cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A closed-loop training approach for massive MIMO beamforming systems

There has been a growing interest in wireless systems that employ a very large number of transmit antennas. Some theoretical results have shown that substantial improvements in network capacity are possible. Despite this work, a major challenge is how these large transmit arrays should perform training to allow receiver channel estimation. Without new techniques, the heavy burden of training could overwhelm the system and mitigate any possible improvements, especially in systems using frequency division duplexing (FDD) where channel reciprocity cannot be exploited. In this work, we propose the use of closed-loop training. In this framework, the transmitted training signal is optimized to improve data communications performance by using prior information about the current channel obtained from past channel estimates. The work focuses on block-fading channels with temporal and spatial correlation. Simulation results show improved performance.
Performance of a kinetic model for intracellular ice formation based on the extent of supercooling

Cryomicroscopy was used to study the incidence of intracellular ice formation (IIF) in protoplasts isolated from rye (Secale cereale) leaves during subfreezing isothermal periods and in in vitro mature bovine oocytes during cooling at constant rates. IIF in protoplasts occurred at random times during isothermal periods, and the kinetics of IIF were faster as isothermal temperature decreased. Mean IIF times decreased from approximately 1700 s at -4.0 degrees C to less than 1 s at -18.5 degrees C. Total incidence of IIF after 200 s increased from 4% at -4.0 degrees C to near 100% at -15.5 degrees C. IIF behavior in protoplasts was qualitatively similar to that for Drosophila melanogaster embryos over the same temperature ranges (Myers et al., Cryobiology 26, 472-484, 1989), but the kinetics of IIF were about five times faster in protoplasts. IIF observations in linear cooling of bovine oocytes indicated a median IIF temperature of -11 degrees C at 16 degrees C/min and total incidences of 97%, 50%, and 19% at 16, 8, and 4 degrees C/min, respectively. A stochastic model of IIF was developed which preserved certain features of an earlier model (Pitt et al. Cryobiology 28, 72-86, 1991), namely Weibull behavior in IIF temperatures during rapid linear cooling, but with a departure from the concept of a supercooling tolerance. Instead, the new model uses the osmotic state of the cell, represented by the extent of supercooling, as the independent variable governing the kinetics of IIF. Two kinetic parameters are needed for the model: a scale factor tau 0 dictating the sensitivity to supercooling, and an exponent rho dictating the strength of time dependency. The model was fit to the data presented in this study as well as those from Myers et al. and Pitt et al. for D. melanogaster embryos with and without cryoprotectant, and from Toner et al. (Cryobiology 28, 55-71, 1991) for mouse oocytes. In protoplasts, D. melanogaster embryos, and mouse oocytes, the parameters were estimated from IIF times in the early stages of isothermal periods, while the osmotic state of the cell was relatively constant. In bovine oocytes, the parameters were estimated from linear cooling data. Without further calibration, the model was used to predict total IIF incidence under different cooling regimes. For protoplasts, D. melanogaster embryos, and bovine oocytes, the model's predictions were quite accurate compared to the actual data. In mouse oocytes, adjustment of the hydraulic permeability coefficient (Lp) at 0 degree C was required to yield realistic behavior.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
L’élision variable des /R/ et /l/ postconsonantiques finals en français méridional et septentrional : L’effet de l’âge, du lieu d’origine et des facteurs linguistiques

Cette etude vise a determiner si l’elision des consonnes /R/ et /l/ postconsonantiques finales, comme dans autre et table, represente un changement en cours vers la perte de ces consonnes et un changement vers un effacement des differences de prononciation regionales. Pour tester ces hypotheses nous avons analyse le maintien et l’elision des consonnes /R/ et /l/ postconsonantiques dans la parole de 16 locutrices natives reparties en quatre groupes selon leurs âge et lieu d’origine. Nous avons trouve que les jeunes locutrices n’elident pas plus souvent que les locutrices plus âgees en general, puisque ce sont les locutrices âgees du nord qui affichent le plus haut taux d’elision. Alors l’hypothese d’un changement en cours vers la perte des consonnes /R/ et /l/ n’est pas soutenue. Pourtant nous avons trouve une plus grande difference de taux d’elision entre les locutrices âgees du nord et du sud qu’entre les plus jeunes locutrices de ces regions, ce qui suggere un effacement des differences de prononciation entre les regions meridionale et septentrionale. Pour mieux interpreter les resultats pour les facteurs diastratiques de l’âge et du lieu d’origine, nous avons teste aussi l’effet des facteurs linguistiques. Tous les facteurs phonologiques et lexicaux testes ont atteint le seuil de significativite et donc nous pouvons conclure que l’elision des /R/ et /l/ postconsonantiques finals depend des locutrices et des tendances differentes des individus et des groupes de locuteurs a elider ces sons dans certains contextes phonologiques et dans certaines lexies.
Neurofilament protein defines regional patterns of cortical organization in the macaque monkey visual system: a quantitative immunohistochemical analysis

Visual function in monkeys is subserved at the cortical level by a large number of areas defined by their specific physiological properties and connectivity patterns. For most of these cortical fields, a precise index of their degree of anatomical specialization has not yet been defined, although many regional patterns have been described using Nissl or myelin stains. In the present study, an attempt has been made to elucidate the regional characteristics, and to varying degrees boundaries, of several visual cortical areas in the macaque monkey using an antibody to neurofilament protein (SMI32). This antibody labels a subset of pyramidal neurons with highly specific regional and laminar distribution patterns in the cerebral cortex. Based on the staining patterns and regional quantitative analysis, as many as 28 cortical fields were reliably identified. Each field had a homogeneous distribution of labeled neurons, except area V1, where increases in layer IVB cell and in Meynert cell counts paralleled the increase in the degree of eccentricity in the visual field representation. Within the occipitotemporal pathway, areas V3 and V4 and fields in the inferior temporal cortex were characterized by a distinct population of neurofilament-rich neurons in layers II-IIIa, whereas areas located in the parietal cortex and part of the occipitoparietal pathway had a consistent population of large labeled neurons in layer Va. The mediotemporal areas MT and MST displayed a distinct population of densely labeled neurons in layer VI. Quantitative analysis of the laminar distribution of the labeled neurons demonstrated that the visual cortical areas could be grouped in four hierarchical levels based on the ratio of neuron counts between infragranular and supragranular layers, with the first (areas V1, V2, V3, and V3A) and third (temporal and parietal regions) levels characterized by low ratios and the second (areas MT, MST, and V4) and fourth (frontal regions) levels characterized by high to very high ratios. Such density trends may correspond to differential representation of corticocortically (and corticosubcortically) projecting neurons at several functional steps in the integration of the visual stimuli. In this context, it is possible that neurofilament protein is crucial for the unique capacity of certain subsets of neurons to perform the highly precise mapping functions of the monkey visual system.
Operation of Long-Range Substituent Effects in Rigid Opiates: Protonated and Unprotonated Oxymorphone

The structure of protonated oxymorphone (amine salt) was determined by an X-ray crystallographic study. Significant differences were found with the previously determined structure of unprotonated oxymorphone (free base). Upon protonation on nitrogen, an elongation of the N-C bound occurred, accompanied by subtle changes in bond lengths and angles distant from the site of protonation. These changes in geometry are interpreted as a reflection of long-range substituent effects.
Transport of anomalous low-salinity waters from the Mississippi River flood of 1993 to the Straits of Florida

Abstract Recent field studies in the southern Straits of Florida revealed the existence of Mississippi River outflow embedded in the Florida Current and adjacent coastal waters. Surface thermosalinograph measurements for the period of 10–13 September 1993 indicated a band of low-salinity water measuring approximately 40 km wide and 30 m in depth extending from south of Key West to Miami, a distance of 260 km. Surface salinity values as low as 31 psu were found. The estimated volume of the band is approximately 33.3 × 1010 m3 for the Key West to Miami region, thereby requiring roughly 1.2 × 1010 m3 of fresh water to mix with oceanic waters to produce this low-salinity band. The only nearby, dynamically viable, source for such a large volume of fresh water is the Mississippi River during its flood stage in 1993. The proposed transport mechanism for the transport of flood waters from the shelf in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico to the Straits of Florida is via the Loop Current through entrainment. Salinity records from offshore C-MAN towers indicate that the low-salinity band persisted off the lower Florida Keys for approximately 3 months. The variability in the flow field in the southern Straits occurs in a 30–70 day band due to the meandering of the Florida Current and the subsequent formation, and propagation, of cyclonic gyres off the Dry Tortugas. This variability in the flow field had a clear affect on the evolution of the low-salinity band, as observed by the salinity records from the C-MAN towers. Because the band traveled as a lens in the upper 30 m of the water column and because its evolution was highly dependent on the variability within the Gulf Stream System, it was a good indicator of the mixing and exchange of offshore waters with shallow waters of the Florida reef tract and Florida Bay.
Acid-catalyzed cyclization of alkoxyacryloylureas to 2,4(1H,3H)pyrimidinediones

1-Phenylthymine and the carbocyclic analog of thymidine were obtained in yields of 84-87% by cyclizing the appropriate 3-methoxy-2-methylacryloylureas in dilute sulfuric acid. High yields of 1-phenylthymine also resulted when the cyclization was carried out in trifluoroacetic acid, in acetic acid containing toluenesulfonic acid (TSA), or by fusion of the urea with a catalytic amount of TSA. In comparison, the typical aqueous-alkali catalyzed cyclizations gave lower yields of the two thymines, and cleavage of the acryloylureas was shown to occur. However, cyclization in concentrated aqueous ammonia produced high yields of both thymine derivatives.
Regulation of hepatic cytochrome P4501A by indole-3-carbinol: Transient induction with continuous feeding in rainbow trout

Abstract This study investigated the kinetics of hepatic cytochrome P-4501A (CYPlA) induction in rainbow trout by indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a natural tumour modulator from cruciferous vegetables, and its low pH reaction products 3,3′-diindolylmethane (I33′), 5,6,11,12,17,18-hexahydrocyclononal[1,2-b :4,5-b′:7,8-b″]triindole cyclic trimer (CT), and the unresolved I3C acid reaction mixture (RXM). RXM, CT and I33′ were potent inducers of total embryonic CYPlA following direct microinjection, and of fingerling hepatic CYPlA following ip exposure, whereas 13C itself produced only a transient and relatively weak induction. It is also reported for the first time that dietary 13C induced hepatic CYPlA and its associated ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity in trout but, again, the induction was weak and transient even with continuous I3C feeding. Mechanism studies and mixed exposures with the Ah agonist β-naphthoflavone indicated that transient induction by I3C was not due to diet ageing, but appears to involve inactivation of the Ah inductive pathway and irreversible inactivation of CYPlA-mediated EROD activity by I3C-derived metabolites. Thus, I3C derivatives exhibit dual capacities for CYPlA induction and inhibition in trout.
Clinical Characteristics and Survival for Major Salivary Gland Malignancies in Children

OBJECTIVE: Determine presentation and survival rates for malignant pediatric salivary gland neoplasms.METHODS: All cases of malignant neoplasms involving the parotid or submandibular gland in patie...
Corporate environmental behavior research: informing environmental policy

Abstract Federal and state environmental agencies are naturally interested in understanding both motivations for corporate environmental behavior (CEB) and likely business responses to available policy interventions. Consequently, the legal and social science research communities’ recent interest in corporate environmental responsibility is welcome, and in fact, is increasingly supported by EPA through science to achieve results (STAR) grants. It is imperative that this type of research shapes the direction of environmental policy for the future. However, to do so, it needs to be well focused and understandable to policy makers. The principal purpose of this paper is to help scholars focus their research to make their results more useful to decision makers.
The role of electric forces in the filtration of aerosols by fiber filters

Abstract The net electric charge on the fibers of various filters and the electric charge distributions of typical test aerosols were measured. A simple theory of filtration which included electric as well as mechanical effects was developed in order to apply these data to appropriate filtration results. Most fibers have an electric charge, even though it may be very small. When the test aerosol in filtration experiments is a homogeneous uncharged aerosol from a La Mer-Sinclair generator, a peak in the per cent penetration versus particle radius curves appears at approximately 0.05 μ, depending on the velocity of the air through the filter. The presence of electric forces of induction decreases the penetration of large particles and tends to decrease the radius at which maximum penetration occurs. When the aerosol used is a heterogeneous aerosol produced by any of the normal means, the peak in the penetration versus particle radius curves appears at larger values of the radius, depending upon the net electric charge per unit length of the fibers and the electric charge distribution of the test aerosol. It is pointed out that some unexplained filtration results may be due to some of the aerosol particles' escaping capture on contact. No attempt was made to assess the part played by electric forces in ensuring adhesion on contact.
Application of a Correspondence Principle to the Free Vibrations of Some Viscoelastic Solids

Summary. In this study we apply the correspondence principle for free vibrations of a homogeneous viscoelastic solid derived by Fisher & Leitman to obtain the torsional modes of a homogeneous viscoelastic rod. We also extend the correspondence principle, showing that it may be used to find the frequencies of Love waves in a stratified viscoelastic medium. Finally, we apply the correspondence principle to four viscoelastic materials: the KelvinVoigt solid, the Maxwell solid, the standard linear solid, and the AchenbachChao solid. We show that in each of these cases some care must be used in applying the correspondence principle because of the presence of multiple solutions. We also examine measures of dissipation of the free vibrations, and we determine the conditions under which the logarithmic decrement may be approximated by the process-independent 1 /Q of O’Connell & Budiansky.
Formation energies of vacancies and interstitials in solid krypton

Abstract The formation energies of a vacancy and an interstitial atom in solid krypton were calculated to be 0.114 eV and 0.321 eV, respectively. The only stable form of interstitial was found to be the 100-split type.
A Cytoplasmic Ca2+ Functional Assay for Identifying and Purifying Endogenous Cell Signaling Peptides in Arabidopsis Seedlings: Identification of AtRALF1 Peptide†

Transient increases in the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration are key events that initiate many cellular signaling pathways in response to developmental and environmental cues in plants; however, only a few extracellular mediators regulating cytoplasmic Ca2+ singling are known to date. To identify endogenous cell signaling peptides regulating cytoplasmic Ca2+ signaling, Arabidopsis seedlings expressing aequorin were used for an in vivo luminescence assay for Ca2+ changes. These seedlings were challenged with fractions derived from plant extracts. Multiple heat-stable, protease-sensitive peaks of calcium elevating activity were observed after fractionation of these extracts by high-performance liquid chromatography. Tandem mass spectrometry identified the predominant active molecule isolated by a series of such chromatographic separations as a 49-amino acid polypeptide, AtRALF1 (the rapid alkalinization factor protein family). Within 40 s of treatment with nanomolar concentrations of the natural or synthetic v...
Long-term physical functioning and psychosocial adjustment in survivors of sudden cardiac death

Objective: To identify and describe a range of functional health outcomes in a sample of suddencardiac death survivors. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Northern California tertiary medical center. Subjects: Sixty-one sudden cardiac death survivors at least 6 months but not more than 4 years after cardiac arrest. Subjects were excluded if they had uncontrolled congestive heart failure, unstable angina, other debilitating cardiac or concomitant illness, or evident cognitive deficits. Methods: Chart reviews, patient interviews, and a standardized questionnaire. Results: Survivors reported significantly poorer physical functioning than normal subjects ( p p Conclusions: Despite significant decreases in physical functioning and reports of mild tomoderately severe cognitive impairments, only a minority of sudden cardiac death survivors are severely psychologically distressed. Illness severity is a strong predictor of physical functioning, but its contribution to psychologic distress is indirect, acting largely through the aegis of poor physical functioning and loss of prearrest work status.
Cotton-fiber germin-like protein. II: Immunolocalization, purification, and functional analysis.

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) contains a germin-like protein (GLP), GhGLP1, that shows tissue-specific accumulation in fiber. The fiber GLP is an oligomeric, glycosylated protein with a subunit size of approximately 25.5 kDa. Accumulation of GhGLP1 occurs during the period of fiber elongation [4–14 days post-anthesis (DPA)]. During early phases of fiber development (2–4 DPA), GhGLP1 localizes to cytoplasmic vesicles as shown by confocal immunofluorescent microscopy. In slightly older fibers (7–10 DPA), GhGLP1 localizes to the apoplast. In other plants, germins and GLPs have been reported to have enzymatic activities including oxalate oxidase (OxO), superoxide dismutase, and ADP-glucose pyrophosphatase. Cotton fiber extracts did not contain OxO activity, nor did intact fibers stain for OxO activity. A four-step purification protocol involving ammonium sulfate precipitation of a 1.0 M NaCl extract, ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Trisacryl M, lectin-affinity chromatography, and gel filtration chromatography resulted in electrophoretically pure GhGLP1. While 1.0 M NaCl extracts from 10–14 DPA fiber contained superoxide dismutase and phosphodiesterase activities, GhGLP1 could be separated from both enzyme activities by the purification protocol. Although a GLP accumulates in the cotton fiber apoplast during cell elongation, the function of this protein in fiber growth and development remains unknown.
Exercise responses before and after physical conditioning in patients with severely depressed left ventricular function.

Abstract The ability of patients with severely impaired left ventricular function to perform short-term exercise and to participate in a cardiac rehabilitation program and attain physical training effects was evaluated. Treadmill exercise tests were performed before and after physical conditioning in 10 patients with a prior myocardial infarction and a left ventricular ejection fraction at rest of less than 27 percent (range 13 to 26) determined by radionuclide angiography. All patients participated in a supervised exercise program with a follow-up period of 4 to 37 (mean 12.7) months. Baseline exercise capacity showed marked variability, ranging from 4.5 to 9.4 (mean 7.0 ± 1.9) METS, and improved to 5.5 to 14 (mean 8.5 ± 2.9) METS after conditioning (p = 0.05). The oxygen pulse (maximal oxygen uptake/maximal heart rate) before and after conditioning was used to assess a training effect and increased significantly from 12.8 ± 2.0 to 15.7 ± 3.2 ml/beat (p
DEEP-dome: Towards Long-Working-Distance Aberration-Free Synthetic Aperture Microscopy

A DEEP microscope synthesizes images from dynamic structured-illumination Fourier measurements using a single-element detector, enabling high-resolution imaging with aberrated optics. We describe wide-field 20cm-working-distance DEEP microscopy using a large 0.4 NA diamond-turned reflector.
Multi-speaker language modeling

In conventional language modeling, the words from only one speaker at a time are represented, even for conversational tasks such as meetings and telephone calls. In a conversational or meeting setting, however, speakers can have significant influence on each other. To recover such un-modeled inter-speaker information, we introduce an approach for conversational language modeling that considers words from other speakers when predicting words from the current one. By augmenting a normal trigram context, our new multi-speaker language model (MSLM) improves on both Switchboard and ICSI Meeting Recorder corpora. Using an MSLM and a conditional mutual information based word clustering algorithm, we achieve a 8.9% perplexity reduction on Switchboard and a 12.2% reduction on the ICSI Meeting Recorder data.
THE PLURALITY OF FACTORS INFLUENCING POLICYMAKINC: SCHOOL REFORM LEGISLATION IN THE AMERICAN STATES, 1982–84

This paper attempts to explore recent efforts of American state legislatures to improve the quality of public schools. Which state legislatures have passed school reform legislation? At what aspects of public education is this reform legislation aimed? Are there significant variations across states in such reform legislation? What has contributed most to the passage of such legislation? Is it the socioeconomic characteristics of individual states or the structural and procedural characteristics of their legislative branch that better explain school reform legislation? Analysis of data from the 50 states reveals greater variation in legislative results that reform public schools. The regional locus of most reform was the south. Most importantly, school reform legislation was found to be influenced by the interaction of a multitude of divergent forces. This finding suggests that researchers interested in the determinants of legislative action must move beyond analysis of whether economic or political forces shape legislative outcomes to inquire how economic, political and other forces interact when a given reform effort reaches the legislative halls of the states.
Canine Hepatozoonosis and Babesiosis, and Feline Cytauxzoonosis

The apicomplexan protozoans of the genera Hepatozoon, Babesia, and Cytauxzoon are emerging parasite pathogens that are increasingly diagnosed in the pet population. These tick-transmitted apicomplexan parasites are becoming more widely recognized as serious canine or feline pathogens. This article reviews the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and control of canine hepatozoonosis and babesiosis, and feline cytauxzoonosis.
The Diagnosis of Circulatory Shunts by the Nitrous Oxide Test Improvements in Technic and Methods for Quantification of the Shunt

The nitrous oxide test for the detection and localization of left-to-right shunts has previously been studied clinically. Further experience with the method has shown that a higher N2O concentration and an earlier sampling period result in a larger arteriovenous N2O difference that increases the sensitivity of the test and further minimizes the importance of possible analytic errors. In addition, a method is described of determining the magnitude of the shunt from the results of a N2O test. The results of 150 N2O tests performed with the improved technic are presented, and compared to the results obtained with the O2 method in a group of patients on whom both tests were carried out.
Challenges at the Intersection of Team-Based and Patient-Centered Health Care: Insights From an IOM Working Group

TEAM-BASED HEALTH CARE MAY HELP THE UNITED STATES achieve improved health and improved health care at asustainablecost. It iscentraltomanyreformsofhealth care delivery, both actual and proposed. Team-based carecanoccur inmanysettings (eg,home,office,hospital); focus on different problems (eg, specific diseases); and include teammemberswithavarietyofbackgrounds.Healthcareteams can be large or small, centralized or dispersed, virtual or faceto-face, and their tasks can be focused and brief or broad and lengthy.Thisextremeheterogeneity in tasks, foci, andsettings presentsachallengetodefiningoptimalteam-basedhealthcare. Recently,we ledaworkinggroup—ateamcomprisingapatientadvocate,physician, registerednurse,physicianassistant, social worker, and pharmacist—convened by the Institute of Medicine(IOM)toexplorethefoundationsofteam-basedhealth care. The background work included structured discussions with high-functioning teams from a variety of settings, which revealedthatsuchteamsareguidedbyasetofsharedprinciples and values that can be measured, compared, learned, and replicated (BOX). These principles and values are seemingly straightforward. But considering the realities of implementation and spread of team-basedcarealignedwiththeseprinciplesandvaluesraised difficult issues—3 of which deserve focused attention.
The acute management of children's brain injuries

Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of death in children in the UK. The pathway of care for severely brain injured children involves ambulance services, local and regional hospitals and regional trauma, critical care and rehabilitation networks. With so many stakeholders, effective advocacy for these children requires an understanding of their whole journey. Indeed, review of the pathway provides an opportunity to reflect on how improvements may be achieved.
Improved visualization of subdural hematoma by use of coronal view in computerized tomography.

Abstract Subdural hematoma may be difficult to visualize on standard axial views in computerized tomography (CT). There are a number of reasons for this. The hematoma may be too small to cause a significant shift of the midline. The content of hemoglobin in the clot may vary from case to case. The clot may appear isodense to the surrounding brain tissue in one patient, and in another patient it may be of increased density. We have noted that the use of the coronal view significantly improves the visualization of a subdural hematoma. Not only is the hematoma better visualized, but ventricular displacement in both lateral and downward direction is better appreciated. We are presenting five such consecutive cases studied by us.
Assay for radiolabeled type IV collagen in the presence of other proteins using a specific collagenase

Abstract An enzymatic assay is described which quantitates radiolabeled type IV basement membrane collagen in the presence of large amounts of other proteins. A partially purified neutral protease is used which cleaves type IV collagen into fragments at 37°C which are not precipitated at 1.3% (final concentration) trichloroacetic acid-tannic acid. The kinetics of type IV collagen digestion by this enzyme are not significantly altered by the presence of a 10-fold excess of type III collagen. [14C]Tryptophan-labeled control proteins prepared from fibroblast cultures are not degraded significantly by this protease in the presence of 2.5 m m N-ethylmaleimide. The proportion of type IV collagen in a mixture of labeled placenta collagenous proteins was calculated after separate digestions with the type IV collagenolytic activity and bacterial collagenase: this value compared favorably with the proportion of type IV collagen estimated by gel electrophoresis.
Mitt Romney's Religion: A Five Factor Model for Analysis of Media Representation of Mormon Identity

Mitt Romney's religion accounted for 50% of all religion-related presidential primary campaign stories in 2007, and 30% of Romney's total media coverage focused on his Mormon faith. This article reviews that coverage and considers it within the larger historical context of the complex relationship between media and Mormonism throughout the 180-year history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A factorial model (the first in the area of Mormon Media Studies) is proposed by which to document and analyze the wider societal influences that are reflected in media representation of Mormon identity. The model's 5 factors include the media, the Mormons, other religions, secular influences, and politics/government. The model assumes an interrelationship among the five factors. Factor influence and relationships among factors vary according to time, issue, and circumstance. The model relates to informational (not entertainment) media. Suggestions are made for application of the model to academic studies.
Variation and the Poetics of Oral Performance in Cædmon’s Hymn

The profuse and apparently redundant lexical variation of Caedmon’s Hymn has long been a critical problem, resulting in a wide range of interpretations and evaluations of the hymn. This essay applies insights from recent developments from Oral Theory, particularly the concept of multiformity, to argue that the hymn’s variation reflects a poetics of oral performance in which poetic synonyms successively “perform” rather than describe the hymn’s subject matter. Three aspects of this poetics are identified and discussed: its iterative structure, traditional register, and temporality of continuous present. The role these aspects play in the hymn’s ritual function are considered and illustrated with similarly-varied passages from Beowulf and the Old English Creed. Finally, the meaning structures of the rhetorical figure of variation are evaluated in relation to the eulogizing aspect of Old English verse as a whole, and contrasted to the use of metaphor in Old English poetry.
Deformation of polybutene‐1 spherulites

The deformation of fresh and aged polybutene-1 spherulitic samples has been investigated by microscopic observation, interferometry, studying macroscopic and spherulitic birefringence changes, and study of light-scattering patterns. The spherulite deformation is not affine, the microscopic deformation ratio being less than the macroscopic deformation ratio of the sample and greater in the equatorial regions of the spherulite than in the polar regions. The deviation from affine deformation is less for fresh spherulites than for the aged, where void formation occurs in the equatorial part of the spherulite. This gives rise to large scattering by this part of the spherulite and to form birefringence. The spherulite birefringence and its change with elongation is dependent upon the degree of aging of the sample. The spherulite birefringence is more negative for the aged sample. In the polar regions of the spherulite, this negative birefringence decreases and turns positive at higher elongations, characteristic of a reorientation of the crystals with their optic axes turning from being perpendicular to parallel to the spherulite radius. The spherulite birefringence in the equatorial direction becomes somewhat more negative on stretching a fresh sample but less negative on stretching an aged one. Spherulite distortion and orientation changes are apparent from the light-scattering patterns of films possessing small spherulites. The changes in Vv and Hv scattering patterns upon stretch are different for the fresh and aged samples. The Vv patterns of the fresh samples decrease in intensity with time after stretching a fresh sample with the Hv patterns do not.
Detecting Multiple Facets of an Event using Graph-Based Unsupervised Methods

We propose a new unsupervised method for topic detection that automatically identifies the different facets of an event. We use pointwise Kullback-Leibler divergence along with the Jaccard coefficient to build a topic graph which represents the community structure of the different facets. The problem is formulated as a weighted set cover problem with dynamically varying weights. The algorithm is domain-independent and generates a representative set of informative and discriminative phrases that cover the entire event. We evaluate this algorithm on a large collection of blog postings about different news events and report promising results.
Semiconductor Scintillator for Three-Dimensional Array of Radiation Detectors

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Three-dimensional array of scintillator voxels: A Compton telescope Problems with scintillator based on Burstein shift Double-sided detection Scintillator based on photon recycling How close are we to an ideal semiconductor scintillator? Conclusions
Model-Based Control of continuous-time and discrete-time systems with large network induced delays

Stabilization of continuous and discrete-time systems in the presence of network induced delays and model uncertainties is studied in this paper using the Model-Based Networked Control Systems (MB-NCS) framework. The use of a nominal model of the system to generate an estimate of the real state between measurement update intervals allows for significant reduction of traffic in the network. The work in this paper extends previous results in MB-NCS that dealt with continuous-time systems and small delays. In the current paper we are able to obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for stability for the case of large delays, that is, when the network delays are larger than the update intervals. Additionally, similar conditions are derived for discrete-time systems and for small and large delays.
Older Men's Earnings Tests and Work Activity: A Six-Nation Study

It is widely held that removing the earnings test for old-age pensions under social security will increase labor force activity among persons aged 65-69. This study examines what happened to labor force participation rates of men in this age group following legislation that eliminated the test in Canada, liberalized it in Austria and the United Kingdom, and made it more restrictive in the Federal Republic of Germany. The consequences of a condition of total withdrawal for payment of pensions in Finland and modest increases in the ceiling level in the United States are also examined. The basic finding is that labor force participation rates of men aged 65-69 have not increased when earnings tests have been removed or liberalized. The experiences of all six countries indicate that the age of first eligibility and the level of benefits are more important than the earnings test in influencing the work activity of older men. The results of the study suggest that the trend toward early retirement is less likely...
I Need to Move and So Do the Children

It is generally known that preschool teachers express positive attitudes toward physical activity (PA) for young children inasmuch as teachers consider it important to children’s well-being and overall development and learning. Less clear is the relationship between teachers’ positive attitudes in this regard and their backgrounds and classroom practices. A total of 149 preschool teachers completed questionnaires about physical activity practices in their classrooms. The results indicate that the majority of the teachers supported PA in preschool years. However, they have limited knowledge of and little competence in regard to teaching PA. Sixty-one percent of the teachers indicated their awareness of their limitations on this point and thus requested professional development opportunities relating to early-childhood PA. This study supports the case for concerted programming in an important yet neglected area of early-childhood education.
Dialysis-related spondyloarthropathy

Abstract Objective: To discuss a case of dialysis-related spondyloarthropathy due to β-2 microglobulin amyloid deposition. An emphasis is placed on the imaging findings. Clinical Features: A 67-year-old man sought treatment for low back pain. His history revealed coronary artery bypass surgery, diabetes with bilateral foot neuropathy, gout, and bilateral renal failure that had been treated with dialysis for 2 years before left renal transplantation; the renal transplant had been performed 6 years earlier. Radiography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging revealed changes characteristic of dialysis-related spondyloarthropathy. Intervention and Outcome: The patient was initially treated with physiotherapy. He was then admitted to the hospital and treated for renal infection and medicated for low back pain. Two weeks later he returned to the chiropractor, who began a treatment plan that included spinal manipulation, physiotherapy, manual distractive traction, and a gradual increase in activities of daily living. The patient was released from care after 2 months with significantly decreased pain. Conclusions: Dialysis-related spondyloarthropathy is a relatively uncommon complication of renal dialysis. It should be suspected in those patients who present with a correlative medical history and characteristic radiographic appearance. Chiropractic treatment can be effective as an adjunct to medical care in cases of chronic renal failure and associated complications. (J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2001;24:127-30)
Simultaneous presentation of carcinoma involving the ovary and the uterine corpus

Twenty-nine patients had simultaneous malignant epithelial neoplasms of the uterine corpus and ovary. Three groups were defined on the basis of tumor histology: Group A: those with endometrioid carcinoma in both the uterus and ovary; Group B: those with special variants of corpus carcinoma (papillary, clear cell, mucinous) and identical neoplasms in the ovary; and Group C: those whose uterine and ovarian carcinomas were of dissimilar histologic types. Sixteen women had endometrioid carcinoma in both sites. The median age at diagnosis, 41 years, was younger than is usual for corpus or ovarian cancer. For all 16 patients, the grade of the ovarian endometrioid carcinoma was similar to that of the endometrioid carcinoma of the uterine corpus. Seven patients had bilateral ovarian neoplasms. Only one patient had myometrial invasion by the corpus carcinoma. No patient with simultaneous ovarian and uterine endometrioid carcinoma, regardless of grade, has died of cancer although one vaginal relapse was treated successfully. This excellent survival of patients with simultaneous endometrioid carcinomas is better than would be expected for either Stage III adenocarcinoma of the endometrium or Stage II ovarian carcinoma. These simultaneously occurring endometrioid neoplasms of ovary and endometrium are considered to be separate primary tumors. The morphologic reasons for this view and therapeutic implications are discussed. In contrast to the patients with endometrioid carcinoma, the eleven patients with other histologic types of carcinoma in the ovary and corpus were older (median age, 61 years) and more often post-menopausal (90%). These neoplasms were more aggressive, with frequent deep myometrial involvement (63%), tubal involvement (27%), and extension to other pelvic tissues (36%) at the time of initial diagnosis. Six of these 11 patients succumbed to their cancer despite surgical therapy and radiation. The distribution of tumor in some of these patients with nonendometrioid types of carcinoma is suggestive of a single primary with metastases. The therapeutic implications of these findings are discussed. Cancer 50:163–170, 1982.
Electrical Properties and Acetylcholine Sensitivity of Singly and Multiply Innervated Avian Muscle Fibers

Membrane constants and distribution of acetylcholine (ACh) receptors were determined for multiply innervated fibers of the anterior latissimus dorsi (ALD) and singly innervated fibers of the posterior latissimus dorsi (PLD) muscles of 3–6 month old chickens. The values of the various membrane constants were: length constant, 1.78 mm (mean) in ALD, 0.68 mm in PLD; time constant, 35 msec in ALD, 3.7 msec in PLD; transverse membrane resistance, 4388 Ω cm2 in ALD, 561 Ω cm2 in PLD; and membrane capacitance, 8.2 µF/cm2 in ALD, 7.0 µF/cm2 in PLD. Peaks of ACh sensitivity occurred at intervals of ca. 740 µ on ALD fibers with a low sensitivity remaining between peaks. Only one peak of ACh sensitivity was detected on PLD fibers. The maximum ACh sensitivity found was 5 ± 4 mv/ncoul for fibers of the ALD and 77 ± 60 mv/ncoul for fibers of the PLD. The distance over which this sensitivity fell to 0.1 was ca. 225 µ in the ALD and 140 µ in the PLD. The membranes of these two muscle fiber types differ widely regarding some electrical properties and the disposition of ACh-sensitive receptor sites.
Using phase and magnitude information of the complex directional filter bank for texture segmentation

In this work, a new feature extraction method is proposed for texture segmentation. The approach bases on incorporating the phase information obtained from complex filter banks. The complex directional filter bank (CDFB) is used to decompose a texture image in order to provide complex subband coefficients. The local mean direction, extracted from the phases of the coefficients, is defined as additional features for classification and segmentation. Simulation results show that the CDFB phase information is complementary to the magnitude. Lower classification error rates are achieved. Performance of the proposed method is also compared with other complex filter banks including the Gabor transform and the dual-tree complex wavelet.
Systemic treatment with d-fenfluramine, but not sibutramine, blocks cue-induced reinstatement of food-seeking behavior in the rat

Individuals struggling with obesity often have difficulty maintaining dietary regimens. One source of dietary relapse is the reinstatement of previous feeding behaviors following the presentation of cues indicating the availability of palatable but highly caloric food reward. The drugs fenfluramine and sibutramine have previously been prescribed because they enhance satiety mechanisms and decrease meal size. However, it is unclear whether these anorectic agents are also effective in blocking the cue-induced reinstatement of food-seeking behaviors. In these three experiments, we compared the effects of systemic treatment of d-fenfluramine (3 mg/kg; N=11) and sibutramine (3 mg/kg; N=11) with that of the D1 antagonist SCH 23390 (6 μg/kg; N=11) at a dose that has previously been shown to attenuate cue-induced reinstatement. D-fenfluramine treatment blocked the cue’s ability to reinstate lever pressing as compared to the saline injection day. In contrast, sibutramine had no effect on cue-induced reinstatement; all animals reinstated their lever pressing during the first reinstatement test, and this was unaffected by sibutramine treatment. SCH 23390 treatment did not significantly reduce cue-induced reinstatement in this set of experiments. The results suggest that the motivational effects of d-fenfluramine is not limited to the promotion of satiety once a meal has been initiated, and demonstrate that some anorectic treatments may inhibit the effectiveness of conditioned cues to elicit relapse of food-seeking behavior.
Due Process for Non-Union Employees: The Influence of System Characteristics on Fairness Perceptions

This article examines fairness perceptions associated with alternative dispute resolution systems. Collaborating with seven Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies sponsors, data collected from 450 non-union, non-management employees were analyzed. The major finding is that alternative dispute resolution systems that are regarded as credible, accessible, and safe (i.e., no retaliation) influence perceptions of fairness which, in turn, influence the likelihood to use the system. Implications are drawn for practice and research. © 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A handheld NASBA analyzer for the field detection and quantification of Karenia brevis

Blooms of Karenia brevis, the red tide forming dinoflagellate in the Gulf of Mexico, cause a myriad of ecological and economic problems for coastal communities, including massive fish and mammal mortalities, and damage to tourism and fisheries/shellfish harvesting industries. There is a need for accurate detection and prediction of K. brevis blooms, including rapid and inexpensive monitoring of both water and shellfish meats to ensure the safety of shellfish harvested for human consumption. To address this issue, we have developed a protocol for easy field extraction of cellular RNA from water samples and coupled it with a handheld nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) sensor that amplifies and detects target mRNA specific to the rbcL gene of K. brevis. This extraction protocol is a modified version of the Qiagen RNeasy Mini Kit spin protocol and requires no specialized equipment or training. Once extracted, the RNA is amplified and detected by NASBA in an in-house designed and produced handheld sensor that provides a real-time fluorescence plotting of the amplification. Both the field RNA extraction protocol and the handheld NASBA analyzer compared favorably to laboratory-based technologies. In duplicate reactions, the amplification curves generated with the handheld detector closely mirrored the curves generated with the bench top Nuclisens EasyQ NASBA analyzer and there was no difference in the sensitivity obtained using the handheld device versus the bench top models. This extraction protocol and detection sensor will be a valuable tool for rapidly monitoring K. brevis in field environments.
Application of marginal structural models in pharmacoepidemiologic studies: a systematic review.

Purpose We systematically reviewed pharmacoepidemiologic studies published in 2012 that used inverse probability weighted (IPW) estimation of marginal structural models (MSM) to estimate the effect from a time-varying treatment. Methods Potential studies were retrieved through a citation search within Web of Science and a keyword search within PubMed. Eligibility of retrieved studies was independently assessed by at least two reviewers. One reviewer performed data extraction, and a senior epidemiologist confirmed the extracted information for all eligible studies. Results Twenty pharmacoepidemiologic studies were eligible for data extraction. The majority of reviewed studies did not report whether the positivity assumption was checked. Six studies performed intention-to-treat analyses, but none of them reported adherence levels after treatment initiation. Eight studies chose an as-treated analytic strategy, but only one of them reported modeling the multiphase of treatment use. Almost all studies performing as-treated analyses chose the most recent treatment status as the functional form of exposure in the outcome model. Nearly half of the studies reported that the IPW estimate was substantially different from the estimate derived from a standard regression model. Conclusions The use of IPW method to control for time-varying confounding is increasing in medical literature. However, reporting of the application of the technique is variable and suboptimal. It may be prudent to develop best practices in reporting complex methods in epidemiologic research. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.