cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ISAAC: a convolutional neural network accelerator with in-situ analog arithmetic in crossbars

A number of recent efforts have attempted to design accelerators for popular machine learning algorithms, such as those involving convolutional and deep neural networks (CNNs and DNNs). These algorithms typically involve a large number of multiply-accumulate (dot-product) operations. A recent project, DaDianNao, adopts a near data processing approach, where a specialized neural functional unit performs all the digital arithmetic operations and receives input weights from adjacent eDRAM banks.This work explores an in-situ processing approach, where memristor crossbar arrays not only store input weights, but are also used to perform dot-product operations in an analog manner. While the use of crossbar memory as an analog dot-product engine is well known, no prior work has designed or characterized a full-fledged accelerator based on crossbars. In particular, our work makes the following contributions: (i) We design a pipelined architecture, with some crossbars dedicated for each neural network layer, and eDRAM buffers that aggregate data between pipeline stages. (ii) We define new data encoding techniques that are amenable to analog computations and that can reduce the high overheads of analog-to-digital conversion (ADC). (iii) We define the many supporting digital components required in an analog CNN accelerator and carry out a design space exploration to identify the best balance of memristor storage/compute, ADCs, and eDRAM storage on a chip. On a suite of CNN and DNN workloads, the proposed ISAAC architecture yields improvements of 14.8×, 5.5×, and 7.5× in throughput, energy, and computational density (respectively), relative to the state-of-the-art DaDianNao architecture.
Evidence of Altered Brain Responses to Nicotine in an Animal Model of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Introduction Individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are susceptible to earlier and more severe nicotine addiction. To shed light on the relationship between nicotine and ADHD, we examined nicotine's effects on functional brain networks in an animal model of ADHD. Methods Awake magnetic resonance imaging was used to compare functional connectivity in adolescent (post-natal day 44 ± 2) males of the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) strain and two control strains, Wistar-Kyoto and Sprague-Dawley (n = 16 each). We analyzed functional connectivity immediately before and after nicotine exposure (0.4 mg/kg base) in naive animals, using a region-of-interest approach focussing on 16 regions previously implicated in reward and addiction. Results Relative to the control groups, the SHR strain demonstrated increased functional connectivity between the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and retrosplenial cortex in response to nicotine, suggesting an aberrant response to nicotine. In contrast, increased VTA-substantia nigra connectivity in response to a saline injection in the SHR was absent following a nicotine injection, suggesting that nicotine normalized function in this circuit. Conclusions In the SHR, nicotine triggered an atypical response in one VTA circuit while normalizing activity in another. The VTA has been widely implicated in drug reward. Our data suggest that increased susceptibility to nicotine addiction in individuals with ADHD may involve altered responses to nicotine involving VTA circuits. Implications Nicotine addiction is more common among individuals with ADHD. We found that two circuits involving the VTA responded differently to nicotine in animals that model ADHD in comparison to two control strains. In one circuit, nicotine normalized activity that was abnormal in the ADHD animals, while in the other circuit nicotine caused an atypical brain response in the ADHD animals. The VTA has been implicated in drug reward. Our results would be consistent with an interpretation that nicotine may normalize abnormal brain activity in ADHD, and that nicotine may be more rewarding for individuals with ADHD.
The white woman's burden: British feminists and the Indian woman, 1865–1915

Abstract Historians of empire and of women have paid scant attention to the fact that British feminism matured during an age of empire, and that British feminists participated in the assumptions of national and racial superiority implicit in their culture. The purpose of this essay is to explore the ways in which modern British feminism was influenced by coming of age during this period of Britain's imperial rule. Josephine Butler's campaign on behalf of Indian women is one example of imperial feminism in action. A review of feminist periodical literature reveals that British feminists constructed the image of a helpless Indian womanhood on whom their own emancipation in the imperial nation state ultimately relied. Thus, in both practice and theory, the Indian woman served as a foil against which British feminists could gauge their own progress. In their quest for liberation and empowerment, Victorian and Edwardian feminists collaborated in the ideological work of empire, reproducing the moral discourse of imperialism and embedding feminist ideology within it.
Pointwise fourier inversion in several variables

NOTICES OF THE AMS VOLUME 42, NUMBER 3 F ourier analysis is widely acknowledged as one of the major driving forces behind the development of modern real analysis. The theories of Lebesgue integration and subsequent operator theory find many applications and motivations in classical Fourier analysis. Consequently, it has become widely believed in many circles that Fourier analysis is impossible without all of the tools of contemporary real analysis. In this report we outline some recent developments in Fourier analysis which can be discussed using only elementary calculus of several variables. As in many areas of mathematics, the key to getting nice theorems is a solid base of good examples, which we now describe in context. First, every student of elementary Fourier analysis is familiar with the convergence and oscillation properties of the Fourier series of a piecewise smooth function f (x) defined on the interval (−π,π ). Three basic facts are that:
Robotic Assisted Common Sheath Ureteroneocystostomy of an Injured Ectopic Ureter Diagnosed in the Acute Post-operative Setting after Robotic Assisted Radical Prostatectomy

Radical prostatectomies are one of the most commonly performed operations for the robotic urologist. When a rare anatomic anomaly leads to an unrecognized intraoperative injury, standard postoperative management becomes complicated. We present the case of a patient with an iatrogenic injury to an ectopic ureter that under went a robotic assisted common sheath ureteroneocystostomy three days post robotic assisted radical prostatectomy.
The cycletron: an experiment in the topological visualization of text

This poster demonstrates the use of an experimental web application, the Cycletron, for the rhetorical analysis of written discourse. The Cycletron is conceptually parallel to a tool like Google's n-gram viewer [1] in that it allows users to track the usage of key terms in a text. The Cycletron departs from the n-gram viewer in its use of network graph centrality measures to identify these key terms in a natural language text and its novel visualization of results, which at root, attempts to disentangle and flatten the complexity of the network graph representations offered by tools such as Gephi. The development of the Cycletron was informed Bakhtin's [3] theory of dialogism, Ridolfo and DeVoss' [4] theory on rhetorical velocity, network graph theory, and North American genre theory. Consequently, this article will explain how theory and design cohere in the Cycletron app and argue for its theory-building.
Exciton Relaxation in Highly Rigid Conjugated Polymers: Correlating Radiative Dynamics with Structural Heterogeneity and Wavefunction Delocalization

Conjugated polymers are promising materials for solar cells and other electronic applications due to facile charge and electronic energy migration along the conjugated backbone. Torsional defects due to rotation around single bonds on the backbone are known to decrease the effective conjugation length of these materials, limiting their ability to shuttle charge and electronic energy. We investigated the radiative emission dynamics of a recently synthesized rigid conjugated ladder polymer (LP1) and nonrigid control (CP1) with a similar carbazole backbone moiety. LP1 was prepared using a recently reported synthesis under thermodynamic control, leading to a low backbone defect density. We find that the singlet emission lifetime of LP1 is longer than that of any previously reported ladder conjugated polymer, which we attribute to its low defect density. Further, the emission contains a large-amplitude long component with a lifetime that lasts as long as 5 ns. Our results imply that careful control of defects ...
Cognitive and Affective Mechanisms of Pain and Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis

Objective To examine the extent to which pain catastrophizing, fatigue catastrophizing, positive affect, and negative affect simultaneously mediated the associations between common symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS; i.e., pain, fatigue) and impact on daily life, depressive symptoms, and resilience. Method Participants were community-dwelling adults with MS (N = 163) reporting chronic pain, fatigue, and/or moderate depressive symptoms. Multiple mediation path analysis was used to model potential mediators of pain and fatigue separately, using baseline data from a randomized controlled trial comparing two symptom self-management interventions. Results In the pain model, pain catastrophizing was a mediator of pain intensity with pain interference and depression. Negative affect was a mediator of pain intensity with depression and resilience. In the fatigue model, fatigue catastrophizing was a mediator of fatigue intensity with fatigue impact and depression. Positive affect was a mediator of fatigue intensity with depression and resilience. Conclusions These findings provide preliminary support for the presence of differential effects of cognitive-affective mediators and suggest potential targets for psychological interventions based on an individual's clinical presentation. The differential mediating effects also support the inclusion of both positive and negative aspects of psychological health in models of pain and fatigue, which would not be otherwise apparent if negative constructs were examined in isolation. To our knowledge, this is the first study to utilize a multivariate path analysis approach to examine cognitive-affective mediators of pain and fatigue in MS, while also examining positive and negative constructs concurrently. (PsycINFO Database Record
Self-Perceived End-of-Life Care Competencies of Health-Care Providers at a Large Academic Medical Center.

Background In the United States, most deaths occur in hospitals, with approximately 25% of hospitalized patients having palliative care needs. Therefore, the provision of good end-of-life (EOL) care to these patients is a priority. However, research assessing staff preparedness for the provision of EOL care to hospitalized patients is lacking. Objective To assess health-care professionals' self-perceived competencies regarding the provision of EOL care in hospitalized patients. Methods Descriptive study of self-perceived EOL care competencies among health-care professionals. The study instrument (End-of-Life Questionnaire) contains 28 questions assessing knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to the provision of EOL care. Health-care professionals (nursing, medicine, social work, psychology, physical, occupational and respiratory therapist, and spiritual care) at a large academic medical center participated in the study. Means were calculated for each item, and comparisons of mean scores were conducted via t tests. Analysis of variance was used to identify differences among groups. Results A total of 1197 questionnaires was completed. The greatest self-perceived competency was in providing emotional support for patients/families, and the least self-perceived competency was in providing continuity of care. When compared to nurses, physicians had higher scores on EOL care attitudes, behaviors, and communication. Physicians and nurses had higher scores on most subscales than other health-care providers. Conclusions Differences in self-perceived EOL care competencies were identified among disciplines, particularly between physicians and nurses. The results provide evidence for assessing health-care providers to identify their specific training needs before implementing educational programs on EOL care.
Home-school Connections in a Multicultural Society: Learning from and with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families

Home-school Connections in a Multicultural Society: Learning from and with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families by Maria Luiza Dantas & Patrick C. Manyak (Eds). New York: Routledge, 2010, 294 pages.
Decoding the Epigenomes of Herbaceous Plants

Abstract One of the most exciting findings in recent years is the discovery that the two main components of the chromatin, DNA and histones, can both be covalently modified by a myriad of pathways. The combination of high-throughput technologies and well-established biochemical assays has made it possible to analyse chromatin modifications at a genome-wide level with increasingly high resolution. As described in this chapter, results from these ‘epigenomics’ studies have significantly broadened our understanding of the complex and dynamic nature of plant genomes, as well as the diverse and important roles of chromatin modification in regulating gene expression and plant development.
Development, design and applications of structural capacitors

Abstract Structural capacitors are multifunctional structural materials that provide the capacitor function for the purpose of electrical energy storage. This paper reviews the development of structural capacitors and enunciates their design and applications. A structural capacitor is commonly a polymer-matrix structural composite with a dielectric film between the electrodes, which are an electronic conductor, commonly the continuous carbon fiber laminae that serve to reinforce the composite. The dielectric film is preferably small in thickness and serves to avoid short circuiting of the two electrodes. In order to maximize the capacitance by having the structural capacitor constitute capacitors in parallel, the dielectric film is preferably positioned at every interlaminar interface of the composite, such that alternating electrodes in the stack are connected to opposite polarities of the AC electric field source. A structural supercapacitor requires the matrix to be a solid electrolyte. From the viewpoints of structural performance, safety, service life and high frequency capability, structural dielectric capacitors are closer to commercialization readiness than structural supercapacitors. Structural capacitors have not yet been commercialized, but they are expected to provide an untapped, extensive, save and distributed means of energy storage, and allow aircraft, satellites, automobile, ships, wind turbines, buildings, solar panels, display panels, outdoor lighting, computers, cell phones, etc., to store energy in their structures.
Associative Convolutional Layers

Motivated by the necessity for parameter efficiency in distributed machine learning and AI-enabled edge devices, we provide a general and easy to implement method for significantly reducing the number of parameters of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), during both the training and inference phases. We introduce a simple auxiliary neural network which can generate the convolutional filters of any CNN architecture from a low dimensional latent space. This auxiliary neural network, which we call "Convolutional Slice Generator" (CSG), is unique to the network and provides the association between its convolutional layers. During the training of the CNN, instead of training the filters of the convolutional layers, only the parameters of the CSG and their corresponding "code vectors" are trained. This results in a significant reduction of the number of parameters due to the fact that the CNN can be fully represented using only the parameters of the CSG, the code vectors, the fully connected layers, and the architecture of the CNN. We evaluate our approach by applying it to ResNet and DenseNet models when trained on CIFAR-10 and ImageNet datasets. While reducing the number of parameters by $\approx 2 \times$ on average, the accuracies of these networks remain within 1$\%$ of their original counterparts and in some cases there is an increase in the accuracy.
Teaching of optical imaging and aberrations

The purpose of this paper is to give an outline of my approach on how to teach optical imaging and aberrations based on my teaching experience. Teaching of optical imaging starts with Gaussian imaging, which determines the location and size of the image in terms of the location and size of the object. Diffraction of the light leaving its exit pupil determines the actual image. Quality of the image is determined by the aberrations of the system. Hence, their knowledge and understanding about how they degrade the image by way of the aberrated PSF and OTF of the system must be an integral part of an optical imaging course. We discuss the teaching flow, including the calculation of aberrations, how to make interesting numerical problems for homework that are interesting and relevant, and when to use commercial software.
A National Survey of Marijuana Use Among US Adults With Medical Conditions, 2016-2017.

Importance The number of states legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use is increasing. Little is known regarding how or why adults with medical conditions use it. Objectives To report the prevalence and patterns of marijuana use among adults with and without medical conditions, overall and by sociodemographic group, and to further examine the associations between current marijuana use and the types and number of medical conditions. Design, Setting, and Participants This survey study used a probability sample of US adults aged 18 years and older from the 2016 and 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a telephone-administered survey that collects data from a representative sample of US adult residents across the states regarding health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services. Main Outcomes and Measures Current (past month) and daily (≥20 days in the last 30 days) marijuana use. Results The study sample included 169 036 participants (95 780 female [weighted percentage, 52.0%]). Adults with medical conditions had higher odds of reporting current marijuana use than those without medical conditions (age 18-34 years: adjusted odds ratio, 1.8 [95% CI, 1.5-2.1]; age 35-54 years: adjusted odds ratio, 1.4 [95% CI, 1.2-1.7]; age ≥55 years: adjusted odds ratio, 1.6 [95% CI, 1.3-2.0]), especially among those with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, arthritis, cancer, and depression. Among those with medical conditions, the prevalence of marijuana use decreased with increasing age, ranging from 25.2% (95% CI, 22.0%-28.3%) for those aged 18 to 24 years to 2.4% (95% CI, 2.0%-2.8%) for those aged 65 years or older for current marijuana use and from 11.2% (95% CI, 8.7%-13.6%) to 0.9% (95% CI, 0.7%-1.2%), respectively, for daily marijuana use. Most adults who used marijuana (77.5%; 95% CI, 74.7%-80.3%), either with or without medical conditions, reported smoking as their primary method of administration. Adults with medical conditions were more likely than those without medical conditions to report using marijuana for medical reasons (45.5% [95% CI, 41.1%-49.8%] vs 21.8% [95% CI, 17.8%-25.7%]; difference, 23.7% [95% CI, 17.8%-29.6%]) and less likely to report using marijuana for recreational purposes (36.2% [95% CI, 32.1%-40.3%] vs 57.7% [95% CI, 52.6%-62.9%]; difference, −21.5% [95% CI, −28.1% to 14.9%]). Conclusions and Relevance This study found that marijuana use was more common among adults with medical conditions than those without such conditions. Notably, 11.2% of young adults with medical conditions reported using marijuana on a daily basis. Clinicians should screen for marijuana use among patients, understand why and how patients are using marijuana, and work with patients to optimize outcomes and reduce marijuana-associated risks.
Design of IMEXRK time integration schemes via Delaunay-based derivative-free optimization with nonconvex constraints and grid-based acceleration

This paper develops a powerful new variant, dubbed $$\varDelta $$ -DOGS( $$\varOmega _Z$$ ), of our Delaunay-based Derivative-free Optimization via Global Surrogates family of algorithms, and uses it to identify a new, low-storage, high-accuracy, Implicit/Explicit Runge–Kutta (IMEXRK) time integration scheme for the stiff ODEs arising in high performance computing applications, like the simulation of turbulence. The $$\varDelta $$ -DOGS( $$\varOmega _Z$$ ) algorithm, which we prove to be globally convergent under the appropriate assumptions, combines (a) the essential ideas of our $$\varDelta $$ -DOGS( $$\varOmega $$ ) algorithm, which is designed to efficiently optimize a nonconvex objective function f(x) within a nonconvex feasible domain $$\varOmega $$ defined by a number of constraint functions $$c_\kappa (x)$$ , with (b) our $$\varDelta $$ -DOGS(Z) algorithm, which reduces the number of function evaluations on the boundary of the search domain via the restriction that all function evaluations lie on a Cartesian grid, which is successively refined as the iterations proceed. The optimization of the parameters of low-storage IMEXRK schemes involves a complicated set of nonconvex constraints, which leads to a challenging disconnected feasible domain, and a highly nonconvex objective function; our simulations indicate significantly faster convergence using $$\varDelta $$ -DOGS( $$\varOmega _Z$$ ) as compared with the original $$\varDelta $$ -DOGS( $$\varOmega $$ ) optimization algorithm on the problem of tuning the parameters of such schemes. A low-storage third-order IMEXRK scheme with remarkably good stability and accuracy properties is ultimately identified using this approach, and is briefly tested on Burgers’ equation.
LOOKING BEYOND THE HEART: A VERY UNUSUAL CAUSE OF HEART FAILURE IN A YOUNG HEALTHY FEMALE

High output heart failure is a less frequent cause of heart failure and numerous etiologies should be considered in order to evaluate and treat these patients. A 32-year-old female presented with dyspnea for 1 week. Physical exam revealed bilateral lung crackles, normal S1, S2, and a faint S3, and
The Ideal Distribution Model and Archaeological Settlement Patterning

Human populations distribute themselves across landscapes in clearly patterned ways, but accurate and theoretically informed predictions and explanations of that patterning in the archaeological re...
Association of Racial/Ethnic and Gender Concordance Between Patients and Physicians With Patient Experience Ratings.

Importance The Press Ganey Outpatient Medical Practice Survey is used to measure the patient experience. An understanding of the patient- and physician-related determinants of the patient experience may help identify opportunities to improve health care delivery and physician ratings. Objective To evaluate the associations between the patient experience as measured by scores on the Press Ganey survey and patient-physician racial/ethnic and gender concordance. Design, Setting, and Participants A cross-sectional analysis of Press Ganey surveys returned for outpatient visits within the University of Pennsylvania Health System between 2014 and 2017 was performed. Participants included adult patient and physician dyads for whom surveys were returned. Data analysis was performed from January to June 2019. Exposures Patient-physician racial/ethnic and gender concordance. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was receipt of the maximum score for the "likelihood of your recommending this care provider to others" question in the Care Provider domain of the Press Ganey survey. Secondary outcomes included each of the remaining 9 questions in the Care Provider domain. Generalized estimating equations clustering on physicians with exchangeable intracluster correlations and cluster-robust standard errors were used to investigate associations between the outcomes and patient-physician racial/ethnic and gender concordance. Results In total, 117 589 surveys were evaluated, corresponding to 92 238 unique patients (mean [SD] age, 57.7 [15.6] years; 37 002 men [40.1%]; 75 307 White patients [81.6%]) and 747 unique physicians (mean [SD] age 45.5 [10.6] years; 472 men [63.2%]; 533 White physicians [71.4%]). Compared with racially/ethnically concordant patient-physician dyads, discordance was associated with a lower likelihood of physicians receiving the maximum score (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.88; 95% CI, 0.82-0.94; P < .001). Black (adjusted OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.68-0.78; P < .001) and Asian (adjusted OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.50-0.60; P < .001) patient race were both associated with lower patient experience ratings. Patient-physician gender concordance was not associated with Press Ganey scores (adjusted OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.96-1.04; P = .90). Conclusions and Relevance In this study, higher Press Ganey survey scores were associated with racial/ethnic concordance between patients and their physicians. Efforts to improve physician workforce diversity are imperative. Delivery of health care in a culturally mindful manner between racially/ethnically discordant patient-physician dyads is also essential. Furthermore, Press Ganey scores may differ by a physician's patient demographic mix; thus, care must be taken when publicly reporting or using Press Ganey scores to evaluate physicians on an individual level.
Roads to opportunities

Abstract One of the most important factors when considering socioeconomic development is having good roads that provide access to resources, jobs, and markets. However, the direct and indirect environmental impacts of these roads cannot be ignored. For instance, road construction might lead to increased emissions of greenhouse gasses and air pollutants. In addition, the utilization of cars being driven on some of the bad roads will increase the emissions (carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and fine particulate matter) that might have adverse health effects. By constructing good durable roads, utilizing polymers including rubberized asphalt mixtures, might help in addressing some of the issues involved with the construction, maintenance, and usage of the roads around the world.
Benchmark NBC editions for seismic risk management of existing buildings in Canada

The National Research Council Canada recently developed a multi-criteria and multi-level framework for seismic risk management of existing buildings in Canada. One of the key criteria in this frame...
A pediatric case of orbital cellulitis with pansinusitis and subperiosteal abscess

While less common than preseptal cellulitis, orbital cellulitis can have severe complications. With the proper use of a computed tomographic (CT) scan, physicians can more quickly recognize the clinical signs of orbital cellulitis and begin interventions to properly treat the condition. This case report highlights the importance of timely diagnosis and successful intervention for orbital cellulitis by recognizing infection progression.
Comparative analysis of Microcystis buoyancy in western Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron

Abstract Microcystis is the predominant genus of harmful cyanobacterium in both Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron and has the capacity to regulate the buoyancy of its colonies, sinking under certain conditions while floating towards the surface in others. Understanding the factors that control buoyancy is critical for interpretation of remote sensing data, modeling and forecasting harmful algal blooms within these two systems. To determine if Microcystis colony buoyancy in the two lakes responds similarly to diurnal light cycles, colony buoyant velocity (floating/sinking terminal velocity in a quiescent water column) and size were measured after manipulating the intensity of sunlight. Overall, there were more positively buoyant (floating) colonies in Lake Erie while most of the colonies in Saginaw Bay were negatively buoyant (sinking). In Lake Erie the colonies became less buoyant at increased light intensities and were less buoyant in the afternoon than in the morning. In both lakes, apparent colony density was more variable among small colonies (
CVAD: A generic medical anomaly detector based on Cascade VAE

Detecting out-of-distribution (OOD) samples in medical imaging plays an important role for downstream medical diagnosis. However, existing OOD detectors are demonstrated on natural images composed of inter-classes and have difficulty generalizing to medical images. The key issue is the granularity of OOD data in the medical domain, where intra-class OOD samples are predominant. We focus on the generalizability of OOD detection for medical images and propose a self-supervised Cascade Variational autoencoder-based Anomaly Detector (CVAD). We use a variational autoencoders' cascade architecture, which combines latent representation at multiple scales, before being fed to a discriminator to distinguish the OOD data from the in-distribution (ID) data. Finally, both the reconstruction error and the OOD probability predicted by the binary discriminator are used to determine the anomalies. We compare the performance with the state-of-the-art deep learning models to demonstrate our model's efficacy on various open-access medical imaging datasets for both intra- and inter-class OOD. Further extensive results on datasets including common natural datasets show our model's effectiveness and generalizability. The code is available at https://github.com/XiaoyuanGuo/CVAD.
Drilling and Logging

The leases have been acquired. The geologic and geophysical data have been interpreted, maps have been made, depth to the objective pay zone has been calculated, and a location has been staked. Now the acid test is begun. The well is spudded in. No one knows if you have hydrocarbons until you get there, until you get to the pay zone, until you get to the proposed depth.
Data mining tasks and methods: Probabilistic and casual networks: methodology for probabilistic networks

This article provides an overview of how to handle uncertainty about which Bayesian network to use for calculating the effect of an ideal manipulation or a classification. The Bayesian approach to handling uncertainty is to put a prior distribution over all of the Bayesian networks and their parameters, and then use this to calculate a posterior distribution over the quantity of interest. This is in general computationally infeasible, due to the huge number of different Bayesian networks over a given set of variables. Other approaches approximate the Bayesian answer using Monte Carlo Markov chain algorithms, or Bayesian model averaging, where all Bayesian networks except for a few good Bayesian networks are ignored in order to simplify the calculations. The latter approach requires searching among the vast space of Bayesian networks for the good Bayesian networks. Several methods for scoring Bayesian networks, and several search algorithms are described. It is shown how the problems of equivalent models and latent variables complicate both searching and scoring. Finally, it is shown how searching over equivalence classes of Bayesian networks, instead of searching over Bayesian networks can simplify both scoring and search.
A Decomposition Technique for CSPs Using Maximal Independent Sets and Its Integration with Local Search.

We introduce INDSET, a technique for decomposing a Constraint Satisfaction Problem (CSP) by identifying a maximal independent set in the constraint graph of the CSP. We argue that this technique reduces the complexity of solving the CSP exponentially by the size of the maximal independent set, and yields compact and robust solutions. We discuss how to integrate this decomposition technique with local search, and evaluate SLS/INDSET, which combines INDSET with a stochastic local search. Finally, we discuss the benefit of identifying dangling components of the decomposed constraint graph, and evaluate SLS/INDSET+DANGLES, a strategy that exploits this structural improvement.
Multi-Degree of Freedom Systems

In this chapter, the methods of vibration analysis of single degree of freedom systems presented in the first chapter are generalized and extended to study systems with an arbitrary finite number of degrees of freedom. Mechanical systems in general consist of structural elements which have distributed mass and elasticity. In many cases, these systems can be represented by equivalent systems which consist of some elements which are bulky solids which can be treated as rigid elements with specified inertia properties while the other elements are elastic elements which have negligible inertia effects. In fact, the single degree of freedom systems discussed in the preceding chapters are examples of these equivalent models which are called lumped mass systems.
Review: Michael Bloor, Jane Frankland, Michelle Thomas & Kate Robson (2001). Focus Groups in Social Research

Dieses Buch versteht sich als eine Einfuhrung, die zunachst Fokusgruppen im Kontext der Sozialwissenschaften verortet und dann grundlegende Richtlinien fur die Vorbereitung und die Durchfuhrung von Fokusgruppen sowie fur die Datenanalyse vermittelt. Obwohl das Buch als Einfuhrung fur Forschende, die keine Erfahrung mit Untersuchungen mittels Fokusgruppen besitzen, angelegt ist, enthalt es keine eigenstandige, umfassende Anleitung fur diesen Bereich. Dennoch konnten insbesondere Studierende eines Einfuhrungsseminars sehr von diesem Uberblick uber die Methode der Fokusgruppen profitieren. Da einige Schlusselkonzepte zur Zusammenstellung und zum Einsatz von Fokusgruppen vollstandig fehlen, sollte das Buch jedoch nicht als einzige Quelle zur Anleitung fur Fokusgruppen verwendet werden. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0204432
Estimation of dynamic current waveforms using pre-characterization of standard cells

Power supply noise is a critical issue in transition and delay testing. As compared to functional operations, test vectors induce increased switching. This escalation in switching contributes to an increase in power supply noise which, in turn, causes an increase in path delays. During testing, false positives due to excessive noise-induced failures negatively impacts yield. In our previous work, we implemented a modular framework to dynamically estimate power supply noise caused by simultaneous switching of multiple paths and the increase in path delay. In this technique, the design is partitioned into the logic and grid subsystems that are analyzed independently. The approach eliminated the need to run resource intensive full-chip SPICE simulations. Although independent logic path simulations provide a considerable time improvement in comparison to full-chip run time, in large designs, even these isolated path simulations can be prohibitive. In this paper, we present a novel technique to estimate the current transients of a path by precharacterizing each standard cell in the library to predict the variations in the power supply. This one time precharacterization has a significant advantage over our previously implemented technique since it no longer requires a full path simulation to estimate accurate current transients. Initial data presented in this paper show promising results.
A phylogenetic study of the generic relationships within the subtribe Leucophoropterina Schuh (Miridae: Phylinae: Leucophoropterini)

The subtribe Leucophoropterina (Miridae: Phylinae: Leucophoropterini) is a relatively small lineage of mirids comprising 23 genera and 104 species. Most of the species are endemic to the Indo-Pacific and Australia, and many are considered ant mimics. A phylogenetic analysis including both the Australian and the Indo-Pacific taxa was conducted for the first time with a dataset of 137 morphological characters coded for all but two known species of Leucophoropterina. The hypothesis by Schuh (1984) of at least two major lineages of ant-mimicking taxa based on his analysis of the Indo-Pacific taxa continues to be supported with our inclusion of Australian taxa. The Australian taxa and Indo-Pacific taxa of Leucophoropterina do not form independent, geographically based lineages, but instead comprise several lineages containing taxa from both regions. This study provides a basis for future detailed studies of biogeography and ant mimicry in the group.
Effect of the level of cholecalciferol supplementation of broiler breeder hen diets on the performance and bone abnormalities of the progeny fed diets containing various levels of calcium or 25-hydroxycholecalciferol

Four experiments were conducted using Ross x Ross chicks hatched from broiler breeder hens fed various levels of cholecalciferol (vitamin D3; 0 to 4,000 IU/kg of diet) to determine the effect of the maternal diet on the performance and leg abnormalities of the progeny. Chicks hatched from eggs laid by the hens at different ages were used in experiments 1 to 4. The studies were conducted in an ultraviolet light-free environment as split plot designs, with Ca levels or 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OHD3) in the chicks' diet as the whole plot, and vitamin D3 in the maternal diet as a subplot. Chicks in experiments 1 and 2 were fed 2 levels of Ca (0.63% or 0.90%) and chicks in experiments 3 and 4 were fed 6 levels of 25-OHD3 (0 to 40 microg/kg of diet). Significant increases in body weight gain (BWG) of the progeny were observed in experiments 1, 2, and 4 as the vitamin D3 level in the maternal diet increased. Chicks hatched from eggs laid by hens fed the highest levels of D3 had the highest tibia ash. Significant reductions in Ca rickets incidence (experiments 1 and 2) and tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) incidence (experiment 1) were observed as the level of vitamin D3 in the maternal diet increased. Chicks fed lower levels of Ca had lower BWG and tibia ash and higher incidences of TD and Ca rickets than chicks fed higher levels of Ca. Increasing the level of 25-OHD3 in the chicks' diet significantly improved BWG, tibia ash, and plasma Ca and reduced TD and Ca rickets incidence. An overall evaluation of the study indicates that chicks from hens fed the highest levels of vitamin D3 and fed high levels of Ca or 25-OHD3 had the highest BWG, tibia ash, and plasma Ca, and the lowest incidences of TD and Ca rickets.
Polymorphonuclear leukocytes promote neurotoxicity through release of matrix metalloproteinases, reactive oxygen species, and TNF‐α

As the first immune cells to infiltrate the nervous system after traumatic PNS and CNS injury, neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocytes, PMNs) may promote injury by releasing toxic soluble factors that may affect neuronal survival. Direct neurotoxicity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and cytokines released by PMNs was investigated by culturing dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells with PMN-conditioned media containing MMP inhibitor (GM6001), ROS scavengers, or tumor necrosis factor alphaR (TNF-alphaR) neutralizing antibody. Although DRGs exposed to PMN-conditioned media had 53% fewer surviving neurons than controls, neuronal cell loss was prevented by GM6001 (20 micromol/L), catalase (1000 U/mL), or TNF-alphaR neutralizing antibody (1.5 microg/mL), elevating survival to 77%, 94%, and 95%, respectively. In accordance with protection by GM6001, conditioned media collected from MMP-9 null PMNs was less neurotoxic than that collected from wild-type PMNs. Additionally, MMP inhibition reduced PMN-derived ROS; removal of ROS reduced PMN-derived MMP-9 activity; and TNF-alpha inhibition reduced both PMN-derived MMP-9 activity and ROS in PMN cultures. Our data provide the first direct evidence that PMN-driven neurotoxicity is dependent on MMPs, ROS, and TNF-alpha, and that these factors may regulate PMN release of these soluble factors or interact with one another to mediate PMN-driven neurotoxicity.
R- and S-wave amplitude changes with acute anterior transmural myocardial ischemia. Correlations with left ventricular filling pressures.

The value of R- and S-wave amplitude changes as electrocardiographic (ECG) markers of myocardial ischemia and dysfunction was evaluated using coronary angioplasty as a model of acute transmural ischemia and ST segment elevation. Hemodynamic data and 12-lead ECGs were recorded at baseline and during coronary occlusion in 34 patients with left anterior descending artery angioplasty. In the precordial leads V 1 through V 4 , the sum of R-wave amplitude increased in 17 patients, was unchanged in ten, and decreased in seven; the sum of S-wave amplitude decreased in 33 patients (including two patients with complete loss of S wave) and increased in one. Mean R-wave change was 2.7 ± 6.2 mm, mean S-wave change was – 12.9 ± 9.0 mm, and mean precordial ST elevation was 12.5 ± 8.7 mm. Absolute R-wave change correlated directly with ST elevations (p = .013), while S-wave change correlated inversely (p
Finite element modeling of a cantilever beam

Finite element modeling of uniform cantilever beams and computation of transverse frequencies due to combinations of bending with rotatory inertia and shear flexibility
Morphology of small, discontinuous montane meadow streams in the Sierra Nevada

Various fluvial geomorphic models have been developed to characterize the relationships between planform and bedform features of large alluvial channels; however, little information exists for meadow channel morphology. Field investigation of seven narrow, low-energy meadow stream reaches in the northern Sierra Nevada range of California revealed similarities and differences to larger alluvial channels. The average radius of curvature to channel width ratio (5.54) of the meadow streams was almost double that of larger alluvial streams (3.1), with a standard deviation of 4.66. Average meander wavelength to channel width ratio (22.43) was almost triple that of typical alluvial streams (8.5), with a standard deviation of 16.80. Bedform features occurred at an average of 6.72 channel widths, similar to typical pool–riffle spacing of 5-7 channel widths. Grass sod connected a series of scour pools, providing the same energy drop function as riffles or steps. Results suggest that bedform regularity is similar to typical pool–riffle systems, especially as we move to larger watersheds and higher precipitation and runoff, but planform features are less developed and highly influenced by vegetation. Restoration efforts can benefit from considering how planform and bedform channel patterns develop in these meadows.
Cysteine-capped ZnS nanocrystallites: Preparation and characterization

Abstract Cysteine-capped ZnS nanocrystalline semiconductors (NCs) were prepared by titrating sodium sulfide into preformed Zn–cysteine complexes. Only a maximum of ∼40% of Zn(II) in Zn–cysteine complex was converted into ZnS NCs when the reaction was carried out at room temperature for 30 min. However, incubation of the reaction mixture at 45°C for 60 min significantly enhanced the production of ZnS NCs as a maximum of ∼75% of Zn(II) was converted into NCs. Cysteine capping produced NCs that were smaller than those capped by glutathione. Furthermore, cysteine-capped ZnS exhibited a narrow range of size distribution as suggested by UV/VIS spectroscopy of the NCs separated on a size-fractionation column. Unreacted Zn–cysteine complex could be removed from ZnS NC preparations by selective precipitation with ethanol. The precipitation procedure also led to the isolation of ZnS NCs that appeared more uniform by gel-filtration analysis. Ethanol precipitation procedures allowed preparation of large quantities of powdered NCs which retained their colloidal nature upon resuspension in water or buffers. pH titration experiments indicate that the average size of the particles was smallest in the pH range 7–10, but the size increased as the samples were made acidic or alkaline. Cysteine-capped NCs were capable of causing photoreduction of methylviologen, basic fuchsin and naphthol blue black.
Relationship between Pore Structure and Diffusion Tortuosity of ZrO2 Colloidal Aggregates

Abstract The performance of chromatographic materials is extremely sensitive to variations in pore architecture. In this study, porous zirconia particles (5-10 μm) manufactured with an oil emulsion process have been characterized with the aim of explaining its success in protein separations with liquid chromatography (HPLC). Its chromatographic performance is surprising since it is an aggregate of colloidal spheres; if the spheres are near close packed, small constrictions in the pore network should drastically reduce the effective diffusion coefficient and thus diminish the chromatographic resolution of proteins. Moreover, if small constrictions are avoided, such materials may serve as catalyst supports requiring reaction of large molecules (e.g., block copolymers). To characterize the pore structure we use electron microscopy, SEM and TEM; nitrogen adsorption; and mercury porosimetry. Since the latter techniques are compromised by the presence of pore constrictions, we also use the NMR spin lattice relaxation and NMR self diffusion experiment to determine the average hydraulic diameter and tortuosity of the pore space. It is shown that while many small constrictions are present, the spheres are quite loosely packed. There is still a high degree of connection between pore spaces through larger constrictions than would be expected for close packed spheres. The particles are very porous and the effective tortuosity for diffusion is surprisingly low.
Aqueous extracts of selenium-fertilized broccoli increase selenoprotein activity and inhibit DNA single-strand breaks, but decrease the activity of quinone reductase in Hepa 1c1c7 cells.

Abstract Depending on growth conditions, broccoli may be enriched in the isothiocyanate sulforaphane and/or the mineral selenium (Se); both compounds may play an important role in the reduction of intracellular oxidative stress and chronic disease prevention. Sulforaphane up-regulates transcription of Phase II detoxification proteins (e.g. quinone reductase [QR]), whereas Se is needed for the production of thioredoxin reductase (TR) and glutathione peroxidase-1 (GPx1), both of which exhibit antioxidant activity. The objective of the present study was to determine whether the fertilization of broccoli with Se increases the antioxidant ability of broccoli. Hydrogen peroxide-induced DNA single-strand breaks (measured by single cell electrophoresis, Comet assay) and activity of antioxidant enzymes (GPx, TR and QR) were measured in mouse hepatoma cells (Hepa 1c1c7 cells) treated with purified sulforaphane, sodium selenite or extracts of selenized broccoli. When supplied separately as chemically pure substances, sodium selenite was more effective than sulforaphane for reduction of single-strand breaks. Se-fertilized broccoli extracts were the most effective for reduction of DNA single-strand breaks, and extracts that contained 0.71 μM Se and 0.08 μM sulforaphane inhibited 94% of DNA single-strand breaks. A significant positive association ( r = 0.81, p = 0.009) between GPx1 activity and inhibition of DNA single-strand breaks as well as a 24 h lag time between addition of Se, sulforaphane or broccoli extract and inhibition of single-strand breaks suggests that some of the antioxidant protection is mediated through selenoproteins. Conversely, fertilization of broccoli with Se decreased the ability of broccoli extract to induce QR activity. These results demonstrate that Se and sulforaphane, alone or as a component of broccoli, may help decrease oxidative stress. They further suggest that Se is the most important for decreasing oxidative stress, but maximizing the Se content of broccoli also may compromise its ability to induce Phase II detoxification proteins.