cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measuring Political Inequality in the American States

There is growing concern that the United States is an “unequal democracy” in terms of who exerts influence over the policy decisions made by elected officials. However, to date there have been few attempts to actually quantify the concept of unequal political representation. Moreover, we know little about its institutional origins because most studies of political inequality in the United States focus on the national government where little variation in political institutions exists. To gain a better understanding of unequal political influence, I use large public opinion surveys and a variety of policy data to construct a state-by-state measure of political inequality defined as the extent to which the stated political opinions of citizens with low incomes are underrepresented in the state policymaking process compared to the opinions of the more affluent. I show the robustness of this measure, demonstrate that it varies considerably across the states, and discuss its utility for future studies that seek to examine the underlying causes of unequal political influence. I also compare my newly created measure of political inequality to other methods of evaluating democratic representation and government performance in the American states.
Query Data from Databases

This chapter contains sections titled: Java Persistence APIs Query Data Using Java Persistence API Wizards (JPA) Introduction to Runtime Object Method Create a Java Application Project to Access the SQL Server Database Create a Java Application Project to Access the Oracle Database Chapter Summary Homework
Chemical Defenses of Freshwater Macrophytes Against Crayfish Herbivory

We measured feeding preferences of the crayfish Procambarus clarkii for fresh tissue from four species of freshwater macrophytes (Habenaria repens, Saururus cernuus, Ceratophyllum demersum and Typha angustifolia). We then determined the role of plant chemical defenses in generating these preferences by incorporating crude aqueous and organic extracts from each species into palatable foods and comparing feeding on these foods to feeding on control foods lacking these extracts. Tissue toughness, dry mass and ash-free mass per volume, and percentages of carbon, nitrogen, and phenolics were also measured for each of the four macrophytes. Although it had a low nutritional value, Ceratophyllum was the preferred food when it was offered as fresh tissue; it did not produce a chemically deterrent extract. The lipophilic crude extract from Typha significantly deterred crayfish feeding, but this highly nutritious plant was preferred when offered in an agar-based diet lacking structural defenses. Habenaria and Saururus were low preference foods that did not appear to be structurally defended; each species contained both lipophilic and water-soluble extracts that significantly deterred feeding. Fractionation of the lipophilic crude extract from Saururus indicated the presence of at least three deterrent compounds. From the orchid Habenaria, we isolated and identified a novel bis-p-hydroxybenzyl-2-alkyl-2-hydroxysuccinoate metabolite, habenariol, that appeared to explain most of the feeding deterrent activity present in the lipophilic extract of this species. The concentration of the metabolite in frozen collections of this plant doubled if we allowed the material to thaw before placing it in extraction solvents.
EFFECTS OF ZINC DEFICIENCY ON PLASMA PROTEINS OF YOUNG JAPANESE QUAIL.

One-day-old Japanese quail were fed either a low zinc diet, the same diet supplemented with zinc, or a protein-inadequate diet containing zinc. After 4 weeks small samples of blood were collected from the wing vein of each bird after 7, 24 and 48 hours of fasting. Hematocrits and concentration of total plasma protein were determined; the plasma proteins were resolved by disc electrophoresis in poly- acrylamide gel. Birds fed the low zinc diet grew slowly and exhibited the charac teristic symptoms of zinc deficiency, whereas those receiving zinc grew and developed normally. Birds fed the protein-inadequate diet with zinc grew slowly, but appeared normal otherwise. During fasting, all birds lost weight and the total plasma proteins decreased; these effects were greatest in the zinc-deficient birds. Hematocrits were not affected by experimental treatment. The plasma protein patterns of the zinc- deficient birds were normal after 7 hours of fasting. At 24 hours, the patterns of more than one-half of these birds deviated from normal and at 48 hours the patterns of all the zinc-deficient birds were markedly changed. The plasma protein of birds receiving dietary zinc and those fed the low protein diet were normal after 7 and 24 hours of fasting. At 48 hours, minor changes were observed in a small proportion of birds in each of these groups. The data suggest a possible role of zinc in the metabo lism of one or more plasma proteins.
An evaluation of smoothed particle hydrodynamics

We present several sample problems calculated by the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method. These problems illustrate its utility as a general purpose computational fluid dynamics technique. The SPH method has great potential for development into an alternative to finite difference and finite element methods. It has received much less development effort than the other methods, but even in its present form it is a useful tool for getting approximate solutions to a wide variety of three-dimensional fluid dynamics problems at moderate computational cost.
Studies on Deoxyribonucleic Acid Polymerase from Ehrlich Ascites Tumor Cells I. ISOLATION AND PURIFICATION OF THE POLYMERASE AND SOME GENERAL PROPERTIES OF THE ENZYME CATALYZED REACTION

Abstract DNA polymerase obtained from Ehrlich ascites tumor cells by hypotonic shock has been purified by a procedure utilizing acid precipitation, fractionation on diethylaminoethyl cellulose, phosphocellulose, hydroxylapatite, and Sephadex G-100, resulting in a purification of the order of 300-fold with respect to the activity of the initial extract. The purified polymerase was free of endonuclease but contained an exonuclease whose activity was proportional to the polymerase activity throughout the purification. Exonuclease activity, as reflected by loss of template, was not evident under conditions of synthesis, but was easily detected in the absence of DNA synthesis. The enzyme was inactivated by heat in the absence of DNA. In the presence of "activated" DNA, a transitory enhancement of activity was observed upon heating. Sucrose density gradient centrifugation in the presence of native DNA showed poor affinity of the enzyme for native DNA. All four deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates and magnesium ions were required for activity. Optimal activity was found at pH 7.4, with 7 mm magnesium, 50 mm potassium phosphate, and with less than 120 µm eq of template. The properties of the enzyme suggest that it is neither mitochondrial in origin nor chromatin-bound. It is found both in nuclear and in cytoplasmic fractions of cell homogenates.
PseudoApp: Performance prediction for application migration to cloud

To migrate an existing application to cloud, a user needs to estimate and compare the performance and resource consumption of the application running in different clouds, in order to select the best service provider and the right virtual machine size. However, it is prohibitively expensive to install a complex application in multiple new environments solely for the purpose of performance benchmarking. Performance modeling is more practical but the accuracy is limited by system factors that are hard to model. We propose a new technique called PseudoApp to address these challenges. Our solution creates a pseudo-application to mimic the resource consumption of a real application. A pseudo-application runs the same set of distributed components and executes the same sequence of system calls as those of the real application. By benchmarking a simple and easyto-install PseudoApp in different cloud environments, a user can accurately obtain the performance and resource consumption of the real application. We apply PseudoApp to Apache and TPC-W and find that PseudoApp accurately predicts their performance with 2-8% error in throughput.
Intraperitoneal chemotherapy for ovarian carcinoma

The first step in killing a tumor cell with a chemotherapeutic agent is to deliver the drug to the cell. Whether the cell is intrinsically sensitive or realtively resistant, the effect of the drug is proportional to the product of its concentration and the duration of exposure. In the case of tumors largely confined to extravascular cavities, such as ovarian carcinoma, there is a legitimate concern that injection of cytotoxic agents intravenously may not be the optimal way to get drug to the tumor. Following intravenous injection, most drugs have ready access to the well vascularized marrow and gut, but because of longer diffusional distances they may have much less access to intraperitoneal tumor. This is analogous to the problem of delivering drug to brain tumors that reside at least partially behind the blood-brain barrier [1]. A number of investigators have tried to improve drug delivery to the tumor by instilling cytotoxic agents directly into the peritoneal cavity, but early studies were done in a limited number of patients using small injection volumes and the results were not particularly exciting [2–4]. However, during the past five years there has been a resurgence of interest in using the intraperitoneal (i.p.) route, spurred initially by work performed at the National Cancer Institute which provided a solid pharmacologic rationale for this approach.
TARGET IDENTIFICATION IN GLIOMA INITIATING CELLS

BACKGROUND: Gliomas display cellular hierarchies with tumor initiating cells (TICs) at the apex that are functionally defined by the ability to self renew and propagate tumors similar to the parental tumors from which they are derived. TICs remain controversial, but their clinical relevance has been supported by resistance to cytotoxic therapies (Bao et al. Nature 2006) and promotion of tumor angiogenesis (Bao et al. Cancer Research 2006). TICs reside in specific functional niches in perivascular and hypoxic niches (Li et al. Cancer Cell 2009) that may offer the ability to disrupt tumor maintenance and therapeutic resistance through targeting the niche. Investigating TICs has already yielded novel molecular targets and pathways that are amenable to therapeutic targeting (Kim et al. Genes Development 2012; Eyler et al. Cell 2011; Guryanova et al. Cancer Cell 2011). METHODS: Using patient-derived tumor models, we interrogated the regulation of the TIC phenotype by both cell intrinsic and microenvironmental influences present in tumors. RESULTS: TICs are enriched under low nutrient conditions due to the cooption of the high affinity GLUT3 transporter normally expressed by neurons (Flavahan et al. Nature Neuroscience 2013). We have now extended these findings to demonstrate that cellular metabolism is differentially regulated within the tumor hierarchy at several levels to provide resources for sustained self-renewal and proliferation. We also recently found that TICs have basal genotoxic stress activating PARP permitting radiosensitization (Venere et al. Cell Death Differentiation 2014). To discover novel TIC targets, we are using several technologies, including aptamers (Kim et al. Cancer Research 2013), flow cytometry (Lathia et al. Cell Reports 2014), and in unpublished studies, phage display, showing that TICs manifest nodes of fragility mediating cell survival and invasion (e.g. JAM-A, VAV3, and CD97). Combining TIC models from patients with non-neoplastic progenitors from epilepsy resections, we are interrogating additional molecular regulators of the cellular hierarchy that can be distinguished from normal stem cells to minimize toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: The conventional pyramidal unidirectional differentiation cascade with TICs at the apex has been called into question by studies demonstrating plasticity of the TIC phenotype (Cheng et al. Cell 2013), thus suggesting that targeting only TICs will likely fail to cure patients and require simultaneous targeting of TICs and the bulk tumor. Although the field of TIC biology is relatively young, continued elucidation of the tumor hierarchy holds promise for development of novel patient therapies. SECONDARY CATEGORY: Preclinical Experimental Therapeutics.
Metabolic requirements for the in vitro augmentation of mouse natural killer activity by interferon

Abstract The metabolic processes involved in the in vitro augmentation of mouse natural killer (NK) activity by interferon (IF) were studied. Augmentation occurred after a very brief (5–10 min), temperature-independent exposure of spleen cells to IF. This binding of, or triggering by, IF was independent of protein synthesis, since treatment with puromycin before or during contact with IF failed to block augmentation. Spleen cells, however, required new RNA and protein synthesis in the first few hours after contact with IF to develop the boosted reactivity, as shown by their susceptibility to inhibition by actinomycin D, emetine, pactamycin, and puromycin. Mitomycin C did not interfere with the boosting, suggesting that a pool of NK cells exists which rapidly responds to IF without cell proliferation. The need for new RNA and protein synthesis may be for the differentiation of pre-NK cells to functionally active cells or for the increase in lytic efficiency of already active NK cells.
Absorbance changes induced by blue light in Phycomyces blakesleeanus and Dictyostelium discoideum

BLUE and near ultraviolet light controls several metabolic and physiological processes in organisms ranging through bacteria1, fungi2 and algae3,4 to vascular plants5 and animals6,7. The similarity of the action spectra of these various light-induced responses (all have action maxima at about 470 nm) suggests a common photoreceptor pigment system which controls these different cellular processes. We have looked for light-induced absorbance changes that might be related to such a pigment system.
So you think gestures are nonverbal

In this article I argue that gestures and speech are parts of the same psychological structure and share a computational stage. The argument is based on the very close temporal, semantic, pragmatic, pathological, and developmental parallels between speech and referential and discourse-oriented gestures. Most of the article consists of a description of these parallels. A concept that unites outer speech and gesture is the hypothesis of inner speech.
Specification of United States Seasonal Precipitation

Abstract Seasonal precipitation is specified for the United States by matching various area-averaged precipitation statistics as predictands with three different predictors in turn: 700 mb heights, North Pacific SST and North Atlantic SST. Predictors are in the form of empirical orthogonal function (EOF) amplitude time series. The predictands used in trials include total precipitation and precipitation frequencies derived using three different critical values: 2.5, 12.7 and 25.4 mm. Screening multiple linear regression is used to relate predictands to predictors for samples ranging from 24 to 35 years in length; initially trials are compared in terms of area-averaged true skill and percent area of local significance. In order to assess specification skill on an independent sample, additional tests are made using a jackknife regression approach. Results suggest that skillful seasonal precipitation prediction will continue to be very difficult using predictors and methods presently in common use based on th...
Treatment strategies for lateral sphenoid sinus recess cerebrospinal fluid leaks.

Objective To highlight concepts critical to achieving successful repair and avoiding intracranial complications in the treatment of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks from the lateral recess of the sphenoid sinus (LRS). Design Outcomes study. Setting Tertiary referral university hospital. Patients Eleven patients with LRS CSF leaks from June 2008 to June 2010. Interventions Endoscopic transpterygoid approach and multilayer repair of skull base defect in the LRS. Main Outcome Measures Recurrence, graft techniques, postoperative intracranial pressure (ICP), and use of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt. Results Thirteen CSF leaks originating in the LRS were surgically repaired in 11 patients; 2 patients required bilateral leak repair. The endoscopic transpterygoid approach was used in 12 of 13 repairs. Eight patients had failed attempts at repair prior to presentation (4 endoscopic sphenoidotomies and 4 middle cranial fossa [MCF] approaches). One patient presented with a temporal lobe abscess following hydroxyapatite “obliteration” to seal off the LRS. This required a combined MCF/transpterygoid approach to drain the abscess, remove the encephalocele and hydroxyapatite, and seal the skull base defect. In 2 cases, the LRS was left patent owing to concerns of inadequate mucosal extirpation. The median duration of follow-up was 10.8 months (range, 2-29 months). One patient experienced a failure (2 months after repair), which was successfully sealed on the second attempt. Postoperatively, 5 patients required VP shunts, and 5 were maintained on acetazolamide for elevated ICP (average, 26.7 cm H 2 O in 8 patients; presumed elevated in 2 patients). Conclusions The current study demonstrated a 92% success rate using the endoscopic transpterygoid approach for LRS skull base defects providing support for routine use in the treatment algorithm. Poor outcomes were observed with previous surgical attempts to obstruct the LRS without repairing the skull base defect.
Use of hidden correlations in short oligonucleotide array data are insufficient for accurate quantification of nucleic acid targets in complex target mixtures.

Abstract Nonspecific target binding ( i.e., cross-hybridization) is a major challenge for interpreting oligonucleotide microarray results because it is difficult to determine what portion of the signal is due to binding of complementary (specific) targets to a probe versus that due to binding of nonspecific targets. Solving this challenge would be a major accomplishment in microarray research potentially allowing quantification of targets in biological samples. Marcelino et al. recently described a new approach that reportedly solves this challenge by iteratively deconvoluting ‘true’ specific signal from raw signal, and quantifying ribosomal (rRNA) sequences in artificial and natural communities ( i.e., “Accurately quantifying low-abundant targets amid similar sequences by revealing hidden correlations in oligonucleotide microarray data”, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 103, 13629–13634). We evaluated their approach using high-density oligonucleotide microarrays and Latin-square designed experiments consisting of 6 and 8 rRNA targets in 16 different artificial mixtures. Our results show that contrary to the claims in the article, the hidden correlations in the microarray data are insufficient for accurate quantification of nucleic acid targets in complex artificial target mixtures.
A comparative study of the actions of tamoxifen, estrogen and progesterone in the ovariectomized rat

This study was undertaken to examine the separate and combined effects of tamoxifen (T), estrogen (E2) and progesterone (P) treatment on ovariectomized (Ooph) rats. The animals were treated for 40 days. Ovariectomy reduced cancellous bone volume at the proximal tibia by 50%. Estradiol treatment completely prevented the bone loss and further increased bone volume 77% over the level for the control group. Tamoxifen also prevented the ovariectomy induced bone loss, but significantly reduced the increase in cancellous bone induced by estradiol. In the ovariectomized rats, cancellous bone apposition rate increased 23%. This increase was suppressed 63% by estradiol, and only 18% by tamoxifen. Tamoxifen significantly suppressed the inhibitory effect of estradiol on cancellous bone apposition rate. In contrast, the effect of progesterone treatment was only marginal. Our findings indicate that the action of tamoxifen on bone is influenced by the ambient level of circulating estradiol, such that in estrogen deficiency, tamoxifen has a weak estrogen agonist action on bone, and in the presence of estrogen it has anti-estrogen actions, with the dose level and mode of administration employed. These conclusions have implications for the use of tamoxifen in the treatment of pre- and postmenopausal women.
Recent Trends in the Psychological Study of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts

In order to explain what has happened in psychological aesthetics and the study of genius, a brief overview of the history of psychology since the nineteenth century is given. There has been a movement from grand theories and the beginnings of experimental aesthetics though behaviorism, which was a catastrophic era for the study of aesthetics, to a sort of renaissance marked by the emergence of cognitive psychology. Across the 25 years during which Empirical Studies of the Arts has been published there has been a consistent trend in psychological studies of aesthetics, creativity, and the arts. In the early years, studies were based upon a melange of late behaviorist, early cognitive, and psychodynamic theories. This was followed by a period during which cognitive approaches were dominant. During the last decade there has been a very clear trend toward work based upon evolutionary psychology and neuroscience. Examples of some but far from all of the important work done during the last several decades are ...
Fluid-based analysis of a network of AQM routers supporting TCP flows with an application to RED

In this paper we use jump process driven Stochastic Differential Equations to model the interactions of a set of TCP flows and Active Queue Management routers in a network setting. We show how the SDEs can be transformed into a set of Ordinary Differential Equations which can be easily solved numerically. Our solution methodology scales well to a large number of flows. As an application, we model and solve a system where RED is the AQM policy. Our results show excellent agreement with those of similar networks simulated using the well known ns simulator. Our model enables us to get an in-depth understanding of the RED algorithm. Using the tools developed in this paper, we present a critical analysis of the RED algorithm. We explain the role played by the RED configuration parameters on the behavior of the algorithm in a network. We point out a flaw in the RED averaging mechanism which we believe is a cause of tuning problems for RED. We believe this modeling/solution methodology has a great potential in analyzing and understanding various network congestion control algorithms.
Leaky mode dispersions of Goubau lines

The leaky dispersion characteristics of a Goubau line were numerically investigated for three lower-order transverse magnetic (TM) modes by determining a complex propagation constant using Davidenko's method. As a result, physically meaningful spectral ranges of leaky modes were found to exist below the cutoff frequency of the Goubau line. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 523–525, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23136
Joint trajectory analysis of treated adolescents' alcohol use and symptoms over 1 year

Abstract Objective This study characterized treated adolescents' alcohol use and symptom trajectories over 1 year to describe the form of use trajectories and symptom trajectories, and the joint probability of membership in alcohol use and symptom trajectory groups. Method 109 teens (age 14–18, 66% male, 94% white), recruited from addictions treatment, with a lifetime DSM-IV alcohol diagnosis, reported on daily alcohol use and symptoms in monthly phone contacts using the Time Line Follow-Back method. A group-based modeling method jointly estimated trajectories of use and symptoms. Results Four alcohol use trajectories were identified: “Abstinent” (31%), Low (36%), Increasing (28%), and High Use (5%). Three alcohol symptom trajectories were identified: Very Low severity (44%), Mild (44%), and High severity (12%). The most frequent joint outcome was “Abstinent” and Very Low symptom severity (32%). Conclusions Symptom severity was moderately related to alcohol use pattern over 1 year. Findings have implications for moving beyond relapse defined as a return to “any use” to consideration of treatment outcome in terms of a broader pattern of alcohol use and problems.
Ruptured ectopic pregnancy 31 days after laparoscopic sterilization.

Summary A case of fimbrial ectopic pregnancy occurring 31 days after laparoscopic sterili-zation is reported. It is thought that the fertilized ovum must have implanted a day or two before sterilization and that it was neither detected nor disturbed by the operative procedure. The importance of carrying out sterilization in the preovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle is stressed.
PIXE analysis of in-plant aerosol

Abstract Aerosol was collected with cascade impactors in a garbage incinerator and a plastic nulling laboratory. The levels of toxic metals such as cadmium and lead were within safe limits in the plastic laboratory and in the incinerator when the electrostatic precipitators were not turned on. A subsequent sampling run with the precipitators in operation, however, showed much higher levels of many elements.
Productivity and Wages

The United States' output per capita is approximately 30 percent higher than in the developed European countries and Japan, and its productivity growth is among the highest in the world. Much of this record has been due to an environment that fosters growth in human and physical capital and innovation. Maintaining and enhancing this environment is key to the growth we need for our future. Flexibility in the labor force, fostering entrepreneurship, and high levels of education are major contributors to U.S. productivity increases, which have been tracked closely by growth of compensation. Future productivity growth will depend largely on incentives for investment in physical and human capital by appropriate tax policies, continuing a free flow of trade and foreign investment, and making sure that young Americans have the skills necessary to compete in the global economy.
Interlaminar shear fatigue of pultruded graphite fibre-polyester composites

The effect of cyclic loading on the interlaminar shear strength of pultruded graphite fibre-polyester was determined. Two fibre volume fractions, 0.5 and 0.33, were studied. The results indicate that the deterioration in the interlaminar shear strength with cycling is significantly greater than in flexural fatigue. The higher volume fraction material showed a greater drop in the interlaminar shear strength than the lower volume fraction material. Unlike the monotonic strengths, the effect of the fibre volume fraction on interlaminar shear fatigue strength at high cycles is small, indicating that there is little advantage in increasing the fibre volume fraction to improve the interlaminar shear strength in high cycle fatigue environments. A critical stress was determined above which interlaminar shear fatigue failure did not occur within 107 cycles for the materials tested.
Direct Experimental Evidence for Reactions between Dissolved Acid Halide and Chlorine Nitrate

Cluster chemistry employing a fast flow reactor was used to evaluate the enhanced reactivity of chlorine nitrate (ClONO2) with dissolved acid halide. Reactions of ClONO2 with deuterium chloride doped deuterated water clusters [D+(D2O)m(DCl)n, (m = 10−14, n = 1,2)] were investigated under thermal conditions over a temperature range of 148−158 K; deuterated species were employed in place of light hydrogen containing molecules to facilitate the determination of reaction mechanisms. Chemical reactions were found to occur between water clusters and chlorine nitrate only under conditions where dissolved deuterium chloride was present. Nitric acid is found to remain within the water cluster to yield gaseous chlorine (Cl2) from the water cluster. These results provide direct evidence that an ionic reaction mechanism is involved in the heterogeneous reaction of hydrogen chloride and chlorine nitrate on clusters that mimic polar stratospheric cloud surfaces.
Improvement of solar stills by the surface treatment of the glass

Abstract Glass still glazings are treated with sodium silicate or hydrofluoric acid to make them more wettable. Consequently, the angle of inclination can be reduced to 1·5°. Stills of low glazing height are ammenable to diffusion mass transport which is expressed for the natural parameters of air temperature, wind, and solar energy intensity and for vapor length.
Contemporary Jewish American writers and the multicultural dilemma : the return of the exiled

Furman explores the ambivalent relationship between multiculturalists and contemporary Jewish American literature and advocates a more inclusive and intellectually valid form than is currently practiced. He also offers a historical overview of Jewish American fiction to situate the contemporary writers in the continuum of Jewish American literary history. Engaging and accessible, Furman's work -- the most comprehensive book of its kind -- invokes the current themes and concerns of this generation: the viability of adopting an Orthodox or Hasidic life amid a secular America, a renewed interest in the vibrant Yiddish world of pre-Holocaust Europe, Israel, Jewish Feminism, and the Holocaust as perceived by the children of survivors. These themes have replaced the those of alienation and marginality, which have preoccupied the novelists of the golden age of Jewish American writing.
Micromorphology of a Late Woodland Cave Site, East-Central Iowa

AbstractThis article discusses a micromorphological investigation conducted at Bogus Cave (13JN23), a Late Woodland occupation in Jones County, Iowa. Micromorphology–the study of undisturbed soil and sediment in thin section–was used to evaluate, and differentiate between, natural and cultural processes evidenced within the cave sediments. Twenty-two thin sections were prepared from samples collected from test units excavated in the front room of the cave, the principal site of human occupation. The cultural material was confined to a 55-cm-thick surface layer that rests on an accumulation of angular to subangular boulder-size dolostone blocks, the result of one or more episodes of pre-Holocene ceiling collapse. The thin sections revealed an accumulation of exogenous mineral grains, chert microdebitage, microvertebrate remains, and charcoal fragments in an organic-rich clay matrix. The absence of microstratification in the samples collected from the artifact-bearing stratum supports previous macroscopic e...
In sport and social justice, is genetic enhancement a game changer?

The possibility of genetic enhancement to increase the likelihood of success in sport and life’s prospects raises questions for accounts of sport and theories of justice. These questions obviously include the fairness of such enhancement and its relationship to the goals of sport and demands of justice. Of equal interest, however, is the effect on our understanding of individual effort, merit, and desert of either discovering genetic contributions to components of such effort or recognizing the influence of social factors on the development and exercise of individual effort. This paper analyzes arguments about genetic enhancement with the goal of raising questions about how sport and justice regard unchosen, undeserved inequalities and what is assumed to be their opposite—namely, the exercise and results of individual effort. It is suggested that contemplating enhancement of natural assets previously outside human control may reinforce recognition of responsibility to intervene with regard to social advantages so as to support individual effort and improve individuals’ life prospects.
Computer-aided diagnosis scheme for detecting pulmonary nodules using wavelet transform

To aid radiologists in the detection of lung cancer, we are developing a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system that locates areas suspicious for nodules in digital chest radiographs. The system involves a difference-image approach and various feature-extraction techniques. To improve the sensitivity of the overall scheme, we investigated an approach based on the wavelet transform. We found that the wavelet transform is effective in detecting subtle nodules that were not detected by the difference-image technique. By combining the two schemes based on the difference-image and the wavelet transform, the sensitivity was increased from 81% to 86% while maintaining approximately the same level of specificity.
Plasmon enhanced detectors for smart lighting applications

Engineered smart lighting systems by optically sensing the environment can change the way society uses lighting. In this talk we will present our strategies on plasmon enhanced detectors enabling new applications and technologies.
Identification and control of distributed parameter systems by means of the singular value decomposition

Abstract In this paper the basic properties of the singular value decomposition (SVD) for integral equation models of distributed parameter systems (DPS) are presented in the context of process identification and model-based control. In addition, new methods of analysis and computation are described in which SVD-based techniques are used to provide a practical solution for the DPS identification and control problem. Once developed, these novel procedures are applied to a class of linear DPS which are conventionally described by parabolic partial differential equation (PDE) models. An alternative integral equation representation for these processes is used to provide a general and readily identifiable pseudomodal input/output model for a wide variety of such DPS, including both spatially self-adjoint (diffusive) and non-self-adjoint (convective/diffusive) systems It is demonstrated that this SVD-based internal equation model of DPS is a sound and convenient basis for pseudo-modal feedback control system designs. A later paper will extend these methods to allow for model-predictive controller designs and nonlinear DPS
Inhibited aluminization of an ODS FeCr alloy

Aluminide coatings are of interest for fusion energy applications both for compatibility with liquid Pb-Li and to form an alumina layer that acts as a tritium permeation barrier. Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels are a structural material candidate for commercial reactor concepts expected to operate above 600 °C. Aluminizing was conducted in a laboratory scale chemical vapor deposition reactor using accepted conditions for coating Fe- and Ni base alloys. However, the measured mass gains on the current batch of ODS Fe-14Cr were extremely low compared to other conventional and ODS alloys. After aluminizing at two different Al activities at 900 °C and at 1100 °C, characterization showed that the ODS Fe-14Cr specimens formed a dense, primarily AlN layer that prevented Al uptake. This alloy batch contained a higher (> 5000 ppma) N content than the other alloys coated and this is the most likely reason for the inhibited aluminization. Other factors such as the high O content, small (~ 140 nm) grain size and Y-Ti oxide nano-clusters in ODS Fe-14Cr also could have contributed to the observed behavior. Examples of typical aluminide coatings formed on conventional and ODS Fe- and Ni-base alloys are shown for comparison.
Expansion of clouds from pressurized liquids

This paper deals with the cloud formed by the expansion of a pressurized liquid as a result of tank rupture. Effects of combustion are ignored in this cloud model and the only energy for cloud formation is that of the pressurized liquid before tank rupture. The present cloud model is applicable to the rupture of a tank containing a volatile non-flammable or flammable liquid before ignition. The rupture of a tank of non-volatile flammable liquid can also result in the formation of a cloud if the liquid is heated before tank rupture. Although the latter case can be treated by the methods described here this paper is focussed on the type of cloud formed by liquids that are normally volatile at ambient temperature and are shipped pressurized at that temperature.
Individualized tutoring using an intelligent fuzzy temporal relational database

The student record (SR) is a major source of input for any decision making done by an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) and is a basis of the individualization in such systems. However, most ITSs still have “generalized” student models which represent a type of student rather than a particular one. Until the SR becomes truly representative of each individual student, the goal of providing individualized tutoring cannot be attained. In this paper we describe an Intelligent Fuzzy Temporal Relational Database (IFTReD), an intelligent system-independent SR which allows for almost any degree of individualization the designer wishes to incorporate. It is anticipated that this IFTReD will provide a significant improvement over standard AI storage techniques for the SR. These improvements will be realized in terms of: (1) intelligence; (2) greater storage efficiency; (3) greater speed in retrieval and query; (4) ability to handle linguistic codes, ranges, fuzzy possibilities, and incomplete data in student models; (5) friendliness of query language; (6) availability of temporal knowledge to give a history of past performance; and (7) a more holistic view of the student, permitting greater individualization of the tutor.
Tetrahydropapaveroline in brain regions of rats after acute ethanol administration

Tetrahydropapaveroline (THP), the condensation product of dopamine, and its aldehyde, dopaldehyde, have been detected in brain regions of rats after acute ethanol administration. THP levels were determined in eight brain regions of animals that received ethanol (3.0 g/kg) by intraperitoneal injection 100 or 120 minutes before decapitation. The levels of THP in two brain regions, i.e., the midbrain and striatum, were determined at time intervals ranging from 50 to 120 minutes after ethanol administration. THP was not found in brain regions of untreated animals. However, significant levels of THP were found in pooled midbrains (0.50 pmol/g tissue) and pooled hypothalami (0.20 pmol/g tissue) of animals that received ethanol 120 minutes before decapitation. Most brain regions had detectable levels of THP 100 minutes after the animals received ethanol and the striatum contained the highest concentration of the alkaloid. The concentration of THP in striata tissue of rats at 50, 70, 90, or 100 minutes after ethanol administration were 0.33, 0.38, 0.33, and 0.33 pmol/g tissue, respectively. These results demonstrate that THP can be detected in specific brain regions of the rat after acute ethanol administration.
Biochemical assay of inhibitors of metabolic cooperation.

Summary A significant and reproducible enhancement of purine nucleotide synthesis from hypoxanthine occurs in HAT medium, when communication-competent hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT + ) cells are co-cultured with communication-competent (HGPRT − ) LN cells. This enhancement of purine nucleotide synthesis is dependent upon the hypoxanthine concentration and upon the ratio of (HGPRT − ):(HGPRT + ) cells. Based upon these results a simple biochemical method for the detection of inhibitors of metabolic cooperation between (HGPRT + ) cells and (HGPRT − ) LN cells is presented. The biochemical method distinguishes inhibitors of metabolic cooperation from inhibitors of hypoxanthine uptake, of hypoxanthine phosphorylation and of nucleic acid synthesis, as well as from general metabolic inhibitors. This method has the advantage that it can be used on a relatively large number of cells, it is simple and not time-consuming, and distinguishes the inhibition of metabolic cooperation by compounds that have a variety of sites of inhibition.
The complex-scaling fourier-grid Hamiltonian method for resonance state problems

We present a new complex scaling method for the study of resonance eigenstates without the use of basis set expansions. The procedure does not require the computation of potential matrix elements; the eigenvectors provide directly the values of the resonance wave functions at the space grid points. The simplicity, efficiency, and reliability of the method is illustrated by a case study of the tunneling in an anharmonic oscillator.
Irradiation effects on graphite foam

Abstract The solid state reactor is an advanced reactor concept that takes advantage of newly developed materials with enhanced heat transfer characteristics to provide an inherently safe, self-regulated heat source. High conductivity graphite foam, developed and produced at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is being evaluated as a candidate material for the core of basic heat source modules. Irradiation studies at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory High Flux Isotope Reactor were conducted to obtain preliminary data on the effects of neutron damage on the thermal properties and volume change behavior of the graphite foam as a function of neutron dose up to 2.6 displacements per atom at an irradiation temperature of ∼740 °C. Samples were characterized for dimensional and structural changes, and thermal transport as a function of dose. Following the initial effects of the irradiation, the samples were annealed at 1000 and 1200 °C and the thermal diffusivity measured as a function of temperature. A simple microstructural model was developed for graphite foam and, by coupling this model to the known single crystal and polycrystalline irradiation behavior of graphite; a mechanism by which the irradiation-induced volume and dimensional changes in graphite foam may be explained is postulated.
An integrative approach to modeling land-use changes: multiple facets of agriculture in the Upper Yangtze basin

Land change science has emerged as a fundamental component of global environmental change and sustainability research. Still, much remains to be learned before scientists can fully assess future roles of land-use/cover changes (LUCC) in the functioning of the Earth system and identifying conditions for sustainable land use. The objective of this paper is to gain a better understanding of the complex interactions of human and natural drivers underlying LUCC. We do so by developing and estimating a novel structural model of land use and using spatially explicit longitudinal observations from the Upper Yangtze basin of China. Our analysis focuses on the multiple dimensions of agriculture—not only cropland use itself, but also grain production, soil erosion, and related technical change—and our data cover 31 counties over four time periods from 1975 to 2000. Our results show that technical change plays an important role in supplying food on a limited cropland; limiting cropland expansion in turn reduces soil erosion, which then benefits grain production in the longer term. It is also found that policies and institutions have significant impacts on land use and the status of soil erosion. Together, these results carry some great implications to sustainable land use and ecosystem management.
Potential exposure to hazardous work activities: tractor usage among farmwomen.

Abstract Farmwomen are often an unacknowledged workforce, leading to a lack of targeted safety interventions. This study examined the involvement and work patterns of 665 women in Texas and 657 women in Louisiana who were 18 years old and older and whose family participated in farming operations. Surveys were used to gather specific data regarding tractor work patterns, tractor knowledge, sources of information about tractors, and demographic information in two southern states in which cattle and dairy were the major agricultural commodity. Among the sample of 1,322 women, 577 (43.6%) reported driving tractors at least one day a year. This subset was used to describe characteristics of tractors and tractor-related activities. Findings indicate that women learn to drive tractors in their 20s, use husbands as the primary source of their information about tractors, engage in a wide variety of farm activities including bush-hogging and plowing, and acknowledge knowing an average or less than an average amount...
A framework for considering the ethical aspects of psychiatric research protocols.

The ethics of psychiatric research has emerged as a topic of national importance. Attention to this topic has been stimulated by a number of factors, including heightened awareness of the distinct moral problems arising in the care of mental illness, the rapid development of new psychopharmaceutical agents, the emergence of evidence-based approaches in psychiatry, the expansion of clinical trials within the private mental health sector, and recent recommendations offered by the President's National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC). Consequently, clinical practitioners and investigators alike will increasingly be called upon to evaluate the ethical acceptability of psychiatric research protocols encountered in their professional work. In light of this, we present a framework for considering ethical aspects of psychiatric research protocols. This framework gives emphasis to nine elements: (1) scientific issues; (2) research team issues; (3) risk and benefit in protocol design; (4) confidentiality; (5) selection, exclusion, and recruitment considerations; (6) informed consent and decisional capacity; (7) incentives; (8) institutional and peer/professional review issues; and (9) data presentation issues. Case illustrations are provided. It is hoped that enhanced knowledge of the considerations presented in this framework will ultimately improve our ability to help people with mental illness.
The king yields to the village? A micropolitics of statemaking in Northwest Vietnam

Abstract The village in Vietnam has long been subject of scholarly inquiry and site of state power. Too often held apart, these two observations together inform this investigation of statemaking in the Northwest highlands and micropolitical relations between agencies and villages. Essentialized village and state ideas are idioms of power in and around socially diverse communities of Điện Bien Phủ. Embedding these communities in ruling relations locates ideological dimensions of statemaking, such as abstract notions of village and state, in their generative contexts. Tracing idioms back to conflicted power relations engages modern forms of governmentality to reconceptualize political tactics, strategies, and technologies as ideologically generative practices. Demarcation, for example, is a state tactic that produces multiple ethnic, sovereign, and spatial boundaries—ideological forms that pose hazards for researchers and subaltern subjects alike. Drawing on ethnographic data, I explore my access to and denial from village field sites to position the researcher amidst the same power relations under study.
Dual-mode computer processing for high resolution DNA thermal denaturation experiments.

Abstract Two modes of data processing are appropriate in conducting high resolution thermal denaturation experiments (thermal increments of 0.05° or closer). In the first mode, a general purpose microcomputer provides on-line services important to the control and monitoring of the initial experiment, including control of the spectrophotometer and heater, the recording of data, and the display of current hyperchromicities and approximate first derivatives. A subsequent microcomputer program then reads the recorded data files and carries out accurate calculations of derivative denaturation profiles and the estimate of the statistical error of the first derivative at each point. The data collection program handles three samples at a time and was designed to provide optimal results in thermal denaturation experiments with a single-beam spectrophotometer.