cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predicting community preference of comments on the Social Web

Large-scale socially-generated metadata --like user-contributed tags, comments, and ratings --is one of the key features driving the growth and success of the emerging Social Web. While tags and ratings provide succinct metadata about Social Web content e.g., a tag is often a single keyword, user-contributed comments offer the promise of a rich source of contextual information about Social Web content but in a potentially “messier” form, considering the wide variability in quality, style, and substance of comments generated by a legion of Social Web participants. In this paper, we study how an online community perceives the relative quality of its own user-contributed comments, which has important implications for the successful self-regulation and growth of the Social Web in the presence of increasing spam and a flood of Social Web metadata. Concretely, we propose and evaluate a machine learning-based approach for ranking comments on the Social Web based on the community's expressed preferences, which can be used to promote high-quality comments and filter out low-quality comments. We study several factors impacting community preference, including the contributor's reputation and community activity level, as well as the complexity and richness of the comment. Through experiments over three social news platforms Digg, Reddit, and the New York Times, we find that the proposed approach results in significant improvement in ranking quality versus alternative approaches.
Social versus Biological Conceptions of Race

What are races? What does it mean for two individuals to be classified or to classify themselves as belonging to the same race or to two distinct races? This entry discusses two opposing approaches to these questions: the biological and the social approach to races. Keywords: race; race and ethnicity; racism
What caused the decrease in RevPAR during the recession?: An ARIMA with intervention analysis of room supply and market demand

Purpose – This study aims to attempt to examine whether the increase in hotel room capacity in the USA had a significant impact on nationwide aggregated weekly revenue per available room (RevPAR) during the recession of 2007-2009 and forecast average RevPAR, Occupancy and Average Daily Rate (ADR) for 2013 and 2014. Design/methodology/approach – Using Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average with Intervention analysis technique, this study examined the significance of the fluctuations in weekly RevPAR, room capacity and market demand through the recent recession and forecasted hotel performance for 2013 and 2014. Findings – The results of time series analysis suggest that the fast growth of room capacity during the recession was one of the main causes of the decrease in RevPAR. The 9,878 more than expected increase in average weekly number of rooms probably caused at least $0.10 more than expected decrease in average weekly RevPAR. The findings of this study also suggest that the US lodging industry has be...
Watching the Sunset: Anticipating GAO's Study of Concurrent Bid Protest Jurisdiction in the Cofc and the District Courts

The 1970 D.C. Circuit ruling in Scanwell Labs. v. Shaffer, 424 F.2d 859, turned the issue of federal court jurisdiction over bid protest litigation into a legal experiment. Thirty years later, the putative sunset of statutory District Court jurisdiction, and a Congressional mandate that GAO undertake a comprehensive study of the need for concurrent jurisdiction, offered an opportunity to judge the success of this experiment. This brief paper reviews the history leading up to the GAO study; discusses how the protest regime helps ensure procurement integrity; critiques the scope and methodology of study; and, ultimately, argues that elimination of District Court jurisdiction hinders the opportunity of small businesses to challenge violations of federal procurement law.
Minimum sensitivity implementations for multi-mode systems

The design and implementation of multimode systems under finite-precision restrictions are addressed. Earlier results linking minimum-sensitivity realizations for linear time-invariant systems to the balanced realizations are extended to the multimode and general time-varying systems. The main design problems are posed in a geometric framework, and the geometric theory is applied to switched systems and piecewise linear systems and to the general time-varying case. These optimal realizations are applied to obtain an optimal implementation of a simple multimode filter that allows the tracking of a target with low-complexity, small-wordlength hardware. >
A Stochastic Calculus Proof of the CLT for the L 2 Modulus of Continuity of Local Time

We give a stochastic calculus proof of the Central Limit Theorem $${ \int \nolimits \nolimits {({L}_{t}^{x+h} - {L}_{t}^{x})}^{2}\,dx - 4ht \over {h}^{3/2}} \stackrel{\mathcal{L}}{\Longrightarrow}c{\left (\int \nolimits \nolimits {({L}_{t}^{x})}^{2}\,dx\right )}^{1/2}\,\,\eta $$ as h → 0 for Brownian local time L t x . Here η is an independent normal random variable with mean zero and variance one.
Alvimopan for prevention of postoperative paralytic ileus in radical cystectomy patients: a cost‐effectiveness analysis

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? No cost-effectiveness studies exist in patients after radical cystectomy for the routine use of alvimopan for the prevention of postoperative ileus. The present study provides a reasonable estimate of the cost-effectiveness of alvimopan for the prevention of postoperative ileus in the patient after radical cystectomy. Objective To determine if the cost of administering alvimopan, to help restore bowel function after abdominal surgery, to all patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) is cost prohibitive. Patients and Methods A cost-effective analysis was conducted from a healthcare payer perspective using a decision-tree model that incorporated direct healthcare costs and probabilities associated with the possible events and outcomes. Sensitivity analyses were conducted on the influence of the cost and effectiveness of the drug, the probability of POI in RC patients, and the extended length of stay (LOS) as a result of POI. Precision in estimates was determined using probabilistic sensitivity analyses with 5000 Monte-Carlo simulations. Results Under the base case assumption, the additional cost of a patient's LOS related to POI was $10 246 per person. Under the assumption that 15.6% of patients will have POI, the mean cost associated with POI in a cohort of patients not treated with alvimopan was $1597 (90% confidence interval [CI] $1335–1875) per patient. Conversely, the routine use of alvimopan for all patients undergoing RC was associated with a mean POI-associated cost of $1495(90% CI $1312–1696) per person, which represents the cost of alvimopan ($700 per hospitalisation) and a 50% reduction in the rate of POI. Sensitivity analyses revealed that there is a cost savings with the routine use of alvimopan under the following conditions: the POI results in extending LOS by ≥3.5 days, POI occurs in ≥14% of patients undergoing RC, or the drug results in a relative risk reduction of ≥44%. Conclusions Routine use of perioperative alvimopan may not be cost prohibitive because of its influence on POI rate and associated costs. The cost-effectiveness of alvimopan is influenced by the POI incidence and the degree to which the drug can decrease the LOS.
Electricity from fossil fuels without CO2 emissions: assessing the costs of carbon dioxide capture and sequestration in U.S. electricity markets.

The decoupling of fossil-fueled electricity production from atmospheric CO2 emissions via CO2 capture and sequestration (CCS) is increasingly regarded as an important means of mitigating climate change at a reasonable cost. Engineering analyses of CO2 mitigation typically compare the cost of electricity for a base generation technology to that for a similar plant with CO2 capture and then compute the carbon emissions mitigated per unit of cost. It can be hard to interpret mitigation cost estimates from this plant-level approach when a consistent base technology cannot be identified. In addition, neither engineering analyses nor general equilibrium models can capture the economics of plant dispatch. A realistic assessment of the costs of carbon sequestration as an emissions abatement strategy in the electric sector therefore requires a systems-level analysis. We discuss various frameworks for computing mitigation costs and introduce a simplified model of electric sector planning. Results from a "bottom-up" engineering-economic analysis for a representative U.S. North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) region illustrate how the penetration of CCS technologies and the dispatch of generating units vary with the price of carbon emissions and thereby determine the relationship between mitigation cost and emissions reduction.
Acousto-optic image correlators

The acousto-optic correlator is a well developed tool for performing pattern recognition. By cascading several one-dimensional correlators in parallel, it is possible to implement two- dimensional image correlation using only one acousto-optic device. We review the development of acousto-optic correlation and pattern recognition systems, and describe recent developments which have made image correlation practical. Computer simulations of image correlation and modifications to the existing architectures are discussed.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Wind generators as compared to large heavy duty power generators

Wind turbine generators are different than conventional thermal turbine-generators both in the types of machines used as well as the type of application and environment in which the machines operate. The wind generator and its converter have several common configurations, rotor types, and operational duties that are not commonly encountered in large power plants. Those differences are discussed in regard to machine design aspects, such as winding insulation, as well as environmental factors and maintenance factors.
Criteria for identifying transition metal cluster-catalyzed reactions

Abstract The main thrust of this review is to develop several useful criteria for identifying homogeneously catalyzed reactions as being cluster-catalyzed. In order to properly develop the five criteria described below, methods for distinguishing between homogeneously and heterogeneously catalyzed reactions are briefly described, and definitions of clusters and cluster catalysis are also presented. In the present review a metal cluster is considered to be a polynuclear compounds that contains at least one metal—metal bond. Cluster catalysis is then defined at three levels of sophistication. The highest level requires that two or more metal atoms in the cluster are mechanistically necessary for catalysis to occur. Alternatively, at least one site (metal atom) in the cluster is mechanistically necessary for catalysis to occur. The lowest level of sophistication requires that a metal cluster complex be mechanistically essential in at least one step in the catalytic cycle. These definitions provide the basis for five separate criteria useful for identifying cluster catalysis: • Catalyst concentration studies wherein the turnover frequency increases with increasing catalyst concentration are indicative of cluster catalysis. • If, in a given catalytic reaction the product selectivities obtained using cluster catalyst precursors are different from those obtained using mononuclear catalyst precursors, or the products themselves cannot be reconciled with mechanisms that involve only mononuclear species, then cluster catalysis is indicated. • If a specific combination of two or more different transition metals can be used to significantly enhance the catalysis rates or change the product selectivity of a given reaction normally catalyzed by one of the metals, or if the combination allows the catalysis of a reaction not catalyzed independently by one of the metals, then mixed-metal cluster catalysis is suggested. • If for a given reaction, it is possible to modify the catalyst or the reaction conditions to favor metal—metal bond formation and the modification results in increased catalytic activity, then metal cluster catalysis must be suspected. clusters can be recovered in greater than 95% yield. Because of the poor yields in (25), Pittman has proceeded with a study of the hydrosilation reaction. With resolved 13 or 14 he has found only racemic products. Apparently the optically active clusters are photo-racemized at a rate equal to or greater than the rate of hydrosilation [87]. However, both complexes are thermally stable toward racemization up to temperatures of 120 °C. Thus, future work will be directed toward catalysis of reactions where the catalyst can be thermally activated. This assumes that the catalytic reaction will be efficient under the conditions needed to thermally activate the catalyst without destroying the cluster or racemizing it.
An Investigation of the Attributes of Top Industry Audit Specialists

Prior research in psychology and auditing has established that in addition to ability, experience, and knowledge, many other attributes such as confidence and communication skills are also important to expertise. The literature also suggests that the importance of various expert attributes differ by professional rank. This study extends this literature by providing evidence on an expanded list of attributes of top industry audit specialists (TIASs). Specifically, the study elicited data from 114 senior audit partners known to be TIASs by a Big 6 accounting firm. These subjects generated an extensive list of attributes of TIASs in an open‐ended questionnaire and assessed their importance. They also assessed the importance of each attribute in a 25‐item pre‐defined list. Our findings confirm the importance of many attributes reported in the expertise literature that can be classified as judgment/technical expertise. Our study also identifies detailed attributes related to characteristics that can generally ...
The effect of surface-electrode resistance on the performance of ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) artificial muscles

Reported in this study are the effects of the surface-electrode resistance on the performance of ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) artificial muscles. The IPMC artificial muscles manufactured in this study is composed of a perfluorinated ion-exchange membrane, platinum composited by using a chemical processing technique that employs a platinum salt and appropriate reducing agents. Furthermore, the IPMC artificial muscles were optimized for producing improved forces by changing multiple process parameters including the time-dependent concentrations of the salt and reducing agents. However, the analytical results confirmed that the platinum electrode is successfully deposited on the surface of the material where platinum particles stay in a dense form that appears to introduce a significant level of surface-electrode resistance. In order to address this problem, a thin layer of silver (or copper) was electrochemically deposited on top of the platinum electrode to reduce the surface-electrode resistance. Actuation tests were performed for such IPMC artificial muscles under a low voltage. The test results show that the lower surface-electrode resistance generates higher actuation capability in the IPMC artificial muscles. This observation is briefly discussed based on the role that the equivalent circuit for the IPMC plays and a possible electrophoretic cation-transport phenomenon under the influence of an electric field.
Gold Nanoparticle-Based Miniaturized Nanomaterial Surface Energy Transfer Probe for Rapid and Ultrasensitive Detection of Mercury in Soil, Water, and Fish

Contamination of the environment with mercury has been an important concern throughout the world for decades. Exposure to high Hg levels can be harmful to the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system of humans of all ages. Driven by the need to detect trace amounts of mercury in environmental samples, here we present a miniaturized, inexpensive, and battery-operated ultrasensitive gold nanoparticle-based nanomaterial surface energy transfer probe for screening mercury levels in contaminated soil, water, and fish which has excellent sensitivity (2 ppt) and selectivity for Hg(II) over competing analytes, with the largest fluorescence enhancement to date for sensing Hg(II) in environmental samples (1100-fold). The sensitivity of our probe to detect mercury level in soil, water, and fish is about 2–3 orders of magnitude higher than the EPA standard limit. We demonstrate that our probe is suitable to screen the amount of mercury in different fish, shellfish, and water samples from various commercial sou...
Discerning Public Participation Requirements Under the US Clean Water Act

To enhance water quality, environmental groups have challenged regulations that fail to allow them to participate in the development of effluent limitations under US National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. The issue involves shielding applicants’ management plans that show how they plan to minimize pollutant discharges from public scrutiny. The absence of public input may be accompanied by less information about addressing pollution, limited dialogue on alternatives, and fewer enforcement actions. In response to a judicial ruling, the US Environmental Protection Agency issued revised NPDES permitting regulations for concentrated animal feeding operations in 2008. The new regulations clearly delineate an opportunity for public participation in the development of effluent limitations in individual permits and in notices of intent under general permits. Permitting regulations for other categories of point-source discharges under NPDES permits lack similar provisions on public participation. An analysis of public participation in the development of effluent limitations for NPDES permits suggests that the public is not accorded as many rights as Europeans are provided under the Aarhus Convention. Greater access to information and the ability for the public to participate in decision making offer mechanisms that may be important in enhancing water quality.
Formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase. Effect of pH and temperature on the reaction.

Abstract The effects of the parameters of pH and temperature on the reaction catalyzed by formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase have been examined. By investigating the effect of pH on Km values it was found that in the ternary complexes of enzyme and two substrates, acidic and basic groups with pKa values of about 6.8 and 9.2 are involved in the catalysis. A study of the variation of V with pH was used to show that in the central quaternary complex, enzyme-MgATP-formate-tetrahydrofolate, the pKa values are in the range of 5–6 and 9.5. Plots of pKm against 1 T for each substrate produced discontinuous curves with breaks about 30 °. Such a result could be explained by assuming that a conformational change occurs in the protein. Plots of log V against 1 T were linear and gave a value for the activation energy of 10,900 cal/mole. The inactivation of the enzyme which occurs above pH 10 is a result of the dissociation of the enzyme into subunits and is accelerated by MgATP. The concentration of MgATP which produced 50% of the maximum stimulation of inactivation was approximately equal to the Km of MgATP, indicating that the increased sensitivity to high pH is a reflection of binding of the substrate at the catalytic site. It is suggested that the inactivation is due to an ionization of a basic function, and that the binding of MgATP decreases the pKa of this group.
On self-similarity of crack layer

The crack layer (CL) theory of Chudnovsky (1986), based on principles of thermodynamics of irreversible processes, employs a crucial hypothesis of self-similarity. The self-similarity hypothesis states that the value of the damage density at a point x of the active zone at a time t coincides with that at the corresponding point in the initial (t = 0) configuration of the active zone, the correspondence being given by a time-dependent affine transformation of the space variables. In this paper, the implications of the self-similarity hypothesis for qusi-static CL propagation is investigated using polystyrene as a model material and examining the evolution of damage distribution along the trailing edge which is approximated by a straight segment perpendicular to the crack path. The results support the self-similarity hypothesis adopted by the CL theory.
Iron regulatory proteins increase neuronal vulnerability to hydrogen peroxide.

Abstract Iron regulatory protein (IRP)-1 and IRP2 inhibit ferritin synthesis by binding to an iron responsive element in the 5′-untranslated region of its mRNA. The present study tested the hypothesis that neurons lacking these proteins would be resistant to hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) toxicity. Wild-type cortical cultures treated with 100–300 μM H 2 O 2 sustained widespread neuronal death, as measured by lactate dehydrogenase assay, and a significant increase in malondialdehyde. Both endpoints were reduced by over 85% in IRP2 knockout cultures. IRP1 gene deletion had a weaker and variable effect, with approximately 20% reduction in cell death at 300 μM H 2 O 2 . Ferritin expression after H 2 O 2 treatment was increased 1.9- and 6.7-fold in IRP1 and IRP2 knockout cultures, respectively, compared with wild-type. These results suggest that iron regulatory proteins, particularly IRP2, increase neuronal vulnerability to oxidative injury. Therapies targeting IRP2 binding to ferritin mRNA may attenuate neuronal loss due to oxidative stress.
Investigation of the Effects of Completion Geometry on Single-Phase Liquid Flow Behavior in Horizontal Wells

The fluids in horizontal wells can exhibit complicated flow behaviors, in part due to interaction between the main flow and the influxes along the wellbore, and due to completion geometries. An existing small-scale test facility at Tulsa University Fluid Flow Projects (TUFFP) was used to simulate the flow in a horizontal well completed with either circular performations or slotted liners. Single phase liquid flow experiments were conducted with Reynolds numbers ranging approximately from 5000 to 65,000 and influx to main flow rate ratios ranging from 1/50 to 1/1000. For both the perforation and slot cases, three different completion densities and three different completion phasings are considered. Based on the experimental data, new friction factor correlations for horizontal well with multiple perforation completion or multiple slots completion were developed using the principles of conservation of mass and momentum.
Quantum Hall ferromagnetism in the presence of tunable disorder.

In this Letter, we report our recent experimental results on the energy gap of the $\ensuremath{\nu}=1$ quantum Hall state (${\ensuremath{\Delta}}_{\ensuremath{\nu}=1}$) in a quantum antidot array sample, where the effective disorder potential can be tuned continuously. ${\ensuremath{\Delta}}_{\ensuremath{\nu}=1}$ is nearly constant at small effective disorders, and collapses at a critical disorder. Moreover, in the weak disorder regime, ${\ensuremath{\Delta}}_{\ensuremath{\nu}=1}$ shows a $B_{\mathrm{total}}{}^{1/2}$ dependence in tilted magnetic field measurements, while in the strong disorder regime, ${\ensuremath{\Delta}}_{\ensuremath{\nu}=1}$ is linear in ${B}_{\mathrm{total}}$, where ${B}_{\mathrm{total}}$ is the total magnetic field at $\ensuremath{\nu}=1$. We discuss our results within several models involving the quantum Hall ferromagnetic ground state and its interplay with sample disorder.
Gauge-invariant modification of Witten's open superstring

Abstract A violation of gauge invariance in Witten's open superstring field theory has recently been discovered. We propose a modification which resolves this problem by avoiding the collision of picture-changing operators. Feynman rules for the modified, gauge-invariant theory are presented, including a useful representation for the Ramond propagator. All four-point amplitudes are off-shell finite, agree on-shell with the Polyakov approach and exhibit decoupling of spurious physical states.
Bacterial Choices for the Consumption of Multiple Resources for Current and Future Needs

Microorganisms differ in their effectiveness in uptake and selection of substances that they bring in from the environment. They also differ in how they balance the allocation of nutrients for immediate and for delayed use. Moreover, they may not take up resources as fast as they seemingly could, and they may extrude derivatives of substances just pumped in. A good deal of these apparent choices must reside in the uptake systems and the linkage of these with the cell's intermediate metabolism. An important feature is that a resource may vary in concentration from time to time, nutrient to nutrient, and habitat to habitat. This variation must have been critical to the evolution of regulatory processes. Some possibilities for the combined uptake and consumption are considered for substrates serving the same (homologous) and different (heterologous) roles for the bacterium. From the membrane transport processes diagrammed in Fig. 1c and Fig. 2 and corresponding computer program given in Appendix A, the combined effect of uptake processes and cell growth can be studied. The model can be modified for various alternate models to study the possible control of cellular uptake and metabolism for the range of ecological roles of the bacterium.
Effect of spatial variability on arma modelling of ground motion

Abstract The Autoregressive-Moving Average (ARMA) process is an efficient method for describing ground motion through a small number of parameters. By relating these parameters to physical variables, it is possible to reasonably predict the ground motion of a site where no strong motion data has been recorded. In this paper, the effects of spatial variability on modelling strong ground motion with ARMA processes are investigated. The cross-correlation between variance stabilized series is analyzed for sites located in Mexico City. Also, the correlation and distribution of modelling parameters in the Smart-1 dense array is investigated.
Delayed hypersensitivity in regional enteritis and ulcerative colitis.

Normal delayed hypersensitivity to mumps, oidiomycin, andTrichophyton was observed in a group of patients with ulcerative colitis, regional enteritis, and granulomatous colitis.
DECREASED OXIDATIVE DEAMINATION OF CATECHOLAMINES ASSOCIATED WITH CLINICAL SCLERODERMA.

Urinary catecholamines and their metabolites were determined in fourteen scleroderma patients and in twenty normals. Scleroderma patients showed significantly decreased output of free epinephrine, total norepinephrine, and vanillylmandelic acid (VMA). There was significant elevation of total normetanephrine (NM), total metanephrine (M) plus total NM, and of the ratio M + NM/VMA. Total was essentially unchanged. This suggested decreased oxidative deamination of both NM and M to form VMA, possibly reflecting inhibition of monoamine oxidase. M was essentially unchanged. This sug-Le catecholaminas urinari e lor metabolitos esseva determinate in 14 patientes de scleroderma e in 20 personas normal. Le patientes de scleroderma monstrava significativemente reducite production de epinephrina libere, norepinephrina total, e acido vanillylmandelic (VMA). Esseva constatate significative elevationes del total normetanephrine (NM), del total metanephrinea (M) plus NM total, e del proportion M + NM/VMA. Le M total esseva essentialmente non alterate. Isto suggestiona un reducite oxydative disamination de NM e de M a formar VMA, possibilemente como reflexo del inhibition de oxydase de monoamina.
A hierarchical back-end architecture for smartphone sensing

Smartphone is equipped with a variety of sensors as well as a communication device. These devices can monitor their target and environments more accurately. Previous closed system prevented valuable sensing data from sharing with other systems and applications. It is also difficult to share sensing data without the infrastructure for large-scale data processing and metadata management. In this paper, we proposed a hierarchical back-end architecture for smartphone sensing. The hierarchical structure was designed for supporting the large scale and distributed data processing. We also designed the metadata management scheme based on RDF/S framework for sharing sensing data with their meaning. The evaluation results showed that our architecture is more efficient to process the large-scale metadata.
Chronic pelvic pain.

Chronic pelvic pain is a common and important gynecologic problem. The causes are diverse but can usually be categorized by the astute clinician. Gynecologic causes can often, although not always, be pinpointed for specific management protocols. Highlights of helpful areas are described in terms of history, physical examination, and laboratory and endoscopic diagnosis. Therapy may be medical, surgical, psychologic, or supportive. If specific, treatment is likely to be effective in some patients whereby a cause cannot be found, yet the patient may be helped. Some patients improve without treatment.
Synthetic spectra: a tool for correlation spectroscopy

We show that computer-generated diffractive optical elements can be used to synthesize the infrared spectra of important compounds, and we describe a modified phase-retrieval algorithm useful for the design of elements of this type. In particular, we present the results of calculations of diffractive elements that are capable of synthesizing portions of the infrared spectra of gaseous hydrogen fluoride (HF) and trichloroethylene (TCE). Further, we propose a new type of correlation spectrometer that uses these diffractive elements rather than reference cells for the production of reference spectra. Storage of a large number of diffractive elements, each producing a synthetic spectrum corresponding to a different target compound, in compact-disk-like format will allow a spectrometer of this type to rapidly determine the composition of unknown samples. Other advantages of the proposed correlation spectrometer are also discussed.
The challenge of achieving hygrothermal stability in composite laminates with optimal couplings

Abstract The necessary and sufficient conditions for hygrothermal curvature stability of composite laminates have been derived previously, and their development is summarized in this work. These conditions are shown to be material independent. A constrained optimization routine is implemented to arrive at hygrothermally stable stacking sequences that are optimal for each of bend-twist and extension-twist coupling. The necessary and sufficient conditions for hygrothermal stability are used as constraints, while the compliance coefficients from classical lamination Theory are used as the objective functions. Both sequential quadratic programming and ant-colony optimization routines are used to ensure global optimality. Laminates consisting of two through ten plies are considered. Laminates consisting of five through ten plies are manufactured and tested to demonstrate the achievable level of extension-twist or bend twist coupling. A geometrically nonlinear model is presented to predict the response of bend-twist-coupled laminates. Comparison with the previous state-of-the-art stacking sequence for achieving extension-twist coupling with hygrothermal stability demonstrates a nearly 80% increase in the level of coupling.
A Direct Method of Measuring Stray Load Loss in DC Machines

Stray load loss in dc machines is defined as the difference between the actual loss under load and the well-recognized loss. This paper describes a simple, reliable, and direct method of measuring this loss by means of a proposed short-circuit test with a correction factor for uncompensated-type dc machines. It also describes the sources and components of stray load losses as they occur under short-circuit test.
On baroclinic transport of the Alaskan Stream near Kodiak Island

Abstract Near Kodiak Island the Alaskan Stream, a southwestward-flowing boundary current, exhibits no significant alongshore variability in volume transport; hence the region is suitable for examination of temporal changes in flow. Seventeen CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) sections occupied during 1975–79 were used to compute baroclinic transport by two methods: (1) referred to 1500 dbar or the deepest common level; and (2) adjusted to 1500 dbar by the method of Jacobsen and Jensen. The second method gave larger values and less variability than the first. The mean adjusted volume transport was 12 × 10 6 m 3 s −1 , and maximum and minimum values were 17 and 8 × 10 6 m 3 s −1 . Baroclinic transport computed from the CTD data showed no seasonal signal, even though windstress curl in the Gulf of Alaska increases by an order of magnitude from summer to winter. A combination of changes in location of the stream along the continental slope and failure to adjust the transport to 1500 dbar seems to have caused some of the previously inferred variability. It appears that the baroclinic flow does not consistently spin up or down seasonally because of insufficient response time at these high latitudes.
Mechanism of Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Entry into Cells

The path that the arenavirus lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) uses to enter rodent fibroblastic cell lines was dissected by infectivity and inhibition studies and immunoelectron microscopy. Lysosomotropic weak bases (chloroquine and ammonium chloride) and carboxylic ionophores (monensin and nigericin) inhibited virus entry, assessed as virus nucleoprotein expression at early times post-infection, indicating that the entry process involved a pH-dependent fusion step in intracellular vesicles. That entry occurred in vesicles rather than by direct fusion of virions with the plasma membrane was confirmed by immunoelectron microscopy. The vesicles involved were large (150-300 nm diameter), smooth-walled, and not associated with clathrin. Unlike classical phagocytosis, virus uptake in these vesicles was a microfilament-independent process, as it was not blocked by cytochalasins. LCMV entry into rodent fibroblast cell lines thus involves viropexis in large smooth-walled vesicles, followed by a pH-dependent fusion event inside the cell.
The Heartland Chronicles Revisited: The Casino’s Impact on Settlement Life

This article chronicles the cultural, political, and economic impact of casino gaming on the Mesquaki settlement. It is based on extensive interviews with tribal members conducted 9 years after the original fieldwork for the ethnography The Heartland Chronicles. The article highlights a breakdown in the Mesquaki political system that resulted in a factional split that closed the casino. Tribal elders fear that the casino has created rampant materialism, which is undermining the traditional religion and leading youth away from higher education into drugsn and underemployment. In addition, a women's rights movement has emerged to challenge the Mesquaki's patrilineal enrollment rules and housing policies. Enrollment has become a major issue with a rise in marriages to non-tribal members. On the positive side, the casino has greatly reduced unemployment and increased income levels as well as the quality of housing, education, and health care.
Bounds on eigenvalues of Sturm-Liouville problems with discontinuous coefficients

This paper is concerned with obtaining upper and lower bounds for the eigenvalues of Sturm-Liouville problems with discontinuous coefficients. Such problems occur naturally in many areas of composite material mechanics.
The abundance of the American palm cixiid in relation to grass height and location of nymphs in relation to soil surface

The American palm cixiid, Myndus crudus Van Duzee (Hom., Cixiidae) is considered to be a vector of lethal yellowing of palms. A preferred breeding host of this insect is St. Augustine grass, Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walter) Kuntze. Studies were conducted in Florida to determine whether there was a relationship between height of St. Augustine grass and the abundance of American palm cixiids. In samples at the soil surface, American palm cixiid nymphs were slightly to 25 % more frequent in unmowed than in mowed grass (P = 0.0001). In tests with containerized grasses, there were about twice as many nymphs in unclipped compared to clipped grass (P > 0.13). In soil profile samples, over 50 % of the nymphs were on the soil surface and the rest were below the soil surface to a maximum depth of 3 cm. About twice as many adults were collected on long grass compared to mowed grass (P > 0.02). The potential application of the results to management of American palm cixiids on coconut farms or in LY resistance trial gardens of palms is discussed.
Surface structure of magnetite ( 111 ) under hydrated conditions by crystal truncation rod diffraction

Abstract X-ray crystal truncation rod (CTR) diffraction under hydrated conditions at circum-neutral pH was used to determine the surface structure of Fe3O4(111) following a wet chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) preparation method. The best-fit model to the CTR data shows the presence of two oxygen terminated domains that are chemically inequivalent and symmetrically distinct in the surface contribution ratio of 75% oxygen octahedral-iron (OOI) termination (aO2.61–aO1.00–oh1Fe2.55–bO1.00–bO3.00–td1Fe1.00–oh2Fe1.00–td2Fe1.00–R) to 25% oxygen mixed-iron (OMI) termination (bO1.00–bO3.00–td1Fe0–oh2Fe1.00–td2Fe1.00–aO3.00–aO1.00–oh1Fe3.00–R). An adsorbed water layer could not be constrained in the best-fit model. However, bond-valence analyses suggest that both of the surfaces are hydro-oxo terminated. Furthermore, the topmost iron layers of both domains are inferred to be occupied with the redox active Fe2+ and Fe3+ cations indicating that these irons are the principle irons involved in controlling the surface reactivity of magnetite in industrial and environmentally relevant conditions.
Hand anomalies in Russell Silver syndrome

Russell Silver syndrome (RSS) is a genetic disorder of unknown aetiology. The disorder is clinically and genetically heterogeneous, and various modes of inheritance and genetic abnormalities have been described. A large number of clinical features are associated with this condition. Growth retardation, typical facies, limb asymmetry, delayed bony growth and clinodactyly are some of the most constant features of RSS. We report a small series of patients presenting with a range of hand anomalies, some of which have not been previously reported in association with this condition.
Symptom diagnosis: The use of two different mathematical models

Abstract A solution is offered to the problem of adjudicating between two different mathematical models for patient profiles differently diagnosed by such models. The solution depends on finding that subset of attributes which is most effective in discriminating between the two competing disease entities, and then using that subset as the arbiter between the two computed diagnoses. The method is illustrated by using Bayes's theorem and Discriminant Analysis as the two mathematical models on a set of 11 subjective attributes for 300 gastroenterological patients having one of six diseases. These 300 patients were independently radiographically diagnosed. The method was successful in correctly diagnosing 30 out of the 48 patients for whom the radiographically determined diagnosis was actually one of the competing diagnoses.
Clinically relevant hypertonicity prevents stored blood- and lipid-mediated delayed neutrophil apoptosis independent of p38 MAPK or caspase-3 activation

Abstract Background. Delayed apoptosis of primed neutrophils (PMNs) may facilitate PMN-mediated tissue injury leading to postinjury multiple organ failure. Aged (42-day-old) stored red blood cells (RBC42) delay PMN apoptosis through proinflammatory phospholipids such as platelet-activating factor (PAF) and lyso-phosphatidylcholine (LPC). Hypertonic saline (HTS) attenuates PMN cytotoxic functions. We hypothesized that clinically relevant HTS would provoke PMN apoptosis, as well as prevent stored blood- and lipid-mediated delayed PMN apoptosis through activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and caspase-3. Methods. PMNs harvested from healthy volunteers were incubated (5% CO 2 , 37° C, 24 hr) with RBC42 plasma, PAF (20 μM), or LPC (4.5 μM), with or without the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB 203580, the caspase-3 inhibitor zDEVD-fmk (10 μmol/L) or the pan-caspase inhibitor zVAD-fmk (20 μmol/L). Duplicate samples were preincubated in HTS (Na [180 mM]). Apoptotic index (% PMNs undergoing apoptosis) was assessed morphologically. p38 MAPK activation was assessed by Western blotting. Caspase-3 activity was measured colorimetrically. Results. PAF, LPC, and RBC42 plasma delayed apoptosis; HTS increased apoptosis compared with controls. HTS prevented PAF, LPC, and RBC42-delayed apoptosis. p38 MAPK was not activated by HTS; its inhibition had no effect on the actions of HTS. Caspase inhibition attenuated the ability of HTS to increase apoptosis, but it did not affect the ability of HTS to restore healthy PMN apoptosis in the presence of RBC42. Conclusion. HTS increases PMN apoptosis and prevents stored blood- and lipid-mediated delayed PMN apoptosis. HTS may activate caspase-3, but alternative signaling pathways appear to be involved in modulating the effects of lipids on PMN apoptosis. (Surgery 2003;134:86-91.)
What have genomic and proteomic approaches told us about vitamin D and cancer

D, as an agent that causes growth arrest,promotes differentiation, and stimulates apoptosis, themolecular targets mediating these interactions are notknown deﬁnitively. Discovery of these vitamin D-regu-lated molecular targets has been limited by the traditionalapproaches to cell and molecular biology.Luckily,inthelastdecadewehaveseenthedawningof a new era in biology. The Human Genome Project andits ancillary technologies such as the DNA microarrayand computational biology now permit us to take asystems approach to questions of biology and diseaseetiology.
Combined blockade of Β-and α1-adrenoceptors in left ventricular remodeling induced by hypertension: Beneficial or not

Combined blockade of β- and α 1 -adrenoceptors in left ventricular remodeling induced by hypertension: Beneficial or not?
Predictive Factors in Intensive Math Course-Taking in High School

This article presents a study that investigated factors that distinguish high school students who completed at least one course beyond Algebra 2 from those who completed a course in Algebra 2 or less. The sample included a cohort of 11, 909 high school seniors who participated in the Educational Longitudinal Study 2002-2004. Data were analyzed using a multinomial logistic regression and results indicated that student expectations, parent aspirations, race, and socioeconomic status were among the most significant predictors. Implications for school counselors are discussed.
Patterns of informal incidental learning: Insights from community action

On a daily basis, adults encounter opportunities to learn from experiences in their roles as family, organization or community members. Despite the abundant potential of informal incidental learning, adult education research focuses almost exclusively on structured, intentional learning, for the most part within educational settings. This article contributes to a new literature that is attempting to understand adult learning from life experiences and, in time, to apply such insights to improving more formal educational practices. Key concepts and patterns that characterize learning experiences described by members of community betterment groups are identified, presented and illustrated through case narratives. Links to three theories of learning from experience are explored. Citizens typically learn through direct experience, through vicarious experience and through guided experience. They develop and change ideas about conditions and strategies that contribute to effective group action. They also change ...
A novel architecture for photovoltaic devices: Field-effect solar cells using screening-engineered nanoelectrodes for silicon and earth abundant cuprous oxide

We present a novel photovoltaic cell architecture based on the electric field effect that controls carrier concentration in semiconductors using screening-engineered nanostructured electrodes. The device operates in inversion mode, with a top gate that forms a depletion layer and a p-n junction, and with nanostructured electrodes that collect the photocurrent across the junction. This architecture does not require any doping process or a heterojunction, opening an alternative path to fabricate cells on hard-to-dope materials such as oxides or phosphides. As a proof of concept, we present a field effect solar cell made of Si. To demonstrate the potential of this configuration for alternative materials, we also present a field-effect solar cell made of cuprous oxide, which has a favorable band gap but that is difficult to dope. We control the behavior of the devices with the gate voltage that forms an inversion layer and hence a rectifying p-n junction.
Relationship among the K-ABC Nonverbal Scale, the Pictorial Test of Intelligence, and the Hiskey-Nebraska Test of Learning Aptitude for Speech- and Language-Disabled Preschool Children:

The concurrent validity of the K-ABC Nonverbal Scale as a measure of intelligence among speech- and language-impaired preschool children was investigated. K-ABC performance was compared for 30 speech- and language-impaired preschoolers with performance on the Pictorial Test of Intelligence (PTI) and the Hiskey-Nebraska Test of Learning Aptitude (HNTLA). Overall scores on the three measures were significantly correlated, with nonsignificant differences among correlations. Significant differences were found among the mean standard scores; the K-ABC Nonverbal Scale produced the lowest mean score. Implications are discussed.
Fossil soils constrain ancient climate sensitivity

Global temperatures have covaried with atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) over the last 450 million years of Earth’s history (1). Critically, ancient greenhouse periods provide some of the most pertinent information for anticipating how the Earth will respond to the current anthropogenic loading of greenhouse gases. Paleo-CO2 can be inferred either by proxy or by the modeling of the long-term carbon cycle. For much of the geologic past, estimates of CO2 are consistent across methods (1). One exception is the paleosol carbonate proxy, whose CO2 estimates are often more than twice as high as coeval estimates from other methods (1). This discrepancy has led some to question the validity of the other methods and has hindered attempts to understand the linkages between paleo-CO2 and other parts of the Earth system. In this issue of PNAS, Breecker and colleagues (2) break important new ground for resolving this conflict.
Determination of F(s) from given phase response θ(ω)

A convenient method of determining the minimum-phase network function F(s) from a given phase response θ(ω) is based on a relationship between d(log F)/ds and dθ/dω. Two illustrative examples are considered.