cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
VEP Measures in a Blue Cone Monochromat

Visual Evoked Potentials (VEPs) were first recorded under free viewing conditions using a B/W TV stimulator and then collected with a Maxwellian-view optical system. A blue (440 nm) reversing checkerboard pattern of 6 deg (40′ checks) was presented on a steady, yellow (575 nm), 15 deg adapting background of various luminance levels ranging over 6.5 log units. The luminance level used to evoke VEPs was set 1 log unit above the psychophysical increment threshold level. The background levels spanned both scotopic and photopic levels
Baldur: A Power-Efficient and Scalable Network Using All-Optical Switches

We present the first all-optical network, Baldur, to enable power-efficient and high-speed communications in future exascale computing systems. The essence of Baldur is its ability to perform packet routing on-the-fly in the optical domain using an emerging technology called the transistor laser (TL), which presents interesting opportunities and challenges at the system level. Optical packet switching readily eliminates many inefficiencies associated with the crossings between optical and electrical domains. However, TL gates consume high power at the current technology node, which makes TL-based buffering and optical clock recovery impractical. Consequently, we must adopt novel (bufferless and clock-less) architecture and design approaches that are substantially different from those used in current networks. At the architecture level, we support a bufferless design by turning to techniques that have fallen out of favor for current networks. Baldur uses a low-radix, multi-stage network with a simple routing algorithm that drops packets to handle congestion, and we further incorporate path multiplicity and randomness to minimize packet drops. This design also minimizes the number of TL gates needed in each switch. At the logic design level, a non-conventional, length-based data encoding scheme is used to eliminate the need for clock recovery. We thoroughly validate and evaluate Baldur using a circuit simulator and a network simulator. Our results show that Baldur achieves up to 3,000X lower average latency while consuming 3.2X-26.4X less power than various state-of-the art networks under a wide variety of traffic patterns and real workloads, for the scale of 1,024 server nodes. Baldur is also highly scalable, since its power per node stays relatively constant as we increase the network size to over 1 million server nodes, which corresponds to 14.6X-31.0X power improvements compared to state-of-the-art networks at this scale.
Immunohistochemistry and Western blot for diagnosis of benign muscular dystrophy related with dystrophin

Objective To investigate the value of the immunohistochemistry and Western blot in the diagnosis of the benign muscular dystrophy with abnormal dystrophin expression.Methods The medical histories and clinical manifestations of 4 patients were collected.In addition to routine histological and histochemical studies,expression of dystrophin in muscle fibets was observed by immunohistochemical reaction(dys-N,dys-R and dys-C)and Western blot to anti-dystrophin antibody.Results Two patients had muscular weakness while another 2 patients had only muscular pain and elevated creatine kinase blood levels without muscular weakness.Histochemical stains showed atrophy,hypertrophy and fiber splitting in 2 patients,while only variation in fiber size was presented in anothor 2 patients.One patient had no reaction for dys-N,but had immunostains for dys-C and dys-R in the sarcolemma of muscle fibers.Western blot confirmed that the band of dys-C and dys-R was partly deficient,and the band of dys-N was absent compared with control.Three patients had no reaction for dys-R,but had immunostains for dys-C and dys-N.Compared with control,Western blot confirmed that the band of dys-R was absent,and the band of dys-C and dys-N were truncated.Conclusion The immunohistochemistry is stained with three anti-dystrophin antibodies to avoid diagnostic errors.Western blot is essential to further determine the type of dystrophin protein. Key words: Muscular diseases; Dystrophin; Immunohistochemistry; Blotting western
Cyber-Physical Social Systems for Facility Management

Cyber-physical systems comprise of physical systems and their corresponding cyber systems that are tightly integrated at all levels and scales. Cyber-physical systems offer opportunities for improving efficiency, monitoring, controllability, and reliability of constructed facilities. These constructed facilities systems are used and maintained by human beings in the social and natural environments. To fully realize the benefits of cyber-physical systems, the social aspect needs to be considered. Necessary mechanisms need to be put in place for accommodating the “human in the loop.” The control of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems in a sharable space is a key example, as individual occupants seek to achieve what they perceive to be their own comfort level, which is often not aligned with what benefits the entire occupants at a given point in time. Addressing facility management from the cyber, physical and social perspectives constitute the cyber-physical-social system, a complex system, and challengeable problems to control and manage it under traditional methods. This chapter presents a framework for the application of cyber-physical social systems in facility management. It describes the role of social systems in the facility management process and advocates the inclusion of social systems in the current and future cyber-physical facility management systems. The chapter describes deployment scenarios to show the potential benefits of cyber-physical social systems in facility management. The authors also present challenges to achieving cyber-physical social systems in facility management.
The Life of a Black Medical Trainee in the United States: Past, Present, Future

Abstract An Introduction to the History of Black Medical Trainees In these unprecedented times, Black medical professionals must deliver excellent medical care and uphold the highest standards of their profession while living through a devastating pandemic. They must do so in a time when the country tries to reconcile with generations of racism and injustice. The current social environment in America is particularly challenging for medical trainees such as medical students and resident physicians who must focus on their educational requirements and careers in settings that are often averse to addressing topics such as racism. This plight is not new for Black medical trainees, as they have been fighting for centuries to obtain an equitable seat at the table of medical education. Throughout the 19th century and early 20th century, Black physicians were repeatedly disenfranchised from the predominantly white medical societies, most notably the American Medical Association (AMA), which was established in 1847. Racially integrated medical organizations such as the National Medical Society of Washington D.C. (NMS), which was founded in 1870, were developed to challenge discriminatory practices of the American Medical Association against Black practitioners. The inception of the National Medical Association (NMA) in 1895 allowed Black doctors to advocate for disadvantaged patient populations and focus efforts on health issues pertinent to the underserved. The Struggles of the Black Trainee However, Black and underrepresented minorities continue to face challenges with medical school matriculation and retention. A 2015 AAMC report showed that Black male medical school matriculants failed to increase significantly between 1978 and 2014. From 2006 to 2018, the number of Black medical school matriculants increased from 6.7% to 7.1%. Solutions for Improving Medical Education for the Black Trainee To improve these matriculation statistics, it is critical that institutions integrate innovative measures such as robust recruitment pipelines to expose underrepresented high school and college students to the medical field, as well as seek diversity actively in administration to dismantle the ingrained ideologies of systemic racism rooted in healthcare and medical education. To combat the institutionalized racism that has plagued medical education throughout its existence, collaboration as a unified front is essential to achieving the equity and social justice in healthcare that patients deserve.
Returning to Stay? Jews in East and West Germany after the Holocaust

To better understand the position of Jews within Germany after the end of World War II, this article analyzes the rebuilding of Jewish communities in East and West Germany from a Jewish perspective. This approach highlights the peculiarities and sometimes sharply contrasting developments within the Jewish communities in the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, from the immediate postwar months to the official East-West separation of these increasingly politically divided communities in the early 1960s. Central to the study are the policies of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, which exemplify the process of gradual divergence in the relations between East and West German Jewish communities, that, as this article demonstrates, paralleled and mirrored the relations between non-Jewish Germans in the two countries.
Segmentation of High Dimensional Time-Series Data Using Mixture of Sparse Principal Component Regression Model with Information Complexity

This paper presents a new and novel hybrid modeling method for the segmentation of high dimensional time-series data using the mixture of the sparse principal components regression (MIX-SPCR) model with information complexity (ICOMP) criterion as the fitness function. Our approach encompasses dimension reduction in high dimensional time-series data and, at the same time, determines the number of component clusters (i.e., number of segments across time-series data) and selects the best subset of predictors. A large-scale Monte Carlo simulation is performed to show the capability of the MIX-SPCR model to identify the correct structure of the time-series data successfully. MIX-SPCR model is also applied to a high dimensional Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) index data to uncover the time-series’s hidden structure and identify the structure change points. The approach presented in this paper determines both the relationships among the predictor variables and how various predictor variables contribute to the explanatory power of the response variable through the sparsity settings cluster wise.
Building on the last "new" thing: exploring the compatibility of ecological and adaptation silviculture

Sustaining the structure, function, and services provided by forest ecosystems in the face of changing climate and disturbance regimes represents a grand challenge for forest managers and policy ma...
World War One, American literature, and the federal state: by Mark Whalan, New York, Cambridge University Press, 2018, xi + 273 pp., $32.00 (hardback), ISBN: 978-1-1084-7385-5

Mark Whalan’s latest book follows on the heels of Jonathan Vincent’s examination of US literary involvements in the preparedness movement of World War I in The Health of the State: Modern US War Na...
Characteristics, Covariances, and Average Returns: 1929 to 1997

The value premium in U.S. stock returns is robust. The positive relation between average return and book-to-market equity is as strong for 1929 to 1963 as for the subsequent period studied in previous papers. A three-factor risk model explains the value premium better than the hypothesis that the book-to-market characteristic is compensated irrespective of risk loadings. FIRMS WITH HIGH RATIOS OF BOOK VALUE to the market value of common equity have higher average returns than firms with low book-to-market ratios ~Rosenberg, Reid, and Lanstein ~1985!!. Because the capital asset pricing model ~CAPM! of Sharpe ~1964! and Lintner ~1965! does not explain this pattern in average returns, it is typically called an anomaly. There are four common explanations for the book-to-market ~BE0ME! anomaly. One says that the positive relation between BE0ME and average return ~the so-called value premium! is a chance result unlikely to be observed out of sample ~Black ~1993!, MacKinlay ~1995!!. Out-of-sample evidence is, however, provided by Chan, Hamao, and Lakonishok ~1991!, Capaul, Rowley, and Sharpe ~1993!, and Fama and French ~1998!. They document strong relations between average return and BE0ME in markets outside the United States. Using a rather small sample of firms, Davis ~1994! finds that the relation between average return and BE0ME observed in recent U.S. returns extends back to 1941. We extend Davis’ data back to 1926, and we expand the coverage to all NYSE industrial firms. We find that the value premium in pre-1963 returns is close to that observed for the subsequent period in earlier work. These results argue against the sample-specific explanation for the value premium. The second story for the value premium is that it is not an anomaly at all. The higher average returns on high BE0ME stocks are compensation for risk in a multifactor version of Merton’s ~1973! intertemporal capital asset pricing model ~ICAPM! or Ross’s ~1976! arbitrage pricing theory ~APT!. Consistent with this view, Fama and French ~1993! document covariation in returns
Mold Remediation & Certification Laws in the United States: A Look at Where We are & What We Need

Objective: Concern about mold in buildings and homes increased in the United States in the aftermath of Hurricane’s Katrina and Sandy. Mold is a known allergen and can cause a plethora of health issues, including mycotoxin poisoning and a range of respiratory ailments. As a naturally occurring irritant, there is great debate about the best means to safely remove mold. In order to protect the public against unscrupulous and unskilled contractors, a growing number of states enacted legislation requiring training, certification and other regulations of those in the business of mold remediation Methods: In this study, we used principles of legal epidemiology to conduct policy surveillance to explore which states enacted mold remediation and certification laws. We used LEXIS/NEXIS and https://legiscan.com/ to evaluate the laws and regulations of all 50 states against sixteen preset codes using LawAtlas WorkBench. Coders crosschecked for consistency. Results: Our review found that only a minority of states established mold remediation and certification laws and these vary in stringency and effectiveness. Some states (in the minority) are attempting to reduce consumer fraud in the mold removal industry and provide guidelines about how to both conduct proper mold removal and how to train those engaged in mold removal to protect both worker and building occupant safety. Moreover, penalties for violating laws in the few states that do provide guidelines are generally relatively insignificant; amounting to the regulatory equivalent of a parking ticket. Conclusions: Overall the data shows a paucity of states establishing legal guidance and protection assuring that mold removal specialists are properly trained and/or licensed to protect the health of both removal workers and building occupants.
The Truth Might Set You Free: How the Michael Morton Act Could Fundamentally Change Texas Criminal Discovery, Or Not

Michael Morton spent twenty-five years in a Texas prison for the murder of his wife, a crime he always denied committing. Following investigation aimed at proving that he was innocent, blatant prosecutorial misconduct came to light. Potentially exculpatory evidence had been hidden by the District Attorney in the case, allowing the actual killer to remain free to kill another victim before finally confessing to his crime. The attention this case attracted brought to light the stingy and discretionary discovery options available to criminal defendants in Texas, who were relegated to hoping that prosecutors would allow access to information in their files and would disclose at least what due process requires. In that environment, the Texas Legislature passed the Michael Morton Act, a significant amendment of Article 39.14 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. These changes in discovery law promised that disclosures would become virtually automatic, removing the trial judge and his or her discretion from the discovery process. While the Act represents a large step in the direction of fairer trials and reduced chances for wrongful conviction, gaps remain to be filled in order to realize its promise.This article surveys the pre-Morton discovery landscape, summarizes the events leading to this important reform measure, and describes the Act’s requirements, limitations, and exclusions. It then suggests and analyzes ways in which Article 39.14 can be clarified and strengthened to deliver on its promise. Special consideration is given to the enforcement options that exist to remedy or deter violations, how those options fail, and the ways in which they may be altered in order to ensure compliance by all those working within Texas’s criminal justice system.
Electron Thermalization and Related Phenomena

Mechanisms of thermalization are important for radiation-chemical effects. This chapter deals with the electron thermalization in the gas phase, in the condensed phase, and in high-mobility liquids. In the gas phase, electron thermalization exhibits itself through the evolution of electron energy via time-dependent reaction rates. In the liquid phase, the thermalization distance in the field of the positive ion is the all-important quantity that determines the probability of free-ion generation. In a non-attaching gas electron, thermalization occurs via vibrational, rotational, and elastic collisions. In attaching media, competitive scavenging occurs, sometimes accompanied by the attachment–detachment equilibrium. In the gas phase, thermalization time is more significant than thermalization distance; because of relatively large travel distances, thermalized electrons can be assumed to be homogeneously distributed. The chapter reviews several experiments that can be classified into four categories: microwave methods, use of probes, transient conductivity, and recombination luminescence. Further microwave methods can be subdivided into four types: cross modulation, resonance frequency shift, absorption, and cavity technique for collision frequency. In liquids, where the thermal electron mobility is high, it is expected that the electron will encounter less resistance to motion on the way to thermalization. Therefore, the thermalization distance would be longer resulting in a greater free-ion yield. In such liquids, a correlation between the mobility and the free-ion yield is expected.
Can we separate active from inactive conformations

Molecular modeling methodologies such as molecular docking, pharmacophore modeling, and 3D-QSAR, rely on conformational searches of small molecules as a starting point. All of these methodologies seek conformations of the small molecules as they bind to target proteins, i.e., their active conformations. Thus the question as to whether active conformations can be separated from inactive conformations is extremely relevant. In this paper, 3D-descriptors that separate random conformations from active conformations of small molecules are sought. To select appropriate descriptors, 65 protein-ligand complexes were taken from the protein data bank. For each ligand the active conformation was compared to randomly generated low energy conformations. Descriptors such as solvent accessible surface area, number of internal interactions and radius of gyration appear to be useful for separating the active conformations from the random conformations. The results with all these descriptors indicate that active conformations are less compact that random conformations, i.e., they have more solvent accessible surface area, fewer internal interactions and a larger radius of gyration than random conformations. Thus these descriptors could be useful as weights to bias conformational search procedures to conformations more likely to bind to proteins or as filters to eliminate conformations unlikely to bind to any protein.
Understanding engineered nanomaterial skin interactions and the modulatory effects of ultraviolet radiation skin exposure

The study of engineered nanomaterials for the development of technological applications, nanomedicine, and nano-enabled consumer products is an ever-expanding discipline as is the concern over the impact of nanotechnology on human environmental health and safety. In this review, we discuss the current state of understanding of nanomaterial skin interactions with a specific emphasis on the effects of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) skin exposure. Skin is the largest organ of the body and is typically exposed to UVR on a daily basis. This necessitates the need to understand how UVR skin exposure can influence nanomaterial skin penetration, alter nanomaterial systemic trafficking, toxicity, and skin immune function. We explore the unique dichotomy that UVR has on inducing both deleterious and therapeutic effects in skin. The subject matter covered in this review is broadly informative and will raise awareness of potential increased risks from nanomaterial skin exposure associated with specific occupational and life style choices. The UVR-induced immunosuppressive response in skin raises intriguing questions that motivate future research directions in the nanotoxicology and nanomedicine fields.
The 1990 Pennsylvania Antitakeover Law: Should Firms Opt Out of Antitakeover Legislation?

This paper examines the firm's opting out decision and the impact of the 1990 Pennsylvania Antitakeover Law on the stock prices of 123 firms. The results indicate that on average Pennsylvania stock returns decreased by 9 percent from introduction to passage. A comparison indicates that firms that opted out had CARs 18 percentage points higher than firms that chose not to opt out. The event study methodology may not be appropriate because investors may anticipate the passage of legislation and because there may be multiple events. Intervention analysis, an econometric technique not previously used in this area, is applied and the results support the agency cost hypothesis. A logit model is implemented to find the sources of the losses and gains and to study why firms choose to opt out. In this model, firms are controlled for antitakeover amendments, takeover activity, insider holdings, large noninsider holdings, size, and industry. Firms with a proxy for lower agency costs were found to be more likely to o...
A Category of Galois Connections

We study Galois connections by examining the properties of three categories. The objects in each category are Galois connections. The categories differ in their hom-sets; in the most general category the morphisms are pairs of functions which commute with the maps of the domain and codomain Galois connections. One of our main results is that one of the categories—the one which is the most closely related to the closed and open elements of the Galois connections—is Cartesian-closed.
A role for synaptic vesicles in non-neuronal cells: clues from pancreatic beta cells and from chromaffin cells.

Synaptic vesicles, vesicular carriers highly specialized for the secretion of fast nonpeptide neurotransmitters, until recently were considered neuron-specific organelles. The identification and characterization of several of the most abundant synaptic vesicle proteins have led to the identification in peptide-secreting endocrine cells of a class of microvesicles, referred to as synaptic-like microvesicles (SLMVs), which are similar to synaptic vesicles in membrane composition, biogenesis, and life cycle. Studies of pancreatic beta cells and of a chromaffin cell-derived cell line (PC12 cells) have suggested that SLMVs, like synaptic vesicles, store and secrete neurotransmitter-like substances that act as paracrine/endocrine signaling molecules. SLMVs of pancreatic beta cells store GABA; SLMVs of PC12 cells contain acetylcholine. Both synaptic vesicles and SLMVs are recycling organelles that represent a specialized subcompartment of the receptor-mediated recycling pathway of all cells. Recently, homologues...
ATTRACTING APPLICANTS IN THE WAR FOR TALENT: DIFFERENCES IN WORK PREFERENCES AMONG HIGH ACHIEVERS

This study examines how several indicators of ability and achievement are associated with individual differences in preferences for job and organizational attributes. Results from a sample of 378 business and liberal arts students suggest that students with high cognitive ability and all types of high achievement place greater importance on interesting and challenging work than do other students. However, on other work attributes (e.g., job flexibility, pay practices, fast-track promotion systems), students with high cognitive ability and high academic achievement (i.e., grade point average) appear to have different preference patterns from those with high social achievement (e.g., extracurricular and leadership activities). Results are discussed in terms of implications for employers and future research.
Pentobarbital anesthesia: Lack of effect on venous prostaglandins in dogs

Abstract Venous prostaglandins A, E, and F were determined by radioimmunoassay in 10 dogs before and one hour after administration of sodium pentobarbital (35 mg/Kg, iv). In the conscious state, PGA was 0.34 ± 0.04 ng/ml (mean ± SE), PGE 0.20 ± 0.01 ng/ml, and PGF 0.25 ± 0.03 ng/ml. During pentobarbital anesthesia, these levels were unchanged (p >0.05). Thus, pentobarbital anesthesia had no effect on peripheral venous prostaglandin levels.
Analysis of mix experiments on Omega

A 2-D Eulerian code with a turbulent mix model was used for the first time to model a set of plastic (CH) ablator capsules with 15 μm thick CH shells. Our simulations of these capsules do a reasonable job of matching the implosion radius versus time, self-emitting core radius, and have an experiment/simulation yield ratio that is about 0.24.
Osteological analysis of the killifish genus Cynolebias (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae).

Relationships among the species of the annual fish Cynolebias are unclear. An analysis of the variation and utility of osteological characters for phylogenetic analysis was done using cleared and double-stained specimens representing 21 species of Cynolebias. This analysis showed that some of the characters previously used to diagnose this genus and some of the species are polymorphic. Osteologically, Cynolebias can be diagnosed by the following synapomorphies: (1) triangular-shaped parietal, (2) vomer positioned ventral to the parasphenoid, (3) long ventral process of the dentary, (4) teeth on fourth ceratobranchial, and (5) teeth on first epibranchial. In addition, characters that help define some of the currently recognized species complexes were identified. Species in the "antenori complex" share at least five synapomorphies, such as ossified medial radials of dorsal and anal fins, four pectoral radials, ventral process of the maxillae enlarged, mesopterygoid long relative to the autopalatine, and proportion of cartilage in the basihyal. The "bellottii complex" is characterized by having a reduced basihyal and a deep urohyal, whereas species in the "elongatus complex" possess a caudal fin supported by four vertebrae and have unique modifications of jaw bones. The following osteological features are useful as diagnostic characters at the specific level: (1) Two vertebrae supporting the caudal fin (C. nigripinnis); (2) cartilaginous pelvic bones (C. notatus); (3) short third postcleithrum and broad lateral process of the sphenotic (C. wolterstorffi); (4) thick third postcleithrum (C. gymnoventris); (5) crest on the parietal and reduced in the upper portion of the lacrimal (C. whitei); (6) anteriorly curved lacrimal (C. cheradophilus); (7) second dermosphenotic (C. bellottii); and (8) expansion of the ventral tip of the maxillae and long basyhial (C. constanciae). J. Morphol. 238:245-262, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A Phase I study of ifosfamide with Mesna given daily for 3 consecutive days to children with malignant solid tumors

Background. The authors conducted a Phase I dose escalation trial of ifosfamide given daily for 3 consecutive days to 29 children with malignant solid tumors. Twenty-eight of these children had received prior chemotherapy. Methods. Patients were assigned to dosage cohorts separately on the basis of prior exposure to the platinum alkylating agents cisplatin or carboplatin (n = 20) or the absence of such exposure (n = 9). At least three patients in each category were treated at a starting dosage of 2133 mg/m2/d for 3 days. This dosage represented 80% of the total dose delivered in the prior study of ifosfamide given daily over 5 days with dosage escalation of 20% in subsequent cohorts. Results. Myelosuppression was dose-limiting at the second dosage level (2560 mg/m2/d) for patients previously treated with platinum and at the third dosage level (3072 mg/m2/d) for those not previously treated with platinum. Dose-limiting neurotoxicity was seen at 2560 mg/m2/d for the former group, but was not encountered in the latter group. Conclusions. Delivery of ifosfamide daily for 3 days is feasible and safe at recommended dosages of 2133 mg/m2/d for children with prior exposure to platinum and 3000 mg/m2/d for those without prior exposure.
Large deviation theory for stochastic difference equations

The probability density for the solution y n of a stochastic difference equation is considered. Following Knessl et al . [1], it is shown to satisfy a master equation, which is solved asymptotically for large values of the index n . The method is illustrated by deriving the large deviation results for a sum of independent identically distributed random variables and for the joint density of two dependent sums. Then it is applied to a difference approximation to the Helmholtz equation in a random medium. A large deviation result is obtained for the probability density of the decay rate of a solution of this equation. Both the exponent and the pre-exponential factor are determined.
A Path Integral Approach to the Theory of Heliospheric Cosmic-Ray Modulation

This paper introduces the path integral method, which has been widely used in quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics, into the field of cosmic-ray modulation theory to solve the Fokker-Planck equation for cosmic-ray transport. The path integral approach recognizes that the motion of cosmic rays is a Markov stochastic process. The derivation of the path integral yields a Lagrangian, L, consisting of parameters characterizing particle diffusion, drift, convection, adiabatic energy change, and Fermi acceleration. When its action functional integral ∫Ldt is minimized, it yields an Euler-Lagrange equation that describes the most probable trajectory of charged particles randomly walking in heliospheric magnetic fields. The most probable trajectory is equivalent to the classical trajectory of particles in quantum mechanics. A general solution to the cosmic-ray modulation equation with an initial boundary value problem is also formulated in this paper. The path integral has been applied to an example case of steady-state, one-dimensional, spherically symmetric modulation with a boundary at 100 AU. The modulated cosmic-ray spectra obtained with the path integral method agree very well with those from other methods, even though a simple semiclassical approximation is used in the evaluation of the path integral in this calculation. In addition to being able to calculate the modulated spectrum, the path integral method reveals new information about the average behavior of individual particles during their transit through the heliosphere, such as the particle trajectories, energy-loss behavior, and source-particle distribution, all of which are normally not available through simply solving the Fokker-Planck equation. It is expected that more complex modulation problems can also be dealt with by this method, since with the path integral approach, the mathematical problem of cosmic-ray modulation can be treated as a problem of quantum mechanics, for which many mathematical tools have been developed in the past five decades.
The structure of the (3 ×3)R30° superlattice phase on (111) α-Cu−16 at % Al; A leed intensity analysis

Abstract A dynamical LEED analysis is presented of the ( 3 × 3 ) R 30° superlattice on the (111) surface of an α-CuAl alloy single crystal with a bulk Al concentration of 16 at %. This surface ordering contrasts with the lack of long-range order in the bulk. In the ordered surface the Al atoms are found to be subtitutionally arranged within the topmost layer with the topmost layer with (√3×√3)R30° symmetry. No evidence for the ordering of Al in deeper layers is detected by this analysis. The fcc-(111) stacking sequence is maintained at the surface, and the surface atoms occupy positions within ±0.05 A of bulk Cu lattice positions, i.e. no appreciable top-layer spacing change and no mixed-layer buckling are detected.
Long- and short-term effects of alternative cutting regimes on economic returns and ecological diversity in mixed-species forests

Abstract A growth model is presented, which recognizes differences in tree species, quality and size. The model was calibrated with data from permanent sample plots in hardwood forests in Wisconsin, classifying trees in twelve sizes, each divided into high-value, low-value and non-commercial trees. The model predicted well the short- and long-term (steady-states) growth of stands, in terms of number, size and value of trees. This growth model was incorporated into a linear program to compare six cutting guides in terms of the soil rent and ecological diversity they would obtain in a steady state. A simple guide, cutting all trees of at least 41 cm every 15 years, led to a diversity that was nearly 95% of that of a natural stand, and a soil rent that was about 70% of the maximum achievable. High-grading the stand led to a negative soil rent and the lowest diversity among all six alternatives. These long-term, steady-state differences between cutting guides would be missed by analyses that relied on the forest value criterion, because forest value is determined largely by the initial stand state.
Imaging dielectric and conductivity from GPR measurements

It has been shown that, for non-conductive backgrounds and non-conductive spatial heterogenities, two- and three- dimensional images of spatial variations in wave speed can be reconstructed from broadband ground penetrating radar (GPR) measurements. In diffraction tomography, the reconstructed image is the so-called object function which, for non- conducting heterogeneities, is one minus the square of the real refractive index. In cases where spatial variations in electrical conductivity exist, the object function is complex with real part related to relative changes in the real refractive index and the imaginary part representing the spatial variations in conductivity. Thus, by considering the complex object function, it is possible to reconstruct images of both wave speed and conductivity. The procedure presented here is used to reconstruct images of wave speed and conductivity for several buried targets.
Does Hobbes have a concept of the enemy

This is an attempt to clarify the relation between Schmitt and Hobbes by examining Hobbes's thinking about enemies and enmity. On the one hand, Hobbes shares a strong war/crime distinction with Schmitt. On the other hand, Hobbes never suggests that lethal enmity gives a ‘meaningful’ tension to human life. Hobbes also describes the way feverish human minds may imagine enemies where none exist. This is another non‐Schmittian theme. Although Schmitt was a profoundly anti‐Hobbesian thinker for these and other reasons, an examination of Hobbes with the Schmittian question (‘who is the enemy?’) in mind, proves exceptionally fruitful, opening up aspects of Hobbes's political theory that have hitherto lingered in obscurity.
Alternative Policies to Agricultural Export Bans that are Less Market-Distorting

In response to the surges in world agricultural and food prices that have occurred since 2006, many countries imposed controls on their agricultural exports, using taxes, quotas, and complete export bans. Further, during the past few decades, many countries have maintained longstanding export taxes not only on agricultural goods, but also on forestry and fishery products, minerals, metals, and precious stones. This study examines the market effects of a conventional export tax, as well as three alternative policies that are less market distorting, and thereby less welfare diminishing: a subsidy to consumption, a tax on production, and a modification of a conventional export tax that allows additional exports after producers meet a sales requirement for their output. All three alternatives result in more exports of affected goods than the unmodified tax does. The increased exports will thereby benefit foreign consumers, and if the country is a large exporter of an affected good on the world market, the benefit is larger, because the additional exports will lower the good’s world purchase price. Increased global sales and lower prices will improve world food security and benefit the consuming poor of the world, especially if the affected product is a staple food such as wheat or rice. Policies that pursue such goals are consistent with U.S. efforts to improve world food security. However, the alternative policies are "second best" options because they are less effective at increasing both domestic and world economic welfare than the first best policy of abolishing the export tax and allowing free export.
Construction of a molecular representation of a complex feedstock by Monte Carlo and quadrature methods

Abstract The value of representing a complex petroleum mixture in terms of a small (∼10–100) number of molecules motivated the development of a novel algorithm for building a representative set of molecular structures. This hybrid Monte Carlo-quadrature method represents a molecule as a collection of molecular attribute building blocks (e.g. number of aromatic rings, number of naphthenic rings, number and length of sidechains, etc.). Each attribute is represented by a probability distribution function which can be sampled via Monte Carlo simulation to yield a large ensemble of representative molecules, the properties of the ensemble being constrained to match experimentally measured analytical data. In order to represent the information contained within these probability distribution functions in a reduced form, a quadrature method has been developed for the selection of an optimal small set (∼10–20) of molecules. The mole fractions of this small set are further optimized to match experimental data. Both the small and large ensembles are capable of matching a large number of key analytical properties for a complex petroleum feedstock.
Stochastic regularization of feedwater flow rate evaluation for the venturi meter fouling problem in nuclear power plants

Inferential sensing is a method that can be used to evaluate the value of physical system parameters, such as flows, pressures or temperatures based on a set of related measurements. The most common method of inferential sensing uses mathematical models to infer a parameter value from a set of correlated sensor values. However, since inferential sensing is an inverse problem, it can produce inconsistent results due to minor perturbations in the data. This research shows that regularization techinques can be used in inferential sensing to produce consistent results. The important example of monitoring nuclear power plant feedwater flow rate is presented using data from Florida Power Corporation's Crystal River Nuclear Power Plant.
Gain Requirements of Conductive Hearing Losses

Individuals with significant air-bone gap were presumed to need the gain used by sensori-neural hearing losses, plus one-fifth of the air-bone gap. The amount of operating gain used by 76 conductive and mixed hearing losses was found to closely approximate the predicted amount, but there were large individual differences. As was expected, a gradual increase in gain was used as the size of the air-bone gap increased. There appeared to be minimal relationship between operating gain differences and the air conduction pure-tone threshold pattern, but some relationship to the underlying conductive pathology.
Vein graft neointimal hyperplasia is exacerbated by CXCR4 signaling in vein graft-extrinsic cells

Objective Because vein graft neointimal hyperplasia engenders vein graft failure, and because most vein graft neointimal cells derive from outside the vein graft, we sought to determine whether vein graft neointimal hyperplasia is affected by activity of the CXC chemokine receptor-4 (CXCR4), which is important for bone marrow-derived cell migration. Methods In congenic Cxcr4 −/+ and wild-type (WT) recipient mice, we performed interposition grafting of the common carotid artery with the inferior vena cava (IVC) of either Cxcr4 −/+ or WT mice to create four surgically chimeric groups of mice (n ≥ 5 each), characterized by vein graft donor/recipient: WT/WT; Cxcr4 −/+ /WT; WT/ Cxcr4 −/+ ; and Cxcr4 −/+ / Cxcr4 −/+ ; vein grafts were harvested 6 weeks postoperatively. Results The agonist for CXCR4 is expressed by cells in the arterializing vein graft. Vein graft neointimal hyperplasia was reduced by reducing CXCR4 activity in vein graft-extrinsic cells, but not in vein graft-intrinsic cells: the rank order of neointimal hyperplasia was WT/WT ≈ Cxcr4 −/+ /WT > WT/ Cxcr4 −/+ ≈ Cxcr4 −/+ / Cxcr4 −/+ ; CXCR4 deficiency in graft-extrinsic cells reduced neointimal hyperplasia by 39% to 47% ( P Cxcr4 −/+ / Cxcr4 −/+ , in which the medial area was 60% ± 20% greater ( P Cxcr4 −/+ / Cxcr4 −/+ than in WT/WT vein grafts ( P P Conclusions We conclude that CXCR4 contributes to vein graft neointimal hyperplasia through mechanisms that alter homing to the vein graft of graft-extrinsic cells, particularly leukocytes.
Exploiting Phase-Change Memory in Cooperative Caches

Modern servers require large main memories, which so far have been enabled by improvements in DRAM density. However, the scalability of DRAM is approaching its limit, so Phase-Change Memory (PCM) is being considered as an alternative technology. PCM is denser, more scalable, and consumes lower idle power than DRAM, while exhibiting byte-address ability and access times in the nanosecond range. Unfortunately, PCM is also slower than DRAM and has limited endurance. These characteristics prompted the study of hybrid memory systems, combining a small amount of DRAM and a large amount of PCM. In this paper, we leverage hybrid memories to improve the performance of cooperative memory caches in server clusters. Our approach entails a novel policy that exploits popularity information in placing objects across servers and memory technologies. Our results show that (1) DRAM-only and PCM-only memory systems do not perform well in all cases, and (2) when managed properly, hybrid memories always exhibit the best or close-to-best performance, with significant gains in many cases, without increasing energy consumption.
Spray pyrolysis of complex sphalerite materials

Abstract Spray pyrolysis was demonstrated as a process for the production of thin layers of many adamantine copper compounds, some of which normally have stannite or chalcopyrite structures. Prepared by this technique they exhibit the sphalerite structure and a wide range of solid solubility. Some of these materials could have solar cell applications.
Stenting versus Endarterectomy and the Impact of Ultra-early Revascularization for Emergent Admissions of Carotid Artery Stenosis

Background The factors influencing outcomes after emergent admission for symptomatic carotid artery stenosis treated with revascularization by endarterectomy or stenting are yet to be fully elucidated. Methods We analyzed revascularization of carotid artery stenosis for patients admitted emergently using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2008-2011). Admission characteristics, economic measures, in-hospital mortality, and iatrogenic stroke were compared between (1) endarterectomy and stenting, (2) patients with and without cerebral infarction, and (3) ultra-early (within 48 hours of admission) and deferred (up to 2 weeks) intervention. Results 72,797 admissions meeting our inclusion criteria were identified. Factors associated with ultra-early revascularization were male patients, low comorbidity burden, stenosis without infarction, and stenting. Ultra-early intervention significantly decreased cost and length of stay, and stenting for patients without infarction decreased length of stay but increased cost. Patients without infarction treated within 48 hours had significantly lower mortality and iatrogenic stroke rate. Patients with infarction receiving ultra-early revascularization had increased odds of mortality and iatrogenic stroke in comparison with the deferred group. Patients with infarction receiving stenting experienced increased odds of mortality in comparison with those receiving endarterectomy, but there was no significant difference in iatrogenic stroke rate. Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) administration on the day of revascularization greatly increased the odds of iatrogenic stroke and mortality. Conclusions Larger prospectively randomized trials evaluating the optimum timing of revascularization after emergent admission of carotid artery stenosis seem warranted.
Post-activation-mediated Changes in Opioid Receptors Detected by N-terminal Antibodies

The majority of studies examining activity-induced conformational changes in G protein-coupled receptors have focused on transmembrane helices or intracellular regions. Relatively few studies have examined the involvement of the extracellular region in general and the N-terminal region in particular in this process. To begin to address this, we generated a series of antibodies to the N-terminal region of opioid receptors. Characterization of these antibodies revealed that they differentially recognize activated receptors. Recently, we generated monoclonal antibodies that recognize regions proximal to glycosylation sites in the receptor N terminus. Characterization of these antibodies revealed that agonist treatment leads to a decrease in epitope recognition by the antibody presumably because of a movement of the region of the N terminus proximal to glycosylation sites. The time course of the decrease in antibody recognition suggested that it could be due to a post-activation-mediated event. Examination of the involvement of receptor residues in the C-tail and β-arrestin binding using site-directed mutagenesis and cells or tissues lacking β-arrestin 2 suggests a role for these desensitization-related mechanisms in governing antibody binding to the receptor. Thus, these N-terminally directed antibodies can differentially recognize post-activation-mediated changes in the C-terminal (intracellular) region of the receptor. Therefore, these conformation-sensitive antibodies represent powerful reagents to probe receptor activation states and provide a potential tool for identifying and characterizing new compounds of therapeutic interest.
Employee Deviance A Response to the Perceived Quality of the Work Experience

Inquiries into the nature of deviance in the employment setting have generally assumed (without much empirical support) that an important explanatory factor is the employee's perception regarding q...
Approximate formulae for electron impact excitation of ions to highly excited levels

Abstract Approximate formulae are obtained for the cross-sections for excitation of ions of any complexity to highly excited levels by electron impact. These formulae are expressed in a simple way in terms of cross sections of the same form as hydrogenic cross sections. Results are given for the cases that jj coupling basis states are used, LS coupling basis are used, and pure LS coupling applies. The results are expected to be of particular interest for plasma applications.