cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An improved protocol for extracting extracellular polymeric substances from granular filter media.

Abstract Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are an important parameter in drinking-water biofilters, and, to date, this is the first study to compare protocols from the literature for extracting EPS from granular filter media. Five extraction protocols were compared, and one was improved by varying the type of initial physical treatment and the shaking intensity, temperature, and time of incubation. Extracting EPS from granular filter media in triplicate by combining 2 g (wet weight) of filter media with 10 mL of extraction buffer (10 mM Tris, 10 mM EDTA, 2.5% NaCl, pH 8), vortexing for 1 min, and incubating for 4 h at 35 °C with shaking at 200 rpm yielded significantly higher EPS polysaccharide and/or protein concentrations than did protocols from the literature. This improved protocol extracted a significant fraction of the biofilm attached to sand but was less effective on biofilm attached to anthracite or granular activated carbon (GAC). A survey of 11 full-scale biofilters from the U.S. and Canada revealed that EPS polysaccharide and protein concentrations can vary over one order of magnitude, from 0.02 to 0.60 mg glucose/g total solids (TS) and 0.27 to 3.38 mg bovine serum albumin/g TS, respectively. Backwashing significantly lowered the biomass and EPS polysaccharide concentrations, but the majority of the biofilm remained attached to the filter media after backwashing, as expected. The fraction of EPS polysaccharides and proteins removed during backwashing did not differ between anthracite and GAC biofilters. The improved EPS extraction protocol can be utilized to investigate the role of EPS in biofilter performance.
Patient–Provider Communication Barriers and Facilitators to HIV and STI Preventive Services for Adolescent MSM

Adolescent males who have sex with males (AMSM) are at increased risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Healthcare providers are a critical source of HIV/STI prevention, yet little is known about AMSM patient-provider sexual health communications and services. To explore this issue, we surveyed a national sample of 198 AMSM 14-17 years. Four online psychometrically validated scales indicated over half the youth avoided communicating their sexual orientation and sexual health concerns to providers due to fear of heterosexist bias, concern their sexual health information would be disclosed to parents, and a general belief that sexual minority youth do not receive equitable treatment in health care settings. Youth who reported their physicians had initiated discussion about their sexual orientation were significantly more likely to have received HIV/STI preventive services and testing. Discussion includes the importance of medical training that meets the unique sexual health needs of AMSM.
Mapa mondi (Catalan Atlas of 1375), Majorcan cartographic school, and 14th century Asia

Abstract. This paper deals with the Mapa mondi drawn and written in about 1375. It is my starting study about this important map of the medieval period in the Catalan language and the finest work to come from the Majorcan cartographic school of the fourteenth century. The aim of this paper is to give a general overview of the publication with some details on descriptions of the portion of Asia, and in more details as regards China. This map is known also as the Catalan Atlas, because it is composed of several tables sketching out the world known at that time, from the Atlantic Coast of Europe to the Pacific Coast of East Asia. The main sources for the eastern parts of the world were travelogues of Marco Polo, John Mandeville, and Odoric of Pordenone. The presumable author of the Catalan Atlas, Cresques Abra-ham (1325–1387), a Jewish cartographer from Palma, was “master of mappae mundi and compasses” to Peter IV (III), the King of Aragon. He worked on the atlas with his son Jehuda, who after the Aragonese persecutions of 1391, converted to Christianity. The atlas contained the latest information on Africa, Asia, and China and was considered to be the most complete picture of geographical knowledge as it stood in the later Middle Ages. The translations of original texts and interpretations, based on facsimiles of original source and on secondary sources until 2016, will be a part of this paper.
2-Adic zeros of diagonal forms

Abstract Consider an additive form F ( x ) = a 1 x 1 d + a 2 x 2 d + ⋯ + a s x s d whose coefficients are 2-adic integers. In this article we give an exact formula, in terms of d, for the smallest number of variables which guarantees that F has a nontrivial zero in the 2-adic integers regardless of the values of the coefficients.
Pharmacomechanical Coupling: The Membranes Talk to the Crossbridges

Excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling in smooth muscle (Table 1) is distinguished by the importance of pharmacomechanical coupling: a complex of signal transduction mechanisms that is not directly dependent on changes in membrane potential (Somlyo and Somlyo, 1968). In contrast, in striated muscle electromechanical coupling is the dominant E-C coupling mechanism. We shall emphasize pharmacomechanical coupling in this overview, not only because of its importance and our interest in it, but also because there has been major progress in our understanding of its molecular mechanisms, particularly the mechanisms of Ca2+ release and modulation of Ca2+-sensitivity.
Subsidized Housing and Health: Time for a Multidisciplinary Approach.

The author discuss the role affect that subsidized housing in the U.S. has on health, referencing an article in the issue by Mehta et al., including the author's perspective on a multidisciplinary approach to research. An overview of the relationship between asthma, rental assistance and public housing in Boston, Massachusetts is provided.
Renaissance Linguistics: Spanish Tradition

A history of linguistics must include the contributions of Spanish authors. In antiquity, Quintilian (Marcus Fabius Quintilianus), and in the Middle Ages, Isidore of Seville – both born in what today is Spain – made major contributions to the science. During the Renaissance, Antonio de Nebrija wrote the first grammar of a modern European language, in which he anticipated the idea of language universals. During the latter part of the Renaissance, Francisco Sanchez de las Brozas (Sanctius) also used the concept of language universals and even anticipated the idea of deep or underlying structure. Obviously, Nebrija and Sanctius did not work in a vacuum; there were many other linguists in Spain and even in Spanish America who are discussed in this article.
Inheritance Operations in Massively Parallel Knowledge Representation

This chapter elaborates on an approach to knowledge representation that combines the use of a limited inference strategy with massive parallelism. Conceptually, a class hierarchy is used. The nodes in this hierarchy are augmented by a preorder numbering scheme. The augmented hierarchy is then transformed into a pointer-free linear tree representation . This tree representation is implemented on a CM-2 Connection Machine, such that every node resides on its own processor. This chapter discusses in detail an algorithm for inheritance in the linear tree representation. It also introduces an algorithm for upward-inductive inheritance for the linear tree representation. Experimental data from a Connection Machine CM-2 implementation show that for a given machine size downward inheritance can be performed in constant time. The height of the class tree has no influence on the run time. Upward-inductive inheritance run times grow very moderately with the number of nodes in the tree. 1
Alcohol, Neurodegenerative Disorders, and Calcium Channel Antagonist Receptors

Our current understanding of the physiology and pharmacology of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels owes considerable debt to the use of Ca2+ -channel antagonist drugs as probes of channel structure and function. The availability of these probes and the pivotal role of Ca2+ channels in normal cellular activity have led workers in diverse fields, including neurology, psychiatry, cardiology, and endocrinology, to search for changes in Ca2+ -channel function or number that may be important in the pathophysiology of clinical diseases. This search has gained impetus from studies of genetically determined diseases in animals, such as congenital cardiomyopathy in hamsters (Wagner et al. 1986) and muscular dysgenesis in mice (Pincon-Raymond et al. 1985), in which changes in the expression of Ca2+ -channel antagonist receptors have been detected.
Law, Politics, and Cost-Benefit Analysis

This Article explores the significant role cost–benefit analysis (CBA) plays in facilitating or impeding legislative and regulatory policy decisions. The Article centers around three case studies of CBAs the EPA prepared under three different presidents: (1) Clinton Administration changes to Clean Air Act air quality standards for ozone and particulate matter; (2) President Obama’s recent decision to suspend the EPA’s reconsideration of the Bush Administration’s air quality standard for ozone; and (3) the George W. Bush Administration’s “Clear Skies” legislative initiative. The first two case studies demonstrate, between them, how well-constructed CBAs can facilitate social-welfare-enhancing and impede welfare-reducing rules, even in cases where explicit consideration of costs is legally prohibited. The third case study tells a more complex story of how CBAs can be manipulated either to promote welfare-reducing regulations or impede welfare-enhancing regulations. When that happens, however, the virtuous transparency of CBAs renders those efforts liable to discovery and disclosure, as in the case of the Bush Administration’s failed “Clear Skies” initiative. The Article concludes with an assessment of the implications of the case studies for our understanding of the role of CBA in political (both legislative and regulatory) processes, and with a call for more qualitative and quantitative empirical research on the use and abuse of CBA as a political tool. ABSTRACT 55 INTRODUCTION 56 I. THE CBA PROCESS: OBJECTIVE REPRESENTATION OF SUBJECTIVE CHOICE 59 II. THE USE AND ABUSE OF CBA IN PUBLIC POLICY DECISIONS 70 Case Study 1: CBA Can Facilitate Collective Action by Disarming Political Opposition 71 55 INTRODUCTION 56 I. THE CBA PROCESS: OBJECTIVE REPRESENTATION OF SUBJECTIVE CHOICE 59 II. THE USE AND ABUSE OF CBA IN PUBLIC POLICY DECISIONS 70 Case Study 1: CBA Can Facilitate Collective Action by Disarming Political Opposition 71 * Professor, Maurer School of Law and School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington. The author thanks Dan Farber, John Graham, Peter Grossman, Lisa Heinzerling, Shi-Ling Hsu, Kerry Krutilla, Jonathan Nash, the late Elinor Ostrom, V. Kerry Smith, and David Weimer for helpful comments and suggestions on drafts of this Article, but remains solely responsible for the contents. COLE 55 – 89 (DO NOT DELETE) 10/19/2012 11:26 AM 56 Alabama Law Review [Vol. 64:1:55 Case Study II: CBA Exposes and Impedes Inefficient Regulation 74 Case Study III: Blatant Abuse of CBA and the Vital Check of Transparency 82 IMPLICATIONS AND CONCLUSION 88
FUEL CELLS – DIRECT ALCOHOL FUEL CELLS | New Materials

An introduction to the direct alcohol fuel cell (DAFC) and new materials needed for DAFCs are presented in this article. The topics covered include what DAFCs are, how they are made, how they work, and what new materials research that is being carried out with electrocatalysts, electrolytes and electrodes to address the challenges involved in making a practical DAFC. Particular emphasis is given to discussion of the particular DAFC that uses methanol, the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), because the DMFC is the closest DAFC to being practical since methanol is the most easily electrooxidizable alcohol.
Electrogastrography in cyclic vomiting syndrome.

Children with cyclic vomiting syndrome have a characteristic periodicity, and this could be due to abnormal gastric myoelectrical activity detectable by cutaneous electrogastrography (EGG). Fifteen children, aged 4-15 years, with CVS (eight symptomatic and seven asymptomatic at the time of study) underwent EGG and were compared to five normal and four disease control children. The relative tachygastria activity (RTA) or power ratio was calculated in each group. Five of the eight symptomatic CVS children showed marked episodes of tachygastria preprandially and all showed tachygastria postprandially. The asymptomatic CVS children showed tachygastria only postprandially after the test meal. RTA index and or power ratio of symptomatic children was significantly different from the asymptomatic CVS children (P = 0.001), normal (P = 0.007) and disease control children (P = 0.006). In a subsequent study, 2-hr gastric emptying 99m Tc scintiscans were performed in 28 CVS children and compared to eight healthy control children. Twelve of 16 CVS children (75%) showed abnormal gastric emptying, and 7 of 28 (25%) showed abnormal EGG with significant tachygastria. The CVS children had significantly higher RTA both preprandially (P < 0.05) and postprandially (P < 0.05). Our results demonstrate that accelerated gastric rhythm was seen during the acute episodes of half of the CVS patients studied. Abnormal EGGs and higher RTA or power ratios were associated with delayed gastric emptying in the CVS children. Abnormal gastric myoelectrical activity may play a role in the pathogenesis of CVS syndrome.
A Prospective Evaluation of Three-Dimensional Image Simulation: Patient-Reported Outcomes and Mammometrics in Primary Breast Augmentation.

Background:Outcomes in primary breast augmentation depend on careful preoperative planning and clear communication between patient and surgeon. Three-dimensional imaging with computer simulation is an evolving technology with the potential to enhance the preoperative consultation for patients consid
Predictive factors associated with liver fibrosis and steatosis by transient elastography in patients with HIV mono‐infection under long‐term combined antiretroviral therapy

INTRODUCTION Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is characterized by the presence of hepatic steatosis and can be associated with fibrosis progression, development of cirrhosis and liver-related complications. Data on the prevalence of liver fibrosis and steatosis in HIV patients remain contradictory in resource-limited settings. We aimed to describe the prevalence and factors associated with liver fibrosis and steatosis in patients with HIV mono-infection under long-term antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. METHODS Clinical assessment, fasting blood collection and liver stiffness measurement (LSM)/controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) by transient elastography were performed on the same day for this cross-sectional study (PROSPEC-HIV study; NCT02542020). Patients with viral hepatitis co-infection, ART-naive or missing data were excluded. Liver fibrosis and steatosis were defined by LSM ≥ 8.0 kPa and CAP ≥ 248 dB/m respectively. HIV history, cumulative and current ART regimens were evaluated. Multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for age and gender were performed. RESULTS In total, 395 patients (60% female; median age of 45 (IQR, 35 to 52) years, body mass index = 25.7 (23.2 to 29.4) kg/m2 , alanine aminotransferase = 30 (23 to 42) IU/L, duration of ART for 7 (4 to 14) years) were included. LSM and CAP were reliable in 93% (n = 367) and 87% (n = 344) respectively. The prevalence of fibrosis and steatosis were 9% (95% confidence interval (CI), 7 to 13) and 35% (95% CI, 30 to 40) respectively. The following factors were associated with fibrosis (odds ratio (OR) (95% CI)): older age (per 10 years; 1.80 (1.27 to 2.55); p = 0.001) and CD4+ count <200 cells/mm3 (7.80 (2.09 to 29.09), p = 0.002). Type 2 diabetes had a trend towards the presence of liver fibrosis (2.67 (0.96 to 7.46), p = 0.061). Central obesity (10.74 (4.40 to 26.20), p < 0.001), type 2 diabetes (9.74 (3.15 to 30.10), p < 0.001), dyslipidaemia (2.61 (1.35 to 5.05), p = 0.003) and metabolic syndrome (4.28 (2.45 to 7.46), p < 0.001) were associated with steatosis. A dominant backbone ART regimen of zidovudine (AZT), d4T, ddI or ddC was associated with steatosis (1.90 (1.07 to 3.38), p = 0.028) independently of metabolic features. CONCLUSION Integrated strategies for preventing non-communicable diseases in people with HIV mono-infection are necessary to decrease the burden of liver diseases. Clinical Trial Number: NCT02542020.
Sexual and Romantic Relationships in Young Adulthood

Sociological research has long recognized the important role that intimate relationships play in young people's lives. In recent decades, relationship formation patterns and relationship trajectori...
The prophetess and the pope: St. Hildegard of Bingen, Pope Benedict XVI, and prophetic visions of church reform

Pope Benedict XVI seemed an unlikely fellow to declare Hildegard of Bingen a Doctor of the Church in 2012. Yet Joseph Ratzinger’s studies as a medievalist disposed him to the symbolist tendencies of Hildegard and her contemporaries in reflecting on the relationship among scripture, history, and the Church. Deeply affected by the abuse of political power and corruption within the Church, both Ratzinger and Hildegard developed prophetic outlooks on the nature of the Church and its mission in the world, centered on the singular light of Christ’s Incarnation. We find, across the centuries, a shared embrace of the enigmatic tension between the Church’s corrupted institutions and their prophetic renewal. Ironically, Hildegard came to distrust the authority of the papacy and prophesied its ending, even as Benedict would be, as pope, her greatest champion.
The Good Life I: Joy, Happiness, Timelessness

This chapter discloses the radicality of Homo risibilis, the liberation it brings about and the personal benefits that ensue. It compares this worldview with contemporary theories of laughter, philosophies of tragic joy and views of happiness. It evaluates the paths to harmony open to a conflictual being in a world of discordance and the viability of the kind of joy tragic philosophies propose. It criticizes contemporary theories that define well-being without drawing from a lucid and sobering view of the human condition. The chapter concludes with the argument that Homo risibilis changes our relation to time through the feeling of timelessness that accompanies the happiness it enables, thus rivaling the promises given by redemptive philosophies and religions.
Big-data business models: A critical literature review and multiperspective research framework:

The emergence of “big data” offers organizations unprecedented opportunities to gain and maintain competitive advantage. Trying to exploit the strategic business potential embedded in big data, man...
Addressing the Relationship Between Emotion Management and Social Capital: An Analysis of Federal Employees

Emotion management describes the ability of an employee to regulate the outward manifestation of emotions during personal interactions. Prior studies examining emotions in organizations have often emphasized the production of emotional labor during service delivery transactions with clients. Such a focus has overlooked the emotion management that takes place between employees. Using ordinary least- squares (OLS) regression, this study analyzes the 2016 Merit Principles Survey of federal employees to examine the relationship between emotion management and the development of social capital. Findings from the study show a positive relationship between emotion management and social capital. These findings provide evidence that employees capable of properly regulating their emotional states during interactions with their colleagues perceive themselves as having more social capital. The findings, however, also indicate that the positive relationship between emotion management and social capital does not hold for employees of color to the same extent that it does for white employees. This could mean that emotion management by employees of color is less likely to lead to increases in social capital as it is for their white counterparts. These findings have important implications for our understanding of emotion management and its impact on how employees navigate their organizations.
Using multiple short hops for multicopter navigation with only inertial sensors

In certain challenging environments, such as inside buildings on fire, the main sensors (e.g. cameras, LiDARs and GPS systems) used for multicopter localization can become unavailable. Direct integration of the inertial navigation sensors (the accelerometer and rate gyroscope), is however unaffected by external disturbances, but the rapid error accumulation quickly makes a naive application of such a strategy feasible only for very short durations. In this work we propose a motion strategy for reducing the inertial navigation state estimation error of multicopters. The proposed strategy breaks a long duration flight into multiple short duration hops between which the vehicle remains stationary on the ground. When the vehicle is stationary, zero-velocity pseudo-measurements are introduced to an extended Kalman Filter to reduce the state estimation error. We perform experiments for closed-loop control of a multicopter for evaluation. The mean absolute position estimation error was 3.4% over a total flight distance of 5m in the experiments. The results showed a 80% reduction compared to the standard inertial navigation method without using this strategy. In addition, an additional experiment with total flight distance of 10m is conducted to demonstrate the ability of this method to navigate a multicopter in real-world environment. The final trajectory tracking error was 3% of the total flight distance.
Effect of Dissolution of Titanium Ions on Ti Alloys Electrodeposition from EMIC-AlCl 3 Ionic Liquid at Low Temperature

In this work, the dissolution of Ti ions from a sacrificial Ti anode during electrolysis on the reduction behavior of Ti–Al alloy electrodeposits from a Lewis acidic eutectic mixture of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (EMIC) and a 0.667-mol fraction of aluminum chloride (AlCl3) is investigated. The Ti ions are dissolved in EMIC-AlCl3 ionic liquid (IL) by potentiostatic and galvanostatic electrolysis using chronoamperometry (CA) and chronopotentiometry (CP) techniques, respectively. At the same time, the electrodeposition of the Ti–Al alloy is accomplished on the copper cathode electrode at 383 K using the Ti anode. The dissolution, concentration, and deposition of Ti species are controlled by varying the electrolysis current, potential, and the electrolysis duration (1–3 h). The electrochemical reduction behavior of Ti and Al ions is studied on all Pt wire electrodes using cyclic voltammetry (CV). SEM studies revealed homogeneous and crystalline Ti–Al electrodeposits for CP-electrolysis. EDS and XRD revealed 16 at %. Ti with a cubic Ti0.12Al0.88 phase of Ti–Al alloy obtained from 1 h CP-electrolysis. The Ti content in Ti–Al alloy decreased with an increase in electrolysis time.
Synthesis of Carborane-Containing Nucleosides, Nucleotides, and Carbohydrates for Bnct

The radiobiological effectiveness of the neutron capture reaction is 2-5 times greater when it occurs in the cell nucleus rather than in the cytoplasm.1,2 Boronated nucleic acid precursors and components may be suitable agents to achieve high selective boron concentrations in the nucleus of tumor cells.
Dynamics and stability of partially folded and unfolded BPTI analogs

We have used NMR for characterization of partially folded and unfolded ensembles of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI) that model the early stages of folding. A chemically synthesized analog of BPTI, [14-38]Abu, which has a single disulfide bond between loop residues 14 and 38 and the other four cysteines replaced by -amino-nbutyric acid (Abu), is an ensemble of multiple partially folded conformations in slow exchange at low temperature (1-10°C) and pH > 4.5 [1]. Native-like conformations are more favored in the core than in the rest of the molecule. At lower pH and elevated temperature, the structure in the core is lost to form an unfolded ensemble of conformations with no secondary structure detected by CD or NMR [2,3]. Selective labeling with allows for characterization of conformations in slow exchange. In the present work, we have determined the stability of individual segments of the partially folded [14-38]Abu using chemical denaturation and NMR. There is a significant difference in the urea unfolding profiles of residues in the core and those in the rest of the molecules. This shows that global unfolding is non-cooperative, with the core being the last to unfold, and that the most ordered structure is in the hydrophobic core of the native protein.
The Two Faces of American Freedom

"The Two Faces of American Freedom" boldly reinterprets the American political tradition from the colonial period to modern times, placing issues of race relations, immigration, and presidentialism in the context of shifting notions of empire and citizenship. Today, while the U.S. enjoys tremendous military and economic power, citizens are increasingly insulated from everyday decision-making. This was not always the case. America, Aziz Rana argues, began as a settler society grounded in an ideal of freedom as the exercise of continuous self-rule - one that joined direct political participation with economic independence. However, this vision of freedom was politically bound to the subordination of marginalized groups, especially slaves, Native Americans, and women. These practices of liberty and exclusion were not separate currents, but rather two sides of the same coin. However, at crucial moments, social movements sought to imagine freedom without either subordination or empire. By the mid-twentieth century, these efforts failed, resulting in the rise of hierarchical state and corporate institutions. This new framework presented national and economic security as society's guiding commitments and nurtured a continual extension of America's global reach. Rana envisions a democratic society that revives settler ideals, but combines them with meaningful inclusion for those currently at the margins of American life.
Review of Methods for Estimating the Economic Impact of Transportation Improvements

Transportation analysts and the public decision-makers they support are confronted with a broad range of analytical tools for estimating the economic impacts of improvements to transportation networks. Many of the available models operate at different scales and have distinctly different structures, making them more or less appropriate for analyzing the impacts of different types of projects. Here, we review several of the economic methods and models that have been developed for analyzing the impact of transportation improvements, giving special attention to types of projects that add highway capacity in urban areas. We review project-based methods, including benefit-cost analysis and several analytical software tools developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for economic analysis of transportation investment. We then move on to aggregate and disaggregate-level econometric methods, including regional economic models, hedonic price functions, production functions and cliometric analyses. We also devote some attention to the role of induced demand in economic evaluation, since it is often one of the most uncertain and confounding factors faced by those charged with conducting economic evaluation of transportation projects.
The synthesis of teichoic acids. V. Polyglucosylglycerol phosphate and polygalactosylglycerol phosphate.

Abstract The synthesis of two polymers, polyglucosylglycerol phosphate and polygalactosylglycerol phosphate, from cytidine diphosphate glycerol and either uridine diphosphate d-glucose or uridine diphosphate d-galactose, catalyzed by an enzyme preparation from Bacillus licheniformis ATCC 9945, has been described. The synthesis proceeds by the stepwise addition of hexose and glycerol phosphate units. Polymers of this structure have not been previously described. Evidence is presented that they are a component of the cell wall of B. licheniformis ATCC 9945 and may be linked to the mucopeptide in the cell wall.
On the Contribution of TCP to the Self-Similarity of Network Traffic

Recent research has shown the presence of self-similarity in TCP traffic which is unaffected by the application level and human factors. This suggests the presence of protocol level contributions to network traffic self-similarity, at least in certain time scales where the effect of protocol behavior is most prominent. In this paper we show how TCP's retransmission and congestion control mechanism contributes to the self-similarity of aggregate TCP flows. We develop a mathematical formulation which shows that TCP's retransmission and congestion control mechanism results in packet dynamics of a TCP flow being analogous to a number of ON/OFF sources with OFF periods taken from a heavy tailed distribution. Using well known limit theorems, we then show that this contributes to the self-similar nature of TCP traffic. Our model shows a direct correlation of the loss rates to the degree of self-similarity. Measurements on traces collected by us also exhibit this relationship predicted by our model.
Determination of low level RF control requirements for superconducting cavities from microphonics measurements

In lightly beam loaded superconducting accelerators the rf power requirements are dictated by the maximum amount of microphonics that the system must be able to control and by the energy content of the cavity. In previous machines, such as heavy-ion boosters, the energy content of the cavities was relatively small and one could afford to specify a large control window and still use low power (/spl sim/100 W) rf sources. In newer accelerators that are being contemplated - such as the CEBAF 12 GeV upgrade or RIA - the energy content of the cavity is quite large requiring rf sources in excess of 10 kW. Conservatism in the control window specification would be quite costly; on the other hand loss of lock could have adverse effect on machine availability or beam property or even, in some cases, result in activation. We present a model to estimate the requirements to be placed on the rf control system based on the properties of the cavities, the frequency tuning system, and the characteristics of the accelerator.
Borage oil reduction of rheumatoid arthritis activity may be mediated by increased cAMP that suppresses tumor necrosis factor-alpha

Recent double blind studies have shown some benefit of borage oil in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha has been shown to be a central mediator of inflammatory and joint destructive processes in rheumatoid arthritis. In this paper, evidence from published research is reviewed that indicates gamma linolenic acid component of borage oil increases prostaglandin E levels that increase cAMP levels that in turn suppress tumor necrosis factor-alpha synthesis. If this biochemical path of borage oil is correct then (1) concomitant non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use would tend to undermine borage oil effects, and (2) borage oil would be contraindicated in pregnancy given the teratogenic and labor inducing effects of prostaglandin E agonists.
The implications of job clustering for training programmes

Most training programmes seem to have a short time perspective. They are geared to train a person for his first job, but then essentially leave him on his own. It is argued that, by clustering jobs and identifying requirements common to a number of jobs, and then by structuring the training programme so as to enable the person to transfer knowledge in these common areas from job to job, it would be possible to prepare a person for his whole work career by training him for a number of jobs at once. Strategies and approaches are discussed and evaluated, and suggestions are made. In general, this approach seems not only feasible, but practical, and is worthy of further consideration.
Nanoparticles Adsorbed at the Water/Oil Interface: Coverage and Composition Effects on Structure and Diffusion

Dissipative particle dynamics simulations are performed to study the structural and dynamical properties of various systems of nanoparticles accumulated at the water/oil interface. Homogeneous and Janus nanoparticles with different surface compositions are studied. For all nanoparticles, as the surface density increases, a transition from a liquidlike to a solidlike state is observed, as expected. At a high density of nanoparticles, hexagonal structures emerge and the nanoparticles' self-diffusion coefficient decreases because of caging effects. Similar results are observed for nanoparticles with different surface chemistry. Because different nanoparticles have different contact angles at the water/oil interface, the results obtained for systems containing mixed nanoparticles are more interesting. For example, our results show that the self-diffusion coefficient is not a monotonic function of the system composition, caused by the complex relation between hydrodynamic interactions and effective nanoparticle-nanoparticle interactions.
Entropy production and plasma relaxation

Plasma relaxation, as well as the relaxation of more general diffusive systems, is discussed from a dynamical point of view. It is shown that a state which minimizes the rate of entropy production, as suitably defined, attracts neighboring states and thus causes relaxation. For plasmas, the entropy principle is compared with Taylor's hypothesis of energy minimization and is shown to explain observed experimental results. An iteration scheme based on the entropy principle is constructed, and enables numerical calculation of the relaxed state. The scheme arises more naturally than the ''local potential'' method of Glansdorff and Prigogine which is improved upon.
Reliable Crowdsourcing for Multi-Class Labeling Using Coding Theory

Crowdsourcing systems often have crowd workers that perform unreliable work on the task they are assigned. In this paper, we propose the use of error-control codes and decoding algorithms to design crowdsourcing systems for reliable classification despite unreliable crowd workers. Coding theory based techniques also allow us to pose easy-to-answer binary questions to the crowd workers. We consider three different crowdsourcing models: systems with independent crowd workers, systems with peer-dependent reward schemes, and systems where workers have common sources of information. For each of these models, we analyze classification performance with the proposed coding-based scheme. We develop an ordering principle for the quality of crowds and describe how system performance changes with the quality of the crowd. We also show that pairing among workers and diversification of the questions help in improving system performance. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed coding-based scheme using both simulated data and real datasets from Amazon Mechanical Turk, a crowdsourcing microtask platform. Results suggest that use of good codes may improve the performance of the crowdsourcing task over typical majority-voting approaches.
Low-frequency modes and nonbarotropic effects in pseudo-Newtonian accretion disks

A recently developed formalism is used to reexamine the question of the existence of hydrodynamical modes that pulsate with very low frequencies in the inner regions of accretion disks. The formalism is valid in an exact sense for the adiabatic pulsations of rotating Newtonian fluids that are generally nonbarotropic (such as those with 'nonadiabatic temperature gradients,' for example), and hence its application in the present context represents an improvement over previous analyses that are more approximate. The formalism is applied to thin non-self-gravitating disks, with the gravitational potential of the central source modified in the usual way in order to simulate relativistic effects. In the barotropic limit, the analyses indicate that in many cases nearly Keplerian disks exhibit nonaxisymmetric modes of pulsation that are trapped in the inner disk regions, with pulsation periods much longer than the dynamical timescale. These results are similar to those of earlier calculations that assume disks pulsate without changing the temperature distribution. A method is developed for including lowest order nonbarotropic effects. Previous analyses have been incapable of accurately treating the nonbarotropic regime. The application of the present method to the low-frequency modes reveals that, due to unexpected cancellations among terms, the nonbarotropic correction to the pusation frequency omega is only of order tilde-omega(sub BV exp 2) omega, where tilde-omega(sub BV) is the appropriate dimensionless Brunt-Vaisala frequency. This correction is much smaller than the expected correction of order tilde-omega(sub BV) Omega, where Omega is the rotation angular velocity. The important conclusion drawn from this is that nonbarotropic corrections are generally small and hence that low-frequency modes persist into the nonbarotropic regime. For disk temperatures appropriate to X-ray emission, the adiabatic frequencies of trapped modes are of the same order as the frequencies associated with quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) of certain low-mass X-ray binaries and other X-ray sources. It is suggested that further consideration be given to the possiblity that modulation of emission processes by these modes can explain at least some of the QPO phenomena.
The role of hydrogel structure and dynamic loading on chondrocyte gene expression and matrix formation

Crosslinked poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels are attractive scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering because of their ability to mimic the aqueous environment and mechanical properties of native cartilage. In this study, hydrogel crosslinking density was varied to study the influence of gel structure and the application of dynamic loading (continuous, 1 Hz, 15% amplitude strain) on chondrocyte gene expression over approximately 1 week culture. Gene expression was quantified using real-time RT-PCR for collagen II and aggrecan, the major cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) components, and collagen I, an indicator of chondrocyte de-differentiation. When chondrocytes were encapsulated in PEG gels with low or high crosslinking, a high collagen II expression compared to collagen I expression (1000 or 100,000:1, respectively) indicated the native chondrocyte phenotype was retained. In the absence of loading, relative gene expression for collagen II and aggrecan was significantly higher (e.g., 2-fold and 4-fold, respectively, day 7) in the low crosslinked gels compared to gels with higher crosslinking. Dynamic loading, however, showed little effect on ECM gene expression in both crosslinked systems. To better understand the cellular environment, ECM production was qualitatively assessed using an in situ immunofluorescent technique and standard histology. A pericellular matrix (PCM) was observed as early as day 3 post-encapsulation and the degree of formation was dependent on gel crosslinking. These results suggest the PCM may protect the cells from sensing the applied loads. This study demonstrates that gel structure has a profound effect on chondrocyte gene expression, while dynamic loading has much less of an effect at early culture times.
Enhancement of fracture toughness in high strength steel by microstructural control

Abstract The development of new alloys with improved mechanical properties has been seriously hampered in the past by the inability of a metallurgist to relate quantitatively the variables of microstructure and fracture toughness. The emergence of a unified theory of fracture toughness in the past decade has done much to alleviate this difficulty. As a consequence of a recent interdisciplinary research effort involving both the disciplines of physical metallurgy and experimental fracture mechanics, we have been able to develop alloys with engineering properties superior to those of commercially available materials. This research has required the creation of new and unusual microstructures, utilizing a variety of thermal and thermomechanical processes. The quantitative relationships of mechanical properties (strength, ductility, work hardening, and fracture toughness) with composition and microstructure are discussed in detail for the newly developed TRIP steels. In the report of another development, it is shown how the fracture toughness of low alloy quenched and tempered steels with yield strengths over 200,000 psi can be improved by as much as 70 per cent by microstructural control. Lastly, the initial results of research on alloys intended for cryogenic service are described. The composition, heat treatment, microstructure and properties of an alloy having more than three times the toughness of the presently used alloys are discussed.
Two Computer Programs for Vocational Exploration and Assessment Employing Occupational Aspirations.

This paper describes the development and initial testing of two programs designed to assist in the process of vocational choice. The basis for the programs is a considerable body of research evidence which substantiates that occupational aspirations (expressed choice) is as valid a predictor of a variety of outcome criteria as is any standardized interest inventory. The programs to be described start with the subject's expressed choices and employ a pair-comparison scaling technique to scale the relative desirability of each choice. In addition, work value ratings are imposed upon the scaled occupations as well as upon the subject's stated needs and the estimate of the capacity of an occupation to satisfy those work value needs. A subsidiary program for the student who is vocationally undecided, as well as vocationally uninformed, is also outlined. Initial evaluation of the programs against standardized interest inventories has yielded promising results.
Review: Whole skeletal muscle transplantation: mechanisms responsible for functional deficits.

One aspect of tissue engineering of skeletal muscle involves the transposition and transplantation of whole muscles to treat muscles damaged by injury or disease. The transposition of whole muscles has been used for many decades, but since 1970, the development of techniques for microneurovascular repair has allowed the transplantation of muscles invariably result in structural and functional deficits. The deficits are of the greatest magnitude during the first month, and then a gradual recovery results in the stabilization of structural and functional variables between 90 and 120 days. In stabilized vascularized grafts ranging from 1 to 3 g in rats to 90 g in dogs, the major deficits are approximately 25% decrease in muscle mass and in most grafts approximately 40% decrease in maximum force. The decrease in power is more complex because it depends on both the average shortening force and the velocity of shortening. As a consequence, the deficit in maximum power may be either greater or less than the deficit in maximum force. Tenotomy and repair are the major factors responsible for the deficits.Although the data are limited, skeletal muscle grafts appear to respond to training stimuli in a manner no different from that of control muscles. The training stimuli include traditional methods of endurance and strength training, as well as chronic electrical stimulation. Transposed and transplanted muscles develop sufficient force and power to function effectively to: maintain posture; move limbs; sustain the patency of sphincters; partially restore symmetry in the face; or serve as, or drive, assist devices in parallel or in series with the heart.
A model of problem solving with incomplete constraint knowledge

Abstract The problem-solving behavior of subjects presented with a series of Tower of Hanoi problems is examined. A production system model which incorporates elements of domain-specific knowledge into a general problem-solving framework is presented. Other models developed for the task are based on understanding of complete solution strategies and are not satisfactory models of nonexpert human performance. The current model discriminates between problem-solving behavior based on constraint knowledge and behavior based on nonspecific general search strategies. A variety of move choice and latency measures are used to compare the performance of the model to human subject performance.
Aggressors and Their Victims: Toward a Contextual Framework for Understanding Children′s Aggressor-Victim Relationships

Abstract Research on the development of aggression and victimization has focused on the psychological and behavioral characteristics of the individual children. The need exists to examine aggressors and victims, (a) as interdependent participants in a social relationship, and (b) as a relationship embedded within the social context of children′s peer relations. It is argued that the study of the aggressor-victim relationship would benefit by focusing on the dyad as the unit of analysis. Further, we recommend the inclusion of contextual factors for the comprehensive study of aggressors and their victims. As an example of this approach, the four facets of context suggested by Cohen and Siegel (Cohen, R., & Siegel, A. W. (1991). A context for context: Toward an analysis of context and development. In Cohen R. and Siegal, A. W. (Eds.), Context and Development (pp.3-23). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.) are applied to the study of the aggressor-victim relationship. Several directions for future research are suggested.
Robotic lobectomy and the principles of technology diffusion.

Th e roots of modern robotic surgery can be traced back to US Department of Defense-funded research focused on applications for battlefield telesurgery. Following a period of commercial development, legal battles, and industry consolidation, robotic surgery has matured and expanded across a variety of disciplines. Yet there is still uncertainty regarding the value generated by this proliferation. In this issue of CHEST (see page 1505 ), Paul and colleagues 1 add to the growing literature on robotic technology in thoracic surgery. Th ey identify several important fi ndings. First, robotic lobectomy volume increased substantially over their study period. Second, when compared with an established minimally invasive platform, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), robotic lobectomy was associated with more intraoperative hemorrhage and iatrogenic injury and cost, yet off ered no clinical benefi t.
The role of a cognitive factor in the prolongation of an induced visual afterimage

Induced visual afterimages endure for very short periods of time (about 15 sec-2 min). In an attempt to prolong the perceived duration of afterimages, an experiment was conducted to examine the roles of stimulus codability (the degree of intersubject agreement on the name of an inducing stimulus object) and stimulus complexity (the number of elements in the inducing object) on afterimage duration. We found that stimulus codability affected afterimage duration: A highly codable stimulus produced the most enduring afterimage. Stimulus complexity, on the other hand, did not affect afterimage duration. We conclude that, in addition to physiological factors that affect the production and prolongation of an afterimage, cognitive factors may play a role as well. One such factor may be stimulus codability.