cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Flagged Schur Functions, Schubert Polynomials, and Symmetrizing Operators

Flagged Schur functions are generalizations of Schur functions. They appear in the work of Lascoux and Schutzenberger [2] in their study of Schubert polynomials. Gessel [ 1 ] has shown that flagged Schur functions can be expressed both as a determinant in the complete homogeneous symmetric functions and in terms of column-strict tableaux just as can ordinary Schur functions (Jacobi-Trudi identity). For each row of these tableaux there is an upper bound (flag) on the entries. The Schubert polynomials are obtained by applying certain symmetrizing operators to a monomial. In Section 1 we study the effect of applying these symmetrizing operators to flagged Schur functions. Although it is trivial to do this for the determinantal expression, we show, by direct means, how to apply the symmetrizing operators to the tableau expression (without the use of determinants). This produces another proof of Gessel’s result and hence a new inductive proof of the Jacobi-Trudi identity. Each Schubert polynomial is determined by some permutation. Lascoux and Schutzenberger [Z] state a result which enables one to identify those permutations whose Schubert polynomial is a flagged Schur function. In Section 2 we present an explicit expression for the shape and flags (row bounds) in terms of the permutation. We do this by applying the symmetrizing operators to flagged Schur functions. We also show that any flagged Schur function can be obtained by applying a sequence of symmetrizing operators to some monomial. In Section 4 we consider row (column) flagged skew Schur functions. Here, for each row (column) of the skew tableaux there is an upper and lower bound on the entries. In fact the above cited work of Gessel actually
Location and housing demand with endogenous consumption risk

Abstract This paper presents the theory of housing and residential location demand under endogenous housing consumption risk. Housing consumption is modeled as stochas- tically related to the level of planned consumption, with the stochasticity arising from structure-specific factors or external factors. Because the uncertainty effects of many factors can be vitiated to varying degrees by household choice, though, the uncertainty confronting the household is endogenous to some extent. The relation- ships between endogenous risks and housing prices and housing and location demands are derived and explained.
Influence of photoresist on the optical performance of high-NA steppers

The theoretical foundation for high NA imaging, which has been previously presented is used to examine the effects of the photoresist film on the optical performance of an advanced lithographic lens. We show that the high NA image formed by the lens within the photoresist interacts with the development process; hence, the image behavior is highly correlated to process parameters such as development and photoresist thickness. The effects of aberrations with the photoresist are explored by comparing aberrated and ideal systems. Changes in field related focal deviations and depth of focus (DOF) are shown. A general rule-of-thumb equation is formulated that relates best focus, i.e., focal plane deviation, derived from either simulations or experiments to the amount of wavefront aberrations. The relationship is extended for an approximate calculation of DOF change with aberration. Since the measurement of various amounts of aberration is dependent on the photoresist processing, definitions of best focus using testing procedures such as focus/exposure matrices, are influenced by the ability to measure optical performance.
Separation of voltage loss mechanisms in polycrystalline solar cells

The operating voltage of polycrystalline solar cells, even in the best CuInSe/sub 2/ and CdTe, is 150-250 mV lower than that of single-crystal cells normalized to an equivalent bandgap. Reasons are examined for the size of the difference between open-circuit voltage and bandgap, and ways in which it might be narrowed are suggested. The major loss mechanisms are found to be low built-in potential due to heavy compensation, excess forward current attributed to additional recombination paths, modification to forward current with illumination, and higher than necessary series resistance. It is found that these mechanisms can be separated experimentally and that the common cause of the first three is extraneous bandgap states, mostly likely associated with crystallite surfaces. >
Characterization of the second-order nonlinearity in poled fused silica

Second harmonic generation is used to characterize the second order nonlinearity induced by thermal electric field poling in fused silica. The uniformity of the poled region is improved by using an evaporated rather than a machined poling electrode configuration. The effective thickness L and strength of the nonlinear coefficient d33 of the nonlinear region is estimated using Maker fringes excited through a prism pair.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Volt/VAr regulation and issues with high penetration of renewables on distribution systems

Penetration levels of renewable resources on distribution systems are increasing due to the mandated programs and associated economic incentives. Therefore the effects of these interconnections on the systems will need to be studied and evaluated. This paper's concentration will be on voltage profile of a distribution system subject to high penetration levels of different renewable sources such as; photovoltaic and wind generation plants. The study will take into account different generation patterns for Photo Voltaic (PV) and wind generations. The model will consist of wind and PV units connected to three distinct loads. Simulation results addressing irregularities in wind patterns and various energy absorption levels of PV farms are presented. Functionality of suitable Volt-VAr options and possibility of controls using multi-objective optimization techniques have been proposed.
Hypothalamic Interaction With the Mesolimbic DA System in the Control of the Maternal and Sexual Behaviors in Rats

The medial preoptic area (MPOA) of the hypothalamus regulates maternal behavior, male sexual behavior, and female sexual behavior. Functional neuroanatomical evidence indicates that the appetitive aspects of maternal behavior are regulated through MPOA interactions with the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system; a major focus of this review is to explore whether or not the MPOA participates in the appetitive aspects of sexual behavior via its interaction with the mesolimbic DA system. A second focus of this review is to examine the extent to which estradiol interactions with DA within this circuit regulate all three reproductive behaviors. One mechanism through which estradiol activates male sexual behavior is through the potentiation of DA activity in the MPOA. In the hypothalamus, estradiol has also been found to act in concert with DA, through the activation of similar intracellular signaling pathways, in order to stimulate female sexual behavior. Finally, recent evidence suggests that some effects of estradiol are mediated by direct action of estradiol on the mesolimbic DA system.
Teacher Conceptions of History Revisited: Ideology, Curriculum, and Student Belief

The central purpose of this exploratory investigation is to describe and analyze the teaching of history in five classrooms, each representing one of five typologies developed earlier, the storytel...
Physical activity deficit: a proposed nursing diagnosis.

Topic Physical inactivity is a major public health problem. Many of the leading causes of death and disability are associated with physical inactivity. The literature is filled with documentation about the importance of living physically active lifestyles. Healthcare professionals have started to incorporate health promotion into their practices, but there is still a large amount of work to do. Purpose To discuss the label, definition, defining characteristics, and related factors of the proposed nursing diagnosis "physical activity deficit." This diagnosis has been submitted for consideration to the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA). Sources Existing empirical literature, professional journals, government documents, clinical handbook, text books, a conference statement, and a U.S. Surgeon General's report. Conclusions Nurses are in an ideal position to lead when it comes to health promotion. Because physical inactivity is a modifiable risk factor for many diseases and disabilities, it is essential that it is included in nursing science. The diagnosis "physical activity deficit" would allow nurses to take a role in teaching the hazards of physical inactivity, explaining the benefits of activity, and encouraging regular exercise programs.
Comparison of serum and cervical mucus hormone levels during hormone-free interval of 24/4 vs. 21/7 combined oral contraceptives.

Abstract Background This study analyzes levels of progesterone, estradiol, norethindrone (NET) and ethinyl estradiol (EE) in serum and levels of NET in cervical mucus on the last day of the hormone-free interval (HFI) in users of 24/4 [norethindrone acetate (NETA)/EE-24] vs. 21/7 (NETA/EE-21) regimens. Study Design This was a randomized controlled, crossover, equivalency trial. Subjects were randomized to receive NETA/EE-24 or NETA/EE-21 for 2 months and then switched between study drugs. Blood and cervical mucus samples were obtained on Days 12–16 and on the last day of the HFI. Results From April 2010 to November 2011, 32 subjects were enrolled with 18 subjects completing all study visits. There were no statistically significant differences in either day 12–16 (p=.54) or last hormone-free day (p=.33) cervical mucus NET concentrations between the regimens. On the last day of the HFI, median serum progesterone levels did not differ significantly; however, users of NETA/EE-24 had higher levels of serum NET (p Conclusion This data supports the fact that inhibition of the pituitary-ovarian axis occurs during oral contraceptive use and during the HFI. We demonstrated that a reduced HFI of 4 days resulted in better suppression of the ovarian hormone production, thereby reducing the risk of ovulation and potential contraceptive failure.
Time’s arrow flies like a bird: Two paradoxes for avian circadian biology

Biological timekeeping in birds is a fundamental feature of avian physiology, behavior and ecology. The physiological basis for avian circadian rhythmicity has pointed to a multi-oscillator system of mutually coupled pacemakers in the pineal gland, eyes and hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN). In passerines, the role of the pineal gland and its hormone melatonin is particularly important. More recent molecular biological studies have pointed to a highly conserved mechanism involving rhythmic transcription and translation of "clock genes". However, studies attempting to reconcile the physiological role of pineal melatonin with molecular studies have largely failed. Recent work in our laboratory has suggested that melatonin-sensitive physiological processes are only loosely coupled to transcriptional oscillations. Similarly, although the pineal gland has been shown to be critical for overt circadian behaviors, its role in annual cycles of reproductive function appears to be minimal. Recent work on the seasonal control of birdsong, however, suggests that, although the pineal gland does not directly affect gonadal cycles, it is important for seasonal changes in song. Experimental analyses that address these paradoxes will shed light on the roles the biological clock play in birds and in vertebrates in general.
The Global Environment Facility and biodiversity conservation: lessons to date and suggestions for future action

The last five years in particular have seen increasing attention paid to biodiversity. This culminated at the Earth Summit last June with the completion of Agenda 21 and a major international Convention on Biological Diversity, a document signed by some 165 nations. Concurrent with the Convention negotiations was the development of a global fund for biodiversity conservation and other environmental priorities, the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The GEF is the largest fund to data put forward by the international community to address biodiversity loss, but, so far, it has failed to set adequate priorities for biodiversity conservation. It has also yet to recognize the full range of biodiversity values and uses and, in general, GEF projects have not taken advantage of existing non-governmental capacity for biodiversity conservation. 1993 is a critical year for the GEF, one in which the GEF can become a critical element of global efforts to conserve biodiversity or remain an important initialive that realized only a fraction of its potential.
Periodontal wound healing following intentional root perforations in permaent teeth of Macaca mulatta

Summary. This study was conducted to: (i) establish a monkey model system for studying the healing of root perforations, (ii) follow and define the normal healing processes of peiodontal tissues after root perforation and attempted repair, and (iii) assess the nature of periodontal tissue responses to a hard-set calcium hydroxide treatment of experimental root perforations under aseptic conditions. Forty-eight teeth of two rhesus monkeys were used. Twenty-four root perforations were treated with a hard-setting calcium hydroxide compound, while 24, sealed with teflon dises, served as controls. Observation periods were 2, 4, 7, 14, 21 and 42 days; radiographic and histological observations were conducted on each tooth. After the animals were killed, the tissues were demineralized and prepared for histological examination. Radiographs were taken at the time of perforation and again at the time of sacrifice. Following radiological and histological analysis, a number of observations were made. In both treatment and control groups, the teeth with lateral and furcal perforations presented the same sequence of tissue responses with time. Tissue responses at the wound sites and within the perforation canals were classified into three phases. The initial phase was characterized by blood clot formation, pronounced polymorphonuclear leucocyte infiltration, and incipient necrosis within the periodontal ligament coronal to the lateral lesions. The intermediate phase was characterized by resolution of the blood clot, granulation tissue formation, and resorption of necrotic debris, bone, cementum and dentine fragments. The late phase was characterized by resolution of the inflammation, maturation of the connective tissue, bone tissue healing with proliferation of trabecular bone into the perforation canal, reparative cementum formation along the cut dentinal wall in the perforation canal, and ankylosis in lateral lesions. Only four out of the 48 lesions developed bacterial contamination and abscess formation at the wound sites.
Repeated sequences as genetic markers in pooled tissue samples

We show, using the PDR1 element of pea, that dispersed repeated sequences of moderate copy number can be used simply and efficiently to generate markers linked to a trait of interest. Inspection of hybridization patterns of repeated sequences to DNA mixtures of pooled genotypes is a sensitive way of detecting such markers. The large number of bands in tracks of digests of these mixtures allows the simultaneous sampling of loci at many places in the genome, and the many unlinked loci serve as internal controls. It is also shown that intensity ratios calculated from these band differences can be used to give a rough estimate of linkage distance.
Sterically hindered chlorinating agents that relate to terminal biological oxidations

Abstract N=Chloro-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine chlorinates primary hydrogen more rapidly than secondary hydrogen in 2,2-dimethylbutane and secondary hydrogen more rapidly than tertiary hydrogen in simple alkanes. With pentane, it chlorinates the less hindered 2-position five times faster than the more hindered 3-position. These selectivities approach the selectivity for ω (terminal) and ω-1 (penultimate) carbons that are widely exhibited by enzymic systems.
Pepsin fragmentation of botulinum type E neurotoxin: isolation and characterization of 112, 48, 46, and 16 kD fragments.

Controlled digestion of ∼150 kD single chain botulinum type E neurotoxin with pepsin atpH 6.0 produced 112, 48, 46, and 16 kD fragments. These were chromatographically purified; their locations in the ∼1300 amino acid residue long neurotoxin were determined by identifying the amino terminal 10 residues of 112 and 48 kD fragments, 50 residues of 46 kD fragment, and 59 residues of 16 kD fragment. The 48 and 112 kD fragments contain the N-terminal segment of the neurotoxin (i.e., residue no. 1 to ∼425 and 1 to ∼990, respectively), the 46 kD fragment corresponds to ∼407 residues of the C-terminal region, and the 16 kD fragment contains the ∼140 residues from a segment nearer to the C-terminus. The 48 kD fragment is similar to the ∼50 kD N-terminal light chain of the ∼150 kD dichain neurotoxin, which is generated by tryptic cleavage of the ∼150 kD single chain neurotoxin, and is separated from the ∼100 kD C-terminal heavy chain by dithiothreitol (DTT) reduction of an intrachain disulfide bond in the presence of 2 M urea (Sathyamoorthy and DasGupta,J. Biol. Chem. 260, 10461, 1985). The pepsin-generated 48 kD fragment, unlike the light chain, was isolated without exposure to DTT and urea. The single chain 112 kD fragment following trypsin digestion yielded 48 and 60 kD fragments that were separable after DTT reduction of the intrachain disulfide which links them. The N-terminal residues of the smaller fragment were identical to that of the single chain 150 kD neurotoxin; the single chain 112 kD fragment is therefore the neurotoxin minus the ∼50 kD C-terminal half of the heavy chain. The biological activities of the 48 and 112 kD fragments can be demonstrated in permeabilized PC12 cells (Lomnethet al., J. Neurochem. 57, 1413, 1991); they inhibit norepinephrine release.
Architecture and Key Technologies of Intelligent Dispatching Based on Situational Awareness

With the construction of UHV power grid, integration of large-scale renewable clean energy, and large-scale energy base putting into operation, the power grid dispatching faced with more and more complex challenges. On the basis of existing research results, architecture of intelligent dispatching based on situation awareness is proposed, so as to accurately achieve prevention and control of the power system. The shortcomings of traditional dispatching mode are analyzed firstly, and the concepts and characterization approaches of grid situational awareness and operation state trajectory of power grid are then introduced. The overall objective of intelligent dispatching is presented, including data processing and integrated knowledge mining, predictive perception of grid operation, risk analysis and comprehensive early warning, so as to achieve "automatic cruise under normal operating conditions, automatic navigation under abnormal operating conditions ". The functional framework of intelligent dispatching is also proposed in details, including four major aspects of the perception and forecasts, risk analysis, decision-making support, and automatic control, as well as three supporting functions such as post-assessment of dispatching, trajectory index calculation, and human-computer interaction (HCI).Technical innovations to support automatic intelligent dispatching are discussed and organised in three levels, i.e. perception, comprehension and projection. The breakthroughs are: construction of index system, trajectory recognition based on massive information and knowledge mining, trajectory projection taking into accounts the uncertainties, online risk assessment and early warning, power grid intelligent decision-making support, automatic coordination of grid operation control, online assessment, natural human-computer interaction mode, and etc... These are the future research areas of automatic intelligent dispatching.
Simulation of the inertial–conductive subrange

The inertial-conductive subrange spectrum of a passive temperature field of a fluid of small Prandtl number is determined by large-eddy simulation. Results for simulations of both freely decaying and forced turbulence are presented. In the simulations of freely decaying turbulence, a subgrid model is used to simulate a decaying turbulent velocity field with a k exp -5/3 inertial subrange energy spectrum convecting eight different decaying temperature fields with well-resolved conductive subranges. In the simulations of forced turbulence, a subgrid model is again used to simulate an inertial subrange velocity field; however, the velocity field is now forced at the lowest wave numbers of the simulation, and an external uniform mean temperature gradient is imposed. Statistically stationary velocity and temperature fluctuations are generated. The results of the decaying and forced simulations are in excellent agreement with the Batchelor et al. (1959) k exp -17/3 spectrum in the far inertial-conductive subrange, whereas significant departures from the Batchelor spectrum are observed in the near inertial-conductive subrange.
Quantification of In Vivo Stresses in the Ovine Anterior Mitral Valve Leaflet

Mitral valve (MV) disease affects millions worldwide. An important goal of present-day heart valve research is to create bioengineered tissue valves to replace diseased mitral valves, if it is judged that mitral repair will not be durable. The design of such valves will pivot on understanding the stresses acting in the native MV leaflets to design a bioprosthesis which will withstand these stresses. In order to quantify such stresses in vivo, we utilized radiopaque marker technology and performed an “inverse” finite element analysis of the resulting 4-D data to determine the material properties of the anterior MV leaflet in the beating ovine heart. We then used these material properties in a “forward” finite element analysis to estimate the stresses in the native anterior MV leaflet.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Mixing partially linear regression models

In semiparametric modeling, often the main interest is on the parametric part. When a model selection step is performed to choose important variables for the parametric part, the selection uncertainty may or may not be negligible. If it is high, not only the identified model is not trustworthy but also the resulting estimator may have unnecessarily high variability. We propose model selection diagnostic measures both for variable selection and for regression estimation, which provide crucial information on reliability of the selected model and choice between model selection and model averaging for regression estimation. We study a model mixing method for estimating the linear function in a partially linear regression model and derive oracle inequalities that show the mixed estimators perform nearly as well as the best estimator from the candidate models. Simulation and data examples are encouraging.
Temperature Field Reconstruction for the Application of Wireless Implantable Temperature Sensors in Cryosurgery

This study is a part of an ongoing effort to develop means to improve monitoring and control of cryosurgery—the destruction of undesired biological tissues by freezing. Cryosurgery is being developed as a minimally invasive procedure since the mid 1980’s, following technological developments in medical imaging. Prostate cryosurgery was the first to become a routine minimally invasive cryosurgical procedure [1].Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Development of a Data Base on Commercial Communications Satellite Earth Stations

A Commercial Communications Satellite Earth Stations Data Base is being prepared by The Aerospace Corporation for use by government planners in addressing commercial satellite survivability issues. It includes data on common-carrier-owned, transmit/ receive, C-band, continental United States-based earth stations for commercial communications satellite systems. This paper describes the data base and the methodology used for its development.
Rocket observations of the ultraviolet airglow during morning twilight

Rocket-borne (Astrobee) UV measurements were made of the terrestrial airglow at morning twilight from 82 and 90 deg zenith angles at altitudes of 90 and 246 km in September 1979. Data were acquired on the NO gamma and delta bands, the 2470 A O II, 1356 A and the 1304 A O I lines, the Lyman-Berge-Hopfield N2 and the Herzberg 02 lines. The zodiacal contribution was substracted to obtain pure airglow data. Spectral analyses supported a larger nighttime decrease of N(4S) than for NO, the latter being in diffusive equilibrium above 190 km altitude. The NO gamma band was directly related to the thermospheric N(4S) contribution, the latter having a density of 2-8 million/cu cm at 200 km. Finally, self-consistent photoionization and photoelectron impact ionization models were derived for the atomic and ionic oxygen emissions.
Membranes containing selective flakes

Abstract Polymer membranes containing selectively permeable flakes will show selective fluxes. If the flakes are highly selective, the relative fluxes will be proportional to the square root of the inherent selectivity. If the flakes are modestly selective, the relative fluxes may approach this more modest value. Achieving this selectivity requires carefully adjusting the diffusion coefficient in the polymer continuum to the geometric average of the diffusion coefficients in flakes times the aspect ratio of the flakes. These results are compared with other theories of composite membranes.
Uniqueness without continuous dependence in infinite dimension

It is well known that the fundamental existence theorem for the initialvalue problem for an ordinary differential equation with continuous righthand side (Peano’s theorem) cannot be validly generalized to equations in an infinite-dimensional Banach space (Dieudonne [Z]; see [ 1; Example 2.11); there is, indeed, no infinite-dimensional Banach space to which it can be generalized (Godunov [3]). What about the analogous question concerning the assertion, valid for finite dimension, that “Uniqueness implies continuous dependence on the initial state?” (Uniqueness here means the existence of at most one noncontinuable solution for each initial time and state.) Since we have not found this question addressed in the literature, we have devised an example of an autonomous equation, in an infinite-dimensional Banach space, for which the implication fails in a strong way. We denote by N the set of all nonzero natural numbers. Then R” denotes the linear space of all sequences of real numbers, and I” denotes the Banach space of all bounded sequences, with the supremum norm. For each m E N we denote by e, the unit vector in I” defined by (e,), : = 6,, for all 12 E N. We denote the identity function and the square-root function from [0, co [ to [0, cc [ by z and ,/‘, respectively. Functional composition is indicated by 0.
Pharmacological abnormalities in atopic dermatitis

Numerous investigations have described cutaneous and systemic physiological and pharmacological aberrations in atopic dermatitis and the atopic diathesis. Some of these studies set the stage for a focus upon cyclic nucleotide abnormalities. Elevated leukocyte cyclic AMP-phosphodiesterase accounts for low intracellular cyclic AMP levels in atopic dermatitis. The resultant permissive effect correlates with abnormal functional parameters such as increased basophil histamine release and in vitro IgE synthesis. In vitro and clinical use of phosphodiesterase inhibitors corrects abnormal parameters and may indicate future therapeutic directions.
Pharmacology of GABA-mediated inhibition of spinal cord neurons in vivo and in primary dissociated cell culture

Organization of the postsynaptic GABA-receptor chloride channel complex on spinal cord neurons
Using Wikipedia technology for topic maps design

In this paper we present a method for automatically generating collection of topics from Wikipedia/Wikibooks based on user input. The constructed collection is intended to be displayed through an intuitive interface as assistance to the user creating Topic Maps for a given subject. We discuss the motivation behind the developed tool and outline the technique used for crawling and collecting relevant concepts from Wikipedia/Wikibooks and for building the topic structure to be output to the user.
Localization of parasympathetic preganglionic cell bodies innervating the pancreas within the vagal nucleus and nucleus ambigus of the rat brain stem: evidence of dual innervation based on the retrograde axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase

Traditionally studies have shown cell bodies of origin for parasympathetic preganglionic fibers of the subdiaphragmatic segment of the vagus nerve to be located in the dorsal motor nucleus of X. The nucleus ambiguus have been regarded as the motor nucleus for fibers projecting exclusively to larynx, pharynx and cervical esophagus. The results of the present study indicate that the pancreas has a dual source of innervation derived from both of these medullary nuclei, and that this in fact may be applicable for all or most of the subdiaphragmatic organs similarly innervated by the vagus.
Clonic Focal Seizure of the Foot Secondary to Nonketotic Hyperglycemia

Focal epileptic seizures can be the first manifestation of a diabetic disorder. Metabolic disturbances, including hyperglycemia, mild hyperosmolality, hyponatremia, and lack of ketoacidosis contribute to the development of partial focal seizures. A review of the medical literature for partial focal seizures is presented, followed by a case study of a patient who developed clonic seizures of the right foot secondary to hyperglycemia, hyponatremia, and hyperosmolality.
Visual acuity recovery after late traumatic femtosecond laser in situ keratomileusis flap loss

We report a case of traumatic flap loss from a fingernail 2 months after femtosecond laser–assisted laser in situ keratomileusis. On presentation, the patient's uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) was 20/400 and complete flap avulsion was noted. Irrigation and treatment with mitomycin-C were done immediately, and a bandage contact lens was inserted. The epithelium healed completely over 1 week. One month after the injury, the UCVA was 20/15 −2 . This case illustrates an excellent outcome from a potentially devastating event following refractive surgery in a military member.
1.1.1 Architecting Space Systems

This paper describes current research in a new process for architecting space systems. It has been observed that traditional systems architecting processes tend not to be followed in practice. Research shows that a single point solution is determined very early, long before the implications of this decision are fully discovered, and the solution is only abandoned when it becomes impossible to implement. This research sets forth an alternative process that provides designers with sets of potentially novel, optimised architectures on which to focus. The process emphasises placing team effort on problem understanding and formulation, versus brainstorming designs within a prematurely constrained architecture. An important step involves representing space architectures as major functions rather than specific forms, allowing brainstorming of the “whats” versus the “hows.” This paper presents the major steps in the process, applied to a distributed satellite swarm for measuring the ionosphere. Simulation results are also presented.
Eight Years of the Mayo International Health Program: What an International Elective Adds to Resident Education

OBJECTIVE To examine the educational benefits of international elective rotations during graduate medical education. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS We studied Mayo International Health Program (MIHP) participants from April 1, 2001, through July 31, 2008. Data from the 162 resident postrotation reports were reviewed and used to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze MIHP elective experiences. Qualitative analysis of the narrative data was performed using NVivo7 (QRS International, Melbourne, Australia), a qualitative research program, and passages were coded and analyzed for trends and themes. RESULTS During the study period, 162 residents representing 20 different specialties were awarded scholarships through the MIHP. Residents rotated in 43 countries, serving over 40,000 patients worldwide. Their reports indicated multiple educational and personal benefits, including gaining experience with a wide variety of pathology, learning to work with limited resources, developing clinical and surgical skills, participating in resident education, and experiencing new peoples and cultures. CONCLUSION The MIHP provides the structure and funding to enable residents from a variety of specialties to participate in international electives and obtain an identifiable set of unique, valuable educational experiences likely to shape them into better physicians. Such international health electives should be encouraged in graduate medical education.
High efficiency binary lenses

Abstract We have produced computer generated off-axis binary lenses that have 94% first order diffraction efficiency as measured in the infrared (10.6 μm). The observed point spread functions of these lenses were diffraction limited. Our work uses three independent developments: (1) theories on straight-line binary diffraction gratings operating in the electromagnetic (EM) domain, (2) large-scale integration advances in pattern generation and substrate depositions, and (3) improvements in reactive sputtering techniques.
Characterization of vaginal flora and bacterial vaginosis in women who have sex with women.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) may be common among women who report having sex with women (WSW) and frequently occurs in both members of monogamous couples. The results of Gram staining of a vaginal smear were consistent with BV in 81 (25%) and intermediate in 37 (11%) of 326 WSW included in this study. Lactobacilli were detected in 64% of subjects, and 42% of subjects had H2O2-producing strains. BV was associated with a higher lifetime number of female sex partners, failure to always clean an insertive sex toy before use, and oral-anal sex with female partners. Neither recent douching nor sexual practices with male partners were associated with BV. Vaginal smears from each partner were concordant in 55 (95%) of 58 monogamous couples; BV was present in both partners in 16 couples (28%) (P , .001, compared with expected distribution). BV was common among subjects who did not douche, who did not have concurrent sex with male partners, or who did not have a new sex partner, which suggests that other risk factors for BV exist. These data support the hypothesis that sexual exchange of vaginal secretions is a possible mechanism for acquisition of BV. Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a condition characterized by overgrowth of commensal anaerobic flora relative to the H2O2-producing lactobacilli that predominate in the healthy vagina. BV confers an increased risk of preterm delivery, low birth weight, and postpartum and postabortal endometritis [1‐5] and has been associated with pelvic inflammatory disease [6, 7] and, in prospective studies [8, 9], acquisition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The presence of H2O2-producing strains of lactobacilli in the vagina is strongly associated with a decreased prevalence and rate of acquisition of gonorrhea [8, 10], and some anaerobes associated with BV augment expression of HIV in T cells in vitro
Neuropsychological sequelae of chronic recreational gasoline inhalation.

Brief summary test profiles are described for two cases of long-term inhalation recreationally of gasoline.
Innovative dome design: Applying geodesic patterns with shape annealing

Shape annealing, a computational design method applied to structural design, has been extended to the design of traditional and innovative three-dimensional domes that incorporate the design goals of efficiency, economy, utility, and elegance. In contrast to deterministic structural optimization methods, shape annealing, a stochastic method, uses lateral exploration to generate multiple designs of similar quality that form a structural language of solutions. Structural languages can serve to enhance designer creativity by prescnting multiple, spatially innovative, yet functional design solutions while also providing insight into the interaction between structural form and the trade-offs involved in multi-objective design. The style of the structures within a language is a product of the shape grammar that defines the allowable structural forms and the optimization model that provides a functional measure of the generated forms to determine the desirable designs. This paper presents an application of geodesic dome patterns that have been embodied in a shape grammar to define a structural language of domes. Within this language of domes, different dome styles are generated by changing the optimization model for dome design to include the design goals of maximum enclosure space, minimum surface area, minimum number of distinct cross-sectional areas, and visual uniformity. The strengths of the method that will be shown are 1) the generation of both conventional domes similar to shape optimization results and spatially innovative domes. 2) the generation of design alternatives within a defined design style, and 3) the generation of different design styles by modifying the language semantics provided by the optimization model.
Towards Plugging Privacy Leaks in the Domain Name System

Privacy leaks are an unfortunate and an integral part of the current Internet domain name resolution. Each DNS query generated by a user reveals -- to one or more DNS servers -- the origin and the target of that query. Over time, users' communication (e.g., browsing) patterns might become exposed to entities with little or no trust. Current DNS privacy leaks stem from fundamental features of DNS and are not easily fixable by simple patches. Moreover, privacy issues have been overlooked by DNS security efforts (such as DNSSEC) and are thus likely to propagate into future versions of DNS. In order to mitigate privacy issues in DNS, this paper proposes a Privacy-Preserving DNS (PPDNS), that offers privacy during domain name resolution. PPDNS is based on distributed hash tables (DHTs), an alternative naming infrastructure, and computational private information retrieval (cPIR), an advanced cryptographic construct. PPDNS takes advantage of the DHT index structure to provide name resolution query privacy, while leveraging cPIR to reduce communication overhead for bandwidth-sensitive clients. Our analysis shows that PPDNS is a viable approach for obtaining a reasonably high level of privacy for name resolution queries. PPDNS also serves as a demonstration of blending advanced systems techniques with their cryptographic counterparts.
A new finite-difference time-domain algorithm for the accurate modeling of wide-band electromagnetic phenomena

A finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) method for the efficient solution of wideband electromagnetic phenomena is described. The algorithm uses a second-order Lax-Wendroff finite-difference algorithm in conjunction with the method of flux-corrected transport (FCT) to suppress problems with dispersion that occur when solving Maxwell's equations using the standard second-order Yee FDTD algorithm. Results comparing the accuracy of the Lax-Wendroff/FCT method and the Yee algorithm for propagating pulsed-type plane waves are given. >
Learning in certainty-factor-based neural networks

The certainty-factor-based neural network refers to a multilayer neural network where the network activation function is based on the certainty factor (CF) model of MYCIN-like systems. It is shown that the neural network using the CF-based activation function requires relatively small sample sizes for correct generalization and hence also facilitates learning rules. These findings are confirmed by empirical studies. Experiments suggest that the CFNet is capable of discovering the underlying domain rules.
Isolation of polymorphic tetranucleotide microsatellite markers for the wedge-billed woodcreeper Glyphorynchus spirurus

We have isolated six polymorphic microsatellite markers for the wedge-billed woodcreeper Glyphorynchus spirurus from a genomic library enriched for (AAGG) n repetitive elements, and characterized them in 25 individuals. The number of alleles ranged from eight to 20 per locus, with observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.43 to 0.78.
Extent of Polymerization of Dental Resins by Differential Scanning Calorimetry

The traditional infrared spectroscopic methods for assessing the degree of polymerization of dental monomers are often hampered by the difficulties of sample preparation and, in the case of composites, by interference from the filler component. These difficulties may be circumvented by the use of another technique, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In this preliminary investigation, DSC was used to ascertain the degree of vinyl polymerization of an experimental monomer system consisting of seven parts BIS-GMA and three parts TEGDMA (triethylene glycol dimethacrylate). Thermally-activated polymerizations of this monomer system were studied using benzoyl peroxide (BP) as the initiator. Both the heating rate and the concentration of BP affected the percent of reacted vinyl groups. For a BP concentration of 0.39% and heating rates of 10 degrees/min and 2.5 degrees/min, conversions were 73 and 38%, respectively. Chemically-activated polymerizations using BP and fast-acting amine accelerators (e.g., p-t-butyl-N,N-dimethylaniline) gave approximately the same results (e.g., 50% conversion) as those obtained with slower-acting promoters (e.g., ascorbyl palmitate). Experimental difficulties are encountered in observing an exotherm with the very reactive accelerators unless the other parameters (e.g., BP or inhibitor content) involved in the reaction are adjusted accordingly. As a method for evaluating the performance of various dental monomers, initiator systems, and inhibitors, DSC has great potential utility.
Modulation of erosion on steep granitic slopes by boulder armoring, as revealed by cosmogenic 26Al and 10Be

Cosmogenic 26 Al and 10 Be in quartz from boulders, bedrock and sandy sediment from 21 small watersheds in the Diamond Mountains batholith, CA, USA, and two small watersheds from the nearby Fort Sage Mountains confirm that exposed granitic bedrock and boulders erode more slowly than the catchments in which they are found. Exposed bedrock and boulders are more abundant on steep slopes and may play an important role in regulating mountain erosion rates. Rapid transport of fine sediment on steep slopes exhumes resistant corestones which accumulate on the surface. The resulting boulder lag apparently shields the underlying soil and bedrock from erosion, even when the bedrock is deeply weathered and friable. Where steep slopes have an abundant boulder lag, they erode as slowly as gentler slopes nearby. In contrast, steep slopes lacking a boulder lag erode much more quickly than gentle slopes. Boulder armoring can modulate hillslope erosion such that erosion rates of summits, steep mountain flanks, and gentle footslopes are indistinguishable, thus permitting local relief and steep mountain slopes to persist for long periods of time. fl 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Relationship between parental estimate and an objective measure of child television watching

Many young children have televisions in their bedrooms, which may influence the relationship between parental estimate and objective measures of child television usage/week. Parental estimates of child television time of eighty 4–7 year old children (6.0 ± 1.2 years) at the 75th BMI percentile or greater (90.8 ± 6.8 BMI percentile) were compared to an objective measure of television time obtained from TV Allowance™ devices attached to every television in the home over a three week period. Results showed that parents overestimate their child's television time compared to an objective measure when no television is present in the bedroom by 4 hours/week (25.4 ± 11.5 vs. 21.4 ± 9.1) in comparison to underestimating television time by over 3 hours/week (26.5 ± 17.2 vs. 29.8 ± 14.4) when the child has a television in their bedroom (p = 0.02). Children with a television in their bedroom spend more objectively measured hours in television time than children without a television in their bedroom (29.8 ± 14.2 versus 21.4 ± 9.1, p = 0.003). Research on child television watching should take into account television watching in bedrooms, since it may not be adequately assessed by parental estimates.
A New Minor-Arcs Estimate for Number Fields

We re-examine Korner’s number field version of a minor-arcs estimate introduced by Vinogradov into the study of Waring’s function G(k). Dependencies on both k and the degree n of the number field are reduced via improved mean value estimates for Weyl sums over ‘smooth’ algebraic integers.
Locating the Ambiguity

We have seen that certain sentences involving coordinate or plural noun phrases take an individual level, or distributive reading: John and Mary are asleep. Other sentences take a collective reading: John and Mary are a happy couple. (Perhaps such sentences have a separate but non-sensical distributive-like reading as well, as in the “official version” of the NP/S Analysis.) Others have a clearer ambiguity, in which either reading may be pragmatically available: John and Mary earned exactly $5000. The same pattern occurs in sentences containing certain morphologically plural noun phrases such as the children instead of coordinate noun phrases.
Materialism and Idealism in Organizational Theory

Organization theory needs a framework that can elucidate the technological, economic, political and symbolic forces that are at work in and on organizations. Much organizational research can be seen as materialist, by virtue of its granting primary causal efficacy to technical-economic forces, or idealist by virtue of privileging political-symbolic forces. The conflict between materialism and idealism has often been inflated and/or obscured by conceptual strategies of specialization, eclecticism and reductionism. A metatheoretical approach to materialism and idealism is presented that clarifies the fundamental nature of the approaches and distinguishes areas of possible reconciliation from areas of irreducible conflict.
A buffered physiologic salt solution

The importance of the relationship between H-ion concentration of the medium and biologic phenomena has received much attention in recent years. But the results of the researches of S^rensen, Michaelis, Henderson, Clark and others have not yet been practically applied to every phase of biologic investigation. In the field of immunology the various tests are generally carried on without the degree of consideration for control of H-ion concentration which it is practically possible to attain. It is the purpose of this paper to present a simple method for the control of the H-ion concentration of physiologic salt solution. Even when all due care is taken for the cleanliness of receptacles, the range of variation in reaction of unbuffered solutions is considerable. Distilled water standing in hard glass flasks, protected from the atmosphere only by a cotton plug, has been found to absorb enough carbon dioxide to bring the reaction to Ph 5.8. On the other hand, distilled water which had been sterilized and left standing in soft glass cylinders with ground glass stoppers was found with a reaction of Ph 8.8. These figures are merely variations which have come under the writer's observation. Recently Esty and Cathcart1 have presented data showing the variations in H-ion concentration of unbuffered solutions sterilized in hard and soft glass. They tested the variations in 0.85 9fc sodium chloride solution, distilled water, and in weak solutions of hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. Their results show an increase in alkalinity as the heating is prolonged in soft glass tubes, whereas an increase in acidity was observed in hard glass tubes: The influence of variation in H-ion concentration of the medium