cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Generation of free radicals in partial oxidation of coal

Abstract Pyrolytic and oxidative treatments of two coals, Illinois No. 6 and Montour, have been performed between 140 and 400 °C. Free radical concentrations were followed by electron paramagnetic resonance as a function of time of treatment at a given temperature. Initial increases in the organic free radical concentrations were observed at all temperatures, but at the higher temperatures termination reactions caused the increase to be transient. Variations in the free radical concentrations of weathered and unweathered coal showed that the former produced a larger number of radicals. Possible effects due to native mineral matter are suggested.
Physical, chemical, and histological characteristics of 18 lamb muscles.

Abstract Muscles ( n = 18) were dissected from each side of 20 lamb carcasses to characterize physical, chemical, and histological traits. Muscles from the right sides were used to measure color values, expressible moisture, pH, total collagen content, and sarcomere length. Muscles from the left sides were aged for 7 d and used to determine Warner–Bratzler shear (WBS) force values. The M. adductor and M. semimembranosus had the darkest colored lean (lowest L ∗ values), whereas the M. latissimus dorsi and M. tensor fasciae latae had the lightest colored lean (highest L ∗ values). The M. triceps brachii , M. pectoralis profundus , and M. latissimus dorsi had among the lowest numerical expressible moistures whereas the M. adductor and the M. longissimus lumborum had among the highest. The M. infraspinatus was found to have the highest collagen content (9.0 mg/g) and the M. psoas major had the longest sarcomere length (3.1 μm). Of the muscles sampled, the M. serratus ventralis had one the lowest WBS values (21.8 N) and the M. semimembranosus the highest (42.6 N). On average, the largest muscles identified were the M. gluteobiceps , M. gluteus medius, M. longissimus lumborum , M. longissimus thoracis, and M. semimembranosus , which would likely be suitable in terms of physical dimensions for used in a variety of individual muscle applications. Other muscles, however, such as the M. teres major and M. tensor fasciae latae , may be too small in size and dimension to be used for individual application.
Sagnac gyroscope using a two-dimensional array of coupled optical microresonators

Micron-scale-integrated optical gyroscopes based on the Sagnac effect have a broad array of potential applications in navigation and inertial motion sensing due to the benefit of on-chip integration and potential sensitivities exceeding micro-electromechanical gyroscopes. Here, we analyze the Sagnac effect in a two-dimensional array of evanescently coupled optical microring resonators. We show that the sensitivity to inertial rotations greatly exceeds that of a single resonator with equal enclosed area. Moreover, a comparison between two-dimensional arrays and Sagnac gyroscopes consisting of one-dimensional distributed microresonators arrays of equal footprint shows that the sensitivity to rotations of the two-dimensional array exceeds that of the one-dimensional structures by as much as several orders of magnitude for smaller arrays.
Modeling of solid particles in fluidized beds

A theory is proposed for the modeling of solid particles in fluidized beds based on ideas in the theory of interacting continua. The theory is capable of predicting the behavior of the mixture in the two extremes. That is, in one limit, as the concentration of solid particles becomes small, the theory reduces to the classical theory of incompressible viscous fluid. In the other limit, as the effect of the interstitial fluid becomes negligible, the theory reduces to the flow of incompressible granular materials. The mixture is considered to be made up of a linearly viscous fluid and granular materials. The stress tensor for the solid particles is derived using a modified version of Enskog's dense gas theory. The normal-stress effects that are observed experimentally in granular materials are predicted in this theory due to a solids fraction gradient. The dependence of the granular stress tensor on the solids fraction gradient arises by requiring that the correlating function that links the two-particle distribution function to the two single-particle distribution functions be the contact value for the radial distribution function of a non-homogeneous, hard sphere fluid. The interaction force is assumed to have contributions from density gradients, relative velocity (drag force), and relative acceleration (virtual mass force).
MODIS direct broadcast products and applications

The MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument provides high spatial and spectral resolution views of each point on the earth four times per day. Both Terra and Aqua platforms have a direct broadcast X-band downlink that allows MODIS (Terra) and MODIS/AIRS (Aqua) data to be received in real time by sites having the proper reception hardware. In order to facilitate use of the data, science production software is being freely distributed through the International MODIS/AIRS processing package (IMAPP). The current suite of IMAPP MODIS products includes navigation and calibration (L1B), cloud mask and cloud top properties, including thermodynamic phase, and atmospheric profiles and water vapor retrievals. The applications have been modified from the operational versions running at the Goddard Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) such that the only required external toolkit is NCSA HDF4. Distribution of this software provides scientists around the world with the capability to produce local real-time high spatial resolution science products. MODIS data produced from the University of Wisconsin direct broadcast automated processing is used for a variety of science applications, including calibration and product validation. The data is also being used by other institutions for a range of purposes including assisting USA National Weather Service forecasters and the monitoring of Hudson Bay shipping routes by the Canadian Ice Service. The science software is being implemented globally from Australia to South America. IMAPP has been successful in providing a portable, relatively easy to install and user friendly software package for converting direct broadcast MODIS data into valuable science products.
Gluing spectrin together

A malarial parasite protein stabilizes red cell membrane and inhibits further parasite invasion. The parasite Plasmodium falciparum is the cause for the most prevalent form of malaria, a disease that claims several million lives annually. No vaccine yet exists and postinfection treatments are far
Measures of gene expression in sputum cells can identify TH2-high and TH2-low subtypes of asthma

Background The 3-gene signature of periostin, chloride channel accessory 1 (CLCA1) , and Serpin β2 (SERPINB2) in airway epithelial brushings is used to classify asthma into T H 2-high and T H 2-low endotypes. Little is known about the utility of gene profiling in sputum as a molecular phenotyping method. Objective We sought to determine whether gene profiling in sputum cells can identify T H 2-high and T H 2-low subtypes of asthma. Methods In induced sputum cell pellets from 37 asthmatic patients and 15 healthy control subjects, PCR was used to profile gene expression of the epithelial cell signature of IL-13 activation (periostin, CLCA1 , and SERPINB2 ), T H 2 genes ( IL4 , IL5 , and IL13 ), and other genes associated with airway T H 2 inflammation. Results Gene expression levels of CLCA1 and periostin, but not SerpinB2, were significantly higher than normal in sputum cells from asthmatic subjects. Expression levels of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 were also significantly increased in asthmatic patients and highly correlated within individual subjects. By combining the expression levels of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 in a single quantitative metric ("T H 2 gene mean"), 26 (70%) of the 37 asthmatic patients had T H 2-high asthma, which was characterized by more severe measures of asthma and increased blood and sputum eosinophilia. T H 2 gene mean values tended to be stable when initial values were very high or very low but fluctuated above or below the T H 2-high cutoff when initial values were intermediate. Conclusion IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 transcripts are easily detected in sputum cells from asthmatic patients, and their expression levels can be used to classify asthma into T H 2-high and T H 2-low endotypes.
Features of home environments associated with children's school success

Findings on differences in the home environments of: high‐ vs. low‐functioning children; middle‐ vs. low‐income children; children of dominant vs. minority cultures; and children whose parents have high vs. low levels of education, are reviewed. Specific parenting practices #opsuch as extensive involvement with children, micro‐structuring of children's development and democratic parenting#cp correlate strongly with school success even when SES, parent IQ, parent education, family size and the child's position in the family are controlled for. Research indicates that it is not so much what middle‐class parents do with their children, as HOW they do it. Middle‐class children appear to undergo an intensive apprenticeship in thinking, seeing, communicating, and learning. In this process they become receptive to the adult structuring involved in Western schooling. Middle‐class parenting practices are found to reflect a coherent set of cultural beliefs about the relation of the individual to the group and about...
Climatology of Instantaneous Rainfall Rates

Abstract Raingage records from four climatic zones (maritime subtropical, continental temperate, maritime temperate and midlatitude interior) were analyzed to study instantaneous rainfall rates as defined by 1 and 4 min accumulations. The frequency distribution of rainfall rates was determined for stations in each of these climatic zones and a zonal average frequency distribution calculated. A progression in the frequency of more intense precipitation was found from the North Pole to the Equator since all of the data were taken from the Northern Hemisphere. The most intense rainfalls were recorded at stations in the maritime subtropical zones and the least intense rainfalls in the maritime temperate zones.
Feature extraction and feature based design approaches in the development of design interface for process planning

The quest for completely automated process planning systems has exposed the lack of techniques capable of automatically understanding the stored CAD models in a manner suitable for process planning. Most current generations of process planning systems have used the ability of humans to translate the part drawing requirements into a form suitable for computer aided process planing. Recently, research advances have been made to improve the understanding of computer stored 3-D part models. The two approaches used are feature recognition and feature based design. This paper presents a state of the art review of feature recognition techniques developed and presents feature based design as an alternative. Process planning systems developed using both approaches are presented.
Components of variance in male lifetime copulatory and reproductive success in a seed bug

Males and females of the seed bug, Neacoryphus bicrucis Say, were individually numbered in the field in southeastern Georgia (USA) and census taken daily for 6 weeks. Variation in male mating efficiency (ME = no. copulations/no. sightings) exceeded that in females and was significantly greater than that generated by a null model. Lifetime copulatory success, estimated as the product of ME and longevity, ranged from 0 to 41, with ME accounting for over 88% of the variation. Lifetime reproductive success (LRS), estimated as the product of ME, longevity, and clutch size, ranged from 0 to 898. Among males copulating at least once, ME accounted for over 40% of the variation in LRS, while longevity alone or in combination with clutch size accounted for 21% and 46%, respectively, of the variation in LRS. Failure of some males (26%) to copulate contributed 38% of the total variation in LRS. Thus, among males surviving to adulthood, sexual selection pressure arising from variation in ME is approximately as strong a “force” for phenotypic change as is natural selection pressure arising from variation in longevity.
A combined modeling–experimental study of the crack opening displacement fracture criterion for characterization of stable crack growth under mixed mode I/II loading in thin sheet materials

Abstract Recent experimental studies have shown that a critical Crack Opening Displacement (COD) has the potential to be a viable parameter for predicting the onset of crack growth in thin sheet 2024-T3 aluminum under combined tension (mode I) and in-plane shear (mode II) loading conditions. To assess the viability of using a critical COD criterion for prediction of crack growth in components experiencing mixed mode loading, the enclosed work presents a complete set of simulation studies and experimental measurements for crack growth under nominally mode I/II conditions. For the first time, finite element crack growth simulations under mixed mode I/II conditions have been performed for the Arcan test specimen using recently measured crack growth path information and the load–crack extension data for the mode I/II experiments. Simulation results indicate that the predicted COD is in excellent agreement with measurements. Specifically, simulation results indicate that (a) the magnitude of COD during simulated crack growth is nearly constant for Δa>5 mm; (b) for Φ≤60°, the predicted COD is primarily perpendicular to the crack path (i.e., mode I in nature); (c) for Φ>60°, the predicted COD is primarily parallel to the crack path (i.e., mode II in nature); (d) near the transitional angle between mode I and mode II fracture, the COD components are more unstable during the crack growth process and (e) simulation predictions for the strain fields are in quantitative agreement with measurement. Taken together, the results from the combined simulation–experimentation program provides strong justification for the use of a COD-based fracture criterion to predict crack growth in thin-sheet materials.
Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty: One-year Followup

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), originally evaluated in 66 patients with objectively documented sleep apnea syndrome, was successful in 33 of the patients as indicated by clinical and polysomnographic improvements. One-year followup polysomnographic evaluations were obtained in 20 of these patients; the remaining 13 were lost to followup. After one year, the patients maintained the improvements seen at the six-week evaluation. Frequency and duration of apnea was significantly reduced from presurgery levels and similar to the six-week results. Oxygenation measures also did not differ from the six-week results, remaining better than presurgery values. Thus, respiration did not disrupt sleep to the degree it had before surgery. Sleep measures were improved compared to presurgery and similar to the six-week data. Body weight remained stable over the entire period.
Morphological analysis of 13 LMNA variants identified in a cohort of 324 unrelated patients with idiopathic or familial dilated cardiomyopathy.

Background— Mutations in the LMNA gene, encoding lamins A/C, represent a significant cause of dilated cardiomyopathy. We recently identified 18 protein-altering LMNA variants in a cohort of 324 unr...
Expanding the MOS: Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the MOS-R and MOS-X

The Mean Opinion Scale (MOS) is a questionnaire used to obtain listeners' subjective assessments of synthetic speech. This paper documents the motivation, method, and results of six experiments conducted from 1999 to 2002 that investigated the psychometric properties of the MOS and expanded the range of speech characteristics it evaluates. Our initial experiments documented the reliability, validity, sensitivity, and factor structure of the P.L. Salza et al. (Acta Acustica, Vol. 82, pp. 650–656, 1996) MOS and used psychometric principles to revise and improve the scale. This work resulted in the MOS-Revised (MOS-R). Four subsequent experiments expanded the MOS-R beyond its previous focus on Intelligibility and Naturalness, to include measurement of the Prosody and Social Impression of synthetic voices. As a result of this work, we created the MOS-Expanded (MOS-X), a rating scale shown to be reliable, valid, and sensitive for high-quality evaluation of synthetic speech in applied industrial settings.
An implementation of the Schwartz-Neumann Alternating Method for collinear multiple cracks with mixed type of boundary conditions

This paper presents an implementation of the Schwartz-Neumann Alternating Method for multiple collinear cracks with mixed types of boundary conditions. Numerical examples are also presented to show the effectiveness of the method.
Flumazenil-precipitated withdrawal in healthy volunteers following repeated diazepam exposure

Rationale Parametric preclinical studies of the benzodiazepine antagonist flumazenil have contributed to the understanding of the physical dependence associated with chronic benzodiazepine use. However, few parametric studies have been conducted in human participants.
The conditioning and memory retention of planaria (Dugesia tigrina) for directional preferences

Abstract Planaria (Dugesia tigrina) are freshwater flatworms that are frequently studied because of their simple well-defined nervous system. Previous studies concluded that planaria can be trained to favor a direction in a Y- or T-maze using shock or other negative stimuli, but many of these experiments performed few overall runs and/or tested few individuals. The current study examines whether planaria have a directional bias and the ability to learn by using Y-mazes. The pre-conditioning period determined initial directional bias and was used to assign training directions. The conditioning period used electrical shock as a negative stimulus to condition planaria to select a specific turning direction in the Y-maze. Post-conditioning tested whether planaria maintained their learned behavior. Control planaria were not shocked during the conditioning period. Each period consisted of 3 trials with 10 runs in each trial. When examining the results of a single trial, many planaria demonstrated a directional ...
Pregnancy and Violence Against Women: An Analysis of Longitudinal Data

Results from research using hospital samples and anecdotal reports from victims have suggested that pregnancy may be a time of increased risk for assaults against women. Research using national probability samples, however, indicates that pregnant women may not be at greater risk for victimization than women who are not pregnant, once the analyses control for the effects of age. The current study used data from Waves 1 and 2 of the National Survey of Families and Households and focused on the relationship between pregnancy and four patterns of violence: no violence, persistent violence, violence cessation, and violence initiation. The sample included 3,500 couples who were either married or cohabiting during the first wave of the study and who were still with the same partner during the second wave 5 years later. The results suggested that first pregnancy, as well as unplanned or unwanted pregnancy, was significantly associated with violence category.
Age and Sex Parameters in Psychomotor Learning

Quantitative relationships were sought among psychomotor response speed (R), number of practice trials (T), chronological age (A), and biological sex (S) for 600 Ss in 30 groups between the ages of 8 and 87 yr. All Ss received 320 trials on a Discrimination Reaction Time apparatus. Hull's equation R = m(1 – e-iT) + c was found capable of describing all 30 acquisition curves with an average predictability of 97.98% when the asymptote (m), rate (i), and R-intercept (c) parameters were varied jointly. When m and c were held constant for each sex and only i varied, the average predictability dropped to 64.76%, indicating that rate alone was inadequate to account for variance due to age and sex. Confirming and extending the classical age-performance data, acquisition speeds followed differential trends for both age and sex variation while over-all proficiency was a non-monotonic function of age. There was a rapid growth to a maximum level for females at the age of 16 and for males at 20, then a gradual, non-pa...
Analysis of ISAR imaging using combined MUSIC and ICA algorithms

This paper presents an overview of the potential for the use of the combined MUSIC and ICA algorithms for scattering center separation in radar imaging. This work uses the combination of these algorithms applied to the specific problem of scattering center extraction from a complex radar target. The radar data is first processed using ICA to extract the independent scattering components. These components are then processed using the MUSIC algorithm to isolate the signal subspace and form an image. The target data used in this paper was generated using the turntable ISAR system at the University of Texas at Arlington. The results of this paper show the viability of the combination of these signal processing algorithms to enhance the users ability to extract scattering centers within a complex target.
Lack of association between hyperglycaemia at arrival and clinical outcomes in acute stroke patients treated with tissue plasminogen activator.

Rationale Hyperglycaemia is associated with adverse outcomes in some studies of acute ischaemic stroke. Aims We hypothesised that in thrombolytic-treated stroke patients, hyperglycaemia would be independently associated with haemorrhagic transformation and unfavourable outcome. Design Consecutive rt-PA-treated acute ischaemic stroke patients presenting to four emergency departments were analysed. Associations of initial blood glucose and survival to hospital discharge, symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage, any form of intracerebral haemorrhage, and disability at hospital discharge were determined. Potentially confounding factors of age, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, and smoking were analysed by univariate logistic regression and those with P<0·3 included in the multivariate model. Study Outcome In 268 patients, initial glucose values ranged from 62 to 507 mg/dl (mean 131). Elevated glucose at arrival was not significantly associated with any adverse clinical outcomes. A trend towards higher mortality in hyperglycaemic patients (odds ratio 1·71 per 100 mg/dl increase in glucose, 95% confidence interval 0·92–3·13, P=0·08) was seen, but is of unclear significance, and was not corroborated by effects on discharge disability, symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage or intracerebral haemorrhage. Conclusions Thrombolytic-treated stroke patients with hyperglycaemia at presentation did not have significantly worse outcomes than others in this cohort. These data fail to confirm previously described associations seen in similarly sized studies. Further study of these associations and their magnitude are necessary to better define the relationship between serum glucose and outcome in thrombolytic-treated acute ischaemic stroke.
Anatomic shoulder arthroplasty for treatment of proximal humerus malunions

Background Malunion of proximal humeral fractures complicated by damage to the glenohumeral cartilage and injury to the joint capsule and rotator cuff can include treatment requiring anatomic shoulder arthroplasty. This study defines results and complications of this procedure and identifies factors associated with success or failure. Methods From 1976 to 2007, 109 patients underwent shoulder arthroplasty for proximal humerus malunions. Ninety-five met the criteria for analysis with a mean follow-up period of 9.2 years. Fracture types according to the Neer classification were two part in 20, three part in 37, four part in 31, and head splitting in 2, with 16 fracture-dislocations. Hemiarthroplasty was performed in 45 patients, with 50 undergoing total arthroplasty. Results Pain scores improved from 7.8 to 3.1 ( P P = .001). Of 31 patients with available radiographs, 20 had healed tuberosity osteotomies. Sixteen complications required 10 reoperations, including 6 of 9 patients with severe postoperative instability. There were 57 excellent or satisfactory results by use of the Neer rating. No patient, injury pattern, previous treatment, surgical, or radiologic variation was significantly associated with an increased risk of an unsatisfactory result, except for severe postoperative instability. Kaplan-Meier survivorship for reoperation, in 109 shoulders, was 94.8% (95% confidence interval, 90.5%-99.4%) at 5 years and 90.1% (95% confidence interval, 83.6%-97.1%) at 10 and 15 years. Conclusion Anatomic shoulder arthroplasty improves pain and motion. Surgery is complex. Tuberosity osteotomies often heal. Postoperative instability is the most common complication leading to reoperation and is usually associated with rotator cuff and shoulder capsule injury.
Adrenal gland volume and dexamethasone-suppressed cortisol correlate with total daily salivary cortisol in African-American women.

Context: Population-based studies of associations between subclinical hypercortisolism and risk for disease states, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, have been difficult to assess because of imprecise measures of glucocorticoid exposure. Alternative measures (salivary cortisol and adrenal gland volume) have not been systematically compared with 24-h urine free cortisol (UFC) in a healthy population. Objective: Our objectives were: 1) to determine whether 24-h UFC and total daily salivary cortisol correlated with each other, adrenal gland volume, and salivary cortisol after dexamethasone suppression and 2) to evaluate the association of adrenal gland volume with salivary cortisol after dexamethasone suppression. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a cross-sectional study of 20 healthy, premenopausal African-American women aged 18–45 yr. Main Outcome Measures: Salivary cortisol was assessed at six time points throughout the day simultaneous with 24-h UFC collection. Adrenal gland volume was measured...
‘Fiwi TV:’ Ethnic media and the West Indian diaspora:

This article explores the Caribbean International Network (CIN), analyzing the ideological work it performs for West Indian audiences within the cultural, socio-political and economic contexts in w...
Charge state specific facile gas-phase cleavage of Asp 75–met 76 peptide bond in the α-chain of human apohemoglobin probed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Herein, we present the first example of charge state specific facile gas-phase cleavage of an aspartic acid-methionine peptide linkage. This cleavage (Asp 75-Met 76) was observed in the alpha-chain of human adult hemoglobin (Hb) and was probed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. This specific conformational and/or charge density dependent dissociation was observed primarily in the [M + 11H]11+ and [M + 12H]12+ species. A mechanism involving an intramolecular proton transfer from the protonated carboxyl side chain of Asp 75 to the neighboring Met 76 residue yielding an anhydride moiety at the C-terminal of the Asp 75 is proposed. Dramatic differences in dissociation of [M + 13H]13+ and [M + 14H]14+ species were observed.
I'll Buy That! Cybersecurity in the Internet Marketplace

Interviews with chief security officers in the Internet supply chain (those companies that provide Internet services or encourage people to use the Internet) reveal dramatically different attitudes about corporate cybersecurity. The authors' preliminary investigation suggests that a company's market discipline explains these differences.
Quality assessment and improvement in interventional cardiology: a position statement of the Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, part 1: standards for quality assessment and improvement in interventional cardiology.

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) improves quality of life and survival in certain clinical settings [1]. These benefits are counterbalanced by the procedural risks. To encourage quality patient care, each PCI program must evaluate its performance through a meaningful continuous quality improvement (CQI) process. The ACC/AHA/SCAI 2005 PCI guideline update, as well as the newly implemented SCAI/ACC catheterization laboratory accreditation program, Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence (ACE), requires a CQI program for every health care facility in which PCI is performed [2]. CQI is an iterative method to evaluate operational approaches and remedy deficiencies [3]. The primary emphasis in CQI is on evaluating the overall program structure, processes, and outcomes of care; however, specific operator performance assessed by peer review is highly desirable. The Federal Health Care Improvement Act of 1986 recognized the importance of these programs by protecting participants and their deliberations. The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention (SCAI) has previously published guidelines to develop a framework for these activities in the catheterization laboratory [4,5]. This statement is Rush Medical College, Chicago, Illinois Central Arkansas Veterans Health System and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, MS Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana St. Vincent Hospital, Worcester, Massachusetts University of California, Irvine Medical Center, Irvine, California University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
Promoting Social Justice and Caring in Schools and Communities: The Unrealized Potential of the Cohort Model:

The problem of the efficacy of educational leadership as a promoter of just and caring change in schools and communities is explored in the context of educational leadership preparation practices. ...
Serial composition of quantum coin flipping and bounds on cheat detection for bit commitment

Quantum protocols for coin flipping can be composed in series in such a way that a cheating party gains no extra advantage from using entanglement between different rounds. This composition principle applies to coin-flipping protocols with cheat sensitivity as well, and is used to derive two results: There are no quantum strong coin-flipping protocols with cheat sensitivity that is linear in the bias (or bit-commitment protocols with linear cheat detection) because these can be composed to produce strong coin flipping with arbitrarily small bias. On the other hand, it appears that quadratic cheat detection cannot be composed in series to obtain even weak coin flipping with arbitrarily small bias.
Effects of nonindigenous tadpoles on native tadpoles in Florida: evidence of competition

The impacts of nonindigenous species on native ecosystems can be severe, sometimes leading to the extinction of native taxa. Interspecific competition is a potential mechanism of negative impact of invasive species, but few studies have conclusively demonstrated competition between native and nonindigenous taxa. In this study I used experimental manipulations to examine the competitive effects of the larvae of two widely introduced anurans, the cane toad, Bufo marinus, and the Cuban treefrog, Osteopilus septentrionalis, on the growth and development of the larvae of two native anurans (the southern toad, Bufo terrestris, and the green treefrog, Hyla cinerea). The presence of O. septentrionalis larvae consistently impacted growth and development of native larvae, resulting in reduced growth rates and delayed metamorphosis of both native species and smaller mass at metamorphosis of B. terrestris. Hyla cinerea larvae transformed at greater body masses when reared with the rapidly transforming nonindigenous species as a result of competitive release. The negative effects of O. septentrionalis on native larvae were generally significant whether native tadpoles were exposed to O. septentrionalis alone or in combination with B. marinus. In contrast, B. marinus tadpoles did not significantly impact the growth or development of either native species. Neither nonindigenous species significantly decreased the survivorship of native larvae, although a trend toward decreased survivorship was evident for H. cinerea. These results suggest that nonindigenous larval anurans may adversely impact native tadpole communities as a result of interspecific competition. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Complete blood count may provide risk stratification for survival and AML transformation in CMML

17502 We performed a retrospective analysis of 120 patients with CMML (98 de novo CMML and 22 evolving from MDS) to examine clinical features that may influence survival and AML transformation. Uni...
Linked in: Cholesterol connects oligos to liver

Targeting liver cells, called hepatocytes, with antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) could allow for the modulation of genes that control cholesterol flux. Because cholesterol naturally travels through the liver, it can be hitched to therapeutic ASOs needing a ride there. Wada and colleagues report the
STABLE DAMAGE GROWTH IN COMPOSITE SANDWICH PANELS UNDER STATIC COMPRESSION

In this paper, damage growth characteristics and failure mechanisms were studied experimentally for two types of graphite composite sandwich panels with titanium cores : [+45/0/-45/90]s IM7/PETI-5 and [+45745/0/90]s IM7/5260. Results from static compression tests showed that stable damage growth prevailed in all specimens before final catastrophic failure occurred. For both face sheet materials, damage propagated stably in a self-similar manner from the notch tip to the specimen edge until it reached the critical damage length. The master curve which related the instantaneous damage length to the applied load was established for each face sheet material using the least square method. The master curve was shown to be independent of the original notch configurations. However, the master curve was found to be different for different face sheet materials, suggesting that the rate of damage growth was highly dependent upon the properties of face sheet materials. The failure mechanisms of the composite sandwich panel were also investigated using the scanning electronic microscope (SEM). The SEM results showed that failure initiated via kinking in the 0°-ply cross-section, which was followed by matrix cracking, delamination, and splitting in the off-axis plies. Based on this study, it is concluded that failure characteristics of notched composite sandwich panels are significantly affected by the presence of a honeycomb core. For sandwich panels with little or no core stiffness, local buckling near the notch tip can easily occur since there is no constraint against the outof-plane deformation. For sandwich panels with a stiffer core, shear failure through the thickness is the dominant failure mode as the core can stabilize the face sheets against local buckling. As a result, the residual strength, the critical damage length, and the composite fracture toughness are all affected by the core stiffness in the out-of-the-plane direction. Another interesting phenomenon found was that damage growth from the notch tip was stable rather than catastrophic. This is an important observation since it may be feasible to develop a sandwich structure that is capable of arresting a propagating crack.
Ground-Penetrating Radar Exploration of Alluvial Fans in the Southern Blue Ridge Province, North Carolina

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) was used to explore alluvial-fan complexes on the piedmont slopes of higher mountains in the Blue Ridge province of North Carolina. On young fans with relatively unweathered surfaces, GPR penetration reached 16 m with 100 MHz antennae and 25 m with 25 MHz antennae. Penetration appears to be deepest near fan apexes. As the fans are composed mainly of bouldery debris flow deposits, the internal structures revealed by GPR profiles are few. The typical profile has a chaotic appearance and is composed of numerous discontinuous reflectors with varying dips and diffraction hyperbolas produced by boulders. On old abandoned fans that have been subjected to intense weathering, boulders in the deposits have decomposed and structures subparallel to the surface are more likely to be seen. Continuous reflectors that may indicate contacts between depositional units, buried soils, or groundwater tables, however, are rare in both kinds of fans. Generally radar velocity and penetration are greatest on young fans, less on old fans, and least on saprolite.
Abdominal Wall Defects Among Mexican American Infants: The Effect of Maternal Nativity

Background : US-born Mexican American women have greater rates of preterm birth and consequent overall infant mortality than their Mexico-born peers. However, the relation of Mexican American women’s nativity to rates of congenital anomalies is poorly understood. Hispanic ethnicity and young maternal age are well-known risk factors for gastroschisis. Objective : To determine the extent to which nativity of Mexican American women is associated with abdominal wall defects. Methods : Stratified and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed on the 2003-2004 National Center for Health Statistics linked live birth-infant death cohort. Only Mexican American infants were studied. Maternal variables examined included nativity, age, education, marital status, parity, and prenatal care usage. Results: Infants with US-born Mexican American mothers (n=451,272) had an abdominal wall defect rate of 3.9/10,000 compared with 2.0/10,000 for those with Mexico-born mothers (n=786,878), RR=1.9 (1.5-2.4). Though a greater percentage of US-born (compared wtih Mexico-born) Mexican American mothers were teens, the nativity disparity was actually widest among women in their 20s. The adjusted (controlling for maternal age, education, marital status, parity, and prenatal care) odds ratio of abdominal wall defects among infants of US-born (compared with Mexico-born) Mexican American mothers was 1.6 (1.2-2.0). Conclusions : US-born Mexican American women have nearly a two-fold greater rate of delivering an infant with an abdominal wall defect than their Mexico-born counterparts. This phenomenon is only partially explained by traditional risk factors and highlights a detrimental impact of lifelong residence in the United States, or something closely related to it, on the pregnancy outcome of Mexican American women. Ethn Dis; 2016;26(2):165-170; doi:10.18865/ed.26.2.165
Accuracy of WAAS-Enabled GPS-RF Warning Signals When Crossing a Terrestrial Geofence

Geofences are virtual boundaries based on geographic coordinates. When combined with global position system (GPS), or more generally global navigation satellite system (GNSS) transmitters, geofences provide a powerful tool for monitoring the location and movements of objects of interest through proximity alarms. However, the accuracy of geofence alarms in GNSS-radio frequency (GNSS-RF) transmitter receiver systems has not been tested. To achieve these goals, a cart with a GNSS-RF locator was run on a straight path in a balanced factorial experiment with three levels of cart speed, three angles of geofence intersection, three receiver distances from the track, and three replicates. Locator speed, receiver distance and geofence intersection angle all affected geofence alarm accuracy in an analysis of variance (p = 0.013, p = 2.58 × 10−8, and p = 0.0006, respectively), as did all treatment interactions (p < 0.0001). Slower locator speed, acute geofence intersection angle, and closest receiver distance were associated with reduced accuracy of geofence alerts.
Some Characteristics of Orienting Reflexes

“My principal thesis today will be that the input is never into a quiescent or static system, but always into a system which is already actively excited and organized. In the intact organism behavior is the result of interaction of this background of excitation with input from any designated stimulus. Only when we can state the general characteristics of this background of excitation, can we understand the effects of a given input” (Lashley, 1951, p.112).
Experimental study of biaxial and uniaxial strain effects on carrier mobility in bulk and ultrathin-body SOI MOSFETs

Biaxial and uniaxial strained silicon technologies are promising for enhancement of CMOS performance. However, the advantage of uniaxial/biaxial strain over biaxial/uniaxial strain in terms of carrier mobility is not clear, since biaxial and uniaxial strain effects on carrier mobility have not till date been directly compared. Furthermore, the carrier mobility under uniaxial strain has not been fully studied in terms of strain directions. On the other hand, in spite of the importance of ultrathin-body (UTB) SOI MOSFETs to suppress the short channel effects in sub-20-nm regime, strain effects in UTB MOSFETs with SOI thickness, T/sub SOI/, of less than 5nm have not be explored yet. In this report, biaxial and uniaxial strain effects on carrier mobility are systematically studied, for the fist time, utilizing externally applied mechanical stress. The biaxial and uniaxial strain effects in UTB MOSFETs with T/sub SOI/ of less than 5nm are also investigated, for the first time.
Factors that impact on emergency nurses' ethical decision-making ability.

Background:Reliance on moral principles and professional codes has given nurses direction for ethical decision-making. However, rational models do not capture the emotion and reality of human choice. Intuitive response must be considered.Research purpose:Supporting intuition as an important ethical decision-making tool for nurses, the aim of this study was to determine relationships between intuition, years of worked nursing experience, and perceived ethical decision-making ability. A secondary aim explored the relationships between rational thought to years of worked nursing experience and perceived ethical decision-making ability.Research design and context:A non-experimental, correlational research design was used. The Rational Experiential Inventory measured intuition and rational thought. The Clinical Decision Making in Nursing Scale measured perceived ethical decision-making ability. Pearson’s r was the statistical method used to analyze three primary and two secondary research questions.Participant...
DETERMINING POST-PASTEURIZATION CONTAMINATION BY A SURFACE PLATE METHOD1

Post-pasteurization contamination constitutes a major problem for quality control and regulatory sanitarians in the market milk industry. The bacteria of most concern are gram-negative, aerobic, resistant to surface active agents, catalase-positive, and grow rapidly on the surface of solid media. Knowledge of these characteristics was utilized to provide the basis for a surface plating method to determine their numbers. Bacteria in this group account for most growth during low temperature storage and at warm temperatures. Results with the surface plate method were available in 16 to 20 hr. Preliminary data showed the test to be useful in indicating a lapse in proper pasteurization, cleaning, and/or sanitization.
Optical Flow for Rigid Multi-Motion Scenes

We observe that in many applications, the motion present in a scene is well characterized by a small number of (rigid) motion hypotheses. Based on this observation, we present rigid multi-motion optical flow (RMM). By restricting flow to one of several motion hypotheses, RMM produces more accurate optical flow than arbitrary motion models. We evaluate an algorithm based on RMM on a novel synthetic dataset, consisting of 12 photo-realistically rendered scenes containing rigid vehicular motion and a corresponding, exact, ground truth. On this dataset, we demonstrate a substantial advantage of RMM over general-purpose algorithms: going from 36% outliers with the DiscreteFlow algorithm, to 26% with ours, with a mean error reduction from 8.4px to 6.9px. We also perform qualitative evaluation on real-world imagery from traffic cameras.
The association of metal air pollutants with lung cancer risk

4559 Air pollution particulate matter (PM) is associated with lung cancer risk. Copper, iron, nickel, vanadium, and zinc are in airborne PM, and cadmium, nickel, and zinc are in tobacco smoke. Cadmium and nickel, as well as several other metals released into air by industry are human lung carcinogens. We conducted an ecological study to examine the association of industrial air releases for metals with lung cancer incidence in Texas. During 1995-2000, 81,132 lung cancer cases were reported in Texas. We identified metals that: (1) are in airborne PM or tobacco smoke, or are human lung carcinogens, and (2) had consistent Environmental Protection Agency reporting for air releases for multiple counties during 1988-2000. We examined the association of metal air releases with average annual age-adjusted rates for lung and non-small cell lung cancer, and lung adenocarcinoma at the county level. Univariate analysis indicated the following positive associations: (1) zinc with the lung cancer (p = 0.02), non-small cell lung cancer (p
Where can wolves live and how can we live with them

Abstract In the contiguous 48 United States, southern Canada, and in Europe, wolves (Canis lupus) have greatly increased and expanded their range during the past few decades.They are prolific, disperse long distances, readily recolonize new areas where humans allow them, and are difficult to control when populations become established.Because wolves originally lived nearly everywhere throughout North America and Eurasia, and food in the form of wild and domestic prey is abundant there, many conservation-minded people favor wolves inhabiting even more areas.On the other hand, wolves conflict in several ways with rural residents who prefer fewer wolves. This article discusses the recovery of wolves, their benefits and values, the ways in which they conflict with humans, and the potential for their expansion into new areas.It concludes that wolf conservation will best be accomplished by each responsible political entity adaptively prescribing different management strategies for different zones within its purview.Some zones for some periods can support total protection, whereas in others, wolf numbers will have to be reduced to various degrees or removed.
Classification error correction: A case study in brain-computer interfacing

Classification techniques are useful for processing complex signals into labels with semantic value. For example, they can be used to interpret brain signals generated by humans corresponding to a finite set of commands for a physical device. The classifier, however, may interpret the signal as a command that is different from the intended one. This error in classification leads to poor performance in tasks where the class labels are used to learn some information or to control a physical device. We propose a computationally efficient algorithm to identify which class labels may be misclassified out of a sequence of class labels, when these labels are used in a given learning or control task. The algorithm is based on inference methods using Markov random fields. We apply the algorithm to goal-learning and tracking using brain-computer interfacing (BCI), in which signals from the brain are commonly processed using classification techniques. We demonstrate that the proposed algorithm reduces the time taken to identify the goal state in control experiments.