cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dietary Urea for Dairy Cattle. II. Effect on Functional Traits

Abstract Rations containing urea were blended and fed free-choice during two trials to compare effects on performance. In Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively, urea nitrogen replaced about 0, 22, and 45% of plant nitrogen in heifer rations from insemination to mid-pregnancy, 0, 8, and 16% thereafter until 2 wk before calving, and 0, 18, and 36% (0, .9, and 1.8% of ration dry matter) precalving and during lactation. Dry matter of the lactation ration was 44% corn silage, 10% alfalfa bromegrass silage, and 46% concentrate (corn, soybean meal or urea, minerals, and vitamins). Trial 1 started with heifers before first insemination, and Trial 2 started just prior to first calving. Dietary urea had no effect on mastitis or other infections, digestive disorders, ovarian function, services per conception, and birth and survival of calves not aborted. Compared to Group 1, Group 3 had increased abortions of first pregnancy (Trial 1), increased retained placenta at second calving (Trial 2), increased calving intervals (Trial 2), and decreased gestation periods (both trials). Average daily yields of milk, fat-corrected milk, fat, and protein were decreased 8, 7, 6, and 13% in Group 3 compared to Group 1 for four consecutive lactations of Trial 2. Performance by Group 2 was similar to Group 1. It appears that replacement values of urea should be decreased if feeding rates approach 2% of the dry matter in a blended high energy ration fed free-choice.
A real-time, rule-based FMS operation control strategy in CIM environment—Part I

Abstract Conventional manufacturing system scheduling methods (even when run on superfast computers) cannot be considered appropriate in a real-time controlled CIM environment because of their inability to react quickly and in an ‘intelligent’ way to dynamic changes in the controlled system. The paper gives a brief overview of the scheduling problem in CIM/FMS architectures, demonstrates different methods of scheduling by showing algorithms and results, as well as outlining and demonstrating some new ways of dynamic scheduling. Part 1 gives a summary of the most important design rules enabling the implementation of a truly dynamic FMS operation control strategy, discusses methods such as loading sequence, balancing, capacity planning and others, and concludes by outlining a new, dynamic scheduling concept and scheduling rules.
Fracture orientation determination in sedimentary rocks using multicomponent ground-penetrating radar measurements

The resolution provided by conventional single-component GPR surveys is not always sufficient to determine fracture location and orientation. Multicomponent measurements can help in these determinations through phase and amplitude analysis. The phase of a radar wavelet is altered as it passes through a fracture. The amount of phase change depends upon the relative orientation of the fracture and the direction of the incident electric field. If the phase change is measured for a known orientation of the antennas, then the strike of the fracture can be determined. For our purpose, multicomponent means repeating measurements at the same location for different antenna configurations and orientations.
Implementing the NASA Deep Space LDPC Codes for Defense Applications

Selected codes from, and extended from, the NASA's deep space low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes are implemented for high speed defense applications. This is part of an effort to build Government reference waveform implementations to assist defense acquisition programs and to promote waveform re-use. Details of the decoder implementation, including memory layout, parallelization architecture, layered-decoding scheduling, and field programmable gate array (FPGA) resource utilization are presented.
Employment in accounting: A comparison of recruiter perceptions with student expectations

Abstract This paper reports the results of a survey of recruiters from public accounting firms and from companies in industry and of senior accounting majors, concerning their perceptions of working conditions in the accounting profession. Aspects of employment are identified on which there is a significant difference between the perceptions of recruiters and those of students prior to the interview process. Further comparisons of perceptions of recruiters with those of students who have been through the interview process enables an assessment of the effectiveness of the employment interview as a means of overcoming expectational gaps between recruiters and students in regard to employment conditions in professional accounting.
Hydrolysis of O-acetyl-ADP-ribose isomers by ADP-ribosylhydrolase 3.

O-Acetyl-ADP-ribose (OAADPr), produced by the Sir2-catalyzed NAD+-dependent histone/protein deacetylase reaction, regulates diverse biological processes. Interconversion between two OAADPr isomers with acetyl attached to the C-2″ and C-3″ hydroxyl of ADP-ribose (ADPr) is rapid. We reported earlier that ADP-ribosylhydrolase 3 (ARH3), one of three ARH proteins sharing structural similarities, hydrolyzed OAADPr to ADPr and acetate, and poly(ADPr) to ADPr monomers. ARH1 also hydrolyzed OAADPr and poly(ADPr) as well as ADP-ribose-arginine, with arginine in α-anomeric linkage to C-1″ of ADP-ribose. Because both ARH3- and ARH1-catalyzed reactions involve nucleophilic attacks at the C-1″ position, it was perplexing that the ARH3 catalytic site would cleave OAADPr at either the 2″- or 3″-position, and we postulated the existence of a third isomer, 1″-OAADPr, in equilibrium with 2″- and 3″-isomers. A third isomer, consistent with 1″-OAADPr, was identified at pH 9.0. Further, ARH3 OAADPr hydrolase activity was greater at pH 9.0 than at neutral pH where 3″-OAADPr predominated. Consistent with our hypothesis, IC50 values for ARH3 inhibition by 2″- and 3″-N-acetyl-ADPr analogs of OAADPr were significantly higher than that for ADPr. ARH1 also hydrolyzed OAADPr more rapidly at alkaline pH, but cleavage of ADP-ribose-arginine was faster at neutral pH than pH 9.0. ARH3-catalyzed hydrolysis of OAADPr in H218O resulted in incorporation of one 18O into ADP-ribose by mass spectrometric analysis, consistent with cleavage at the C-1″ position. Together, these data suggest that ARH family members, ARH1 and ARH3, catalyze hydrolysis of the 1″-O linkage in their structurally diverse substrates.
A National Evaluation of the Effect of Trauma-Center Care on Mortality

BACKGROUND Hospitals have difficulty justifying the expense of maintaining trauma centers without strong evidence of their effectiveness. To address this gap, we examined differences in mortality between level 1 trauma centers and hospitals without a trauma center (non-trauma centers). METHODS Mortality outcomes were compared among patients treated in 18 hospitals with a level 1 trauma center and 51 hospitals non-trauma centers located in 14 states. Patients 18 to 84 years old with a moderate-to-severe injury were eligible. Complete data were obtained for 1104 patients who died in the hospital and 4087 patients who were discharged alive. We used propensity-score weighting to adjust for observable differences between patients treated at trauma centers and those treated at non-trauma centers. RESULTS After adjustment for differences in the case mix, the in-hospital mortality rate was significantly lower at trauma centers than at non-trauma centers (7.6 percent vs. 9.5 percent; relative risk, 0.80; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.66 to 0.98), as was the one-year mortality rate (10.4 percent vs. 13.8 percent; relative risk, 0.75; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.60 to 0.95). The effects of treatment at a trauma center varied according to the severity of injury, with evidence to suggest that differences in mortality rates were primarily confined to patients with more severe injuries. CONCLUSIONS Our findings show that the risk of death is significantly lower when care is provided in a trauma center than in a non-trauma center and argue for continued efforts at regionalization.
On the Global Structure of Solutions to Some Semilinear Elliptic Problems

In this paper we discuss two problems involving positive solutions of semi linear elliptic equations which are global in the sense that the problem requires the knowledge of all possible solutions. In the first problem, we will study the semi linear elliptic equation $$ \Delta {\text{u + }}\lambda \,{ \sinh }\,{\text{u = 0}} $$ in bounded domains D ⊂ R2 . This equation has sometimes been called the elliptic Sinn-Gordon equation. Of particular interest is the study of the following boundary value problem of “nonlinear eigenvalue” type: $$\begin{array}{*{20}{c}} {\Delta u + \lambda {\text{ sinh u }} = 0{\text{ in }}R} \\ {u = 0{\text{ on }}\partial R} \\ {u \geqslant 0{\text{ in }}R} \\ \end{array}$$ (1) where R is a rectangle in R2 . This problem arises in plasma physics and also statistical mechanics as a way of modeling point vortices. However, it arises in a surprising and central way in the construction of compact surfaces of constant man curvature. This will be explained in the following section. The basic question that we discuss is the behavior of solutions as λ tends to zero.
The anxiety sensitivity construct: Cognitive reactions to physiological change

Abstract Anxiety sensitivity is proposed as an individual difference variable distinguishable from anxiety. Theoretically, individuals with high levels of anxiety sensitivity believe the experiences of anxiety are harmful and monitor their physiological responses by focusing attention to their internal stimuli. The current study assessed four groups of subjects: those with high and low levels of anxiety sensitivity; and those with or without recent experiences of panic attacks. Subjects completed a physiological protocol and reported their cognitions and subjective distress. Results support physiological change; however, reactions to the change did not differ significantly by ASI groupings, but were impacted by prior experiences with panic. Results are discussed in terms of support for a conditioning paradigm, with no apparent contribution from the postulated trait of anxiety sensitivity.
Numerical investigation of borehole dipole flexural dispersion crossover under triaxial stress

Crossover of the dispersion of flexural waves recorded in borehole cross-dipole measurements is interpreted as an indicator of stress-induced anisotropy around a borehole. Through numerical modeling of the influence of triaxial stress on borehole dipole flexural wave propagation, we find that for a circular borehole surrounded by an isotropic formation that is subjected to an anisotropic stress field the dipole flexural dispersion crossover is detectable only when the formation is sufficiently compliant. This might happen only in the shallow subsurface or in zones having high pore pressure.
Mikromechanik mehrphasiger Polymersysteme

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird eine kurze Ubersicht uber drei Gruppen von Modellen gegeben, die zur Darstellung der viskoelastischen Wechselwirkung verschiedener Phasen eines Systems bei mechanisch reversibler Beanspruchung benutzt werden. Die fur die Modellgruppen unterschiedlichen Einschrankungen in der Anwendbarkeit werden diskutiert. Die fur das Bruchverhalten von Mehrphasensystemen kennzeichnende heterogene nicht-elastische Deformation wird im wesentlichen von der Grose der Krafte bestimmt, bei der Kettenauffaltung, Hohlraumbildung und Kettenbruch einsetzen. Die molekularen Voraussetzungen fur das Eintreten dieser Relaxationsmechanismen und die Grose der damit verbundenen Energiedissipation werden im Zusammenhang mit bruchmechanischen und spektroskopischen Untersuchungen besprochen. In this paper a brief review of three groups of mathematical models is presented which are used to describe the—mechanically reversible—viscoelastic interaction between the different phases of a heterogeneous system. The limitations in applicability which are different for these groups are discussed. The fracture behavior of multiphase systems—characterized by the non-elastic heterogeneous deformation—is generally determined by the levels of force at which unfolding of chains, void formation and chain scission are initiated. The molecular requirements for the occurrence of these relaxation mechanisms and the amount of dissipated energy are discussed in view of fracture mechanical and spectroscopical investigations.
The Limits of Artificial Stimuli in Behavioral Research: The Umwelt Gamble

The use of artificial stimuli in behavioral experimentation is pervasive and well precedented. A perspective by Hauber et al. (2014) Ethology describes advantages of this approach and highlights the use of model bird eggs and artificial egg coloration in research on egg rejection in the context of brood parasitism. Here, as a companion piece focused on quality control, I outline limitations and pitfalls associated with the use of artificial stimuli. In general, the practice makes assumptions about the perception and cognition of the study organism, therefore involving what could be called an umwelt gamble. The magnitude of this gamble and the prospects for interpretable results depend on the experimental design, the particular stimulus, and its intended role. Common roles are (1) as a representative stimulus to be generalized to a broader class; (2) as a substitute for a natural stimulus; (3) as a modification or exaggeration of natural stimuli; or (4) as an entirely novel stimulus. Whether the gamble is successful— whether the methodology navigates peculiarities of the study organism in the way the researchers intend—can be tested with controls that function as artifact detection tests. Given the propensity of animals to be biased, sometimes in unforeseen ways, in the way they perceive and interpret their environments, researchers should be careful when considering the use of artificial stimuli, weighing the advantages against the risks in any particular case.
A process for fabricating robust electrothermal micromirrors with customizable thermal response time and power consumption

A novel process for fabricating robust electrothermal bimorph based MEMS devices is reported and scanning electrothermal micromirrors are fabricated. Device parameters can be chosen to customize thermal response time and power requirements. Aluminum (Al) and Tungsten (W) form the active bimorph layers and polyimide is used for thermal isolation.
The Wilkins lecture, 1988 hand and mind in time measurement: the contributions of art and science

I was dining some years ago at the Society of Fellows—a now venerable Harvard institution modelled largely on the Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge—and had the good fortune to be seated next to a handsome grey-haired gentleman by the name of Norman Ramsey. What do you do? I asked. I’m a physicist, he said. What kind of physics? I measure time. Imagine that, I said, it so happens that I’m writing a book on the history of time measurement. Well it was a good dinner, and I learnt a great deal about today’s methods of high-frequency time measurement, of which more later. But the one sentence that made the most impression on me and that I have never forgotten was the remark: ‘Any stable frequency is a clock. The counting we can leave to the technicians. ’ The importance of this remark, to me at least, was twofold. First it transformed my sense of the priorities. All the material I had been reading on antiquarian horology and the history of clockmaking focused on the escapement mechanism: that part of the clock which, among other things, counts the beats and thus ticks the passing of time. Now I came to understand (why hadn’t I understood this sooner?) the primary significance in time measurement of the controller—the device that generates the frequency whose even rhythm tries to match the perfectly even units of ideal passing time.
Scalable techniques for system-level cosimulation and coestimation

A system-level design approach that enforces a separation between system behaviour and architecture is presented. The system designer focuses first on system behaviour, then looks for a suitable architecture to implement it, and finally verifies the performance. Techniques and tools are described to accurately evaluate the performance of a system at different levels of abstraction. The evaluation must be done dynamically, in a simulation framework, to capture runtime interaction among tasks and with the environment model. Moreover, it should be fast enough to enable the exploration of several algorithmic and architectural solutions in the search for the best implementation. Tunable models, where the designer can trade accuracy for speed, are essential for this purpose.
A Prospective Study of Time and Number of Ejaculations to Azoospermia After Vasectomy by Ligation and Excision

Purpose: We obtained detailed information on the time and number of ejaculations to azoospermia after vasectomy by ligation and excision. Materials and Methods:. Men seeking vasectomy at 3 public clinics in Mexico City were invited to participate in this prospective noncomparative study. Vasectomy was performed using the no-scalpel technique. The vas was occluded using 2 silk sutures and the segment of vas between the ligatures was excised. Men were followed biweekly up to 24 weeks after vasectomy or until azoospermia was confirmed. Semen was examined at each visit for sperm concentration and motility. The main outcome measure was azoospermia in uncentrifuged semen samples. Results: The life table rate for time to azoospermia was 81.5/100 men (95% CI 76.2 to 86.9) by the end of the study. Cumulative Kaplan-Meier event probability attained a maximum of 79.5/100 men (95% CI 73.7 to 85.2) at 70 ejaculations. Only 60/100 and 27.9/100 men were azoospermic by 12 weeks and 20 ejaculations, respectively. These end points are the commonly recommended waiting periods when semen analysis is unavailable. Of the 217 men 36 (16.6%) did not achieve azoospermia by 24 weeks, of whom 25 (11.5% of all participants) were considered to have vasectomy failure. Conclusions: Our results suggest that it is not possible to develop guidelines for clearance based only on the time or number of ejaculations when ligation and excision are performed. In addition, of the methods for vas occlusion during vasectomy ligation and excision may not provide the best success rates.
Hypothesis Testing, Decision Theory, and Common Sense in Resource Management

Progress in science is presumed to occur through the hypothetico-deductive method. Balanced experimental design and rigorous statistical hypothesis testing control for extraneous factors and focus attention only on the effect of interest (Connor & Simberloff 1986). This powerful approach and inferences derived from results of rigorous statistical tests are convincing and effective evaluations of specific effects. Frequently, attempts to test and develop more ecologically benign harvesting techniques and gear need to be evaluated in an experimental context, because it may thereby become evident that such gear and techniques are not ecologically benign. In some cases, the proposed alternative may actually be more environmentally detrimental than current practices. Yet the compelling need to use statistically based hypothesis testing in both basic and applied research may force investigators to design experiments so that statistical significance can be achieved despite considerable ecological effect (Farnsworth & Rosovsky 1993). For example, in the development of a sea turtle excluder panel for shrimp trawls, any prototypes that allow even a single turtle to enter should be rejected, but the capture of a single individual will never be a statistically significant rejection of a no-effect hypothesis. In these situations, ethical concerns and the practice of common sense should outweigh the relevance of statistical significance. Other approaches, such as Bayesian inference (Ellison 1996) and decision theory (Poulton 1994), may be more appropriate in these cases because they provide a mechanism by which to include prior knowledge, and they can establish a priori levels of acceptable perturbation based on common sense and ethical concerns. As scientists, conservation biologists, and resource managers, we should value practical significance (Stevens 1996) and employ ethical reasoning, as well as statistical significance, to evaluate the outcome of our experiments. I cite an experience of my own in which ethical concerns and the use of common sense outweighed the value of rigorous statistically based hypothesis testing. During the summer of 1998, I conducted a survey of the bank trap crab fishery in the Maryland waters of Chesapeake Bay (Roosenburg 1999). As part of this study, I was asked to evaluate trap designs that would either prevent nontarget species, particularly air-breathing vertebrates, from entering traps or provide some mechanism for their escape.
Broken Churches, Broken Nation: Regional Religion and North-South Alienation in Antebellum America

I have long been intrigued with the role of the American churches in dividing the nation and reinforcing the sectional conflict that led to the Civil War. Elsewhere I have argued that evangelical Protestantism was a major bond of unity for the United States during the first part of the nineteenth century; that the chief institutional forms of this faith were the large popular denominations—Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, each with nationwide constituencies; that these denominations, increasingly agitated by disputes over slavery, sundered into northern and southern factions long before political rupture, thus opening the first major cleavage between slaveholding and free states; and that the denominational schisms portended and to some extent provoked the crisis of the Union in 1861. What I wish to pursue further in this article is how the regional religion which these schisms both exposed and augmented not only broke a primary bond of national unity but also furnished a persuasive example of sectional independence, encouraged the myth of peaceable secession, reinforced North-South alienation, and heightened the moral outrage which each section felt against the other. The “inner civil war” of the divided churches thus exacerbated the ordeal of the Union and confirmed the nation's course to unrepressed conflict.
A Radical Approach to Real Analysis

Preface 1. Crisis in mathematics: Fourier's series 2. Infinite summations 3. Differentiability and continuity 4. The convergence of infinite series 5. Understanding infinite series 6. Return to Fourier series 7. Epilogue A. Explorations of the infinite B. Bibliography C. Hints to selected exercises.
Reconstructing the ancestral female gametophyte of angiosperms: Insights from Amborella and other ancient lineages of flowering plants

For more than a century, the common ancestor of fl plants was thought to have had a seven-celled, eight-nucleate Polygonum-type female gametophyte. It is now evident that not one, but in fact three, patterns of female gametophyte development and mature structure characterize the common ancestors of the four most ancient clades of extant angiosperms: Amborellatype, Nuphar/Schisandra-type and Polygonum-type. The Amborella-type female gametophyte is restricted to a single extant species, Amborella trichopoda , and at maturity consists of eight cells and nine nuclei. Development of the Amborella-type gametophyte is essentially identical to the Polygonum-type except that there is an additional and asynchronous cell division at the micropylar pole prior to maturation that produces a third synergid and the egg cell. The Nuphar/Schisandra-type female gametophyte is four-nucleate and four-celled and at maturity contains a typical three-celled egg apparatus and a central cell with a single haploid polar nucleus. This type of gametophyte appears to be universal among extant members of the Nymphaeales (including Hydatellaceae) and Austrobaileyales. Based on explicit reconstruction of character distribution and evolution, the Polygonum-type female gametophyte is certain to be representative of the common ancestors of monocots, eudicots, magnoliids, Ceratophyllaceae, and Chloranthaceae. There are compelling biological reasons to suggest that the four-celled, four-nucleate female gametophyte (as found in Nymphaeales and Austrobaileyales) is ancestral among angiosperms, with transitions to Polygonum-type female gametophytes separately in the Amborellales and in the ancient angiosperm clade that includes all angiosperms except Amborella , Nymphaeales, and Austrobaileyales. Subsequent to the evolution of a seven-celled, eight-nucleate Polygonum-type female gametophyte in the Amborellales, we hypothesize that a peramorphic increase in egg apparatus cell number took place and led to the unique situation in which there are three synergids in Amborella trichopoda .
The effects on agriculture in the United States of an oil import fee

This paper focuses on the effect that a crude oil import fee would have on the various producing sectors, consuming sectors and household categories in the United States where the interrelationships between these entities is explicitly considered. Special attention is given to the agricultural sectors of the economy. Thus, in the context of a general equilibrium model, the effect of a $5.00 per barrel import fee on the producing sectors in general and the three agricultural sectors plus forestry in particular, on the consuming sectors, on households and on the government is calculated. Over the period 1984–90 with such an import fee (relative to the absence of a crude–oil import fee), the model results suggest that there will be a reduction in output by all producing sectors (except the crude-oil industry) by about $13,924 billion, there will be a fall in the consumption of goods and services by about $318 million and there will be a decline in aggregate social welfare (measured as utility) by about $208 ...
The design of low-complexity in linear-phase FIR filter banks using powers-of-two coefficients with an application to subband image coding

An optimization technique is presented for the design of multiplierless two-channel linear-phase finite-duration impulse-response (FIR) filter banks. It is shown to yield filter banks with good filtering performance and nearly perfect signal reconstruction. The design employs filters whose coefficients are represented by a canonic signed-digit (CSD) code. When applied to subband image coding this technique provides an easy way to design low-complexity analysis/synthesis filter banks for high-performance codecs. Examples concerning filter design and the application of such filters to subband image coding are given. >
Abnormal mast cell granules in the beige (Chédiak-Higashi syndrome) mouse.:

Mast cells of beige (C57BL/6J) (bg-j/bg-j) mice were examined histochemically and ultrastructurally. Mast cell granules in the beige mice were markedly enlarged and irregular in shape. Granule contents stained uniformly with acidified toluidine blue, but with ruthenium red and Alcian Blue-safranin, two components were evident. The rims of the abnormal granules stained with ruthenium red and with Alcian Blue; the centers of the granules were clear with ruthenium red and stained with safranin. Mast cell granules thus represent another abnormal organelle in the Chediak-Higashi syndrome.
Less invasive mitral valve surgery via right minithoracotomy.

Background/Purpose Current trends in cardiac surgical intervention are moving toward less invasiveness, with smaller wound or sternum-sparing, less pump time or off-pump, and beating rather than arrested heart. Data on the efficacy and safety of these newer less invasive techniques, as well as their cosmetic results, are limited. This study analyzed the results of a sternum-sparing mitral valve operation. Methods Thirty patients with mitral valve diseases, including 20 who underwent mitral valve repair and 10 mitral valve replacement, were enrolled. Cardiopulmonary bypass was established via femoral cannu-lation, and blood cardioplegic arrest was induced by using a percutaneous, transthoracic cross-clamp. The main surgical wound was made over the lateral border of the right breast. Two additional small wounds were required for the transthoracic aortic clamp and the mitral retractor. Results There was no operative mortality, and all patients had an uneventful recovery. Two patients underwent redo mitral surgery. Nine associated procedures were performed including tricuspid valve annulo-plasty in six patients, tricuspid valve replacement in two patients and atrial septal defect repair in one patient. The length of the main wound was between 5.8 and 7.8 cm (mean, 7.1 cm). The mean cardiopul-monary bypass time and cross-clamp time were 91.1 and 43.7 minutes, respectively. Although the length of stay was not significantly reduced compared with traditional median sternotomy, all patients had satisfactory results with good cosmesis. Conclusion Sternum-sparing mitral valve surgery appears to be a safe and effective alternative to conventional mitral valve surgery; it is less invasive and provides superior cosmetic results for patients.
Perception and understanding of social annotations in web search

As web search increasingly becomes reliant on social signals, it is imperative for us to understand the effect of these signals on users' behavior. There are multiple ways in which social signals can be used in search: (a) to surface and rank important social content; (b) to signal to users which results are more trustworthy and important by placing annotations on search results. We focus on the latter problem of understanding how social annotations affect user behavior. In previous work, through eyetracking research we learned that users do not generally seem to fixate on social annotations when they are placed at the bottom of the search result block, with 11% probability of fixation [22]. A second eyetracking study showed that placing the annotation on top of the snippet block might mitigate this issue [22], but this study was conducted using mock-ups and with expert searchers. In this paper, we describe a study conducted with a new eyetracking mix-method using a live traffic search engine with the suggested design changes on real users using the same experimental procedures. The study comprised of 11 subjects with an average of 18 tasks per subject using an eyetrace-assisted retrospective think-aloud protocol. Using a funnel analysis, we found that users are indeed more likely to notice the annotations with a 60% probability of fixation (if the annotation was in view). Moreover, we found no learning effects across search sessions but found significant differences in query types, with subjects having a lower chance of fixating on annotations for queries in the news category. In the interview portion of the study, users reported interesting "wow" moments as well as usefulness in recalling or re-finding content previously shared by oneself or friends. The results not only shed light on how social annotations should be designed in search engines, but also how users make use of social annotations to make decisions about which pages are useful and potentially trustworthy.
Using panchromatic imagery in place of multispectral imagery for kelp detection in water

Multispectral imagery (MSI) taken with high-spatial resolution systems provides a powerful tool for mapping kelp in water. MSI are not always available, however, and there are systems which provide only panchromatic imagery which would be useful to exploit for the purpose of mapping kelp. Kelp mapping with MSI is generally done by use of the standard Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). In broadband panchromatic imagery, the kelp appears brighter than the water because of the strong response of vegetation in the NIR, and can be reliably detected by means of a simple threshold; overall brightness is generally proportional to the NDVI. Confusion is caused by other bright pixels in the image, including sun glint. This research seeks to find ways of mitigating the number of false alarms using spatial image processing techniques. Methods developed in this research can be applied to other water target detection tasks.
A National Survey of American Higher Education Capstone Practices in Sociology and Psychology

Previous research on capstones in sociology and psychology has suggested that there is a typical capstone experience required by three quarters of all four-year colleges and universities in the United States. This article reports results from a national survey that confirm that sociology and psychology capstone courses conform generally to a common format. The findings further indicate that factors related to student limits and time limits predominate with respect to those variables that produce less successful course outcomes. A review of the social science capstone literature and the pedagogical best practices literature suggests that student limitations and time limitations can be attenuated by curricular, structural, and resource-allocation changes.
Study of Chromium Impurities in SrTiO3 by Photo-Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Chromium impurities in SrTiO3 grown by Verneuil and Float-zone methods were investigated using photoelectron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The samples are the substrates typically used for deposition of multifunctional and ferromagnetic films. A maximum optical cross section for Cr 3+ of 2.6x10 -18 cm 2 is obtained from the time-dependent data, and steady state measurements suggest the presence of a defect level 2 eV from one of the band edges. The cross section is similar to that obtained from optical absorption studies of Cr 3+ in semiconductors. The results produced here should be useful for those trying to interpret photoluminescence or similar optical characterization data.
Broadway: A Compiler for Exploiting the Domain-Specific Semantics of Software Libraries

This paper describes the Broadway compiler and our experiences in using it to support domain-specific compiler optimizations. Our goal is to provide compiler support for a wide range of domains and to do so in the context of existing programming languages. Therefore, we focus on a technique that we call library-level optimization, which recognizes and exploits the domain-specific semantics of software libraries. The key to our system is a separation of concerns: compiler expertise is built into the Broadway compiler machinery, while domain expertise resides in separate annotation files that are provided by domain experts. We describe how this system can optimize parallel linear algebra codes written using the PLAPACK library. We find that our annotations effectively capture PLAPACK expertise at several levels of abstraction and that our compiler can automatically apply this expertise to produce considerable performance improvements. Our approach shows that the abstraction and modularity found in modern software can be as much an asset to the compiler as it is to the programmer.
Circular DNA resulting from recombination between V-(D)-J joining signals and switch repetitive sequences in mouse thymocytes

During the course of analyzing circular DNA in mouse thymocytes, novel recombinants were identified with immunoglobulin heavy chain joining gene and switch region probes. These circles represent excision products of recombination between the heptamer-nonamer motif for V-(D)-J joining and a repetitive sequence for class switching. The molecular mechanisms that generate "hybrid circles" are discussed.
Excitation-Response Analysis of Estuarine Circulation

Estuarine circulation patterns and associated mass transport processes may be viewed as the responses of a nonlinear dynamic system to external excitations. The system excitations include deterministic tidal forcings, stochastic buoyancy forcings and stochastic local and nonlocal atmospheric forcings having time scales ranging from daily to seasonal. The estuarine system represented by the momentum, continuity and mass transport equations in a topographically complex spatial domain also has a variety of natural time scales or frequencies associated with the normal modes or free responses of the system. Due to the multiplicity of spatial and temporal scales associated with deterministic and stochastic excitations and forced and free responses, the analysis of estuarine circulation poses a formidable problem in applied fluid dynamics.
An Asylum-Seeker's Bill of Rights in a Non-Utopian World

This paper suggests a governing framework for asylum procedures for a non-utopian world. In a utopian world there would be no refugees. In a modified utopia, the root causes of forced migration would still exist, but the world's nations would eagerly open their arms to all refugees. We do not live in even this modified utopian world. The world we inhabit consists of sovereign states that jealously guard their territories, their wealth, and their ethnic makeups. In this world, there is economic, cultural, environmental, ethnic, and political resistance to the admission of refugees. Refugee-receiving states impose strict rules to limit their intakes to politically tolerable levels. While some such rules are substantive, this paper considers those rules that discourage applications, reduce approvals, or lower the administrative costs of adjudication by eliminating procedural safeguards. While taking practical account of economic, political and cultural realities, the paper insists nonetheless that certain principles of justice are so essential that they should be respected even under imperfect conditions. The article thus attempts to sketch an asylum-seeker's bill of rights for our non-Utopian world. Although the dividing line is not sharp, the paper organizes such a bill of rights around two core principles - fair access to the process and fair procedures for those who gain access. Some of the elements discussed are specific to the United States, but most are generic.
Ouabain increases aldosterone release from bovine adrenal glomerulosa cells: role of renin-angiotensin system

To evaluate the potential physiological significance of ouabain or a ouabainlike substance, we investigated the effect of nanomolar concentrations of ouabain on aldosterone release by cultured bovine adrenal glomerulosa cells. Ouabain (10 nM) increased aldosterone release from 0.35 to 0.89 ng.mg-1.4 h-1 in the serum-containing medium. Losartan prevented this increase. When angiotensinogen was added to the nonserum medium, 10 nM ouabain enhanced the aldosterone release. Losartan again blocked the increase. These findings together with a stimulation of renin release by ouabain indicate that angiotensin II generated by the adrenal cell renin-angiotensin system in the presence of exogenous serum or exogenous angiotensinogen is necessary for the ouabain-induced stimulation of aldosterone release. Ouabain (10 nM) enhanced the intracellular calcium concentration increase elicited by 0.1 nM angiotensin II severalfold. Addition of 1 nM ouabain enhanced the aldosterone secretion resulting from the addition of 1 nM angiotensin II. Nanomolar levels of ouabain, therefore, interact with both locally formed and exogenous angiotensin II to stimulate aldosterone production. A suggested mechanism is that ouabain increases calcium stores in the endoplasmic reticulum, thereby increasing the agonist response.
Sustainable Tourism along the Red Sea: Still Possible?

The Red Sea is a unique resource whose potential remains underutilized. Since the 1980s development for mass tourism has destroyed the northern coastal stretches as exemplified by the city of Hurghada. A number of initiatives have taken place in the past to protect areas along the Red Sea (from Marsa Alam city South), including introduction of ecotourism and coastal planning guidelines by the Red Sea Sustainable Tourism Initiative (RSSTI) in 2000-2004. Also, the 'Livelihood and Income From Environment (LIFE)' program in 2005-2008 supported implementing pilot projects in national parks to demonstrate the appropriate processes. Since 2008, local NGOs (e.g; HEPCA) initiated sustainable practices such as Solid Waste Management and Mooring Buoys. Despite these initiatives, the main obstacles to improved planning and development are found to be: (i) lack of coordination within the ministry and stakeholders, (ii) lack of contextual design relevance to the Red Sea, and (iii) inappropriate land subdivisions and development in environmentally vulnerable areas. The solutions for such complex problems are summarized below: (i) Elevate land use planning above the ministry level, (ii) incorporate appropriate planning and building education, (iii) mandatory use of Land use suitability maps in the region.
Development and Evaluation of a Modified Fourth-Generation Human Immunodeficiency Virus Enzyme Immunoassay for Cross-Sectional Incidence Estimation in Clade B Populations.

Abstract Background: Accurate methods for cross-sectional incidence estimation are needed for HIV surveillance and prevention research. We developed an avidity assay based on the fourth-generation Genetic Systems HIV Combo Ag/Ab EIA (Bio-Rad Combo assay) and evaluated its performance. Materials and Methods: The Bio-Rad Combo assay was modified incubating samples with and without 0.025 M diethylamine (DEA). The avidity index (AI) was calculated as the ratio of the DEA-treated to untreated result for a specific sample. We analyzed 2,140 samples from 808 individuals from the United States with known duration of HIV infection. The mean duration of recent infection (MDRI) and the false-recent rate (FRR, fraction of samples from individuals known to be infected >2 years misclassified as recent) were calculated for AI cutoffs of 20%–90% for the avidity assay alone and in combination with a viral load assay (VL, limit of detection 400 copies/ml). Factors associated with misclassification of samples collected ≥2 y...
Analysis of the Use of Vancomycin in Children

[Objective]To analyse the using situation of vancomycin in children and promote the drug usage.[Methods] A retrospectiue survey was made in children in-patients using vancomycin for therapeutic aims.[Results]The efficacious rate of the drug was 68.2%,and the mean drug-using day was 5.7 days.[Conclusion]Some measures should be taken: limiting the use of vancomycin, restricting its applicable scope, and reducing its use based on experience in order to improve its rational use and therapeutic effect.
Research status and development of brown rice whole-grain foods

Brown rice is used as one of the important raw materials of the production of whole grain products,and people pay more and more attention to its nutritional value and healthy function.In order to make full use of nutrition in brown rice and improve the eating quality,we can use a few processing new technology to produce brown rice whole-grain foods in the basis of no loss of nutrients,and the countries all over the world have carried out the related research of producing brown rice whole-grain foods.This paper briefly introduces the definition of whole-grain foods and its research status at home and abroad,and has systematically summarized the application and research progress of brown rice whole-grain foods.This paper also puts forward some opinions about the future development of brown rice whole-grain foods in our country in order to better promote the brown rice whole-grain food industry development.
The gospel according to Renan. Reading, writing, and religion in nineteenth-century France

Published in 1863, Ernest Renan’s (1823–1892) bestselling book Vie de Jesus ‘enraged and entranced generations of French men and women because it presented a new Jesus for the nineteenth century’ (...
Numerical Modeling and Predictability of Mountain Wave-Induced Turbulence and Rotors

A survey is provided of a series of studies that demonstrate the capabilities of modern nonhydrostatic numerical models to simulate and predict the occurrence of mountain waves, wave-induced turbulence in the upper troposphere and stratosphere, and rotors in the lower troposphere generated by flow over topography. Field campaign measurement from research aircraft, turbulence reports from commercial aviation, and numerical simulations demonstrate that flow over larger-scale topography (e.g., Greenland) and three-dimensional complex terrain (e.g., Alps, Sierra Nevada Range) frequently generates upper-level wave breaking and turbulence in a variety of conditions including in the presence of environmental critical levels. In some situations, the boundary layer can strongly influence wave launching, and may limit wave amplitudes and impact the altitude and likelihood of wave breaking and turbulence. Near the surface, rotors occur when strong downslope flow in the boundary layer along the lee slopes separate from the surface as a turbulent vortex sheet, which is lifted aloft within the lee wave. Because of their strong turbulent flow, rotors are often significant aeronautical hazards.
Event-based automated refereeing for robot soccer

The RoboCup Small Size League (SSL) is a robot soccer game with robots that play on a customized field with overhead cameras. The majority of the research effort to date has been on the performance of the autonomous teams in aspects of motion planning and team strategy. However, another critical component of a robot game is the referee. In current SSL games, refereeing is done by humans, who use a “referee box” that passes their calls to the robots. In this work, we contribute an automated referee (autoref) for SSL games, towards enabling games to proceed with little or no human supervision. The goal is to move closer to the eventual full automation of complete games with real robots. The technical challenges include the clear definition of the rules of the game in terms of features to be extracted from the visual perception, temporal sequencing, and corresponding calls and game management. We provide a description of a game of SSL as it is relevant to an autoref, by categorizing the rules of the game and presenting the structure of a game as a hybrid automaton. We then describe the complete autoref using a modular event-based architecture, following up on the automaton as a guideline, to keep track of the state of a game and issue referee commands accordingly. We present the results of using our autoref to referee games on real robots, as well as a comparison of the events detected by the autoref to the calls made by a human referee during the real SSL games at RoboCup 2014.