cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Design and Implementation of a Rule-based Security Engine for XML Web Services

Web services are software systems that enable applications serving various functions through the Web. Extensible markup language (XML) is used in the integration of applications which makes data sharing and communication within applications easier and uniform. Security is an important aspect of Web services. Securing XML data is critical to the success of any Web based applications or Web services. In this research work we have designed and implemented a single-point rule-based security engine for Apache Axis. Apache Axis is an open source Web services development and deployment platform. By doing this we reuse the same security engine for more than one Web service so that applications need not to implement separate security logic. The security engine provides support for authentication, authorization, decryption and signature verification. A test application is also implemented to validate the design and implementation of the rule-based security engine
The semantic category of the subject NP in Mandarin specificational copular sentences

I show that in Mandarin specificational copular sentences (sentences headed by the copula shi, in which the subject NP is typically a definite or indefinite description), the subject NP should be treated as a referential, rather than a predicative expression. This conclusion bears on the recent debate on whether specificational copular sentences should be treated as equative or as (inverted) predicational sentences, coming out against the latter. Evidence is adduced from (i) the distribution of the copula in nominal and non-nominal predication sentences, which I show also suggests that the Mandarin copula has a predicate-creation function; and (ii) asymmetries in the interpretation of bare nouns and indefinite NPs in the subject and complement positions of shi.
Optical systems for combined 1-D image–orthogonal Fourier transform processing

A number of spherical and cylindrical lens combinations are described to achieve a 1-D image and an optical Fourier transform normal to the imaging direction. Both output distributions must be coplanar. Optical features dealt with are the image and transform magnification, lens separation, and input-to-output plane distance. Variable magnification setups with fixed focal length combinations are given.
Others as Objects: How Women and Men Perceive the Consequences of Self-Objectification

Although the negative psychological impact of self-objectification is well-documented, whether people generally recognize this impact in other people remains unclear. We hypothesized that due to their relatively limited experience with self-objectification, men are less likely than women to perceive its ramifications. In Study 1a, where 132 U.S. undergraduates were induced to perceive a female target as self-objectifying, women saw more negative emotions in her. Study 1b, using a U.S. online sample (N = 170), indicated that this difference was not due to participants’ own state of self-objectification. In Study 2, when participants (U.S. online sample, N = 84) identified with objectified targets, women again reported stronger negative reactions, further supporting our hypothesis. Implications and future directions are discussed.
In Defence of the Predicate ‘Exists’

Problems about existence are almost as old as philosophy itself. But for a brief period in this century they seemed to some to have been finally dissolved. It was then confidently asserted that if 'exists' were a predicate or existence a property, 'it would follow that all existential propositions were tautologies, and all negative existential propositions are self-contradictory'.' No need to distinguish between singular and general existential propositions, nor to make any distinction within general propositions. No matter where it occurred, 'exists' was not a predicate. Few would take that view today. Many would hold that 'exists' is a predicate, though they would hasten to add some qualification. Pears2 would say that it is a 'peculiar' predicate, Salmon and Nakhnikian3 that it has 'special characteristics', Hintikka4 that it is 'redundant', Quine5 that it is a second-level predicate, and Kearns6 and Redmon7 that it is a metalinguistic predicate. Diverse though these positions be, they are at one in denying the view I defend in this paper-that 'exists' is ambiguous, being sometimes a first level predicate and only sometimes (not always) a second level one.
Facilitation of hypothalamic obesity by greasy diets: Palatability vs lipid content

Abstract Rats with obesifying lesions of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH), obesifying hypothalamic knife cuts, or sham operations, were given a synthetic powdered high-fat diet and/or an isocaloric and preoperatively preferred synthetic powdered control diet. Postoperatively the knife-cut rats preferred, overate, and became obese on the high fat diet. The electrolytically lesioned rats did not show a switch in preference, but they did overeat and became obese on the synthetic high fat diet when it was the only diet available. Thus, postingestive aspects of high-fat diets contribute to overeating. When a standard Purina chow diet was subsequently presented as pellets instead of as powder, overeating again occurred. In this case preingestive factors alone facilitated feeding. When firm consistency, high fat content, and high caloric density were combined in a Purina/Crisco high fat diet, the greatest intakes and weight gains of all three tested diets were obtained. Thus, both pre- and postingestive changes in response to the diet appear to contribute to the mediation of hypothalamic obesity. These factors not only persist, but are exaggerated in the obesity elicited by hypothalamic knife cuts.
Factors Affecting Zeta Potential of Iron Oxides

This review examines the factors that affect the isoelectric point (IEP) and the magnitude of the Zeta potential for hematite. It addresses the various values that have been reported in the literature, with natural hematite typically having a more acidic IEP than does high-purity synthetic hematite. The key finding is that the IEP for natural hematite is very similar to that for silica. This is consistent with a coating of silica slimes forming on natural hematite, causing the hematite surfaces to behave as if they were silica surfaces. Adsorption of chemical reagents on the hematite surfaces causes changes in the magnitude of the Zeta potential, generally without changing the IEP.
Disparity Between Inhibitory and Killing Effects of BL-P1654

The activity of BL-P1654, a semisynthetic penicillin, was studied in vitro against Enterobacteriaceae and compared with carbenicillin against Pseudomonas. There was a marked diminution in bactericidal activity of BL-P1654 when tested in broth medium.
Surveillance imaging after intracranial stent implantation: non-invasive imaging compared with digital subtraction angiography

Background Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is the gold standard imaging for detection of in-stent restenosis (ISR) but there is limited literature on optimal non-invasive surveillance imaging. In this study, the ability of CT angiography (CTA) and MR angiography (MRA) compared with DSA in recognizing ISR was assessed. Methods A single center database of patients treated with stent implantation for ICAD was accessed. All patients who underwent follow-up imaging with DSA paired with either MRA or CTA within 30 days were included. Two angiography readers and two non-invasive imaging readers measured restenosis with a submillimeter digital caliper. ISR was categorized as: none/minimal, mild ( Results 17 cases of individual stents that underwent surveillance imaging with paired DSA and CTA and five stents with paired DSA and MRA were identified. Of those undergoing DSA and CTA, inter-reader agreement produced κ=0.68 (95% CI 0.40 to 0.95) for DSA and κ=0.75 (95% CI 0.55 to 0.95) for CTA. Agreement across CTA and DSA was κ=0.36 (95% CI 0.26 to 0.52). Of those undergoing DSA and MRA, inter-reader agreement produced κ=0.71 (95% CI 0.27 to 1.00) for DSA and κ=1.00 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.00) for MRA. Agreement across MRA and DSA was κ=0.34 (95% CI 0.18 to 0.51). Conclusions Good inter-reader agreement exists within DSA, CTA and MRA. However, when comparing non-invasive imaging (CTA and MRA) with DSA, only fair agreement exists. These data suggest that CTA and MRA are not comparable to DSA for evaluation of ISR.
An assessment of anti-Müllerian hormone in predicting mating outcomes in female hamsters that have undergone natural and chemically-accelerated reproductive aging

Abstract In mammals, female fertility declines with age due in part to a progressive loss of ovarian follicles. The rate of follicle decline varies among individuals making it difficult to predict the age of onset of reproductive senescence. Serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) concentrations correlate with the numbers of ovarian follicles, and therefore, AMH could be a useful predictor of female fertility. In women and some production animals, AMH is used to identify which individuals will respond best to ovarian stimulation for assisted reproductive technologies. However, few studies have evaluated AMH’s predictive value in unassisted reproduction, and they have yielded conflicting results. To assess the predictive value of AMH in the context of reproductive aging, we prospectively measured serum AMH in 9-month-old Siberian hamsters shortly before breeding them. Female Siberian hamsters experience substantial declines in fertility and fecundity by 9 months of age. We also measured serum AMH in 5-month-old females treated with 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD), which selectively destroys ovarian follicles and functionally accelerates ovarian aging. Vehicle-treated 5-month-old females served as controls. AMH concentrations were significantly reduced in VCD-treated females yet many females with low AMH reproduced successfully. On average, both young and old hamsters that littered had higher AMH concentrations than females that did not. However, some females with relatively high AMH concentrations failed to litter, whereas several with low AMH succeeded. Our results suggest that mean AMH concentration can predict mating outcomes on a population or group level, but on an individual basis, a single AMH determination is less informative.
Parameter Estimation for an Internal Variable Model Using Nonlinear Optimization and Analytical/Numerical Response Sensitivities

This paper demonstrates through examples that erroneous material constants for complex visco-plastic material models can be obtained from simultaneous parameter estimation by nonlinear optimization methods unless the laboratory load paths used in the fitting process give significant model response sensitivities to changes in all of the material parameters. A general procedure is proposed in which a nonlinear optimization algorithm is coupled with analytically/numerically derived response sensitivities to evaluate an unambiguous set of material parameters. Response sensitivities enter into the parameter estimation procedure in two ways. Relative response sensitivities are first used to identify an efficient test matrix that, when simulated with the model, give model responses that are sensitive to changes in each of the material parameters. Then the corresponding nonzero response sensitivities are used to construct the gradient and Hessian matrices in a gradient-driven optimization algorithm to evaluate the material parameters. A model for braze alloy is used to demonstrate that erroneous parameter values may result if not all of the relative response sensitivities are nonzero and distinct.
Postnatal endocardial fibroelastosis of the valve of the foramen ovale

Abstract The valve of the foramen ovale of the heart changes at birth from a prenatal shunting device for the transseptal flow of systemic venous return to a postnatal active barrier to backflow of left atrial blood at higher pressure. To investigate the morphologic response to this functional change in the valve of the foramen ovale, we examined 200 hearts from embryos, fetuses and autopsy patients spanning over a mlllionfold range of heart weights (0.001 to 1,230 g). The relation of valve thickness to log heart weight was studied by a stepwise linear regression procedure that fitted the data to two linear regressions, one including observations made before birth and the other including observations made after birth. Analysis of variance tables demonstrated that the data are significantly better explained (p
Experiments with particle damping

High cycle fatigue in jet engines is a current military concern. The vibratory stresses that cause fatigue can be reduced by adding damping. However, the high temperatures that occur in the gas turbine greatly hinder the application of mature damping technologies. One technology which may perform in the harsh environment is particle damping. Particle damping involves placing metallic or ceramic particles inside structural cavities. As the cavity vibrates, energy is dissipated through particle collisions. Performance is influenced by many parameters including the type, shape, and size of the particles; the amount of free volume for the particles to move in; density of the particles; and the level of vibration. This paper presents results from a series of experiments designed to gain an appreciation of the important parameters. The experimental setup consists of a cantilever beam with drilled holes. These holes are partially filled with particles. The types of particles, location of the particles, fill level, and other parameters are varied. Damping is estimated for each configuration. Trends in the results are studied to determine the influence of the varied parameter.
Detection of avian macrophages with concanavalin a

The reactivities of peroxidase-labelled concanavalin A (con A: 20 microg/ml) with sections from various avian lymphoid organs were compared. With chicken bursae, con A binding and subsequent differential staining detected a non-lymphoid leukocyte population distributed throughout the sections. A comparable population was not observed in sections from the gland of Harder. With free cells, con A at low concentrations was found to selectively bind to both macrophages and heterophils but not to lymphocytes. Flow cytometric analysis with fluorescein isothiocyanate-labelled con A also confirmed this selective binding. Peroxidase-labelled con A was used to detect non-lymphoid leukocytes present in areas of metastasised tumours in tissues of quail-chicken hybrids. Such staining was not seen in comparable normal tissues. Evidence that the tumour-localised leukocytes were macrophages was shown by the reactivity of these cells with a monoclonal anti-chicken la antibody. It is concluded that con A binding can be used to identify tissue macrophages and may provide a useful diagnostic tool in birds.
Localized distributed state feedback control with communication delays

This paper introduces the notion of localizable distributed systems. These are systems for which a distributed controller exists that limits the effect of each disturbance to some local subset of the entire plant, akin to spatio-temporal dead-beat control. We characterize distributed systems for which a localizing state-feedback controller exists in terms of the feasibility of a set of linear equations. We then show that when a feasible solution exists, it can be found in a distributed way, and used for the localized synthesis and implementation of controllers that lead to the desired closed loop response. In particular, by allowing controllers to exchange both state and control actions, the information needed by a particular controller is limited to a local subset of the system's state and control inputs.
Feeding electivity of two epiphytic chironomids in a subtropical lake

Feeding electivity of two epiphytic orthoclad chironomid species, Psectrocladius sp. and Thienemanniella cf. fusca, was investigated using gut content analysis of larvae collected from Typha stems in Lake Padgett, Florida. Electivity values, computed using Strauss's Food Selection Index, were strongly positive for Cosmarium and negative for Oedogonium and Bulbochaete. Diatoms either were avoided or grazed in proportion to their abundance in the environment. Patterns of electivity were similar for both chrionomid species during all seasons studied. Pairwise food preference experiments were conducted in the laboratory using the algal species, Cosmarium impressulum, Navicula pelliculosa, Selenastrum capricornuatum, Oedogonium cardiacum, and Synedra sp. Preferences were hierarchical and consistent for both larval genera. Preference ranking for the algae offered were Cosmarium≥Synedra>Navicula>Oedogonium>Selenastrum. Larvae seemed to be feeding electively based upon algal genus, size, position in the epiphytic community, and possibly extracellular chemistry.
11.1: A reliable improved Spindt cathode design for high currents

Recent work with Spindt cathodes has shown that past unreliable behavior has not been due to poor tip uniformity and the failure of over-achieving tips as has been widely believed. Rather the failures have been due to flashover along oxide walls in the cathode cavities. A new cavity architecture has solved the problem, and enabled greatly improved performance.
Building and using application utility models to dynamically choose thread counts

On today's multiprocessor systems, simultaneously executing multi-threaded applications contend for cache space and CPU time. This contention can be managed by changing application thread count. In this paper, we describe a technique to configure thread count using utility models. A utility model predicts application performance given its thread count and other workload thread counts. Built offline with linear regression, utility models are used online by a system policy to dynamically configure applications' thread counts. We present a policy which uses the models to maximize throughput while maintaining QoS. Our approach improves system throughput by 6 % and meets QoS 22 % more often than the best evaluated traditional policy.
Meander-slot and U-slot antenna arrays for wide-band spatial power combiners

In this work, we present a multilayered waveguide transition containing several interacting printed antenna arrays for spatial power combining applications. Narrow-band resonant rectangular slot antennas used in earlier designs are replaced by meander-slot antennas and their modifications, in order to increase the frequency bandwidth and efficiency of the system. Numerical results for finite arrays of meander-slot and U-slot antennas show significant advantages in scattering characteristics in comparison to traditionally used rectangular slot antenna arrays.
Nutrient Composition and Metabolizable Energy Values of Selected Grain Sorghum Varieties and Yellow Corn

Abstract Three low-tannin sorghum grains and one high-tannin variety were grown at the same location in 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1988. The relative CP content of the grains varied among the years. The proteins of sorghum grain contained, on the average, higher concentrations of Ala, Asp, Glu, Leu, Ile, Phe, Tyr, and Val; and lower concentrations of Arg, Gly, and His than did the protein of yellow corn. Both contained similar concentrations of Ser, Lys, Met, Cys, and Thr. An increase in the CP of sorghum grain did not result in a proportional increase in the amino acid content when expressed as a percentage of the CP. Levels of Met, Cys, Lys, Arg, and Thr decreased as a percentage of the CP when CP increased. However, Glu, Asp, Leu, Ile, and Val increased as the CP increased. The ether extract content of yellow corn was 1 to 2% higher than that found in sorghum grain. Ash, Ca, P, and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) levels between the two grains showed minor differences. Sorghum grain contained higher levels of acid detergent fiber (ADF) than did yellow corn. Compared to the low-tannin sorghum, the high-tannin variety contained higher levels of both ADF and NDF. Xanthophyll levels were low in all grain sorghums compared to yellow corn. The MEn content of low-tannin sorghum was not different from yellow corn. However, the MEn of the high-tannin sorghum was lower (P
Magnesium Transport in Bacillus subtilis W23 During Growth and Sporulation

Manganese is accumulated in Bacillus subtilis by a highly specific active transport system. This trace element “pump” is insensitive to added magnesium or calcium and preferentially accumulates manganese in the presence of cobalt, iron, and copper. Manganese uptake in B. subtilis is inhibited by cyanide, azide, pentachlorophenol, and m-chlorophenyl carbonylcyanide hydrazone. The uptake of manganese follows Michaelis-Menten kinetics, and the net accumulation of manganese is regulated by increasing the Vmax after exposure to manganese-starvation conditions and by decreasing the Vmax for manganese uptake during growth in excess manganese. The Km remains constant during these regulatory changes in Vmax. Manganese accumulated during growth is exchangeable for exogenous manganese and can be released from the cells by toluene (which causes leakage but not lysis) or by lysis with lysozyme. Two stages can be distinguished with regard to intracellular manganese during the process of growth and sporulation. During logarithmic growth, B. subtilis maintains a relatively constant internal manganese content, which is a function of the external manganese concentration following approximately a Langmuir adsorption isotherm. At the end of log phase, net accumulation of manganese slows. A second phase of net manganese accumulation begins at about the same time during sporulation as the accumulation of calcium begins. The manganese accumulated during growth and early sporulation is exchangeable and therefore relatively “free”; intracellular manganese is converted later during sporulation into a bound form that cannot be released by toluene or lysozyme.
Fashioning Markets: Muslimah Designers and Economic Empowerment

While few of us like overly didactic films, this one errs by revealing too little, too late, and then too quickly. It is not until the very end of the film that we learn these details. The film feels like raw data with most of the interpretation and all of the analysis, especially for a student audience, left to the viewer. What messages do the filmmakers wish us to take away? Is the film primarily a condemnation of pervasive social and economic inequality and neglect? Willets Point clearly has been neglected for years, lacking basic infrastructure and services. But why? Is it a condemnation of the Willets Point redevelopment plan in particular or all similar urban renewal projects? Not many people in the film seem to have much to say about the city’s plan; perhaps they lack the time and energy to think about it. Is Foreign Parts a piece of salvage ethnography meant to visually document a highly photogenic cultural scene before it disappears? It is a story of survival? Certainly the people profiled are scrappy survivors whose humanity comes across despite the bleakness of their personal plights and the environment they occupy. Foreign Parts is beautifully filmed and has won several awards, including the Opera Prima (for best first feature) and the Jury Prize in the “Filmmakers of the Present” competition at Locarno. It was also an official selection for the New York Film Festival. The filmmakers are skilled, and they have chosen a photogenic place and people to film. (Willets Point was also the setting for the 2007 fictional film Chop Shop by Ramin Bahrani.) Unfortunately, we did not find much anthropology in Foreign Parts, and with one exception we do not think it would be successful in the classroom, especially with undergraduates, and certainly never in its entirety. The pace is exceedingly slow, and it is only at the very end of its 80 minutes that the filmmakers provide a small amount of crucial contextual information. We doubt that most anthropology undergraduates would get that much out of it without a lot of guidance, supplemental reading, and patience. It might, however, be successfully used in an anthropological film course as an example of an almost purely observational film that could push students to think about the nature of “ethnographic” film. Paravel and Sniadecki’s approach is to let the data—the visuals, the sounds, the comments of a few—speak for themselves, without commentary or narrative structure. In conclusion, we found the film frustrating and at times tedious yet oddly captivating, largely due to its visual strength.
Studies of dissolution phenomena in microlithography

Abstract : Laser interferometry is useful for measuring the dissolution rate of thin polymer films. During the dissolution process, polymer in the glassy state is transported into a dilute solution. In some cases, a transition layer can be measured using laser interferometry. This layer is seen as a difference in reflected light intensity between the bare substrate and the maximum during dissolution. When PMMA dissolves in methyl ethyl ketone, the layer is not detectable below a polymer M subscript n of about 30,000. The layer becomes more pronounced as molecular weight of polymer increases.
A Comparison of Thermal, Line-Source Electron Beam and CW Laser Annealing for the Fabrication of ErSi2 Schottky Barrier on Si

ErSi2 contacts formed by reacting Er with single crystal silicon using conventional furnace heat treatment are dominated by pits. Recently rapid electron and laser beam heating have been used to form pit-free ErSi2 layers on Si by reacting Er with the Si substrate. For this investigation we studied the electrical properties of erbium silicide/Si contact prepared by thermal, laser and electron beam annealing. We prepared and annealed three types of samples; (I) Er(600A)/Si , (II) Si(100A)/Er(600A)/Si and (III) Si(900A)/Er(600A)/Si .The barrier height of the pit-free thermal annealed samples (type III) was ∼ 0.78 eV. All laser and e-beam annealed samples were observed to be pit-free. The barrier heights for the laser annealed samples varied from ∼ 0.63 eV for type I samples to ∼ 0.77 eV for type III samples. The e-beam annealed samples gave barrier heights ∼ 0.71 eV (type I and II) and ∼ 0.77 eV for type III. The barrier heights of beam processed diodes shifted towards the 0.78 eV range upon post-annealing. We model these results in terms of defects created at the ErSi2-Si interface.
Cellular Motility Driven by Assembly and Disassembly of Actin Filaments

Motile cells extend a leading edge by assembling a branched network of actin filaments that produces physical force as the polymers grow beneath the plasma membrane. A core set of proteins including actin, Arp2/3 complex, profilin, capping protein, and ADF/cofilin can reconstitute the process in vitro, and mathematical models of the constituent reactions predict the rate of motion. Signaling pathways converging on WASp/Scar proteins regulate the activity of Arp2/3 complex, which mediates the initiation of new filaments as branches on preexisting filaments. After a brief spurt of growth, capping protein terminates the elongation of the filaments. After filaments have aged by hydrolysis of their bound ATP and dissociation of the gamma phosphate, ADF/cofilin proteins promote debranching and depolymerization. Profilin catalyzes the exchange of ADP for ATP, refilling the pool of ATP-actin monomers bound to profilin, ready for elongation.
Organizational achievement values, high-involvement work practices, and business unit performance

This study examines the relationships among organizational achievement values, high-involvement work practices (HIWP), and business unit performance. Specifically, we examine whether HIWP mediate or moderate the effect of achievement values on retail store performance. Using data collected at three points in time from more than 1,000 employees, we found support for the mediation model. The article concludes with directions for future research and implications for management practice. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy study of indolic molecules adsorbed on gold colloids

Serotonin is both a ubiquitous neurotransmitter in the central nervous system and an important immunomodulator involved in various immune responses. The ability to unambiguously detect serotonin is therefore imperative in biomedical research. However, detection of serotonin and related indoles using immunohistochemistry has been largely limited by their small molecular size and the resultant uncertainty in antibody specificity. Here we show that surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) can be used to detect and distinguish serotonin from its various closely related precursors and metabolites. Compared with traditional antibody-based methods, SERS is highly specific and capable of real-time detection. We also quantify the relative concentration of serotonin against a background of other indoles using SERS. We expect this optical detection method to directly benefit a variety of immune and nervous systems studies involving serotonin.
Inhibitor complexes of the Pseudomonas serine-carboxyl proteinase.

Crystal structures of the serine-carboxyl proteinase from Pseudomonas sp. 101 (PSCP), complexed with a number of inhibitors, have been solved and refined at high- to atomic-level resolution. All of these inhibitors (tyrostatin, pseudo-tyrostatin, AcIPF, AcIAF, and chymostatin, as well as previously studied iodotyrostatin and pseudo-iodotyrostatin) make covalent bonds to the active site Ser287 through their aldehyde moieties, while their side chains occupy subsites S1-S4 of the enzyme. The mode of binding of the inhibitors is almost identical for their P1 and P2 side chains, while significant differences are observed for P3 and P4 (if present). Kinetic parameters for the binding of these nanomolar inhibitors to PSCP have been established and correlated with the observed mode of binding. The preferences of this enzyme for a larger side chain in P2 as well as Tyr or Phe in P1 are explained by the size, shape, and characteristics of the S2 and S1 regions of the protein structure, respectively. Networks of hydrogen bonds involving glutamic and aspartic acids have been analyzed for the atomic-resolution structure of the native enzyme. PSCP contains a calcium-binding site that consists of Asp328, Asp348, three amide carbonyl groups, and a water molecule, in almost perfect octahedral coordination. The presence of Ca 2+ cation is necessary for the activity of the enzyme.
Th2-driven, allergen-induced airway inflammation is reduced after treatment with anti–Tim-3 antibody in vivo

T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain–containing molecule-3 (Tim-3) is a surface molecule that is preferentially expressed on activated Th1 cells in comparison to Th2 cells. Blockade of Tim-3 has been shown to enhance Th1-driven pathology in vivo, suggesting that blockade of Tim-3 may improve the development of Th2-associated responses such as allergy. To examine the effects of Tim-3 blockade on the Th2 response in vivo, we administered anti–Tim-3 antibody during pulmonary inflammation induced by transfer of ovalbumin (OVA)-reactive Th2 cells, and subsequent aerosol challenge with OVA. In this model, anti–Tim-3 antibody treatment before each airway challenge significantly reduced airway hyperreactivity, with a concomitant decrease in eosinophils and Th2 cells in the lung. We examined Th1 and Th2 cytokine levels in the lung after allergen challenge and found that pulmonary expression of the Th2 cytokine IL-5 was significantly reduced, whereas IFN-γ levels were significantly increased by anti–Tim-3 antibody treatment. Thus, blocking Tim-3 function has a beneficial effect during pulmonary inflammation by skewing the Th2 response toward that of a Th1 type, suggesting an important role for Tim-3 in the regulation of allergic disease.
Preservice Music Teachers’ Employment Preferences Consideration Factors

This study was designed to investigate preservice music teachers’ (N = 187) perceptions of employment preferences when considering future teaching positions. Adaptive Conjoint Analysis, a business ...
Behavioral synthesis of area-efficient testable designs using interaction between hardware sharing and partial scan

We introduce BETS, a behavioral test synthesis system, for the synthesis of high-throughput, area-efficient testable designs. While hardware sharing is a powerful technique to achieve area efficiency, it may adversely affect the testability of the synthesized design by introducing new loops. Besides CDFG loops, hardware sharing introduces three other types of loops: assignment loops, sequential false loops, and register files cliques. We provide a comprehensive analysis and a formal grammar characterization of the sources of loops in the data path during behavioral synthesis. Partial scan is a cost-effective technique for sequential circuit testing. Hardware sharing of scan registers can be used to minimize the number of scan registers required to synthesize data paths with minimal number of loops. The scan registers can be shared amongst several variables of the CDFG, to break not only the loops in the CDFG, but also the very loops introduced in the data path by hardware sharing. A new random walk based algorithm is proposed to break all CDFG loops using a minimal number of scan registers. The subsequent scheduling and assignment phase avoids formation of loops in the data path by reusing the scan registers, while ensuring high resource utilization. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the new technique to synthesize easily testable data paths, with nominal hardware overhead, while maintaining the performance of the designs. The partial scan overhead incurred by the technique is significantly less than that of a gate-level partial scan approach. >
Campaigning for the Supreme Court: The Dynamics of Public Opinion on the Thomas Nomination

Little of the considerable research devoted to the connections between the Supreme Court and the mass public has addressed popular attitudes toward nominees to the High Bench. Here we hope to stimulate interest in this important and understudied area by examining the wellsprings of opinionation and sentiment toward the confirmation of Justice Clarence Thomas. Relying on data from CBS News/New York Times polls and using statistical models of opinion-holding and support for Thomas' confirmation, we examine whether citizen attitudes were grounded in policy preferences, political orientations of long-standing such as partisanship, ideological convictions, group ties, and presidential approval. We also develop and directly link a model of the formation of opinion toward the nomination--a model of activation, in which citizens assimilate information and form an opinion--with a model of sentiment, in which citizens develop a positive or negative feeling toward the nominee. We report dramatic and systematic shift...
RNA composition of the planarian, Dugesia dorotocephala.

The RNA of anterior and posterior regions of normal and regenerating planarians was extracted by means of a modification of the phenol procedure, and further purified. The nucleotide composition of this RNA was determined by subjecting it to alkaline hydrolysis and resolving the constituent nucleotides by thin layer electrophoresis. Contrary to older reports there was no difference in either amount or base composition of the total RNA from anterior and posterior regions or between regenerate and control worms. Resolution of the various molecular weight species of the planarian RNA by sucrose density centrifugation and gel filtration revealed a typical distribution between ribosomal and transfer RNA as well as the explanation of the negative result. Constancy of base composition of the predominate ribosomal RNA would mask any anticipated changes in base composition.
A post-epizootic search for furunculosis in a warm-water fish population.

Specimens were taken from the kidneys of 777 fish of 10 species from Clear Lake, Iowa, in 1970 and 1971 to determine the carrier rate of Aeromonas salmonicida after a 1968 furunculosis epizootic that destroyed most of the yellow bass population. A. salmonicida was not detected in any fish examined. Serum from 5 of 46 yellow bass old enough to have been present during the 1968 epizootic contained agglutinins to A. salmonicida.
Using Online Search Traffic to Predict US Presidential Elections

Predictions of the United States presidential election vote outcome have been growing in scope and popularity in the academic realm. Traditional election forecasting models predict the United States presidential popular vote outcome on a national level based primarily on economic indicators (e.g., real income growth, unemployment), public approval ratings, and incumbency advantage. Many of these forecasting models are rooted in retrospective voting theory (Downs 1957; Fiorina 1981), essentially rewarding the party in office if times are good, punishing it if times are bad. These models have successfully predicted election results by modeling economic performance and incumbent approval ratings (Campbell 2012; Fair 1992; Fair 1996; Klarner 2012). For example, Abramowitz's (2004; 2005) “time for a change model” predicts election results using economic performance during the first half of the election year, the number of years the incumbent party has been in office, and presidential approval. For a full review of 13 presidential forecasts for the US 2012 election, see PS: Political Science and Politics October 2012 (45 (4): 610–75). Although national models are the most common, researchers have also started to use state-level predictions for presidential and congressional outcomes, with mostly positive success (Berry and Bickers 2012; Jerome and Jerome-Speziari 2012; Klarner 2012; Silver 2012). These models use similar predictors, such as incumbency, economic conditions, and home-state advantage, and predict the per-candidate percentage of popular vote. Unfortunately, with state-level models, many of the economic variables used in predicting national models are unavailable beyond 10–15 election cycles (compounded also by 1959 additions of Alaska and Hawaii), so state-level models naturally have a shorter period of analysis than do national models.
Persuasive presentations [educational technology]

Faculty are constantly being encouraged to utilize educational technology in engineering education. Research also indicates that learning is enhanced through sensory involvement, that is, the more senses that are involved, the greater the likelihood that learning will take place. We have the continued opportunity to involve the senses as we utilize the newer technologies of instruction such as computers, presentation software, and projection systems. In addition to it being a resource for faculty to use for presentations, the equipment can also be included in the instructional program, allowing students to be involved with the utilization of multimedia for enhanced learning, and even in the development of media-rich presentations.
Notes: The Gambler's Fallacy in Lottery Play

The "gambler's fallacy" is the belief that the probability of an event is lowered when that event has recently occurred, even though the probability of the event is objectively known to be independent from one trial to the next. This paper provides evidence on the time pattern of lottery participation to see whether actual behavior is consistent with this fallacy. Using data from the Maryland daily numbers game, we find a clear and consistent tendency for the amount of money bet on a particular number to fall sharply immediately after it is drawn, and then gradually to recover to its former level over the course of several months. This pattern is consistent with the hypothesis that lottery players are in fact subject to the gambler's fallacy.
Fate of CuO-derived lignin oxidation products during plant combustion: Application to the evaluation of char input to soil organic matter

Three suites of synthetic chars, produced from honey mesquite, cordgrass and loblolly pine under controlled combustion conditions, served as model materials for diverse natural chars originating from combustion of angiosperm/gymnosperm and woody/non-woody plants. The lignin oxidation products (LOPs), quantified using the alkaline cupric oxide (CuO) oxidation method, were used to study the impact of combustion on lignins and their commonly used parameters. Our results show that combustion can greatly decrease the yield of the eight major lignin phenols (vanillyl, syringyl and cinnamyl phenols) with no lignin phenols detected in any synthetic char produced at P 400 C. With increasing combustion temperature, the value of the syringyl/vanillyl phenols ratio (S/V) of angiosperm char initially increased but then declined dramatically when the temperature reached 200–250 C. The pattern of change may relate to the thermal alteration of the plant cell ultrastructure. The cinnamyl/vanillyl phenols ratio value (C/V) of a non-woody plant, cordgrass, also showed a similar two-stage change with increasing combustion temperature. Combustion duration also caused a similar effect on the yield and signatures of lignin phenols, showing that the combustion severity (temperature and/or duration) has great influence on LOP yield and signature. The acid/ aldehyde ratio of vanillyl phenols [(Ad/Al)
Three-year surveillance of community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus infections in children

BACKGROUND: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates are increasingly frequent causes of skin and soft-tissue infections or invasive infections in many communities. METHODS: Prospective surveillance for community-acquired S. aureus infections at Texas Children's Hospital was initiated on 1 August 2001. Infections meeting the definition of community-acquired were identified. Demographic and clinical data were collected. Antibiotic susceptibilities, including inducible resistance to macrolide, lincosamide, and streptogramin B (MLSB), were determined in the clinical microbiology laboratory with the methodology of the NCCLS. All data were entered into a computer database. Data were analyzed by chi2 tests. RESULTS: From 1 August 2001 to 31 July 2004, the percentage of community-acquired S. aureus isolates that were methicillin resistant increased from 71.5% (551 of 771 isolates) in year 1 to 76.4% (1193 of 1562 isolates) in year 3 (P = .008). The number of both community-acquired MRSA (CA-MSRA) isolates and community-acquired methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (CA-MSSA) isolates increased yearly, but the rate of increase was greater for the CA-MRSA isolates. Among the CA-MRSA isolates, 2542 (95.6%) were obtained from children with skin and soft-tissue infections, and 117 (4.4%) were obtained from children with invasive infections. Overall, 62% of children with CA-MRSA isolates and 53% of children with CA-MSSA isolates were admitted to the hospital (P = .0001). The rate of clindamycin resistance increased significantly for both CA-MRSA isolates (P = .003) and CA-MSSA isolates (P = .00003) over the 3 years. MLSB inducible resistance was found in 27 (44%) of 62 clindamycin-resistant CA-MSSA isolates, compared with 6 (4.5%) of 132 clindamycin-resistant CA-MRSA isolates (P < .000001). CONCLUSIONS: CA-MRSA isolates account for an increasing percentage and number of infections at Texas Children's Hospital. Clindamycin resistance increased among community-acquired S. aureus isolates. Community surveillance of community-acquired S. aureus infections is critical to determine the appropriate empiric antibiotic treatment for either local or invasive infections.
The role of hydrocarbons in the lonospheres of the outer planets

The role of hydrocarbons as a possible sink for H + and Ha + ions in the lower ionosphere of the outer planets is examined. Calculations indicate that H + and I-Is + are efficiently converted to hydrocarbon ions on reaction with methane. The terminal ions, CH5 + and C2Hs + are rapidly neutralized in dissociative recombination with electrons. Extreme ultraviolet photolysis of hydrocarbons as a potential additional source of lower elevation ions is investigated.
Partial path protection for WDM networks: end-to-end recovery using local failure information

We propose a new protection scheme, which we term partial path protection (PPP), to select end-to-end backup paths using local information about network failures. PPP designates a different restoration path for every link failure on each primary path. PPP also allows reuse of operational segments of the original primary path in the protection path. A novel approach used in this paper is that of a dynamic call-by-call model with blocking probability as the performance metric, this model is in contrast with traditional capacity-efficiency measurement for batch call arrivals. Additionally, we show that a simple method based on shortest path routing for which primary paths are selected first is more effective than a greedy approach that minimizes, for each call arrival, the number of wavelengths used by the primary and backup path jointly.
Welcome to Ruth's World: An Autoethnography Concerning the Interview of an Elderly Woman

This autoethnography deals with the reflexive nature of conducting ethnography with an elderly woman in an assisted living facility. As the interview progresses, the author, graduate student, and participant are united in a shared memory that transcends the research process. This tale is provided as a means to demonstrate the multilevel horizons that can surface through a shared memory and how that can influence the researcher. The hope is to move further out and also evoke within the reader a shared memory. This article also reveals some of the effects of catalytic validity directed at the researcher.
An approximate model for foliage echoes to study biosonar function in natural environments

Natural environments are difficult for current engineered sonars but apparently easy for at least some species of echolocating bats. To better understand the information that foliage echoes provide for biosonar-based sensing, an approximate model of foliage echoes has been developed. The model simplifies the scattering problem through two key assumptions: (i) multi-path scattering was neglected and (ii) all leaves were assumed to be circular disks. Due to the latter, the parameters of the model were reduced to the number of the disks, their positions, sizes, and orientations. The exact far-field scatter from a disk (i.e., simplified leaf) in response to planar incident waves can be obtained by summation over an infinite series of spheroidal wave functions. To reduce the calculation time, the scattered field has been approximated by exponential, polynomial, and cosine fitting functions that also depend on the disk parameters. This allows the simulation of echoes from 100 leaves in 20 s on a standard PC. The model was able to reproduce the echo waveforms from dense and sparse foliages qualitatively. The model should thus be well suited for generation of large echo datasets to explore the existence and utilization of statistical invariants in the echoes from natural environments.
Predicting Crop Production as Related to Plant Water Stress

Publisher Summary This chapter presents many models for predicting the influence of plant water stress on crop production. Methods range from mechanistic prediction of details of growth of plant parts to statistical predictions of nationwide yields. Researchers have proposed many predictive models for many crop situations that account for many complex interactions to be managed in a practical manner. Thus, it is possible for farmers to use these techniques to minimize the influence of water stress on yield. The simplest models require knowledge of total water available, such as irrigation, rain, and stored water, to predict yield using statistical methods. These methods are site and season specific, but give general guidelines and are widely used. Another level of predictive models requires computers for solution. Soil, climatic, and crop information are used to predict water use as a function of time and can thus estimate stress as a function of time or growth stage. Some of these models do not differentiate between evaporation from the soil and transpiration by crops. The more general models base predictions on effects of stress on crop transpiration only.