cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Book Review: Fundamentals of Corporate Taxation

The fundamentals approach of teaching corporate and partnership taxation involves selectivity of subject matter, an emphasis on basic concepts, avoidance of esoteric detail, and realistic depth of coverage. A significant characteristic of the fundamentals approach is the extensive use of problems to illustrate the operation of Internal Revenue Code provisions. Here, the fundamentals problems are terse; only essential facts are provided. The result is an efficient and often dramatic illustration of the statutory language in action. The organization is traditional, beginning with the question of entity status and continuing through formation, operating distributions, redemptions, liquidations, and reorganizations. Subchapter S receives extensive treatment in a separate section. The introduction points out that four basic themes dominate subchapter C and addresses each successive topic in the context of one or more of these themes. Considering the quality of the original text materials, it is unfortunate that Congressional committee reports are used instead of original text in some parts of the book. Overall, the material is divided into manageable, building-block-sized components.
Reference-free cell-type deconvolution of multi-cellular pixel-resolution spatially resolved transcriptomics data

Recent technological advancements have enabled spatially resolved transcriptomic profiling but at multi-cellular pixel resolution, thereby hindering the identification of cell-type-specific spatial patterns and gene expression variation. To address this challenge, we developed STdeconvolve as a reference-free approach to deconvolve underlying cell-types comprising such multi-cellular pixel resolution spatial transcriptomics (ST) datasets. Using simulated as well as real ST datasets from diverse spatial transcriptomics technologies comprising a variety of spatial resolutions such as Spatial Transcriptomics, 10X Visium, DBiT-seq, and Slide-seq, we show that STdeconvolve can effectively recover cell-type transcriptional profiles and their proportional representation within pixels without reliance on external single-cell transcriptomics references. STdeconvolve provides comparable performance to existing reference-based methods when suitable single-cell references are available, as well as potentially superior performance when suitable single-cell references are not available. STdeconvolve is available as an open-source R software package with the source code available at https://github.com/JEFworks-Lab/STdeconvolve.
Assessing Rubber Processing Aids Effectiveness

Processing aids are quite an important class of rubber compounding ingredients whilst their actual mode of action is as yet by no means clearly understood. Therefore their choice and use remain more a question of pragmatical experience than of rubber science.
Capsule Commentary on Michaelidis et al., Cost-Effectiveness of Decision Support Strategies in Acute Bronchitis.

U sing cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) to make decisions about health care resources faces significant political and popular opposition in the U.S. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) explicitly prohibits the use of Quality Adjusted Life Years in determining coverage or reimbursement or recommending treatments, and the executive director of the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has distanced the organization from CEA altogether. Michaelidis, et al.’s cost-effectiveness analysis was based on estimates of effect derived from a cluster-randomized trial by Gonzales et al. that compared printed decision support (PDS) and computer-assisted decision support (CDS) with usual care. That article’s point estimates for the odds ratios of antibiotic prescribing were used in the base case (0.57 for the PDS strategy and 0.64 for CDS). However, the 95 % confidence intervals for the two strategies overlapped almost completely, indicating that the adjusted odds of antibiotic use were not different. The authors attempt to address this issue in a secondary sensitivity analysis and conclude that the PDS strategy cost $220 less per patient. Operationally, the only difference between the two interventions was that one had posters, while the other incurred computer programming costs. The cost difference seems to have resulted because the CEA also retained the point estimates from the original trial for rates of return to clinic within 30 days and use of chest x-rays. In both cases, the nominal rates were higher at the CDS sites than at the PDS sites. Yet the original study states BReturn visit rates...increased modestly at all study sites and were not significantly different among study sites.^ With no difference in prescriptions avoided and no difference in associated utilization, the cost difference comes down to the comparison between the direct costs of poster printing vs. computer programming. With Meaningful Use incentives driving health systems to adopt electronic decision support, it is useful to be reminded that more traditional means of physician education can be equally cost-effective. However, some would argue that a methodologically complex analysis like CEA was not required to determine that posters are probably less costly than computer programming time.
Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry Using Carbon Nanotube Field Emission Electron Sources

A novel chemical ionization (CI) source has been developed based on a carbon nanotube (CNT) field emission electron source. The CNT-based electron source was evaluated and compared with a standard filament thermionic electron source in a commercial explosives trace detection desktop mass spectrometer. This work demonstrates the first reported use of a CNT-based ion source capable of collecting CI mass spectra. Both positive and negative modes were investigated. Spectra were collected for a standard mass spectrometer calibration compound, perfluorotributylamine (PFTBA), as well as trace explosives including trinitrotoluene (TNT), Research Department explosive (RDX), and pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN). The electrical characteristics, lifetime at operating pressure, and power requirements of the CNT-based electron source are reported. The CNT field emission electron sources demonstrated an average lifetime of 320 h when operated in constant emission mode under elevated CI pressures. The ability of the CNT field emission source to cycle on and off can provide enhanced lifetime and reduced power consumption without sacrificing performance and detection capabilities.
The First Neonatologist Was a Midwife ♦ 1349

Mrs. Henry was appointed Midwife-in-Chief at the Port Royal Maternity (Paris, France) in 1881 with the mission to experiment and develop the care of premature infants in incubators. Six incubators were set in use, attended by 5 wet nurses. Due to its success, the service was soon overloaded. Mrs. Henry raised money through the “oeuvre des couveuses”. With the help of public and private funding, the pavilion for nurslings was opened in 1893 and accommodated 14 incubators. Mrs. Henry directed this service for 18 months until 1895. She gave her resignation when Dr. Budin succeeded Dr. Tarnier. During this period, 721 infants were treated (90% of infants were breastfed); 664 were discharged in good condition and 357 died. In this group 24 were not viable, 15 had grave malformations, 68 were moribond on arrival. The smallest infant was 780 gm at 5.5 months gestation. He survived 113 days and died of a cyanotic spell. Among 74 infants fed artificially, 41% died of enteritis. Various experiments were conducted using diluted sterilized cow's milk, prepared in “an American cooker”, recording intake and outputs. Breast milk produced the best results. Mrs. Henry indicates that artificial feeding was particularly dangerous during the two months following birth. She worked closely with the hospital pharmacist and gave an accurate composition of the artificial formulas.
Paraglossal Straight Blade Intubation Technique-an Old Technique Revisited in Difficult Intubations: A Series of 5 Cases

We as anaesthesiologist at times encounter patients with mandibular dystocias, and oral/oropharyngeal lesions for surgical management. Such patients pose a challenge for airway management and intubation and at times proce­dure may end with tracheostomy. The Macintosh curved blade laryngoscopy is gold standard for intubation. This technique may be technically flawed in conditions like vallecular cyst, tonsillar growth, mandibular dystocias and hemifacial microsmia. However the experience of otolaryngologists to visualize the glottis using a straight blade direct laryngoscope (Jackson type) in cases where anaesthesiologist fails, prompted us to use straight blade laryngoscope (Miller's) for intubation. Here we describe, review and discuss an alternative technique of paraglossal straight blade intubation. We have tried this technique in five patients of difficult intubation and were able to avoid emergency cricothyrotomy and tracheostomy.
The dynamics of localized coherent structures and the role of adaptive software in multiscale modeling

Localized coherent structures are commonplace in nonequilibrium systems, and their dynamics often dominate the response of such systems. The numerical resolution of such structures can be essential for an accurate representation of both quantitative and qualitative features of driven systems, and adaptive mesh refinement methods can play an important role in that process. But adaptivity in software must be broadly implemented beyond support just for adaptive numerical methods. Interactive problem-solving environments which support rapid prototyping, flexible exploration of numerical algorithms and strategies, extraction of salient features, and development of novel multiscale models are needed to enable real breakthroughs in the understanding of complex dynamical systems.
Sleep assessments in healthy school-aged children using actigraphy: concordance with polysomnography

Actigraphic (ACT) recordings are used widely in schoolchildren as a less intrusive and more extended approach to evaluation of sleep problems. However, critical assessment of the validity and reliability of ACT against overnight polysomnography (NPSG) are unavailable. Thus, we explored the degree of concordance between NPSG and ACT in school-aged children to delineate potential ACT boundaries when interpreting pediatric sleep. Non-dominant wrist ACT was recorded simultaneously with NPSG in 149 healthy school-aged children (aged 4.1-8.8 years, 41.7% boys, 80.4% Caucasian) recruited from the community. Analyses were limited to the Actiware (MiniMitter-64) calculated parameters originating from 1-min epoch sampling and medium sensitivity threshold value of 40; i.e. sleep period time (SPT), total sleep time (TST) and wake after sleep onset (WASO). SPT was not significantly different between ACT and NPSG. However, ACT underestimated TST significantly by 32.2±33.4 min and overestimated WASO by 26.3±34.4 min. The decreased precision of ACT was also evident from moderate to small concordance correlation coefficients (0.47 for TST and 0.09 for WASO). ACT in school-aged children provides reliable assessment of sleep quantity, but is relatively inaccurate during determination of sleep quality. Thus, caution is advocated in drawing definitive conclusions from ACT during evaluation of the sleep-disturbed child.
Prognostic factors. Stage and receptor status in breast cancer.

Background. Anatomic and biologic indicators of prognosis provide the bases for management of patients with cancer of the breast. Combinations of these indicators are potentially more accurate than any alone. This review was undertaken to evaluate the prognostic relationship between stage and steroid hormone receptors. Methods. The literature was reviewed relative to the influences of tumor size, axillary metastases, and tumor estrogen receptors on the survival of patients with cancer of the breast. Results. Axillary node status is of primary importance as a predictor of recurrence and survival. Tumor size has only a secondary influence, but is prognostically useful in the absence of metastases
Building an Identifiable Latent Class Model with Covariate Effects on Underlying and Measured Variables.

In recent years, latent class models have proven useful for analyzing relationships between measured multiple indicators and covariates of interest. Such models summarize shared features of the multiple indicators as an underlying categorical variable, and the indicators' substantive associations with predictors are built directly and indirectly in unique model parameters. In this paper, we provide a detailed study on the theory and application of building models that allow mediated relationships between primary predictors and latent class membership, but that also allow direct effects of secondary covariates on the indicators themselves. Theory for model identification is developed. We detail an Expectation-Maximization algorithm for parameter estimation, standard error calculation, and convergent properties. Comparison of the proposed model with models underlying existing latent class modeling software is provided. A detailed analysis of how visual impairments affect older persons' functioning requiring distance vision is used for illustration.
Note on “Interfacial mixing in stratified flows”

A simple model is derived to explain the form ofthe relationship between the normalized entrainment rate of quiescent fluid into a turbulent mixed layer and the bulk Richardson number. The model is based on a parameterization ofthe turbulent kinetic energy budget and includes the effect of molecular diffusivity through the gravity work term. Results show good agreement with available data.
Prevention of GVHD without losing GVL effect: windows of opportunity

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation has developed into a most successful form of immunotherapy for hematologic malignancies in the past 50 years. However, its effectiveness and wider applications have been greatly limited by the development of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a potentially lethal side effect associated with this procedure. Since the main effectors for both graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect and GVHD are T lymphocytes and these two processes share many similar pathways, it has not been easy to separate GVL from GVHD. Because the clinically used pan immunosuppressive therapy for GVHD prevention also results in decreased GVL effect, the success of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation relies on a small and unpredictable therapeutic window at the present time. This review discusses how we may widen this therapeutic window so that we can reliably prevent GVHD without losing GVL effect.
Comment on ''Precocious scaling in field theories''

We point out that the number of linearly independent structure-function moments and the number of Wilson coefficients of a given angular momentum are both equal to the number of structure functions needed to write the most general cross section.
Prognostic significance of angiographically confirmed large vessel intracranial occlusion in patients presenting with acute brain ischemia

Independent predictors of outcome for ischemic stroke include age and initial stroke severity. Intracranial large-vessel occlusion would be expected to predict poor outcome. Because large-vessel occlusion and stroke severity are likely correlated, it is unclear if largevessel occlusion independently predicts outcome or is simply a marker for stroke severity. A consecutive series of patients with suspected stroke or transient ischemic attack were imaged acutely with computed tomography angiography (CTA). CTAs were reviewed for intracranial large-vessel occlusion as the cause of the stroke. Baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, discharge modified Rankin score, and patient demographics were abstracted from hospital records. Poor neurological outcome was defined as modified Rankin score exceeding 2. Seventy-two consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke were imaged with CTA. The median (range) time from stroke symptom onset to CT imaging was 183 minutes (25 minutes to 4 days). Median NIHSS score was 6 (1–32) and intracranial large-vessel occlusion was found in 28 (38.9%) patients. Fifty-six percent of patients had a good neurological outcome. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, two variables predicted poor neurological outcome: baseline NIHSS score (OR 1.21,95% CI[1.07–1.37]) and presence of intracranial large-vessel occlusion (OR 4.48, 95% CI[1.19–16.9]). The predictive value of large-vessel occlusion, on outcome was similar to an 8-point increase in NIHSS score. In patients presenting with acute brain ischemia, intracranial large-vessel occlusion independently predicts poor neurological outcome at hospital discharge, as does the presence of a high NIHSS score. Performing routine intracranial vascular imaging on acute stroke patients may allow for more accurate determination of prognosis and may also guide therapy.
Development and testing of a synchronous-scanning underwater imaging system capable of rapid two-dimensional frame imaging

The design and construction of a synchronous-scanning underwater imaging system capable of rapid two-dimensional scanning are described. The imager employs a 7-W, all-lines, argon-ion laser in conjunction with a galvanometrically driven raster scanner and an image-dissector tube receiver. The imager is capable of directly generating real-time RS-170 video imagery. The results of an in-water test of the imaging system, in which a high-contrast imaging test pattern was imaged, demonstrate operating ranges of up to 4 attenuation lengths (AL) when the test was run at real-time frame rates, ranges of 5.1-5.5 AL when the system operated with an eight-frame running average, and ranges of 6.3 AL when a 128-frame running average was used. The system performance was compared with that of several floodlight/silicon-intensified-target TV camera configurations, which produced a maximum imaging range of ∼ 2.6 AL. Also, an imaging configuration that used the raster-scanned beam of the laser as an illumination source for the silicon-intensified-target camera was tested. That system had an ultimate range of ∼ 4 AL.
Tribal boundaries: Stylistic variability and social boundary maintenance during the transition to the Copper Age on the Great Hungarian Plain

Abstract This paper explores the process of boundary formation and maintenance in ‘tribal’ societies by examining stylistic attributes in material culture during the transition from the Neolithic to the Copper Age in the eastern Carpathian Basin. Stylistic variability is used as a measure of social interaction and can be used to identify patterns of boundary creation and maintenance within the Late Neolithic (Tisza-Herpaly-Csőszhalom Complex) and Early Copper Age (Tiszapolgar) cultures that occupied the region. The stylistic analyses focus on three social and geographic scales. They indicate that social boundaries became more fluid and permeable at the beginning of the Copper Age, allowing more extensive interaction across larger social networks, suggesting that the changes in social organization may be attributed to scalar stress associated with the internal organization of societies during the Late Neolithic. The patterns presented here demonstrate that archaeological considerations of stylistic variability generate the most satisfying results when they consider several different geographic and social scales.
THE EFFECT OF TERATOGENIC ANTISERA ON RAT FETAL DEVELOPMENMT WHEN ADMINISTERED LATE IN DEVELOPMENT

THE EFFECT OF TERATOGENIC ANTISERA ON RAT FETAL DEVELOPMENMT WHEN ADMINISTERED LATE IN DEVELOPMENT
In vitro evaluation of cefepime and other broad-spectrum β-lactams in eight medical centers in Thailand

Abstract The introduction of cephalosporins has had an important impact on the resistance rates to several clinically utilized β-lactam antimicrobial agents. Most Thailand medical centers have not documented the levels of emerging resistant pathogens causing invasive infections. This study shows using reference-quality MIC techniques (Etest, AB BIODISK, Solna, Sweden), that carbapenems (imipenem), "fourth-generation" cephalosporins (cefepime and cefpirome), and piperacillin/tazobactam were the most active agents tested against Gram-negative bacilli ( Escherichia coli , Klebsiella spp., Enterobacter spp., Citrobacter spp., Serratia spp., indole-positive Proteae , Acinetobacter spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and oxacillin-susceptible Staphylococcus spp. when compared to "third-generation" cephalosporins (ceftazidime and ceftriaxone). The rank order of activity for all species was imipenem (2.9% resistant) > cefepime (7.7%) > piperacillin/tazobactam (11.1%) > cefpirome (13.4%) > ceftriaxone (21.1%) > ceftazidime (29.9%). The incidence of extended spectrum β-lactamase production among E. coli (15.7%) and K. pneumoniae (45.6%) was significant. Cefepime and imipenem were active against the majority of these isolates. The activity of cefepime was also shown to be very good against, 1) organisms capable of producing AmpC enzymes, 2) staphylococci species that were susceptible to oxacillin, and 3) many strains of nonfermentative Gram-negative bacilli. The prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in Thailand seems to be quite high among certain commonly encountered pathogens, and imipenem and cefepime have activity (susceptible and intermediate potency) against > 90% of these organisms.
Escraches: demonstrations, communication and political memory in post-dictatorial Argentina

This article examines Escraches, a new form of political demonstration in post-dictatorial Argentina where hundreds of torturers and assassins, responsible for the torture and disappearance of 30,000 people, have benefited from amnesty laws. The lack of truth and accountability has had social and cultural consequences. The demonstrations, which challenge legalized impunity, engage with contemporary issues of memory and communication concerning the ‘Dirty War’ of 1976-83. The research focuses particularly on public sphere reactions to these communication strategies among young people with no direct personal memory of the violent repression that took place. The analysis is based on empirical data collected during 1998 through extensive interviews with young people from Buenos Aires.
High-sensitivity ion mobility spectrometry/mass spectrometry using electrodynamic ion funnel interfaces.

The utility of ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) for separation of mixtures and structural characterization of ions has been demonstrated extensively, including in biological and nanoscience contexts. A major attraction of IMS is its speed, several orders of magnitude greater than that of condensed-phase separations. Nonetheless, IMS combined with mass spectrometry (MS) has remained a niche technique, substantially because of limited sensitivity resulting from ion losses at the IMS-MS junction. We have developed a new electrospray ionization (ESI)-IMS-QTOF MS instrument that incorporates electrodynamic ion funnels at both front ESI-IMS and rear IMS-QTOF interfaces. The front funnel is of the novel “hourglass” design that efficiently accumulates ions and pulses them into the IMS drift tube. Even for drift tubes of 2-m length, ion transmission through IMS and on to QTOF is essentially lossless across the range of ion masses relevant to most applications. The rf ion focusing at the IMS terminus does not degrad...
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Operating Room Protocols: Turning Published Recommendations into Reality

Abstract ISSUE: In 2001, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) issued a sentinel event alert on the dangers of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) after reports of incidents where exposure to patients may have occurred via instruments used during brain surgeries. Because of this alert, the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers' CJD Operating Room (OR) policies and procedures were targeted for review. PROJECT: In early 2002, a group was formed representing neurology, neurosurgery, pathology, risk management, infection control, and operating room staff. The goals were to: • develop a protocol to identify potential CJD patients • develop exclusion criteria to appropriately narrow CJD precautions in the OR without increasing the risk of missing CJD cases • review and incorporate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/World Health Organization (WHO) sterilization recommendations • Evaluate and institute procedures promoting safe, user-friendly, and cost-effective care in the OR. RESULTS: The group developed exclusion criteria for brain biopsy and determined that CJD precautions are necessary in an adult receiving a diagnostic biopsy unless there is a: • space-occupying tumor or mass lesion • suspicious white-matter lesion • meningeal biopsy • pleocytosis on LP. Patients meeting the above criteria receive a neurology consult prior to brain biopsy. The neurologist is responsible for ensuring and documenting that all appropriate tests, as well as history and physical, are consistent with the possibility of CJD. The Operating Room now has: • a kit for rule-out CJD cases containing cleaning solutions, personal protective equipment, room signage, pre-printed labels for specimens and waste, duct tape, and a policy binder • disposable instrument trays for biopsies • a Web-based OR scheduling system that demands a selection of either “brain biopsy with CJD precautions” or “brain biopsy without CJD precautions” • a requirement for a neurology consult prior to brain biopsy. LESSONS LEARNED: Interdisciplinary consensus and review of OR policies and procedures resulted in consistent identification of patients with a possible diagnosis of CJD. It also enabled the OR to select items used for rule-out CJD patients and dispose of them in a safe and cost-effective manner.
Sensitivity of quantitative traits to mutational effects and number of loci

When models of quantitative genetic variation are built from population genetic first principles, several assumptions are often made. One of the most important assumptions is that traits are controlled by many genes of small effect. This leads to a prediction of a Gaussian trait distribution in the population, via the Central Limit Theorem. Since these biological assumptions are often unknown or untrue, we characterized how finite numbers of loci or large mutational effects can impact the sampling distribution of a quantitative trait. To do so, we developed a neutral coalescent-based framework, allowing us to gain a detailed understanding of how number of loci and the underlying mutational model impacts the distribution of a quantitative trait. Through both analytical theory and simulation we found the normality assumption was highly sensitive to the details of the mutational process, with the greatest discrepancies arising when the number of loci was small or the mutational kernel was heavy-tailed. In particular, skewed mutational effects will produce skewed trait distributions and fat-tailed mutational kernels result in multimodal sampling distributions, even for traits controlled by a large number of loci. Since selection models and robust neutral models may produce qualitatively similar sampling distributions, we advise extra caution should be taken when interpreting model-based results for poorly understood systems of quantitative traits.
Electronic screening in second order optical polarizabilities of elongated Donor/Acceptor polyenes

Abstract Optical polarizabilities of a family of donor/acceptor substituted polyenes are calculated using collective electronic normal modes obtained by solving equations of motion for the single-electron density matrix combined with the INDO/S semiempirical hamiltonian. Size-scaling of static polarizabilities χ = α , β , γ is analyzed using the exponents b χ ≡dln χ /dln n where n is the number of repeat units. We find that for long chains b α and b γ tend to 1 whereas b β approaches 0. Two-dimensional plots of the dominant collective electronic modes show that α and γ are generated along the entire chain whereas β only originates from the donor and acceptor chain regions. Electronic screening makes these regions neutral. The size of this boundary screening region is ∼15–17 double bonds, and β saturates at ∼30–40 double bonds, depending on the type of donor/acceptor substitution.
The Effect of New Jersey Lottery Promotions on Consumer Demand and State Profits

We estimate elasticities of demand for New Jersey’s Pick 3 and Pick 4 midday/evening numbers games by exploiting random price variation generated by episodic promotions for each game. These Pick 3 Green Ball and Pick 4 Red Ball promotions lower the price of a lottery ticket for an evening numbers game by increasing prize payments during the 28-day promotion periods. The own-price elasticities of demand for the evening Pick 3 and Pick 4 games are both approximately –0.5. During the promotions, the loss in profit margins outweighs the gain in sales because of this inelastic demand. However, the combined effects of lower evening Pick 3 profits and increased sales of complementary products boost lottery profits by $30,000 per day, or $840,000 during the 28 days of the Green Ball promotion, while the combined effects of lower evening Pick 4 profits and reduced sales of substitute products decrease lottery profits by $129,000 per day, or $3.61 million during the 28 days of the Red Ball promotion. If higher sales after the promotion are included, the total increase in profits potentially reaches $14.48 million under the Green Ball game, while the Red Ball promotion loses money for the lottery even considering its positive lagged effect.
The Female Athlete Triad

The female athlete triad, a syndrome of disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis, is now clearly recognized in selected populations of elite athletes. It is often seen in the sports that have an emphasis on "thinness," including gymnastics, figure skating, and ballet. Components of the triad are linked pathophysiologically, leading to significant morbidity and, on occasion, mortality. The disorder is difficult to treat and requires a multidisciplinary approach with intense psychological counseling as the primary focus of attack.
The seasonal cycle of wind stress curl and its relationship to subsurface ocean temperature in the Northeast Pacific

[1] We examine the seasonal evolution of analyzed wind stress curl (WSC) over the northeast Pacific Ocean. The strongest WSC features are associated with wind maxima on the flanks of the North Pacific High and Aleutian Low, especially in coastal regions. A strong, seasonally-migrating WSC dipole (positive inshore, negative offshore) is evident year-round over the California Current System (CCS). We compare the WSC fields to observed upper ocean temperatures to test the hypothesis that seasonal variations in overlying WSC strongly impact temperatures just below the seasonal thermocline. The hypothesis is supported along most of the west coast, where the WSC seasonal cycle is strong and subsurface temperature data are relatively abundant. In open ocean regions, there is little clear evidence for or against the hypothesis due to weak WSC signals and a lack of subsurface data.
Academic rank, task feedback and self-reinforcement in children.

This experiment explored the non-intellectual correlates of academic achievement from the perspective of research on self-regulation. Part I studied the relationship of class standing (in third and fourth grade boys) and self-reinforcement patterns. Ss evaluated their guesses on a perceptual task as Very Good or Bad. Boys of high class-standing were significantly more self-critical than boys of low class-standing. Part II explored the effects of positive, negative and no feedback on the same Ss. High Ss decreased more rapidly in self-criticism from Part I than Low Ss. Different feedbacks had no different effects on SR rates, but Low Ss tended to show more absolute change after feedback.
Towards an Automatic Top-down Role Engineering Approach Using Natural Language Processing Techniques

Role Based Access Control (RBAC) is the most widely used model for access control due to the ease of administration as well as economic benefits it provides. In order to deploy an RBAC system, one requires to first identify a complete set of roles. This process, known as role engineering, has been identified as one of the costliest tasks in migrating to RBAC. In this paper, we propose a top-down role engineering approach and take the first steps towards using natural language processing techniques to extract policies from unrestricted natural language documents. Most organizations have high-level requirement specifications that include a set of access control policies which describes allowable operations for the system. However, it is very time consuming, labor-intensive, and error-prone to manually sift through these natural language documents to identify and extract access control policies. Our goal is to automate this process to reduce manual efforts and human errors. We apply natural language processing techniques, more specifically semantic role labeling to automatically extract access control policies from unrestricted natural language documents, define roles, and build an RBAC model. Our preliminary results are promising and by applying semantic role labeling to automatically identify predicate-argument structure, and a set of predefined rules on the extracted arguments, we were able correctly identify access control policies with a precision of 75%, recall of 88%, and F1 score of 80%.
Point admittance spectroscopy: New PV diagnostic

Typical admittance (e.g., capacitance-voltage-frequency) measurements are essentially one-dimensional measurements, characterizing an electronic device in the transverse dimension between its electrodes [1],[2]. Here, we discuss situations in which one of the electrodes has very small dimensions so that the device surface is not at equipotential and lateral dimensions influence the measurement. This point admittance spectroscopy (PAS) approach opens new venue in characterizing PV devices before their final metallization. We analyze the equivalent circuit and conduct numerical modeling underlying PAS. We show that the admittance technique is sensitive to lateral nonuniformities and the existence and location of shunts, and may also be used to determine a system lump parameters, such as series resistance, shunt resistance, and open circuit voltage.
Anodic fracturing and vacuum heat treated annealing of pitch-based carbon fibers

The DuPont pith-based carbon fiber (10-μm diameter) was found to fracture and exfoliate in alignement with the crenulations of the principal axis when the fiber was subjected to high current anodization
Quantum instabilities and the cosmological constant

Abstract Several recent studies have found that the stress-energy of quantum fields in de Sitter space will take the form of a growing effective cosmological constant (Λ) with sign opposite to that of the background spacetime. This leads, in self-consistent scheme, to the spontaneous decay of the effective value of Λ, and has been proposed as a possible solution to the “problem of the cosmological constant”. By modeling the back-reaction of the spacetime to the quantum-stress-energy, it is shown that it is unlikely that such quantum instabilities can lower the value of Λ by a large factor and yield a universe even remotely like our own.
A Comparison Between Two Training Programs and Their Effects on Fatigue Rates in Women

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the effects of a plyometric training program and a traditional weight-training program on the onset rate of fatigue in the vertical jump in women. Twenty-five untrained college women ranging in age from 18–35 were randomly separated into 3 groups: a plyometric group,
Modeling and optimizing a vendor managed replenishment system using machine learning and genetic algorithms

Using a supply chain network, we demonstrate the feasibility, viability, and robustness of applying machine learning and genetic algorithms to respectively model, understand, and optimize such data intensive environments. Deployment of these algorithms, which learn from and optimize data, can obviate the need to perform more complex, expensive, and time consuming design of experiments (DOE), which usually disrupt system operations. We apply and compare the behavior and performance of the proposed machine learning algorithms to that obtained via DOE in a simulated Vendor Managed Replenishment system, developed for an actual firm. The results show that the models resulting from the proposed algorithms had strong explanatory and predictive power, comparable to that of DOE. The optimal system settings and profit were also similar to that obtained from DOE. The virtues of using machine learning and evolutionary algorithms to model and optimize data rich environments thus seem promising because they are automatic, involving little human intervention and expertise. We believe and are exploring how they can be made adaptive to improve parameter estimates with increasing data, as well as seamlessly detecting system (and therefore model) changes, thus being capable of recursively updating and reoptimizing a modified or new model.
The development of superplastic ductilities and microstructural homogeneity in a magnesium ZK60 alloy processed by ECAP

An extruded ZK60 magnesium alloy was processed by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) and then tested in tension at elevated temperatures. The results show the alloy is superplastic at a testing temperature of 473 K with an optimum ductility of ~1310% when using an initial strain rate of 2.0 × 10?4 s?1. The results demonstrate that optimum superplasticity is achieved at intermediate strain rates and there are decreases in the elongations to failure at both faster and slower strain rates. Microhardness measurements were taken both on the cross-sectional plane and along the axial direction after processing by ECAP. These measurements show the alloy is essentially homogeneous in the as-pressed condition.
The hippocampus and septal area as primary target sites for corticosterone.

—Two groups of totally adrenalectomized male rats (220-260 g) were injected intraperitoneally with different amounts of [1,2-3H] corticosterone. One group received 1 μg of hormone (50 μCi/μg), and the other received 20 μg (2·5 μCiμg). All animals were decapitated at 15 min and various tissues including the pituitary, cerebellum, pons-medulla, cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, septal area, and hippocampus were assayed for radioactivity and protein content. In the 1-μg group, the hippocampus contained more cpm/mg of protein (P<0·05) than all the other areas including the hypothalamus. The septal area and pituitary gland values were higher (P<0·05) than all the other areas except the hippocampus. In the 20-μg group there was a significant reduction (P<0·05) in the values (cpm/mg of protein) for the hippocampus, septal area and cerebral cortex, but no change in the values for the pituitary, hypothalamus, and pons-medulla. These data suggest that the hippocampus and septal area are primary target sites for corticosterone because they take up more hormone than other nervous tissue loci and demonstrate a limited capacity for hormonal uptake. The pituitary gland tends to concentrate the hormone but does not demonstrate a limited capacity for uptake. The hypothalamus does not concentrate the hormone or demonstrate a limited capacity for uptake, and the data suggest that it is not a primary target site for corticosterone.
Intraretinal differentiation in the synaptic organization of the inner plexiform layer of the pigeon retina

The inner plexiform layer at ten retinal loci in pigeon was examined by electron microscopy. Photomontages of the entire depth of the inner plexiform layer at each locus were analyzed with respect to the number of amacrine and bipolar synapses, their respective ratios, synaptic densities, percent amacrine synapses in serial configuration, synaptic layering patterns, and the effect of staining procedures on these quantities. The results show that the pigeon retina is not homogeneous regarding the structural complexity of the inner plexiform layer, but may be divided into four general areas in decreasing order of complexity: red field, temporal yellow field, nasal yellow field, and the area centralis. Significant differences in the amacrine synapse to bipolar synapse ration and amacrine synaptic density were observed across the retina, while bi-polar synaptic density and the percent of serial synapses were rather constant. Amacrine synapses displayed a layering pattern which was consistent throughout the retina; while bipolar synapses showed two patterns. It was further observed that the density of amacrine and bipolar synapses bears little relationship to the density of amacrine and bipolar cells in the immediately overlying inner nuclear layer. This suggests that the various retinal loci may be characterized by different proportions of the morphological types of amacrine and bipolar cells present in the pigeon retina. Based on recent studies which have shown that a relationship exists between the complexity of ganglion cell receptive fields and the synaptic complexity of the inner plexiform layer, it is suggested that the ganglion cells of pigeon would show a physiological differentiation among retinal loci consistent with the observed differences in the anatomical complexity of the inner plexiform layer.
Protein–protein interactions involving IKKγ (NEMO) that promote the activation of NF‐κB

Inhibitor of kappaB kinase (IKK) gamma (IKKgamma), also referred to as nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) essential modulator (NEMO), is an important regulatory component of the IKK complex. The IKK complex is a signalosome that catalyzes the inducible phosphorylation of IkappaB proteins, which is a key step that leads to the activation of NF-kappaB. The exact functions of IKKgamma (NEMO) as part of the IKK complex have not yet been fully elucidated. This mini-review covers 16 proteins that have been reported to bind to IKKgamma and lead to the enhancement of the activities of the IKK complex, thus resulting in NF-kappaB activation. The major mechanisms by which these interactions are mediated involve the recognition of ubiquitinated upstream signaling components by IKKgamma or the modification of IKKgamma itself by ubiquitination. Additional mechanisms include the sumoylation or phosphorylation of IKKgamma and the modification of the tertiary or quaternary structure of IKKgamma.
A Comparison of Four Vocalizations of the Genus Tragopan (Aves, Phasianidae)

Four calls of the genus Tragopan were described and acoustically analysed. Alarm and wing whir calls were very similar in sound and structure in all five species. By contrast, a comparison of 11 physical parameters of advertisement and clicking calls indicated that species separated into three groups: western and Cabot's each separated into their own group, whereas Blyth's, Temminck's and satyr formed another group. It was hypothesized that the tragopan prototype population had their origin in the eastern Himalayas. Thus, the centrally distributed species of tragopans (satyr, Blyth's and Temminck's) retained characteristics of the ancestral population, whereas the peripheral species (western and Cabot's) underwent vocal modifications. Courtship vocalizations, which are under sexual selection pressure, probably serve as species-isolating mechanisms in sympatric species.
Molecular dynamics simulation of a reverse micelle self assembly in supercritical CO2.

In this communication we report on molecular dynamics computer simulations of self-assembly of reverse micelles in supercritical carbon dioxide. The reverse micelles contain perfluoropolyether ammonium carboxylate surfactants and an aqueous core. We observed a quick self-assembly of these micelles over time periods of ∼5 ns, irrespective of initial conditions. In most cases, the self-assembled perfluorinated reverse micelles have a nice spherical shape and properties consistent with experiments. When the fluorinated surfactant is replaced by its hydrogenated analogue, the assembled aggregate contains a region of direct contact between water and carbon dioxide, indicating that hydrogenated surfactant is not a good agent for creation of microemulsions in water/carbon dioxide mixtures.
Totally robotic gastric bypass: approach and technique.

Despite the advantages of the da Vinci robotic system in the performance of abdominal surgery (Maeso et al. Ann Surg 252:254–262, 2010), there has been limited application of this technology to bariatric surgery. The robotic platform may be ideal for performance of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), providing significant ergonomic advantage and greater ability to maneuver more precisely in limited spaces. However, there has been slow adoption of robotic technology for the performance of the RYGB procedure due, in part, to the perceived difficulty of conversion from laparoscopic to totally robotic procedures and the associated initial increase in operative time. In this report, we describe our approach to developing a standardized totally robotic technique with focus on patient safety and attention to operative times, the technique itself, and surgery outcomes of nearly 300 RYGB cases. Our findings show that totally robotic RYGB can be safely approached through systematic stepwise progression with minimal complications and comparable operative times.
Newton, Gases, and Daltonian chemistry: The foundations of combination in definite proportion

Summary This study deals with the relationship between Newton's gas model in the Principia (Book II, Proposition xxiii) and Dalton's theorizing. Dalton's first theory of mixed gases is an elegant extension of the Newtonian gas model which, in turn, led Dalton to a general model of chemical combination. The views on combination are contrasted with those of Arnold Thackray. Interestingly, the model of combination was knowingly based on a falsified theory.
Graph-based iterative reconstruction of sparse signals for compressed sensing

In this paper, we consider the problem of reconstruction of sparse signals in compressed sensing. In particular, we introduce a novel iterative algorithm based on graph-based decoding of low-density parity-check codes which possesses desirable properties like good performance, low complexity and running time, and ease of implementation. In this work, we outline the reconstruction algorithm, and analyze its performance on some measurement matrices. Furthermore, we also provide some initial results on the theoretical performance limits of this algorithm.
Sensory systems: Do you hear what I see?

Researchers have found evidence that the representation of auditory and tactile information in the brains of blind people shows strong similarities to the way in which visual information is represented in sighted people.