cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Total kinetic energy and fragment mass distributions from fission of Th-232 and U-233

Properties of fission in Th-232 and U-233 were studied at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center at incident neutron energies from subthermal to 40 MeV. Fission fragments are observed in coincidence using a twin ionization chamber with Frisch grids. The average total kinetic energy released from fission and fragment mass distributions are calculated from observations of energy deposited and conservation of mass and momentum. Accurate experimental measurements of these parameters are necessary to better understand the fission process in isotopes relevant to the thorium fuel cycle, in which Th-232 is used as a fertile material to generate the fissile isotope of U-233. This process mirrors the uranium breeder process used to produce Pu-239 with several potential advantages including the comparative greater abundance of thorium, inherent nuclear weapons proliferation resistance, and reduced actinide production. Thus, there is increased interest in the thorium fuel cycle to meet future energy demands and improve safety and security while increasing profitability for the nuclear power industry. This research is ongoing and preliminary results are presented.
SonicDoor: A Person Identification System Based on Modeling of Shape, Behavior, and Walking Patterns

Non-intrusive occupant identification enables numerous applications in Smart Buildings such as personalization of climate and lighting. Current techniques do not scale beyond 20 people, whereas commercial buildings have 100 or more people. This article proposes a new method to identify occupants by sensing their body shape, movement, and walking patterns as they walk through a SonicDoor, a door instrumented with three ultrasonic sensors. The proposed method infers contextual information, such as paths and historical walks through different doors of the building. Each SonicDoor is instrumented with ultrasonic ping sensors, one on top sensing height and two on the sides of the door sensing width of the person walking through the door. SonicDoor detects a walking event and analyzes it to infer whether the Walker is using a phone, holding a handbag, or wearing a backpack. It extracts a set of features from the walking event and corrects them using a set of transformation functions to mitigate the bias. We deployed five SonicDoors in a real building for two months and collected data consisting of over 9,000 walking events spanning over 170 people. The proposed method identifies 100 occupants with an accuracy of 90.2%, which makes it suitable for commercial buildings.
Publisher Correction: Investigation of F-BAR domain PACSIN proteins uncovers membrane tubulation function in cilia assembly and transport.

In the original version of this Article, the fifth sentence of the abstract incorrectly read ‘Remarkably, we show that PACSIN1 and EHD1 assemble membrane t7ubules from the developing intracellular cilium that attach to the plasma membrane, creating an extracellular membrane channel (EMC) to the outside of the cell.’, and should have read ‘Remarkably, we show that PACSIN1 and EHD1 assemble membrane tubules from the developing intracellular cilium that attach to the plasma membrane, creating an extracellular membrane channel (EMC) to the outside of the cell.’. This has been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.
Seasonal ARMA(p,q) Processes

Many financial and economic time series exhibit a regular cyclicality, periodicity, or “seasonality.” For example, agricultural output follows seasonal variation, flower sales are higher in February, retail sales are higher in December, and beer sales in college towns are lower during the summers.
The Supression of Chaos in Periodically Forced Oscillators

A method for suppressing chaos in a class of periodically forced oscillators is presented. The method involves the manipulation of higher harmonics in the periodic excitation such that the homoclinic tangles which lie at the heart of the chaos are destroyed. The procedure is demonstrated via a particular example: an inverted pendulum with amplitude constraints subjected to periodic base excitation. The general theory is developed using a Melnikov type method (see [1–3] and is supported by some experimental evidence.
Endogenous Peptides: Key Modulators of Plant Immunity

Plants have sophisticated innate immune systems based on the ability of individual cells to sense danger. The system is activated upon the perception of elicitor molecules derived from invading organisms or from the host itself. Recently, a growing number of plant endogenous peptides have been identified as regulators of immune response to herbivory and/or microbial infection. Significant progress has been done to elucidate signaling mechanisms and responses triggered by elicitors. These peptides may initiate, amplify, or fine tune defense responses against attackers. Here, we present state-of-the-art findings regarding plant endogenous peptides acting as regulator of plant immunity, providing their basic features and properties. We followed the categorization based on the structure of their precursor proteins. A special focus is placed on the Arabidopsis thaliana plant elicitor peptide1 (AtPep1) and its receptors PEPR1 and PEPR2, due to the large amount of available information of these ligand–receptor pair. Finally, we present a general discussion highlighting future perspectives.
BBr3 as a boron source in plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

Boron is a difficult material to use in a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) reactor due to its high melting point as a pure compound. Consequently, there is interest in exploring alternative sources for B in MBE. In this paper, the authors detail the construction and operation of a novel BBr3 injection system for plasma-assisted MBE growth and show results for BGaN thin films grown using readily available low purity BBr3 as a proof of concept for the source. The BBr3 system enables the growth of coherent BGaN films with a concentration up to 3% B on the group III site and thicknesses up to 280 nm as determined by high resolution x-ray diffraction. Atom probe tomography and secondary ion mass spectroscopy results of a B0.03Ga0.97N film indicate a high level of Br impurity on the order of 1 × 1019 atoms/cm3 and atmospheric contamination consistent with a low purity source. BBr3 is successful as a B source for high crystal quality BGaN films; however, the Br incorporation from the source limits the applications for this material.
Time Trends of Perioperative Outcomes in Early Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Resection Patients.

Background Advances in perioperative and operative management hold great promise for improving perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing resection for early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The objective of this study was to evaluate time trends in the incidence of perioperative outcomes and to identify predictors of pulmonary complication in early stage NSCLC resection patients. Methods An institutional database was reviewed to identify patients with primary, clinical stage I and II NSCLC who underwent resection from 1998 to 2016. Rates of perioperative pulmonary complication, pneumonia, and cardiovascular complication; and 30-day and 90-day mortality were calculated for each year. Joinpoint regression was used to calculate annual percentage change (APC) and to evaluate time trends in rates of these outcomes. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to identify predictors of pulmonary complication. Results Of the 3045 patients identified, 80% had stage I and 20% had stage II NSCLC. From 1998 to 2016, there was no trend in the rate of pulmonary complication, but there was a significant downward trend in the rates of pneumonia (APC −3.7), cardiovascular complication (APC −3.5), 30-day mortality (APC −9.8), and 90-mortality (APC −7.4). Older age, male sex, smoking status, percentage of predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second and percentage of diffusion capacity of lung for carbon monoxide, and intraoperative blood transfusion were identified as predictors of pulmonary complication. Conclusions Decrease in the rates of perioperative outcomes parallels improvements in patient selection and perioperative management of early stage NSCLC resection patients. Predictors of pulmonary complication could be used to improve selection criteria for surgery and to reduce the incidence of pulmonary complication in these patients.
CHRONIC CONDITIONS, FUNCTIONAL LIMITATIONS, AND DEPRESSION IN OLDER ADULTS: ANALYSIS OF A LONGITUDINAL STUDY

Background: Chronic conditions, functional limitations, and depression are highly prevalent in older adults. Evidence suggests the links between chronic conditions, functional limitations, and depressive symptoms separately. However, few studies have considered these three conditions together longitudinally. This study examined the longitudinal relationship between chronic conditions and depressive symptoms and evaluated the mediation effect of functional limitations on the relationship between chronic conditions and depressive symptoms in older adults. Methods: This study analyzed longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study collected in 2012 and 2014. Mediation analysis was used to examine the direct and indirect effects of chronic conditions and functional limitations measured at the year 2012 on depressive symptoms measured at the year 2014 controlling for demographics. Results: Results revealed that chronic conditions predicted depressive symptoms. Specifically, one additional chronic condition in 2012 corresponded to an increase of 0.35 in depressive symptoms in 2014 (p<.001). After adding functional limitations as a mediator, the direct effect was reduced to 0.26 and the indirect effect was .088 (p<.001). In other words, functional limitations explained approximately 25% of the direct effect of chronic diseases on depression. Discussion: Findings reveal the longitudinal impact of chronic conditions and functional limitations on depressive symptoms in older adults. Findings help identify the high-risk population of depressive symptoms and intervene early.
PROTAMINE VASOPLEGIA: A RARE SIDE EFFECT

Protamine vasoplegia is a state of endothelial dysregulation that produces profound vasodilatation which is refractory to vasopressors. This syndrome leads to systemic hypoperfusion and may progress to death. It can result after administration of protamine sulphate. We report a case about this rare
Beyond the Doctrine: Linguistic Innovation

Saussure’s Nachlass challenges the official Saussurean doctrine from the Course in General Linguistics with its hierarchical oppositions between la langue and la parole and synchrony and diachrony. It underscores the inescapably dual character of language that intersects relative stability with temporal change. This inescapable duality can be rendered more concrete by studying linguistic creativity. Called “analogical innovation” (or “creation”), linguistic creativity consists in a production of innovative forms of expression on the basis of established ones. Importantly, while the doctrinal view chases creativity outside of the language system, which is thought to be relatively autonomous and fixed, Saussure considers innovation an intrinsic feature of language (la langue) itself. Linguistic innovation cannot be discounted as a contingent empirical process. It is intrinsic to the functioning language system, and it furnishes a cardinal principle of general linguistics. Furthermore, linguistic innovation illustrates how the speakers’ expressions (la parole) affect and alter the language system from within, as if rewriting its code. The dual essence of language—the intersection of stability and change—becomes grounded in speech practices that borrow existing linguistic resources and return them in a slightly revised format.
Tornado warning awareness, information needs and the barriers to protective action of individuals who are blind

Abstract Individuals with disabilities are often vulnerable to the impacts of weather hazards, such as tornadoes. This is especially true in the Southeast where vulnerability to tornadoes is already heightened due to both physical and socioeconomic factors. To better understand and possibly reduce this vulnerability, we conducted interviews with 25 residents of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi who are legally blind. The goal of the interviews was to understand how people who are blind receive and respond to tornado warnings. Participants were asked to discuss the sources they use for severe weather information, their likes and dislikes about the current warning system, warning elements that allow them to personalize the risk, and barriers in their ability to obtain warning information, assess risk, or respond to it. Results suggest that good verbal description or the lack of detailed verbal description were of the greatest importance in our participants’ ability to effectively use warning information and act on it. This included audio for television warning crawls, and the level of description provided during severe weather coverage. Ample geographic description was important in their ability to personalize the threat. The greatest number of barriers were associated with the risk assessment phase; however, the single most common barrier mentioned by participants was that they would have no safe place to go during a tornado.
Sex-specific definitions of electrocardiographic abnormalities

Abstract Sex-specific differences in electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities are well established and should be recognized by the practicing physician. There are baseline heart rate (HR) and HR variability differences among healthy men and women. Furthermore, ventricular depolarization and repolarization manifest on the 12 lead ECG as QRS and ST intervals have been the best described changes. These sex-specific ECG patterns form the basis of disease predilection for both sexes. QT intervals are longer in women and ST height is greater in men. Thus, long QT syndrome is more common in females, whereas ventricular early repolarization pattern, J-point ST elevation, as well as Brugada syndrome are more common in males. We will describe in detail these ECG differences, as well as the likely physiologic mechanisms for such differences.
The role of service-learning experiences in promoting flourishing among college-student youth mentors

Service-learning experiences may uniquely promote flourishing (i.e. having meaning in life, social connections, and a positive outlook) for college students. To examine whether specific relational ...
Sustainable atmospheric fog water generator through superhydrophobic electrospun nanocomposite fibers of recycled expanded polystyrene foams

Abstract In recent years, the production of disposable plastic products is increasing day by day and resulting in global growing concern that it poses to the environment. Microorganisms hardly resolve these types of plastic wastes; therefore, recycling the value-added materials is very important. Recycling and reusing plastic wastes to produce superhydrophobic nanofibers for atmospheric clean water production could be a partial solution to address the environmental issues. Herein, superhydrophobic-hydrophilic nanocomposites fibers were fabricated using recycled expanded polystyrene (REPS) as inspired by the fog-harvesting capability of Stenocara beetles in the Namib Desert. The REPS were electrospun with various proportions of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles and aluminum (Al) microparticles. The fiber morphology, surface hydrophobicity, thermal properties, and fog water-harvesting performance of the nanocomposite fibers were studied. The as-prepared nanocomposites fibers with a 10% inclusion of combined micro-and nanoparticles exhibit superhydrophobic properties with a water contact angle of 157° and daily water productivity of more than 1.35 liter/m2 of nanocomposites. The expenses of materials to produce such nanocomposites needed to supply the minimum daily water consumption for a two-member household (6 liters) are only US$2.67. These nanocomposites are inexpensive, reusable, do not require additional energy consumption, and are particularly suitable for producing clean water in arid areas. This study offers a new technology for the mass production of clean water through nanotechnology at a relatively low cost.
Multiseptate Gallbladder

Introduction Multiseptate gallbladder is a rare congenital condition that may be asymptomatic or may lead to symptoms consistent with biliary colic, even in the absence of cholelithiasis.
Metacognition and entrepreneurial action: The mediating role of a strategic mindset on promoting effort and innovative behavior in frugal entrepreneurs

Abstract This study tests a situated metacognitive model of entrepreneurial action to highlight how action (or inaction) during the entrepreneurial process is influenced by both individual traits and one's metacognitive ability, namely one's strategic mindset. Integrating theory on resourcefulness and metacognition, we show how entrepreneurs who are more frugal tend to engage in less action in developing their new venture (i.e., enacting fewer innovative behaviors and putting forth less effort) as compared to less frugal entrepreneurs. However, we explain that this direct (negative) relationship is mediated by one's strategic mindset, such that the indirect effect of frugality on both innovative behavior and level of effort enacted towards one's new venture is positive (rather than negative). Overall, this study extends the construct of strategic mindset to the entrepreneurship literature and highlights the crucial role that metacognition can play regarding one's socio-cognitive decision-making process and subsequent entrepreneurial behaviors.
Who Needs the Dark Web? Exploring the Trade in Critically Endangered Plants on eBay.

Stemming the illegal trade of endangered species is a critical and very difficult challenge for conservationists and law enforcement. Much effort is given to stopping the trade of “charismatic megafauna” such as tigers, elephants, and rhinoceroses. Endangered plant species, however, receive far less attention and fewer resources, resulting in devastating consequences. Plant species continue to go extinct due to illegal harvesting and selling, while just one order of plants, Orchidales, makes up more than 70% of all threatened wildlife species. This study examines the role the Internet plays in critically endangered plant transactions. Rather than focusing on the dark web for these sales, I search the e-commerce site eBay to better understand the extent to which these trades take place in plain sight. Of the 193 critically endangered plant species examined, 56 were for sale in some form on eBay during the study period. These results indicate a high degree of trading in these species, but do not necessarily indicate criminality. The complexity of the international legal frameworks regulating these transactions makes it difficult to ascertain their legality, but certain indicators point to at least a subset of these sales being unlawful. E-commerce sites like eBay must take more proactive measures to regulate sales and protect these species on the brink, for it is clear the surface web is playing an understudied and important role in fostering these cybercrimes. In sum, the dark web is unnecessary when the surface web is convenient, widely available, and scarcely policed.
An overview of induction and emergence characteristics of desflurane in pediatric, adult, and geriatric patients.

Abstract A major advantage of desflurane over currently available agents is that the blood-gas partition coefficient of desflurane is 0.42, lower than all available volatile anesthetics, and slightly lower than nitrous oxide. This property predicts rapid induction of and recovery from general anesthesia with desflurane. This review will summarize and compare results of studies that have examined various clinical characteristics of induction and emergence with desflurane in a variety of patient populations. Studies in pediatric patients, and in adults, have confirmed that inhalation induction with desflurane is rapid. However, there has been a high incidence of airway irritation and/or reactivity, including breath holding, coughing, excessive secretions, and laryngospasm. This incidence is significantly higher than that seen with halothane, making it unlikely that desflurane will supplant halothane for inhalation inductions. The hemodynamic effects of desflurane induction and maintenance with or without intravenous adjuvants appear similar to those seen with isoflurane. Several studies have compared emergence from anesthesia with desflurane with that from isoflurane-based anesthetics, and have demonstrated that initial emergence from a given depth of anesthesia, e.g., time to eye opening or response to verbal commands, is about twice as fast with desflurane. Similar results have been obtained in pediatric patients where emergence from desflurane is faster than that seen from halothane. Emergence from desflurane anesthesia appears similar in time-course to that from propofol-based anesthetics.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Integrating risk management data in quality improvement initiatives within an academic neurosurgery department.

OBJECT While malpractice litigation has had many negative impacts on health care delivery systems, information extracted from lawsuits could potentially guide toward venues to improve care. The authors present a comprehensive review of lawsuits within a tertiary academic neurosurgical department and report institutional and departmental strategies to mitigate liability by integrating risk management data with quality improvement initiatives. METHODS The Comprehensive Risk Intelligence Tool database was interrogated to extract claims/suits abstracts concerning neurosurgical cases that were closed from January 2008 to December 2012. Variables included demographics of the claimant, type of procedure performed (if any), claim description, insured information, case outcome, clinical summary, contributing factors and subfactors, amount incurred for indemnity and expenses, and independent expert opinion in regard to whether the standard of care was met. RESULTS During the study period, the Department of Neurosur...
Policy intervention and forecasting: An application to minimum wages

Abstract This paper examines the forecasting implications of incorporating policy effects into the structure of unconditional time series models. The forecasting model is applied to the Puerto Rican experience with minimum wages from 1953 to 1982. The empirical results suggest that significant disemployment and unemployment followed the imposition of economy-wide minimum wages in 1974. The growth of employment suffered and the aggregate unemployment rate reached an unprecedented level. Multivariate time-series models for the employment-population ratio and the unemployment rate capture these effects well. They also forecast more accurately than unvariate and intervention models over the ex post period, 1983–1984. It is argued that models that combine subject matter-specific structure within a dynamic time-series framework greatly help to satisfy demands for theoretical consistency and forecast accuracy. Multivariate time-series models play an important complementary role in the structural modelling of economic policy analysis. This is particularly so when limitations of either data or theory preclude complete specification of structural equations.
Combination of Penile Traction, Intralesional Verapamil, and Oral Therapies for Peyronie's Disease

Introduction. There is no current consensus as to the most effective non-surgical therapy for Peyronie's disease (PD).Aim. To assess the benefit of penile traction therapy (PTT) when added to intralesional verapamil injections (IVI) combined with oral L-arginine 1g bid and pentoxifylline 400 mg tid in men with PD.Methods. 74 men with PD completed 12 IVI. Patients electing to add PTT were advised to wear the device for 2-8 hours daily, and no longer than 2 hours per session. Subjective responses were measured using patient questionnaires. Stretched penile length (SPL) and erect penile curvature (EPC) using penile duplex ultrasound (DU) were measured. Response to therapy was defined as at least a 10 degree reduction in EPC.Main Outcome Measures. Change in SPL (cm), change in EPC (degrees).Results. 39 patients in the PTT group (I) vs. 35 patients in group (II) completed the protocol. 54% of men in group I responded to therapy vs. 46% in group II (p = 0.75). Responders had a mean EPC improvement of 26.9 degrees in group I vs. 20.9 in group II (p = 0.22). Mean PTT use was 3.3 hours per day, and men with >3 hours per day use gained 0.6 cm in SPL vs 0.07 cm using less than or equal to 3 hours per day (p= 0.09), while men in group I on lost 0.74 cm of SPL on average. Multivariate analysis revealed that duration of PTT use significantly predicts length gain (0.38 cm gain for every additional hour per day of PTT use, p = 0.007).Conclusion. There was a trend toward measured curvature improvement, and a significant gain in SPL in men using the combination therapy protocol. Length improvement is related to duration of use of the traction device [corrected].
Improved MRI thermometry with multiple-echo spirals.

Purpose Low-bandwidth PRF shift thermometry is used to guide HIFU ablation treatments. Low sampling bandwidth is needed for high signal-to-noise ratio with short acquisition times, but can lead to off-resonance artifacts. In this work, improved multiple-echo thermometry is presented that allows for high bandwidth and reduced artifacts. It is also demonstrated with spiral sampling, to improve the trade-off between resolution, speed, and measurement precision. Methods Four multiple-echo thermometry sequences were tested in vivo, one using two-dimensional Fourier transform (2DFT) sampling and three using spirals. The spiral sequences were individually optimized for resolution, for speed, and for precision. Multifrequency reconstruction was used to correct for off-resonance spiral artifacts. Additionally, two different multiecho temperature reconstructions were compared. Results Weighted combination of per-echo phase differences gave significantly better precision than least squares off-resonance estimation. Multiple-echo 2DFT sequence obtained precision similar to single-echo 2DFT, while greatly increasing sampling bandwidth. The multiecho spiral acquisitions achieved 2× better resolution, 2.9× better uncertainty, or 3.4× faster acquisition time, without negatively impacting the other two design parameters as compared to single-echo 2DFT. Conclusion Multiecho spiral thermometry greatly improves the capabilities of temperature monitoring, and could improve transcranial treatment monitoring capabilities. Magn Reson Med, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Genotype modulates age-related alterations in sensitivity to the aversive effects of ethanol: an eight inbred strain analysis of conditioned taste aversion.

Adolescent individuals display altered behavioral sensitivity to ethanol, which may contribute to the increased ethanol consumption seen in this age-group. However, genetics also exert considerable influence on both ethanol intake and sensitivity. Currently there is little research assessing the combined influence of developmental and genetic alcohol sensitivities. Sensitivity to the aversive effects of ethanol using a conditioned taste aversion (CTA) procedure was measured during both adolescence (P30) and adulthood (P75) in eight inbred mouse strains (C57BL/6J, DBA/2J, 129S1/SvImJ, A/J, BALB/cByJ, BTBR T+tf/J, C3H/HeJ and FVB/NJ). Adolescent and adult mice were water deprived, and subsequently provided with access to 0.9% (v/v) NaCl solution for 1 h. Immediately following access mice were administered ethanol (0, 1.5, 2.25 and 3 g/kg, ip). This procedure was repeated in 72 h intervals for a total of five CTA trials. Sensitivity to the aversive effects of ethanol was highly dependent upon both strain and age. Within an inbred strain, adolescent animals were consistently less sensitive to the aversive effects of ethanol than their adult counterparts. However, the dose of ethanol required to produce an aversion response differed as a function of both age and strain.
High-accuracy direct ZT and intrinsic properties measurement of thermoelectric couple devices.

Advances in thermoelectric materials in recent years have led to significant improvements in thermoelectric device performance and thus, give rise to many new potential applications. In order to optimize a thermoelectric device for specific applications and to accurately predict its performance ideally the material's figure of merit ZT as well as the individual intrinsic properties (Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity, and thermal conductivity) should be known with high accuracy. For that matter, we developed two experimental methods in which the first directly obtains the ZT and the second directly measures the individual intrinsic leg properties of the same p/n-type thermoelectric couple device. This has the advantage that all material properties are measured in the same sample direction after the thermoelectric legs have been mounted in the final device. Therefore, possible effects from crystal anisotropy and from the device fabrication process are accounted for. The Seebeck coefficients, electrical resistivities, and thermal conductivities are measured with differential methods to minimize measurement uncertainties to below 3%. The thermoelectric couple ZT is directly measured with a differential Harman method which is in excellent agreement with the calculated ZT from the individual leg properties. The errors in both the directly measured and calculated thermoelectric couple ZT are below 5% which is significantly lower than typical uncertainties using commercial methods. Thus, the developed technique is ideal for characterizing assembled couple devices and individual thermoelectric materials and enables accurate device optimization and performance predictions. We demonstrate the methods by measuring a p/n-type thermoelectric couple device assembled from commercial bulk thermoelectric Bi2Te3 elements in the temperature range of 30 °C–150 °C and discuss the performance of the couple thermoelectric generator in terms of its efficiency and materials’ self-compatibility.
Optical specifications--their role inthe National Ignition Facility

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) has completed its design phase and is well into construction. In this talk, we review the optic specification rationale, along with examples of particular specifications and measurements.
On the minimum delay peer-to-peer video streaming: how realtime can it be?

P2P systems exploit the uploading bandwidth of individual peers to distribute content at low server cost. While the P2P bandwidth sharing design is very efficient for bandwidth sensitive applications, it imposes a fundamental performance constraint for delay sensitive applications: the uploading bandwidth of a peer cannot be utilized to upload a piece of content until it completes the download of that content. This constraint sets up a limit on how fast a piece of content can be disseminated to all peers in a P2P system. In this paper, we theoretically study the impact of this inherent delay constraint and derive the minimum delay bounds for realtime P2P streaming systems. We show that the bandwidth heterogeneity among peers can be exploited to significantly improve the delay performance of all peers. We further propose a simple snow-ball streaming algorithm to approach the minimum delay bound in realtime P2P video streaming. Our analysis suggests that the proposed algorithm has better delay performance and more robust than existing tree-based streaming solutions. Insights brought forth by our study can be used to guide the design of new P2P systems with shorter startup delays.
Quality assurance review programs of auditing firms: an international perspective

Purpose – Quality assurance review programs are created to provide assurances to the public that all accountants maintain a high level of competence in public practice. However, not all countries require such programs. The purpose of this research is to compare and contrast quality assurance review programs in different parts of the world in order to identify similarities and differences in these programs. In addition, the paper attempts to explain why some countries adopt quality assurance programs while others do not have such programs.Design/methodology/approach – A request for information and a survey were sent to the accounting regulatory bodies who are members of the International Federations of Accountants (IFAC). In total, 44 countries responded to the survey, of which 33 have formal quality assurance programs. The survey results were analyzed to identify similarities and differences in the design and implementation of such programs and to draw conclusions from this analysis.Findings – Analyses of...
Implications of Vygotsky's sociocultural theory for child and youth care practice

Introducing a special issue on Vygotskian approaches in child and youth care work and early childhood education, the author provides an overview of Vygotsky's theory and a brief description of each of the more specific articles that follow in the special issue.
Editors' Introduction: Smoking, Mental Disorders and Substance Abuse Treatment

(2007). Editors' Introduction: Smoking, Mental Disorders and Substance Abuse Treatment. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs: Vol. 39, Smoking, Mental Disorders and Substance Abuse Treatment, pp. 419-421.
An A in Their Social Lives, but an F in School: Adolescent Perceptions of Texting in School

Text messaging, used by people of all ages, has become the preferred method of communication for teenagers. Teens spend a significant amount of their daytime hours in school. Schools have not readily accepted the use of cell phone technology for fear of academic dishonesty, distraction, and cyberbullying. The current study examined adolescent (n = 218) attitudes concerning text messaging in school. The majority of adolescents (71%) supported text messaging in school. A phenomenological qualitative approach revealed that adolescents’ experience with texting and school centers on student attention, connection (with family, friends, and emergency responders), and levels of regulation (personal, circumstantial, and school).
Enrollment Criteria for Clinical Trials in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Abstract Emerging diagnostic and therapeutic developments give insight into the heterogeneous disease biology of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and provide valuable prognostic information regarding response to therapies and targets for investigational treatments. Our understanding of AML has evolved from morphologic and cytochemical distinctions to cytogenetics-based classification systems. The most recent evolutionary step has been the recognition of the prognostic importance of pathobiologic variations, such as in FLT3 , NPM, and c-Kit; and of clinical disease features, particularly age, de novo versus secondary disease, and remission status. Therapies designed to reverse or inhibit the mechanisms that appear to cooperate in the AML pathobiologic pathway have been developed, including those that target Bcl-2, Ras, hypermethylation, heat shock protein, multidrug resistance efflux pumps, tyrosine kinase activation, histone deacetylation, and FLT3 . Despite this progress, clinical features still serve as the platform for entry into clinical trials of novel agents. As the driving mechanisms of leukemia pathogenesis become further defined, and the inhibition of said mechanisms at a molecular level are correlated to clinical response, future studies should enroll patients on the basis of these molecular features, perhaps in isolation of clinical features, as variables such as age and secondary disease are intermediate markers for underlying pathobiology.
III-nitride/SiC avalanche photodetectors for enabling compact biological agent identification and detection

The development of low cost and compact biological agent identification and detection systems, which can be employed in place-and-forget applications or on unmanned vehicles, is constrained by the photodetector currently available. The commonly used photomultiplier tube has significant disadvantages that include high cost, fragility, high voltage operation and poor quantum efficiency in the deep ultraviolet (240-260nm) necessary for methods such as fluorescence-free Raman spectroscopy. A III-Nitride/ SiC separate absorption and multiplication avalanche photodiode (SAM-APD) offers a novel approach for fabricating high gain photodetectors with tunable absorption over a wide spectrum from the visible to deep ultraviolet. However, unlike conventional heterojunction SAM APDs, the performance of these devices are affected by the presence of defects and polarization induced charge at the heterointerface arising from the lattice mismatch and difference in spontaneous polarization between the GaN absorption and the SiC multiplication regions. In this paper we report on the role of defect density and interface charge on the performance of GaN/SiC SAM APDs through simulations of the electric field profile within this device structure and experimental results on fabricated APDs. These devices exhibit a low dark current below 0.1 nA before avalanche breakdown and high avalanche gain in excess of 1000 with active areas 25x larger than that of state of the art GaN APDs. A responsivity of 4 A/W was measured at 365 nm when biased near avalanche breakdown.
Inflatable Membrane Mirrors for Optical Passband Imagery

Past investigations of membrane mirrors have led to the conclusion that they are not suitable for imaging in the visible.
Nonlocal damage model using the phase field method: Theory and applications

Abstract A new nonlocal, gradient based damage model is proposed for isotropic elastic damage using the phase field method in order to show the evolution of damage in brittle materials. The general framework of the phase field model (PFM) is discussed and the order parameter is related to the damage variable in continuum damage mechanics (CDM). The time dependent Ginzburg–Landau equation which is also termed the Allen–Cahn equation is used to describe the damage evolution process. Specific length scale which addresses the interface region in which the process of changing undamaged solid to fully damaged material (microcracks) occurs is defined in order to capture the effect of the damaged localization zone. A new implicit damage variable is proposed through the phase field theory. Details of the different aspects and regularization capabilities are illustrated by means of numerical examples and the validity and usefulness of the phase field modeling approach is demonstrated.
THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF JOURNALS USED IN FINANCE RESEARCH

The relative importance of various finance and related journals to research published in major finance journals is determined by noting the frequency that all other journals are cited in the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, and Journal of Money, Credit and Banking during the period 1980 to mid−1985. Journals are ranked on the basis of their actual number of citations, citations per article, and citations per 10,000 words published annually. Results give an objective criterion for evaluating the relative impact on the major finance literature of writing in alternative journals. The list of journals developed with the citations methodology differs markedly, on the whole, from the list ranked by Coe and Weinstock (1983) who simply surveyed department chairpersons. Journals that are common to both lists, however, are ranked very much alike, indicating that chairpersons may rank journals they think to include in a subjective list in a way that is consistent with the citations criterion.
Immune regulation of γδ T cell responses in mycobacterial infections

Antigen-specific γδ T cells may play a role in anti-mycobacterial immunity. Studies done in humans and animal models have demonstrated complex patterns of γδ T cell immune responses during early mycobacterial infections and chronic tuberculosis. Recent studies have also shown a clinical correlation between major recall expansion of antigen-specific γδ T cells and immunity against fatal early mycobacterial diseases. Multiple host and microbial factors can regulate diverse immune responses of phosphoantigen-specific γδ T cells during mycobacterial infections.
Application of the Spectral Multidomain Method to the Navier-Stokes Equations

An application of the spectral multidomain method to the two-dimensional, time-dependent, incompressible Navier-Stokes equations is presented. The governing equations are discretized on a non-staggered, stretched mesh with a mixed finite difference/Chebyshev method and are integrated by a time-splitting procedure. The accuracy of the multidomain method is demonstrated for two different channel flow configurations, one with a backward-facing step and the other with a rectangular step. The method is then applied to the investigation of the effects of an isolated, two-dimensional roughness element on the spatial development of instability waves in boundary layers.
Recovery of microvascular PO2 during the exercise off-transient in muscles of different fiber type.

The speed with which muscle energetic status recovers after exercise is dependent on oxidative capacity and vascular O2 pressures. Because vascular control differs between muscles composed of fast-...
NMDA Glutamate Receptor NR1, NR2A and NR2B Expression and NR2B Tyr-1472 Phosphorylation in the Lens

Detailed parallels described between lens fiber cell and neuron morphology, sub-cellular structure, and molecular biology include striking similarities in the ultrastructure of their vesicle transport machinery and the membrane protrusions that occur along the lateral surfaces of both cell types. α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA) glutamate receptors (AMPARs/NMDARs) are the predominant receptors in neurons. These receptors have fundamental roles in neuron morphogenesis as well as neuron physiology and dynamic cell signaling, and specifically at dendritic spines. As a result, AMPAR and NMDAR dysregulation underlies several primary neural disorders that have also shown epidemiological associations with cataract. Previously, we demonstrated AMPAR GluA1 and REST (RE-1 silencing transcription factor)-regulated GluA2 subunits are expressed in the lens, and showed C-terminal phospho-tyrosine-GluA2, and striatal-enriched tyrosine phosphatase (STEP), as well as GluA2 Q/R RNA editing in lenses similar to neurons. Here, we demonstrated that REST-regulated NMDAR NR1, NR2A, and NR2B are also expressed in lenses and localize predominantly in fiber cell membranes, consistent with REST transcription factors, as well as miR-124 and other REST gene targets identified in the lens. We also showed NR2B Tyr-1472 phosphorylation occurs in lens. These p-Tyr-GluA2 and p-Tyr-NR2B phosphorylation events are linked with membrane insertion regulated by STEP. We next determined that NR1 transcripts that include exon 5 are produced in lens consistent with Fox-1 RNA binding protein isoforms linked with this alternative splicing event, and shown to be expressed in lens as well as brain. These findings provide further evidence that fundamental neuronal morphogenetic programs, and hallmark neuronal gene expression and modes of regulation, are shared with elongated fiber cells of the lens.
Dynamics of hostile aggression: Influence of anger, hurt instructions, and victim pain feedback

Abstract The research basically examined some of the dynamics of hostile aggression by looking at the effects of different Buss procedure instructions and levels of victim pain feedback on the aggressive behavior of angered and nonangered men. In a 2 × 2 × 2 completely crossed factorial experiment, male undergraduates were initially either angered or not by an experimental accomplice. When later given the ostensible opportunity to administer shocks to the same accomplice in a typical Buss procedure, the subjects were either told that longer and more intense shocks would probably interfere with the person's learning as well as causing him more pain (hurt instructions) or given no information about the effects of shocks on learning (standard instructions). Finally, after each shock they administered, the subjects were provided with either high or low victim pain feedback. The angered men were significantly more aggressive than their nonangered counterparts, and a significant interaction between anger and instructions indicated this was especially true for the men given hurt instructions. Significant interactions between the other independent variables and trial blocks revealed that the angered men, particularly those receiving hurt instructions and high victim pain feedback, displayed the greates increases in aggression. The results provide qualified support for the derived proposition about hostile aggression that signs and/or knowledge of victim injury and pain can stimulate more intense aggression from angry individuals.
A BEHAVIORAL MODEL OF PAN-AFRICAN DISINTEGRATION: A REPLY

In his article published in this review's December 1970 issue, Alan R. Waters proposes to the reader what he calls “A Behavioral Model of Pan-African Disintegration.” His main point seems to be that there are going to be (if there are not already) too many university graduates in humanities and legal training for African economies to absorb. This excess supply is wanted by Africans and the system adjusts to it more or less automatically: “This is what the educatees want, and this is, therefore, what the system provides” (p. 416). These educatees, according to the author, want these kinds of degrees because of their expected earnings which are too high in the African administrative system. Since this education is freely provided for by the government through taxation, the author asserts that “this high return on educational investment amounts to a transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich” (p. 415). However, the author recognizes, these high rewards are inherited from colonial systems where colonial elites were selected and rewarded on the basis of their metropolitan education and incentive systems. Despite these high rewards, “the colonial and educational systems could remain fairly efficient over time due to the existence of alternative occupations and a parallel education system in the metropole” (p. 420), while in the new systems these conditions have disappeared. To make the exploitation of the poor by the rich (understand, both Africans) clear, the author, in footnote 8 on page 20, shows that “a university graduate in the United Kingdom was paid about the same as a miner in 1967; in Nigeria he was paid four times the salary of a miner or nine times the income of a farmer.”
High lateral resolution SIMS mapping of meteorite chondrule

Abstract Mass spectra for positive and negative secondary ions and elemental maps for O, Na, Mg, Al and Fe at 40 nm lateral resolution are shown of a chondrule rim in the Mezo-Madaras meteorite. The chondrule appears as an aggregate of olivine grains, rimmed by a thin Fe-rich layer, cemented in glass. A wide Fe-rich unlayered rim coats the examined chondrule region.
Ramsey’s theorem for trees: the polarized tree theorem and notions of stability

We formulate a polarized version of Ramsey’s theorem for trees. For those exponents greater than 2, both the reverse mathematics and the computability theory associated with this theorem parallel that of its linear analog. For pairs, the situation is more complex. In particular, there are many reasonable notions of stability in the tree setting, complicating the analysis of the related results.