cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fuzzy Petri net for UAV decision making

The decision for an autonomous unmanned air vehicle (UAV) to strike a target is an important one that has important consequences. The details regarding the decision and the process of deciding need to be well defined and understood. This paper presents a Petri net approach to UAV decision making based on fuzzy reasoning. It shows that Petri nets are a viable tool for modeling and validating propositional logic for rule-based reasoning in UAV decisions. It also discusses alternative methods for modeling places as input sources for transitions representing rules
Recommendations for Implementing an Effective, Efficient, and Enduring Outcomes-Based Assessment Program.

To propose recommendations to implement outcomes-based assessment program review in a California Community College District, a grounded theory analysis was performed within the district. The findings generated were cross-referenced with findings from a multi-institutional case study analysis. A key finding from the cross-reference was the need for the leadership to clarify across all levels of the organization who the audience is for the data generated from the program review process; to clarify the indicators that each audience requires; and to clarify how that audience intends to use results generated from the process prior to designing the outcomes-based assessment process.
Dark current behavior in DSLR cameras

Digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras are examined and their dark current behavior is presented. We examine the influence of varying temperature, exposure time, and gain setting on dark current. Dark current behavior unique to sensors within such cameras is observed. In particular, heat is trapped within the camera body resulting in higher internal temperatures and an increase in dark current after successive images. We look at the possibility of correcting for the dark current, based on previous work done for scientific grade imagers, where hot pixels are used as indicators for the entire chip's dark current behavior. Standard methods of dark current correction are compared to computed dark frames. Dark current is a concern for DSLR cameras as optimum conditions for limiting dark current, such as cooling the imager, are not easily obtained in the typical use of such imagers.
Umpolung reactivity in amide and peptide synthesis

The amide bond is one of nature's most common functional and structural elements, as the backbones of all natural peptides and proteins are composed of amide bonds. Amides are also present in many therapeutic small molecules. The construction of amide bonds using available methods relies principally on dehydrative approaches, although oxidative and radical-based methods are representative alternatives. In nearly every example, carbon and nitrogen bear electrophilic and nucleophilic character, respectively, during the carbon-nitrogen bond-forming step. Here we show that activation of amines and nitroalkanes with an electrophilic iodine source can lead directly to amide products. Preliminary observations support a mechanism in which the polarities of the two reactants are reversed (German, umpolung) during carbon-nitrogen bond formation relative to traditional approaches. The use of nitroalkanes as acyl anion equivalents provides a conceptually innovative approach to amide and peptide synthesis, and one that might ultimately provide for efficient peptide synthesis that is fully reliant on enantioselective methods.
Operation Frontline: Assessment of Longer-term Curriculum Effectiveness, Evaluation Strategies, and Follow-up Methods

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of a traditional pretest versus a retrospective pretest, the stability of self-reported behavior changes at 3 or 6 months post-class series, and the most effective method for longer-term follow-up assessment of Operation Frontline’s Eating Right class series. Design: Longitudinal study; subjects surveyed at some combination of traditional pretest, retrospective pretest/posttest after the last class, and at 3 or 6 months. Setting: Communities in the metropolitan Denver area. Participants: Of the 53 participants, 90% were women, 70% were of Hispanic descent, 49% were between the ages of 20 and 29, and 64% had at least a twelfth-grade education or General Educational Development diploma. Main Outcome Measures: Contrast results from a traditional pretest with a retrospective pretest; assess temporal stability of self-reported behavior changes; and contrast response rates for multiple follow-up methods (mail, telephone, or reunion class). Analysis: Item and scale scores were compared across various time points using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results: No significant differences were found for 6 of 7 variables between the traditional pretests and retrospective pretests. Most self-reported behavior changes were retained at 3 and 6 months post-class. Mail had the best response rate (62%) for this limited-resource population. Conclusions and Implications: The maintenance of behavior changes at 3 or 6 months postintervention supports the effectiveness of the Eating Right series. Mail follow-up achieved higher response rates than telephone. The lack of significant differences (except 1 variable) between the traditional pretest and the retrospective pretests does not support the retrospective pretest as being more accurate. However, the retrospective pretest may be more desirable for educators, as it eliminates the need to test participants twice.
Reliability Analysis of Reinforced Concrete (RC) Plates and Shells

The application of the principles of probabilistic techniques to structural design has been gaining widespread acceptance over the last two decades. However, the design of many engineering structures is still based on standard deterministic design codes that may not account for inherent design and material variability. Although design codes have been successfully used for many decades, the use of probabilistic design allows a designer to get a more holistic understanding of design variables and a clear assessment of uncertainties. This paper evaluates the reliability of plates and shells made from reinforced concrete (RC) that are commonly used in engineering structures. A modified Monte Carlo approach is used to capture variability in design parameters such as the spacing of the reinforcement, the diameter of the reinforcement and material thickness of the concrete as well as material properties of concrete. The ultimate load carrying capacity is used as the primary failure mode for reliability analysis and the onset of cracking and deflection are also monitored for all the runs that are made for computing reliability. A nonlinear finite element program is used for analysis and the results from the finite element program are used for computing reliability. A sensitivity analysis is performed to determine the most significant parameters influencing the reliability of plates and shells used in this study.© 2012 ASME
HMP: hotspot mitigation protocol for mobile ad hoc networks

"Hotspots" represent transient but highly congested regions in wireless ad hoc networks that result in increased packet loss, end-to-end delay, and out-of-order packets delivery. We present a simple, effective, and scalable Hotspot Mitigation Protocol (HMP) where mobile nodes independently monitor local buffer occupancy, packet loss, and MAC contention and delay conditions, and take local actions in response to the emergence of hotspots, such as, suppressing new route requests and rate controlling TCP flows. HMP balances resource consumption among neighboring nodes, and improves end-to-end throughput, delay, and packet loss. Our results indicate that HMP can also improve the network connectivity preventing premature network partitions. We present analysis of hotspots, and detail the design of HMP. We evaluate the protocol's ability to effectively mitigate hotspots in mobile ad hoc networks that are based on best effort on-demand routing protocols, such as, AODV and DSR.
Hovering flight control of a micromechanical flying insect

This paper describes recent results on the design and simulation of a flight control strategy for the micromechanical flying insect (MFI), a 10-25 mm (wingtip-to-wingtip) device capable of sustained autonomous flight. Biologically inspired by the real insect's flight maneuver, the wing kinematics are paremetrized by a small set of parameters which are sufficient to generate desired average torques to regulate its attitude. Position control was achieved through attitude control based on the linearized dynamics under small angle assumption near hovering. During its continuous flight, the controller schedules the desired wing kinematic parameters according to the inverse map based on the feedback error at the end of each wingbeat. The proposed controller was simulated with the Virtual Insect Flight Simulator, and the results show convergence of both position and orientation.
The Recent Growth Record of the American Economy

IN AN ARTICLE in this Journal,l Professor Wallace C. Peterson advances the hypothesis that the primary source of the substantial growth in real consumption per capita since World War II was a shift in the end-use of the nation's total output rather than a growth in real Gross National Product per capita. This shift was possible, it is explained, because of the tremendous growth in real GNP (54.5 per cent) and real GNP per capita (47.4 per cent) during World War II (i.e., in Peterson's discussion, the growth between 1940 and 1944). After the war a large proportion of the resources which had been used in the production of military goods were shifted to the production of consumer goods, so that real consumption per capita could increase without correlative increases in real GNP per capita. While real GNP per capita was $2,297 in 1944 and only $143 higher in 1960, real consumption per capita increased from $1,158 in 1944 to $1,651 in 1960, an increase of $493. Within the framework of Professor Peterson's reference, the large-scale shift of resources from wartime to peacetime production seems to be the only adequate explanation of how real consumption per capita could increase 42.6 per cent between 1944 and 1960, while real GNP per capita increased only 6.2 per cent in the same period.
Spectrum Signaling for Cognitive Underwater Acoustic Channel Allocation

The underwater environment varies significantly from traditional electromagnetics. Many cognitive radio techniques that have proven effective in the terrestrial setting can not simply be transplanted underwater. Furthermore the limited bandwidth and lack of FCC regulations additionally changes the approaches that can be taken. In this paper, we introduce spectrum signaling, an approach for distributed channel allocation for the underwater acoustic environment.
Ethics, Policy, and Practice: Interview with Emily Friedman

Emily Friedman, a writer, lecturer, and health policy and ethics analyst, is a contributing writer for the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and a contributing editor of the Health Forum Journal, Hospitals and Health Networks, and the American Journal of Medicine. She also contributes to Health Progress. Friedman is most noted for her work in health policy, the social ethics of health care, including the relationship of die public and communities with the health care system, ethics and policy issues associated with managed care, and health care for the underserved. She analyzes health care systems, health policy history, health services research, and demographics.
Liquid-Liquid Immiscibility in Pure Fluids: Polyamorphism in Simulations of a Network-Forming Fluid.

We report Monte Carlo simulations that show both vapor-liquid and closed-loop liquid-liquid equilibrium in a pure substance, for a model fluid that forms orientation-dependent intermolecular bonds. This is the first time that direct evidence of liquid-liquid immiscibility in a pure fluid has been found using exact methods. Because the model is formulated in terms of a tetrahedrally coordinated molecule, the results are relevant to a broad class of substances, particularly to the transitions between amorphous phases which are known to occur in ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}\mathrm{O}$, ${\mathrm{SiO}}_{2}$, and ${\mathrm{GeO}}_{2}$.
Real Values in British Foreign Trade, 1798–1853

In 1696 the British began to keep records of their imports and exports in terms of money values. For this purpose, tables of prices were prepared first for England, and subsequently for Ireland and for Scotland, with the rates based, it is said, on market conditions at the time. Some adjustments in the initial valuations were made in the early years, but thereafter, for over a century and a half, the same prices were used in calculating “official” values. For imports and re-exports they supplied the sole basis for computing money values throughout this period. For exports of domestic produce and manufactured goods, however, a concurrent series of declared values was begun when a convoy tax was imposed ad valorem in 1798; but this series, though continued after the war, has been overshadowed by the “official” valuations which attained something of the respectability of a time-hallowed tradition. Year after year through peace and war, dearth and plenty, high prices and low, the clerks meticulously multiplied their quantities by these unchanging rates. In other words, British “official” trade values became progressively more useless as measures of current market values until the system was reformed in 1854. As a result, historians and economists are faced with frustration or distortion in any question dependent on a fairly accurate knowledge of the course, or the terms, or the balance of British trade in the period.
Preventing pain during office biopsy of the prostate: A single center, prospective, double-blind, 3-arm, parallel group, randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND. A prospective, double-blind, 3-arm, parallel group, randomized clinical trial was performed to compare 3 anesthetic techniques for preventing pain during prostate biopsy. METHODS. A total of 243 men undergoing a 12-core prostate biopsy were randomized to 1 of 3 anesthetic methods: 1) seminal vesical-prostatic base blockade, 2) intraprostatic blockade, and 3) apical-rectal blockade. Pain was estimated with the 10-point visual analog scale. Multivariate logistic regression evaluated factors predictive of pain. The Kruskal-Wallis test analyzed overall group comparisons and the Steel-Dwass test assessed between-group comparisons in pain scores. Proportional odds ordinal logistic regression quantified the ability of covariates and treatment arms to predict biopsy pain. These values are presented as odds ratios with confidence intervals (OR, 95% CI). RESULTS. From November 2005 to June 2006, 81 men were randomized to 3 study arms. Lidocaine administration was the most painful element of the procedure, while probe insertion was the least. Apical biopsies were routinely more painful than mid-gland biopsies, which were more painful than base biopsies. The apical-rectal blockade was the most painful to administer, but has lasting effects and led to better pain control than the prostatic base-seminal vesicle blockade. Similarly, the intraprostatic blockade was more effective than the prostatic base-seminal vesicle blockade. Besides pain reported at the time of anesthetic injection, no difference was identified between the intraprostatic and apical-rectal blockades. CONCLUSIONS. Mid and apical biopsies of the prostate are more painful than base biopsies. The seminal vesicle-prostatic base blockade is less effective than intraprostatic and apical-rectal blockade at controlling pain. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society.
Commercial GPS receiver susceptibility evaluation

The radio frequency (RF) susceptibility characteristics of two commercial Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers were evaluated. A first-order analysis was performed to predict the receiver susceptibility thresholds based on the receiver sensitivity and processing gain. The receiver susceptibility thresholds in the post-acquisition mode were then measured for various interference signal frequencies and modulations. Both receivers exhibited very low susceptibility thresholds to in-band continuous wave (CW) signals. In addition, both receivers could be overdriven with an out-of-band signal. In this state the receivers indicated acceptable figures of merit despite loss of satellite signal lock. >
Trephining sebaceous cysts.

Summary Trephining sebaceous cysts is a simple, quick outpatient procedure and half the patients require no further excision as the tiny pit that forms is inconspicuous.
Tobacco outlet density and smoking prevalence: Does racial concentration matter?

The abuse of tobacco products is cause for international concern. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that tobacco use is the fourth most common risk factor for disease worldwide and the second leading cause of death in the world. Although the dangers of smoking have been well publicized in many industrial countries, current smoking patterns suggest that by the year 2025 smoking-related disease will account for approximately ten million deaths each year. The United States is one such industrial country where the detrimental effects of tobacco use have created a public health crisis, claiming the lives of over 440,000 Americans on an annual basis. Of particular concern is the growing epidemic of diseases caused by tobacco use among African Americans. But an important question eluding public policy officials is whether tobacco companies are increasing their presence in disadvantaged, racially diverse communities to increase sales of their product. Addressing this concern, this study is among the f...
The effect of fiber coatings on interfacial shear strength and the mechanical behavior of ceramic composites

Thin coatings deposited on ceramic fibers prior to densification employing chemical vapor infiltration techniques have been used to limit fiber-matrix bonding. This has resulted in improvements in strength and toughness at room and elevated temperatures in Nicalon® fiber-reinforced/SiC matrix composites. The properties of the fiber-matrix interface in fiber-reinforced ceramic composites have been examined utilizing an indentation method in which a standard microhardness indentor is used to push on fibers embedded in the ceramic matrix. Compositions and microstructures at the interface have been characterized employing analytical electton microscopy. Correlations between interfacial phenomena and observed mechanical behavior have been made.
The Antioxidant Function of Metallothionein in the Heart

The antioxidant function of metallothionein (MT) was first suggested in the early 1980s. Studies in vitro have revealed that MT reacts directly with reactive oxygen species, including superoxide and hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide. These reactions have never been demonstrated in intact animal studies. Nevertheless, both pharmacologic and genetic studies have shown that MT functions in protection against oxidative injury in vivo. In particular, the antioxidant function of MT in the heart has been explored extensively. The data gathered from recent studies using a cardiac-specific, MT-overexpressing transgenic mouse model have provided direct evidence to support this physiological role of MT. Under acute and chronic oxidative stress conditions such as treatment with doxorubicin, ischemia-reperfusion, and dietary copper restriction, MT-overexpressing transgenic mouse hearts displayed a marked resistance to the injurious consequences, including biochemical, pathological, and functional alterations. This protective action of MT correlates with its inhibition of reactive oxygen species-induced lipid peroxidation. A critical elucidation of the mechanism of action of MT as an antioxidant in vivo remains to be achieved. However, the combination of recent understanding of the zinc cluster structure of MT and novel molecular genetic approaches has provided the basis for further advancement in this field.
In vitro metabolic studies on the selective metabotropic glutamate receptor sub-type 5 (mGluR5) antagonist 3-[(2-methyl-1,3-thiazol-4-yl) ethynyl]-pyridine (MTEP).

Abstract Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR) are G-protein-coupled receptors that play a major role in modulatory pathways in the CNS and have been suggested to have pharmacological implications in pain, psychiatric disorders and other neurological states. 3-[(2-Methyl-1,3-thiazol-4-yl) ethynyl]-pyridine (MTEP) is a specific and selective antagonist for the mGluR sub-type 5. Previous studies using rat liver microsomes showed that the major oxidative metabolites of MTEP are a hydroxymethyl metabolite (M1), two oxides (M2 and M4), a thiazole-ring opened metabolite (M3) and CO2 (M5). In the present study, we examined the metabolism of MTEP in liver microsomes and expressed rat and human CYP isoforms. In rat liver microsomes, metabolic stability studies accurately predicted the in vivo clearance for MTEP. Incubation of MTEP with expressed rat and human CYP isoforms showed that CYP1A and CYP2C isoforms are primarily responsible for the metabolism of this compound. The results suggest that species differences in MTEP metabolism is possible and could contribute to specie-differences in biological effects of the compound.
The Perils of ‘Positivism’ in Cultural Anthropology

‘Positivism,’ it seems, is a movement that cultural anthropology can do without. But what is positivism, who are these positivists, and what precisely are their sins? Notwithstanding appearances to the contrary, the image of positivism in cultural anthropology is comparatively coherent and the criticism directed at it relatively well founded. What is dubious is the conclusion to which many critics think it leads: that the methods of the natural sciences are inappropriate to the study of human culture and society.
An Analysis of Retransmission Systems

This paper presents an analysis of the throughput rate R and undetected block error rate ρ for each of three basic types of retransmission logics: 1) send and wait for confirmation, 2) send continuously repeating each individual unconfirmed message, and 3) send continuously repeating each unconfirmed message together with those which followed it. Formulas for R and ρ were obtained in terms of the probability of detected block error and the probability of misinterpreted confirmation or retransmission request. Several options for interpreting garbled service information were considered and the corresponding formulas for R and ρ were obtained. Block diagrams are presented which show the possible sequences of events and their probabilities for each type of logic. Analysis of the third logic required models based on seven-state and ten-state Markov processes. Tractable formulas were not obtainable in closed form but only as solutions to matrix equations. Approximate formulas for R and ρ were derived for this case. The results of this paper are used in a companion paper to compare the performance of forward error correcting codes and retransmission systems under various channel conditions.
Toward a Molecular Understanding of Pleiotropy

Pleiotropy refers to the observation of a single gene influencing multiple phenotypic traits. Although pleiotropy is a common phenomenon with broad implications, its molecular basis is unclear. Using functional genomic data of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, here we show that, compared with genes of low pleiotropy, highly pleiotropic genes participate in more biological processes through distribution of the protein products in more cellular components and involvement in more protein–protein interactions. However, the two groups of genes do not differ in the number of molecular functions or the number of protein domains per gene. Thus, pleiotropy is generally caused by a single molecular function involved in multiple biological processes. We also provide genomewide evidence that the evolutionary conservation of genes and gene sequences positively correlates with the level of gene pleiotropy.
Susceptibility of Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae) to methyl bromide.

Eggs, crawlers, early nymphs, late nymphs, and adults of the pink hibiscus mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green), were tested for their susceptibility to methyl bromide in 2-h laboratory fumigations at ambient conditions (25°C, 95% RH). Dose–response tests indicated that the egg was the most susceptible life stage with an LC99 of 20.2 mg/liter. Based on probit analysis of dose–response data, no significant differences were observed among susceptibilities of the crawler, early stage or late stage nymphs, or adults at either the LC50 or LC99 level, but late stage nymphs were more tolerant than early stage nymphs in a separate paired comparison test. Confirmatory tests showed that a dose of 48 mg/liter methyl bromide, the USDA-Animal Plant Health Inspection Service treatment dose schedule for mealybugs at 21–26°C, produced 100% mortality of all life stages. On the basis of these results, we conclude that the methyl bromide treatment schedule for mealybugs will provide quarantine security for M. hirsutus infesting commodities for export or import.
A current-sensorless digital controller for active power factor correction control based on Kalman filters

For low-power AC-DC converters, power factor correction (PFC) can be accomplished simply with certain converters operating in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). At higher power levels, DCM results in higher losses, so most PFC converters use current feedback to actively track the correct current waveshape. This work presents a way to provide PFC control without the current sensor, by replacing the sensor with a Kalman filter, which is essentially a stochastic observer. Experimental results verify its high power factor and low total harmonic distortion (THD).
HOUSEHOLD, GENDER, AND POLITICAL RESPONSES TO ECONOMIC DOWNTURN:

Although sociologists have given increased attention to political responses of populations experiencing economic restructuring, existing research remains conceptually limited. Building upon resource mobilization theory and longstanding structural approaches, we extend the conceptual discourse of mobilization by considering alternative bases of action involving the household and its gendered relationships. We provide an empirical example using data from a twelve-state midwestern sample of farm couples during the 1980s farm crisis. In addition to predictors outlined by conventional structural mobilization frameworks, we find that political socialization between spouses (an alternative, generally unexplored base of political action) is an important determinant of action. Relative to men, women tend to exert a more radicalizing political influence on their spouses.
Curative and Protectant Activity of Fungicides for Control of Crown Rot of Strawberry Caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides

MacKenzie, S. J., Mertely, J. C., and Peres, N. A. 2009. Curative and protectant activity of fungicides for control of crown rot of strawberry caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Plant Dis. 93:815-820. The ability of fungicides to control Colletotrichum crown rot of strawberry caused by C. gloeosporioides was examined over three seasons. A single application of each fungicide was made 2 days before inoculation (2 DBI) or 1 day after inoculation (1 DAI) with conidial suspensions of C. gloeosporioides. The proportion of plants collapsed on one date at the end of each season was evaluated. In a combined analysis, there was a significant fungicide treatment-season interaction (P = 0.004). Percent mortality was 64% over 3 years in control plots that were inoculated with C. gloeosporioides but not treated with fungicide. Captan applied 2 DBI consistently reduced plant mortality (mean mortality = 17%). However, it was not as effective when applied 1 DAI (mean mortality = 46%). Azoxystrobin, pyraclostrobin, and thiophanate-methyl all reduced plant mortality relative to the control if applied 2 DBI (mean mortality = 46% for azoxystrobin, 37% for pyraclostrobin, and 41% for thiophanate-methyl) or 1 DAI (mean mortality = 29% for azoxystrobin, 27% for pyraclostrobin, and 32% for thiophanate-methyl). Results indicated that these fungicides were more effective when applied 1 DAI; however, lower plant mortality was not always observed with postinoculation applications. Cyprodinil + fludioxonil reduced mortality relative to the control, but there was no consistent evidence that it was more effective when applied at 2 DBI (mean mortality = 39%) than when applied 1 DAI (mean mortality = 40%). Similarly, mortality in plots treated with thiram 2 DBI (mean mortality = 30%) or 1 DAI (mean mortality = 32%) was not different. Potassium phosphite did not affect mortality, regardless of the timing of application (2 DBI mean mortality = 61%, 1 DAI mean mortality = 67%). The results indicated that an effective strategy for controlling Colletotrichum crown rot caused by C. gloeosporioides should be based on weekly applications of captan throughout the growing season. Azoxystrobin, pyraclostrobin, or thiophanate-methyl applications should be applied when weather conditions are highly favorable for disease development and the activity of contact fungicides such as captan or thiram might be compromised.
SigMatch: fast and scalable multi-pattern matching

Multi-pattern matching involves matching a data item against a large database of "signature" patterns. Existing algorithms for multi-pattern matching do not scale well as the size of the signature database increases. In this paper, we present sigMatch -- a fast, versatile, and scalable technique for multi-pattern signature matching. At its heart, sigMatch organizes the signature database into a (processor) cache-efficient q-gram index structure, called the sigTree. The sigTree groups patterns based on common sub-patterns, such that signatures that don't match can be quickly eliminated from the matching process. The sigTree also uses parallel Bloom filters and a technique to reduce imbalances across groups, for improved performance. Using extensive empirical evaluation across three diverse domains, we show that sigMatch often outperforms existing methods by an order of magnitude or more.
Ultrasonic P- and S-wave attenuation in oceanic basalt

SUMMARY Measurements of compressional wave attenuation are presented for 30 low-porosity (1 = 0.4-8.8 per cent) oceanic basalts collected from 10 oceanic drill holes. The first laboratory measurements of shear wave attenuation in oceanic basalts are presented for 14 rocks from the test suite. For full saturation, attenuation coefficients (a) range from 2.48 to 9.99 dB cm -1 for shear propagation and 0.32 dB to 4.69 dB cm -1 for compressional propagation at 150 MPa.Qpand Q\ values range from 14 to 167 and 8 to 27, respectively. Both Q anda show a significant confining pressure dependence to 400 MFa. This pressure dependence is caused by the opening and closing of compliant microcracks. Q and a, both shear and compressional, are also shown to depend on porosity, with a increasing and Q decreasing with porosity.Q)Qp values are reported for 14 samples from the test suite and may be important in determining the degree of stlturation when combined withVp/Vsdata. Qs/Qpvalues vary from 0.12 to 0.40 for fully saturated samples. Saturated samples generally display low Q)Qp ( 1.75), which is in good agreement with published sandstone Q,JQjJdata. The mechanisms most likely to be responsible for the observed high P- and S-wave attenuation are viscous local or 'squirt' flow and to a lesser extent grain boundary frictional sliding. Laboratory data agree well with field seismic measurements of oceanic layer 2A Qp;however, there is no clear explanation for this agreement, since no single attenuation mechanism has been proven to dominate at both high (MHz) and low (Hz) frequencies. Nevertheless, the good agreement between laboratory and field data suggests that at seismic frequencies the shallow oceanic crust may behave similarly to laboratory samples. One possible explanation is the presence of a different fluid flow mechanism for each frequency scale.
Large shocks, small shocks, and economic fluctuations: Outliers in macroeconomic time series

SUMMARY We analyse fifteen post-World War I1 US macroeconomic time series using a modified outlier identification procedure based on Tsay (1988a). 'Large shocks' appear to be present in all the series we examined. Furthermore, there are three basic outlier patterns: (I) outliers seem to be associated with business cycles, (2) outliers are clustered together-both over time and across series, (3) there appears to be a dichotomy between outlier behaviour of real versus nominal series. Also, after controlling for outliers, much of the evidence of non-linearity in many of the time series is eliminated.
Absence of physiological tolerance to cocaine in pregnant sheep.

Objective: To determine whether repetitive administration of cocaine to sheep during pregnancy altered basal hemodynamic states in the mother and fetus, and to determine whether this cocaine exposure would alter subsequent hemodynamic responses to cocaine. Methods: Cocaine or saline was administered to 16 pregnant sheep daily from day 75 to day 128 of gestation (term = 145 days). At 128 days' gestation, maternal and fetal basal physiological measurements, including organ-specific blood flow in the fetus, were determined. Each experimental and control ewe then received cocaine 2 mg/kg and these physiological parameters were again measured over the next 30 min to determine whether the experimental animals had developed tolerance to the effects of cocaine. Results: No differences were seen in basal physiological parameters between treatment groups. Likewise, following an acute administration of cocaine, physiological parameters in both groups responded in a similar fashion. Fetal hypoxemia occurred in both g...
The Dual Role of Trust in System Use

Many studies have shown that trust is an important cognition that drives the continued use of information systems. The theoretical reasoning behind this effect has been that trust helps people rule out undesirable, yet possible, opportunistic behaviors, and ultimately makes users more at ease regarding transacting with a website. In this study, we build on the relationship marketing literature and argue that trust may have an even broader role in post-adoption contexts than previously assumed. Not only can trust influence system use intentions directly (a dedication mechanism), but also indirectly through the promotion of social investment in a relationship with a system and its users. This social investment represents a procedural-relational switching cost (a constraint mechanism) which further increases continuance intent. Data collected from 382 social networking website users support the hypotheses and validate the proposed dual-role of trust. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) Use in New York City School-Based Health Centers before and after Onsite LARC Service Implementation

Increasing access to a broad range of contraceptive methods including long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) onsite in New York City (NYC) School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) is a primary goal of the School-Based Health Center Reproductive Health Project (RHP). Prior to the onsite availability of LARC methods SBHCs were dispensing a full range of short-acting contraceptive methods (oral contraception injectable ring patch) and were referring patients for LARC methods to community-based clinics participating in the RHP Referral Network.
Use of 1H/13C/19F Triple Resonance 3D-NMR to Characterize the Stereosequences in Poly(vinyl fluoride)

Tacticity has an enormous influence on the physical and chemical properties of polymers. There is considerable work using 1D NMR and empirical rules to study the stereosequences in polymers. This work shows that 1H/13C/19F 3D NMR experiments can provide superior resolution and atomic connectivity information, so that unambiguous resonance assignments can be made for poly(vinyl fluoride) (PVF). Compared to prior work on 3D NMR studies of stereosequence effects in fluoropolymers, the 3D NMR pulse sequence used in this work is based on single quantum coherence transfer, which eliminates the complicated splitting patterns resulting from evolution of multiple-quantum coherence. In addition, selective excitation of the 19F nuclei of interest significantly reduces the folding of peaks from other spectral regions. This greatly simplifies the spectra and makes the assignment of resonances much easier. Based on these results, it is possible to assign the 19F resonances to the pentad level. For example, consider the...
The Analysis on Nutrition Monitoring of Elders Aged 60-75 in Urban and Rural Areas of Anhui Province

Objective To acquire necessary data for developing elders-related nutrition interventions.Method 2 monitoring spots were selected with each having 800 elders aged5 as subjects.The monitoring contents included 4 parts,i.e.personal health-nutrition survey,food frequency questionaire,physical check-up and community survey.Result Prevalence of hypertension、diabetes、high blood lipid and anemia of old people at urban area were higher than ones at rural one,i.e.67.1%58.5%、14.3%11.4%、38.4%31.9% and 39.0%28.7% respectively;smoking rate of old men and passive smoking one of old women at rural area were higher than people at urban area,i.e.61.2%22.0% and 44.4%22.7% respectively;all old people hadn't eaten enough rude corns,but had more intake of vegetables than fruits;old residents hadn't developed a daily habit of drinking-milk too and only 4.6% of rural elders ate milk;high cooking oil and intake of high salt existed in most of elders' families,especially at rural area,with 76.6% and 61.4% of all families surveyed respectively;most of elders ate their breakfast daily,but their breakfasts had lower nutrition values.Conclusion Prevalence of several chronic diseases of urban elders were higher than rural ones,but Prevalence of behaviors risks in reverse.There were some limitations in elders' dietary patterns with lower nutrition values.
HMO employment and African-American physicians.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the level and determinants of African-American physicians' employment in health maintenance organizations (HMOs), particularly early in their careers. METHODS: We analyzed data from the 1991 and 1996 Young Physicians Surveys to assess racial differences in the likelihood of HMO employment (n = 3,705). Using multinomial logistic regression, we evaluated four explanations for an observed relationship between African-American physicians and HMO employment: human capital stratification among organizations, race-based affinity between physicians and patients, financial constraints due to debt burden, and different organizational hiring practices. Using binomial logistic regression, we also evaluated differences in the odds of being turned down for a prior practice position, of subsequently leaving the current practice organization and of later having career doubts. RESULTS: Without any controls, African-American physicians were 4.52 times more likely to practice in HMOs than Caucasian physicians. After controlling for human capital stratification, racial concordance and financial constraints, African-American physicians remained 2.48 times more likely to practice in HMOs than Caucasian physicians. In addition, 19.2% of African-American physicians in HMOs reported being turned down for another job, far more than any other racial/ethnic group in the HMO setting and any racial/ethnic group, including African-American physicians in the non-HMO setting (including all other practice locations). Five years later, those same African-American physicians from HMOs also reported significantly more turnover (7.50 times more likely than non-HMO African-American physicians to leave their current practice) and doubt about their careers (2.17 times more likely than non-HMO African-American physicians to express serious career doubts). CONCLUSIONS: African-American physicians were disproportionately hired into HMO settings, impacting their subsequent careers.
Optimizing detection and analysis of slow waves in sleep EEG.

Abstract Background Analysis of individual slow waves in EEG recording during sleep provides both greater sensitivity and specificity compared to spectral power measures. However, parameters for detection and analysis have not been widely explored and validated. New method We present a new, open-source, Matlab based, toolbox for the automatic detection and analysis of slow waves; with adjustable parameter settings, as well as manual correction and exploration of the results using a multi-faceted visualization tool. Results We explore a large search space of parameter settings for slow wave detection and measure their effects on a selection of outcome parameters. Every choice of parameter setting had some effect on at least one outcome parameter. In general, the largest effect sizes were found when choosing the EEG reference, type of canonical waveform, and amplitude thresholding. Comparison with existing method : Previously published methods accurately detect large, global waves but are conservative and miss the detection of smaller amplitude, local slow waves. The toolbox has additional benefits in terms of speed, user-interface, and visualization options to compare and contrast slow waves. Conclusions The exploration of parameter settings in the toolbox highlights the importance of careful selection of detection Methods The sensitivity and specificity of the automated detection can be improved by manually adding or deleting entire waves and or specific channels using the toolbox visualization functions. The toolbox standardizes the detection procedure, sets the stage for reliable results and comparisons and is easy to use without previous programming experience.
Universal Spatiotemporal Sampling Sets for Discrete Spatially Invariant Evolution Processes

Let $(I,+)$ be a finite abelian group and $\mathbf {A}$ be a circular convolution operator on $\ell ^{2}(I)$ . The problem under consideration is how to construct minimal $\Omega \subset I$ and $l_{i}$ such that $Y=\{\mathbf {e}_{i}, \mathbf {A}\mathbf {e}_{i}, \cdots , \mathbf {A}^{l_{i}}\mathbf {e}_{i}: i\in \Omega \}$ is a frame for $\ell ^{2}(I)$ , where $\{\mathbf {e}_{i}: i\in I\}$ is the canonical basis of $\ell ^{2}(I)$ . This problem is motivated by the spatiotemporal sampling problem in discrete spatially invariant evolution processes. We will show that the cardinality of $\Omega $ should be at least equal to the largest geometric multiplicity of eigenvalues of $\mathbf {A}$ , and consider the universal spatiotemporal sampling sets $(\Omega , l_{i})$ for convolution operators whose eigenvalues subject to the same largest geometric multiplicity. We will give an algebraic characterization for such sampling sets and show how this problem is linked with sparse signal processing theory and polynomial interpolation theory.
Obesity and elevated blood pressure in suburban student athletes.

Objective To assess the prevalence of obesity and elevated blood pressure in a suburban population of middle school and high school student athletes and examine the differences from the previously published populations. Study design The Student Athlete Cardiac Evaluation Registry Study is a single-centre, community hospital-based registry study, that provided free annual preparticipation physical examinations (PPE) from 2009 to 2017. The PPE on the 906 athletes included a history, a physical examination and body metrics including height, weight and blood pressure. The blood pressure was measured with an automated blood pressure cuff and, if elevated, was remeasured using a manual blood pressure cuff with aneroid manometer. The data from the PPE were collected and analysed for prevalence of obesity, overweight and elevated blood pressure measurements. Results The prevalence of obesity was 11%, and 19% of participants were overweight. Many of the athletes had an elevated blood pressure (15%). There was a significant association (P Conclusions There was a similar prevalence of overweight athletes in our study compared with previously published populations, but there were a lower proportion of obese athletes, which may be explained by differences in demographics. Despite the differences in study populations and the lower rate of obesity, the proportion of athletes with elevated blood pressure in our study was similar to prior populations. Weight issues and elevated blood pressure affect athletes across a range of different populations.
Interactions between pesticides and pathogen susceptibility in honey bees

There exist a variety of factors that negatively impact the health and survival of managed honey bee colonies, including the spread of parasites and pathogens, loss of habitat, reduced availability or quality of food resources, climate change, poor queen quality, changing cultural and commercial beekeeping practices, as well as exposure to agricultural and apicultural pesticides both in the field and in the hive. These factors are often closely intertwined, and it is unlikely that a single stressor is driving colony losses. There is a growing consensus, however, that increasing prevalence of parasites and pathogens are among the most significant threats to managed bee colonies. Unfortunately, improper management of hives by beekeepers may exacerbate parasite populations and disease transmission. Furthermore, research continues to accumulate that describes the complex and largely harmful interactions that exist between pesticide exposure and bee immunity. This brief review summarizes our progress in understanding the impact of pesticide exposure on bees at the individual, colony, and community level.
Relative contributions of lean and fat mass to bone strength in young Hispanic and non-Hispanic girls

Abstract Background With the high prevalence of childhood obesity, especially among Hispanic children, understanding how body weight and its components of lean and fat mass affect bone development is important, given that the amount of bone mineral accrued during childhood can determine osteoporosis risk later in life. The aim of this study was to assess the independent contributions of lean and fat mass on volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), geometry, and strength in both weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing bones of Hispanic and non-Hispanic girls. Methods Bone vBMD, geometry, and strength were assessed at the 20% distal femur, the 4% and 66% distal tibia, and the 66% distal radius of the non-dominant limb of 326, 9- to 12-year-old girls using peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT). Total body lean and fat mass were measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Multiple linear regression was used to assess the independent relationships of fat and lean mass with pQCT bone measures while adjusting for relevant confounders. Potential interactions between ethnicity and both fat and lean mass were also tested. Results Lean mass was a significant positive contributor to all bone outcomes (p Conclusion Lean mass is the main determinant of bone strength for appendicular skeletal sites. Fat mass contributes to bone strength in the weight-bearing skeleton but does not add to bone strength in non-weight-bearing locations and may potentially be detrimental. Bone vBMD, geometry, and strength did not differ between Hispanic and non-Hispanic girls; fat mass may be a stronger contributor to bone strength in weight-bearing bones of Hispanic girls compared to non-Hispanic.
Democratically Undemocratic: The Case of School Bullying

Is the United States a bully? This was the question posed to me as a presenter at a philosophy of education conference in Toronto not long ago. In my talk I did not mention the political landscape or, for that matter, the United States. But, the truth of the matter is that students, teachers, workers, bosses, spouses, and, yes, even countries often find themselves on one side or the other of the bullying equation. But, what is bullying and where does it fit in the democratic landscape? Along with defining bullying, discussing its many motivations, and suggesting a path forward, in this chapter I also argue that bullying is but one iteration of the eternally contentious case of the ‘other’.