cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How non-normality affects the quadratic discriminant function

The quadratic discriminant function is commonly used for the two group classification problem when the covariance matrices in the two populations are substantially unequal. This procedure is optimal when both populations are multivariate normal with known means and covariance matrices. This study examined the robustness of the QDF to non-normality. Sampling experiments were conducted to estimate expected actual error rates for the QDF when sampling from a variety of non-normal distributions. Results indicated that the QDF was robust to non-normality except when the distributions were highly skewed, in which case relatively large deviations from optimal were observed. In all cases studied the average probabilities of misclassification were relatively stable while the individual population error rates exhibited considerable variability.
A Survey of Activities Engaged in and Skills Most Needed by Adults in Community Residences

A national survey of 298 group homes and 138 foster homes serving adults with severe mental retardation was conducted in order to identify activities engaged in and skill competencies needed by adults living in these community residences. Residential staff were asked to rate 78 functional activities or skills in 8 categories; 31 of the activities were rated on a “frequency” scale and 47 skills were rated on a “need” scale. Foster home and group home staff gave similar ratings in five of the six “need” categories; however, group home staff indicated a greater need for outside work or day activity programs for their residents than did foster home staff. Furthermore, group home staff reported significantly higher frequency ratings for leisure activities than was reported in foster homes.
Lattice thermal conductivity of single-walled carbon nanotubes: Beyond the relaxation time approximation and phonon-phonon scattering selection rules

We present a theoretical description of phonon thermal transport and intrinsic lattice thermal conductivity in single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). An exact solution of the phonon Boltzmann equation is implemented using an efficient scheme that allows consideration of SWCNTs with a wide range of radii and chiralities. Our approach combines for the first time calculations of the full spectrum of anharmonic three-phonon scattering processes in SWCNTs with use of the correct selection rules that severely restrict the phase space of this scattering. In particular, we demonstrate that if only the acoustic phonon branches are considered, no umklapp scattering can occur: scattering of acoustic phonons by optic phonons is required to produce thermal resistance in SWCNTs. We also show that the commonly used relaxation time approximation gives a particularly poor description of thermal transport in SWCNTs because of the unusually weak phonon-phonon umklapp scattering in these systems.
Institutions, Interests, and Ideology in Economic Policy in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States

In previous research on economic policy in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s, the author found that the primary determinant of economic policies and their outcomes appeared to be powerful organized interest groups, with differences in governmental institutions having little apparent impact. The ideologies of Thatcherism and Reaganism contributed to the reduction of the role of government and established conservative agendas, but left their postwar welfare state programs intact. This study of economic policymaking in the three countries since the mid-1980s confirms the ‘new institutionalist’ position in political science that institutions—government organizations, political parties, and electoral systems—do matter. Interest groups are also crucial, but they are not as determinative as previously argued. Ideology can be critical, but the influence of ideology is neither pervasive nor continuous. Strong, forceful, goal-directed leadership can also play a ...
Genetic algorithm based approach for designing computer network topology

One of the important features of computer networks is the potential for high reliability. The reliability of a network depends on many parameters such as connectivity, degree of each node, and average distance between any pair of nodes. The main focus of the problem considered in this paper is to design reliable computer network topologies. A generalized framework based on Genetic Algorithm is developed which is applicable to wide range of network design problems. Several topology design problems are solved to demonstrate the generality of this solution approach. The results obtained from genetic algorithm based solution approach are compared with the optimal solutions to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Anomalous course of the median nerve medial to the trochlea and anterior to the medial epicondyle of the humerus.

Summary It is generally assumed that in the cubital region the median nerve is directly medial to the brachial artery and that it lies anterior to the trochlea of the humerus, from which it is separated by the brachialis muscle. Three instances are noted where the median nerve passed medial to the trochlea and anterior to the medial epicondyle, deep to the pronator teres, unilateral in one subject and bilateral in another. Its possible significance in elbow trauma is commented upon.
An empirical analysis of the factors contributing to 20-year decrease in soil pH in an old-field plantation of loblolly pine

The pH of weak-acid solutions is controlled by acid concentration (HA + A−), the degree of acid dissociation (A−/HA), and the strength of the acids present (pKa). We developed an empirical approach that allows the relative importance of each of these factors to be estimated for soils. This empirical model was applied to soils collected from an old-field plantation of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) at 5 and 25 years of age. During this period, soil pH dropped by 0.3 to 0.8 units, and extractable calcium, magnesium and potassium declined by 20 to 80%. The empirical model indicates that the decline in pH resulted largely from the reduction in base saturation of the exchange complex. However, the average acid strength of the exchange complex decreased during the 20 years, preventing a greater decline of perhaps 0.1 to 0.2 units in the observed pH. The rate of decrease in the acid neutralizing capacity to pH 3.5 was about 1.3 kmolc/ha annually, while the increase in base neutralizing capacity was about 2.7 and 1.6 kmolc/ha annually to pH 5.5 and 8.2, respectively. Extractable alkali and alkaline earth cations declined by about 2.2 kmolc/ha annually, matched by the rate of increase in aluminium. These changes demonstrated the dynamic nature of poorly buffered soils, and indicated that changes in soil acidity may be expected over a period of decades (especially following changes in land-use).
Synchronously Mode-Locked Continuous Wave Dye Lasers: Recent Advances And Applications

In recent years, the synchronously mode-locked cw dye laser has emerged as one of the most promising sources of laser pulses of picosecond and subpicosecond duration. The great interest in synchronously mode-locked cw dye lasers is due to their numerous attractive features, including their reliability and stability, broad spectral tunability, easily controllable pulse durations, and their amenability to synchronization and frequency modulation. We briefly review here the pulse formation mechanism and general performance characteristics of such lasers, as well as several recent advances in their source capabilities, and some recent applications.© (1982) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Runoff-investigations from small agricultural areas

The Bureau of Agricultural Engineering has, since 1910, been studying the problem of runoff from small areas of land. Early studies would be considered crude today but the technique has been gradually improved until now we feel that the studies cover fairly adequately the purposes for which they are made. The first studies undertaken were made for the purpose of determining the amount of runoff that should be provided for drainage-ditches that were to provide artificial drainage for cultivated land. When I joined the staff of Drainage Investigations, Office of Experiment Stations, in 1907, one of the moot points in the design of drainage-ditches was the amount of runoff it was necessary to provide for in order to secure adequate drainage ditches was the amount of runoff it was necessary to provide for in order to secure adequate drainage. About the only data available were the records of the United States Geological Survey in regard to the discharge of streams and every engineer engaged in this work—and there were not so many of us in those days—had his opinion as to the proper amount of runoff to provide for, but very little information with which to back his judgment. Consequently, the arguments were numerous and at times heated.
Testosterone regulation of pigmentation in scrotal epidermis of the rat

The effects of testosterone on melanocyte number, morphology, melanin content and tyrosinase activity were studied in epidermis from several body regions of the black-pelted Long-Evans rat. Determinations were made in epidermal sheets processed for histochemical analysis by incubation in the presence of the melanin precursor, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA). Melanin content, cell volume, dendritic branching and tyrosinase activity of scrotal epidermal melanocytes all decreased progressively with time following castration. Daily testosterone injection, begun 14 days after castration, increased tyrosinase activity in 4 days, and dendritic branching in 6 days, of treatment; melanin content, cell volume and enzyme activity were restored to normal intact levels within 14 days of treatment, at which time newly synthesized melanin was evident in keratinocytes. The total number of scrotal epidermal melanocytes was not changed by castration or testosterone administration. Neither castration nor testosterone replacement affected any parameter of epidermal melanocytes in preputial, perianal or eyelid skin which, together with the scrotum, are the animals' only pigmented areas. Androgen control of epidermal pigmentation in the male rat is therefore specific for the scrotum and is manifested through regulation of melanin synthesis in stable populations of melanocytes rather than through increases in numbers of melanocytes.
Finding the missing stratospheric Br y : a global modeling study of CHBr 3 and CH 2 Br 2

Abstract. Recent in situ and satellite measurements suggest a contribution of ~5 pptv to stratospheric inorganic bromine from short-lived bromocarbons. We conduct a modeling study of the two most important short-lived bromocarbons, bromoform (CHBr3) and dibromomethane (CH2Br2), with the Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry Climate Model (GEOS CCM) to account for this missing stratospheric bromine. We derive a "top-down" emission estimate of CHBr3 and CH2Br2 using airborne measurements in the Pacific and North American troposphere and lower stratosphere obtained during previous NASA aircraft campaigns. Our emission estimate suggests that to reproduce the observed concentrations in the free troposphere, a global oceanic emission of 425 Gg Br yr−1 for CHBr3 and 57 Gg Br yr−1 for CH2Br2 is needed, with 60% of emissions from open ocean and 40% from coastal regions. Although our simple emission scheme assumes no seasonal variations, the model reproduces the observed seasonal variations of the short-lived bromocarbons with high concentrations in winter and low concentrations in summer. This indicates that the seasonality of short-lived bromocarbons is largely due to seasonality in their chemical loss and transport. The inclusion of CHBr3 and CH2Br2 contributes ~5 pptv bromine throughout the stratosphere. Both the source gases and inorganic bromine produced from source gas degradation (BryVSLS) in the troposphere are transported into the stratosphere, and are equally important. Inorganic bromine accounts for half (2.5 pptv) of the bromine from the inclusion of CHBr3 and CH2Br2 near the tropical tropopause and its contribution rapidly increases to ~100% as altitude increases. More than 85% of the wet scavenging of BryVSLS occurs in large-scale precipitation below 500 hPa. Our sensitivity study with wet scavenging in convective updrafts switched off suggests that BryVSLS in the stratosphere is not sensitive to convection. Convective scavenging only accounts for ~0.2 pptv (4%) difference in inorganic bromine delivered to the stratosphere.
Door‐to‐door canvassing and personal contact in library referenda campaigns

Door‐to‐door canvassing is the single most effective campaign activity for persuading undecided voters to support a library issue and for getting “Yes” voters to get out and vote. Discusses the two forms of door‐to‐door canvassing: simply delivering the literature; and delivering campaign literature and making personal contact. Includes a sample script which can be used by canvassers.
Parathyroid carcinoma: is there a role for adjuvant radiation therapy?

BACKGROUND The authors proposed to determine risk factors associated with postoperative progression of parathyroid carcinoma within the neck (locoregional) and to assess the efficacy of postoperative adjuvant radiation therapy in preventing disease progression within the neck. METHODS A retrospective review of patients with pathologically confirmed parathyroid carcinoma who underwent surgical resection was performed. Risk factors identified on univariate analysis were applied in a proportional hazards analysis to identify significant independent predictors of locoregional disease progression and cause-specific survival after surgical resection. Fifty-seven patients were treated with surgery alone (no adjuvant radiation therapy [RT]) and were determined to have sufficient follow-up and pathologically confirmed features to be included in the current analysis. Four patients were treated with surgery and adjuvant RT. Four patients received RT to the neck and mediastinum for unresectable locoregional disease progression. Patients were followed for a median of 75.6 months (range, 8.4–358 months). RESULTS Twenty-five patients (44%) developed locoregional disease progression at a median of 27.1 months after surgery (range, 6.2–138.3 months). The univariate analysis revealed that surgical margin status and the institution at which the initial surgery was performed were predictive of locoregional progression-free survival. The institution at which the initial surgery was performed was found to be an independent predictor of cause-specific survival. Of the four patients treated with surgery and adjuvant RT, all were alive and without disease at the time of last follow-up. All four patients who received RT for locoregional disease progression after initial surgery achieved locoregional disease control. CONCLUSIONS Patients with parathyroid carcinoma are reported to have a significant risk of locoregional disease progression after surgery alone. The results of the current study demonstrated that the risk of postoperative disease progression can be predicted by surgical margin status and the institution at which the initial surgery is performed. Patients treated with surgery and postoperative RT may have a lower risk of locoregional disease progression and improved cause-specific survival. RT can be used to provide locoregional control of recurrent disease. Cancer 2003. © 2003 American Cancer Society.
Vortex modeling for rotor aerodynamics - The 1991 Alexander A. Nikolsky Lecture

The efforts toward realistic vortex modeling for rotary wings which began under the guidance of professor A. A. Nikolsky of Princeton University in 1955-1956 are discussed. Attention is given to Nikolsky's flow-visualization studies and major theoretical considerations for vortex modeling. More recent efforts by other researchers have led to models of increasing complexity. The neglect of compressibility and viscous effects in the classical approach is noted to be a major limiting factor in full-scale rotor applications of the classical vortex theory; it has nevertheless been valuable for the delineation of problem areas and the guiding of both experimental and theoretical investigations.
Influence of native North American prairie grasses on predation of an insect herbivore of potato

Abstract Replacing cropland with non-crop vegetation can affect predation of crop pests through multiple mechanisms, with varying implications for management. Prairie grasses have been planted for on-farm conservation across the United States. We examined the potential impacts of replacing cropland with prairie grasses on predation of Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), examining underlying mechanisms. Experiments disentangled changes in the area and edge-to-area ratio of potato patches from the addition of prairie grasses and determined if effects were mediated through herbivore or predator trophic levels. In 2007 and 2008, we compared predation of L. decemlineata eggs, egg and adult densities, and densities of natural enemies between (1) 15 × 20 m monocultures of potatoes, (2) smaller patches (2 × 20 m) surrounded by 15 × 20 m of bare ground and (3) small patches in a 15 × 20 m background of prairie grass. Predation increased fourfold in potatoes surrounded by native grasses compared to potato monocultures, an effect not explained by changes in potato area. Moreover, predation was elevated along edges of monoculture plots within 5 m of adjacent grasses but was consistently lower in their center and opposing edge, suggesting that proximity to grasses, and not edges in general, affected predation. Increases in predation were correlated with increased harvestmen (Opiliones) and spider (Araneae) abundance in native grasses. An experiment suggested the numerical response of harvestmen was sufficient to explain the observed increase in predation. Reducing the distance between crop and non-crop vegetation could benefit generalist predators and increase their impact in crops.
United States' international retirement migration: the reasons for retiring to the environs of Lake Chapala, Mexico

Most studies of retirement migration in the United States focus at the national level, and there is comparatively little information about the retirees who cross international borders in their search for new homes. Retirement migrants are unusual in that many select destinations in less-developed countries, contrary to the general pattern of migration from poor to rich countries in search of jobs, higher incomes and a better standard of life. This study has examined the reasons for retirement migration from the United States (US) to the Lake Chapala area of the Mexican state of Jalisco. A non-random sample of 211 US retirees was surveyed using a self-completion, semi-structured questionnaire that included items about the decision to move to Mexico, the quality of life at the destination, cultural adaptation, and aspects of personal identity, financial security and health-care. Four major reasons for migrating to Mexico were identified: financial circumstances, the natural environment, a sense of community and friendship, and a better quality of life. While the migrations contradict much taken-for-granted and popular knowledge about migration patterns around the world, they have important implications for the ways of life, social relationships and welfare of the most recent cohort of older people. More in-depth multidisciplinary studies are needed to increase understanding of this evolving phenomenon.
Fas(t) track to apoptosis in MS TNF receptors may suppress or potentiate CNS demyelination

Molecules of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor superfamily could both suppress and promote MS disease activity. These molecules, including Fas (CD95), TRAIL receptor 2 (TRAIL R2), and TNF receptors p55 and p75, contain a “death sequence” in their cytoplasmic tail linking them to caspases—a series of potentially destructive cysteine proteases. Signaling activates a caspase cascade, culminating in the fragmentation of nuclear DNA and ultimately, self-destruction by programmed cell death or “apoptosis.” MS remissions could be triggered by the elimination of CNS-infiltrating inflammatory cells through Fas, TRAIL R2, or TNF p55/p75 receptor pathways. Conversely, MS exacerbations could result from the killing of oligodendrocytes via stimulation through Fas receptors. The articles by Huang et al.1 and Comi et al.2 in this issue of Neurology support a role for TNF family receptors in the regulation of …
In Search of the Cognitive Deficit in Autism: Beyond the Stimulus Overselectivity Model:

Research on overselective attention in autistic children is reviewed from a critical perspective. The philosophical underpinnings of this body of experimental literature are made explicit, and some limitations of the approach are discussed. The information-processing paradigm of Hermelin and her colleagues is explored as an alternative conception. Methodological flaws and uncertainties in both groups of research are detailed, particularly the use of matching, imprecise definitions of autism, and reliance on the dubious construct of mental age. Suggestions for future research paradigms are offered. Finally, the current state of knowledge on overselective attention is detailed. A critical review of the literature indicates that overselective attention: (a) is not limited to autistic children, (b) may be only one of several developmental lags these children display, and (c) may or may not be strongly correlated with children's language abilities and general intellectual abilities. At present, there is no cle...
Falls documentation in nursing homes: agreement between the minimum data set and chart abstractions of medical and nursing documentation.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the agreement between falls as recorded in the Minimum Data Set (MDS) and fall events abstracted from chart documentation of elderly nursing home (NH) residents. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of data from a longitudinal panel study. SETTING: Fifty-six randomly selected NHs in Maryland stratified by facility size and geographic region. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred sixty-two NH residents, aged 65 and older, in NHs for 1 year. MEASUREMENTS: Falls were abstracted from resident charts and compared with MDS fall variables. Fall events data obtained from other sources of chart documentation were matched for the corresponding periods of 30 and 180 days before the 1-year MDS assessment date. RESULTS: For a 30-day period, concordance between the MDS and chart abstractions of falls occurred in 65% of cases, with a kappa coefficient of 0.29 (P<.001), indicating fair agreement. Concordance occurred between the sources for 75% of cases for a 180-day period, with a kappa of 0.50 (P<.001), indicating moderate agreement. During the 180-day period, chart abstractions showed that 49% of the sample fell, whereas the MDS revealed that only 28% fell. An analysis of residents whose falls the MDS missed indicated that these residents had significantly more activity of daily living impairment and significantly less unsteady gait and cane/walker use. CONCLUSION: The MDS underreported falls. Nurses completing MDS assessments must carefully review residents' medical records for falls documentation. Future studies should use caution when employing MDS data as the only indicator of falls.
Distribution of hereditary factors in the blood of Indians of the Gila River, Arizona.

This paper reports the distribution of blood groups, A-B-H secretors, haptoglobins, transferrins and hemoglobin types among Indians of the Gila River Valley in Arizona. Specimens were procured from the following putative full-bloods: 909 Pima, 37 Papago, and 124 Maricopa; and from the following known mixed-bloods: Pima-Papago 134, Pima-Maricopa 26, Pima-Other Indian 41, Pima-Caucasian 33. These 1304 samples were tested for factors in the A-B-O, M-N-S-s, P, Rh-Hr, Lutheran, Kell-Cellano, Lewis, Duffy, Kidd and Diego blood group systems, and for additional blood factors (Wra), Doa, Vel, Yta, Coa, Gya, Sav, and L. W. Serum samples were tested for haptoglobins and transferrins. Hemolysates, prepared from whole blood, were tested for hemoglobin types. The results are presented on appropriate tables as number and per cent of phenotypes for the various blood group antigens and their calculated allele frequencies. Locations of the populations from which blood samples were procured are shown on a map (fig. 1). Tests made by earlier workers on the blood of Arizona Indians and related tribes are presented for comparison and discussed. The usual high frequencies for allele O reported in Amerinds was found among the putatively full-blood Gila Indians; the 124 Maricopa presented the maximum frequency of 1.000. High frequencies were reported generally for M, s, P1, R1 (CDe), R2 (cDE), k (100%) Fy, and Doa alleles. Low frequencies were reported for N, S, r (cde), R° (cDe), fy, Le1w and Dia (Pima only). There was a wide variation in frequencies for jk, and Hp1, and there were 17 Transferrin Tf B1C observed in 270 Pima samples tested. All the remaining were classified as Tf C except two Tf B;C from mixed-bloods. All samples tested for Vel, Yta, Coa, Sav, and Hemoglobin (A) showed the maximum frequency (1.000) for their genes. The following antigens were completely absent: Lua, Mia, Vw, Mta, p, Pk, ry (CdE), K, and Wra. The results of this study suggests that the Papago tribe presents fewer genes of non-Indian origin than the Pima, and the Maricopa least of the three populations.
Protein and Carbohydrate Composition of the Cell Envelope of Halobacterium salinarium

Abstract The isolated cell envelope of Halobacterium salinarium strain 1 contained 15 to 20 proteins that were resolved by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. All but one of these proteins had molecular weights of 130,000 or less and together accounted for 50 to 60% of the total envelope protein. The remaining 40 to 50% of the envelope protein was accounted for by a single protein with an apparent molecular weight of approximately 194,000 that stained for carbohydrate with periodate-Schiff reagent. The proteolytic enzymes trypsin and Pronase were used to show that the carbohydrate is covalently bound to the protein. Separation of amino sugar- and hexose-containing tryptic peptides by gel filtration indicated that all of the nonlipid carbohydrate of the cell envelope is covalently bound to protein. The results of partial purification by phenol extraction indicated that both the amino sugar and hexose are bound to the 194,000-molecular-weight protein. Exposure of isolated cell envelopes to low salt concentration resulted in solubilization of a majority of the envelope proteins. A relatively small number of proteins, including the high-molecular-weight, carbohydrate-containing protein, remained bound to the sedimentable cell membrane fraction.
Operation of a wideband 140 GHz, 1 kW confocal gyro-traveling wave amplifier

The experimental results of a zero-drive stable, short pulse 140 GHz gyro-traveling wave tube amplifier are presented. The amplifier has achieved a linear gain of 34dB, a saturated bandwidth of over 1.5GHz, and a peak output power up to 800W at a beam voltage of 37kV, beam current of 2.9A, and beam pitch factor of 0.7. The gyro-TWT operates in the HE(0,6) mode of a quasi-optical confocal waveguide.
Factors affecting cellulose hydrolysis based on inactivation of adsorbed enzymes.

Abstract The rate of enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose reaction is known to decrease significantly as the reaction proceeds. Factors such as reaction temperature, time, and surface area of substrate that affect cellulose conversion were analyzed relative to their role in a mechanistic model based on first order inactivation of adsorbed cellulases. The activation energies for the hydrolytic step and inactivation step were very close in magnitude: 16.3 kcal mol−1 for hydrolysis and 18.0 kcal mol−1 for inactivation, respectively. Therefore, increasing reaction temperature would cause a significant increase in the inactivation rate in addition to the catalytic reaction rate. Vmax,app was only 20% or less of the value at 72 h compared to at 2 h as a result of inactivation of adsorbed cellulases, suggesting prolonged hydrolysis is not an efficient way to improve cellulose hydrolysis. Hydrolysis rate increased with corresponding increases in available substrate surface binding area.
Community Forces, Social Capital, and Educational Achievement: The Case of Supplementary Education in the Chinese and Korean Immigrant Communities

Extraordinary Asian American educational achievement has often been credited to a common cultural influence of Confucianism that emphasizes education, family honor, discipline, and respect for authority. In this article, Min Zhou and Susan Kim argue that immigration selectivity, higher than average levels of premigration and postmigration socioeconomic status, and ethnic social structures interact to create unique patterns of adaptation and social environments conducive to educational achievement. This article seeks to unpack the ethnic effect through a comparative analysis of the ethnic system of supplementary education that has developed in two immigrant communities — Chinese and Korean — in the United States. The study suggests that the cultural attributes of a group interact substantially with structural factors, particularly tangible ethnic social structures on which community forces are sustained and social capital is formed. The authors conclude that "culture" is not static and requires structural ...
Higher-order asymptotic-freedom corrections to photon-photon scattering

We generalize Witten's calculation of the photon structure function F/sub 2//sup lt. slash/ to the next-to-the-leading order of asymptotic freedom. Except for the second moment of F/sub 2//sup lt. slash/, the result is independent of the unknown matrix elements of quark and gluon operators between the photon states. The nonleading corrections turn out to be large.
Delay estimation and optimal length for four-lane divided freeway workzones

Vehicle delay is one of the most serious impacts of highway workzones on existing traffic operations. The present study provides a comprehensive and detailed estimation of traffic delay due to a freeway workzone where the roadway in one direction is closed and the traffic usually on the closed roadway is diverted to share the roadway in the opposite direction. The total delay was decomposed into speed reduction delay and congestion delay. Different procedures were developed to estimate speed reduction delay for several roadway conditions. A mathematical model was developed to find the length of the queue upstream of a workzone and a procedure was generated to estimate daily congestion delay under any given condition. Alternative roadway closure patterns along the length of a given project were evaluated in terms of traffic control cost and additional road user costs. The optimal workzone length for a given project was studied. Procedures were developed to determine the optimal workzone length.
Truncated form of TGF-βRII, but not its absence, induces memory CD8+ T cell expansion and lymphoproliferative disorder in mice

Inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines play an important role in the generation of effector and memory CD8(+) T cells. We used two different models, transgenic expression of truncated (dominant negative) form of TGF-βRII (dnTGFβRII) and Cre-mediated deletion of the floxed TGF-βRII to examine the role of TGF-β signaling in the formation, function, and homeostatic proliferation of memory CD8(+) T cells. Blocking TGF-β signaling in effector CD8(+) T cells using both of these models demonstrated a role for TGF-β in regulating the number of short-lived effector cells but did not alter memory CD8(+) T cell formation and their function upon Listeria monocytogenes infection in mice. Interestingly, however, a massive lymphoproliferative disorder and cellular transformation were observed in Ag-experienced and homeostatically generated memory CD8(+) T cells only in cells that express the dnTGFβRII and not in cells with a complete deletion of TGF-βRII. Furthermore, the development of transformed memory CD8(+) T cells expressing dnTGFβRII was IL-7- and IL-15-independent, and MHC class I was not required for their proliferation. We show that transgenic expression of the dnTGFβRII, rather than the absence of TGF-βRII-mediated signaling, is responsible for dysregulated expansion of memory CD8(+) T cells. This study uncovers a previously unrecognized dominant function of the dnTGFβRII in CD8(+) T cell proliferation and cellular transformation, which is caused by a mechanism that is different from the absence of TGF-β signaling. These results should be considered during both basic and translational studies where there is a desire to block TGF-β signaling in CD8(+) T cells.
Book Review - J. Aaron Simmons and Bruce Ellis Benson, The New Phenomenology: A Philosophical Introduction (New York: Bloomsbury, 2013)

A Book Review of J. Aaron Simmons and Bruce Ellis Benson's The New Phenomenology: A Philosophical Introduction (New York: Bloomsbury, 2013)
Novel Product Chemistry from Mechanistic Analysis of ent-Copalyl Diphosphate Synthases from Plant Hormone Biosynthesis†

An active-site water molecule coordinated by conserved histidine and asparagine residues seems to serve as the catalytic base in all ent-copalyl diphosphate synthases (CPSs). When these residues are substituted by alanine, the mutant CPSs produce stereochemically novel ent-8-hydroxy-CPP. Given the requisite presence of CPSs in all land plants for gibberellin phytohormone biosynthesis, such plasticity presumably underlies the observed extensive diversification of the resulting labdane-related diterpenoids.
Analytical calculation for estimation of magnetic film properties for a 3-GHz thin film inductor

Thickness, resistivity, and the Gilbert damping constant are estimated using Maxwell and Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equations to meet operating parameters of ferromagnetic thin film inductors in the gigahertz frequency range. The following properties of soft magnetic film are calculated to satisfy a quality factor of 10 at 3 GHz: 4/spl pi/M/sub S/=21.3 kG; H/sub k/=215 Oe; and /spl mu//sub dc/'=100. The complex permeability was not influenced by film thickness up to 100 nm. Operation frequency increases with the increase of electrical resistivity and decrease of film thickness. The Gilbert damping constant is found to have a significant effect on the operation frequency. The quality factor can be retained up to 3GHz for 100-nm-thick film with a damping constant of 0.015 when resistivity is greater than 50 /spl mu//spl Omega//spl middot/cm.
Studies on filariasis. II. Brugia pahangi: the escape of infective larvae from the mosquito.

1. Aedes togoi infected with B. pahangi were allo'ved to engorge on mice, to probe (but not to feed) on live and on dead mice, and to engorge on blood and on honey from cotton-wool pledgets. The number of worms in the mosquitoes after feeding or probing was compared with the number in unfed controls. 2. These experiments suggest that increased l?aemocoelic pressure as a result of the insect's gut filling with blood does not trigger the escape of nematodes from the mouthparts. 3. Host factors such as moisture, warmth, and chemical stimuli in the blood do not appear to be of any real significance. 4. The bending back of the labium, as the fascicle is driven into the skin, seems to be highly important. Some factor (or factors) associated with the movement of the mouthparts appears to be directly and chiefly responsible for the egress of infective filariae from the mouthparts of the mosquito blood-feeding on its host.
Promoting emergence in information discovery by representing collections with composition

While sometimes the task that motivates searching, browsing, and collecting information resources is finding a particular fact, humans often engage in intellectual and creative tasks, such as comparison, understanding, and discovery. Information discovery tasks involve not only finding relevant information, but also seeing relationships among collected information resources, and developing new ideas. Prior studies of search have focused on time and accuracy, metrics of limited value for measuring creativity. We develop new experimental methods to evaluate the efficacy of representational systems for information discovery by measuring the emergence of new ideas. We also measure the variety of web sites that participants visit when engaging in a creative task, and gather experience report data. We compare the efficacy of the typical format for collections, the textual list with a new format, the composition of image and text surrogates. We conduct an experiment that establishes that representing collections with composition of image and text surrogates promotes emergence in information discovery.
Genetic diversity and population structure of the Tibetan poplar (Populus szechuanica var. tibetica) along an altitude gradient

The Tibetan poplar (Populus szechuanica var. tibetica Schneid), which is distributed at altitudes of 2,000-4,500 m above sea level, is an ecologically important species of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and adjacent areas. However, the genetic adaptations responsible for its ability to cope with the harsh environment remain unknown. In this study, a total of 24 expressed sequence tag microsatellite (EST-SSR) markers were used to evaluate the genetic diversity and population structure of Tibetan poplars along an altitude gradient. The 172 individuals were of genotypes from low-, medium- and high-altitude populations, and 126 alleles were identified. The expected heterozygosity (HE) value ranged from 0.475 to 0.488 with the highest value found in low-altitude populations and the lowest in high-altitude populations. Genetic variation was low among populations, indicating a limited influence of altitude on microsatellite variation. Low genetic differentiation and high levels of gene flow were detected both between and within the populations along the altitude gradient. An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that 6.38% of the total molecular variance was attributed to diversity between populations, while 93.62% variance was associated with differences within populations. There was no clear correlation between genetic variation and altitude, and a Mantel test between genetic distance and altitude resulted in a coefficient of association of r = 0.001, indicating virtually no correlation. Microsatellite genotyping results showing genetic diversity and low differentiation suggest that extensive gene flow may have counteracted local adaptations imposed by differences in altitude. The genetic analyses carried out in this study provide new insight for conservation and optimization of future arboriculture.
Coincident observations, with QuikSCAT and ASCAT, of the effects of rain-induced sea surface stress during hurricanes Gustav and Ike

The use of satellite scatterometers to probe the winds in and near strong storms and hurricanes is a valuable tool for weather forecasters. The presence of widespread rain in these storms makes the estimates of surface winds from the satellite data problematic. A motivating question here is: “Is there a substantial influence of rain on the air-sea momentum exchange in Hurricanes”. Satellite scatterometer measurements were made for Hurricane Gustav (C-Band), which affected New Orleans on September 1 and Hurricane Ike (Ku-band) which impacted the Texas coastline near Houston, on September 13, 2008. The NEXRAD rain reflectivity images (available every 6 minutes) show that there was wide rain coverage throughout these storms. The sustained surface wind estimates from NOAA/ AOML/ HRD show a maximum of 90 kts, and a wide inhomogeneity even within 50 km areas. The broad swath coverage of the NEXRAD radar enables us to select and compare NRCS effects in both rain and non-raining areas. The methodology to be presented here demonstrates how the atmospheric influence can be removed to observe the total surface NRCS.
The Political Nature of Digital Cultural Heritage

Collecting organizations such as libraries and museums are vehicles for shifting paradigms of knowledge and power. Digital technologies are also implicated with historical transformations in language, society, and culture. To discuss the digital is to engage simultaneously with an impressive array of simulacra, instantaneous communication, ubiquitous media, and global interconnectedness (Cameron & Kenderdine, 2007). Digital cultural heritage can be viewed as a political concept and practice, the relations between communities and heritage institutions as mediated through technologies, the reshaping of social, cultural, and political power in relation to cultural organizations made possible through communication technologies, and the representation and interpretation of digital cultural heritage. The following paper will address each of these concerns, outlining current scholarship on the topic and critically engaging with the content.
Fighting Words: What We Can Learn from Hitler's Hyperbole

The question of why human beings fight wars continues to stalk modern thought. This article treats Hitler's national socialist discourse as an extreme example of the social construction of a social problem, a cultural paradigm of how to talk people into fighting revolutions and wars. Drawing upon recent work in rhetorical studies by Gusfield and others, I show how political agents concoct a rhetoric of motives which they use to incite their followers to fight their enemies. The formal and poetic features of this system of discourse are identified and explicated. We can learn many things from Hitler. By identifying his technique, we can recognize when political agents are using the same technique and counter its seductive effects. We learn that the main effect of war rhetoric is social integration through the constitution of common enemies. And finally, we realize that wars are made to happen through the calculated use of symbolic practices. War is not, as many have argued, a fall into a latent animality, but an expression of our symbol-mindedness–our capacity to make and use hyperboles.
The Emergence and Performance of Indigenous Peoples’ Parties in South America: A Subnational Statistical Analysis

One of the most significant and unexpected developments in Latin America during the past 10 years is the emergence of parties organized around indigenous identity. The authors use subnational data from six South American countries (Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela) to examine the factors responsible for the variation in the emergence and performance of indigenous peoples’ political parties in the region. Using a pooled cross-sectional twin snapshot analysis, the authors find that although indigenous party formation is the result of favorable institutional, demographic, and political conditions, such as permissive electoral rules, optimal indigenous population size, and a regional diffusion effect with respect to indigenous activism, enhanced electoral performance of these parties is determined by structural and political conditions, including higher rates of poverty and less salient class-based identities, in addition to the favorable conditions mentioned above.
Wastelanding: Legacies of Uranium Mining in Navajo Country. By Traci Brynne Voyles

Wastelanding: Legacies of Uranium Mining in Navajo Country . By Traci Brynne Voyles. (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2015. xv + 292 pp. Illustrations, maps, notes, bibliography, index. $87.50, cloth; $25.00, paper.) The history of Southwest uranium mining, and on the Navajo Reservation specifically, has been told several times over the last few decades. Beginning with radium mines on the Colorado Plateau at the end of the nineteenth century, private mining ventures expanded to uranium and vanadium deposits in the early twentieth century before the top-secret Manhattan Project reorganized the industry for national security during World War II. In the years of the Cold War, government incentives led to new discoveries, and mines developed across Dinetah to feed the growing nuclear power industry. But …
Common problems and related considerations of sterilization process of injection

This article summarized the common problems occurring in sterilization process of injection products,such as lacking sufficient knowledge of drug stability,ignoring screening of excipients and sterilization process,neglecting sterilizing ensuring level and F0 study and process validation.It also provided some considerations for ensuring the safety and stability of injection products.
Abstract 51: Nebivolol, but not Metoprolol, Lowers Blood Pressure in a Human Model of Hypertension Sensitive to Nitric Oxide

Nebivolol, unlike other selective β1-receptor blockers, induces vasodilation attributable to increased nitric oxide (NO) function. Autonomic function normally masks the contribution of this effect because of baroreflex buffering. We have previously shown that sildenafil lowers blood pressure (BP) in autonomic failure patients with supine hypertension. These patients, therefore, provide a unique model of hypertension devoid of autonomic modulation but sensitive to increases in NO function. To test the hypothesis that nebivolol would decrease BP in this patient population through a mechanism independent of β-blockade, we randomized 20 autonomic failure patients with supine hypertension (14 men, 69±2 yr) to receive a single oral dose of placebo, nebivolol 5 mg, metoprolol 50 mg (negative control) and sildenafil 25 mg (positive control) on separate nights in a double-blind, crossover study. Medications were given at 8 pm. Supine BP was monitored every 2 hr for 12 hr. Compared to placebo, sildenafil and nebivolol decreased systolic BP (SBP) during the night (P<0.001 and P=0.036, by mixed-effects model) with a similar maximal reduction in SBP 8 hr post drug (-20±6 and -24±9 mm Hg, respectively. Figure). Metoprolol, in contrast, had no significant effect on BP. Despite lowering nighttime BP, nebivolol did not worsen orthostatic tolerance the following morning (8am) compared to placebo. We conclude that nebivolol effectively lowers BP by a mechanism that does not involve β1-blockade and to a similar magnitude to that produced by NO potentiation with sildenafil. Nebivolol might be a useful alternative to treat patients with this condition. ![Graphic][1] [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif
The Golden Age of Ottoman Jewry

How many Jews gathered together in the dominions of the Sultans during the Golden Age? Exact figures lack, at least until the Ottomans themselves began to compile reasonably accurate census reports starting in the middle of the nineteenth century, but from early Ottoman cadastral records and poll tax registers along with the estimates of foreign visitors, approximations at least are possible.
Partisans, Civilians and the Soviet State: An Overview

Civilians are an inseparable part of guerrilla wars, no less so than in the struggle between the Soviet partisans and the German-led occupation forces during World War II. The ultimate success of the Soviet partisan movement depended on civilians, who provided material aid, manpower, intelligence and other support. However, civilians could also supply the occupiers with the same goods and services. How to treat occupied civilians was a central problem facing both the Soviet leadership in Moscow and the partisans in the forests. Complicating the issue of civilian-partisan relations were the population’s often ambivalent — and sometimes outright hostile — views of the Soviet regime. The government’s innate distrust of its own citizens, especially when they were no longer under its overt control, and the partisans’ own fears of spies and collaborators, made establishing close and friendly relations between partisans and civilians all the more difficult.