cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Utilizing Crowdsourced Data to Extract System-Wide Patterns of Rail Transit Delays

Utilization of public transportation depends on reliability and safety of the transit system, which relate to how the delays occur and propagate on the transit network. Similar to roadway transportation, the delays at rail transit systems can also be categorized as non-recurrent and recurrent. This study focuses on the latter in order to reveal delay patterns and knock-on effects occurring on the transit network. For this purpose, we utilize crowdsourced data for the analysis of the recurrent delays occurring at Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) commuter rail system in the State of New York. We conduct an exploratory analysis of the real time transit information app onTime data and calculate delay estimates for different origin-destination (OD) rail service lines and individual stations. The data consists of real-time estimated delays to the stops, based on the difference between the scheduled arrival time and the actual position of the app user. The results indicate that there are distinct differences between delay patterns based on stations proximity to bottleneck stations and the priorities of individual OD lines on the overall transit network. Moreover, findings imply that transportation authority might be adjusting right of way of routes systematically at bottleneck locations to balance and compensate with the accumulated delays.
The Prophet of Modern Constitutional Liberalism: John Stuart Mill and the Supreme Court

John Stuart Mill is the father of modern liberalism. His most remembered work, On Liberty, which was published in 1859, changed the course of the liberal tradition. What is less well-known is that his ideas have profoundly influenced the American constitutional rights tradition of the latter half of the twentieth century. Mill's 'harm principle' inspired the constitutional right to privacy recognized in Griswold v Connecticut, Roe vs Wade and other cases. His defense of freedom of expression influenced Justices Holmes, Brandeis, Douglas, Brennan and others and led to greatly expanded freedom of speech in the twentieth century. Finally, Mill was an ardent feminist whose last important work, The Subjection of Women, was a full-scale and, for its time, radical defense of complete gender equality. This is a book for lawyers who want to understand the intellectual origins of modern constitutional rights, and for political philosophers interested in the constitutional implications of Mill's conception of freedom.
Signal-to-Noise Ratio Considerations for Secure Antenna Polarization Modulation

We investigate the impact of additive white Gaussian noise on the performance of secure antenna polarization modulation (SAPM), a technique for wireless physical layer security. The secrecy rate, calculated from the mutual information of intended versus eavesdropper channels, serves as a metric for evaluation. With increasing signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), system designers can also choose to increase spectral efficiency by using a higher order of modulation. This significantly improves the level of security provided by SAPM by narrowing the range of spatial angles for which information may be received. We use simulation data to calculate the mutual information and symbol error probability over varying SNR levels to illustrate these effects.
AI and ethics

Since it is of critical importance that autonomous systems, whether software or hardware, that interact with human beings (and perhaps other sentient beings as well) behave in an ethical manner, we consider six possible approaches to effecting this. We argue that the first five approaches are unsatisfactory and defend the last approach, the approach we have taken. It involves discovering ethically relevant features and corresponding prima facie duties present in the various possible actions such a system could take in particular domains and discovering decision principles for when there is a conflict between those duties. We, further, maintain that there are a number of additional benefits to taking this approach that involve becoming clearer about human ethics, in addition to the ethics to which autonomous systems should adhere, and the chance that it might well lead to providing inspiration for humans to behave more ethically.
When Criminal Coping is Likely: An Examination of Conditioning Effects in General Strain Theory

Objectives: This paper addresses perhaps the central problem in General Strain Theory (GST): the mixed results regarding those factors said to condition the effect of strains on crime. We test Agnew’s (2013) assertion that a criminal response to strain is likely only when individuals score high on several factors that increase the propensity for criminal coping or possess markers that indicate a strong propensity for criminal coping. Methods: We use survey data from nearly 6,000 juveniles from across the United States to examine whether the effect of criminogenic strains across several domains—perceptions of police, school environment, and victimization—on crime are conditioned by: (1) respondents’ criminal propensity and (2) gang membership. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first criminological study to employ an analytical framework that simultaneously considers non-linear (i.e., curvilinear) dynamics, non-additive (i.e., interactive) effects, and non-normally distributed dependent variables. This approach has the advantage of properly differentiating non-linear and non-additive dimensions and therefore significantly improving our understanding of conditioning effects. Results: We find considerable support for Agnew’s (2013) postulation about conditioning effects and GST. Criminal behavior is more likely among those with a strong overall propensity for criminal coping and among gang members. Furthermore, we discover that the conditioning effects are, themselves, non-linear. Our models that simultaneously take into account both the non-additive and non-linear relationship between strains and criminal propensity on their impact on criminal offending better fit the data than models that consider these dimensions separately. These results hold whether examining a composite measure of criminal activity or, alternatively, three separate subscales indexing violent, property, and drug offenses. Conclusion: Our study advances GST and the crime literature by identifying the types of strained individuals most likely to engage in criminal coping. Additionally, the analytical framework employed serves as a model for the correct measurement and interpretation of conditioning effects for criminological data, which almost invariably violate the assumptions of the linear regression model. Linear/Parametric interactions are the most commonly investigated type of interactions, but other kinds of interactions are also plausible and may reveal conditional relationships that are either overlooked or understated when analysts exclusively adopt. We demonstrate possible to have non-linear interactions in which a non-linear function of one variable is multiplied by a linear or non-linear function of one or more other variables to produce an interaction term.
Actions of Acetylcholine on Spinal Motoneurons

The evidence that acetylcholine (ACh) is a chemical transmitter in the vertebrate peripheral nervous system is unequivocal. A transmitter and/or modulator role of ACh in the vertebrate central nervous system is less well established (cf. Karczmar, 1967; Krnjevic, 1974). The most extensively investigated central cholinergic synapses are those on Renshaw cells of the spinal cord where ACh was shown to be the excitatory transmitter released from collateral branches of spinal motoneurons (Eccles et al., 1954; 1956; Curtis and Eccles, 1958). The effect of ACh on the motoneuron itself is not well understood. Recent studies with antibodies raised against choline acetyltransferase (CAT) revealed in addition to CAT-containing motoneurons, the presence of CAT-containing small diameter neurons as well as fibers in the ventral horn (Kimura et al., 1981; Houser et al., 1983; Borges and Iversen, 1986). In fact, CAT-immunoreactive boutons appeared to abut on motoneurons suggesting that ACh may exert a transmitter and/or modulator role at these neurons (Borges and Iversen, 1986). In an effort to provide a pharmacological basis for a possible transmitter or modulator function of ACh in the ventral horn, the actions of ACh on motoneurons and on spinal synaptic transmission were investigated using thin spinal cord slices as stable intracellular recordings can be maintained for hours in this preparation.
Crisis of Conscience: The Use of Coercive Sales Tactics and Resultant Felt Stress in the Salesperson

A considerable amount of research has focused on stress in personal selling, primarily focusing on role demands. However, the issue of how a salesperson’s sales behaviors relate to his or her own stress has largely been unaddressed. The author investigates felt stress in the salesperson as a consequence of using coercive sales tactics. The role of learning orientation as a coping resource is also examined. It was found that the use of coercive sales tactics (threats and promises) is associated with higher levels of felt stress. This stress, in turn, is related to lower levels of manifest influence. Learning orientation serves as a coping resource, moderating the relationship between threats and felt stress.
Antigen Recognition by an Antibody Light Chain

A monoclonal antibody to vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) was reduced and alkylated and its light and heavy chains were purified by denaturing gel filtration. Following renaturation, the light chain displayed sequence-specific binding of VIP. The specific VIP binding activity of several fractions spanning the light chain peak recovered from the gel filtration column was constant, the light chain was electrophoretically homogeneous, the VIP binding activity was precipitated by anti-light chain antibody but not anti-heavy chain antibody and the activity remained associated with a light chain fraction recovered by resolutive chromatography on a hydroxylapatite column. N-terminal amino acid sequencing of the light and heavy chain fractions confirmed the purity of these proteins and suggested that the VL and VH regions belonged to kappa-family II and gamma-family III, respectively. The VIP-binding affinity of the light chain was only 5-fold lower than that of the parent antibody and the light chain did not bind unrelated peptides. These observations suggest that light chains display structural characteristics necessary for high affinity antigen binding.
DNA replication in synchronized cultured mammalian cells: III. Relative times of synthesis of mouse satellite and main band DNA

Abstract Synchronized mouse strain L-cells were pulse-labeled with [14C]thymidine at various stages of the DNA synthetic (S) period. Satellite DNA was then separated from main band DNA by buoyant density gradient centrifugation in Ag+-Cs2SO4 and by CsCl gradient centrifugation of heated and annealed DNA. Centrifugation in analytical alkaline CsCl density gradients showed that the satellite was free of contamination by main band DNA. Changes in the relative specific activities of the main band and pure satellite DNA fractions during the S period confirmed our earlier report that most satellite DNA synthesis occurs after main band DNA has reached its maximum rate of synthesis and did not support the interpretation that the pattern we observed was due to contaminating main band DNA of low G+C content in the satellite DNA fractions. There was no preferential synthesis of satellite DNA in populations of mitotic L-cells.
Solubility of drugs in aqueous solutions. Part 5. Thermodynamic consistency test for the solubility data

This paper is devoted to the verification of the quality of experimental data regarding the solubility of sparingly soluble solids, such as drugs, environmentally important substances, etc. in mixed solvents. A thermodynamic consistency test based on the Gibbs-Duhem equation for ternary mixtures is suggested. This test has the form of an equation, which connects the solubilities of the solid, and the activity coefficients of the constituents of the solute-free mixed solvent in two mixed solvents of close compositions. The experimental data regarding the solubility of sparingly soluble substances can be verified with the suggested test if accurate data for the activity coefficients of the constituents of the solute-free mixed solvent are available. The test was applied to a number of systems representing the solubilities of sparingly soluble substances in mixed solvents. First, the test was scrutinized for four nonaqueous systems for which accurate solubility data were available. Second, the suggested test was applied to a number of systems representing experimental data regarding the solubility of sparingly soluble substances in aqueous mixed solvents.
Diagnosis of computer systems by stochastic Petri nets

A fault-tolerant computer system is represented as a stochastic Petri net, and discrete-event simulation methods are introduced to study its behavior. The power of stochastic petri nets with general firing times for formal representation and quantitative diagnosis, from the customer point of view, is exhibited. The results show that simulation methods for stochastic Petri nets can be used advantageously to diagnose quantitatively whether or not a fault-tolerant computer system meets the requirements of the environment. >
Accounting for the effects of sastrugi in the CERES clear-sky Antarctic shortwave angular distribution models

Abstract. The Cloud and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instruments on NASA's Terra, Aqua and Soumi NPP satellites are used to provide a long-term measurement of Earth's energy budget. To accomplish this, the radiances measured by the instruments must be inverted to fluxes by the use of a scene-type-dependent angular distribution model (ADM). For permanent snow scenes over Antarctica, shortwave (SW) ADMs are created by compositing radiance measurements over the full viewing zenith and azimuth range. However, the presence of small-scale wind blown roughness features called sastrugi cause the BRDF (bidirectional reflectance distribution function) of the snow to vary significantly based upon the solar azimuth angle and location. This can result in monthly regional biases between −12 and 7.5 Wm−2 in the inverted TOA (top-of-atmosphere) SW flux. The bias is assessed by comparing the CERES shortwave fluxes derived from nadir observations with those from all viewing zenith angles, as the sastrugi affect fluxes inverted from the oblique viewing angles more than for the nadir viewing angles. In this paper we further describe the clear-sky Antarctic ADMs from Su et al. (2015). These ADMs account for the sastrugi effect by using measurements from the Multi-Angle Imaging Spectro-Radiometer (MISR) instrument to derive statistical relationships between radiance from different viewing angles. We show here that these ADMs reduce the bias and artifacts in the CERES SW flux caused by sastrugi, both locally and Antarctic-wide. The regional monthly biases from sastrugi are reduced to between −5 and 7 Wm−2, and the monthly-mean biases over Antarctica are reduced by up to 0.64 Wm−2, a decrease of 74 %. These improved ADMs are used as part of the Edition 4 CERES SSF (Single Scanner Footprint) data.
Expert Opinion and Statistical Evidence: An Application to Reactor Core Melt Frequency

A model for the evaluation of probabilities of rare events by combining the available experience with expert opinion is developed, using the core melt frequency of nuclear power reactors as an exam...
Quantification and Longitudinal Trends of Kidney, Renal Cyst, and Renal Parenchyma Volumes in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease

ABSTRACT.: The aims of this study were to assess the accuracy and reproducibility of volumetric determinations of total kidney, renal cyst, and renal parenchymal volumes, using fast electron-beam computerized tomography scanning, and to determine the rate of change of these volumes. Nine patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) and serum creatinine or = to 60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) were imaged weekly over a 3-wk period (total of 3 times). Approximately 8 yr later, they returned for follow-up studies. The kidney volume estimation technique involved a manual segmentation (perimeter drawing) of the kidneys and a semiautomatic threshold approach, using a histogram analysis of the peak densities of renal parenchyma and renal cysts. At entry, total kidney and renal cyst volumes correlated positively with age, while renal parenchymal volumes and GFR correlated negatively with age. The average coefficient of variation values for the three initial consecutive measurements of total kidney, renal cyst (actual and as a percent of total volume), and renal parenchymal volume were 3.4, 7.2, 5.3, and 5.6%, respectively. During the 8 yr of follow-up, total kidney and renal cyst volumes increased, while renal parenchymal volumes and GFR declined. The rate of increase in total kidney and renal cyst volumes varied markedly from patient to patient. There was a significant correlation between rate of increase in renal cyst volume and the rate of decline in GFR. The patients with an initial urine protein/osmolality ratio >0.13 mg/L per mosmol per kg had a significantly higher increase in renal volume and decline in GFR than those with a lower ratio. In summary, the results of this pilot study suggest that: (1) electron-beam computerized tomography is capable of measuring total kidney, renal cyst, and renal parenchymal volumes reproducibly; (2) total kidney and renal cyst volumes increase, while parenchymal volumes decrease with time; (3) the increase in cyst volume correlates best with the decline in renal function; and (4) renal volumes appear to be good surrogate markers for disease progression in ADPKD.
Alternative View for the Interlaminar Cervical Epidural Steroid Injections

I fully agree with Abbasi et al. [1] that visualization of the spread of the contrast material can be difficult in certain patients who undergo C6-7 or C7-T1 interlaminar cervical epidural steroid injections. The “swimmer's view” can clearly be used as …
The Impact of Income Taxation on the Labor Supply of Part-time and Full-time Workers

This paper estimates the effect of income taxation on the labor supply of part-time and full-time workers in the United States. Using a model that incorporates the endogeneity of the net wage rate and the virtual income, and correcting for self-selection into part-time and full-time jobs, the results indicate that part-time workers are relatively more responsive to changes in income tax than full-time workers. Estimated wage elasticities are relatively larger for part-time than for full-time workers.The simulation results indicate that income tax has a disincentive effect on both part-time and full-time workers, with part-time and full-time workers reducing their labor supply by 0.87 and 0.58 hours, respectively, if a 5% tax is imposed. However, the percentage reduction in hours of work is very small, and a tax policy may have little effect on the labor supply of workers.The results seem to suggest that female and black part-time workers are more likely to drop out of the labor force at higher levels of i...
Electrical activity of the canine liver

In 6 experiments, the canine biliary tract was found to be electrically positive with reference to the liver capsule, and potentials ranging from 3 to 15 mv. were demonstrated. Intraportal infusion of a solution of dextrose and insulin caused a brief fall in potential in 4 of 6 experiments, followed by a sharp increase in all animals. Hepatic necrosis produced by carbon tetrachloride was associated with a marked fall in potential.
Recursive Fact-Finding: A Streaming Approach to Truth Estimation in Crowdsourcing Applications

This paper presents a streaming approach to solve the truth estimation problem in crowdsourcing applications. We consider a category of crowdsourcing applications where a group of individuals volunteer (or are recruited to) share certain observations or measurements about the physical world. Examples include reporting locations of gas stations that remain operational after a natural disaster or reporting locations of potholes on city streets. We call such applications social sensing. Ascertaining the correctness of reported observations is a key challenge in such applications, referred to as the truth estimation problem. This problem is made difficult by the fact that the reliability of individual sources is usually unknown a priori, since any concerned citizen may, in principle, participate. Moreover, the timescales of crowdsourcing campaigns of interest can be as small as a few hours or days, which does not offer enough history for a reputation system to converge. Instead, recent prior work, including our own, developed fact-finding algorithms to solve this problem by iteratively assessing the credibility of sources and their claims in the absence of reputation scores. Such algorithms, however, operate on the entire dataset of reported observations in a batch fashion, which makes them less suited to applications where new observations arrive continually. In this paper, we describe a streaming fact-finder that recursively updates previous estimates based on new data. The recursive algorithm solves an expectation maximization (EM) problem to determine the odds of correctness of different observations. We compare the performance of our recursive EM algorithm to a batch EM algorithm, as well as to several state-of-art fact-finders through extensive simulations. We also demonstrate convergence of the recursive algorithm to the results of the batch version through a real social sensing experiment. Our evaluation shows that the proposed approach can process data streams much more efficiently while keeping the truth estimation accuracy close to that of the (much slower) batch algorithm. Ours is therefore the first fact-finder developed with explicit consideration to the continuous update needs of crowd-sourcing applications.
Activation of a voltage-insensitive conductance by inward calcium current.

ELECTRICAL excitability is more complex in cell bodies than in axons. In various nerve cells there is a voltage-sensitive permeability to calcium as well as to sodium and potassium. Furthermore, increased calcium in the cytoplasm of nerve cell bodies increases their potassium permeability. In voltage-clamped Helix neurones, Meech and Standen1,2 reported that a substantial fraction of the potassium conductance activated during a depolarisation depends on an inward calcium current.
Metamemory for narrative text.

In this experiment, we investigated metamemory for narrative text passages. Subjects read two stories and made memory predictions for the idea units in one and rated the importance of ideas in the other. Half of the subjects were asked to recall the story immediately after reading the passages and half were asked to recall 1 week later; half received passages with single inconsistent idea units and half received passages with corresponding consistent idea units. All subjects made confidence judgments about the accuracy of their recall. Subjects’ prediction ratings were related to recall, as shown by significant prediction accuracy quotients. Importance ratings were related to recall on the delayed test but not on the immediate test. Memory prediction ratings predicted recall better than did importance ratings. The absolute level of memory predictions did not differ with delay, but subjects did give higher confidence judgments on an immediate than on a delayed test. Subjects recalled the inconsistent idea better than the consistent idea for one story but not for the other. For both stories, subjects predicted that they would remember the inconsistent ideas better, suggesting that they have avon Restorff-type view, rather than a schema view, of memory. We conclude that subjects can predict their memory for the idea units in narrative text.
Goal-seeking problem in discrete event systems simulation

For most complex stochastic systems such as microelectronic systems, the Mean Time To Failure (MTTF) is not available in analytical form. We resort to Monte-Carlo Simulation (MCS) to estimate MTTF function for some specific values of underlying density function parameter(s). MCS models, although simpler than a real-world system, are still a very complex way of relating input parameter(s) to MTTF. This study develops a polynomial model to be used as an auxiliary to a MCS model. The estimated metamodel is a Taylor expansion of the MTTF function in the neighborhood of the nominal value for the parameter(s). The Score Function methods estimate the needed sensitivities (i.e. gradient, Hessian, etc.) of the MTTF function with respect to the input parameter in a single simulation run. The explicit use of this metamodel is the target-setting problem in Taguchi's product design concept: given a desired target MTTF value, find the input parameter(s). A stochastic approximation algorithm of the Robbins-Monro type uses a linear metamodel to estimate the necessary controllable input parameter within a desired accuracy. The potential effectiveness is demonstrated by simulating a reliability system with a known analytical solution.
Rapid deposition of lignin in potato tuber tissue as a response to fungi non-pathogenic on potato

Abstract Potato tuber slices were inoculated with a pathogen ( Fusarium roseum f.sp. sambucinum ) and with pathogens of other plant species ( Cladosporium cucumerinum and F. roseum ). Growth of all three fungi on the tuber tissue surface was similar through the first 12 h; after this time, the pathogen, but not the non-pathogens, began to penetrate into the tissue and caused a gradual softening and darkening of the tissue. The non-pathogens caused a yellow discoloration in the host cell walls, first detected 8–10h after inoculation. These yellow areas of the cell walls stained positively for lignin. Positive staining for lignin was not observed in the pathogen-challenged tissues until 18–20 h. Tissues inoculated with the non-pathogens and treated with thioglycolic acid gave a ligninthioglycolate in much greater yields than did control tissues or tissues inoculated with the pathogen. Ligninthioglycolic acid yields increased in the non-pathogen-challenged tissues by 9 h and in pathogen-challenged tissues by 18 h after inoculation. Cupric oxide oxidation of alkali pre-treated tissues also provided evidence for the formation of lignin. Alkali pre-treatment had no effect on ligninthioglycolic acid yields or on histochemical staining, which is further evidence for the production of lignin. Pre-treatment of the tissue with α-aminooxyacetic acid, a competitive inhibitor of phenylalanine ammonia lyase, or abscisic acid induced a state of “susceptibility” in the tissue to C. cucumerinum, and this was associated with a lack of lignin deposition.
Electro-optical calibration considerations at intermediate maintenance levels

Optical stimulus applied to radiation receiver Units Under Test (UUTs) and transduced measurements of emitted radiation from electro-optical UUTs are just as subject to control and calibration as are their electronic counterparts in the ATE equipment complement. The unique character of the instruments performing these calibrations, alone with some militarized versions of these devices, are presented in this paper. Present and future calibration requirements, with reference to a currently active program, will also be discussed.
Effect of Compression upon the Magnetic Behaviour of Magnetite in Thermal Cycles across the Magnetocrystalline Isotropic Point

Effect of Compression upon the Magnetic Behaviour of Magnetite in Thermal Cycles across the Magnetocrystalline Isotropic Point
Frequency doubling and memory effects in the spin Hall effect

We predict that when an alternating voltage is applied to a semiconducting system with inhomogeneous electron density in the direction perpendicular to main current flow, the spin Hall effect results in a transverse voltage containing a double-frequency component. We also demonstrate that there is a phase shift between applied and transverse-voltage oscillations, related to the general memristive behavior of semiconductor spintronic systems. A different method to achieve frequency doubling based on the inverse spin Hall effect is also discussed.
Reversal of left bundle and His bundle potentials during wide complex tachycardia: What is the mechanism?

Case presentation A 14-year-old male patient presented to our institution with a wide complex tachycardia. An echocardiogram showed an ejection fraction of 60%, moderate mitral and tricuspid regurgitation, mild aortic regurgitation, and moderate pulmonary hypertension. He had a history of 2 prior ablations at another institution. During his first procedure, he was found to have ventricular tachycardia with a right bundle branch block, left superior axis morphology at a cycle length of 375 ms. Cryoablation was performed along the mid-left ventricular septum, after which the patient developed a left posterior fascicular block pattern during sinus rhythm. The next day, the patient developed ventricular tachycardia with a right bundle branch block, right inferior axis morphology. Ablation was targeted in the region of the left anterior fascicle and rendered the tachycardia noninducible. After the procedure, the electrocardiogram demonstrated a left bundle branch block configuration. Several months later, the patient presented to our institution in a wide complex tachycardia with a left bundle branch block, left superior axis morphology. Electrocardiograms during sinus rhythm and tachycardia are shown (Figures 1A and 1B). During electrophysiological study, baseline AH and HV intervals were 87 ms and 55 ms, respectively. The HV remained constant during incremental atrial pacing. Tachycardia was reproducibly induced with rapid atrial and ventricular pacing, and had a cycle length of 370 ms and an HV interval of 55 ms. Atrial activity was dissociated from the tachycardia. Adenosine 24 mg had no effect on tachycardia cycle length. Intracardiac tracings during sinus rhythm (Figure 2) and tachycardia (Figure 3) are shown. What is the mechanism of the wide complex tachycardia?
Chronic Unpredictable Stress Promotes Neuronal Apoptosis in the Cerebral Cortex

Stress-mediated loss of synaptogenesis in the hippocampus appears to play a role in depressive and mood disorders. However, little is known about the effect of stress/depression on the plasticity and survival of cortical neurons. In this report, we have examined whether chronic stress increases the vulnerability of neurons in the rat cortex. We have used a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CMS) as a rat model of depression. CMS (5 weeks treatment) produced anedonia and increased corticosterone levels. These effects were accompanied by a detectable increase in caspase-3 positive neurons in the cerebral cortex, suggesting apoptosis. Desipramine (DMI), a well known antidepressant, reversed the pro-apoptotic effect of CMS. These results suggest that antidepressants may reduce the pathological changes seen in stress-induced depressive disorders.
The nest matters: reproductive state influences decision-making and behavioural consistency to conflicting stimuli in male Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens

Before the heritable basis or fitness consequences of differences in decision-making can be explored, consistent variation in decision-making among individuals must be established. The presentation of conflicting stimuli in the form of a female and a male provides a unique situation that has not been widely explored in terms of consistent individual variation. To assess consistency and plasticity in decision-making, male Siamese fighting fish were presented with a single female, single male and paired male and female presented simultaneously both when they did and did not have nests. Having a nest had a marked effect on male response, but only towards the female. Males differed from one another in the strategies they used when faced with conflicting stimuli; some males focused on the male, others on the female, and still others divided their response between the two. Most importantly, males behaved consistently yet differed from one another when context and reproductive state were constant. Finally, some males exhibited consistent plasticity as a result of social environment and/or reproductive state, the first finding of this kind. This study demonstrates the presence of consistent individual variation in decision-making, providing the groundwork for further studies into the evolution of this trait.
Flory-type approximation for the fractal dimension of cluster-cluster aggregates

We consider the structure and fractal dimension of aggregates formed by cluster-cluster diffusional encounters. Both the fractal dimensions and symmetry properties of these aggregates are found to differ significantly from those found in the case of a single aggregating cluster. We find for the fractal dimension $D(d)=\frac{d(4d+3)}{(9d\ensuremath{-}2)}$ for $dl{d}_{c}=8$ and $D(d)=\frac{d}{2}$ for $dg{d}_{c}$.
Aging and degradation of polyolefins. IV. Thermal and photodecompositions of model peroxides

There appear to be no unusual effects of phase change or near-ultraviolet radiation on the reactions of alkoxy radical models for atactic polypropylene. The oxidation of purified atactic polypropylene by singlet oxygen is not an important process at 50°. Photochemical and thermal cleavages of tert-amyloxy radicals, a model for polypropylene oxy radicals, give nearly the same ratio of ka/kd at 50°C. Photochemical cleavage of the model compound 1,1-dinonylethyl hydroperoxide (10-methyl-10-nonadecyl hydropenoxide) gives exclusive cleavage of a nonyl group both in solution and in polypropylene film at 50°C.
Active roll control and integration with electronic stability control system: simulation study

This paper describes research into the control of vehicles fitted with Electronic Stability Control System (ESC) and Active Roll Control (ARC). Both single-channel and dual-channel ARC are combined with ESC and the handling performance of the vehicle with these systems is investigated using CarSimTM simulation environment. The capability of a single-channel ARC provided by a supplier as a black box for roll compensation, and a dual-channel ARC, developed in this paper that combines a feed-forward and feedback control are investigated. The feed-forward control controls the vehicle roll motion, and the feedback control modifies the front and rear roll stiffness from the feed-forward setting to influence the vehicle understeer behaviour. First, we study the effect of the single channel ARC on the steady state and transient characteristics of the vehicle by modifying the roll characteristics of the car. Second, we investigate the possibility of influencing the vehicle handling using dual channel ARC to vary the roll moment distribution to reduce vehicle oversteer and improving yaw velocity tracking by actively controlling the front-to-rear roll stiffness distribution. Finally, we present simulations to demonstrate the handling performance of the integrated ESC and both single-channel and dual-channel ARC.
Resident training for eclampsia and magnesium toxicity management: simulation or traditional lecture?

Objective To compare eclampsia and magnesium toxicity management among residents randomly assigned to lecture or simulation-based education. Study Design Statified by year, residents (n = 38) were randomly assigned to 3 educational intervention groups: Simulation→Lecture, Simulation, and Lecture. Postintervention simulations were performed for all and scored using standardized lists. Maternal, fetal, eclampsia management, and magnesium toxcity scores were assigned. Mann-Whitney U , Wilcoxon rank sum and χ 2 tests were used for analysis. Results Postintervention maternal (16 and 15 vs 12; P P P = nonsignificant). Conclusion Simulation training is superior to traditional lecture alone for teaching crucial skills for the optimal management of both eclampsia and magnesium toxicity, 2 life-threatening obstetric emergencies.
Automated analysis of cellular signals from large-scale calcium imaging data

Recent advances in fluorescence imaging permit studies of Ca(2+) dynamics in large numbers of cells, in anesthetized and awake behaving animals. However, unlike for electrophysiological signals, standardized algorithms for assigning optically recorded signals to individual cells have not yet emerged. Here, we describe an automated sorting procedure that combines independent component analysis and image segmentation for extracting cells' locations and their dynamics with minimal human supervision. In validation studies using simulated data, automated sorting significantly improved estimation of cellular signals compared to conventional analysis based on image regions of interest. We used automated procedures to analyze data recorded by two-photon Ca(2+) imaging in the cerebellar vermis of awake behaving mice. Our analysis yielded simultaneous Ca(2+) activity traces for up to >100 Purkinje cells and Bergmann glia from single recordings. Using this approach, we found microzones of Purkinje cells that were stable across behavioral states and in which synchronous Ca(2+) spiking rose significantly during locomotion.
Diesel combustion modelling using LES turbulence model with detailed chemistry

Diesel spray combustion and emissions are modelled in this study using large eddy simulation (LES) turbulence models coupled with spray breakup and detailed chemistry models. The objective of this study is to develop numerical models that can be used to predict the diesel spray combustion process. The LES filtering procedure yields unknown subgrid scale terms that need to be modelled. A one-equation, non-viscosity dynamic structure model is used to model the subgrid stress tensor and the gradient method is used to model the subgrid scalar flux. The model uses a tensor coefficient determined by a dynamic procedure and the sub-grid kinetic energy that is to enforce a budget on the energy flow between the resolved and unresolved scales. A skeletal n-heptane reaction mechanism is used to simulate the diesel fuel chemistry. A reduced NO x mechanism is incorporated into the n-heptane mechanism to simulate NO x formation, and the soot emission process is simulated by a phenomenological model that uses a competin...
Pricing Policy for Library Services

Many library services, which generally have been provided free to users, are likely to acquire price tags in the near future. This article addresses two aspects of this issue of vital concern to both library managers and users. First, the pros and cons of user fees for library services are discussed. Economic theory provides sound arguments in support of both sides of the debate in favor of and against user fees. Second, some models for setting user fees embodying two possible choices of objectives for library pricing policy-profit maximization and maximization of user net benefits-are discussed and the informational requirements of these models are outlined.
Subunit A of calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase requires Mn2+ for activity

Bovine brain calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase comprises a catalytic subunit A (Mr 60,000) and a regulatory subunit B (Mr 19,000). The native enzyme was active with Ca2+ or Mn2+. Upon resolution into its subunits in 6 M urea and 15 mM EDTA, subunit A was active with Mn2+; Co2+ and Ni2+ partially substituted for Mn2+, but Ca2+, Mg2+ and Zn2+ were ineffective. The stimulating effect of Mn2+ was not easily reversed by EGTA. Like the native phosphatase, subunit A was markedly stimulated by calmodulin or by controlled trypsinization. Unlike the native enzyme, however, trypsinized subunit A still required Mn2+ for activity. These findings provide evidence that the catalytic subunit of phosphatase may be a metallo (possibly Mn2+) enzyme.
Gangliosides in cell recognition and membrane protein regulation

Gangliosides, sialic acid-bearing glycosphingolipids, are expressed on all vertebrate cells, and are the major glycans on nerve cells. They are anchored to the plasma membrane through their ceramide lipids with their varied glycans extending into the extracellular space. Through sugar-specific interactions with glycan-binding proteins on apposing cells, gangliosides function as receptors in cell-cell recognition, regulating natural killer cell cytotoxicity via Siglec-7, myelin-axon interactions via Siglec-4 (myelin-associated glycoprotein), and inflammation via E-selectin. Gangliosides also interact laterally in their own membranes, regulating the responsiveness of signaling proteins including the insulin, epidermal growth factor, and vascular endothelial growth factor receptors. In these ways, gangliosides act as regulatory elements in the immune system, in the nervous system, in metabolic regulation, and in cancer progression.
Streamlining Knowledge Map Construction for an Online Auction House using Automatic Term Filtering

Organizations are building automated technical support software that can help both consumers and field support engineers with problem resolution. The goal of the automated technical support system is reducing operational cost and increasing customer satisfaction. This paper examines the set of challenges that knowledge engineers face in building automated technical support software. This paper uses a technical services engagement with a major online auction house with tens of millions of users to highlight the challenges and present an automated knowledge map generation technique. The objective of this automated technique was to improve the quality of expressions extracted from documents, which would reduce the burden on knowledge engineers to construct knowledge maps. The technique was run on large corpora of documents in the online auction house and found a significant increase in the quality of the knowledge map. Further experimentation showed that the technique works well for other domains as well.
Indigenous knowledge archives in a West African society

This article argues that resort to and competency in the deployment of indigenous knowledge archives are a prerequisite rather than a supplement for studying African life and phenomena, and I use the Bono (Akan) of West Africa and a shared dimension of African cultural knowledge — indigenous medicinal knowledge — to elucidate this position. The issue is not that indigenous knowledge has not been valuated inasmuch some revere European archives but rather indigenous archives have been left malnourished and after our hiatus to ‘things Western,' the realization is that the latter can provide its own interpretative perspective on African realities. Indigenous African archives of knowledge ‘have things to say,' which presupposes that these archives have a language that functions as a repository and transmitter of culture — in spiritual, conceptual, and material terms — and serves as a nexus between the life of this language and the life of its speakers. The production of knowledge on indigenous therapeutic or other systems, especially from the perspective of indigenous specialists and the culture in which they are a part, are challenges left in abeyance. The following, therefore, represents an attempt to explore the relationship between indigenous medicine and the proverbial, ‘gold weight,' adinkra symbolism, and oral narrative archives of the Akan. Keywords : Indigenous knowledge archives, indigenous medicinal knowledge, proverbial archives, oral archives. Indilinga Vol. 5 (1) 2006: pp. 12-26
Predictors of workplace sexual health policy at sex work establishments in the Philippines

Based on the literature, we identified manager and establishment characteristics that we hypothesized are related to workplace policies that support HIV protective behavior. We developed a sexual health policy index consisting of 11 items as our outcome variable. We utilized both bivariate and multivariate analysis of variance. The significant variables in our bivariate analyses (establishment type, number of employees, manager age, and membership in manager association) were entered into a multivariate regression model. The model was significant (p <.01), and predicted 42% of the variability in the development and management of a workplace sexual health policy supportive of condom use. The significant predictors were number of employees and establishment type. In addition to individually-focused CSW interventions, HIV prevention programs should target managers and establishment policies. Future HIV prevention programs may need to focus on helping smaller establishments, in particular those with less employees, to build capacity and develop sexual health policy guidelines.
The time courses of CTMax and CTMin acclimation in the salamander Desmognathus fuscus

Abstract 1. 1.|The time courses of CTMax and CTMin acclimation were determined in the salamander Desmognathus fuscus . 2. 2.|CTMax acclimation was approximately twice as rapid as CTMin acclimation, but the magnitude of tolerance change was greater for CTMin than for CTMax. 3. 3.|The data are compared to previously described thermal-acclimation responses of Eurycea bislineata . These findings, in concern with the published literature, suggest that both capacity and resistance adaptations correlate with the habitat selection of these two species.
Transcendental empathy in the therapeutic encounter

Abstract The experience of many therapists suggest that most contemporary conceptions of empathy underestimate empathic potential. This paper describes deep or transcendental empathy as a more direct knowing of the client's world. The author examines the epistemic process or the activity of knowing of transcendental empathy by considering two broad forms: transcendental countertransference and psychological resonance. Difficulties and distortions are explored as well as characteristics of an individual that correspond with deep empathy.
Repairable inventory theory: Models and applications

Abstract Repairable inventory theory involves designing inventory systems for items which are repaired and returned to use rather than discarded. Such systems are composed of items which are typically less expensive to repair than to replace, and are considerably more complicated than traditional inventory systems. The typical problem is concerned with the optimal stocking of the repairable parts and the location of these stocks, given that there may be multiple locations. An added dimension to the problem is the determination of the size and location(s) of the repair capacity for these parts. Further, different performance measures may be used, such as cost, backorders, and availability. There are many complicating factors in the design of repairable inventory systems, for example, not all failed units can be repaired and put back into service, some will be condemned and have to be replaced by new procurements. Various solution approaches have been developed to solve the problem, few have been implemented in practice, and no single model has addressed all or most of the complicating factors. Recent trends in the repairable inventory environment, environmental trends and regulations, and trends in product design are calling some of the assumptions of earlier models into question. In this paper we discuss the existing body of literature on repairable inventory, examine the various models proposed and the major assumptions made in those models, and classify them according to their solution methodology, single versus multi-echelon, and exact versus approximate solutions. It is intended to aid practitioners and researchers in identifying the sources for existing methods and the suitability of those to their application, as well as identify areas for additional research.
“Laser fusion for laser jocks: Basic principles and laser applications meeting a grand challenge”

Controlled nuclear fusion has long been sought as a global energy source and ignition of a laser fusion target will soon be realized. Fundamentals and requirements for this ultimate laser application will be presented.