cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Elimination of pain-induced aggression in male mice following olfactory bulb removal

Abstract Olfactory bulb removal eliminated pain-induced aggressive behavior in male mice. The adulteration of intact mice with an oderant that reduced aggressive behavior in home-cage fighting tests had no affect in the pain-induced fighting situation.
An Art Therapy Exhibition: A Retrospective View

In May 1989, the Maltese Minister of Education and Culture, Dr Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, inaugurated an art therapy exhibition at the National Museum of Archaeology in the capital, Valletta. The exhibition, which lasted 3 weeks, consisted of more than 60 paintings and pottery items, executed over a period of 15 years in the occupational therapy department of the island's sole psychiatric hospital, Mount Carmel. The article looks at the background of the use of art in psychiatry, and its harnessing as a treatment medium in occupational therapy.
Keynote address 1: “Connecting the dots to achieve high reliability and quality”

The ubiquitous trend towards a connected, digital, always-ON lifestyle is driving the development of electronic devices that have smaller form factors, higher performance requirements, along with expectations of reliability and quality. Consumers don't buy products because of high quality but expect it. The result is a constant upward pressure on delivering high reliability at silicon, package and system level. Although this general trend holds for applications in the computing arena, gaming console arena, consumer electronics arena as well as in the portable electronics arena, the relative constraints on the cost, size and complexity of the products make this a challenging task. This is further made more difficult by unpredictable ways consumers may use the product. Microsoft evolution of hardware and reliability challenges of Surface will be described to achieve a highly reliable and quality product.
Allopurinol preserves cerebral energy metabolism during perinatal hypoxia-ischemia: a 31P NMR study in unanesthetized immature rats.

The effects of high dose allopurinol (ALLOP) pretreatment on the cerebral energy metabolism of unanesthetized 7-day-postnatal rats during exposure to 3 h of cerebral hypoxia-ischemia were serially quantitated using non-invasive 31P NMR spectroscopy. Adenosine triphosphate, integrated over the last 2 h of hypoxia and expressed as a fraction of baseline, was 0.73 +/- 0.16 with ALLOP pretreatment (200 mg/kg s.c.) compared to 0.52 +/- 0.05 for saline pretreatment (P = 0.001). Inorganic phosphate/phosphocreatine (Pi/PCr), integrated over the same time interval, was 2.63 +/- 1.23 relative to baseline with ALLOP versus 5.13 +/- 1.45 for saline-treated pups (P less than 0.0005). We suggest that the neuroprotection achieved with high dose ALLOP pretreatment may be attributed in part to preservation of energy metabolites.
Rhetorical Criticism: A Message-Centered Procedure.

This article delineates a message‐centered method for describing, interpreting, and evaluating communicative acts. A format is suggested for synthesizing such analytical materials into a completed piece of rhetorical criticism. The approach, both dramatis‐tic and prescriptive, is directed to students and teachers of rhetorical criticism.
Stereoselectivity of octahedral complexes. V solvent influence on the relative diastereomer abundances of tris[(+)-3-acetylcamphorato]vanadium(III)

Abstract Analysis of the isotropically shifted pmr signals of the labile complex, tri[(+)-3-acetylcamphorato] vanadium (III), reveals the number of diastereomers present and their relative abundance. A rather marked solvent effect on the diastereomer proportions has been found. The ratio of concentrations of Δ-trans and Δ-trans diastereomers varies from a minimum of 0.31 in chloroform solution to a maximum of 0.97 in benzene over seven solvents investigated. Attempts to interpret the variation of isomer abundances in terms of solvent properties such as polarity, coordination tendency, or hydrogen bonding ability have not been successful. The results indicate, however, that for labile complexes solvent-solute interactions may have a significant influence on stereoselectivity, a phenomenon generally attributed to intramolecular steric interactions alone.
Effects of added protein and dietary fat on lamb performance and carcass characteristics when fed differing levels of dried distiller's grains with solubles

Abstract The objectives of this study were to evaluate the influence of dietary protein and fat in dried distiller's grains with solubles (DDGS) on feedlot performance and carcass characteristics finishing lambs. Sixty crossbred lambs (29.16 ± 4.59 kg) were allotted into pairs (ewe and wether; 6 pairs/trt) and fed one of five isocaloric dietary treatments: (1) a corn based diet with DDGS included to meet CP requirements (∼25% of DM; CON), (2) CON with DDGS included at twice the amount of CON (∼50% of DM; 50DDGS), (3) CON with added corn protein in the form of gluten meal to be similar of CP in the 50DDGS diet (CON + CP), (4) CON with added vegetable oil to be similar to the crude fat in the 50DDGS diet (CON + VO), and (5) CON with corn protein and vegetable oil added to be similar to the CP and crude fat in the 50DDGS diet (CON + CPVO). Wether lambs were harvested when they obtained a common 12th rib fat depth endpoint of 0.5 cm. Ewe lambs were returned to the flock. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS. Contrasts between (1) CON vs. elevated CP diets (50DDGS, CON + CP, and CON + CPVO; PRO), (2) CON vs. elevated fat diets (50DDGS, CON + VO, and CON + CPVO; FAT) and (3) CON vs. diets with both elevated CP and fat (50DDGS and CON + CPVO; PF) were analyzed. Final BW, days on feed, and G:F did not differ as a result of dietary treatment ( P ≥ 0.29). However, DMI was decreased ( P = 0.03) in the lambs fed PRO diets compared with CON fed lambs. Average daily gain tended ( P = 0.08) to decrease in the lambs fed the PRO diets compared with the lambs fed CON. Lambs did not differ ( P > 0.05) in HCW, dressing percentage, 12th rib fat depth, LM area, body wall thickness, yield grade, flank streaking, leg score, percent boneless, closely trimmed retail cuts, and LM ether extract. Therefore, these data indicate that DDGS can be included in feedlot lamb diets at levels up to 50% of DM without negatively affecting feedlot performance, carcass quality, and metabolite concentrations.
Function of Vitamin A in Vertebrate Embryonic Development

Advances in molecular biology and retinoic acid receptor research have significantly contributed to the understanding of the role of vitamin A during vertebrate development. Examination of the function of this vitamin during very early developmental stages using the completely vitamin A-depleted avian embryo has revealed that the vitamin A requirement begins at the time of formation of the primitive heart, circulation and specification of hindbrain. The lack of vitamin A at this critical time results in gross abnormalities and early embryonic death. In rodent models, vitamin A deficiency can be targeted to later gestational windows and documents the need for vitamin A for more advanced stages of development. Major target tissues of vitamin A deficiency include the heart, central nervous system and structures derived from it, the circulatory, urogenital and respiratory systems, and the development of skull, skeleton and limbs. These abnormalities are also evident in mice mutants from retinoid receptor knockouts; they have revealed both morphological and molecular aspects of vitamin A function during development. Retinoic acid receptors (RAR) in partnership with retinoid X receptor (RXR)alpha appear to be the important retinoid receptor transcription factors regulating vitamin A function at the gene level during development via the physiologic ligand all-trans-retinoic acid. Homeostasis of retinoic acid is maintained by developmentally regulated vitamin A metabolism enzyme systems. Inadequate vitamin A nutrition during early pregnancy may account for some pediatric congenital abnormalities.
Family Acceptance in Adolescence and the Health of LGBT Young Adults

ISSUE: The role of family acceptance as a protective factor for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) adolescents and young adults has not been established. METHODS: A quantitative measure with items derived from prior qualitative work retrospectively assessed family accepting behaviors in response to LGBT adolescents' sexual orientation and gender expression and their relationship to mental health, substance abuse, and sexual risk in young adults (N= 245). FINDINGS: Family acceptance predicts greater self-esteem, social support, and general health status; it also protects against depression, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation and behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Family acceptance of LGBT adolescents is associated with positive young adult mental and physical health. Interventions that promote parental and caregiver acceptance of LGBT adolescents are needed to reduce health disparities.
On the optimization of differential-algebraic process systems

Many chemical engineering problems require the optimization of systems of differential and algebraic equations. Here a method is presented based on finite-element collocation, which converts differential equations to algebraic residual equations with unknown coefficients. A nonlinear program is then formulated, with residuals incorporated as equality constraints and coefficients as decision variables. Also, adaptive knot placement is used to minimize the approximation error, with necessary and sufficient conditions for optimal knot placement incorporated as additional equality constraints in the nonlinear program. All equality constraints are then solved simultaneously with the optimization problem, thus requiring only a single solution of the approximated model. Finally, problems with discontinuous control profiles can be treated by introducing an extra level of elements (superelements) as decisions in the optimization problem. This approach is demonstrated on a simple optimal control problem as well as a reactor optimization problem with steep temperature profiles and state variable constraints.
AUF‐1 mediates inhibition by nitric oxide of lipopolysaccharide‐induced matrix metalloproteinase‐9 expression in cultured astrocytes

Neuroinflammatory diseases are associated with increased production of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and excessive generation of nitric oxide (NO). NO has been reported to have variable effects on MMP-9 gene expression and activation in various cell types. In the present study, we investigated the effect of NO on MMP-9 expression in primary cortical astrocytes. Zymography and real-time PCR showed that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) dramatically increased latent MMP-9 gelatinolytic activity and MMP-9 mRNA expression. By using the NO donor DETA NONOate, we observed a dose-dependent inhibition of MMP-9 induction by LPS. Active forms of MMP-9 were not found by zymography after NO treatment. The MEK1/2 inhibitor U0126 completely inhibited LPS-induced MMP-9, which was partially inhibited by the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580. NO had no effect on LPS-stimulated ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK activation, suggesting that the inhibitory action of NO occurs downstream of MAPK cascades. Real-time PCR analysis showed that NO accelerated the degradation of MMP-9 mRNA after LPS induction. Western blotting and pull-down assay demonstrated that NO increased AUF-1 expression as well as its specific binding to the MMP-9 gene 3'-untranslated region. Knockdown of AUF-1 with siRNA partially reversed the inhibitory action of NO on LPS-stimulated MMP-9 induction. We conclude that NO does not activate MMP-9 in astrocyte cultures but reduces LPS-induced MMP-9 expression via accelerating MMP-9 mRNA degradation, which is partially mediated by AUF-1. Our results suggest that elevated NO concentrations may suppress MMP-9 and restrict the inflammatory response in neurodegenerative diseases.
Functionally Critical Elements of CooA-Related CO Sensors

CooA is a heme-containing transcriptional activator that enables Rhodospirillum rubrum to sense and grow on CO as a sole energy source. We have identified a number of CooA homologs through database searches, expressed these heterologously in Escherichia coli, and monitored their ability to respond to CO in vivo. Further in vitro analysis of two CooA homologs from Azotobacter vinelandii and Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans corroborated the in vivo data by revealing the ability of CO to bind to these hemoproteins and stimulate their binding at specific DNA sequences. These data, as well as the patterns of conserved residues in the homologs, are compared to what is already known about functionally important residues in the CooA protein of R. rubrum. The results identify critical regions of CooA and indicate features that distinguish CooAs from the general family of cyclic AMP receptor proteins.
A Survey of Hiring Practices in Selected School Districts.

Braun, Willems, Brown, and Green pro vide information on how education majors should prepare application papers and what they should expect in interviews. Two hundred and seventy- one (271) seconda...
Molecular Pathway of Germ Cell Apoptosis Following Ischemia/Reperfusion of the Rat Testis

Abstract The present study investigates the molecular apoptotic pathway in germ cells following acute ischemia of the rat testis. Rats were subjected to ischemia-inducing torsion and testes were harvested after reperfusion. Apoptotic cells were identified with an antibody to single-stranded DNA. Seminiferous tubule RNA was examined by RNase protection assay or by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the presence and regulation of apoptotic molecules. Proteins from seminiferous tubules were used for Western blot analysis of cytochrome c. Germ cell apoptosis was maximal at 24 h after repair of torsion. Germ cells in stages II–III of the seminiferous epithelium cycle were the predominant early responders. The RNase protection assays revealed that Bcl-XL was the prominent mRNA species. Caspases 1, 2, 3, and Bax mRNA were consistently upregulated; however, the time of upregulation after torsion was variable. The Bcl-XL and Bcl-XS mRNAs were less consistently upregulated and there was no...
Clostridium perfringens in the Environment

Clostridium perfringens was isolated from samples collected in Puget Sound in the state of Washington and areas considered as possible sources of these organisms to Puget Sound. The distribution of C. perfringens in the total Clostridium population was determined for fish gut contents and sediments collected in highly polluted and less polluted areas, sewage samples, freshwater sediments, and soils. The greatest numbers of C. perfringens were obtained from marine sediments collected near the sewage outfall at West Point. Fewer isolates were made from fish collected from less polluted stations, although the number of C. perfringens remained high in sediments from other Puget Sound stations. The proportion of C. perfringens in the total Clostridium populations varied between 56 and 71% for sewage samples and only 0.4 to 4.1% for freshwater sediments and soil samples. Only 25 C. perfringens isolates out of 137 from fish guts, or 18%, were identifiable serologically and these fell into 12 groups. C. perfringens were fed to fish and the fish were sacrificed after varying lengths of time. The number of C. perfringens increased slightly in the gut during the first 24 h and then the numbers decreased rapidly for the next 120 h.
Outcomes of a rotational dissection system in gross anatomy

At the University of Texas Houston Medical School, a rotational dissection system was introduced to improve coordination between the Gross Anatomy and the Introduction to Clinical Medicine (ICM) courses. Six students were assigned to each cadaver and divided into two teams. For each laboratory, one team was assigned to dissect and the other to attend ICM or study independently. For the next laboratory, the assignments were reversed. At the start of the session, the team that had dissected previously spent 30 minutes teaching the other team. In 2012, the students were given three traditional practical examinations with 50 questions drawn equally from each laboratory. Students also completed three mid-course evaluations. There were no significant differences in overall performance between the two teams. Nevertheless, we wanted to determine how well individual students identified structures they had dissected compared with those they had not. For dissected structures, the mean percent correct was 80.0 ± 13.0 (mean ± standard deviation), and for undissected structures, it was 78.3 ± 14.1. The difference was small, but statistically significant (P = 0.0007). Although this result validated the concerns expressed by some students, it did not appear that a change in the system was justified. Students were generally enthusiastic about the opportunity to learn clinical skills in the first semester of medical school, and 91–96% of the students agreed that learning anatomy at the same time helped them understand the physical examination exercises in ICM. Anat Sci Educ 8: 438–444. © 2014 American Association of Anatomists.
Fast-Converging Adaptive Cascaded Cancellers Using A Novel Soft-Weighting and Reiteration(SWR) Technique

We introduce a methodology that creates a new class of reduced-rank adaptive cascaded canceller algorithms. Two example algorithms illustrate the benefits of the proposed technique. It consists of combining a novel soft-weighting technique with an existing reiteration technique. Denoted as soft-weighting and reiteration (SWR), its use significantly improves the convergence performance of cascaded cancellers while preserving other desired algorithm characteristics, such as robustness. Example results are shown for the benchmark Gram Schmidt cascaded canceller and for the robust reiterative median cascaded canceller, but the technique is applicable to generic forms of cascaded canceller algorithms. Moreover, the resulting algorithms exhibit near-optimal sidelobe levels in their adaptive beam patterns, which can significantly reduces false alarms. We illustrate the improvements using simulated data and measured data from the MCARM space-time adaptive processing (STAP) airborne radar database.
POPULATION STATUS OF JAGUARS (PANTHERA ONCA) AND PUMAS (PUMA CONCOLOR) IN NORTHEASTERN SONORA, MEXICO

Rosas-Rosas, O. C. & L. C. Bender. 2012. Population status of jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) in northeastern Sonora, Mexico. Acta Zoologica Mexicana (n. s.), 28(1): 86-101. ABSTRACT. Jaguars are endangered in Mexico and the United States, necessitating careful monitor- ing of population status. We determined minimum numbers of jaguars and sympatric pumas in a small population in northern Sonora, Mexico, the nearest known breeding population to the United States, by photographic captures supplemented by idiosyncratic features of tracks from track surveys (1999-2005). We also developed a discriminant function to differentiate species (jaguar v. puma) and sexes within species, which also aided in individual identification. Photographic captures identified 5 individual jag- uars; this estimate was increased to 12 using idiosyncratic features and discriminant analysis of tracks. Jaguar kittens were only detected by track surveys. All jaguars identified by photographs were previ- ously detected by tracks, but most (7 of 12) known from tracks were not captured in photographs. Jaguar presence was fluid; we identified 6 individual jaguars from 1999-2003, but only 3 of these were still present in 2004. We documented 4 new individuals during 2005, when none of the previously identified jaguars were detected. Similarly, we identified 14 individual pumas by tracks, but only 11 of these were captured in photographs. Four hindfoot measurements varied among species and sexes of jaguars and pumas, and these measurements were able to correctly classify 85-97% of tracks to the correct species and sex. Due to the high turnover of this jaguar population, which is at its fringe of the jaguar range in North America, we recommend constant monitoring of population status with camera traps and track surveys. If only limited resources are available, we recommend monitoring only with track surveys be- cause they detected a greater number of individuals and all age classes of individuals.
Organizing Groups for Collective Action

How can the beneficiaries of collective action be persuaded to contribute the resources (time, energy, money) necessary for the effort to succeed? Rational and selfish players will recognize they can free ride on the successful contributions of others. If the effort is not successful, they will lose a contribution—and be “suckered.” Other than relying on altruism, organizers of the group effort can modify incentives so that players are more prepared to contribute. Laboratory experiments offer one way of assessing the effectiveness of various such modifications; we conducted such tests to see how well contributing is promoted by (1) assuring contributors that they will not lose if the group effort fails (a “money-back guarantee”) and (2) enforcing contributions if it succeeds (“fair share”). We expect the latter to be more successful because it is “stable,” unlike the former, whose success can be undermined by expectations of that success. Three experimental replications demonstrate that the money-back guarantee is no more successful than a standard dilemma, but fair-share requirements increase contributing significantly over that base. Analysis of subjects' expectations about others' behavior offers some support to the hypothesized process undermining the money-back guarantee, but motivational factors must also be taken into account for a full explanation.
Mutual exclusion revisited

A family of four mutual exclusion algorithms is presented. Its members vary from a simple three-bit linear wait mutual exclusion to the four-bit first-come first-served algorithm immune to various faults. The algorithms are based on a scheme similar to J.M. Morris's (1979) solution of the mutual exclusion problem with three weak semaphores. The present algorithms compare favorably with equivalent published mutual exclusion algorithms in their program's size and the number of required communication bits. >
Symmetry violating trial wave functions

A variational procedure using trial wave functions projected on to symmetry eigenstates is investigated. In the individual particle model it leads to generalized self-consistent single-particle equations being dependent on the symmetry eigenvalue. A perturbation expansion appropriate for the case of strong symmetry violations is described. Model independent expressions for the moment of inertia and the decoupling parameter are derived by applying the method to rotational symmetry.
Spin-Label Studies of Membranes

The development of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy preceded by more than a decade its application to a class of experiments referred to generally as spin-labeling. During this early period, the theoretical basis for the paramagnetic resonance spectra of numerous organic free radicals was established. These theoretical principles were applied to the determination of the structure and properties of paramagnetic species which occur naturally or are produced chemically or physically in biological materials. The paramagnetic species studied included intermediates in photosynthesis, biochemical reactions of metalloproteins, and free radicals in radiation-damaged tissues. Anisotropies in the EPR spectral parameters of organic free radicals were found to be of the order of a few tenths to a few hundred megahertz (MHz = 106 cps). The magnitude of these anisotropies suggested that spectral changes should be observed for organic free radicals with molecular motions occurring in the range from about 10-6 to 10-9 s. (The relation between spectral anisotropy and the effects of motion is discussed in more detail in section 3.3.) Because the rotational correlation times τ e (where τ e = 4πηr 3 /(3kT) for spherical molecules with radius r) for molecules, in aqueous solutions, of 1000 to 1,000,000 daltons fall within this time scale, problems involving the rotational motion of macromolecules are among those obviously amenable to solution by paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Simultaneous amplification and compression of continuous-wave mode-locked Nd:YAG laser pulses

Pulses from a cw mode-locked Nd:YAG laser, spectrally broadened and chirped by self-phase modulation in a single-mode optical fiber, have been compressed in a multiple-stage amplifier system to a pulse width of 12 psec without a grating-pair delay line. Single pulses are amplified in pulsed Nd:YAG stages to energies greater than 10 mJ and are synchronous with the cw mode-locked laser source. We find the amplified pulses to be stable, free of satellite pulses, and close to the transform limit.
Space travel shortens diapause in gypsy moth eggs.

Field-collected and laboratory-reared gypsy moth eggs were exposed to microgravity, cosmic radiation, sub-freezing temperatures, unusual vibrations, and other extraterrestrial phenomena while they were sealed for 6 days, in January, in a Get-Away-Special (GAS) canister in the open bay of a NASA earth-orbiting spacecraft, the Columbia. Insects were not exposed to light after preparation for and during space flight. Under field conditions, out-of-doors, the eggs should have hatched in April, after 3-4 months of chilling temperatures and should not have hatched after the 6 days of chilling to -11 oC during flight in the Columbia spacecraft. However by April 1, more than 4000 larvae had hatched from eggs that had travelled in space, as opposed to β350 from a similar number of control, earthbound eggs. These results indicate that the period of a circannual rhythm in field- and lab-reared insects had been shortened, presumably as result of exposure to microgravity, other factors associated with space flight, an...
Optimal Data Set Selection: An Application to Grapheme-to-Phoneme Conversion

In this paper we introduce the task of unlabeled, optimal, data set selection. Given a large pool of unlabeled examples, our goal is to select a small subset to label, which will yield a high performance supervised model over the entire data set. Our first proposed method, based on the rank-revealing QR matrix factorization, selects a subset of words which span the entire word-space effectively. For our second method, we develop the concept of feature coverage which we optimize with a greedy algorithm. We apply these methods to the task of grapheme-to-phoneme prediction. Experiments over a data-set of 8 languages show that in all scenarios, our selection methods are effective at yielding a small, but optimal set of labelled examples. When fed into a state-of-the-art supervised model for grapheme-to-phoneme prediction, our methods yield average error reductions of 20% over randomly selected examples.
Historical spatial patterns and contemporary tree mortality in dry mixed-conifer forests.

Abstract Management and restoration of the dry, frequent-fire forests of the North American west depend on sound information about both historical and contemporary conditions to adequately address repercussions of fire suppression and changing climate. The purpose of this study is to quantify historical tree spatial patterns and assess recent mortality trends for old and large tree populations in dry mixed-conifer forests of the Northern Rocky Mountains. We analyzed historical reconstructions of forest spatial structure across six 1.0 ha plots located in mixed ponderosa pine/Douglas-fir stands in western Montana, USA. Across plots, 10–23% of trees occurred as widely spaced individuals (no neighbors within 6 m), with the remaining 77–90% of trees occurring in clumps (groups of two or more trees spaced less than 6 m apart). Mean clump size was 2.2–4.2 trees per clump, although large clumps (>10 trees) were common. Global spatial analysis with the pair correlation function indicated that ponderosa pine patterns were spatially random at all scales, while Douglas-fir trees were spatially aggregated at scales less than 6 m. The proportion of plot area farther than 9 m from the nearest tree ranged from 1% to 20% across the six study plots. Mortality rates between 1991 and 2012 averaged 0.8% yr −1 for old ponderosa pine and 2.1% yr −1 for old Douglas-fir. We found limited evidence of density-dependent mortality for both species pooled and for ponderosa pine individually. Douglas-fir that died between 1991 and 2012 had higher local Stand Density Index (SDI) of Douglas-fir neighbors than did Douglas-fir that survived ( P = 0.003), indicating conspecific density-dependent mortality. When compared to ponderosa pine and dry mixed-conifer forests in other regions, trees were distributed much more evenly across clump sizes in our Montana study sites. Our analysis provides an estimate of the historical range of variability for spatial aspects of forest structure in dry mixed-conifer forests of the northern US Rockies and is relevant to the design of restoration and climate change adaptation treatments in such forests.
Political Party Change in Post-Communist Europe

Political parties in post-Communist Europe experience a trade-off between policy advocating and vote-seeking. Parties seek votes to become influential political players in their political system, to gain office, and/or to implement their policies. These goals require political parties to moderate their policy positions. However, parties also have policy goals, are risk-averse, and have (at times) internally divided organizations. Risks associated with change and uncertainties about preferences limit political parties’ abilities to moderate their positions. Torn between these centripetal and centrifugal pressures, political parties seek information on their future electoral prospects to overcome their trade-off. I show that governing party status and weak economic performance in post-Communist Europe negatively affect party vote shares, and political parties use this information to undertake policy shifts. The analyses on political parties in ten post-Communist democracies show that governing parties who had a weak economic performance during their tenure and opposition parties facing an economically successful government moderate their positions to ensure that they can compete with other parties, and that these results are especially pronounced for the new regime parties.
Dielectric Dispersions

It is shown that perfect insulators must have perpendicular intersections of the Cole-Cole diagram with the ? axis. This perpendicularity is found for several distributions of relaxation times, but not for some empirically derived approximations. The Cole-Cole diagrams for these distributions are discussed and compared. The intersections with the ? axis occur at zero and infinite frequency. The introduction of dc conductivity in the perfect dielectric makes it a pseudo-insulator. At high frequencies these materials have a Cole-Cole diagram similar to that of a perfect dielectric, but in the low-frequency range large deviations occur and no intersection with the real axis can occur at zero frequency.
Mode-locked Microresonator Combs in the Normal Dispersion Region

We investigate mode interaction aided modulational instability and dark solitons in normal-dispersion microresonators. A novel scheme of controllable mode interactions is demonstrated for repetition rate selectable and mode-locked comb generation.
Using Status of Leavening Agent in Futian District School Canteens

Objective To understand the using status of leavening agent in Futian district school canteens in Shenzhen.Methods Totally 116 cakes and pastry were collected from 2008 to 2010,determined Aluminium by using Inductive Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectroscopy.Self-made questionnaire was used to investigate the knowledge and using status of leavening agent among pastry chefs.Results There were 53.41% school canteens used leavening agent with low Aluminium or non-Aluminium in 88 school cantens.The passing rate of cakes and pastry which used high Aluminium leavening agent was 15.22%;17.16% pastry chefs used leavening agent according to instructions;23.13% pastry chefs added leavening agent by balance or fixed vessel;26.12% pastry chefs knew the content of leavening agent,and 12.69% pastry chefs could identify the types of non-aluminum leavening agent.Conclusion High Aluminium leavening agent using is the main cause of Aluminium pollution of cakes and pastry.The understanding and mastering of leavening agent using among pastry chefs is poor,training and education of the chefs should be strengthened.
Application of high water-pressure test to deep borehole

Generally, conventional water-pressure test is always carried out with five phases and three pressure stages, 0.3, 6 MPa and 1 MPa. But for some Engineerings with high water pressure such as the dam and deep covered underground ones, the results of the conventional water-pressure test can’t reflect the true permeability characteristic of the rock mass. The experiment is carried out in a 500m borehole of a granite region, and the pressure stages are designed as 2, 4 MPa and 6 MPa. 21 typical segments are selected to carry out high water-pressure test and the length of each segment is 6.5 m.The seepage law of this area is obtained through high water-pressure test. The permeability is relatively low. The grouting pressure should be larger than 5MPa when treat with fracture rockmass.
Model-based reconstruction for x-ray diffraction imaging

In this paper, we propose a novel 4D model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) algorithm for low-angle scatter X-ray Diffraction (XRD) that can substantially increase the SNR. Our forward model is based on a Poisson photon counting model that incorporates a spatial point-spread function, detector energy response and energy-dependent attenuation correction. Our prior model uses a Markov random field (MRF) together with a reduced spectral bases set determined using non-negative matrix factorization. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method with real data sets.
NAIROBI STOCK EXCHANGE: A REGRESSION OF FACTORS AFFECTING STOCK PRICES

Purpose: This paper analyzed factors influencing the market index for the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE), taking a time horizon between January 2008 to December 2010. We posit that money supply, inflation rates, exchange rates, and interest rates are significant covariates affecting the market index. Methodology: The market index and the macroeconomic covariates data was obtained from the NSE and the Central Bank of Kenya. Multiple regression analysis was used to estimate the effects of the chosen factors that affect stock values, with the market index being the indicator variable for stock values. Results: Regression analysis results revealed that the selected macroeconomic covariates - interest rates, exchange rates and inflation - significantly affect the value of stocks in the NSE. Money supply was not significant even though it had a positive correlation with the stock prices. Factor regression models described the sensitivity of an asset return as a function of one or more factors. Contribution to policy, practice and theory: Based on our analyses, we conclude that traders should constantly review the prevailing economic conditions, based on the patterns of the determinant macroeconomic factors identified in this study, to model their investment strategies. The scope of our study being limited to NSE and four macroeconomic factors, the findings of this paper may not be directly applicable to other financial markets. We therefore suggest future research directions to extend to other financial markets and include all macroeconomic factors.
Sub-μK temperatures by adiabatic cooling in a 3D optical lattice

In a one-dimensional polarization-gradient cooling scheme, with two counter-propagating laser beams having mutually orthogonal linear polarization, a linear array of potential wells for cold atoms are formed. These optical potential wells are created by the spatially varying light shift of the atomic ground state. Transitions between quantized vibrational states in such wells have been observed by stimulated1 and spontaneous2 Raman spectroscopy. Recently, this was extended to three dimensions using both four beams3 and six beams.4 In this work, we intersect four travelling-wave laser beams, all polarized in the same plane, as indicated in Fig. 1. This produces a threedimensional body-centered cubic lattice of potential wells for cesium atoms. The laser wavelength is tuned 25 linewidths below the 62S1/2(F = 4) → 62P3/2(F = 5) transition at 852 nm; and the resultant lattice constants (distances between wells of the same character) are λ / 2 perpendicular to the plane of polarization, and λ × 2 in the plane of polarization.
Risk of Death Influences Regional Variation in Intensive Care Unit Admission Rates among the Elderly in the United States.

Rationale The extent to which geographic variability in ICU admission across the United States is driven by patients with lower risk of death is unknown. Objectives To determine whether patients at low to moderate risk of death contribute to geographic variation in ICU admission. Methods Retrospective cohort of hospitalizations among Medicare beneficiaries (age > 64 years) admitted for ten common medical and surgical diagnoses (2004 to 2009). We examined population-adjusted rates of ICU admission per 100 hospitalizations in 304 health referral regions (HRR), and estimated the relative risk of ICU admission across strata of regional ICU and risk of death, adjusted for patient and regional characteristics. Measurement and Main Results ICU admission rates varied nearly two-fold across HRR quartiles (quartile 1 to 4: 13.6, 17.3, 20.0, and 25.2 per 100 hospitalizations, respectively). Observed mortality for patients in regions (quartile 4) with the greatest ICU use was 17% compared to 21% in regions with lowest ICU use (quartile 1) (p<0.001). After adjusting for patient and regional characteristics, including regional differences in ICU, skilled nursing, and long-term acute care bed capacity, individuals’ risk of death modified the relationship between regional ICU use and an individual’s risk of ICU admission (p for interaction<0.001). Region was least important in predicting ICU admission among patients with high (quartile 4) risk of death (RR 1.27, 95% CI 1.22–1.31, for high versus low ICU use regions), and most important for patients with moderate (quartile 2; RR 1.63, 95% CI 1.53–1.72, quartile 3; RR 1.56 95% CI 1.47–1.65) and low (quartile 1) risk of death (RR 1.50, 95% CI 1.41–1.59). Conclusions There is wide variation in in ICU use by geography, independent of ICU beds and physician supply, for patients with low and moderate risks of death.
A time-reversed reciprocal method for detecting high-frequency events in civil structures with accelerometer arrays

A high-frequency experimental method of detecting a failure event in engineered structures is presented that uses the property of wave propagation reciprocity and time-reversed reciprocal Green’s functions. The premise is that if a numerical database of pre-event, source-receiver Green’s functions can be compiled for multiple locations of potential damage in a structure, that database can subsequently be used to identify the location and time of occurrence of a real failure event in the structure. Once a fracture source emits a wavefield that is recorded on a distributed set of accelerometers in the structure, time-reversed waves can be obtained by convolving the displacements with the database of time-reversed Green’s functions and stacking the results. The correct location and time of the fracture source can be inferred from the subset of Green’s functions that exhibits the best focus in the form of a delta function. The 17-story, steel moment-frame UCLA Factor building contains a cutting-edge, continuously recording, 72-channel, seismic array. The accelerometers’ 500 sample-per-second recordings have been used to verify the ability to observe impulse-like sources in a full-scale structure. Application of an impulse-like source on the 3rd and 15th floors of the Factor building shows that the associated displacements serve as useful approximations to the building’s Green’s functions in the far field, and can be used in investigations of scenario fracture location and timing.
SUSCEPTIBILITY AND EXCITATION SPECTRUM OF (VO)2P2O7 IN LADDER AND DIMER-CHAIN MODELS

We present numerical results for the magnetic susceptibility of a Heisenberg antiferromagnetic spin ladder as a function of temperature and the spin-spin interaction strengths [ital J][sub [perpendicular]] and [ital J][sub [parallel]]. These are contrasted with bulk-limit results for the dimer chain. A fit to the experimental susceptibility of the candidate spin-ladder compound vanadyl pyrophosphate, (VO)[sub 2]P[sub 2]O[sub 7], gives the parameters [ital J][sub [perpendicular]]=7.82 meV and [ital J][sub [parallel]]=7.76 meV. With these values we predict a singlet-triplet energy gap of [ital E][sub gap]=3.9 meV, and give a numerical estimate of the ladder triplet dispersion relation [omega]([ital k]). In contrast, a fit to the dimer-chain model leads to [ital J][sub 1]=11.11 meV and [ital J][sub 2]=8.02 meV, which predicts a gap of [ital E][sub gap]=4.9 meV.
Jennifer Austin, María Blume & Liliana Sánchez, Bilingualism in the Spanish-speaking world. Linguistic and cognitive perspectives. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2015; 234 pp.

Se reseno el libro: Bilingualism in the Spanish-speaking world. Linguistic and cognitive perspectives.
Electrical resistivity imaging of hydrologic flow through surface coal mine valley fills with comparison to other landforms

Surface coal mining has altered land cover, near-surface geologic structure, and hydrologic processes of large areas in central Appalachia, USA. These alterations are associated with changes in water quality such as elevated total-dissolved solids, which is usually measured via its surrogate, specific conductance (SC). The SC of valley fill effluent streams is a function of fill construction methods, materials, and age; yet hydrologic studies that relate these variables to water quality are sparse due to the difficulty of conducting traditional hydrologic studies in mined landscapes. We used electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) to visualize the subsurface geologic structure and hydrologic flow paths within a valley fill. ERI is a noninvasive geophysical technique that maps spatiotemporal changes in resistivity of the subsurface. We paired ERI with artificial rainfall experiments to track infiltrated water as it moved through the valley fill. Results indicate that ERI can be used to identify subsurface geologic structure and track advancing wetting fronts or preferential flow paths. Our results suggest that the upper portion of the fill contains significant fines, whereas the deeper profile is primarily large rocks and void spaces. Water tended to pond on the surface of compacted areas until it reached preferential flow paths, where it appeared to infiltrate quickly down to >15 m depth in 75 min. ERI applications can improve understanding of how fill construction techniques influence subsurface water movement, and in turn may aid in the development of valley fill construction methods to reduce water quality effects.
Stabilizing periodic orbits of a class of mechanical systems with impulse effects: A Lyapunov constraint approach

This paper study the stabilization of mechanical system with impulse effects around a hybrid limit cycle, the proposed control approach is based on LaSalle’s invariance principle for hybrid systems and Layounov constraint based method. Theorem 2 shows necessary and sufficient condition of the existence and the uniqueness of the developed controller which leads to a system of partial differential equations (PDE) whose solutions are the kinetic and potential energy of smooth Lyapunov function, furthermore Theorem 3 gave an alternative existence condition which states that the largest positively invariant set should be nowhere dense and closed and it is none other than the hybrid limit cycle itself.
Revisits after pediatric tracheotomy: Airway concerns result in returns.

Abstract Objectives Children undergoing tracheotomy represent a medically vulnerable patient population, and understanding the reasons for revisiting the hospital setting following tracheotomy is critical for improving the quality of care for these patients. This study aims to investigate the incidence and characteristics of revisits following pediatric tracheotomy. Methods Cross-sectional, population-based study using state databases. The State Inpatient Databases and State Emergency Department Databases for California, Florida, Iowa and New York 2010–11 were linked and examined for cases of pediatric tracheotomy (patients Results 2,248 pediatric tracheotomy cases were extracted (60.8% male, mean age 8.3 years). There were 373 inpatient or emergency department revisits (30-day revisit rate, 16.6%), of which 34.3% occurred within 48 h after discharge. Of these, 59.2% were inpatient readmissions. There were ≤10 deaths during these revisits (30-day revisit mortality rate, ≤2.7%). The most common primary revisit diagnoses were “fitting of prosthesis and adjustment of devices” (25.7%, likely representing adjustment/replacement of the tracheotomy tube), respiratory failure (11.0%), intracranial injury (5.4%), pneumonia (4.0%), “other upper respiratory disease” (3.8%), and “complications of surgical procedures or medical care” (3.8%). The most common revisit procedures were endotracheal intubation (11.4%), mechanical ventilation (8.8%), and replacement of tracheostomy tube (≤2.7%). Children discharged to a skilled care facility (47.1%) were more likely than those discharged to home (52.9%) to have a revisit (23.3% versus 12.0%, respectively; p Conclusions Children undergoing tracheotomy have a substantial 30-day revisit rate, most notably during the first 48 h after discharge, often involving tracheotomy tube or pulmonary complications. Improvements in discharge planning should target prevention of these complications.
From Winner-Takes-All to Winners-Share-All: Exploiting the Information Capacity in Temporal Codes

In this letter, we have implemented and compared two neural coding algorithms in the networks of spiking neurons: Winner-takes-all (WTA) and winners-share-all (WSA). Winners-Share-All exploits the code space provided by the temporal code by training a different combination of [Formula: see text] out of [Formula: see text] neurons to fire together in response to different patterns, while WTA uses a one-hot-coding to respond to distinguished patterns. Using WSA, the maximum value of [Formula: see text] in order to maximize information capacity using [Formula: see text] output neurons was theoretically determined and utilized. A small proof-of-concept classification problem was applied to a spiking neural network using both algorithms to classify 14 letters of English alphabet with an image size of 15 [Formula: see text] 15 pixels. For both schemes, a modified spike-timing-dependent-plasticity (STDP) learning rule has been used to train the spiking neurons in an unsupervised fashion. The performance and the number of neurons required to perform this computation are compared between the two algorithms. We show that by tolerating a small drop in performance accuracy (84% in WSA versus 91% in WTA), we are able to reduce the number of output neurons by more than a factor of two. We show how the reduction in the number of neurons will increase as the number of patterns increases. The reduction in the number of output neurons would then proportionally reduce the number of training parameters, which requires less memory and hence speeds up the computation, and in the case of neuromorphic implementation on silicon, would take up much less area.