cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of reciprocal cross fostering on the behaviour of two species of rodents, Mus musculus and Baiomys taylori ater

Summary 1. Four treatment groups were used: two control groups, Baiomys pups reared by Baiomys dams and Mus pups reared by Mus dams: two experimental groups, Mus and cross-fostered Baiomys pups reared by Mus dams, and Baiomys and cross-fostered Mus pups reared by Baiomys dams. The adult behaviours of control animals were compared to those of experimental conspecifics. 2. The open field total activity scores of cross-fostered Baiomys were greater than those of control Baiomys. The open field total activity scores of cross-fostered Mus were lower than those of control Mus. It is suggested that differential handling by the dams might account for this difference. 3. In a social preference test control Mus and Baiomys spent more time in a chamber adjacent to a conspecific. Both cross-fostered male and female Mus spent more time in a chamber adjacent to a Baiomys. However, the cross-fostered female Mus showed a stronger preference for the foster species than did the cross-fostered Mus males and cross-fostered male Baiomys spent more time adjacent to a conspecific. Thus the results from the social preference tests indicated that females were more affected by cross-fostering than males. 4. The behaviours of animals from control groups differed from those of the cross-fostered groups when pair encounters were staged between conspecifics and between Baiomys and Mus. Some of the differences involved measures of fighting and grooming behaviour, number of attempted mounts and approach and with-drawal behaviour. 5. Pair encounters revealed that the cross-fostered animals were reacting more positively to the foster species than to conspecifics. 6. Cross-fostered animals were profoundly influenced in their open field performances, social preferences (with the exception of the male cross-fostered Baiomys) and social behaviours as a result of being cross-fostered to a different species at birth. The cross-fostered animals established, presumably through learning, new social relationships with the foster species. 7. Cross-fostered male and female Mus did not lose their ability to mate with a conspecific. This implies that sexual behaviour in this species is less susceptible to change due to early experience than other social behaviours such as fighting, allogrooming, and approach and avoidance behaviours.
Outcome of pouch-related complications after heal pouch-anal anastomosis

Background Creation of a small intestinal reservoir after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) results in an improved quality of life because of significantly diminished stool frequency. However, a number of complications associated with the pouch may jeopardize these sphincter-sparing procedures and occasionally result in permanent ileostomy. This study was conducted to assess the incidence, risk factors, clinical characteristics, management strategies, and outcome of pouch-related complications after IPAA. Methods Data on all patients undergoing IPAA with a J pouch between 1983 and Spring 1997 were prospectively gathered. Patients with pouch-specific complications were identified, and both inpatient and outpatient records analyzed in detail. When necessary, telephone contact was made to update functional data. Other parameters evaluated included age, gender, diagnosis, medication history, diagnostic modalities, laboratory values, time course, management strategies, reoperative procedures, and final results. Results Some 510 IPAA procedures were performed between 1983 and Spring 1997; 87% of patients had inflammatory bowel disease. Operative mortality was 0%. In the entire series, 27 (5.3%) had complications related to the J pouch. Of those, 22 (81%) had ulcerative colitis and were on a mean dose of 32 mg/day of prednisone. Computed tomography scan made the diagnosis in 18 (67%) and the mean white blood cell count on admission was 14,400. In 11 (41%), the complications occurred after IPAA whereas in the other 16 (59%) it occurred after ileostomy closure. In 5 (19%), the complication resolved with intravenous antibiotics and percutaneous drainage, and 22 (81%) required reoperation. Proximal (11, or 41%) and distal (8, or 30%) pouch leaks or cuff abscesses were the most common complication and accounted for 19 (70%) of the complications observed. In this series, 3 patients (11 %) had complications severe enough to warrant J pouch excision, and 1 patient had a permanent ileostomy without excision. Overall pouch excision/ failure in this series was 0.78%. Conclusion Complications involving the J pouch are a seemingly unavoidable part of sphinctersparing surgery for colonic mucosal diseases. However, if therapy is timely, aggressive, and judicious for these complex patients, pouch loss should be uncommon and long-term results acceptable.
Rhodium and iridium complexes with the PN donor ligand 1-(2-pyridyl)-2-(diphenylphosphino)ethane. Crystal and molecular structures of Ir(PN)2(CO)Cl, Ir(PN)(CO)Cl, and [Rh(PN)2]PF6

[Ir(PN) 2 (CO) Cl] cristallise dans le systeme monoclinique groupe d'espace P2 1 /a et sa structure est affinee jusqu'a R=0,025. [Ir(PN) (CO) Cl]•Et 2 O cristallise dans le systeme triclinique, groupe d'espace P1 avec R=0,025. [Rh(PN) 2 ] PF 6 cristallise dans P2 1 /n avec R=0,039
Commentary on ‘Vitamin D supplementation for improving bone mineral density in children’

This is a commentary of Cochrane review, published in this issue of EBCH, first published as: Winzenberg TM, Powell S, Shaw KA, Jones G. Vitamin D supplementation for improving bone mineral density in children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 10. Art. No.: CD006944. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006944.pub2. Further information for this Cochrane review is available in this issue of EBCH in the accompanying Summary article. Copyright © 2011 The Cochrane Collaboration. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. The Cochrane Collaboration
Exact Formulation of Multiple Scattering in a Three-Dimensional Cylindrical Geometry

Abstract Exact expressions for the source function, flux, and scattered intensity normal to the surface are developed in cylindrical coordinates for a three-dimensional, absorbing, emitting, isotropically scattering medium exposed to both diffuse and collimated radiation. Simplifications of these expressions for certain important geometries and uniform loading are presented. Also, superposition of these equations and radiative equilibrium are discussed. The generalized three-dimensional equations are shown to reduce to the familiar one-dimensional results. Also, the equations for a strongly anisotropic phase function which is made up of a spike in the forward direction superimposed on an otherwise isotropic phase function are expressed in terms of the isotropic expressions.
Discrepancies Between Euclidean Distance and Compositional Analyses of Resource Selection Data With Known Parameters

A Euclidean distance (ED) method of wildlife habitat analysis has recently been proposed as an alternative to compositional analysis (CA). We performed simulation analyses to compare performance of ED to that of CA, using data sets with known parameters, where habitat patch size and shape remained the same. We observed extensive misclassification rates for ED but not for CA. For each of the 16 utilization permutations we modeled, of 3 avoided and 2 preferred habitats, results for CA and ED differed. Differences depended on the particular utilization permutations (i.e., juxtaposition of habitats) and did not seem to occur in any clear or predictable pattern. We recommend that ED not be used for future analyses of habitat use or resource selection until or unless these analytical problems can be rectified.
Ionic conductivity of the aqueous layer separating a lipid bilayer membrane and a glass support.

The in-plane ionic conductivity of the ∼1-nm-thick aqueous layer separating a 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) bilayer membrane and a glass support was investigated. The aqueous layer conductivity was measured by tip-dip deposition of a POPC bilayer onto the surface of a 20- to 75-μm-thick glass membrane containing a single conical-shaped nanopore and recording the current−voltage (i−V) behavior of the glass membrane nanopore/POPC bilayer structure. The steady-state current across the glass membrane passes through the nanopore (45−480 nm radius) and spreads radially outward within the aqueous layer between the glass support and bilayer. This aqueous layer corresponds to the dominant resistance of the glass membrane nanopore/POPC bilayer structure. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching measurements using dye-labeled lipids verified that the POPC bilayer maintains a significant degree of fluidity on the glass membrane. The slopes of ohmic i−V curves yield an aqueous layer conduct...
A 32nm high-k and metal-gate anti-fuse array featuring a 1.01µm 2 1T1C bit cell

A 1 k-bit high-density OTP (One Time Programmable)-ROM array featuring a new anti-fuse memory is presented using 32nm high-k (HK) and metal-gate (MG) CMOS process. Our 32nm HK+MG SOC process technology enables smallest reported one-transistor one-capacitor (1T1C) bit cell area measuring 1.01µm2. The 32-row by 32-column array with a programmable sensing scheme demonstrates yield exceeding 99.9% and robust reliability.
Molecular detection and genotyping of male-specific coliphages by reverse transcription-PCR and reverse line blot hybridization.

In recent years, there has been increased interest in the use of male-specific or F+ coliphages as indicators of microbial inputs to source waters. Sero- or genotyping of these coliphages can also be used for microbial source tracking (MST). Among the male-specific coliphages, the F+ RNA (FRNA) viruses are well studied, while little is known about the F+ DNA (FDNA) viruses. We have developed a reverse line blot hybridization (RLB) assay which allows for the simultaneous detection and genotyping of both FRNA as well as FDNA coliphages. These assays included a novel generic duplex reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) assay for FRNA viruses as well as a generic PCR for FDNA viruses. The RT-PCR assays were validated by using 190 field and prototype strains. Subsequent DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analyses of RT-PCR products revealed the classification of six different FRNA clusters, including the well-established subgroups I through IV, and three different FDNA clusters, including one (CH) not previously described. Within the leviviruses, a potentially new subgroup (called JS) including strains having more than 40% nucleotide sequence diversity with the known levivirus subgroups (MS2 and GA) was identified. We designed subgroup-specific oligonucleotides that were able to genotype all nine (six FRNA, three FDNA) different clusters. Application of the method to a panel of 351 enriched phage samples from animal feces and wastewater, including known prototype strains (MS2, GA, Qβ, M11, FI, and SP for FRNA and M13, f1, and fd for FDNA), resulted in successful genotyping of 348 (99%) of the samples. In summary, we developed a novel method for standardized genotyping of F+ coliphages as a useful tool for large-scale MST studies.
Ileorectal anastomosis: a safe surgical technique.

We believe that by utilizing this technique for ileorectal anastomosis, the incidence of anastomotic leakage, with all its attendant mortality and morbidity, is minimized.
The false promise of unipolarity: constraints on the exercise of American power

In World out of balance, Stephen Brooks and William Wohlforth make a valuable contribution to ongoing debate about the systemic effects of unipolarity and the durability of US primacy. They are correct that unipolarity engenders systemic stability because the power gap between the United States and potential rivals forestalls military balancing. However, Brooks and Wohlforth underweight other means through which major states are resisting US power and they fail to appreciate that the systemic characteristics of unipolarity may change in relatively short order.
The demand for accessories, footwear and hosiery: An economic analysis

The accessories, footwear and hosiery industries have always been important complements to the apparel industry. While the demand for apparel has been studied fairly extensively, the demand for accessory items has been overlooked. To gain a better understanding of the demand for accessories, footwear, and hosiery, it is the purpose of this research to estimate expenditure equations for accessories, footwear and hosiery; and to profile the consumer characteristics of the purchasers and non‐purchasers of these items. An economic model of demand provides the theoretical framework. Expenditure equations are estimated using data from the 1990–91 Consumer Expenditure Survey. The results indicate that income, family size and education positively affect expenditures on accessories, footwear and hosiery while the results for age, occupation and region vary among the categories. The results have implications for producers and marketers of accessories, footwear and hosiery.
Quantification of fracture networks in non-layered, massive rock using synthetic and natural data sets

Abstract Two quantitative measures – correlation dimension and maximum Lyapunov exponent – are investigated for quantifying fracture spacing in massive, non-layered rock. The correlation dimension, a measure of fractal dimension, characterizes some aspects of fracture distribution. Relative to other fractal methods used in structural geology, the correlation dimension provides a more rigorous mathematical calculation of the fractal dimension and is particularly robust in cases where data is limited. The maximum Lyapunov exponent calculation also provides quantification of observed distributions of fracture spacing, emphasizing variations in adjacent spacing measurements. The two methods are tested on two different synthetic data sets, to elucidate their usefulness in distinguishing between different distributions, and their sensitivity to population size, average fracture spacing, and standard deviation. Both methods provide accurate results for small population sizes and for a range of average fracture spacings. These methods are then used together to quantify two different fracture sets in the granitoids of the Sierra Nevada Batholith. The results indicate that the different fracture sets – inferred to form from different tectonic processes – have distinctive and quantifiable differences in patterns of fracture spacing.
Effects of cycloheximide on polyribosome function in reticulocytes.

Abstract 4 × 10 −6 m -Cycloheximide partially inhibited protein synthesis in reticulocytes, and caused a slight increase in the polyribosome content of the cells and the amount of nascent polypeptide material bound to polyribosomes. When reticulocytes were incubated with NaF, with chloramphenicol, or without added iron salts, polyribosomes were converted to single ribosomes. This conversion could be prevented by the addition of 4 × 10 −6 m -cycloheximide. When cycloheximide was added after polyribosome breakdown had taken place, the polyribosomes were re-formed. Re-formation of polyribosomes was accompanied by globin synthesis, and the polyribosomes formed carried nascent polypeptide chains. A higher concentration of cycloheximide (10 −4 m ) caused breakdown of the polyribosomes during the first 20 minutes of incubation. However, polyribosomes breakdown did not take place when reticulocytes were incubated for 50 minutes with 1.5 × 10 −2 m -cycloheximide. 1.5 × 10 −2 m -cycloheximide prevented the breakdown of polyribosomes in cells incubated with NaF but did not cause polyribosome formation when added after breakdown had taken place. In reticulocytes incubated with 1.5 × 10 −2 m -cycloheximide, there was no detectable incorporation of amino acids into soluble protein or nascent polypeptide chains during 60 minutes of incubation. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that protein synthesis is accompanied by an exchange of ribosomes between the polyribosomal aggregates and the pool of single ribosomes, and that the detachment of ribosomes from the aggregates is slowed by 4 × 10 −6 m -cycloheximide and strongly inhibited by 1.5 × 10 −2 m -cycloheximide.
Effects of calcium phosphate supplementation on calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium metabolism in the Wistar rat

Abstract Calcium supplementation has been used in humans and in experimental animals to retard bone loss and lower blood pressure, but there are few data in regard to the metabolic effects of supplementation. This study evaluated the impact of supplementing the AIN-76 diet with various amounts of CaHPO 4 on food intake, growth, Ca, Mg and P balance and serum and bone concentrations of these nutrients. Four groups of nine 5-wk old normal male Wistar rats were fed ad libitum for 12 wks the AIN-76 semi-purified diet either unsupplemented (nominally 0.5% Ca), or supplemented to approximately 1.0%, 1.4% or 2.2% Ca with CaHPO 4 . Another group of five rats was fed Rat Chow ® . Addition of CaHPO 4 did not alter intake of other nutrients. Dietary Ca level had no effect on whole blood or plasma ionized Ca, plasma total Ca or plasma P in fasted animals, whereas plasma Mg tended to decline with increased Ca supplementation. Increased Ca balance followed CaHPO 4 supplementation, whereas Mg balance declined. P balance was positive and similar in all study groups. Femur dry weight and length did not differ with diet nor did bone Ca content increase with supplementation. Bone Mg content decreased with CaHPO 4 supplementation. The results indicate that ingestion of CaHPO 4 in supplementary amounts does not increase bone Ca in the young normal rat but it is accompanied by other metabolic changes, particularly a striking decrease in net absorption of Mg.
Effects of Reverse Biased Floating Voltage at Source and Drain During High-Field Electron Injection on the Performance of NMOSFETS

We have examined the effects of reverse biased floating voltage at the source and drain junctions during constant current high-field electron injection on the performance of NMOSFETs. Device parameter degradation was studied when electrons were injected from both gate and substrate. Hole trapping and electron trapping (observed from threshold voltage degradation) were found to be enhanced with reverse biased floating voltage for devices subjected to substrate injection. On the other hand, damages in the devices subjected to gate injection were found to be minimal dependent on reverse biased voltage. Increase in current density due to reduction in effective channel length is believed to be the cause of modified device characteristics. Transconductance degradation for both substrate injection and gate injection was found to have minimal dependence on reverse biased voltage. An asymmetry in the distribution of electron traps at the gate-oxide and substrate-oxide interfaces was observed.
Contouring and Constraining Bowel on a Full-Bladder Computed Tomography Scan May Not Reflect Treatment Bowel Position and Dose Certainty in Gynecologic External Beam Radiation Therapy

Purpose To evaluate, in a gynecologic cancer setting, changes in bowel position, dose-volume parameters, and biological indices that arise between full-bladder (FB) and empty-bladder (EB) treatment situations; and to evaluate, using cone beam computed tomography (CT), the validity of FB treatment presumption. Methods and Materials Seventeen gynecologic cancer patients were retrospectively analyzed. Empty-bladder and FB CTs were obtained. Full-bladder CTs were used for planning and dose optimization. Patients were given FB instructions for treatment. For the study purpose, bowel was contoured on the EB CTs for all patients. Bowel position and volume changes between FB and EB states were determined. Full-bladder plans were applied on EB CTs for determining bowel dose-volume changes in EB state. Biological indices (generalized equivalent uniform dose and normal tissue complication probability) were calculated and compared between FB and EB. Weekly cone beam CT data were available in 6 patients to assess bladder volume at treatment. Results Average (±SD) planned bladder volume was 299.7 ± 68.5 cm 3 . Median bowel shift in the craniocaudal direction between FB and EB was 12.5 mm (range, 3-30 mm), and corresponding increase in exposed bowel volume was 151.3 cm 3 (range, 74.3-251.4 cm 3 ). Absolute bowel volumes receiving 45 Gy were higher for EB compared with FB (mean 328.0 ± 174.8 vs 176.0 ± 87.5 cm 3 ; P =.0038). Bowel normal tissue complication probability increased 1.5× to 23.5× when FB planned treatments were applied in the EB state. For the study, the mean percentage value of relative bladder volume at treatment was 32%. Conclusions Full-bladder planning does not necessarily translate into FB treatments, with a patient tendency toward EB. Given the uncertainty in daily control over bladder volume for treatment, we strongly recommend a "planning-at-risk volume bowel" (PRV_Bowel) concept to account for bowel motion between FB and EB that can be tailored for the individual patient.
Large-scale multi-dimensional document clustering on GPU clusters

Document clustering plays an important role in data mining systems. Recently, a flocking-based document clustering algorithm has been proposed to solve the problem through simulation resembling the flocking behavior of birds in nature. This method is superior to other clustering algorithms, including k-means, in the sense that the outcome is not sensitive to the initial state. One limitation of this approach is that the algorithmic complexity is inherently quadratic in the number of documents. As a result, execution time becomes a bottleneck with large number of documents. In this paper, we assess the benefits of exploiting the computational power of Beowulf-like clusters equipped with contemporary Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) as a means to significantly reduce the runtime of flocking-based document clustering. Our framework scales up to over one million documents processed simultaneously in a sixteen-node moderate GPU cluster. Results are also compared to a four-node cluster with higher-end GPUs. On these clusters, we observe 30X-50X speedups, which demonstrate the potential of GPU clusters to efficiently solve massive data mining problems. Such speedups combined with the scalability potential and accelerator-based parallelization are unique in the domain of document-based data mining, to the best of our knowledge.
Identification and Biological Activities of New Taccalonolide Microtubule Stabilizers

The taccalonolides are a unique class of microtubule stabilizers that do not bind directly to tubulin. Three new taccalonolides, Z, AA, and AB, along with two known compounds, taccalonolides R and T, were isolated from Tacca chantrieri and Tacca integrifolia. Taccalonolide structures were determined by 1D and 2D NMR methods. The biological activities of the new taccalonolides, as well as taccalonolides A, B, E, N, R, and T, were evaluated. All nine taccalonolides display microtubule stabilizing activity, but profound differences in antiproliferative potencies were noted, with IC(50) values ranging from the low nanomolar range for taccalonolide AA (32 nM) to the low micromolar range for taccalonolide R (13 μM). These studies demonstrate that diverse taccalonolides possess microtubule stabilizing properties and that significant structure-activity relationships exist. In vivo antitumor evaluations of taccalonolides A, E, and N show that each of these molecules has in vivo antitumor activity.
Thiocyanate in Red Sea brine and its implications

THE Oparin–Haldane hypothesis about the origin of life has provided a rational theoretical model for laboratory research. Almost thirty years of experiments have supported this hypothesis. Verification of the hypothesis in terrestrial environments, however, has not been documented. Some environments such as thermal springs in the Kuril Islands have been reported to have possible chemical precursors but lack of sterility and other factors have not made it possible to establish evidence for natural, terrestrial abiotic synthesis1. We identify here the Atlantis II Deep brine as a promising site for searching for chemical precursors, report finding thiocyanate in the brine and suggest a relationship between chemical evolution and the evolution of the Earth's crust.
Strong unimodality and scale mixtures

It is known that the asymptotically optimalL-estimator has non-negative weights if and only if the underlying density is strongly unimodea. Since the Tukey model is often used to model data containing gross errors, it is of interest to know when such densities are strongly unimodal. This paper examines the question more generally for a large class of scale mixtures. A simple necessary and sufficient condition is given in the case of the Tukey model.
Every life is sacred…kind of: Uncovering the sources of seemingly contradictory public attitudes toward abortion and the death penalty

Abstract Many scholars have studied public attitudes about abortion and the death penalty, but few have studied the coincidence of strong anti-abortion and pro-death penalty attitudes. What factors best explain how someone can find willful taking of life abhorrent in one context but justified in another? We find that the desire to see criminals punished, combined with a literalist orientation toward the Bible, best predict membership in the pro-life/pro-death penalty group. Policy implications flow directly from these findings. The pro-life/pro-death penalty group likely constitutes approximately 5% of the U.S. population and their literalist, punitive stance toward crime and punishment has ramifications for all crime control policy, not just capital punishment.
Chloroplast Replication : Evidence for 5-Bromouracil Incorporation and Plastid Mutation in Euglena gracilis

Incorporation of 5-bromouracil and plastid mutation during replication of plastid determinants in presence of 5-bromouracil and sulphanilamide
Genetic engineering of single-chain gonadotropins and hormone-receptor fusion proteins.

The gonadotropin hormone family is distinguished by its heterodimeric structure in which the members share a common alpha subunit and a hormone-specific beta subunit. Since assembly of the heterodimer is often the rate-limiting step in production of functional hormone, single-chain hormones have been engineered by genetically linking the two subunits. The single-chain hormone can in turn be fused to its receptor to produce a functional single-chain hormone-receptor complex. These fusion constructs offer a valuable new approach in structure-function studies and in the generation of hormone analogs. In this article we describe the experimental design for the generation of single-chain human chorionic gonadotropin and single-chain hormone-receptor fusion complex and strategies for the expression of these fusion proteins.
Magnetic resonance imaging of experimental mumps meningoencephalitis in suckling hamsters.

Mumps virus-infected and normal newborn hamster brains were imaged with magnetic resonance (MR) within 24 h after birth and serially scanned. Hydrocephalus developed explosively on Day 6 postinfection and progressed until death occurred soon after Day 10. This study demonstrates the utility of MR in the investigation of experimental viral encephalitis in very small laboratory animals. © 1987 Academic press Inc.
Cost-Based Optimization of Shipment Scheduling

Abstract Major suppliers and importers ship their products from many parts of the world, Products are typically packaged and loaded into containers at their points of origin, transported to a local port and shipped to a destination port where the containers will be unloaded and moved to their designated warehouses. We construct a nonlinear optimization model that minimizes the end-to-end cost of this transportation operation. A major shipper often has contracts with several carriers, each maintains a different voyage schedule and a different cost structure for shipping the containers. Containers arriving at their destination terminal are usually kept in the terminal a number of days before they are moved away either by trucks or by rail. Terminals typically allow free container dwell time up to a limit, beyond which demurrage charge will be imposed. The limit for free storage differs from one terminal to another and may even be different from one customer to another. How fast can a shipper move containers out of the terminal depends on warehouse capacity and truck availability that the shipper has contracted for the transport service. Based on these constraints, we want to find an optimal way to ship the containers from the point of origins to the warehouse destination. The optimality is in terms of end to end cost.
Determination of the electronic structure of self-assembled L-cysteine/Au interfaces using photoemission spectroscopy.

The electronic and chemical structure of the interface between the amino acid l-cysteine and Au was determined by photoemission spectroscopy (PES). l-Cysteine was deposited by repeatedly dipping Au...
Application of low‐resolution Raman spectroscopy to online monitoring of miniemulsion polymerization

Raman spectroscopy has become a preferred technique for online monitoring of dispersion polymerization. Raman spectroscopy offers two specific advantages for these systems. First, it is insensitive to the presence of water, and the total amount of water in the emulsion has little to no influence. Second, it can use standard glass fiber conduits combined with a visible light excitation laser to allow use of a flexible remote sensor. A low-cost low-resolution Raman spectrometer (LRRS) was used to monitor emulsion polymerization, specifically batch miniemulsion polymerization. Styrene was used as an internal reference to compensate for the effect of laser intensity fluctuation. A linear correlation between peak intensity ratio and monomer concentration was found. Probe fouling was controlled by using a protective film with minimal impact on measurement quality. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 1507–1515, 2002
Scaling Genetic Programming for data classification using MapReduce methodology

Genetic Programming (GP) is an optimization method that has proved to achieve good results. It solves problems by generating programs and applying natural operations on these programs until a good solution is found. GP has been used to solve many classifications problems, however, its drawback is the long execution time. When GP is applied on the classification task, the execution time proportionally increases with the dataset size. Therefore, to manage the long execution time, the GP algorithm is parallelized in order to speed up the classification process. Our GP is implemented based on the MapReduce methodology (abbreviated as MRGP), in order to benefit from the MapReduce concept in terms of fault tolerance, load balancing, and data locality. MRGP does not only accelerate the execution time of GP for large datasets, it also provides the ability to use large population sizes, thus finding the best result in fewer numbers of generations. MRGP is evaluated using different population sizes ranging from 1,000 to 100,000 measuring the accuracy, scalability, and speedup.
Compressive Behavior of Pyramidal, Tetrahedral, and Strut‐Reinforced Tetrahedral ABS and Electroplated Cellular Solids

Fused deposition modeling combined with electroplating provides a novel manufacturing methodology for building low relative density engineered cellular topologies. Here the mechanical performance of tetrahedral, pyramidal, and strut-reinforced tetrahedral cellular solids manufactured from multiphase nickel-copper-ABS is studied. The novel processing and geometric optimization places these engineered topologies into an unoccupied location in the material universe.
Bilateral occurrence of congenital middle ear cholesteatoma.

Congenital cholesteatoma of the middle ear is a relatively rare entity that is becoming more frequently encountered in the pediatric age group. A high index of suspicion is needed to recognize this entity at an early stage. More challenging is the bilateral occurrence of the lesion that, although still rare, should always be remembered when examining children with congenital cholesteatoma, not only on the initial visit but also on subsequent follow–up. We report the eleventh case of bilateral congenital middle ear cholesteatoma and stress the importance of long–term follow–up in these cases.
Relative evaluation of various number theoretic transforms for digital filtering applications

The main existence conditions for pseudo Mersenne and pseudo Fermat number transforms defined in a ring submultiple of a pseudo Mersenne or pseudo Fermat number are defined. The computational complexity of various multiplication-free number theoretic transforms (NTT's) used for implementing digital filters is evaluated. It is shown that Fermat number transforms (FNT's) with root \sqrt{2} and some complex pseudo Mersenne and pseudo Fermat number transforms with root 1 + j yield optimum processing efficiency and allow significant computational savings over direct filter evaluation.
Partitioned edge-function-scaled region-based active contour (p-ESRAC): automated liver segmentation in multiphase contrast-enhanced MRI.

Purpose: In multiphase contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI), liver segmentation is an important preprocessing step for the computer-aided evaluation of liver disease. However, because of the liver's irregular shape, proximity to surrounding organs, and large intensity variation, and peripheral contrast enhancement in the kidney, liver segmentation has been very challenging. This paper presents a novel hybrid active contour model and overall procedures that are specific to liver segmentation. Methods: The authors introduced an edge-function-scaled (weighted) region-based active contour model (ESRAC) and utilization of registered, multiphase sequences to address leakage-to-kidney and oversegmentation problems. The model incorporated weighted regional information with a compactly supported edge map, computed from a combination of images obtained during arterial and delayed phases, and it was coupled with a geodesic edge term. To cope with signal-inhomogeneity on MRI, all of the axial slices were partitioned into eight sectors with an angular span of 45°, centered on the inferior vena cava, each in the superior and inferior regions and the regional information regarding ESRAC was computed for each partition, henceforth the so-called partitioned ESRAC (p-ESRAC). Initialization of the active contour was performed by thresholding with a range of [200, +∞) and simple morphological operation during the delayed phase. At the end, to fill the holes in the segmented images caused by high gradients around the vasculature, noise, or outstanding texture features, iterative morphological operations were performed until convergence. The authors compared the segmentation accuracy of p-ESRAC to that with geodesic active contour, region-based active contour, geodesic active region, and localized region-based active contour using quantitative and visual assessments. Results: In three-dimensional experimental studies conducted on 30 subjects (14 normal or benign cases and 16 malignant cases), compared with other active contours, p-ESRAC achieved the highest dice similarity coefficients of 93.9 ± 1.6% (normal) and 91.6 ± 2.2% (malignant), respectively. In addition, p-ESRAC resulted in the lowest false positive rates of 4.5 ± 3.2% (normal) and 7.9 ± 3.0% (malignant), demonstrating it to be the most effective in reducing oversegmentation. The partition scheme improved segmentation accuracy by 5.4 ± 9.2% (normal) and 22.2 ± 27.6% (malignant) of the true segmentation that was missed by ESRAC. Visual assessment confirmed that p-ESRAC prevented leakage of the segmentation results of the liver into the kidney. Conclusions: A novel active-contour model was developed, allowing for accurate liver segmentation on multiphase CE-MRI, with conditions that include signal inhomogeneity and weak boundary conditions. Such a technique could be useful for applications that involve computer-aided diagnosis of liver disease.
Developmental delays at arrival and postmenarcheal Chinese adolescents' adjustment.

Internationally adopted (IA) children often have delays at adoption and undergo massive catch-up after adoption. Before achieving developmental catch-up, however, delays at adoption present a risk for IA children's adjustment, but it remains unknown whether such delays foreshadow IA children's outcomes after catch-up development has completed or ceased. In the current analysis, we utilized menarche as a practical marker to indicate the cessation of developmental catch-up. We investigated how delays at arrival predicted long-term outcomes in 132 postmenarcheal teens (M = 14.2 years, SD = 1.7) who were adopted from China at 16.6 months (SD = 17.1). In 2005, adoptive parents provided data of medical evaluation results on their children's delay status in gross motor skills, fine motor skills, social development, emotional development, and cognitive development. Six years later in 2011, data on parent-child relationship quality were collected from parents, and data on the adoptees' academic competence and internalizing problems were also collected from both parents and adoptees. We found that gross motor delay at arrival predicted academic performance (parent-report: b = -.34, p Language: en
Nanoscale gold pillars strengthened through dislocation starvation

It has been known for more than half a century that crystals can be made stronger by introducing defects into them, i.e., by strain-hardening. As the number of defects increases, their movement and multiplication is impeded, thus strengthening the material. In the present work we show hardening by dislocation starvation, a fundamentally different strengthening mechanism based on the elimination of defects from the crystal. We demonstrate that submicrometer sized gold crystals can be 50 times stronger than their bulk counterparts due to the elimination of defects from the crystal in the course of deformation.
The Troubled Renewal of the Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting Great Lakes Water Quality

Powerful constituent governments can have a significant impact on a federal nation 's ability to implement international agreements. Negotiating written agreements is one strategy for achieving policy coordination in nations with such governments. This article examines the Canada-Ontario Agreement (COA) Respecting Great Lakes Water Quality, which helps Canada to meet its obligations under its Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement with the United States. First negotiated in 1971, COA was regularly renegotiated without incident until the most recent round of negotiations, which began in 1991 and continued into 1994. The negotiating issues that proved so contentious during this round are examined, as is the impact on the negotiations ofdevelopments on the broader Canadian political
Quadrature and Schatz’s Pointwise Estimates for Finite Element Methods

We investigate numerical integration effects on weighted pointwise estimates. We prove that local weighted pointwise estimates will hold, modulo a higher order term and a negative-order norm, as long as we use an appropriate quadrature rule. To complete the analysis in an application, we also prove optimal negative-order norm estimates for a corner problem taking into account quadrature. Finally, we present an example to show that our result is sharp.
Literacy to liberate: a bibliography of Freirean pedagogy

Educator‐philosopher Paulo Freire (1921‐1997) is internationally known for his adult literacy work with peasants and workers in his native Brazil. Through a process of “conscientization”, the oppressed become active subjects in the making of culture and history, as opposed to passively accepting that which is imposed on them by society’s elite. Freire’s pedagogy has been embraced by many in the Third World and adapted to a First World context by North American educators. The annotated bibliography that follows presents a selection of Freire’s work, as well as that of other educators who have adopted a “Freirean” approach to education. In addition, several books recount Freirean inspired literacy campaigns instituted in countries rocked by political conflict and revolutionary change.
Inhomogeneous Gain Saturation of Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers

An important application of Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers is in future wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) communication systems. In such systems one needs to consider gain cross saturation, i.e., how a signal at one wavelength affects gains at other wavelengths. A contributing factor to gain cross saturation is the inhomogeneous broadening of the gain medium. In this paper we demonstrate a technique for characterizing the inhomogeneous nature of the small-signal gain spectrum in the presence of a saturating signal.
Maintenance of endemicity in urban environments : a hypothesis linking risk, network structure and geography

In industrialised countries, a rapid epidemic phase of HIV transmission has largely given way to more moderated endemic transmission. The dynamics of endemic transmission may differ substantially from those generating epidemic spread. We hypothesise that three elements play an important role in maintaining endemicity in high prevalence urban environments. First, persons are likely to be subject to multiple risks from multiple sources rather than engaging in a single, hierarchically classified, risk behaviour. Second, the network structure in these environments may include a substrate of “fixed” factors (a large connected component, a characteristic degree distribution and small world phenomenon) upon which is superimposed a number of variable factors (transitivity, assortativity) that determine the level of prevalence. Third, the geographic range of persons in these milieux is constricted, making it likely that new partners will already be connected. The confluence of these three factors assures the ongoing risk bombardment needed for maintenance of endemicity. Further empirical and theoretical analysis will be required in order to validate this hypothesis.
Mutation Type Is Not Clinically Useful in Predicting Prognosis in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), or clinically unexplained hypertrophy of the heart, is a common genetic cardiovascular disorder marked by genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity. As the genetic mutations underlying the pathogenesis of this disease have been identified, investigators have attempted to link mutations to clearly defined alterations in survival in hopes of identifying prognostically relevant biomarkers of disease. While initial studies labeling particular MYH7 -encoded beta myosin heavy chain and TNNT2 -encoded cardiac troponin T mutations as “malignant” or “benign” raised hopes for mutation-specific risk stratification in HCM, a series of subsequent investigations identified mutations in families with contradictory disease phenotypes. Furthermore, subsequent proband-based cohort studies indicated that the clinical prognostic relevance of individual mutations labeled as “malignant” or “benign” in large referral centers is negligible. Herein, we seek to summarize the controversy and dispute the notion that mutation-specific risk stratification in HCM is possible at the present time. We provide evidence for clinicians and basic scientists alike to move beyond simple mutation descriptors to a more nuanced understanding of HCM mutations which fully captures the multi-factorial nature of HCM disease expression. Response by Ho on p 2450 Over the last 2 decades, the genetic underpinnings of heritable cardiovascular disease have begun to be unveiled, starting with the discovery of rare pathogenic mutations that cause cardiomyopathies and cardiac channelopathies. The simple paradigm of Mendelian inheritance, while helpful in certain monogenic disease processes, is fundamentally incapable of explaining the entirety of how complex diseases express in the context of complex human physiology under the influence of a myriad of intrinsic and extrinsic variables. Our understanding of the intricate interplay between 1 such intrinsic variable, the genome, and the manifestation of disease was advanced significantly in the decoding of a handful of human's genomes in February of 2001.1,2 Despite the decade …
Network design: An operating manual for computer conferencing

A new communications technology has been invented-computer conferencing. Its introduction is increasingly discussed in businesses, universities, and government agencies, and various experiments have been tried. The time is rapidly approaching when this new medium will focus efforts on a larger scale designed to insure its successful implantation as a standard communications technology. At that time, it will be essential to obtain not only satisfactory hardware and software, but also knowledge of the social practices associated with the successful application of the technology. The author offers a brief summary of the essential aspects of network design and conference moderating in anticipation of that need.
Low-Lying Spectrum of Rare-Earth Iron Garnets

The spin-wave spectra of simplified two- and three-sublattice models of the rare-earth iron garnets are obtained, and shown to contain an iron spin-wave spectrum similar to that in ytrrium iron garnet, together with one and two optical branches, respectively. Intensities for optical excitation of $k=0$ spin waves are computed, and the effect of an external magnetic field on the resonant frequencies is also found. The consequences of anisotropic $g$ values, which can be very different from the Land\'e ${g}_{J}$, are explored. Whereas frequencies are determined by the $g$ values along the exchange field produced by the iron, selection rules depend on transverse $g$ values. This results in absorption at single-ion splitting frequencies as well as at the Kaplan-Kittel exchange resonance frequency ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{e}=\ensuremath{\lambda}({\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{2}{M}_{1}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{1}{M}_{2})$. The anisotropy in the $g$ values also produces a shift in the exchange resonance frequency, which can be related to the macroscopic anisotropy energy deduced from the anisotropic single-ion exchange splittings. Agreement with experimental data on ytterbium iron garnet, given in an accompanying paper, is excellent. Application of the theory to anisotropy effects in ferrimagnetic resonance of rare-earth-doped yttrium iron garnet is also considered. Finally, the specific heat capacity is considered and shown to be well approximated by the single-ion Shottky anomaly approximation used by Meyer and Harris.
Direct sums of Rickart modules

Abstract The notion of Rickart modules was defined recently. It has been shown that a direct sum of Rickart modules is not a Rickart module, in general. In this paper we investigate the question: When are the direct sums of Rickart modules, also Rickart? We show that if M i is M j -injective for all i j ∈ I = { 1 , 2 , … , n } then ⊕ i = 1 n M i is a Rickart module if and only if M i is M j -Rickart for all i , j ∈ I . As a consequence we obtain that for a nonsingular extending module M, E ( M ) ⊕ M is always a Rickart module. Other characterizations for direct sums to be Rickart under certain assumptions are provided. We also investigate when certain classes of free modules over a ring R, are Rickart. It is shown that every finitely generated free R-module is Rickart precisely when R is a right semihereditary ring. As an application, we show that a commutative domain R is Prufer if and only if the free R-module R ( 2 ) is Rickart. We exhibit an example of a module M for which M ( 2 ) is Rickart but M ( 3 ) is not so. Further, von Neumann regular rings are characterized in terms of Rickart modules. It is shown that the class of rings R for which every finitely cogenerated right R-module is Rickart, is precisely that of right V-rings. Examples which delineate the concepts and the results are provided.