cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Psychographic Segments of College Females and Males in Relation to Substance Use Behaviors.

ObjectivesA common commercial marketing segmentation technique is to divide a population into groups based on psychographic characteristics (i.e., attitudes and interests). We used this approach to...
The Chaotic Dynamical Aperture

Nonlinear magnetic forces become more important for particles in the modern large accelerators. These nonlinear elements are introduced either intentionally to control beam dynamics or by uncontrollable random errors. Equations of motion in the nonlinear Hamiltonian are usually non-integrable. Because of the nonlinear part of the Hamiltonian, the tune diagram of accelerators is a jungle. Nonlinear magnet multipoles are important in keeping the accelerator operation point in the safe quarter of the hostile jungle of resonant tunes. Indeed, all the modern accelerator design have taken advantages of nonlinear mechanics. On the other hand, the effect of the uncontrollable random multipoles should be evaluated carefully. A powerful method of studying the effect of these nonlinear multipoles is using a particle tracking calculation, where a group of test particles are tracing through these magnetic multipoles in the accelerator hundreds to millions of turns in order to test the dynamical aperture of the machine. These methods are extremely useful in the design of a large accelerator such as SSC, LEP, HERA and RHIC. These calculations unfortunately take tremendous amount of computing time. In this paper, we try to apply the existing method in the nonlinear dynamics to study the possible alternative solution. Whenmore » the Hamiltonian motion becomes chaotic, the tune of the machine becomes undefined. The aperture related to the chaotic orbit can be identified as chaotic dynamical aperture. We review the method of determining chaotic orbit and apply the method to nonlinear problems in accelerator physics. We then discuss the scaling properties and effect of random sextupoles.« less
Map task scheduling in MapReduce with data locality: Throughput and heavy-traffic optimality

Scheduling map tasks to improve data locality is crucial to the performance of MapReduce. Many works have been devoted to increasing data locality for better efficiency. However, to the best of our knowledge, fundamental limits of MapReduce computing clusters with data locality, including the capacity region and theoretical bounds on the delay performance, have not been studied. In this paper, we address these problems from a stochastic network perspective. Our focus is to strike the right balance between data-locality and load-balancing to simultaneously maximize throughput and minimize delay. We present a new queueing architecture and propose a map task scheduling algorithm constituted by the Join the Shortest Queue policy together with the MaxWeight policy. We identify an outer bound on the capacity region, and then prove that the proposed algorithm stabilizes any arrival rate vector strictly within this outer bound. It shows that the algorithm is throughput optimal and the outer bound coincides with the actual capacity region. Further, we study the number of backlogged tasks under the proposed algorithm, which is directly related to the delay performance based on Little's law. We prove that the proposed algorithm is heavy-traffic optimal, i.e., it asymptotically minimizes the number of backlogged tasks as the arrival rate vector approaches the boundary of the capacity region. Therefore, the proposed algorithm is also delay optimal in the heavy-traffic regime.
Immigration and the American Century

The full impact of immigration on American society is obscured in policy and academic analyses that focus on the short-term problems of immigrant adjustment. With a longer-term perspective, which includes the socioeconomic roles of the children of immigrants, immigration appears as one of the defining characteristics of twentieth-century America. Major waves of immigration create population diversity with new languages and cultures, but over time, while immigrants and their descendants become more "American," the character of American society and culture is transformed. In the early decades of the twentieth century, immigrants and their children were the majority of the workforce in many of the largest industrial cities; in recent decades, the arrival of immigrants and their families has slowed the demographic and economic decline of some American cities. The presence of immigrants probably creates as many jobs for native-born workers as are lost through displacement. Immigrants and their children played an important role in twentieth-century American politics and were influential in the development of American popular culture during the middle decades of the twentieth century. Intermarriage between the descendants of immigrants and old-stock Americans fosters a national identity based on civic participation rather than ancestry.
Evaluation of three specification-based testing criteria

This paper compares three specification-based testing criteria using Mathur and Wong's PROBSUBSUMES measure. The three criteria are specification-mutation coverage, full predicate coverage, and transition-pair coverage. A novel aspect of the work is that each criterion is encoded in a model checker, and the model checker is used first to generate test sets for each criterion and then to evaluate test sets against alternate criteria. Significantly, the use of the model checker for generation of test sets eliminates human bias from this phase of the experiment. The strengths and weaknesses of the criteria are discussed.
Intrinsic Barriers for Electron and Hydrogen Atom Transfer Reactions of Biomimetic Iron Complexes

Self-exchange reactions between high-spin iron complexes of 2,2'-bi-imidazoline (H2bim) have been investigated by the dynamic NMR line-broadening technique. Addition of the ferric complex (Fe III (H2bim)3) 3+ causes broadening of the 1 H NMR resonances of the ferrous analogue, (Fe II (H2bim)3) 2+ . This indicates electron self-exchange with ke - ) (1.7 ( 0.2) 10 4 M -1 s -1 at 298 K in MeCN-d3 (I ) 0.1 M). Similar broadening is observed when the deprotonated ferric complex (Fe III (Hbim)(H2bim)2) 2+ is added to (Fe II (H2bim)3) 2+ . Because these reactants differ by a proton and an electron, this is a net hydrogen atom exchange reaction. Kinetic and thermodynamic results preclude stepwise mechanisms of sequential proton and then electron transfer, or electron and then proton transfer. Concomitant electron and proton (H ¥ ) transfer occurs with bimolecular rate constant kH ¥ ) (5.8 ( 0.6) 10 3 M -1 s -1 . This is a factor of 3 smaller than ke - under the same conditions. The H-atom exchange reaction exhibits a primary kinetic isotope effect kNH/kND ) 2.3 ( 0.3 at 324 K, whereas no such effect is detected in the electron exchange reaction. Proton self-exchange between the two ferric complexes, (Fe III (Hbim)(H2bim)2) 2+ and (Fe III (H2bim)3) 3+ , has also been investigated and is found to be faster than both the electron and H-atom transfer reactions. From kinetic analyses and the application of simple Marcus theory, an order of intrinsic reaction barriers IH ¥ > Ie - > IH + is derived. The reorganization energies are discussed in terms of their inner-sphere and outer-sphere components.
The Mediation of Hepatic Lipogenesis Through Estrogens

Estrogens have been shown to protect against various diseases and disastrous metabolic consequences of poor diets. Although a large body of research demonstrates estrogen’s ability to control food intake, adipogenesis, and oxidative stress, research regarding the effects of estrogens on hepatic lipogenesis, steatosis, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is only now accumulating. Estrogen deficiency in both human and rodent models directly results in the upregulation of hepatic lipogenic signaling - in both serum and hepatic triglyceride content which leads to the development of fatty liver. In all models, estrogen replacement completely reverses these outcomes. Similar to the endogenous estrogen hormone, plant-derived phytoestrogens also appear to have beneficial effects related to prevention of hepatic lipogenic signaling and steatosis in rodent models. Additionally, such compounds can completely overcome the hepatic consequences that result from estrogen deficiency. While published research strongly supports that estrogens, both endogenous and exogenous, can protect against hepatic lipogenic signaling that can contribute to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases and adverse weight gain, little research exists on elucidating the mechanism behind this protection. Various pathways have been suggested, including manipulation of both leptin and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling. However, the discovery of x-box protein 1 elicits the identification of another potential pathway through which estrogen may be working. While the supportive work is strong, further research is needed to determine the mechanism behind the protection by estrogens from hepatic lipogenesis and associated diseases.
A behavioural model of leisure participation, based on leisure attitude, motivation and satisfaction

(1993). A behavioural model of leisure participation, based on leisure attitude, motivation and satisfaction. Leisure Studies: Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 61-70.
A 90–240MHz hysteretic controlled DC-DC buck converter with digital PLL frequency locking

This paper reports a digital phase locked loop (DPLL) frequency locking technique for high frequency hysteretic controlled dc-dc buck converters. The proposed technique achieves constant operating frequency over a wide output voltage range, eliminating the dependence of switching frequency on duty cycle or output voltage conversion range. The DPLL is programmable over a wide range of parameters and can be locked to a reference clock to ensure the converter switching frequency falls outside power supply resonance bands. We demonstrate a 90-240 MHz single phase converter with fast hysteretic control and output conversion range of 33%-80%. The converter achieves an efficiency of 80% at 180 MHz, a load response of 40 ns for a 120 mA current step and a peak-to-peak ripple less than 25 mV. The circuit was implemented in 130 nm digital CMOS process.
How do gamblers start gambling: identifying behavioural markers for high-risk internet gambling.

Background: The goal of this study is to identify betting patterns displayed during the first month of actual Internet gambling on a betting site that can serve as behavioural markers to predict the development of gambling-related problems. Methods: Using longitudinal data, k-means clustering analysis identified a small subgroup of high-risk gamblers. Results: Seventy-three percent of the members of this subgroup eventually closed their account due to gambling-related problems. The characteristics of this high-risk subgroup were as follows: (i) frequent and (ii) intensive betting combined with (iii) high variability across wager amount and (iv) an increasing wager size during the first month of betting. Conclusion: This analysis provides important information that can help to identify potentially problematic gamblers during the early stages of gambling-related problems. Public health workers can use these results to develop early interventions that target high-risk Internet gamblers for prevention efforts. However, one study limitation is that the results distinguish only a small proportion of the total sample; therefore, additional research will be necessary to identify markers that can classify larger segments of high-risk gamblers.
230Th/234U/238U and 231Pa/235U ages from a single fossil coral fragment by multi-collector magnetic-sector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

The 230Th/234U/238U age dating of corals via alpha counting or mass spectrometry has significantly contributed to our understanding of sea level, radiocarbon calibration, rates of ocean and climate change, and timing of El Nino, among many applications. Age dating of corals by mass spectrometry is remarkably precise, but many samples exposed to freshwater yield inaccurate ages. The first indication of open-system 230Th/234U/238U ages is elevated 234U/238Uinitial values, very common in samples older than 100,000 yr. For samples younger than 100,000 yr that have 234U/238Uinitial values close to seawater, there is a need for age validation. Redundant 230Th/234U/238U and 231Pa/235U ages in a single fossil coral fragment are possible by Multi-Collector Magnetic Sector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (MC-MS-ICPMS) and standard anion exchange column chemistry, modified to permit the separation of uranium, thorium, and protactinium isotopes from a single solution. A high-efficiency nebulizer employed for sample introduction permits the determination of both 230Th/234U/238U and 231Pa/235U ages in fragments as small as 500 mg. We have obtained excellent agreement between 230Th/234U/238U and 231Pa/235U ages in Barbados corals (30 ka) and suggest that the methods described in this paper can be used to test the 230Th/234U/238U age accuracy. Separate fractions of U, Th, and Pa are measured by employing a multi-dynamic procedure, whereby 238U is measured on a Faraday cup simultaneously with all minor isotopes measured with a Daly ion counting detector. The multi-dynamic procedure also permits correcting for both the Daly to Faraday gain and for mass discrimination during sample analyses. The analytical precision of 230Th/234U/238U and 231Pa/235U dates is generally better than ±0.3% and ±1.5%, respectively (2 Relative Standard deviation [RSD]). Additional errors resulting from uncertainties in the decay constant for 231Pa and from undetermined sources currently limit the 231Pa/235U age uncertainty to about ±2.5%. U isotope data and 230Th/234U/238U ages agree with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) reference materials and with measurements made by Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (TIMS) in our laboratory.
What Is Not in the Domain of the Laplacian on Sierpinski Gasket Type Fractals

Abstract We consider the analog of the Laplacian on the Sierpinski gasket and related fractals, constructed by Kigami. A function f is said to belong to the domain of Δ if f is continuous and Δf is defined as a continuous function. We show that if f is a nonconstant function in the domain of Δ, then f2 is not in the domain of Δ. We give two proofs of this fact. The first is based on the analog of the pointwise identity Δf2−2f Δf=|∇f|2, where we show that |∇f|2 does not exist as a continuous function. In fact the correct interpretation of Δf2 is as a singular measure, a result due to Kusuoka; we give a new proof of this fact. The second is based on a dichotomy for the local behavior of a function in the domain of Δ, at a junction point x0 of the fractal: in the typical case (nonvanishing of the normal derivative) we have upper and lower bounds for |f(x)−f(x0)| in terms of d(x, x0)β for a certain value β, and in the nontypical case (vanishing normal derivative) we have an upper bound with an exponent greater than 2. This method allows us to show that general nonlinear functions do not operate on the domain of Δ.
Parametric macro-modeling of hot-carrier-induced dynamic degradation in MOS VLSI circuits

A macro-model approach is presented for the parametric evaluation of hot-carrier-related degradation of NMOS transistors operating in digital logic circuit environment. Simple design-for-reliability rules based on layout geometry are proposed for various NMOS/CMOS circuits, and for various operating conditions. It is shown that for a wide class of CMOS and NMOS logic gates, the performance degradation due to dynamic hot-carrier effects can be expressed as a function of the NMOS transistor channel width W/sub n/, the load capacitance C/sub L/, and the input voltage rise time. The parametric design-for-reliability rules devised in this work can also be used for geometry-based early diagnosis of potential reliability problems in CMOS circuits. >
Methods for multi-carrier power amplifier linearization

Efficiency and adjacent channel interference (ACI) performance requirements of modern cellular 3G/4G, wireless metropolitan area networks (WMAN), multipoint multi-channel distribution service (MMDS) and local multipoint distribution service (LMDS) transmitters, and space transponders all have prompted research into areas such as linearization, peak-to-average power reduction, modem hardware. impairments correction, and emission spectral shaping and filtering. This paper illustrates using computer simulations, theoretical analysis, and experimental results several techniques for making transmitters more efficient and more programmable. Also an attempt was made to identify some of their hardware implementation difficulties and performance limiting factors.
Importance of landscape position and legacy: the evolution of the lakes in Taylor Valley, Antarctica

SUMMARY 1. The major factor influencing the chemical composition and evolution of the major lakes in Taylor Valley, Antarctica, is their location within the landscape. Present-day microclimatic variation and its manifestation over the past 6000 years have led to the differences observed in these lakes today. 2. Geographical and topographical variables within the Taylor Valley magnify subtle changes in the hydrological balances of these lakes. Even short-term variation of the surface temperatures and albedo greatly impact the run-off into the lakes, leading to positive or negative water balances. 3. The legacy of past climatic changes has had a profound effect on the ecology of the lakes today.
Self-Reported Osteoarthritis, Ethnicity, Body Mass Index, and Other Associated Risk Factors in Postmenopausal Women : Results from the Women's Health Initiative

The objective of this analysis was to assess risk factors for self-reported osteoarthritis (OA) in an ethnically diverse cohort of women. The participants were postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 (n=146,494) participating in the clinical trial and observational study of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). Baseline OA and risk factors were collected from WHI questionnaires. Logistic regression was used to find the association between the risk factors and OA. Risk factor distribution and ethnicity interaction terms were used to assess ethnic differences in OA risk. Forty-four percent of the participants reported OA. Older age (odds ratio (OR)(70-79 vs 50-59)=2.69, 95% confidence interval (CI)=2.60-2.78) and higher body mass index (BMI) (OR(BMI>or=40.0 vs or=30.0) was 57.9% in African Americans, 51.0% in American Indians, 41.9% in Hispanic whites, and 32.9% in non-Hispanic whites. The prevalence of other major OA risk factors was higher in African-American, American-Indian, and Hispanic white women than in non-Hispanic white women. Non-Hispanic white women who were in the extreme obese category (BMI>or=40.0 kg/m(2)) had a 2.80 times (95% CI=2.63, 2.99) greater odds of self-reported OA. The odds were even higher in American-Indian (OR=4.22, 95% CI=1.82, 9.77) and African-American (OR=3.31, 95% CI=2.79, 3.91) women, indicating a significant interactive effect of BMI and ethnicity on odds of OA. In conclusion, OA is a highly prevalent condition in postmenopausal women, and there are differential effects according to ethnicity.
THE SKULL AND DENTITION OF EUMYS ELEGANS FROM THE OLIGOCENE OF NORTH DAKOTA

Abstract Cranial remains of Eumys elegans from Chalky Buttes, southwestern North Dakota, were examined and a composite diagram of a skull created. Eumys elegans is fully myomorphous and has a derived carotid artery circulation that is also found in some Old and New World muroids. Expansion of the posterior end of the jugal bone to form an articular surface that is part of the glenoid fossa is unusual in muroid rodents. The lower dentition is highly variable in both transverse crests and the connections of cusps to crests. Continuous variation in dimensions and heterogeneous molar crown morphology within individual tooth rows of a large sample of lower dentitions from Chalky Buttes suggest that only one, highly variable species was present. Variation in the upper dentition appears to be less. The rare enclosure of internal basins in the upper teeth parallels that development in other groups of muroids.
Positive Feedback Trading: Google Trends and Feeder Cattle Futures

What do investors’ searches for public information reveal about their subsequent trading strategies? Does their search for information support the hypothesis of market efficiency or does it lend support to the idea that investors have behavioral biases. Using Google Trends, we find that the volume of Google searches about feeder cattle is associated with re-enforcement of momentum trading in a manner consistent with a positive feedback mechanism. Further, we find evidence that search volume for “cattle” is associated with higher volatility and thus amplifies the positive feedback trading mechanism, while the search volume for “corn”, a major input to cattle production, is associated with a reduction in volatility.
Chaotic dynamics of stellar spin in binaries and the production of misaligned hot Jupiters

Many exoplanetary systems containing hot Jupiters are observed to have highly misaligned orbital axes relative to the stellar spin axes. Kozai-Lidov oscillations of orbital eccentricity and inclination induced by a binary companion, in conjunction with tidal dissipation, constitute a major channel for the production of hot Jupiters. We demonstrate that gravitational interaction between the planet and its oblate host star can lead to chaotic evolution of the stellar spin axis during Kozai cycles. As parameters such as the planet mass and stellar rotation period are varied, periodic islands can appear in an ocean of chaos, in a manner reminiscent of other dynamical systems. In the presence of tidal dissipation, the complex spin evolution can leave an imprint on the final spin-orbit misalignment angles.
Water Permeation through Elastomer Laminates I. Neoprene/EPDM

Abstract Two elastomers namely, neoprene and EPDM and their laminates were used to measure the permeation rates of distilled water and salt water at 23°, 40°, and 60°C. For laminates, the rates were measured in both directions. The laminates showed a directional dependence of permeation rate. These rates were lower than the arithmetic mean of the two single layers, but higher than the theoretical calculated values. Effect of temperature on permeation rate had an Arrhenius-type behavior, and the activation energies fall within the range for those membranes that follow activated transport mechanism. Tentative mechanisms were proposed for the directional flow behavior in regard to concentration-dependent permeation.
Posters for Unwritten Plays

At eighteen years old I was prepared to enter l’Institut des Beaux Arts. The day before the exam I inexplicably changed my mind and went instead to the Institute of Theatre and Cinema Studies. I graduated with honors in theatre criticism and got a job in the literary department of the National Theatre in Bucharest. I hated the censorship (Beckett and Ionesco were forbidden, words were under constant surveillance), but I loved the theatre. I loved what I imagined was happening between the words. In that invisible space of true freedom and solidarity. It was then that I met the legendary Ellen Stewart for the first time. It was a revelatory moment and, certainly, a predestined encounter in my life. Soon after, I managed to escape Ceausescu’s dictatorship. I flew to New York with a bandaged hand: my best friend, the dog across the street, bit me the night before my departure. In New York, while attending the PhD program in theatre at City University, my interest turned to playwriting. I then moved to California where I got an MFA in playwriting from the University of California, San Diego.
Introduction to a Compilation of Spanish and Mexican Law in Relation to Mines and Titles to Real Estate, in Force in California, Texas and New Mexico

This short biography of antebellum international attorney John A. Rockwell is based on manuscript documents in the Huntington Library and introduces the reissue of his 1851 treatise on Hispanic land and mining law. During the 1840s and 1850s Rockwell specialized in legal claims involving Mexico before special arbitration commissions and before the U.S. Court of Claims, which he helped establish in 1855. His cases included lawsuits by U.S. steamboat owners operating in Tabasco, claims for death benefits earned by Americans serving in the Mexican military, and the hotly contested dispute over the New Almaden, California, mercury mine. Drawing upon his wide practice Rockwell compiled a comprehensive collection of translated Spanish-language sources relevant to mineral and real estate litigation in the territories conquered from Mexico, which became the principal authority on Hispanic natural resource law for lawyers practicing in the Southwest. While highly successful as a practitioner, Rockwell was frustrated as a Whig politician attempting to avoid the sectional issues preceding the Civil War. Nevertheless his career provided a model for cross-cultural international lawyers as America’s global trade expanded in the mid- to late nineteenth century.
Privileges: Spousal, Attorney-Client, and Priest-Penitent

Even relevant, highly reliable evidence may not be the proper subject of either discovery or proof, because it is protected by a privilege. Some privileges have been recognized by the federal courts as being constitutionally mandated. Some, such as the tax practitioner privilege of I.R.C. § 7525, are statutory. Otherwise, when federal substantive law applies, Fed. R. Evid. 501 provides that privileges will be governed by the "principles of the common law" as interpreted by the federal courts "in the light of reason and experience."Privileges fall into two categories: those that protect only confidential communications made within the context of a particular type of relationship and those that protect even non-confidential information. Among the first are the attorney-client privilege and the husband-wife confidential communications privilege. Among the second are the husband-wife "spousal immunity" or "anti-marital facts" privilege and the privilege against self-incrimination.Generally, privileges have been recognized in order to encourage certain types of communications or relationships, the importance of which is considered greater in the aggregate for the promotion of justice, public health, and social stability than is the cost of excluding important evidence in particular cases. For example, the attorney-client privilege is believed to enable full and frank discussions between attorney and client, which will enhance the likelihood that the client receives adequate representation; the psychotherapist-patient privilege is believed to encourage mentally ill persons to seek psychiatric care; the husband-wife privileges are believed to shore up the institution of marriage.
AMPHIBIAN EGGS AND THE MONTANE ENVIRONMENT

While the question of the origin of the amniote egg is not susceptible to direct proof, it is at least possible, by a consideration of various indirect lines of evidence, to arrive at a conclusion as to the most probable cause of this major evolutionary step. The traditional viewpoint has been that the animals that developed the amniote egg were already fully terrestrial and that the selective advantage of the cleidoic egg lay in the release of the adults from the necessity of returning periodically to water to breed. Romer (1957) points out that the earliest reptiles were still semiaquatic as were their amphibious ancestors. His argument that the terrestrial egg evolved before the terrestrial adult seems valid. Romer suggests that the land egg arose under conditions of periodic drought through the selective pressure resulting from desiccation of the eggs and larvae in ponds subject to drying. Tihen (1960) accepts Romer's basic thesis that the terrestrial egg preceded the terrestrial adult, but points out the inherent improbability that semiaquatic animals would have survived for long in regions where there was not a sufficiently dependable water supply to allow for aquatic development of eggs and larvae. Tihen further stresses that the modern amphibians that have terrestrial reproduction live in humid environments and that the basic amphibian adaptation to an intermittent water supply seems to be an acceleration of the developmental period. Tihen believes that reptiles evolved in humid, tropical or subtropical swamps, and that the selective force leading to the development of the terrestrial egg was heavy predation on the vulnerable eggs and early larvae. This suggestion has also been made by Lutz
Über Beziehungen zwischen chemischen Veränderungen und abweichenden Geruchseigenschaften in Hühner-Trockeneiweiβ I. Mitteilung Qualitative und quantitative Erfassung der dialysierbaren Abbauprodukte

Proben von Huhner-Trockeneiweis unterschiedlicher Geruchseigenschaften wurden auf Anteile an dialysierbaren Eiweis-Spaltstucken untersucht. Bereits aus der Gesamtmenge dialysierbarer Eiweisanteile, bestimmt nachFolin, ist als Grenze fur die Genustauglichkeit ein Wert von 100 mg/100 g Trockeneiweis zu erkennen. Die elektrochromatographische Auftrennung der Diffusate ergab auf Grund elektrophoretisch aufgetrennter Spaltprodukte mehr oder weniger zahlreiche Peptide, die eine weitere Parallelitat zwischen abnehmender Qualitat der Eiweise und der Art und Anzahl auftretender Bruchstucke aufweisen.
Legibility Threshold Contrast of Uppercase Text Seen against a Dark Background

A laboratory experiment was conducted to determine the effects of letter height, letter width-to-height ratio, stroke width-to-height ratio, inter-character spacing-to-height ratio, on the legibility of uppercase single words displayed in an achromatic, positive contrast polarity. Legibility was investigated in terms of threshold contrast. A total of 10 young, healthy subjects participated in the experiment which was conducted under carefully controlled conditions in a dark tunnel. A substantial amount of legibility optimization research on individual typographical parameters is found in the technical literature. However, no studies were located that simultaneously investigated the letter-height, the width/height ratio, the stroke-width/height ratio, and the spacing/height ratio in a full factorial experiment such as the one presented in this paper. The presented data can be used to optimize the legibility of uppercase, single words made up by the standard highway alphabet subject to sign size constraints.
Investigation on the resistance of Musca domestica to the insecticides and the control strategy in Huhhot

Objective To get an insight into the resistance of Musca domestica to the insecticides in Hohhot,providing a scientific basis for the rational use of pesticides.Methods The micro-drop method was used for the detection of the resistance of M.domestica to the five insecticides.Results The mean resistance ratio of M.domestica to deltamethrin,cypermethrin and beta-cypermethrin in Hohhot were 21.70,47.67,24.64,respectively,indicating a high-level resistance.And its resistance ratio to DDVP and propoxur was 12.09 and 1.78,respectively,with the former being at a mid-level resistance and the latter at the sensitive level.Conclusion Rational use of insecticides based on the resistance of M.domestica to them in combination with physical and environmental control to destroy their breeding environment contributes to the radical control of M.domestica density.
Information Policy Interactions: Net Neutrality and Access to Information in US and India

The tremendous growth and ubiquity of the Internet in today’s world makes access to information much easier than ever before. Many global forums consider access to information as a basic right and an absolute necessity for the sustainable economic development of nations and an indispensable instrument for human growth. Net neutrality is the concept that all citizens should have equal and non-discriminate access to the Internet and networked services, without any restrictions. This paper looks at the history and evolution of the concept of net neutrality and the associated concept of access to information in the context of the United States and India. U.S. and India are chosen since they are both large democracies accounting for the second and third largest number of Internet users. US is the world’s largest and mature economy, whereas India is an emerging economy. Both countries are current dealing with the issue of digital divide, and both countries are currently embroiled in animated debates concerning net neutrality and access to information. The paper offers a contrast between the approaches taken by the two countries and the interactions among the government, regulators, the law and citizens. The results of this study could be used as a basis by countries that are embarking on information policy formulations.
What Does Russell’s Argument against Naive Realism Prove?

We provide a study of Russell’s argument (in An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth) against naive realism in which we distinguish five different forms of the argument. We agree with McLendon’s (1956) criticism, that Russell’s premiss that naive realism leads to physics (our emphasis) is ambiguous as between “leads historically or psychologically” and “leads logically”. However, physics does logically lead to naive realism, in the sense that it presupposes it. In that case it is physics that is false. There is also the possibility that physics and naive realism are compatible, and that possibility obtains if phenomenalism is true.
Electoral Rules and Legislative Particularism: Evidence from U.S. State Legislatures

We argue that state legislative politics is qualitatively different from national congressional politics in the extent to which it focuses on localized and geographically specific legislation salient to subconstituencies within a legislative district. Whereas congressional politics focuses on casework benefits for individual constituents, state legislative politics is more oriented to the delivery of localized benefits for groups of citizens in specific areas within a district, fostering a geographically specific group connection. A primary way to build such targeted geographical support is for members to introduce particularistic legislation designed to aid their specific targeted geographical area within the district. We argue that this is primarily a function of electoral rules. Using original sponsorship data from U.S. state houses, we demonstrate that greater district magnitude and more inclusive selection procedures such as open primaries are associated with more particularism. Our findings provide strong support for a voter-group alignment model of electoral politics distinct from the personal vote/electoral connection model that characterizes U.S. congressional politics and is more akin to patterns of geographically specific group-oriented electoral politics found in Europe and throughout the world.
Rethinking Virtual Commodification, or The Virtual Kitchen Sink

A virtual home, rented or on one's own land, whether similar to an actual world home or some other kind of space, is not just a simulacra of the familar to make the metaphors of place manifest in a virtual world. It is not just a mirror image, but its own place, a locus of experiences that have occurred there, and are now a part of me. I still do not see the appeal of a virtual kitchen, but I have also spent enough time in Second Life now to know that people's uses of commodities are often creative and ludic, providing frames for play and interaction that stimulate the imagination in ways I could barely glimpse a year ago. Maybe that could even include the kitchen sink. The video file can only be found on the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research main website: http://jvwresearch.org.
Autothermal Thermophilic Aerobic Waste Treatment Systems: A State-of-the-Art Review

Thermophilic aerobic biological treatment systems have many advantages compared to conventional techniques for high-strength wastewaters, including faster biodegradation rates, greater overall process efficiencies, and low rates of residual biosolids production. High reactor temperatures, however, alter the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the treatment process, so that the enormous knowledge-base for conventional activated sludge operations no longer directly applies. Several of these unique operating conditions are discussed. Process kinetics are also examined, with a particular focus on the high rate of endogenous decay typically observed with thermophilic systems.
Defining the community of interest as thematic and cognitive regions

Abstract When deciding where to draw the boundaries for electoral districts, officials often strive to ensure that communities of interest are not split up but kept wholly within those boundaries. But what constitutes a community of interest is vague, with legal and academic sources describing either a thematic region with shared demographic and land-use traits, or a cognitive region that is meaningful to people and commonly agreed upon. This study, conducted in the city of Santa Barbara, California, seeks to identify communities of interest at the sub-city level as both thematic regions—by clustering Census tracts and land parcels according to classes of relevant variables—and cognitive regions—by surveying residents about the size and locational extent of their community and finding areas of agreement. We then assess the degree to which the two types of regions overlap as a way to evaluate how well the two meanings correspond. We also examine the amount of overlap between the two sets of regions and the city council electoral districts that were recently created in Santa Barbara. Our study finds that the two types of regions correspond relatively well to each other in this test city, but that the electoral districts correspond more to the thematic regions, understandable given that the district creation made no attempt to survey residents about their beliefs.
Two-Step Adsorption of PtCl62– Complexes at a Charged Langmuir Monolayer: Role of Hydration and Ion Correlations

Anion exchange at positively charged interfaces plays an important role in a variety of physical and chemical processes. However, the molecular-scale details of these processes, especially with heavy and large anionic complexes, are not well-understood. We studied the adsorption of PtCl62– anionic complexes to floating DPTAP monolayers in the presence of excess Cl– as a function of the bulk chlorometalate concentration. This system aims to simulate the industrial conditions for heavy metal separations with solvent extraction. In situ X-ray scattering and fluorescence measurements, which are element and depth sensitive, show that the chlorometalate ions only adsorb in the diffuse layer at lower concentrations, while they adsorb predominantly in the Stern layer at higher concentrations. The response of DPTAP molecules to the adsorbed ions is determined independently by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and supports this picture. Molecular dynamics simulations further elucidate the nanoscale structure of t...
Medical students’ perceptions of low‐value care

Background Medical schools are creating high-value care (HVC) curricula in undergraduate medical education; however, there are few studies identifying what are the most pressing low-value care (LVC) practices, as observed by students. This study is a multicentre, targeted needs assessment comparing medical student perceptions of LVC at four institutions, after completion of their internal medicine clerkship, to identify areas of focus for future HVC curriculum development. Methods A total of 307 medical students at four institutions participated in a voluntary survey and identified instances of LVC during the internal medicine clerkship. Responses were organised into seven LVC categories and analysed using chi-square testing to determine response variation by institution. Results The four most common themes identified by all institutions were testing for low prevalence disease processes (44%), excessive daily labwork (44%), errors in clinical judgement (26%) and testing that would not change management (21%). Responses did not vary by institution, with the exception that one school identified fewer instances of ordering excessive labwork compared with the other institutions (28 versus 46-54%; p = 0.05). There are few studies identifying what are the most pressing low-value care practices DISCUSSION: This is the first multi-institutional targeted needs assessment to demonstrate similarities in perceptions of LVC by medical students. Despite differences in geographic location and private and public affiliations, the top four categories remained consistent. These findings can provide a framework for educational objectives that address these issues in an HVC curriculum. Response variation, as seen with institution 2, offers opportunities for schools to personalise their HVC curriculum.
Force field development and simulations of intrinsically disordered proteins

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) play important roles in many physiological processes such as signal transduction and transcriptional regulation. Computer simulations that are based on empirical force fields have been increasingly used to understand the biophysics of disordered proteins. In this review, we focus on recent improvement of protein force fields, including polarizable force fields, concerning their accuracy in modeling intrinsically disordered proteins. Some recent benchmarks and applications of these force fields are also overviewed.
Learning the Implicit Preference of Users for Effective Recommendation

Although recommendation systems based on the latent factor models provide an appealing solution to the collaborative filtering problem, some major issues such as data sparsity and cold-start problems, still remain open. In particular, for a large portion of items that there are not sufficient purchase records, their latent factors cannot be estimated accurately. In this paper, we aim to learn and exploit the preference of users in combination with the latent factor models to mitigate these issues and to improve recommendation accuracy. To this end, we propose a novel algorithm to accurately learn the preference of users from observed ratings and available taxonomy of items. We show that predictions made based on the extracted users' preferences enable to capture the taste of users and generates more effective recommendations than pure latent factor models. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed algorithm is the first to extract and exploit the implicit preference of users in the recommendation. We conduct thorough experiments on real datasets that demonstrate the proposed model improves significantly over state-of-the-art latent factor models.
Minimum-Fuel Formation Reconfiguration of Multiple Free-Flying Spacecraft

The formation reconfiguration of multiple free-flying spacecraft is posed as an optimization problem involving minimum fuel expenditure. A method for obtaining simple solutions to this problem is proposed. The basic idea is to break up the formation reconfiguration process into a sequence of simple maneuvers involving a small number of spacecraft at a time. Moreover, the spacecraft move along straightline paths in the three-dimensional space. Thus, the minimum-fuel reconfiguration problem can be reduced to an optimization problem involving permutation groups. The proposed approach requires seeking fuel minimization over the set of all spacecraft permutation cycles of lengths ≥2. Examples are given to illustrate the application of the proposed method.
The Search for Meaning in the Academy

This chapter surveys major themes from the book, emphasizing the practical relevance of the Case Study data and theoretical interpretations for graduate students and professors who do not have unusually personal connections to their scholarship. Viktor Frankl’s existential psychology (logotherapy) can help everyone live and work more meaningfully in the academy. The chapter closes by offering evidence that “unusually personal” scholarship may not be quite so unusual after all. Readers are invited to share their personal stories of meaning discovery on a Facebook page, “The Well-lit Room.” A final section containing existential questions for readers is provided.
Provision of test results and posttest counseling at STD clinics in 24 health departments: U.S., 2007.

Objective.We determined the demographic and HIV test characteristics of tests conducted in CDC-funded sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics with provision of test results and posttest counseli...
Clinical Experiences in Educational Administration: A University Collaborates with Local School Districts.

The preparation of educational administrators has been increasingly under indictment for its failure to prepare school leaders effectively (Achilles, 1984, 1990; National Commission on Excellence in Educational Administration, 1987; Murphy, 1990; Hallinger and Murphy, 1991). The criticism has focused on inadequate recruitment and selection procedures, ineffective classroom instruction, low standards for both admission to and completion of training programs, inconsistent content “decoupled from the realities that principals confront on the job” (Hallinger and Murphy, 1991, p. 515), and the perception that graduates are ill-prepared to assume roles in school leadership.In 1986 The Danforth Foundation initiated a response to the mounting criticism of educational administration preparation programs by sponsoring, over a five-year period, twenty-two university principal preparation programs, or projects, that would incorporate several innovative elements. These elements included, but were not limited to, share...
Incorporating Perioperative Point-of-Care Ultrasound as Part of the Anesthesia Residency Curriculum.

Objective The purposes of this study were to establish whether implementing a curriculum of perioperative point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) of the heart and lungs for current in-training anesthesia residents during their required month of cardiac anesthesia was feasible and whether an evaluation tool would demonstrate improvement in the residents’ baseline knowledge of POCUS. Design Single-center, prospective, cohort, and observational study. Setting A tertiary-care, university-affiliated hospital. Participants The study comprised 16 anesthesia residents on their third postgraduate training year during their required cardiac anesthesia rotation. Interventions The implementation of a curriculum to educate anesthesia residents in perioperative POCUS of the heart and lungs on patients undergoing elective cardiothoracic procedures that included both theoretical and practical approaches. A 21-question, multiple-choice, electronic-generated test was developed to gauge performance improvement from before (“pretest”) to after (“posttest”) the 4-week period. Measurements and Main Results Of the 16 residents, 13 (81.3%) showed improved scores between the pretest and posttest periods after the 4-week rotation. The difference between pretest and posttest mean score was 5 (p = 0.001). Conclusions This study demonstrates that integrating a curriculum dedicated to perioperative POCUS of the heart and lungs as part of the goals and objectives during the rotation of cardiac anesthesia is feasible and that anesthesia residents who received the training proposed by the authors improved their cognitive and technical skills.