity to a background of inflationary gravitational waves (IGWs) compared to methods relying on the CMB alone and may constrain models of inflation which were heretofore considered to have undetectable IGW amplitudes.
Impact of Initial Soil Moisture Anomalies on Subsequent Precipitation over North America in the Coupled Land–Atmosphere Model CAM3–CLM3

Abstract To investigate the impact of anomalous soil moisture conditions on subsequent precipitation over North America, a series of numerical experiments is performed using a modified version of the Community Atmosphere Model version 3 and the Community Land Model version 3 (CAM3–CLM3). First, the mechanisms underlying the impact of spring and summer soil moisture on subsequent precipitation are examined based on simulations starting on 1 April and 1 June, respectively. How the response of precipitation to initial soil moisture anomalies depends on the characteristics of such anomalies, including the timing, magnitude, spatial coverage, and vertical depth, is then investigated. There are five main findings. First, the impact of spring soil moisture anomalies is not evident until early summer although their impact on the large-scale circulation results in slight changes in precipitation during spring. Second, precipitation increases with initial soil moisture almost linearly within a certain range of soil...
Shatterings: Violent Disruptions of Homeplace in Jubilee and the Street

Two of the most influential novels to appear in twentiethcentury American literature illustrate that establishing a home has often been a contested and complex pursuit for African Americans. Both Ann Petry's The Street and Margaret Walker's Jubilee carefully examine how attempts to find and maintain a home are continually met with violence and thwarted by prevailing social and economic injustices that pervade the boundaries of home and threaten to disrupt any resistance that has been forged. Although home is frequently evoked in the public cultural imaginary as a place of safety, as a retreat from a potentially hostile world, and as a physical location from which one can receive at least some degree of comfort, belonging, and protection, these texts make clear that violence and discrimination have long informed the struggle to construct a viable and ultimately safe home for many African Americans. Through Walker's and Petry's careful delineation of the social forces that threaten the security and maintenance of one's home, both authors deconstruct such concepts as home, safety, and shelter in their respective texts and reposition them in the context of social injustices born out of the volatile intersection of race, class, and gender oppression. The result is a critical reformulation of home that is more adept to expose the struggles that many men and women of color have had to wage in order to create a viable homeplace, and that can potentially reorder our cultural and social
Cardiovascular effects of coffee and caffeine

This study evaluated the cardiovascular effects and elimination kinetics of coffee and caffeine in 54 volunteers selected according to 3 gradations of daily caffeine consumption, cigarette smoking status and the presence of caffeine intolerance. After 24 hours of caffeine abstinence, subjects received coffee and 2.2 mg/kg of caffeine (equivalent to 2 cups of coffee). Blood pressure, heart rate, systolic time intervals and plasma concentrations of caffeine were measured before and at timed intervals after coffee and caffeine. There were no differences in response to coffee and caffeine. The average systolic/diastolic blood pressure increased 9/10 mm Hg. The maximal decrease in heart rate averaged 10 beats/min, and there were small increases in the systolic time intervals. There were no cardiovascular differences among the various groups. Caffeine in the smokers and heavy caffeine users had a shorter half-life (3.2 and 4.1 hours) than that in nonsmokers and nonusers (5.1 and 5.3 hours). In the caffeine-intolerant group it had a longer half-life, while the cardiovascular effects were similar to those of the other groups. Thus, irrespective of the amount of daily caffeine consumption, smoking status or caffeine intolerance, the cardiovascular responses were similar and tolerance, if present, was gone by 24 hours.
Wavelet analysis for characterizing spatial heterogeneity in the subsurface

Wavelet analysis is a newly developed technique for separating and sorting structures on different time scales at different times, and different spatial scales at different locations. Mathematically, it is related to Fourier spectral analysis. It has been used extensively for image and signal processing, including the processing of seismic and turbulence data in geophysics. Characterizing spatial heterogeneity in the subsurface is an important issue for construction of facilities for waste containment and management, prediction of transport of pollutants through geologic media and remediation of contaminated sites. Localization processes in the subsurface and multiscale effect in geologic sampling data have to be addressed in the site characterization. Current methods can not solve these problems, however. The potential exists for using wavelet analysis as the multiscale spatial heterogeneity analysis method for characterizing detailed geologic structures. In particular, wavelet analysis overcomes significant limitations in standard geostatistics. We first present these limitations, then demonstrate how wavelet analysis overcomes them. We conclude with two demonstrations of geologic data analyses (the spatial variability of permeability in the alluvial fan deposits in DOE Nevada Test Site Pit 3. and cone penetrometer data interpretation) using wavelet analysis, compared to current geostatistical approaches.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The distributed representation of vestibulo-oculomotor signals by brain-stem neurons

The vestibuloocular reflex and other oculomotor functions are subserved by populations of neurons operating in parallel. This distributed aspect of the system's organization has been largely ignored in previous block diagram models. Neurons that transmit oculomotor signals, such as those in the vestibular nucleus (VN), actually combine the different types of signals in a diverse, seemingly random way that could not be predicted from a block diagram. We used the backpropagation learning algorithm to program distributed neural-network models of the vestibulo-oculomotor system. Networks were trained to combine vestibular, pursuit and saccadic eye velocity command signals. The model neurons in these neural networks have diverse combinations of vestibulo-oculomotor signals that are qualitatively similar to those reported for actual VN neurons in the monkey. This similarity implicates a learning mechanism as an organizing influence on the vestibulo-oculomotor system and demonstrates how VN neurons can encode vestibulo-oculomotor signals in a diverse, distributed manner.
The political economy of the rent-seeking society: The case of public employees and their unions

Evidence is accumulating which suggests that public employee pay levels may contain substantial rent components. The purpose of this study is twofold: to relate the theories of public choice and competitive rent seeking to this evidence and to improve upon existing estimates of rent levels by incorporating the effects of fringe benefits and stability of employment. This study concludes that once nonwage forms of compensation are included, economic rents are contained in pay levels at all three levels of government for both sexes.
Performance‐based design using structural optimization

A new methodology for seismic design is proposed based on structural optimization with performance-based constraints. Performance-based criteria are introduced for the seismic design of new buildings. These criteria are derived from the National Guidelines for Seismic Rehabilitation of Buildings (Reference [19], Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), ‘NHERP Guidelines for seismic rehabilitation of buildings’, Report Nos 273 and 274, Washington, DC, 1997) for retrofitting existing structures. The proposed design methodology takes into account the non-linear behaviour of the structure. The goal is to incorporate in the design the actual performance levels of the structure, i.e. how much reserve capacity the structure has in an earthquake of a given magnitude. The optimal design of the structure minimizes the structural cost subjected to performance constraints on plastic rotations of beams and columns, as well as behavioural constraints for reinforced concrete frames. Uncertainties in the structural period and in the earthquake excitation are taken into account using convex models. The optimization routine incorporates a non-linear analysis program and the procedure is automated. The proposed methodology leads to a structural design for which the levels of reliability (performance levels) are assumed to be quantifiable. Furthermore, the entire behaviour of the structure well into the non-linear range is investigated in the design process. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Left ventricular end-systolic pressure-dimension and stress-length relations in normal human subjects.

Abstract To determine whether the left ventricular end systolic pressure-dimension and end-systolic stress-dimension relations in human beings are linear and sensitive to altered contractility, we studied 13 normal subjects during methoxamine infusion and with postextrasystolic potentiation induced by an external mechanical cardiac stimulator. End-systolic diameter was obtained with echocardiography and end-systolic pressure was estimated in six subjects from the dicrotic notch of a simultaneously recorded carotid pulse tracing, standardized by cuff pressure, whereas in seven subjects intraarterial pressure was recorded. For each subject, the end-systolic pressure-dimension relation was linear ( r = 0.83–0.99) over a range of 76 mm Hg (84 to 160) for end-systolic pressure. The mean slope of the end-systolic pressure-dimension line was 62 ± 22 mm Hg/cm. Peak systolic pressure was also linearly related to end-systolic diameter ( r = 0.82–0.99) over a range of 100 mm Hg (104 to 204). End-systolic stress was a linear function of end-systolic dimension as well ( r = 0.93–0.99) over an end-systolic stress range of 181 g/cm 2 . With postextrasystolic potentiation the potentiated beat had a smaller end-systolic dimension for any given end-systolic pressure and thus shifted the end-systolic pressure-dimension relation to the left. Thus, end-systolic pressure-dimension and stress-dimension relations in human subjects appear to be linear and are sensitive to the inotropic state.
Ripening tomatoes: C14O2 uptake by green tomato fruit.

Die neutrale Fraktion gruner Tomatenfruchte zeigt nach Futterung mit C14O2 im Licht eine hohere Radioaktivitat als nach der Futterung im Dunkeln. Die grune Tomatenfrucht ist zur Photosynthese befahigt.
Shower Effect at Summer Time on Fattening Performances of Black and White Bullocks

Abstract Goncu, S. and Ozkutuk, K. 2002. Shower effect at summer time on fattening performances of black and white bullocks. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 23: 123–127. To study the shower effect on fattening performances of black and white bullocks in hot summer season, 20 black and white bullocks (12–14 months) were divided into three groups. First group was showered twice a day and the second group four times a day, while the third was the control group. The average daily live-weight gains of the groups were 1.11±0.11, 1.27±0.08, 1.26±0.09 kg and feed conversion efficiency 10.13±0.99, 9.73±0.66 and 11.56±0.79 kg, respectively. There was no difference between groups on average daily gain and feed conversion efficiency (P>0.05), but daily concentrate and roughage intake were significant (P<0.01).
Cytolysis of Junin infected target cells by immune guinea pig spleen cells

Abstract Spleen cells from guinea pigs infected with an attenuated strain of Junin virus (the causative agent of Argentine hemorrhagic fever) specifically lysed virus-infected syngeneic target cells in vitro . This activity was detected as early as 6 days after infection, reached a maximum on days 10–13, and persisted at lower levels, at least through day 30. Monoclonal antibody to guinea pig T cells had no effect on the activity. After B or T cell enrichment techniques, the cytolysis was found with the B cell fraction. Aggregated IgG blocked the cytolysis. These characteristics suggested lytic activity was mediated at least in part by an antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) mechanism. Although some cytolysis could be detected by using exogenously added antiserum and normal spleen effector cells, such reconstruction showed less efficient killing than when spleen cells from Junin-infected guinea pigs were used. This apparent discrepancy was resolved when spleen cells from these infected animals exhibited enhanced activity in non-viral ADCC systems as well. The cytotoxic activity by spleen cells against Junin-infected targets was detected only with non-fatal Junin infections. Cytolysis could not be measured in spleen cell suspensions from guinea pigs lethally infected with Junin virus; i.e. adults infected with a virulent strain of Junin and baby guinea pigs or immunosuppressed adult animals infected with an attenuated strain. However, spleen cells from both the immunosuppressed, infected adults and the adult guinea pigs infected with a virulent strain of Junin were able to mediate cytotoxicity in a nonviral system (antibody-sensitized Vero cells). The development of spleen cell cytotoxicity by Junin-infected guinea pigs against Junin-infected target cells correlated with whether the infection was resolved or was lethal.
Cause and Development of an Ice Age

The most important single fact about continental glaciation is that, throughout geological time, it has taken place when a major land mass was located close to a pole. North America has undergone perhaps three extensive glaciations: the Pleistocene, roughly the last 106 yr; the Precambrian, approximately 109 yr ago; and the Precambrian, approximately 2 × 109 yr ago. (The oldest of these is subject to some doubt; perhaps the evidence can be interpreted in another way, although a good alternative explanation is not known). At each of these times, North America was located close to a pole; at other times in its history, it was not. The so-called Permian glaciation of North America (about 3 × 108 yr ago) has been based on misinterpreted evidence; no glaciation is indicated, and the continent was actually (based on paleobotanical and paleomagnetic data) close to the equator.