cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE BEARERS OF NEWS: PRINT AND POWER IN GERMAN EAST AFRICA

Historians have drawn on newspapers to illuminate the origins of modern nationalism and cultures of literacy. The case of Kiongozi (The Guide or The Leader) relates this scholarship to Tanzania's colonial past. Published between 1904 and 1916 by the government of what was then German East Africa, the paper played an ambivalent role. On the one hand, by promoting the shift from Swahili written in Arabic script (ajami) to Latinized Swahili, it became the mouthpiece of an African elite trained in government schools. By reading and writing for Kiongozi, these waletaji wa habari (bearers of news) spread Swahili inland and transformed coastal culture. On the other hand, the paper served the power of the colonial state by mediating between German colonizers and their indigenous subordinates. Beyond cooptation, Kiongozi highlights the warped nature of African voices in the colonial archive, questioning claims about print's impact on nationalism and new forms of selfhood.
Innovative Approaches to Teaching in Geography

This edition brings together a group of articles documenting a range of ways in which instructors are using innovative approaches to teach geography. These papers were originally intended to be par...
Postoperative opioid consumption after spine surgery: 24 hours or midnight to midnight? An infographic.

While postoperative opioid consumption is commonly reported in pain studies, there is no standard definition of the intervals over which it is reported. In the article by Lam et al ,[1][1] the authors found that 43.8% of reported opioid consumption would be missed if postoperative day 1 begins at
Dynamic risk-based fault prediction of chemical processes using online sparse model identification

Fault prognosis has emerged as an essential monitoring technique that predicts the occurrence of a fault and provides a guide for taking an appropriate action before the fault propagates into a failure. This is especially useful for industrial systems with growing process complexities. Recently, data-based prognosis methods have become popular because of their ease of implementation and availability of abundant data. However, at times when the process conditions vary, the offline trained models are not sufficient to predict the changing dynamics. In such situations, it is useful to have an adaptive model that can readily accommodate the dynamical changes. Hence, we propose a systematic approach that combines operable adaptive sparse identification of systems (OASIS) and dynamic risk assessment for fault prediction. At every sampling instance, the OASIS algorithm is used to adaptively predict the future dynamics for a certain period of time-steps. This multi-step prediction approach is utilized to estimate the process risk associated with a fault in an online manner. A fault is expected to occur if the maximum risk value from the prediction window exceeds a pre-determined threshold. For demonstration, we apply the proposed method to predict the occurrence of a process fault in a chemical reactor earlier than it actually affects the process.
Kirchhoff-Tangent Plane Approximation

Along with the perturbation theory the geometrical optics (quasiclassical) approximation represents another general approach in analyzing the scattering processes. The method may be employed when characteristic spatial scales of irregularities somewhat exceed the radiation wavelength. The approach is based on the assumption that the wave field locally has the structure of a plane wave whose amplitude and wave vector vary slowly from point to point. For scattering from a rough boundary this ansatz is formulated as follows: at each boundary point the incident wave is reflected in such a way as if the boundary is a plane. One can say that the boundary is approximated at each point by the tangent plane. Based on this representation, the scattered field and its normal derivative at the boundary can be easily expressed through the incident field. When these values are known it is possible to reconstruct the scattered field in the total space and, in particular, calculate SA, for instance, by formula of the kind (3.2.6). The above method was first proposed by Brekhouskikh [5.1, 2] and referred to as the tangent plane approximation or the Kirchhoff approximation (for the statistical case this approximation was developed by Isakovich [5.3]).
Closed-End Fund Discounts in Chinese Stock Markets

This paper provides further evidence on the role of the efficient market hypothesis and the rational asset pricing model in the explanation of Chinese closed-end fund discounts. The closed-end fund...
When a Commodity Is Not Exactly a Commodity

Economic transactions for services such as health and elder care are complicated by personal interactions and emotional connections.
Land and Power in Ptolemaic Egypt: The land tenure regime in Upper Egypt

The land which was held by the temples, and, especially in the south, was in the hands of hereditary tenants or owners, some of whom belonged to the higher and lower clergy, probably escaped the pressure of the government and was cultivated in the old-fashioned way. Rostovtzeff 1941: 1200. Later Ptolemaic rule had lost, at times, much of its authority, especially in the Thebaid. The Roman emperors, on the other hand, tried to alter this situation by introducing a strong military force, under the leadership of the prefect. The country was divided into three areas, one of them the Thebaid, under the control of an epistratēgos … The legions were stationed at Alexandria, Babylon (Old Cairo) and the rebellious southern capital Thebes. Vandorpe 1995a: 235. In this Chapter I discuss the land tenure regime in Upper Egypt. More specifically, I examine the documentation from the region known as the Thebaid, that stretch of the Nile valley from Aswan down to roughly Abydos, and I will focus on the well-documented town of Edfu. The entire region was administered through the new regional capital of Ptolemais, founded by Ptolemy I Soter. This continued an ancient practice of treating the Thebaid as a political unit.
Evaluation and Collaborative Testing of a Continuous Colorimetric Method for Measurement of Nitrogen Dioxide in Ambient Air

A continuous colorimetric method for measurement of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) in ambient air, which uses Saltzman type absorbing solutions, was evaluated and then subjected to a collaborative test. The evaluation shows thatdynamic calibration is required to obtain reliable results. Static calibration is not reliable. The method write-up specifies dynamic calibration. The collaborative test was carried out by having ten collaborators sample ambient air and the same ambient air spiked with a reliable source of NO 2 for four days at a common site in Kansas City, Missouri; NO 2 concentrations of 50 to 370 μg/m 3 were sampled. The results show that, based on 1-h avg concentrations, the within-laboratory standard deviation is 6 percent of the concentration over the range 90 to 370-μg NO 2 /m 3 , and the between-laboratory standard deviation is 14 percent of the concentration over the same range. The results also show that the method has a significant positive bias. This bias cannot be accurately quantitated because different collaborators give widely different biases, that is, the bias is collaborator dependent. The "average" bias ranges from +3 to +15 percent of the NO 2 concentration over the just mentioned range. The lower detectable limit of the method is 19 μg/m 3 .
Thermoelectric Study on Polycrystalline La1-xSrxRuO3

The otherorhombic distorted perovskite La1−xSrxRuO3 (0.1<x<0.9) polycrystalline samples have been prepared using conventional solid state chemistry reaction. The phase constituent, compositional homogeneity and micro-morphology were checked by X-ray powder diffraction, Energy Disperse X-ray spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy before characterized by means of the electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity and thermal power measurements. Particularly, the compositional dependence of Seebeck coefficient of present compound was studied in light of the comparison with the strongly correlated system NaxCoO4 and the relevant model proposed by W. Koshibae. Finally, the potential of using La1−xSrxRuO3 as a practical thermoelectric material has been also discussed.
Covert robot-robot communication: human perceptions and implications for human-robot interaction

As future human-robot teams are envisioned for a variety of application domains, researchers have begun to investigate how humans and robots can communicate effectively and naturally in the context of human-robot team tasks. While a growing body of work is focused on human-robot communication and human perceptions thereof, there is currently little work on human perceptions of robot-robot communication. Understanding how robots should communicate information to each other in the presence of human teammates is an important open question for human-robot teaming. In this paper, we present two human-robot interaction (HRI) experiments investigating the human perception of verbal and silent robot-robot communication as part of a human-robot team task. The results suggest that silent communication of task-dependent, human-understandable information among robots is perceived as creepy by cooperative, co-located human teammates. Hence, we propose that, absent specific evidence to the contrary, robots in cooperative human-robot team settings need to be sensitive to human expectations about overt communication, and we encourage future work to investigate possible ways to modulate such expectations.
Treating pelvic floor disorders of defecation: Management or cure?

Pelvic floor disorders that affect defecation consist of structural disorders (eg, rectocele) and functional disorders (eg, dyssynergic defecation). Evaluation includes a thorough history and physical examination, a careful digital rectal examination, and physiologic tests such as anorectal manometry, colonic transit study, and balloon expulsion test. Defecography and dynamic MRI may facilitate detection of structural defects. Management consists of education and counseling regarding bowel function, diet, laxatives, and behavioral therapies. Recently, several randomized, clinical trials have shown that biofeedback therapy is effective in dyssynergic defecation. Dyssynergia may also coexist in structural disorders such as solitary rectal ulcer syndrome or rectocele. Hence, before proceeding with surgery, neuromuscular training or biofeedback should be considered. Several surgical approaches, including stapled transanal rectal resection, have been advocated, but well-controlled randomized studies are lacking and their efficacy is unproven.
Abstract 1242: Green tea polyphenols inhibit the growth and induce death of melanoma cells by initiating DNA damage and inhibition of class I histone deacetylases

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Melanoma remains a leading cause of death from skin diseases due to its propensity to metastasis, and is increasing rapidly in children. Although, melanoma is less common than other types of skin cancers, however, it causes the majority (75%) of skin cancer-related deaths. The average survival of patients with advanced stage of melanoma is less than a year because no effective strategies are available for metastatic melanoma. Since melanoma is a highly malignant cancer, an approach that can inhibit its growth and progression may facilitate the development of an effective strategy for its treatment or prevention. As green tea polyphenols (GTPs) have been shown to have anti-skin carcinogenic effects, we have examined the chemotherapeutic effect of GTPs on the growth of different melanoma cell lines and the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects using an in vitro model. Treatment of melanoma cells (A375 and Hs294t) with GTPs (0, 20, 40 and 60 µg/ml) for 24 and 48 h significantly inhibited histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity, reduced the levels of class 1 HDAC proteins (HDAC 1, 2, 3 and 8) and enhanced histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity in a dose-dependent manner. These effects of GTPs on melanoma cells were associated with DNA damage, which was evident by Comet assay, and significant reduction in the viability of melanoma cells and induction of cell death. Concomitant treatment of melanoma cells with a proteasome inhibitor, MG132, prevented GTPs-induced degradation of class I HDACs, suggesting that GTPs reduced the levels of HDAC proteins in melanoma cells through proteasomal degradation. Valproic acid, an inhibitor of HDACs, exhibited a similar pattern of reduced viability and induction of death of melanoma cells (A375 and Hs294t). Treatment of A375 and Hs294t cells with GTPs resulted in an alteration of cell cycle regulatory proteins of G0/G1 phase, and that is a decrease in the levels of cyclin D1, D2 and E, and cyclin dependent kinases, CDK2, CDK4 and CDK6 in a dose-dependent manner. Simultaneously, it was also observed that the levels of p21 and p53 proteins were also increased in the cells after the treatment with GTPs, which may have a role in G0/G1 phase arrest and DNA damage. Together, our study provides new insights into the role of class I HDACs in the chemotherapeutic effects of green tea polyphenols on melanoma cells. Citation Format: Ram Prasad, Santosh K. Katiyar. Green tea polyphenols inhibit the growth and induce death of melanoma cells by initiating DNA damage and inhibition of class I histone deacetylases. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1242. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1242
The Asian monsoon as a geophysical problem

Monsoon Dynamics. Edited by James Lighthill and R.P. Pearce. Pp.735. ISBN 0-521-22497-7. (Cambridge University Press: 1981.) £50, $130.
Density spectral array for seizure identification in critically ill children.

Purpose:We evaluated the validity and interrater reliability of encephalographer interpretation of color density spectral array EEG for seizure identification was evaluated in critically ill children and explored predictors of accurate seizure identification.Methods:Conventional EEG tracings from 21
Variations of nuclear charge radii in mercury isotopes with A=198, 199, 200, 201, 202, and 204 from x-ray isotope shifts

The isotope shifts of atomic K x rays were measured for pairs of the six mercury isotopes with A=198, 199, 200, 201, 202, and 204, using a curved crystal spectrometer. The changes of the nuclear charge radii were derived in terms of δ〈r2〉 and δRk and compared with optical and muonic isotope shift data. From our results, a renormalization of the optical data was obtained.
Evaluation of a Lyme disease enzyme immunoassay using the 41-G fragment of flagellin.

An immunogenic region of theBorrelia burgdorferi flagellin encompassing amino acids 197–273 and designated 41-G was evaluated as an antigen in an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for Lyme disease on a routine basis in a reference laboratory. Sera that tested positive for Lyme disease by EIA using 41-G or the whole-cellBorrelia burgdorferi lysate as the antigen were also evaluated by immunoblot for reactivity withBorrelia burgdorferi, and the patient's clinical history was determined retrospectively by a questionnaire distributed to the referring physician. The sensitivity of the 41-G based EIA for the serologic diagnosis of Lyme disease, when compared with that of theBorrelia burgdorferi lysate EIA, was 70 % (35 of 50). These data demonstrate that 41 -G has utility as an antigen in EIA, although the sensitivity is at present less than that of the assay employing theBorrelia burgdorferi whole-cell lysate.
Tipping the balance between replicative and simple transposition

The bacterial insertion sequence IS903 has the unusual ability to transpose both replicatively and non-replicatively. The majority of products are simple insertions, while co-integrates, the product of replicative transposition, occur at a low frequency (<0.1% of simple insertions). In order to define the critical steps that determine the outcome of IS903 transposition, we have isolated mutants that specifically increase the rate of replicative transposition. Here we show that the nucleotide immediately flanking the transposon influences both overall transposition frequency and co-integrate formation. In particular, when the 3′-flanking nucleotide is A, co-integrates are increased 500-fold compared with a 3′ C. In addition, we have isolated five transposase mutants that increase replicative transposition. These residues are close to the catalytic residues and are thus likely to be part of the active site. These are the first transposase mutations described that affect the product of transposition. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that a delay in cleavage of the 5′-flanking DNA will increase the effective half-life of the 3′-nicked transposon intermediate and consequently enhance co-integrate formation.
Interactive graphic floor plan layout method

Abstract A new approach to the interactive solution of optimal floor plan layout problems is presented. The method is based upon the use of probability theory to predict the likely consequences of activity location decisions, combined with use of low-resolution raster graphics displays. It not only generates high quality results, but also provides the designer with a structural understanding of the space of alternatives being explored.
Routine cryopreservation of piroplasms of British cattle

Abstract The three piroplasms of British cattle — Babesia divergens; B. major and Theileria mutants — were successfully and simply cryopreserved using either dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) or glycerol to a final concentration of 10% as cryoprotectants. It was concluded that DMSO was more suitable for routine cryopreservation of the two Babesias since it resulted in shorter prepatent periods in inoculated cattle, and the infective material did not require a period of equilibration at room temperature before freezing.
Isolation and characterization of acidic lipoprotein in renal and hepatic lysosomes

Abstract Purified lysosomal fractions from rat liver and kidney were sonicated with Triton X-100 (.2%), and soluble material subjected to flotation ultracentrifugation in KBr. The soluble protein, 85% of the total, was separated into a low density lipoprotein (LDLP, d in situ .
Design and novel uses of higher-dimensional rasterization

This paper assumes the availability of a very fast higher-dimensional rasterizer in future graphics processors. Working in up to five dimensions, i.e., adding time and lens parameters, it is well-known that this can be used to render scenes with both motion blur and depth of field. Our hypothesis is that such a rasterizer can also be used as a flexible tool for other, less conventional, usage areas, similar to how the two-dimensional rasterizer in contemporary graphics processors has been used for widely different purposes other than the original intent. We show six such examples, namely, continuous collision detection, caustics rendering, higher-dimensional sampling, glossy reflections and refractions, motion blurred soft shadows, and finally multi-view rendering. The insights gained from these examples are used to put together a coherent model for what a future graphics pipeline that supports these and other use cases should look like. Our work intends to provide inspiration and motivation for hardware and API design, as well as continued research in higher-dimensional rasterization and its uses.
Ocean pCO2 calculated from dissolved inorganic carbon, alkalinity, and equations for K1 and K2: validation based on laboratory measurements of CO2 in gas and seawater at equilibrium

Abstract The partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the ocean's surface waters, precisely expressed as the fugacity ( f CO 2 ) is determined from dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (TA), and the first and second dissociation constants of carbonic acid, K 1 and K 2 . The original measurements of K 1 and K 2 reported by Mehrbach et al. [Mehrbach, C., Culberson, C.H., Hawley, J.E., Pytkowicz, R.M., 1973. Measurement of the apparent dissociation constants of carbonic acid in seawater at atmospheric pressure. Limnol. Oceanogr. 18, 897–907] are reformulated to give equations for p K 1 and p K 2 (p K =−log 10 K ) as a function of seawater temperature and salinity, consistent with the “total hydrogen ion” concentration scale: p K 1 =3633.86/T−61.2172+9.67770 ln T−0.011555 S+0.0001152 S 2 p K 2 =471.78/T+25.9290−3.16967 ln T−0.01781 S+0.0001122 S 2 By equilibrating solutions of seawater with gas mixtures of known composition, we demonstrate that the above formulations of K 1 and K 2 give calculated f CO 2 values that agree with equilibrated values to 0.07±0.50% (95% confidence interval, f CO 2 up to 500 μatm). Formulations of K 1 and K 2 based on other studies resulted in calculated f CO 2 values approximately 10% lower than the measurements. Equilibrations at f CO 2 above 500 μatm yielded measured f CO 2 values higher than calculated values by on average 3.35±1.22% (95% confidence interval). The cause for the f CO 2 dependence of the results is not known. The uncertainties in p K 1 and p K 2 were combined with the analytical uncertainties typical of contemporary measurements of DIC and TA to reveal the expected reliability of seawater f CO 2 calculated from these parameters. For example, an uncertainty of 1.0 μmol kg −1 in DIC and 2 μmol kg −1 in TA (1 standard deviation (s.d.)) will result in uncertainty of the calculated f CO 2 of 1% or ±3.5 μatm at 350 μatm (1 s.d.).
Effect of a somatostatin analog (octreotide acetate) on the growth of retinal pigment epithelial cells in culture.

Purpose. Proliferative vitreoretinopathy is a serious complication of retinal detachment surgery in which retinal pigment epithelial cells abnormally proliferate within the vitreous cavity and under the retinal surface. Octreotide acetate, a somatostatin analog, has been shown to inhibit the cellular proliferation of a variety of cell types. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of octreotide acetate on the growth of rabbit retinal pigment epithelial cells in culture.Methods. Retinal pigment epithelial cells were isolated from rabbits and maintained in culture. Cells were exposed to standard media or media supplemented with octreotide acetate 10-4 M to 10-12 M for five days. Each concentration of octreotide acetate was tested in quadruplicate.Results. Exposure of rabbit retinal pigment epithelial cells to octreotide acetate significantly inhibited proliferation with a peak effect at 10-8 M. The effect of octreotide is biphasic with higher and lower concentrations having less effect than 10-8...
Interference alignment, carrier pairing, and lattice decoding

We discuss how to take advantage of the discreteness of signal constellations at the detector side, in various interference alignment schemes for which linear zero-forcing of the interference has been traditionally considered. We show that lattice decoding, with possible “generalized decision feedback equalization” preprocessing can achieve significant gains in symbol error rate at the detector output, at finite SNR. Furthermore, we discuss the effect of channel coefficient dynamics on the Cadambe and Jafar interference alignment precoding scheme, and point out the need of careful carrier pairing in order to limit these dynamics.
Ecosystem Alteration by Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) Predation

In artificial pools Gambusia affinis greatly reduced rotifer, crustacean, and insect populations and thus permitted extraordinary development of phytoplankton populations (2x108 cells per milliliter). Other effects included decreased optical transmissivity and increased temperature of the water, decreased amounts of dissolved inorganic phosphorus, and increased amounts of dissolved organic phosphorus, inhibition of Spirogyra, and replacement of one annelid, Chaetogaster, by another, Aeolosoma.
Inquiring minds want to know … Body piercing and modifications: Suggested resources for emergency professionals

Summary No matter where you work, you will likely be faced with a patient who has body modifications. Body modifications have been practiced by various cultures for thousands of years and are on the increase. Emergency professionals should have the necessary tools and training for emergency jewellery removal. This article provides emergency professionals with resources for caring for patients with body modifications.
Discourses on Salt and Iron: A First Century B.C. Chinese Debate over the Political Economy of Empire

A first century B.C. Chinese classic Yantielun or Discourses on Salt and Iron recorded a heated debate over the costs and benefits and economic foundation of imperial expansion shortly after the death of Emperor Wudi who had greatly expanded the Chinese empire. The managers of the empire argued for practical solutions such as state monopolies of salt and iron to centralize the state and conquer the nomadic Xiongnu and touted policy successes they achieved from this. Their scholar critics wanted moral principles rather than material calculations to guide policy and asserted that human suffering caused by monopolies and expansionary war would doom the empire. This tension between ideals and political necessities created an ideational foundation for the successful Chinese empire, which then lasted for two millennia. Strategic dialogues such as the one narrated in Discourses should on balance make contemporary Chinese leaders cautious in using coercive force. From early on, China has had its own imperial overreach and understands the cost of extensive adventures beyond its borders and how excessive reliance on force abroad might threaten their domestic political order, which is what the current Chinese government is most concerned about.
Pattern formation by the global limits of a nonlinear competitive interaction in n dimensions

This paper describes a class of nonlinear systems that include processes of pattern formation, short term memory, interpopulation competition, and parallel processing. These systems show how continuously fluctuating data patterns can be processed by noisy populations having finitely many excitable sites. Particular examples are found in vertebrate retina and sensory cortex, as well as certain nonneural developing tissues. After an initial period of seemingly random behavior, that is described by a finite series of iterated decisions or enhancement steps, a global consensus or asymptotic pattern is reached. This is true given any number of competing populations, any mean competition function, and any number of random factors determining interpopulation signals. Which pattern will be chosen can depend on initial data and system structure in a complicated fashion. The results demonstrate a robust design that joins together the dynamics of mass action, the geometry of interpopulation competition, and the statistics of signal generation.
Future directions for CMOS device technology development from a system application perspective

The development of CMOS technology has been, and will remain, driven by system needs. Traditionally, these needs have been met quite satisfactorily by simply reducing the physical size of the transistors as guided by the MOSFET scaling theory and increasing the chip-level integration density as anticipated from "Moore’s Law." Now that CMOS has reached its scaling limits, continued progress has to come from innovations beyond the traditional development paths, guided by anticipating and addressing system designers' concerns and needs. In this talk, we examine several opportunities for extending current CMOS technology to continue satisfying the needs of system designers.
Regulation of pituitary gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptors by pulsatile GnRH in female rats: effects of estradiol and prolactin.

GnRH has been shown to modulate the concentration of its own pituitary receptors (GnRH-R), and changes in GnRH-R during the rat estrous cycle may reflect changes in GnRH secretion. To examine the relationship between GnRH and GnRH-R in female rats, we measured GnRH-R and serum gonadotropin responses to pulsatile GnRH in restrained ovariectomized (OVX) and ovariectomized estradiol-implanted (OVX-E2) rats. In addition, we examined the effects of suppression of serum PRL. Pulsatile injections of GnRH (10–250 ng/pulse) given every 30 min for 24 or 48 h did not increase GnRHR in OVX or OVX-E2 rats compared to that in saline controls (246 ± 27 fmol/mg). Bromocriptine treatment (2 mg/day) had no effect on GnRH-R in OVX animals. In contrast, OVX-E2 rats treated with bromocriptine showed significantly increased GnRH-R (500 ± 43 fmol/mg) in response to GnRH injections. When ovine PRL was administered to bromocriptine-treated OVX-E2 rats, the GnRH induced rise in GnRH-R was abolished. Gonadotropin responses to GnRH ...
Unified utility maximization framework for resource selection

This paper presents a unified utility framework for resource selection of distributed text information retrieval. This new framework shows an efficient and effective way to infer the probabilities of relevance of all the documents across the text databases. With the estimated relevance information, resource selection can be made by explicitly optimizing the goals of different applications. Specifically, when used for database recommendation, the selection is optimized for the goal of high-recall (include as many relevant documents as possible in the selected databases); when used for distributed document retrieval, the selection targets the high-precision goal (high precision in the final merged list of documents). This new model provides a more solid framework for distributed information retrieval. Empirical studies show that it is at least as effective as other state-of-the-art algorithms.
Some pedagogical considerations of digital filter hardware implementation

Presents discussion pertaining to a read only memory (ROM) table look-up technique for implementing digital filters. This technique is very flexible in that a given digital filter can be implemented by merely changing the contents of the ROM. Sufficient detail is included so that the material can be used effectively for pedagogical purposes, as well as to ease the transition from design concepts to actual hardware implementation.
Refraction of Sound by Islands and Seamounts

We consider the propagation into shallow water of low-frequency and low-order acoustic modes trapped in the sound channel. The phase velocity slightly decreases and then increases with decreasing depth. This leads to an unusual pattern of wave refraction. Waves are “attracted” by islands and seamounts (rays turn toward shore) in “almost deep” water, and then are strongly “repelled” in shallow water. We examine the relative intensity of scattered arrivals in very long-range ocean transmissions. Forward scatter by islands and seamounts can give significant (order −10 dB) scattered arrivals, as can large-angle scatter (including backscatter) by large islands and by islands near the source or receiver. However, transmission of acoustic energy into the sea floor leads to loss of the scattered energy in the sound channel. Total reflection (no loss) is favored by glancing incidence on steep slopes of islands and seamounts with large compressional seismic velocities. We suggest a complementary relation between the intensities from an underwater explosion as recorded on axial hydrophones versus nearby land seismometers, with conditions favorable to reflection favoring hydrophones and vice versa. A preliminary attempt is made to compare measured and computed scattered intensities in the sound channel for operation WIGWAM (a deep-water nuclear explosion in 1955), operation CHASE, and the Perth to Bermuda transmission of 1960. Computed intensities are too low.
Developmental, gender, and ethnic group differences in moods and ambulatory blood pressure in adolescents.

Background: Adolescence is characterized by profound changes in physical, psychological, and social functioning thought to be accompanied by intense and varying moods.Purpose: Within a psychophysiological framework, this study examined the prevalence of 12 self-reported mood states of adolescents; investigated associations between specific mood states and ambulatory blood pressure readings; and explored effects of interactions among moods, gender, ethnic group, and maturation on ambulatory blood pressures.Methods: The sample included 371 African American, European American, and Hispanic American adolescents 11 to 16 years old. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures were measured every 30 min with an ambulatory monitor and were synchronized with electronic activity monitoring and moods self-recorded during waking hours in a checklist diary.Results: Moods differed significantly by gender, ethnic group, and maturation. Controlling for height, maturation, gender, ethnic group, mother’s education, position, location, activity, other moods, and interactions of moods with other variables in a multilevel, random coefficients regression model, both positive and negative mood states were associated with higher levels of SBP and DBP; being relaxed or bored, or having a feeling of accomplishing things were associated with lower SBP and DBP. There were significant interaction effects of moods with physical maturity, gender, and ethnic group on ambulatory SBP and DBP.Conclusions: Further study of the modifying effects of gender, ethnic group, and stage of development on reports of moods, and their associations with cardiovascular responses is recommended.
III-N-V low-bandgap nitrides and their device applications

Four families of III-N-V compounds for electronic and optoelectronic applications are presented: InNAsP/InP, GaInNAs/GaAs, Ga(In)NP/GaP and GaInNP/GaAs. InNAsP/GaInAsP quantum wells grown on InP are superior for long-wavelength microdisc lasers (and so expected for edge-emitting lasers), as compared to GaInAs/GaInAsP quantum wells, because of the larger conduction band offset from the addition of a small amount of nitrogen (0.5% to 1%) in the InAsNP quantum wells. GaInNAs/GaAs heterostructures emitting at 1.3 µm at room temperature have stimulated much interest in 1.3 µm vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers. Here we report the use of GaInNAs as the base of a heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT), which exhibits a lower turn-on voltage than HBTs with the usual GaInAs base. Incorporating a small amount of N in GaNxP1-x alloys leads to a direct bandgap behaviour of GaNP, and red light-emitting diodes based on a GaNP/GaP double heterostructure grown directly on (100) GaP substrates have been fabricated. Finally, incorporating N into GaInP barriers in a quantum well is shown to lower the conduction band offset, and GaInNP/GaAs could be potentially ideally suited for npn HBTs.
Factors That Influence Abusive Interactions between Aging Women and Their Caregivers

Research findings suggest that one or more factors-personality and/or drug or financial dependency, cognitive and personality impairments, contextual factors, or severe stress-render elders vulnerable to caregiver maltreatment (i.e., either abuse or neglect), but may also make them more prone to abusing their caregivers. However, it is often the interaction between elders and caregivers that determines whether maltreatment will actually occur. Maltreatment of elders is less likely when caregivers (1) are free of mental impairments and of drug and personality dependency, (2) are trained to cope with the stress of caregiving and of highly provocative and/or abusive elders, (3) and are adequately reimbursed and socially supported.
I did not smoke 100 cigarettes today!: avoiding false positives in real-world activity recognition

Activity recognition (AR) systems are typically built and evaluated on a predefined set of activities. AR systems work best if the test data contains and only contains these predefined activities. In real world applications, AR systems trained in this manner generate serious false positives, for example if "smoking" is one of the activities in the training data but "lifting weights" is not. Due to the similarity of two activities, an AR system may report a user smoking 100 times a day but he actually did a bicep workout 100 times. In this work, we propose a new approach to train an AR system leveraging the large quantity of unlabeled data which reflects activities users perform in real life. The proposed mPUL (Multi-class Positive and Unlabeled Learning) approach significantly reduces the false positives. We argue that mPUL is a much more effective training method for real-world AR applications.
Reduced Convex Hulls: A Geometric Approach to Support Vector Machines [Lecture Notes]

This lecture note presents a geometric interpretation of the support vector machines (SVMs), and it introduces the reduced convex hulls (RCHs). The geometric interpretation is an alternative point of view with a clear physical meaning and paves the way for developing efficient SVM algorithms
Evidence for Asteroidal Origin of the Tunguska Object

The progress in the understanding of the Tunguska object is reviewed in the light of evidence presented in numerous recent investigations, which appeared following the publication of my 1983 paper on the object's proposed asteroidal nature. The issues addressed extensively in the present review involve: (i) the fundamental characteristics of the event, such as the object's energy, altitude and velocity at the time of its terminal explosion and the dynamic pressure involved; (ii) the problem of atmospheric fragmentation of very massive impactors and the implications for their ablation and deceleration; (iii) new analysis of the orientation of the Tunguska object's heliocentric orbit based on the best data on the apparent radiant of the fireball's atmospheric trajectory; and (iv) comparison with the findings of other recent investigations, including compositional studies. Also employed in the arguments are the results now available on the impacts of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9's fragments into Jupiter and the findings of a recent comparative study of two huge fireballs (one cometary, one stony, both involving impactors several meters across) observed with the cameras of the European Network of fireball monitoring. It is concluded that hypotheses based on presumed cometary origin of the Tunguska object encounter unsurmountable difficulties and that the interpretation of the event as a fall of a small stony or carbonaceous asteroid is not only plausible, but virtually certain.
These Kids Just Aren't Motivated to Read: The Influence of Preservice Teachers' Beliefs on Their Expectations, Instruction, and Evaluation of Struggling Readers.

This qualitative case study examined the beliefs of preservice teachers about teaching struggling readers. The study was concerned with participants' beliefs in the context of tutoring struggling readers in order to discover how these beliefs influenced the preservice teachers' expectations, instruction, and evaluations of these learners. The findings from this multiple case study suggest that preservice teachers may not believe they are capable of or responsible for teaching all of their students to read. The preservice teacher beliefs about teacher efficacy and responsibility influenced many teaching behaviors in the current study.
Evaluating environmental hazards of land applying composted diazinon using earthworm bioassays.

Environmental hazards resulting from land application of composted pesticide residue have not been rigorously evaluated. This study was conducted to examine the toxicity of a composted pesticide residue using earthworms (Eisenia foetida Savigny) as a microinvertebrate model in a soil bioassay system. Diazinon, which was used in these experiments as a test pesticide, was removed from simulated rinsate (wastewater) by sorption onto peat moss. Following the rinsate clean-up phase, diazinon-laden peat moss was placed into bioreactors and composted for either 30 or 60 days. Earthworms were then exposed to soil amended with the composted material. Mortality and symptomatic effects characteristic of acetylcholinesterase inhibition, including weight loss, reduced burying ability and curling, occurred in earthworms exposed to soil amended with either uncomposted or 30-day composted diazinon, but not in those exposed to soil amended with 60-day composted diazinon. The amount of solvent-extractable diazinon from com...
Circuit techniques for use in a digital phase-angle generator

A proven basic technique for the digital generation of two sine waves having a known and adjustable phase difference has been used to produce a commercial phase-angle standard. While the final performance for this instrument meets or exceeds those previously reported for a unit built by the National Bureau of Standards, a number of different circuit techniques have been used to achieve greater phase resolution, circuit simplifications, easier mechanisms for detecting possible circuit problems, and significant cost reductions.
Perfectionism, Cognitive Bias, and Hopelessness as Prospective Predictors of Suicidal Ideation

Perfectionism, negative cognitive bias, and hopelessness were assessed among people hospitalized for depression (N = 121). Hopelessness and suicidal ideation were assessed 6 months after discharge. Path analyses indicated that higher perfectionism as an inpatient was directly associated with higher suicidal ideation 6 months later. Cognitive bias, in contrast, led to greater hopelessness 6 months later, which in turn led to higher concurrent suicidal ideation. Alternative models examined whether hopelessness partially or fully mediated the effect of perfectionism, whether hopelessness partially mediated the effect of cognitive bias, and whether inpatient depression and suicidal ideation severity explained the observed relationships. These alternative models were not supported. Perfectionism and negative cognitive bias both uniquely contributed to the prospective prediction of suicidal ideation.
Orientalism: A Black Perspective

(1981). Orientalism: A Black Perspective. Journal of Palestine Studies: Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 59-69.
200 mW type I GaSb-based laser diodes operating at 3 μm: Role of waveguide width

Laser diodes based on AlInGaAsSb/InGaAsSb heterostructures with different waveguide widths were designed and fabricated. The decrease in the waveguide width from 1470 to 470 nm led to the improvement of the device performance. Lasers with 470 nm quinternary waveguides demonstrated 200 mW continuous wave output power at room temperature.
Uncinate Fasciculus integrity correlates with long-term cognitive and behavioral therapies combined with augmentative communication for individuals with autism

Pardini, M., Elia, M., Garaci, F. G., Guida, S., Coniglione, F., Krueger, F., Benassi, F., & Emberti Gialloreti, L. (2012). Long-term cognitive and behavioral therapies, combined with augmentative communication, are related to uncinate fasciculus integrity in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42, 585–592. Source of funding and disclosure of interest: No source of funding reported, and no conflicts of interest reported by the original authors of this research report.
Impacts of a consent decree on “the last urban freeway”: Interstate 105 in Los Angeles county

Abstract The world of highway building has seen a revolution in the last two decades, as the regulatory environment has experienced a major metamorphosis. The Glenn M. Anderson Freeway- Transitway (1-105), a so-called “sensitive” freeway, escaped being a casualty of the freeway revolt. Novel features of the I-105 are a result of a consent decree that established special institutions and procedures that govern virtually all aspects of the freeway's design and construction. Using an augmented case study approach, we assess how the freeway differs from the project that might have evolved had parties to litigation not been able to resolve their differences. We assess how agencies, groups and individuals view the costs and benefits of the consent decree. We find consistent differences in impact perceptions between transportation agency and local city affiliates. The results shed light on the motivations of local citizens who oppose what outside observers might regard as regionally attractive transportation facilities. Rather than a rigid not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) response, opposition reflects a qualitatively different calculus for weighing environmental and social impact data.
Puerto Rico’s Luis Muñoz Marín: Poet, Politician, and Paradox

Some revere Luis Munoz Marin (1898–1980); others condemn him. The author lived years of her childhood and adolescence in Puerto Rico, when prosperity—to a great extent the result of Luis Munoz Marin’s leadership—promised a socioeconomic reality different from the current one. To understand his life and legacy, she interviewed in San Juan his daughter Senator Victoria Munoz Mendoza (1940– ), spoke with professors, authors, and a spectrum of other individuals, and spent time at the archives of the Luis Munoz Marin Foundation. The Foundation is a welcome oasis in an island where, despite its natural beauties, 21st century quandaries and traffic jams abound. Landing in the international airport named in Munoz Marin’s honor, she heard a Puerto Rican airline employee say that today Munoz Marin is a fish out of water.
A System-Oriented CAMAC Power Supply Controller

A system-oriented CAMAC power supply controller has been developed for use with the FXR accelerator monitoring and control system at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. It is used to control all major focus, steering, and high-voltage power supplies in this facility via a common control interface which is readily adaptable to many commercial power supplies. Integrity in a system environment is enhanced by watchdog monitors for both the control computer and the controlled power supply.
Developmental Programming: Postnatal Estradiol Amplifies Ovarian Follicular Defects Induced by Fetal Exposure to Excess Testosterone and Dihydrotestosterone in Sheep

Excess of prenatal testosterone (T) induces reproductive defects including follicular persistence. Comparative studies with T and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) have suggested that follicular persistence is programmed via estrogenic actions of T. This study addresses the androgenic and estrogenic contributions in programming follicular persistence. Because humans are exposed to estrogenic environmental steroids from various sources throughout their life span and postnatal insults may also induce organizational and/or activational changes, we tested whether continuous postnatal exposure to estradiol (E) will amplify effects of prenatal steroids on ovarian function. Pregnant sheep were treated with T, DHT, E, or ED (E and DHT) from days 30 to 90 of gestation. Postnatally, a subset of the vehicle (C), T, and DHT females received an E implant. Transrectal ultrasonography was performed in the first breeding season during a synchronized cycle to monitor ovarian follicular dynamics. As expected, number of ≥8 mm follicles was higher in the T versus C group. Postnatal E reduced the number of 4 to 8 mm follicles in the DHT group. Percentage of females bearing luteinized follicles and the number of luteinized follicles differed among prenatal groups. Postnatal E increased the incidence of subluteal cycles in the prenatal T-treated females. Findings from this study confirm previous findings of divergences in programming effects of prenatal androgens and estrogens. They also indicate that some aspects of follicular dynamics are subject to postnatal modulation as well as support the existence of an extended organizational period or the need for a second insult to uncover the previously programmed event.