cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dextrous hands: Human, prosthetic, and robotic

The sensory and motor capacities of the human hand are reviewed in the context of providing a set of performance characteristics against which prosthetic and dextrous robot hands can be evaluated. The sensors involved in processing tactile, thermal, and proprioceptive force and movement information are described, together with details on their spatial densities, sensitivity, and resolution. The wealth of data on the human hand's sensory capacities is not matched by an equivalent database on motor performance. Attempts at quantifying manual dexterity have met with formidable technological difficulties due to the conditions under which many highly trained manual skills are performed. Limitations in technology have affected not only the quantifying of human manual performance but also the development of prosthetic and robotic hands. Most prosthetic hands in use at present are simple grasping devices, and imparting a “natural” sense of touch to these hands remains a challenge. Several dextrous robot hands exist as research tools and even though some of these systems can outperform their human counterparts in the motor domain, they are still very limited as sensory processing systems. It is in this latter area that information from studies of human grasping and processing of object information may make the greatest contribution.
Benthic macroinvertebrate response to sedimentation in a Typha angustifolia L. wetland

Fiberglass mesh enclosures (1 × 1 m2) in a Typha angustifoliaL. marsh were employed to examine the effects of clay additions on theresident macroinvertebrate communities. Total invertebrate density, insectdensity, and number of insect families decreased significantly by 33%,37%, and 17%, respectively, in enclosures receiving sediment. Morespecifically, incoming clay adversely affected densities of Coleoptera larvae,Diptera larvae, Megaloptera larvae, Odonata larvae, Pelecypoda, andGastropoda. Densities of specific families within the Diptera (larvae) andColeoptera were also affected; Dolichopodidae, Stratiomyidae,Hydrophilidae, Tabanidae, Dytiscidae adults, and Scirtidae larvae decreasedsignificantly in numbers in sedimented enclosures. In contrast, the effectof sedimentation on Carabidae (adults and larvae) and Dytiscidae larvaldensities varied significantly with time, whereby densities were higher in thesedimented treatment only for the initial two months of the study. Densities of predator-engulfer, collector-filterer, and scraper feeding groupswere reduced in sedimented plots by 28%, 44%, and 27%,respectively. Significant short- and long-term increases in turbidity andsuspended solids in enclosures treated with clay, as well as sedimentdeposition, were probably responsible for changes in the invertebratecommunities.
Modeling Climate Change

The climate of the earth continually changes. Although environmental conditions on earth have been adequate for life to exist for 3.5 billion years or more, the climate and biology of earth have evolved together, with gradual changes occurring in the climate and in the particular organisms best suited for coexistence. Early in earth’s history, primitive photosynthetic organisms such as cyanobacteria developed in the oceans. Photosynthesis in the oceans produced oxygen in the atmosphere, which led to the development of the protective ozone layer in the stratosphere and the eventual dominance by aerobic organisms near the earth’s surface. The development and evolution of life were accompanied by profound changes in atmospheric composition and corresponding changes in surface climate.
Using El Nino/Southern Oscillation Climate Data to Predict Rice Production in Indonesia

Despite the strong signal of El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events on climate in the Indo-Pacific region, models linking ENSO-based climate variability to seasonal rice production and food security in the region have not been well developed or widely used in a policy context. This study successfully measures the connections among sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs), rainfall, and rice production in Indonesia during the past three decades. Regression results show particularly strong connections on Java, where 55% of the country's rice is grown. Two-thirds of the interannual variance in rice plantings and 40% of the interannual variance in rice production during the main (wet) season on Java are explained by year-to-year fluctuations in SSTAs measured 4 and 8 months in advance, respectively. These effects are cumulative; during strong El Nino years, production shortfalls in the wet season are not made up later in the crop year. The analysis demonstrates that quantitative predictions of ENSO's effects on rice harvests can provide an additional tool for managing food security in one of the world's most populous and important rice-producing countries.
Tritium and Carbon-14 by Oxygen Flask Combustion

In the fall of 1961, with the help of Donald Buyske, then of Lederle Laboratories, our group in chemical pharmacology at the National Cancer Institute set up the technique for the oxygen flask combustion of biological samples for the determination of radiocarbon and tritium [1, 2]. After a few months’ experience we introduced a number of modifications in the technique from that originally described by Kelly et al. of the Lederle group, and we published the substance of these as a short communication the following summer [3]. During the next 4 years we continued to use this technique and have directly helped about a dozen other groups get started with this method. During these intervening years, a host of publications have appeared, detailing variations on the equipment and technique. Some offer advantages over our technique for certain purposes, but most have impressed us as involving unnecessary complication, expense, or even hazard. The purpose of this presentation is to provide a cookbook version of our entire technique that hopefully will be complete within itself and will make this simplified method of handling biological samples conveniently available to the numbers of people that we think could profitably use it.
Entropy, Chaos, and Quantum Mechanics

A characteristic feature of quantum theory is the nontrivial manner in which information about a quantum system is inferred from measurements. These measurements are in general incomplete and do not provide an exhaustive determination of the state of the system. Incomplete information is thus an inherent feature of microphysics and naturally calls for the application of entropie methods. Such methods have in recent years been successfully applied to a number of important problems in quantum dynamics. Here, we will concentrate on a recent formulation of chaos using entropic methods. This formalism, which is equally valid for classical and quantum dynamics, provides a new way of extracting Lyapunov exponents from measured or computed data. The basic quantity is the measurement entropy associated with a dynamical variable of the system, the characteristic exponents being related to the asymptotic growth rate of this entropy. Examples of the use of this method in quantum and classical dynamics, as well as a recent demonstration of the absence of sensitivity to initial conditions in quantum mechanics are discussed. Other applications of entropie methods such as the quantum maximum entropy principle, quantum thermodynamics, and decay of correlations in an open system are briefly recalled.
The effect of the CHAMP intervention on fundamental motor skills and outdoor physical activity in preschoolers.

Abstract Purpose Physical activity (PA) and fundamental motor skills are important components of current and future trajectories of health in young children. This study examined the effects of a 5-week motor skill intervention on preschoolers’ motor skill competence and their PA behaviors while participating in the motor skill intervention or outdoor free play (recess). Methods A total of 102 preschoolers served as participants and were part of a motor skill intervention group (n = 64) or a control/outdoor free play group (n = 38). Children's motor skills were assessed before and after the intervention using the Test of Gross Motor Development-3rd edition. PA during the motor skill intervention and outdoor free play was assessed using accelerometers both immediately before the start (baseline, Week 0 or Week 1) and end (late, Week 5 or Week 6) of the intervention. Results All children significantly improved their motor skills from baseline to late assessment (p Conclusion The 5-week motor skill intervention was effective at improving preschoolers’ motor skills and rates of change in motor skills were higher for children who completed the intervention compared with children in the control group. Preschoolers in the intervention did demonstrate PA changes while participating in the intervention, but these changes did not translate outside of the intervention setting.
MYR: A Web-Based Platform for Teaching Coding Using VR

MYR is a browser-based, educational platform built to spark student interest in computer science by allowing users to write code that generates three-dimensional, animated scenes in virtual reality. The interface consists of two primary components: (1) an integrated editor, which leverages the MYR API and the A-Frame entity-component-system, and (2) a real-time renderer that displays the corresponding scene. The scenes, which vary in complexity, are viewable using virtual reality headsets, smartphones, and any device that supports a web browser. By providing access to the specific domain of virtual reality to students, the system aims to make computer science concepts tangible for novice programmers. The MYR development team conducted pilot tests with middle school students in order to collect feedback from this audience. The larger goal of the project is to develop MYR as a research tool to gain insight into computing students' success, motivation, and confidence in learning computing.
Parrotron: An End-to-End Speech-to-Speech Conversion Model and its Applications to Hearing-Impaired Speech and Speech Separation

We describe Parrotron, an end-to-end-trained speech-to-speech conversion model that maps an input spectrogram directly to another spectrogram, without utilizing any intermediate discrete representation. The network is composed of an encoder, spectrogram and phoneme decoders, followed by a vocoder to synthesize a time-domain waveform. We demonstrate that this model can be trained to normalize speech from any speaker regardless of accent, prosody, and background noise, into the voice of a single canonical target speaker with a fixed accent and consistent articulation and prosody. We further show that this normalization model can be adapted to normalize highly atypical speech from a deaf speaker, resulting in significant improvements in intelligibility and naturalness, measured via a speech recognizer and listening tests. Finally, demonstrating the utility of this model on other speech tasks, we show that the same model architecture can be trained to perform a speech separation task
Coincident Timing Behavior of Young Mentally Retarded Workers under Varying Conditions of Target Velocity and Exposure.

The degree to which response complexity affects the ability of moderately mentally retarded adults to perform on a coincident timing task was examined. In Experiment 1 subjects were required to depress a key to estimate accurately the arrival of a moving target at a predetermined coincident point. Analyses of both constant and variable error scores suggested that subjects had difficulty inhibiting their responses and that an optimal exposure distance for the task existed. In Experiment 2 subjects were required to make a movement response to the target. Subjects made more constant errors in this experiment but improved when provided maximum target preview. These mixed findings are discussed in terms of subjects' impulsivity and their sensitivity to the characteristics of the display.
Early Intervention in Psychosis: From Science to Services

Early intervention services for psychotic disorders were first tested in Australia and Europe in the 1990s. These efforts stimulated interest to develop early intervention programs in the United States and in 2016 the National Institute of Mental Health identified a treatment model called Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC). This team-based approach includes psychotherapy, medication management, family education and support, case management, and work or education support, and is the foundation for nationwide efforts to support early intervention services for individuals with a first episode psychosis (FEP). This chapter focuses on the following key policy questions related to early intervention services for FEP and in particular the CSC model: What has been the impact of CSC programs? What strategies can most effectively support implementation of these programs? How should quality of care be assessed in CSC programs? and How can they be financially sustained? For each area, specific questions are posed, prior relevant studies are summarized, and future directions for research are proposed along with recommendations for policy makers. Other key issues reviewed include the importance of decreasing the duration of untreated psychosis, whether CSC programs should be offered to clinical high-risk populations before the advent of psychosis, and strategies for sustaining good outcomes following receipt of CSC services.
Reconsidering astrophysical constraints on macroscopic dark matter

Macroscopic dark matter---``macros''---refers to a broad class of alternative candidates to particle dark matter with still unprobed regions of parameter space. These candidates would transfer energy primarily through elastic scattering with approximately their geometric cross section. For sufficiently large cross sections, the linear energy deposition could produce observable signals if a macro were to pass through compact objects such as white dwarfs or neutron stars in the form of thermonuclear runaway, leading to a type Ia supernova or superburst, respectively. We update the constraints from white dwarfs. These are weaker than previously inferred in important respects because of more careful treatment of the passage of a macro through the white dwarf and greater conservatism regarding the size of the region that must be heated to initiate runaway. On the other hand, we place more stringent constraints on macros at a low cross section, using new data from the Montreal White Dwarf Database. New constraints are inferred from the low mass x-ray binary 4U 1820-30, in which more than a decade passed between successive superbursts. Updated microlensing constraints are also reported.
Understanding Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics for Better Treatment Adherence

Patient nonadherence to long-term antipsychotic therapy presents clinicians with unique unmet needs but also opportunities for promoting the realistic benefits of consistent treatment.
Increased Risk of Humeral Fracture With Open Versus Arthroscopic Tenodesis of the Long Head of the Biceps Brachii.

Purpose To determine the risk of postoperative humeral fracture following tenotomy, open tenodesis and arthroscopic tenodesis of the long head of the biceps brachii. Methods A retrospective review of deidentified patient data from the Medicare Standard Analytic File using the PearlDiver software was conducted to identify procedures performed between 2005 and 2014. Groups were matched by age, gender, region, and medical comorbidities. Results We evaluated 157,163 patients who had undergone arthroscopic or open tenodesis or tenotomy of the long head of the biceps brachii over a 10-year period (2005-2014), and we identified 2,196 postoperative humeral fractures (1.4%). Matched subgroup analysis consisting of 44,292 patients demonstrated a statistically significant increase in humeral fracture risk in open (280; 1.26%) compared to arthroscopic tenodesis (232; 1.04%) with a P value of 0.03 and an odds ratio of 1.21. The majority of fractures were sustained by patients 65-74 years of age. Conclusion In this study, an increased risk of postoperative humeral fracture was associated with open tenodesis of the LHB. Level of Evidence III, Retrospective Comparative Trial.
High efficiency preparation of skinned mouse cardiac muscle strips from cryosections for contractility studies.

New findings What is the central question of this study? Can frozen cardiac papillary muscles and cryosectioning be used to reliably obtain uniform cardiac muscle strips with high yields? What is the main finding and its importance? A new method was developed using frozen cardiac papillary muscles and cryosectioning to reliably obtain uniform cardiac muscle strips with high yields. Experimental results demonstrate that this new methodology significantly increases the efficiency and application of quantitative biomechanical studies using skinned muscle fibres with an additional advantage of no need for transferring live animals. Abstract Skinned cardiac muscle preparations are widely used to study contractile function of myofilament proteins and pathophysiological changes. The current methods applied in these biomechanical studies include detergent permeabilization of freshly isolated papillary muscle, ventricular trabeculae, surgically dissected ventricular muscle strips, mechanically blended cardiac muscle bundles or myocytes, and enzymatically isolated single cardiomyocytes. To facilitate and expand the skinned cardiac muscle approach, we have developed an efficient and readily practical method for mechanical studies of skinned mouse cardiac papillary muscle strips prepared from cryosections. Longitudinal papillary muscle strips of 120-150 µm width cut from 35-70 µm-thick cryosections are mounted to a force transducer and chemically skinned for the studies of force-pCa and sarcomere length-tension relationship and rate of tension redevelopment. In addition to more effective skinning and perfusion than with whole papillary muscle and much higher yield of useful preparations than that from trabeculae, this new methodology has two more major advantages. One is to allow for the use of frozen cardiac muscle in storage to maximize the value of muscle samples, facilitating resource sharing among research institutions without the need of transferring live animals or fresh biopsies. The other is that the integrity of the muscle strips is well preserved during the preparation and mechanical studies, allowing coupled characterization of myofilament proteins. The combined power of biomechanics and protein biochemistry can provide novel insights into integrative physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms of cardiac muscle contraction while the high yield of high-quality muscle strips also provides an efficient platform for development of therapeutic reagents.
A novel and practical framework for incorporating nanopores in existing compositional simulators to model the unusually high GOR observed in shale reservoirs

Abstract The fluid phase behavior in shale reservoirs differs from the conventional fluid phase behavior because of the nanopores in shale rock. The phase behavior alteration in nanopores arises from the fluid-pore wall interaction within the nano-scale confining geometry. Recently, many approaches have been developed to thermodynamically model the fluid phase behavior in nanopores. An adequate and efficient method to incorporate the nano-confined phase behavior in engineering practice is highly desired. In this work, we present a novel and practical framework to incorporate the nanopores in compositional simulation for shale reservoirs using existing commercial simulators. The framework presents a pre-processing step that enables engineers to incorporate the macro- to nano-scale phase equilibria from a pore-size-dependent equation of state into current compositional simulators, which use cubic equations of state. The procedures include bulk fluid characterization, simulation of multi-scale confined depletion by a pore-size-dependent equation of state, re-training the cubic equation of state, tuning relative permeability, and applying in composition simulation. The simulation predicts higher GOR with nanopores and gives mechanistic insight into the effect of nano-confinement fluid behavior on shale oil reservoir depletion.
Farmers’ Preferences for Crop Insurance Attributes

Utilizing survey data from corn and soybean farmers in the Midwest, this study assess the relative importance of different features of crop insurance products. Conjoint analysis results indicate that farmers' preferences for flexibility dominate both type of insurance and coverage level. Revenue insurance demand is greater by those who are larger, younger, and farm in more separate locations. Results are significant and consistent by size, insurance usage, leverage, and risk perception. The results permit prediction of market shares of competing insurance products within specific producer segments, and thus also provide guidance for targeting specific producer groups with new product configurations.
The Effects of Environmental Regulation on Technology Diffusion: The Case of Chlorine Manufacturing

We use a hazard model to estimate the effect of environmental regulation on the diffusion of membrane cell production technology in the chlorine manufacturing industry. We estimate the effect of regulation on both the adoption of the membrane technology at existing plants and on the exit of existing plants using older technologies. We find that environmental regulation did affect the diffusion of the cleaner technology in the chlorine industry. However, it did so not by encouraging the adoption of membrane cells by existing facilities, but by reducing the demand for chlorine and hence encouraging the shutdown of facilities using the environmentally inferior options.
Beaconless pointing and tracking for bidirectional optical links using MEMS mirror nutation

Free-space laser links traditionally utilize an independent spatial tracking channel with a beacon laser and tracking sensors to meet stringent pointing requirements. In this work, we propose a miniaturized monostatic beaconless fiber transceiver that infers fine tracking information using existing receiver optoelectronics and a small injected pointing dither (nutation). A single MEMS steering mirror is used to both fine-point the beams and inject nutation. While this results in some additional link loss due to disturbed fiber coupling and transmit beam pointing, our analysis shows the loss becomes negligible for sufficient SNR. Links without point-ahead correction need an SNR of about 35 dB to minimize the dither loss below 0.1 dB and also maintain the RMS spatial tracking noise below a tenth of the beam divergence. Since the pointing and tracking bandwidth is typically many orders of magnitude slower than the receiver communication bandwidth, such SNR is usually achievable on the receiver with appropriate filtering. If point-ahead correction is needed, we show that depending on the available link margin, a transceiver based on single-mode fiber can reach up to about 1 beamwidth of correction, while a few-mode fiber design can reach up to about 1.75 beamwidths due to improved coupling sensitivity at higher point-ahead offsets. Finally, we propose the use of double-clad fiber with a secondary detector to help further minimize the incurred coupling loss.
Draft Genome Sequences of 62 Staphylococcus aureus Isolates Associated with Four Foodborne Outbreaks in the United States

Staphylococcus aureus bacteria are ranked among the top five foodborne pathogens in the United States. Here, we report the draft genome sequences of 62 S. aureus isolates that originated from the manufacturing environment of an Illinois bakery and were associated with outbreaks between 2010 and 2011 in the United States.
Unusual Case of Nephrotic Syndrome From Light Chain Amyloidosis in a 37-Year-Old Patient

Amyloidosis with renal involvement is a well-known cause of nephrotic syndrome. Immunoglobulin light-chain amyloidosis (AL), which is a result of monoclonal light-chain deposition in the kidney from plasma cell dyscrasia, is rare before the age of 40 and typically occurs in old patients. Most cases of renal amyloidosis in young patients are secondary to chronic inflammatory disease. We are reporting a case of a 37-year-old male who was transferred to our hospital for evaluation of possibly acquired bleeding disorder. He was initially presented to an outside hospital with bleeding per rectum for three days duration and one-week history of abdominal pain and bloating. He was found to have nephrotic range proteinuria with hypoalbuminemia and hyperlipidemia. A kidney biopsy was performed to identify the cause of his nephrotic syndrome, and a biopsy showed AL amyloidosis. Bone marrow biopsy performed showed plasma cell myeloma, and the patient was started on induction chemotherapy. Even though the incidence of AL amyloidosis is low before age of 40, we should always perform monoclonal gammopathy workup in patients with nephrotic syndrome regardless of the age. Prompt bone marrow biopsy should be performed to confirm the diagnosis, and starting the treatment as one of the factors that affect the prognosis of AL amyloidosis is early diagnosis.
The Data-Processing Multiverse of Event-Related Potentials (ERPs): A Roadmap for the Optimization and Standardization of ERP Processing and Reduction Pipelines

Abstract In studies of event-related brain potentials (ERPs), numerous decisions about data processing are required to extract ERP scores from continuous data. Unfortunately, the systematic impact of these choices on the data quality and psychometric reliability of ERP scores or even ERP scores themselves is virtually unknown, which is a barrier to the standardization of ERPs. The aim of the present study was to optimize processing pipelines for the error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe) by considering a multiverse of data processing choices. A multiverse analysis of a data processing pipeline examines the impact of a large set of different reasonable choices to determine the robustness of effects, such as the impact of different decisions on between-trial standard deviations (i.e., data quality) and between-condition differences (i.e., experimental effects). ERN and Pe data from 298 healthy young adults were used to determine the impact of different methodological choices on data quality and experimental effects (correct vs. error trials) at several key stages: highpass filtering, lowpass filtering, ocular artifact correction, reference, baseline adjustment, scoring sensors, and measurement procedure. This multiverse analysis yielded 3,456 ERN scores and 576 Pe scores per person. An optimized pipeline for ERN included a 15 Hz lowpass filter, ICA-based ocular artifact correction, and a region of interest (ROI) approach to scoring. For Pe, the optimized pipeline included a .10 Hz highpass filter, 30 Hz lowpass filter, regression-based ocular artifact correction, a -200 to 0 ms baseline adjustment window, and an ROI approach to scoring. The multiverse approach can be used to optimize pipelines for eventual standardization, which would support efforts toward establishing normative ERP databases. The proposed process of analyzing the data-processing multiverse of ERP scores paves the way for better refinement, identification, and selection of data processing parameters, ultimately improving the precision and utility of ERPs.
Cordon sanitaire, a necessary evil? Evaluation of non-pharmacological interventions against COVID-19 in Ovar, Portugal.

Background and aim From March 17 to April 17, 2020, the Portuguese municipality of Ovar was submitted to a cordon sanitaire due to a COVID-19 outbreak. During this period a whole Public Health structure had to be built up to respond to the healthcare needs of the population. The aim of this work is to contribute to the evidence on the efficacy of cordon sanitaire as an epidemic control strategy. Methods All the major institutions in Ovar, both health and socially related, were called from the first day to form a Crisis Cabinet. Case tracking was assured by the creation of an online database. A major telephone network oversaw contact tracing, isolation mandates and surveillance. A massive testing structure was built up, and clinical assistance was assured by the local hospital and the Primary Care units. Patient referral to testing and clinical visits were made through online forms that allowed an efficient response and data for epidemiologic research. Results A decline in the daily number of cases was seen after an incubation period (14 days), confirming lockdown was effective in blocking transmission chains. Besides, neighbouring municipalities were not significantly affected in relation to others. Lethality was bigger in Ovar than in whole Portugal. Conclusions The decrease in the incidence, in the reproductive number and the non-affection of neighbouring municipalities appear to prove the cordon sanitaire as an effective Public Health measure to contain epidemics. However, an appropriate mitigation strategy must be adopted to conceal the challenge.
Egypt in Italy: Visions of Egypt in Roman Imperial Culture

This book examines the appetite for Egyptian and Egyptian-looking artwork in Italy during the century following Rome's annexation of Aegyptus as a province. In the early imperial period, Roman interest in Egyptian culture was widespread, as evidenced by works ranging from the monumental obelisks, brought to the capital over the Mediterranean Sea by the emperors, to locally made emulations of Egyptian artifacts found in private homes and in temples to Egyptian gods. Although the foreign appearance of these artworks was central to their appeal, this book situates them within their social, political, and artistic contexts in Roman Italy. Swetnam-Burland focuses on what these works meant to their owners and their viewers in their new settings, by exploring evidence for the artists who produced them and by examining their relationship to the contemporary literature that informed Roman perceptions of Egyptian history, customs, and myths.
Monitoring Fatigue Life Expenditure & Detecting Crack Initiation

The relationship between dynamic plus static loading and work hardening and fatigue life expenditure is well known. This work confirms the analysis that work hardening due to vibration causes a decrease in modal damping. The frequency and damping of higher frequency “local” modes are the most sensitive to work hardening and other changes in structural and material properties. A low frequency mode of a C-141 engine cowling section and a honeycomb laminate control surface section were vibrated over a 100 h excitation time. The frequency and damping of higher order modes were extracted periodically over the excitation time and trend lines plotted. After the 100 h the a stimulated crack was introduced in the cowling and a separation in the Honey comb composite test articles. The behavior of the honeycomb laminate’s response to exciting a 762 Hz mode was not predictable. However the extracted frequency and damping values were expected shift over time. The small separation between the honeycomb core and the aluminum skin produced small detectable changes in modal frequency and damping.
Consistency of patterns in concentration-discharge plots

[1] Concentration-discharge (c-Q) plots have been used to infer how flow components such as event water, soil water, and groundwater mix to produce the observed episodic hydrochemical response of small catchments. Because c-Q plots are based only on observed streamflow and solute concentration, their interpretation requires assumptions about the relative volume, hydrograph timing, and solute concentration of the streamflow end-members. Evans and Davies [1998] present a taxonomy of c-Q loops resulting from three-component conservative mixing. Their analysis, based on a fixed template of end-member hydrograph volume, timing, and concentration, suggests a unique relationship between c-Q loop form and the rank order of end-member concentrations. Many catchments exhibit variability in component contributions to storm flow in response to antecedent conditions or rainfall characteristics, but the effects of such variation on c-Q relationships have not been studied systematically. Starting with a “baseline” condition similar to that assumed by Evans and Davies [1998], we use a simple computer model to characterize the variability in c-Q plot patterns resulting from variation in end-member volume, timing, and solute concentration. Variability in these three factors can result in more than one c-Q loop shape for a given rank order of end-member solute concentrations. The number of resulting hysteresis patterns and their relative frequency depends on the rank order of solute concentrations and on their separation in absolute value. In ambiguous cases the c-Q loop shape is determined by the relative “prominence” of the event water versus soil water components. This “prominence” is broadly defined as a capacity to influence the total streamflow concentration and may result from a combination of end-member volume, timing, or concentration. The modeling results indicate that plausible hydrological variability in field situations can confound the interpretation of c-Q plots, even when fundamental end-member mixing assumptions are satisfied.
Alteration of the Superconducting Properties of A15 Compounds and Elementary Composite Superconductors by Nonhydrostatic Elastic Strain

It is now well known that stress alters the properties of superconductors; the many sessions entitled “Stress Effects on Superconductors” in the International Cryogenic Materials Conference and the Applied Superconductivity Conference bear witness to the practical importance of this topic. Studies of changes in the critical properties of superconducting compounds as the size and shape of their crystallographic architecture are varied by external stress provide helpful insights into the relations between superconductivity and their physical properties, such as electronic and vibrational structure and interatomic bonding. It is the purpose of this paper to review briefly and discuss the salient features of the dependence of the superconducting critical temperature, magnetic field, and current density of A15 compounds (e.g., Nb3Sn and V3Si) upon elastic strain, with emphasis on “nonhydrostatic” strain states in which the shape, as well as the size, of the unit cell is varied. Furthermore, the implications of the strain-dependent properties of the compounds for the behavior of elementary composite conductors are examined; in addition to its relevance to technological applications, this is important because many of the experiments on strain dependence have been made with composite rather than free-standing specimens. Finally, this is not intended to be an exhaustive review (see the recent and excellent review by Koch and Easton [1] for a wide-ranging and thorough review of stress effects), and the author has drawn heavily and unabashedly upon the recent work of his colleagues at Brookhaven National Laboratory to illustrate a number of points.
Expressive and scalable event stream processing

Rapid technical advances have made it possible to instrument even massive computing systems. However, the technology for processing high-speed data streams from physical sensors and software systems has lagged the capability to produce such streams. The goal of stream processing research is to develop algorithms and software infrastructures capable of processing streaming data with high throughput and low latency. A large class of streaming applications requires that stream processing systems be both expressive and scalable. That is, a stream processing system should be able to process a large number of reasonably sophisticated queries over high-speed input streams. There are however general tensions between expressiveness and scalability in stream processing. In this dissertation, we present techniques and prototype systems that address both expressiveness and scalability aspects. First, we present Cayuga, a general-purpose event monitoring system with an expressive event algebra and a set of novel query optimization techniques. Second, we describe a rule-based Multi-Query Optimization framework, which generalizes Cayuga, unifies large-scale stream processing and event processing, and provides a platform for integrating future query rewrite based optimization techniques. Finally, we describes an approach in large-scale XML stream join processing. To our knowledge, this is the first scalable solution to the problem of processing a large number of XML stream join queries. As the adoption of stream processing technology increasingly gains momentum, the ideas and techniques developed in this dissertation provide a foundation for building expressive and scalable stream processing systems with affordable cost and high reliability.
The Incubator Controversy: Pediatricians and the Origins of Premature Infant Technology in the United States, 1890 to 1910

Few physicians realize that the specialized intensive care nurseries so prominent in modern hospital care originated more than a generation or two ago. Indeed, their chief benefactors, premature infants, are so numerous that one wonders what happened to all their counterparts who had the poor fortune of having been born at the turn of the century. Although the incidence of prematurity in 1900 is unknown, it seems reasonable to infer by analogy from today9s rate that roughly 6% of all newborns were born more than a month early.1 Because most such infants today appear to need at least the resources of a neonatal special care nursery,2 one is tempted to presume that few could have survived at a time when such support was unavailable. This assumption may not be valid, however. The extensive technology of the modern nursery makes one forget that the simple measures of warming and properly feeding a premature infant can dramatically increase his or her odds of survival. In fact, as early as the 1880s, French obstetricians had demonstrated that the mortality rate of premature infants could be cut almost in half with the aid of two simple technical innovations, the incubator and the "gavage" feeding tube.3 The French built the first premature infant nurseries in the late nineteenth century around these simple but efficacious technologies.4 By the 1890s incubators began to appear in the United States, stimulating a period of unprecedented interest in the treatment of prematurity. The climax of this activity was reached in the early 1900s as the enthusiasm for incubators translated into their display, complete with live infants, in a series of international expositions.
Variable Precision Algorithm for the Numerical Computation of the Fermi-Dirac Function {\cal F} j (x) of Order j=−3/2

The purpose of this technical note is to present a piecewise Chebyshev expansion for the numerical computation of the Fermi–Dirac function {\cal F}−3/2(x), −∞<x<∞. The variable precision algorithm we given automatically adjusts the degrees of the Chebyshev expansions so that {\cal F}−3/2(x) can be efficiently computed to d significant decimal digits of accuracy, for a user specified value of d in the range 1ldl15.
Show me the goods: The warranting effect of user-generated photographs in online auctions

Consumers using online auction websites face the challenge of appraising products at a distance. Sellers and buyers in online auctions navigate this challenge by displaying and evaluating various cues, a critical one being use of photographs. Warranting theory predicts that cues less subject to control and manipulation by the presenter will be more influential in impression formation. Therefore, user-generated photographs which display the actual item should be more effective in generating successful auctions, more bidders, more bids, and higher prices, compared with stock photographs. A field experiment tested this prediction by systematically manipulating photographs for eBay auctions. User-generated photographs were found to have a positive effect on likelihood of selling and the number of auction bidders. Findings indicate that attracting more bidders is a possible mechanism for higher sale prices and also show a moderating role of bidder experience.
Smalltalk — the next generation scientific computing interface?

Abstract The need for rapid prototyping of numerical simulations is considered, and an object-oriented, graphical based system (Smalltalk) is proposed as a basis for a new approach to user interfaces for scientific computing. The interface system requirements for problem expression, automatic programming, visualization, computational steering, and concurrent computing are discussed.
Motherhood in the 21st Century: Implications for Counselors

Although mental health professionals frequently work with mothers, the social construction of motherhood is rarely discussed in the counseling field. In this article, the literature on motherhood is reviewed. Intensive mothering expectations are critiqued, and the impact of these expectations on employed mothers, mothers on welfare, and stay-at-home mothers is discussed. Suggestions for mental health professionals are provided.
Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis Dysregulation in Dysphoric Children and Adolescents: Cortisol Reactivity to Psychosocial Stress from Preschool Through Middle Adolescence

Background Most depressed adults exhibit dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, including cortisol hyperreactivity to psychosocial challenge. In contrast, remarkably little is known about hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity in response to psychosocial challenge among at-risk children and adolescents. This study examined cortisol response to psychosocial challenge in nondepressed, at-risk, dysphoric and nondysphoric control youth across different developmentally salient age groups (preschool, third-, sixth-, and ninth-graders). Methods Two samples of youth (Study 1—preschoolers; Study 2—third-, sixth-, and ninth-graders) without a history of clinical depression were administered developmentally appropriate psychosocial challenges. Of these nondepressed children, we examined youth at high-risk ( n = 60) and low-risk ( n = 223) status, as defined by elevated but subthreshold dysphoric symptoms according to multiple informants. Cortisol levels were assessed before and after a psychosocial stressor. Results Nondysphoric control youth at all ages displayed the expected cortisol rise to challenge followed by return to baseline. However, prepubertal, at-risk, dysphoric children—specifically preschoolers and third-graders—exhibited cortisol hyporeactivity to challenge, whereas postpubertal dysphoric adolescents (ninth-graders) displayed hyperreactivity to the stressor. Additional analyses revealed that this switch from cortisol hyporeactivity to hyperreactivity among at-risk, dysphoric youth occurred as a function of pubertal development. Conclusions Findings suggest a developmental switch in cortisol response for at-risk, dysphoric youth from preschool through adolescence and have implications for a developmental pathophysiological understanding of how at-risk youth across the lifespan might develop depressive disorder.
The binding of chloride ions to ribonuclease and to β-lactoglobulin

Abstract The binding of chloride ions to ribonuclease and to β-lactoglobulin was investigated as a function of pH and of ionic strength at 25 °. The data indicate that ribonuclease does not bind a significant amount of chloride ions. β-Lactoglobulin does, however, bind chloride ions. Using the titration data of Tanford, Nozaki, and Bunville, the charge on β-lactoglobulin was calculated as a function of pH at several ionic strengths.
Signaling Through Scaffold, Anchoring, and Adaptor Proteins

The process by which extracellular signals are relayed from the plasma membrane to specific intracellular sites is an essential facet of cellular regulation. Many signaling pathways do so by altering the phosphorylation state of tyrosine, serine, or threonine residues of target proteins. Recently, it has become apparent that regulatory mechanisms exist to influence where and when protein kinases and phosphatases are activated in the cell. The role of scaffold, anchoring, and adaptor proteins that contribute to the specificity of signal transduction events by recruiting active enzymes into signaling networks or by placing enzymes close to their substrates is discussed.
Simulation and theory of the swelling of athermal gels

Results of Monte Carlo simulations are presented for the equilibrium swelling of athermal (hard-core) polymeric gels. The networks investigated in this study are defect-free and exhibit strand lengths that range from small to moderate. It is shown that at equilibrium, increasing pressure and strand length leads to higher solvent holdups by the gel. Computer experiments of swelling of gels in binary solvent mixtures indicate that the gel absorbs preferentially the component having the smaller molecular excluded volume. A simple mean-field theory is also presented to describe the swelling of athermal networks. Agreement between theory and simulations is good.
High accuracy peak location and amplitude spectral estimation via tuning APES method

In this paper, we introduce a new approach to the method of non-parametric adaptive spectral analysis by using the Amplitude and Phase Estimation (APES) method, and taking into account the small sample errors of the sample covariance matrix. This approach is referred to as Adaptive Tuning Amplitude and Phase Estimation method (ATAPES). The main advantage of the ATAPES algorithm is its elimination of biased estimation exists with APES method, which is a biased peak location and corresponding problem of the biased amplitude estimation. The ATAPES method provides more accurate peak location and amplitude estimation with higher resolution than APES method.
Adiabaticity criterion for charge equilibration with application to fission

Abstract The dispersion of a quantal oscillator with a time-dependent inertial mass is considered. For a special class of time dependence, an empirical method is formilated for predicting the asymptotic behavior of such a system. This method is then applied to the prediction of charge widths in strongly damped nuclear collisions and in fission.
The pathogenesis of progressive cavitation of the spinal cord.

UMMARY It has been suggested that the pathogenesis of cord cavitation is multifactorial, but that there may be a common mechanism, if not for their actual cause then at least for the increase in size. A case is discussed in which the location of the cavitation suggested the cause was chronic ischemia of vascular origin. RESUME Pathogenie er developpement progressif des cavites de la moelle epiniere Il a ete suggere que la pathogenie de formation dc cavite medullaire est multifactorielle mais qu'il pourrait y avoir un mecanisme commun, sinon dans I'apparition initiale du moins dans le developpement en taille. Un cas est discute dans lequel la localisation dc la cavitk suggere quc la cause initialc a ete une ischemic chronique d'origine vasculairc. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Pathogenese der progressiven Syingomyelie Die Pathogenese der Syringomyelie ist bisher als multifaktoriell angesehen worden, wobei jedoch ein gemeinsamer Mechanismus-wenn vielleicht auch nicht fur die akute Ursache. so doch fur das Fortschreiren-zugrunde liegen kann. Es wird uber einen Fall diskutiert. bei dem die Lokalisation der Syringomyelie vermuten last, das eine chronischc Ischamic vaskularen Ursprungs als Ursache in Fragr kommt. RESUMEN Patogenia de la cavitacion progresiva de la medula Se ha sugerido que la cavitacion medular tiene una patogenia multifactorial, pero que debe haber un mecanismo comun, sino para su causa real, por lo menos para su aumento de dimension. Se discute un caso en que la localizacion de la cavitacion sugiere que la causa era una isquemia cronica de origen vascular.