cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The role of the metal and the solvent in simple heterogeneous electron transfer reactions

Abstract Solvent effects in simple electron transfer reactions are reviewed. It is shown that estimation of the outer sphere Gibbs activation energy is often difficult. Data for the electroreduction of Fe(H 2 O) 6 3+ at single crystal gold electrodes are also discussed. This system shows a very large double layer effect.
Evaluation of Hamburg Wheel-Tracking Device Test with Laboratory and Field Performance Data:

The Hamburg wheel-tracking device (HWTD) test has been gaining acceptance by some state highway agencies. Although a few studies showed that test results from this device have the potential to evaluate the moisture sensitivity of asphalt mixes, the correlation between the test results and field performance has not been widely studied and well established. The capability of the device to predict field performance therefore has not been sufficiently validated. The study presented evaluates the effectiveness of the HWTD test in determining the moisture sensitivity of asphalt mixes and in predicting field performance by using both laboratory test data and field performance data. It was found that the current test procedure may give false positive and false negative results. Binder properties have a significant effect on the test results. The correlation between the test results and field performance was unsatisfactory. Recommendations for potential improvement of the test are provided.
Spin and phase coherence times in Te doped InSb thin films

Abstract We investigate the low temperature spin and phase coherence times in Te-doped InSb thin films through measurements of antilocalization. It is found that the extracted spin coherence times range from as long as ∼ 73 ps in films with carrier density n ≈ 0.6 × 1 0 22 m 3 down to ∼ 6 ps for n ≈ 8.9 × 1 0 22 m 3 . The dependence on n indicates that the Elliott-Yafet mechanism is responsible for spin decoherence. The measured spin coherence times are in agreement with theoretical predictions when an appropriately weighed momentum scattering time is used. Extracted phase coherence times are inversely proportional to temperature, consistent with phase decoherence via the Nyquist mechanism.
The nature of cognitive styles: Problems and promise in educational practice

This article examines characteristic features of cognitive styles and the various ways in which styles differ from one another and from intellective abilities. These distinctions are integrated into a unified framework that serves to define cognitive styles in contrast not only to abilities but to other types of stylistic variables. Educational implications of cognitive styles are discussed in terms of six main rubrics: improving instructional methods, enriching teacher behavior and conceptions, enhancing student learning and thinking strategies, expanding guidance and vocational decision making, broadening educational goals and outcomes, and tuning the stylistic demands of educational environments. Reasons why cognitive styles should have educational impact are addressed as well as reasons why such educational benefits are difficult to realize.
Effect of controlled atmosphere storage on aflatoxin production in high moisture peanuts (groundnuts)

Abstract Shelled peanuts (groundnuts) remoistened to 16.7% were stored for 4 weeks at about 27°C in air (0.03% CO2, 21% O2, 78% N2) and in three modified atmospheres: (1) 13.6% CO2, 0.3% CO, 0·6% O2, 84.7% N2; (2) 12.2% CO2, 3.1% CO, 0.3% O2, 83.5% N2; and (3) 13.6% CO2, 0.1% CO, 1.5% O2, 83.9% N2. Aflatoxins, per cent free fatty acids, and per cent kernel infection by the Aspergillus flavus group were determined weekly. Peanuts in air and in the atmosphere containing 1.5% O2 accumulated high levels of aflatoxin in 1 and 2 weeks, respectively. In the other two controlled atmospheres aflatoxin B1 did not exceed 21 μg/kg and the per cent of free fatty acids increased only slightly. None of the treatments eliminated infection by the A. flavus group. After 4 weeks peanuts in all treatments had visible fungal growth on surfaces.
Diadenosine 5',5"-P1,P5-pentaphosphate harbors the properties of a signaling molecule in the heart.

Dinucleotide polyphosphates (ApnA) have emerged as signaling molecules in rapidly dividing cells. The presence and role of Ap5A in the heart remain unknown. Here, we report that the myocardium contains abundant amounts of diadenosine 5′,5″-P1,P5-pentaphosphate (Ap5A), a member of the ApnA family. Ischemia induced 10-fold decrease in the myocardial concentration of Ap5A. A target of Ap5A action was identified to be the cardiac ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channel, a metabolism-sensitive ion conductance activated in ischemia. At levels found in hearts prior to ischemia, Ap5A maintained a low probability of KATP channel opening, but at levels found in harts following ischemia, Ap5A allowed a high probability of KATP channel opening. Taken together, the present data suggest that Ap5A harbors the properties of a signaling molecule involved in the cardiac response to metabolic stress.
Macroscopic Modeling of Freeway Traffic Using an Artificial Neural Network

Traffic flow on freeways is a complex process that often is described by a set of highly nonlinear, dynamic equations in the form of a macroscopic traffic flow model. However, some of the existing macroscopic models have been found to exhibit instabilities in their behavior and often do not track real traffic data correctly. On the other hand, microscopic traffic flow models can yield more detailed and accurate representations of traffic flow but are computationally intensive and typically not suitable for real-time implementation. Nevertheless, such implementations are likely to be necessary for development and application of advanced traffic control concepts in intelligent vehicle-highway systems. The development of a multilayer feed-forward artificial neural network model to address the freeway traffic system identification problem is presented. The solution of this problem is viewed as an essential element of an effort to build an improved freeway traffic flow model for the purpose of developing real-time predictive control strategies for dynamic traffic systems. To study the initial feasibility of the proposed neural network approach for traffic system identification, a three-layer feed-forward neural network model has been developed to emulate an improved version of a well-known higher-order continuum traffic model. Simulation results show that the neural network model can capture the traffic dynamics of this model quite closely. Future research will attempt to attain similar levels of performance using real traffic data.
Human and robot perception in large-scale learning from demonstration

We present a study of using a robotic learning from demonstration system capable of collecting large amounts of human-robot interaction data through a web-based interface. We examine the effect of different perceptual mappings between the human teacher and robot on the learning from demonstration. We show that humans are significantly more effective at teaching a robot to navigate a maze when presented with information that is limited to the robot's perception of the world, even though their task performance measurably suffers when contrasted with users provided with a natural and detailed raw video feed. Robots trained on such demonstrations learn more quickly, perform more accurately and generalize better. We also demonstrate a set of software tools for enabling internet-mediated human-robot interaction and gathering the large datasets that such crowdsourcing makes possible.
See UV on your skin: an ultraviolet sensing and visualization system

These days, as the Earth's protective ozone layer gets thinner, ultraviolet (UV) radiation threat is growing. In addition, getting tanned as a fashion leads people to wear less clothing, which increases UV intake. Excessive exposure to ultraviolet will lead to sunburn and even skin cancer. Therefore, neither insufficient nor excessive exposure is desirable. Although there are tons of UV meters on the market, a user may have a hard time to understand the unintuitive UV index reading. Thus, there is a potential demand for a portable system which can keep track of daily UV exposure dose, visualize possible sunburned consequences, and provide appropriate skin care recommendations. In this paper, we present a personalized UV monitoring and notification system. This system can continuously track UV exposure by wearable UV sensors. It can also visualize the cumulative UV exposure dose according to a predictive sunburned skin color model. Such an augmented skin color can provide a warning message to indicate the possible result of continuous UV exposure. Compared with other existing systems, our solution not only allows users to monitor their daily UV exposure, but also provides an unobtrusive UV visualization model which effectively warns users to take appropriate actions to avoid potential skin damage. The system has been tested on 9 subjects, and the evaluation feedback indicates that our system is promising for UV monitoring and sunburn prevention.
Detection of Diphenylamine on Surfaces of Nontreated Apples (Malus domestica Borkh.)

Anecdotal reports indicate that diphenylamine (DPA) may be endogenous in apples. To test this hypothesis, hexane extracts of apples were analyzed for residues of DPA by GC/MS. DPA was detected in s...
A field study of the headbob displays of male green iguanas (Iguana iguana): Variation in form and context

Abstract Headbob displays play an important role in the social behaviour of male green iguanas ( Iguana iguana ). Four types of headbobs were identified, and the variability in form and context were determined from quantitative analyses of displays filmed in the field. The Roll is a conspicuous advertisement display. The Shudder, the most variable in form, occurred during close contact between males and females. The Roll-shudder is intermediate between the Roll and Shudder in its form and use. The Signature Bob, the most stereotyped display in form, punctuates much activity and is the most variable in contextual use. This display encodes species identity, and possibly individual identity. The conspicuous nature of the headbob displays was enhanced by the intensified colour of territorial males, and by the selection of highly visible display posts. This system of visual displays is viewed as the product of related sets of constraints, including the iguanas' physical capacities, the forest environment, and the social environment.
Echocardiographic profiles of the long-term cardiac changes in cystic fibrosis.

In this echocardiographic study, assessment of the heart in children with cystic fibrosis has shown that changes occur in not only the right ventricle but also in the left ventricle and aorta, as compared with normal. Echocardiograms could be successfully performed in 34 of 37 patients. The thickness of the right ventricular anterior wall and the dimension of the right ventricular cavity were abnormal, even in patients with mild disease (National Institutes of Health [NIH] score for severity of disease of 85 or greater). Larger, older children with lower NIH scores had disproportionately larger right ventricular anterior walls and cavities. The thickness of the septal wall, the thickness of the left ventricular posterior wall, and the aortic dimensions were increased in those with severe disease. The dimensions of the left ventricular cavity for the population were slightly but significantly smaller than normal in systole and in diastole throughout the course of the disease. This study demonstrates that echocardiography is an effective noninvasive means of assessing the long-term changes in children with cystic fibrosis. These changes occur in both sides of the heart and appear to worsen as the disease progresses.
Level of Lake Lahontan during deposition of the Trego Hot Springs tephra about 23,400 years ago

Abstract The Trego Hot Springs tephra bed is a silicic tephra about 23,400 yr old, found at several localities in pluvial lake sediments in northern Nevada, southern Oregon, and northeastern California. It has been characterized petrographically, by the major and minor element chemistry of its glass, and by its stratigraphic position with respect to other tephra layers. At a newly described locality on Squaw Creek, northwest of Gerlach, Nevada, at the north end of the Smoke Creek Desert, Trego Hot Springs tephra has been found in sediments of the Sehoo and Indian Lakes formations. The depositional environments of these sediments show that when the tephra fell, pluvial Lake Lahontan stood between 1256 and 1260 m, and that immediately thereafter the lake rose to at least 1275 m. These data corroborate earlier findings by Benson ( Quaternary Research 9 , 300–318) from radiometric dating of calcareous tufa. However, the Lake Lahontan area has been affected by isostatic subsidence and rebound in response to changing water loads, so that caution is required in the use of lakeshore elevations in correlation.
CloneCloud: elastic execution between mobile device and cloud

Mobile applications are becoming increasingly ubiquitous and provide ever richer functionality on mobile devices. At the same time, such devices often enjoy strong connectivity with more powerful machines ranging from laptops and desktops to commercial clouds. This paper presents the design and implementation of CloneCloud, a system that automatically transforms mobile applications to benefit from the cloud. The system is a flexible application partitioner and execution runtime that enables unmodified mobile applications running in an application-level virtual machine to seamlessly off-load part of their execution from mobile devices onto device clones operating in a computational cloud. CloneCloud uses a combination of static analysis and dynamic profiling to partition applications automatically at a fine granularity while optimizing execution time and energy use for a target computation and communication environment. At runtime, the application partitioning is effected by migrating a thread from the mobile device at a chosen point to the clone in the cloud, executing there for the remainder of the partition, and re-integrating the migrated thread back to the mobile device. Our evaluation shows that CloneCloud can adapt application partitioning to different environments, and can help some applications achieve as much as a 20x execution speed-up and a 20-fold decrease of energy spent on the mobile device.
Role of Sirtuin 1 in the Regulation of Hepatic Gene Expression by Thyroid Hormone

Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is a nuclear deacetylase that modulates lipid metabolism and enhances mitochondrial activity. SIRT1 targets multiple transcription factors and coactivators. Thyroid hormone (T(3)) stimulates the expression of hepatic genes involved in mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation and gluconeogenesis. We reported that T(3) induces genes for carnitine palmitoyltransferase (cpt1a), pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (pdk4), and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (pepck). SIRT1 increases the expression of these genes via the activation of several factors, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α, estrogen-related receptor α, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator (PGC-1α). Previously, we reported that PGC-1α participates in the T(3) induction of cpt1a and pdk4 in the liver. Given the overlapping targets of T(3) and SIRT1, we investigated whether SIRT1 participated in the T(3) regulation of these genes. Resveratrol is a small phenolic compound whose actions include the activation of SIRT1. Addition of resveratrol increased the T(3) induction of the pdk4 and cpt1a genes in hepatocytes. Furthermore, expression of SIRT1 in hepatocytes mimicked resveratrol in the regulation of gene expression by T(3). The deacetylase activity of SIRT1 was required and PGC-1α was deacetylated following addition of T(3). We found that SIRT1 interacted directly with T(3) receptor (TRβ). Knockdown of SIRT1 decreased the T(3) induction of cpt1a and pdk4 and reduced the T(3) inhibition of sterol response element binding protein (srebp-1c) both in isolated hepatocytes and in rat liver. Our results indicate that SIRT1 contributes to the T(3) regulation of hepatic genes.
A novel unbalanced phase calibration technique for the LINC transmitter

In this paper, a novel unbalanced phase calibration technique for a linear amplifier with nonlinear components (LINC) transmitter is presented. By using the proposed unbalanced phase calibration technique, both phase and amplitude mismatches of the LINC system can be calibrated with only phase controls. Moreover, the mismatches can be easily detected with simple phase-only test vectors. This work was verified by system simulations using a 7 MHz bandwidth 64QAM WiMAX signal. With 15° phase and 4dB amplitude mismatch, the proposed unbalanced phase calibration improved the linearity from - 18.88dB to -34.92dB in EVM and from -30.6dBc to -42.4dBc in ACPR at 10MHz offset even though those with conventional phase calibration technique were -20.3dB and - 33.8dBc, respectively. This novel unbalanced phase calibration technique also satisfies the EVM requirement for a 7MHz Bandwidth 64QAM WiMAX system (-31dB), up to 5.2dB amplitude mismatch.
A calcium-sensitive microelectrode suitable for intracellular measurement of calcium(II) activity

Abstract A calcium-selective microelectrode with a l-μm diameter tip suitable for impaling single neurons has been developed. The electroactive material is di[ p -(1,1,3,3-tetramethyl-butyl) phenyl] phosphoric acid (t-HDOPP). The selectivity coefficients are about 5 · 10 -7 for k Ca,K , 1–4·10 -7 for k Ca,Na , and 10 -3 for k Ca,Mg . Values reported previously for other calcium-selective electrodes based on long-chain phenylphosphoric acids are given for comparison. The calcium-selective microelectrodes have a linear response in 0.2 M KCl solutions over the range 10 -2 –10 -XXX M CaCl 2 ; 10 -7 and 10 -8 M CaCl 2 solutions containing 0.2 M KCl can be detected but the response is not linear.
Preconcentration of Cardiac Proteins in a Microfluidic Device

Preconcentration of cardiac proteins was demonstrated using isotachophoresis (ITP) on a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microchip. PMMA microchip was formed using solvent imprinting and temperature-assisted solvent bonding. ITP experiments were performed on two types of microchip: one containing straight microchannel and the other one with 10X step reducing microchannel. In ITP experiments, Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) was used as leading electrolyte, while Aminocaproic Acid (EACA) was used as terminating electrolyte. Three fluorescent proteins, cTnI Labeled w/ Pacific Blue, Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) and R-Phycoerythrin (PE), were allowed to separate and concentrate in presence of a constant electric field. Microchip ITP experiments show that the sample proteins were concentrated and stacked into adjacent zones. The final concentration of protein zones were calculated from the microchannel dimensions and initial volume of proteins. In straight microchannel, the concentration factors for PE, GFP, and cTnI proteins were 80, 40, and 30, respectively. The concentration factors were 10 fold higher in the step reducing microchannel.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Asymptotic theory for bootstrapping the extremes

This paper considers asymptotic analysis of bootstrap distributions for the extremes from an iid sample. In contrast to the case of almost sure convergence to a fixed (normal) distribution in the case of the sample mean (finite variance case), the bootstrap distribution of an extreme tends in distribution to a random probability measure. These results are similar to the result for the bootstrap distribution of the sample mean in the infinite variance case where the underlying random variables are in the domain of attraction of a stable law with index αe(0,2).
Estimating performance limits for automatic target recognition in compressed video

Robust real-time recognition of multiple targets with varying pose requires heavy computational loads, which are often too demanding to be performed online at the sensor location. Thus an important problem is the performance of ATR algorithms on highly-compressed video sequences transmitted to a remote facility. We investigate the effects of H.264 video compression on correlation-based recognition algorithms. Our primary test bed is a collection of fifty video sequences consisting of long-wave infrared (LWIR) and mid-wave infrared (MWIR) imagery of ground targets. The targets are viewed from an aerial vehicle approaching the target, which introduces large amounts of scale distortion across a single sequence. Each sequence is stored at seven different levels of compression, including the uncompressed version. We employ two different types of correlation filters to perform frame-by-frame target recognition: optimal tradeoff synthetic discriminant function (OTSDF) filters and a new scale-tolerant filter called fractional power Mellin radial harmonic (FPMRH) filters. In addition, we apply the Fisher metric to compressed target images to evaluate target class separability and to estimate recognition performance as a function of video compression rate. Targets are centered and cropped according to ground truth data prior to separability analysis. We compare our separability estimates with the actual recognition rates achieved by the best correlation filter for each sequence. Numerical results are provided for several target recognition examples.
Temporal accent structure and the remembering of filmed narratives.

Effects of temporal accent structure on the remembering of filmed narratives were examined by varying the placement and number of commercial breaks. Commercials either highlighted a story's underlying organization by occurring between major episode boundaries (i.e., at breakpoint locations) or obscured this structural arrangement by occurring within episodes (i.e., at nonbreakpoints). Relative to the accentuation of nonbreakpoints, results indicated that the attentional highlighting of episode boundaries yielded higher recall and recognition performance and better memory for temporal order information and details from the story's plot. Selective recall and recognition of breakpoint scenes was significantly higher than that of nonbreakpoints, suggesting that people use episode boundaries as referents for attending and remembering. These findings illustrate certain structural invariants across environmental events and ways in which event structure can be used in remembering.
Luteolin 7-O-(6″-O-malonyl)-β-d-glucoside and trans-chlorogenic acid: Oviposition stimulants for the black swallowtail butterfly

Abstract Oviposition by females of the black swallowtail butterfly, Papilio polyxenes , was stimulated by tarsal contact with ethanolic extracts of carrot foliage, Daucus carota . Two of the stimulants were identified as trans -chlorogenic acid and luteolin 7- O -(6″- O -malonyl)-β- d -glucopyranoside. These were inactive alone but in combination accounted for about 70% of the response to the parent extract. Ready loss of stimulant activity in carrot extracts was associated with loss of malonic acid from the flavone malonate, yielding inactive luteolin 7-β- d -glucoside. On the basis of NMR spectroscopy of the free acid and its anion, a tertiary structure is proposed for the side-chain of luteolin 7- O -(6″- O -malonyl)-β- d -glucopyranoside, the first for a flavonoid malonate. The structure depicts a 10-membered boat-chair-boat ring, formed by hydrogen-bonding of the carbonyl group of the malonyl residue to the 4″-OH group of the glucose.
Half-V/SUB DD/ bit-line sensing scheme in CMOS DRAMs

A sensing scheme in which the bit line is precharged to half V/SUB DD/ is introduced for CMOS DRAMs. The proposed circuitry uses a PMOS memory array and incorporates the following features: (1) a complementary sense amplifier consisting of NMOS and PMOS cross-coupled pairs; (2) clocked pulldown of the latching node; (3) complementary clocking of the PMOS pullup; (4) full-sized dummy cell generation of reference potential for sensing; (5) shorting transistor to equalize precharge potential of bit lines; and (6) depletion NMOS decoupling transistors for multiplexing bit lines. The study shows that the half-V/SUB DD/ bit-line sensing scheme has several unique advantages, especially for high-performance high-density CMOS DRAMs, which compared to the full-V/SUB DD/ bit-line sensing scheme used for NMOS memory arrays or the grounded bit-line sensing scheme for PMOS arrays in CMOS DRAMs.
Evaluation of methods using adherence to substrate and density gradient for the isolation of human monocytes

A new method for monocyte isolation based on cell adherence to gelatin-coated plastic and dislodgement of the adhering monocytes at low temperature was compared with 5 other methods based on cell adherence to substrate and density gradient separation. All methods produced yields of monocytes ranging approximately between 50-70% with about the same degree of purity (less than 90%) except for the method using Percoll density gradient centrifugation where the purity of monocytes was about 80%. When lidocaine at different concentrations was used for cell dislodgement or Percoll density gradient for separation, phagocytosis, Fc receptor function and cytotoxicity were adversely affected, unlike in methods using EDTA or low temperature for dislodgement of the adherent cells. In monocyte chemotaxis assays the rate of migration was affected but not the number of migrating cells for all the isolation procedures investigated. Cell spreading function was apparently well maintained only when gelatin coated plastic was used for adherence and low temperature for cell dislodgement. These data indicate that the newly described method, similar to methods using EDTA for cell dislodgement, yielded relatively intact monocytes but unlike the latter method with better preserved cell spreading. Thus, this method can be considered for standardization to obtain pure monocyte populations from peripheral blood which then can be submitted for comprehensive biochemical and physiologic studies.
Efficiency Of Millimeter-Wave Horn Imaging Arrays

Two-dimensional horn-antenna arrays are monolithic, high-efficiency imaging detectors of millimeter-wave radiation. In this configuration, a dipole antenna is suspended in a pyramidal horn on a 1-μm silicon oxynitride membrane. This approach leaves room on the wafer for low-frequency lines and processing electronics. Antenna pattern measurements on single elements agree well with theory, exhibiting 3-dB beamwidths of 54° and 62° for the E and H-planes respectively. Horn aperture efficiencies of 44 ± 4% have been measured at 93 GHz. Loss processes include impedance mismatch loss, due to impedance mismatch between the antenna and the detector, resistive loss in the horn sidewalls, cross-polarization, intrinsic pattern loss, and horn-to-horn coupling loss. A system efficiency of 24% has been measured for a lens-coupled array.
Time reversal principles for wave optimization in multiple driver magnetic resonance elastography

Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) quantitatively maps the stiffness of tissues by imaging propagating shear waves induced by mechanical transducers. It has been shown that by using multiple drivers, certain limitations of conventional single driver MRE can be reduced, and that by suitably adjusting the waveforms applied to these drivers, any arbitrary region of interest can be optimally illuminated (wave optimization). Typically these adjustments were derived from wave response data collected for each transducer individually, which increases the total scan time. To address this issue, we investigated the use of time reversal principles to calculate the appropriate waveforms and their potential advantages in MRE exams. A phased array acoustic driver system with four independent 'daughter' transducers was used. An additional shear 'parent' transducer was used to create shear waves at the ROI, and wave propagation data was collected with MRE both in continuous and transient wave mode. From these single source wave data, the appropriate phase and time offset relationships between the daughter transducers were derived. Separate experiments were then carried out driving the daughter transducers with these calculated motions, and wave optimization was achieved in both continuous and transient wave MRE. We conclude that time reversal principles could be used for wave optimization with multiple drivers and could potentially reduce the total scan time.
Uniform data encodings

Abstract Given two finite, directed, edge-labeled graphs, G (the guest) and H (the host) an encoding of G into H is an injection of guest-graph edges into host-graph paths that induces an injection of G vertices into H vertices. An encoding is uniform if like-labeled edges map to like-labeled paths. Encodings and uniform encodings are motivated by data structure representation issues. Although uniform encodings are economically expressed, three types of analysis indicate diseconomies introduced by the uniformity condition. First, space usage (i.e., the size of the host as a function of the size of the guest) can be exponential for ‘natural’ encodings such as uniform encodings of arrays into trees. By contrast, strongly connected hosts of size equal to the guests are adequate for nonuniform encodings. Secondly, the edge dilation under uniform encodings can be nonpolynomial in the size of the guest. By contrast, the same graphs can be nonuniformly encoded with edges mapping to paths of unit length. Thirdly, finding uniform encodings, even when the guest is a line, is PSPACE-complete. By contrast, there is a linear time algorithm for nonuniform encoding of lines in graphs. Additional upper and lower bounds amplify the limitations of uniform data encodings.
An incremental trust-region method for Robust online sparse least-squares estimation

Many online inference problems in computer vision and robotics are characterized by probability distributions whose factor graph representations are sparse and whose factors are all Gaussian functions of error residuals. Under these conditions, maximum likelihood estimation corresponds to solving a sequence of sparse least-squares minimization problems in which additional summands are added to the objective function over time. In this paper we present Robust Incremental least-Squares Estimation (RISE), an incrementalized version of the Powell's Dog-Leg trust-region method suitable for use in online sparse least-squares minimization. As a trust-region method, Powell's Dog-Leg enjoys excellent global convergence properties, and is known to be considerably faster than both Gauss-Newton and Levenberg-Marquardt when applied to sparse least-squares problems. Consequently, RISE maintains the speed of current state-of-the-art incremental sparse least-squares methods while providing superior robustness to objective function nonlinearities.
Estimation and correlation of fatigue lives for random loading

Abstract Where the constant amplitude stress vs life curve of a test specimen or component is a straight line when plotted on log-log coordinates, the Palmgren-Miner rule predicts a parallel straight line for random loading. This paper suggests several other methods of correlating the data between random and constant amplitude loading so that the parallel stress-life lines coincide. As an example, the methods are applied to random loading data recently reported in this journal by Stanzl et al . It is significant that an endurance limit may not appear for random loading until very long lives have been reached, and then only when all stresses are below the endurance limit derived from constant amplitude data.
Practical algorithms for value-at-risk portfolio optimization problems

This article compares algorithms for solving portfolio optimization problems involving value-at-risk (VaR). These problems can be formulated as mixed integer programs (MIPs) or as chance-constrained mathematical programs (CCMPs). We propose improvements to their state-of-the-art MIP formulations. We also specialize an algorithm for solving general CCMPs, featuring practical interpretations. We present numerical experiments on practical-scale VaR problems using various algorithms and provide practical advice for solving these problems.
Exploring attributions in natural settings: Gender and self-esteem effects

Abstract Two studies investigated the attributions of undergraduates for the outcomes of satisfying and dissatisfying achievement events that occurred naturally over the course of a 3-week period. In both studies, women with low performance self-esteem gave less ego-enhancing attributions than high self-esteem women, high self-esteem men, or low self-esteem men. Also, in Study 2 high self-esteem subjects attributed greater stability to causes of satisfying events than to causes of dissatisfying events, whereas low self-esteem subjects gave both types of events equivalent stability ratings. Both studies provide evidence of consistent individual differences in attributional style across occasions and situations. The gender differences were interpreted in the context of sex-role socialization factors and Anderson and Slusher's (1986) two-stage model of the attribution process.
Language and speech behaviors of children with undue lead absorption: a review of the literature

This article reviews the effect of chronic undue or low lead absorption on the speech and language behavior of children. While the effects of high-level lead poisoning have been documented, the eff...
Effect of uncertainty on water distribution system model design decisions

The goal of calibrating a water distribution model is to establish a numerical model that represents the real system. Given the uncertainty in field data, recent studies have examined model parameter and predictive uncertainties and how those uncertainties can guide future data collection experiments. However, a model is to be used in some decision making process and those decisions can be influenced by the model uncertainty. Therefore, a methodology is presented here to evaluate the impact of uncertainty in pipe roughness values on decisions that are made using the model for a system expansion design using a steady state hydraulic model. To complete the analysis, model parameter uncertainty is evaluated using a first order second moment (FOSM) analysis of uncertainty. Parameter uncertainties are then propagated to model prediction uncertainties through a second FOSM for a defined set of demand conditions. Finally, model prediction uncertainties are embedded in an optimal design model to assess the effect...
Determining source parameters of moderate-size earthquakes from regional waveforms

Abstract Waveform modeling of the teleseismic long-period body-wave phases of shallow earthquakes has proven quite effective in determining source parameters for events of magnitude larger than six. Unfortunately, these teleseismic phases become too weak for smaller events, and regional data must be used which are generally much more complicated. This is because the crust-mantle system acts as a leaky waveguide and a large number of rays are required to model the observations. In this report we review a procedure for the systematic determination of source parameters from regional body waves. A least-squares inversion technique is used which is based on a cross-correlation of the data and a synthetic seismogram. The synthetic waveforms are a linear combination of those for the three fundamental types of fault. A set of profiles of the synthetic waveforms is presented. Although the synthetic waveforms are generated for a model developed for the western United States, this model seems to be adequate for most continental regions. The inversion is parameterized in terms of fault strike, dip and rake; these parameters are relatively insensitive to small changes in crustal structure. Several examples are presented.
Redox factor-1 contributes to the regulation of progression from G0/G1 to S by PDGF in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Redox factor-1 (Ref-1/APE), a multifunctional DNA base excision repair and redox regulation enzyme, plays an important role in oxidative signaling, transcription factor regulation, and cell cycle c...
Mannose Enters Mammalian Cells Using a Specific Transporter That Is Insensitive to Glucose

The concentration of D-mannose in serum is 20-50 micron, but its physiological significance for glycoprotein synthesis is unknown. Here, we show that the uptake of D-mannose by different mammalian cell lines involves a mannose-specific transporter(s) with a K(uptake) of about 30-70 micron and a V(max) which is probably sufficient to account for the bulk of mannose needed for glycoprotein synthesis. Mannose uptake appears to be through a facilitated transport process since it is not inhibited by cyanide. Phloretin completely inhibits mannose uptake, but phloridzin inhibits only 25-30%. Both of these inhibitors can block 2-deoxyglucose uptake in fibroblasts which occurs through the typical glucose transporters. None of 9 other sugars tested inhibited mannose transport. Most importantly, 5 mM D-glucose only inhibits mannose uptake by 50% showing that it is not an efficient competitor. These results suggest that this transporter(s) may use serum mannose for glycoprotein synthesis.
Decidability of the Equational Theory of the Continuous Geometry $CG(\Bbb {F})$

For $\Bbb {F}$ the field of real or complex numbers, let $CG(\Bbb {F})$ be the continuous geometry constructed by von Neumann as a limit of finite dimensional projective geometries over $\Bbb {F}$ . Our purpose here is to show the equational theory of $CG(\Bbb {F})$ is decidable.
Understanding the Contribution of a Father's Warmth on His Child's Social Skills

Secondary analyses from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development were conducted to investigate whether the impact of father-child relationship quality at 54 months and warmth in the father-child relationship at first grade were related to his child’s social skills in the third grade, while controlling for mother-child interaction, father’s personality, SES, and attachment. It was further investigated whether warmth in the relationship at first grade mediated the effect of the quality of the relationship on social skills. Participants included 856 families taken from the NICHD Study of Early Child Childcare for secondary analyses. Analyses indicated that the quality of interactions between a father and his 54-month old child was directly related to his child’s social skills at 3rd grade. Latent variable structural equation modeling (SEM) found that the quality of early father-child interactions influences a child’s later social outcomes through the development of a warm father-child relationship for daughters but not for sons. Implications for theory and future research are discussed.
Persistent (amino)(silyl)carbenes.

(Amino)(silyl)carbenes, prepared by substitution reactions at a carbene center, can survive several days at 0 °C. These species are not push−pull carbenes as their phosphino analogues and therefore...
Barrier functions in interior point methods

We show that the universal barrier function of a convex cone introduced by Nesterov and Nemirovskii is the logarithm of the characteristic function of the cone. This interpretation demonstrates the invariance of the universal barrier under the automorphism group of the underlying cone. This provides a simple method for calculating the universal barrier for homogeneous cones. We identify some known barriers as the universal barrier scaled by an appropriate constant. We also calculate some new universal barrier functions. Our results connect the field of interior point methods to several branches of mathematics such as Lie groups, Jordan algebras, Siegel domains, differential geometry, complex analysis of several variables, etc.
Time and frequency response of avalanche photodiodes with arbitrary structure

A method is developed for solving the coupled transport equations that describe the electron and hole currents in a double-carrier multiplication (DCM) avalanche photodiode (APD) of arbitrary structure. This solution makes it possible to determine the time and frequency response of the device. The injection can be localized to one or both ends of the multiplication region, or distributed throughout an extended region where multiplication can occur concurrently. The results are applied to conventional APDs with position-dependent carrier ionization rates (e.g., a separate-absorption-grading-multiplication APD) as well as to superlattice multiquantum-well (MQW) structures where the ionizations are localized to bandgap transition regions. The analysis may also be used to determine the dark current and include the carrier trapping at the heterojunction interfaces. The results indicate that previous time-dependent theories only account for the tail of the time response under high-gain conditions and are inaccurate for high-speed devices. >
SONOGRAPHIC RENAL PARENCHYMAL AND PELVICALICEAL AREAS: NEW QUANTITATIVE PARAMETERS FOR RENAL SONOGRAPHIC FOLLOWUP

AbstractPurpose: We determined better quantitative parameters for renal sonography and applied these parameters to the evaluation and followup of prenatal hydronephrosis.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed normal renal ultrasound studies of 120 children and serial ultrasound studies of 40 with prenatal hydronephrosis. Renal length, bipolar parenchymal thickness and anteroposterior pelvic diameter were measured from serial sonograms of patients with hydronephrosis. Renal longitudinal parenchymal area and renal longitudinal pelvicaliceal area were determined from the sonograms of normal children and from serial studies of patients with hydronephrosis using computer planimetry. Data from normal children were plotted to construct a renal parenchymal area growth chart. Length and area measurements were compared using regression analysis. The ability of these parameters to predict patients who would require pyeloplasty was examined.Results: Normal parenchymal area correlated well with normal rena...
Stabilization of switched nonlinear systems using predictive control

In this work, a predictive control framework is proposed for the constrained stabilization of switched nonlinear systems that transit between their constituent modes at prescribed switching times. The main idea is to, design a Lyapunov-based predictive controller for each constituent mode in which the switched system operates, and incorporate constraints in the predictive controller design to ensure that the prescribed transitions between the modes occur in a way that guarantees stability of the switched closed-loop system. This is achieved as follows: for each constituent mode, a Lyapunov-based model predictive controller (MPC) is designed, and an analytic bounded controller, using the same Lyapunov function, is used to explicitly characterize a set of initial conditions for which the MPC, irrespective of the controller parameters, is guaranteed to be feasible, and hence stabilizing. Then, constraints are incorporated in the MPC design which, upon satisfaction, ensure that: (1) the state of the closed-loop system, at the time of the transition, resides in the stability region of the mode that the system is switched into, and (2) the Lyapunov function for each mode is non-increasing wherever the mode is reactivated, thereby guaranteeing stability.
Finite size bi-planar gradient coil for MRI

Finite size high performance magnetic field gradient coils have always been desirable for today's ever demanding magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) applications, We present a Lagrange multiplier technique for designing a minimum inductance gradient coil under a finite size planar geometry constraint. Based on this minimization approach, we construct a functional F in terms of the stored magnetic energy and a set of field constraint points which are chosen over the desired imaging volume. Minimizing F, we obtain the continuous current density distribution for the finite size planar gradient coil. Applying the stream function technique to the resulting continuous current distribution, the discrete current pattern can be generated, Employing the Biot-Savart law for the discrete current loops, the gradient magnetic field has been re-evaluated In order to validate the theory, Using this approach, we have been able to design a finite size (1.0 m/spl times/1.0 m) bi-planar y-gradient coil which is capable of generating a gradient field of 40 mT/m with an inductance of 71 /spl mu/H over a 30 cm diameter spherical volume @ 334 A.
Model polymer nanocomposites provide an understanding of confinement effects in real nanocomposites.

Model polymer nanocomposites provide an understanding of confinement effects in real nanocomposites
SUPRAPLEURAL MEMBRANE AND SUPRAPLEURAL BANDS.

The pleural cupola is covered by a distinct dome-shaped suprapleural membrane (Sibson's fascia) formed by a condensation of endothoracic fascia and continuous at its periphery with the more diffuse, loose endothoracic connective tissue lying between the ribs and the parietal pleura. This does not agree with the classic description of Sibson's fascia. It forms a discreet cervicothoracic cloison which can be readily separated from the pleura and adjacent mediastinal structures. Attaching to the membrane are the vertebromembranous, transversomembranous, and costomembranous bands which are formed by prevertebral fascia. In addition, the last two suprapleural bands receive contributions from the fibrous remains of the scalenus minimus muscle. The muscle was found to be present on one or both sides in 30 out of 64 bodies (46.8%). The suprapleural membrane and bands can become hypertrophied and fibrous as a result of pathology in this cupola area of the lung. The bands have been implicated in certain clinical syndromes.
Emotion Socialization in the Context of Family Risks: Links to Child Emotion Regulation

The current study expands upon the extant literature by examining the influence of contextual risk factors (e.g., parental psychological distress, household income, educational attainment) on parental responses to children’s emotional experiences. Participants included 97 ethnically and demographically diverse mother–child dyads with children ranging in age from 7 to 12. Mothers reported indicators of supportive and unsupportive emotion socialization practices, and measures of child emotion regulation and emotion dysregulation. Higher scores on the familial risk index were positively related to increased emotion dysregulation and negatively related to decreased emotion regulation through mediated effects of mothers’ unsupportive reactions to children’s negative emotional expressions. These findings suggest the importance of considering contextual influences on the emotion socialization process and offer potential avenues to foster adaptive emotional development in the context of high risk.
The Occult Revival as Popular Culture: Some Random Observations on the Old and the Nouveau Witch

(1972). The Occult Revival as Popular Culture: Some Random Observations on the Old and the Nouveau Witch. The Sociological Quarterly: Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 16-36.
Pediatric Urology Manpower Report 1995

AbstractPurpose: The quality and efficiency of any health care system depend on an appropriate level of manpower. The manpower issues of tomorrow will be influenced by the number of physicians and specialists trained today. The objectives of this manpower survey of pediatric urologists in The United States were to determine anticipated manpower requirements and provide caveats related to the practice of pediatric urology.Materials and Methods: A manpower questionnaire was distributed to pediatric urologists at the American Urological Association meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada in April 1995. Of the 234 distributed questionnaires 204 (87 percent) were completed and entered into a computer program.Results: Of responding pediatric urologists 70 percent were younger than 50 years, 81 percent practiced full-time pediatric urology and 45 percent were university based. The rates of respondents indicating that their present workload was too busy, appropriate or not busy enough were 10, 70 and 20 percent, respectivel...