cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Climate, topography, and dust influences on the mineral and geochemical evolution of granitic soils in southern Arizona

Abstract Mineral weathering transforms rock into soils that supply nutrients to ecosystems, store terrestrial carbon, and provide habitat for organisms. As a result, the mineralogy and geochemistry of soils from contrasting environments are well-studied. The primary objective of this research was to examine how climate, topography, and dust interactively control the mineral and geochemical composition of granitic soils that span an environmental gradient in southern Arizona. Two field sites were selected within the Catalina Critical Zone Observatory that exhibit significant range in precipitation (25 to 85 cm yr− 1), temperature (24 to 10 °C), and vegetation composition (desert scrub → mixed conifer). Within each site, two catena end member pairs were selected to represent variation in local topography which included divergent, water-shedding summits and convergent, water-gathering footslopes. Soils and parent rock were studied using x-ray diffraction and x-ray fluorescence. Dust samples were collected from ridgetop dust traps at the desert scrub site and examined using x-ray fluorescence. The desert scrub soils showed enrichment in biotite, total feldspar, and Fe + Mg whereas the mixed conifer soils were depleted in feldspars and enriched in Fe + Mg. Depletions of Na, Si, and K + Ca occurred in both the desert and mixed conifer ecosystems, with the convergent soils in the conifer sites exhibiting the greatest degree of elemental loss. We examined dust in the regolith after identifying mineral and elemental enrichments in both ecosystems. Dust fraction estimates ranged from 2 to 21% in desert soils and 9 to 19% for the mixed conifer soils. Our results confirm the interactive role of bioclimate, topography, and dust in driving the geochemical evolution of soils and cycling of nutrients in desert and conifer ecosystems.
Federal Big Data Analytics in the Health Domain: An Ontological Approach to Data Interoperability

Abstract “Big data” in the health domain occupies a critical position on the federal policy and research agenda, with emphasis on leveraging large, complex data sets to manage population health, drive down disease rates, and control costs. The complexity of big data analytics requires new rules and algorithms to effect the interoperability of data derived from multiple sources. Accordingly, a lexicon and ontology-based approach to data interoperability is offered as a practical and adaptable framework to address challenges of data interoperability presented by big health data analytics and related issues. The use of ontologies as descriptive, heuristic, and normative instruments is presented as means for facilitating data interoperability by ensuring semantic congruity and syntactic conformance within and across large and complex data sets. A framework is provided for an ontological approach to health data interoperability, focusing on the importance of standards and considering implications for practice and policy in relevant federal agencies.
Factors influencing survival following hip fracture among octogenarians and nonagenarians in the United States

Abstract Introduction Hip fractures account for a significant disease burden in the Unites States. With an aging population, this disease burden is expected to increase in the upcoming decades. Materials and methods This represents a retrospective cohort study to assess mortality following hip fracture in the octogenarian and nonagenarian populations. Odds ratios for postoperative mortality were constructed using normalized patients from United States Social Security death tables. Kaplan Meier analysis and binary logistic regression were used to assess the impact of surgical delay and medical comorbidity (measured by the Carlson Comorbidity Index (CCI)) on postoperative mortality. Results 189 octogenarians and 95 nonagenarians were included. One-year mortality was nearly three times higher for both the octogenarians (OR: 3.1) and nonagenarians (OR: 3.14), and returned to that of the normal population 4 years post-op for octogenarians and 5 years post-op for nonagenarians. Higher preoperative medical comorbidity (CCI) was associated with higher post-op mortality for both octogenarians (log rank = 0.026) and nonagenarians (log rank = 0.034). A 48-h surgical delay resulted in significantly increased postoperative mortality among healthy patients (CCI of 0 or 1, OR: 18.1), but was protective for patients with significant medical comorbidity (CCI ≥ 3). Age, preoperative CCI, and 48-h surgical delay were all independent predictors of 1-year post-op mortality. Conclusions Following hip fracture, there is a 3-fold increase in mortality for octogenarians and nonagenarians at 1 year post-op. A 48-h surgical delay significantly increased mortality for healthier patients but was protective against mortality for sicker patients.
Virtually Empathetic?: Examining the Effects of Virtual Reality Storytelling on Empathy

Virtual reality is gaining attention as a new storytelling tool due to its ability to transport users into alternative realities. The current study investigated whether VR storytelling was a viable intervention for inducing a state of empathy. A short documentary about a prison inmate’s solitary confinement experiences, After Solitary, was shown to two groups of participants. One group watched the documentary on a commercial VR headset (Oculus Rift) and the other group on a desktop computer via a YouTube 360° video. Results indicated the two groups did not differ in their state empathy levels and in their sense of presence levels. This suggests that watching the documentary in VR was not substantially different from watching it on YouTube with respect to the extent to which an individual empathizes with the emotional experience of another person.
A Comparison of Laser Ultrasonics and EMAT Texture Measurements in Aluminum Alloys

Ultrasonic techniques, which measure elastic anisotropy, have been used to study texture and plastic anisotropy of sheet materials. Ultrasonic velocity measurements can determine the orientation distribution coefficients (ODCs) W400, W420, and W440 which are used to describe crystallographic orientation distributions [1]. For steel sheets, strong correlations have been observed between ultrasonic velocity and the formability parameters r and Δr [3]. The results for aluminum show a relationship between the ODC W440 and the degree of earing [2–3].
Neural detection of socially valued community members.

As people form social groups, they benefit from being able to detect socially valuable community members—individuals who act prosocially, support others, and form strong relationships. Multidisciplinary evidence demonstrates that people indeed track others’ social value, but the mechanisms through which such detection occurs remain unclear. Here, we combine social network and neuroimaging analyses to examine this process. We mapped social networks in two freshman dormitories (n = 97), identifying how often individuals were nominated as socially valuable (i.e., sources of friendship, empathy, and support) by their peers. Next, we scanned a subset of dorm members (“perceivers”; n = 50) as they passively viewed photos of their dormmates (“targets”). Perceiver brain activity in regions associated with mentalizing and value computation differentiated between highly valued targets and other community members but did not differentiate between targets with middle versus low levels of social value. Cross-validation analysis revealed that brain activity from novel perceivers could be used to accurately predict whether targets viewed by those perceivers were high in social value or not. These results held even after controlling for perceivers’ own ratings of closeness to targets, and even though perceivers were not directed to focus on targets’ social value. Overall, these findings demonstrate that individuals spontaneously monitor people identified as sources of strong connection in the broader community.
Correction to: Birth and Death(?) of the Anti-Fracking Movement: Inferences from Quantity of Coverage Theory

The citation (Bigi 2017) and the reference listed in the “Further Reading” section contains an error. The author name “Bigi” should be “Bigl”.
A spatial-temporal gender and land use analysis of bikeshare ridership: The case study of Baltimore City

Abstract Bikeshare programs are growing in popularity across the United States as cities aim to provide an alternative mode of transportation that addresses last-mile needs while promoting recreation and tourism. In fall 2016, Baltimore Bikeshare System (BBS) launched with 20 stations. Using trip data for over 17,000 trips from October to May, this study explores the temporal and spatial patterns of bikeshare use in the city. The current study has two main goals: first, exploring the influence of socio-demographic factors on travel patterns of Baltimore's bikeshare ridership, and second, evaluating possible relationships between gender and land use in terms of origin/destination stations of their trips. The methodology of this study was based on statistical analysis including ANOVA, and binary and multinomial logistic regression models. The results of the study include several findings. First, the travel pattern of riders differs according to the status of their memberships, the day of week, and the land use of where they started and ended their trip. Second, there is a large gender difference among BBS membership users, and males are the dominate users. Finally, females tended to have more recreational trips and start and end their trips from/to the same station when compared to male riders.
Is Blockchain the Next Step in the Evolution Chain of [Market] Intermediaries?

The blockchain is a decentralized solution for handling transactions where we are concerned (among other aspects) with the accuracy and verification of transactions. One of its main promises is to eliminate the need for centralized entities or intermediaries and legal enforcement. Rather than trusting self-interested human intermediaries, the blockchain provides an alternative that relies on transparent computational protocols (Werbach 2018). In this paper, we delve into this broker-less claim and analyze whether the blockchain needs an intermediary to allow for widespread access to its functionality and whether the blockchain itself is an intermediary. The latter would turn the blockchain into a new type of middleperson that constitutes a shift in trust from humans or traditional agents to computer code. In other words, the next step in the evolution chain of intermediaries from humans to machines. The overall goal of this paper is to get the discussion started on the relationship between the blockchain and intermediaries so that we can think of plausible policy, governance, and regulatory measures to address the shortcomings and increase the opportunities for the widespread adoption of the blockchain technology in its different areas of impact. We begin by providing an overview of the workings of the blockchain before shifting our focus to an economic analysis of blockchain, where we argue that the economics literature has yet to explicitly consider blockchain as a transformative intermediary. We then explore situations in which the blockchain acts as a middleperson, as well as those where it requires an intermediary. We conclude by reflecting on the different issues that the blockchain-intermediary link entails in the policy domain.
Systems analysis of barrier molecule and ARNT-related gene expression regulation in melanoma

Background: We have identified, in melanomas, a set of genes encoding proteins that mediate mechanical barrier function in normal skin (barrier molecule genes, BMGs) and whose overexpression is associated with decreased immune signatures and shorter patient survival. The most overexpressed of these, filaggrin (FLG), is expressed on chromosome 1q21.3, which also encodes genes of the epidermal differentiation complex (EDC). EDC genes may be regulated by the transcription factors (TFs) AHR and ARNT. We hypothesized that ARNT-related genes would be expressed concordantly with BMG and EDC genes, inversely associated with immune signatures, and enhanced by 1q21.3 copy gain. Methods: Gene expression data from human melanomas in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and a validation GEO dataset were evaluated, with copy number profiles from TCGA. Expression of Th1 immune genes and BMG/EDCs at 1q21.3 was visualized using clustered copy number and mRNA profiles. Associations of clusters and 1q21.3 copy number with patient survival and mRNA expression were assessed using Kaplan Meier curves, log-rank tests, and Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Results: BMGs are concordantly expressed with EDC genes. Clustering divided tumors into 4 categories: (1) ImmuneHI, (2) BMG/EDCHI, (3) ARNTHI, (4) Mixed. Both ARNTHI and BMG/EDCHI tumors had low immune signatures and significantly shortened survival. KLF4 and FOXF2 are putative TFs that may regulate these genes. Conclusions: ARNTHI tumors may represent another subset of tumors, in addition to BMG/EDCHI tumors, with barriers to immune infiltrates, likely with different mechanisms. These genes have prognostic significance and may be relevant targets for future therapy.
Formal Methods and Computing Identity-based Mentorship for Early Stage Researchers

The field of formal methods relies on a large body of background knowledge that can dissuade researchers from engaging with younger students, such as undergraduates or high school students. However, we have found that formal methods can be an excellent entry point to computer science research - especially in the framing of Computing Identity-based Mentorship. We report on our experience in using a cascading mentorship model to involve early stage researchers in formal methods, covering our process with these students from recruitment to publication. We present case studies (N=12) of our cascading mentorship and how we were able to integrate formal methods research with the students' own interests. We outline some key strategies that have led to success and reflect on strategies that have been, in our experience, inefficient.
Abstract 6157: Hypoxia increases motility of neuroblastoma cells induced by the neuropeptide Y/Y5 receptor pathway and exacerbates their metastatic potential

Neuroblastoma (NB) is a pediatric malignancy that originates from precursors of sympathetic neurons and expresses neuronal proteins, such as neuropeptide Y (NPY) and its receptors. NB cells constitutively express NPY Y2 receptor (Y2R), which maintains their proliferation and tumor vascularization. However, pro-apoptotic conditions additionally induce expression of Y5 receptor (Y5R), which acts as a survival factor for tumor cells. High Y5R expression was also observed in angioinvasive NB cells surrounding blood vessels, suggesting a role for this receptor in NB dissemination. Indeed, in NB patients, high serum levels of NPY associated with the presence of metastases. Hence, the goal of this study was to identify mechanisms that may underlie potential pro-metastatic effects of NPY. We have found that NPY, acting via Y5R, stimulates NB cell motility and acts as a chemotactic factor for these cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Hypoxia, a known condition promoting metastasis, increased expression of Y5R in SK-N-BE(2) and SK-N-AS NB cell lines. Consequently, hypoxic NB cells had increased motility and a chemotactic response to NPY. This increase in NPY-driven migration was fully blocked by Y5R antagonist. Pre-incubation of NB cells in hypoxia before orthotopic injections into adrenal glands of SCID/bg mice exacerbated metastasis in xenografts from both NB cell lines. In mice bearing non-MYCN amplified SK-N-AS tumors, the hypoxia-driven metastases were located in soft tissues, while MYCN-amplified SK-N-BE(2) xenografts derived from hypoxic cells exhibited enhanced dissemination to lungs. The latter pattern of metastases is also observed in NB patients with MYCN amplification. Further studies are required to determine if the hypoxia-driven increase in NB metastasis is Y5R-dependent. Altogether, our data support the role of tumor hypoxia and NPY/Y5R axis in NB dissemination. Since this pathway is also activated during chemotherapy and promotes NB cells resistance to treatment, NPY/Y5R may also be involved in the secondary dissemination of the recurrent tumors. If the role of Y5R in NB metastasis is validated in preclinical models, this NPY receptor may become a potential therapeutic target preventing the disease dissemination. Citation Format: Nouran Abualsaud, Lindsay Caprio, Sung Hyeok Hong, Susana Galli, Joanna Kitlinska. Hypoxia increases motility of neuroblastoma cells induced by the neuropeptide Y/Y5 receptor pathway and exacerbates their metastatic potential [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 6157.
A versatile resource of 1500 diverse wild and cultivated soybean genomes for post-genomics research

With the advance of next-generation sequencing technologies, over 15 terabytes of raw soybean genome sequencing data were generated and made available in the public. To develop a consolidated, diverse, and user-friendly genomic resource to facilitate post-genomic research, we sequenced 91 highly diverse wild soybean genomes representing the entire US collection of wild soybean accessions to increase the genetic diversity of the sequenced genomes. Having integrated and analyzed the sequencing data with the public data, we identified and annotated 32 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (32mSNPs) with a resolution of 30 SNPs/kb and 12 non-synonymous SNPs/gene in 1,556 accessions (1.5K). Population structure analysis showed that the 1.5K accessions represent the genetic diversity of the 20,087 (20K) soybean accessions in the U.S. collection. Inclusion of wild soybean genomes significantly increased the genetic diversity and shorten linkage disequilibrium distance in the panel of soybean accessions. We identified a collection of paired accessions sharing the highest genomic identity between the 1.5K and 20K accessions as genomically 9equivalent9 accessions to maximize the use of the genome sequences. We demonstrated that the 32mSNPs in the 1.5K accessions can be effectively used for in-silico genotyping, discovering trait QTL, gene alleles/mutations, identifying germplasms containing beneficial allele and domestication selection of trait alleles. We made the 32mSNPs and 1.5K accessions with detailed annotation available at SoyBase and Ag Data Commons. The dataset could serve as a versatile resource to release the potential of the huge amount of genome sequencing data for a variety of postgenomic research.
Integrating Human Reasoning and Machine Learning to Classify Cyber Attacks

The US Department of Defense (DoD) computer networks, like many other enterprise computer networks, require strong cyber security because adversaries deploy increasingly sophisticated malicious activities against the networks. Human cyber analysts currently have to sift through the big data manually to look for the suspicious activities. New big data analytical tools and technologies bring fresh hope to help human analysts to automate the data analysis. The authors presented a use case and process that integrates human reasoning and domain knowledge to identify critical effects of cyber attacks to effectively narrow down and isolate infected computers. The authors first applied exploratory visualization to view big cyber event data. The authors then applied an unsupervised learning method, i.e., lexical link analysis (LLA), to compute the associations, statistics, and centrality measures for nodes (computers) and derived metrics to predict hacked or hacking nodes. The human reasoning and LLA allowed us to identify a single best metric that identifies the top 14% of the sorted nodes (computers) attributed to 62% hacked or hacking nodes, while the bottom 40% of the nodes (computers) are 100% normal, and can be eliminated from examination. Human reasoning and machine learning need to be integrated systematically to handle cyber security and rapidly isolate the effects of attacks. The use case is a causality analysis or causal learning in action where cause can be learned using a small number of effects because the human knowledge is applied.
Novel second-generation rexinoid induces growth arrest and reduces cancer cell stemness in human neuroblastoma patient-derived xenografts.

Abstract Introduction The poor therapeutic efficacy seen with current treatments for neuroblastoma may be attributed to stem cell-like cancer cells (SCLCCs), a subpopulation of cancer cells associated with poor prognosis and disease recurrence. Retinoic acid (RA) is a differentiating agent used as maintenance therapy for high-risk neuroblastoma but nearly half of children treated with RA relapse. We hypothesized that 6-Methyl-UAB30 (6-Me), a second-generation rexinoid recently developed with a favorable toxicity profile compared to RA, would reduce cancer cell stemness in human neuroblastoma patient-derived xenografts (PDXs). Methods Cells from three neuroblastoma PDXs were treated with 6-Me and proliferation, viability, motility, and cell-cycle progression were assessed. CD133 expression, sphere formation, and mRNA abundance of stemness and differentiation markers were evaluated using flow cytometry, in vitro extreme limiting dilution analysis, and real-time PCR, respectively. Results Treatment with 6-Me decreased proliferation, viability, and motility, and induced cell-cycle arrest and differentiation in all three neuroblastoma PDXs. In addition, 6-Me treatment led to decreased CD133 expression, decreased sphere-forming ability, and decreased mRNA abundance of Oct4, Nanog, and Sox2, indicating decreased cancer cell stemness. Conclusions 6-Me decreased oncogenicity and reduced cancer cell stemness of neuroblastoma PDXs, warranting further exploration of 6-Me as potential novel therapy for neuroblastoma.
Migration and Violent Crime: Lessons from the Russian Experience

The relationship between migration, both internal and international, and crime is not a matter of merely academic interest. Many laws and public policies directly and profoundly affect migration within and across national borders. At a time when international migration is attracting increasing attention of policy makers, courts, and legislators, there is a real need to better understand and predict the public-order consequences of laws affecting population movements. This article exploits the Russian experience to further that aim.The relationship between population movements and crime has been the subject of a growing social science literature. That literature yields but one clear conclusion: that the relationship defies generalization. In some contexts, a concentration of newcomers (whether native or foreign) in communities correlate with higher, and in other contexts, with lower, violent crime rates across space. Some population movements appear to improve, and others to erode, the social capacity for informal control over crime. In this article, I marshal evidence for one promising explanation for the disparate consequences of different population movements, emphasizing the role of social ties and networks. That explanation suggests that where migrations destroy social networks among the migrants or in receiving communities, the social capacity for informal control over violent behaviors is undermined, and public order is liable to suffer. By contrast, where social networks drive migrations and are preserved or reconstituted in areas of settlement, no comparable disruptive effects ensue. Russia’s experience under Soviet rule furnishes a singularly fitting example of population movements that definitively disrupted preexisting social structures and obstructed formation of new ones. I make use of statistical analysis to demonstrate that the Russian post-communist geography of homicide was shaped profoundly by communist-era migration and settlement patterns. In this way, it offers evidence for the proposition that network-disrupting migrations are strongly associated with higher violent crime rates, and that state laws and policies that produce these sorts of movements come at a high social cost. The idiosyncratic character of Russia’s migration history makes it an empirically convenient case – the proverbial “natural experiment” – to explore the full effects of specifically network-disrupting population movements. Its idiosyncrasy notwithstanding, the Russian experience yields generalizable implications for our understanding of the migration-crime relationship, and our ability to identify those policies that are most likely to disrupt the social processes of informal control and contribute to violent crime.
Schoolsite Health Promotion: Ways of Sustaining Interests

(1991). Schoolsite Health Promotion: Ways of Sustaining Interests. Journal of Health Education: Vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 86-89.
Atmospheric impacts of evaporative cooling systems

The observed atmospheric impacts resulting from the use of evaporative cooling systems are minor and usually environmentally acceptable. Although these impacts are also considerably smaller than those usually predicted a few years ago, regulatory agency requirements are such that these effects must be identified and quantified.
Photometric errors with compact fluorescent sources

The author reports the extent of photometric errors observed when different compact fluorescent sources for retrofit are compared with the incandescent sources they are to replace. When the photometric measurements are collected under sources with different spectral composition, errors can occur if the photometer relative spectral responsivity does not exactly match the spectral luminous efficiency of the human eye. Calibration procedures developed to address this problem are described, and the photometric errors observed for four different units of the same model illuminance photometer used to measure different compact fluorescent and incandescent sources are reported. >
At the cloning circus sideshows abound, while scientists seek a wider audience.

WASHINGTON—The scene inside the National Academy of Sciences auditorium on August 7 resembled a daytime talk show. Banks of television klieg lights baked the stage, where astonishing revelations and wild gesticulations garnered hoots and jeers from the audience. Early in the day-long event, one of three would-be human cloners broke off an argument and exclaimed, “People think we are mad scientists. We are not!” Some of the two dozen recognized experts in reproduction, genetics, and ethics sharing the stage sighed at the antics of Panay Zavos, PhD, director of the little-known Andrology Institute, a commercial research facility in Kentucky. His sparring partner, from the well-known Whitehead Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rudolf Jaenisch, PhD, remained calm and posed the first of the day’s many rhetorical questions. “Is a cloned animal that looks normal really normal? Animal embryonic development can continue despite genetics problems which may appear later.” Zavos, who had been trying to interrupt Jaenisch, leapt from his chair. “We came here for discussion and I think we deserve an opportunity . . . ” he began. “You’ll have an opportunity!” roared moderator and agitated peacekeeper Irving Weissman, MD, a cellular biologist from Stanford University School of Medicine. Indeed, Zavos and his partner, SeverinoAntinori,MD,gotmanyopportunities. Hordes of TV crews, correspondents, and photographers descended on them during breaks. Reporters milled about the stage, attempting to identify the various combatants. By the next morning, the announcement by Zavos and Antinori that they would clone a person before the end of the year had traveled around the world and back, diverting attention from what was meant to be a serious scientific workshop, and eclipsing the message delivered by the mainstream scientists. For most of the day, the world’s foremost animal cloners had presented reams of data supporting their case that high rates of late-term miscarriages, early deaths, and severe deformities led to the obvious conclusion that attempts to bring a cloned human embryo to term should be punished as criminal. They promised to issue a report by the end of this month.
Threshold production of charmed and B mesons in e+e- annihilation

A simple extension of the QCD inspired potential model which includes dynamical quarks first proposed by Eichten et al. is remarkably successful in accounting both for the observed narrow state heavy quarkonium spectroscopy and experimental data on threshold production of charmed and B mesons in e+e- annihilation. In addition to this model, a variant of it can also account for the data. The cross section data are mainly inclusive cross section measurements. The two models give distinguishably different predictions for the energy dependence of production cross sections for individual channels, and measurment of the energy dependence of production cross sections for individual channels may distinguish between these models.
A comparison of open and endovascular treatment strategies for the management of splenic artery aneurysms.

Splenic artery aneurysms are rare with an incidence of less than 0.8%. Evidence to support an endovascular management strategy over open surgical repair for SAA is limited. We used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample to compare open to endovascular SAA repair by assessing postoperative outcomes, length of hospital stay, and mortality. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was done to determine predictors of postoperative complications. There were 2316 admissions with a diagnosis code for SAA [347 (14.9%) endovascular repair and 112 (4.8%) open surgery]. There was a statistically significant lower rate of cardiac (2.3% vs 6.9%, P = 0.05) and pulmonary (8.9% vs 16.1%, P = 0.05) complications for the endovascular repair group. The risk of surgical site infection was also lower (0.6% vs 5.1%, P = 0.01) in the endovascular group. Median in-hospital LOS was greater for open repairs (6 vs. 4 days, P = 0.01). There were no statistically significant differences across procedures for renal complications (8.9%, P = 0.88) or in-hospital mortality (3%, P = 0.99). Regression analysis established procedure type to be independent predictor of postoperative complications. Endovascular repair of SAA is therefore associated with a lower complication rate and less resource utilization but no difference in mortality peri-operatively. This may justify an endovascular first treatment strategy in the management of SAA.
Field enhancement analysis of an apertureless near field scanning optical microscope probe with finite element method

Plasmonic field enhancement in a fully coated dielectric near field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) probe under radial polarization illumination is analyzed using an axially symmetric three-dimensional (3D) finite element method (FEM) model. The enhancement factor strongly depends on the illumination spot size, taper angle of the probe, and the metal film thickness. The tolerance of the alignment angle is investigated. Probe designs with different metal coatings and their enhancement performance are studied as well. The nanometric spot size at the tip apex and high field enhancement of the apertureless NSOM probe have important potential application in semiconductor metrology.
Domain-Specific Hierarchical Text Classification for Supporting Automated Environmental Compliance Checking

AbstractAutomated environmental compliance checking requires automated extraction of rules from environmental regulatory textual documents such as energy conservation codes and EPA regulations. Automated rule extraction requires complex text processing and analysis for information extraction and subsequent formalization of the extracted information into computer-processable rules. In the proposed automated compliance checking (ACC) approach, the text is first classified into predefined categories before information extraction (IE). The advantages are that irrelevant text will be filtered out during text classification (TC) and text with similar semantic meaning will be grouped, thereby improving the efficiency and accuracy of further IE and compliance reasoning (CR). The categories used for TC are predefined in a semantic TC topic hierarchy, and the classified text is subsequently used in semantic IE and semantic CR. This paper presents the proposed machine learning (ML)-based TC algorithm for classifying...
Parents' education, school‐age children and household location in American cities

The location of households within metropolitan areas has been a topic of interest for many decades. It has been receiving more attention by researchers recently because of the increasing attractiveness of many cities in the United States to certain types of households and to certain types of jobs. This study considers whether 15 large cities and the boroughs of New York City are attractive to families with school-age children, especially those with college-educated parents. It is shown that overall more affluent and educated families with school-age children are less likely to live in many large central cities with a few important exceptions.
Measuring the operational performance of a public transit company

This paper reports a study that was carried out to obtain comprehensive performance ratings to gauge the productive and service quality performance of a public transit company using a recent performance measurement method called operational competitiveness rating (OCRA) analysis. The computed ratings incorporate the cost and revenue efficiency of operations, quality of service experience as perceived by commuters, and the quality of service delivery in specific areas measured internally. The ratings reflect the strategic priorities the company assigns to the financial and customer service implications of its operations. We demonstrate OCRA’s use as a diagnostic tool to examine a series of scenarios to construct performance profiles corresponding to different managerial priorities.
Is Sexual Communication Challenging Between Mothers and Daughters

Many contend that sexual communication is challenging in close relationships, particularly between parents and adolescents. The current study explores the assumption that sexual communication is challenging through joint and individual interviews with nine mother-daughter dyads. Results of these close mother-daughter relationships revealed that sexual communication was and was not challenging for them. A relational dialectics framework revealed tensions between perceiving sex as a natural topic, and therefore relatively easy and communicatively open on one hand, and acknowledging some challenges with conversations about sex leading to closedness on the other. The results from this study show how some mothers and daughters are able to talk openly about sexual information and stand in contrast to other studies that show the challenging aspects of sexual communication.
SCATTERING OF POSITIVE PIONS BY HYDROGEN AT 189 MEV

The differential and total cross section of pions on hydrogen has been measured for 189 Mev positive pions. Liquid hydrogen was used as the scatterer; the incident and scattered pions were detected with scintillation counters. The angular distribution was fitted by: $\ensuremath{\sigma}=(7.24\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.76)+(3.1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.3)cos\ensuremath{\chi}+(25.6\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2.6){cos}^{2}\ensuremath{\chi}$ millibarns per sterad. The total cross section measured by transmission was 194.1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}5.2 millibarns. A phase shift analysis was made using these results in conjunction with data obtained previously on the scattering of negative pions. The analysis was restricted to $S$ and $P$ waves and assumed conservation of isotopic spin. Four solutions were obtained. The one which is consistent with the requirements of causality and which corresponds to the preferred solution of de Hoffmann et al. is ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{1}=\ensuremath{-}2.8\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}4.5\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$, ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{3}=\ensuremath{-}11.3\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}3.2\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$, ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{11}=\ensuremath{-}2.6\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}7.5\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$, ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{13}=\ensuremath{-}2.1\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}3.8\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$, ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{31}=\ensuremath{-}11.6\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}5.1\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$, ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{33}=98.8\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}3.6\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$.
New Coherent Averaging Effect in Magnetic Resonance: Modulation-Induced Reduction of Dipolar Coupling

Modulation was used in a transient nutation experiment to remove dipolar splitting. We calculate this new effect and demonstrate it for an isolated two-spin system. The relatively simple technique works efficiently for line narrowing in polycrystalline solids and preliminary results indicate that it should be useful for uncovering chemical-shift and heternuclear-coupling information obscured by homonuclear broadening.
Recovery of learning responses by honeybees following a sublethal exposure to permethrin

A classical conditioned response was used to evaluate the learning behaviour of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) which survived a sublethal dose of permethrin. Treated bees had lower learning response levels than untreated bees for 3 days, but regained normal learning ability on the fourth day after exposure. However, bees trained prior to exposure showed no significant effect of permethrin on their conditioned response.
Quantitative sampling of pelagic tar in the North Atlantic, 1973

Abstract Quantitative collections of pelagic tar in the western Sargasso Sea and the eastern North Atlantic have confirmed earlier reports. The exceptionally large amounts of tar observed by Heyerdahl in 1969 and 1970 appear to have been concentrated by Langmuir currents into windrows.
Second-position clitics in Czech: Syntactic or phonological?

Abstract Through a systematic analysis of the behavior of second-position clitics in Czech, this paper addresses issues that are also of interest in the general study of cliticization. It is argued that clitic placement in Czech is a syntactic process conditioned prosodically; the host is defined syntactically but must also contain a phonological word. There is also a discrepancy in the orientation of the syntactic vs. phonological host: these clitics are syntactically enclitic but phonologically uncommitted. A crucial role in explaining the alternative patterns of phonological attachment is attributed to discourse factors. It follows that the relationship between syntactic and phonological considerations in clitic placement is more complex than just a matter of determining unambiguous enclisis vs. proclisis.
A Mechanistic Study of the Samarium(II)-Mediated Reduction of Aryl Nitro Compounds to the Corresponding Arylamines. The Crystal Structures of {Sm[N(SiMe3)2]2(thf)}2(μ2-O) and [(Me3Si)2N]2Sm(thf)(μ-PhNNPh)Sm[N(SiMe3)2]2

Treatment of nitrobenzene and other various nitroarenes with 6 equiv of samarium(II) under strictly anhydrous conditions allows for the isolation of aniline or the corresponding arylamine. Reducing the number of samarium(II) equivalents allows for the isolation of intermediate species, e.g., azoarenes or hydrazines. Use of Sm[N(SiMe3)2]2, in place of the typically used SmI2, has allowed for the detailed examination of the aqueous and nonaqueous species formed in this reduction and has been instrumental in delineation of the stepwise reaction mechanism. This is the first time that the reaction intermediates of an organic reaction mediated by samarium(II) have been isolated and analyzed by 1H NMR and X-ray crystallography.
Growth in Uca, 1. Ontogeny of Asymmetry in Uca Pugilator (Bosc) (Decapoda, Ocypodidae)

[La croissance du propode de la plus grande pince et du meropodite des deux premieres paires de pattes ambulatoires est decrite pour une serie ontogenetique du mâle de Uca pugilitor. Chez les jeunes crabes, la pince a un aspect tronque puisque les doigts sont relativement plus courts que la portion palmaire du propode. Le taux de croissance du doigt fixe est modifie de facon notable chez les crabes dont la largeur de la carapace est de plus de 7,5 mm et l'augmentation de croissance produit l'elongation du segment, mais le taux de croissance palmaire reste inchange. Cette modification dans la croissance du propode donne une grande pince plus allongee, forme caracteristique des adultes. L'auteur suggere dans cette etude que les deux evenements morphometriques eprouves par des animaux de la classe 7,5 mm, c'est a dire le changement de la croissance du doigt fixe et la discontinuite de la courbe du taux de croissance palmaire de la pius grande pince sont en rapport avec la puberte. L'heterochelie est d'abord perceptible chez les crabes dont la largeur de carapace est de 2,25 mm. L'asymetrie des paires de pereiopodes a lieu plus tot pour la premiere paire de pattes ambulatoires, et se developpe avec une intensite plus grande que pour la seconde paire de pattes. Les hypotheses relatives a l'influence de la croissance de la plus grande pince sur les pereiopodes adjacents sont traitees brievement., La croissance du propode de la plus grande pince et du meropodite des deux premieres paires de pattes ambulatoires est decrite pour une serie ontogenetique du mâle de Uca pugilitor. Chez les jeunes crabes, la pince a un aspect tronque puisque les doigts sont relativement plus courts que la portion palmaire du propode. Le taux de croissance du doigt fixe est modifie de facon notable chez les crabes dont la largeur de la carapace est de plus de 7,5 mm et l'augmentation de croissance produit l'elongation du segment, mais le taux de croissance palmaire reste inchange. Cette modification dans la croissance du propode donne une grande pince plus allongee, forme caracteristique des adultes. L'auteur suggere dans cette etude que les deux evenements morphometriques eprouves par des animaux de la classe 7,5 mm, c'est a dire le changement de la croissance du doigt fixe et la discontinuite de la courbe du taux de croissance palmaire de la pius grande pince sont en rapport avec la puberte. L'heterochelie est d'abord perceptible chez les crabes dont la largeur de carapace est de 2,25 mm. L'asymetrie des paires de pereiopodes a lieu plus tot pour la premiere paire de pattes ambulatoires, et se developpe avec une intensite plus grande que pour la seconde paire de pattes. Les hypotheses relatives a l'influence de la croissance de la plus grande pince sur les pereiopodes adjacents sont traitees brievement.]
The Siren’s Song: Federalism and the Cops grants

The federalization of crime control has become a focal point for criminal justice researchers. Because the federal government is limited in how it can affect crime, it often assumes the role of funding agent to state or local governments and places restrictions on the use of these monies. Generally, no consideration is given to state or local concerns. As a result, national crime control policy often becomes mired in issues of federalism. One unintended consequence is the creation of a Siren’s Song, where state and local agencies simply pursue funding dollars to expand their budgets rather than to adopt beneficial policies or make meaningful changes. This paper illustrates this point by examining the federal “100,000 Cops” initiative in one rural West Virginia jurisdiction.
The effects of hormone therapy on the markers of inflammation and endothelial function and plasma matrix metalloproteinase-9 level in postmenopausal women: The postmenopausal estrogen progestin intervention (PEPI) trial

Abstract Objective The objective of this study was to determine whether oral conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) alone or with one of the three progestin regimens causes changes in biomarkers predictive of adverse cardiovascular events: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Methods and results The analysis included 271 postmenopausal women from the postmenopausal estrogen progestin intervention (PEPI) trial. Plasma levels of biomarkers were measured on frozen samples obtained at baseline, 1- and 3-year follow-up visits. Multivariable linear mixed effects models were used to estimate changes in CRP, IL-6, ICAM and MMP-9 levels from baseline to follow-up visits by treatment groups. Women assigned to CEE only or CEE plus a progestin had 121 and 150% 1-year increase in CRP levels, respectively. In contrast, these treatments caused no significant change in IL-6 levels. Women assigned to CEE with or without a progestin had a 6–8% decline in ICAM and a 26–33% decline in MMP-9. Conclusions The linkage between CEE alone or with a progestin and increased cardiovascular events may be associated with a rise in CRP level, but not through the mechanisms of IL-6-mediated inflammation, endothelial dysfunction or increased MMP activity.
Democracy and voter ignorance revisited: Rejoinder to Ciepley

Abstract Democratic control of public policy is nearly impossible in the presence of extreme voter ignorance, and this ignorance is in part caused by the vast size and scope of modern government. Only a government limited in its scope can be meaningfully democratic. David Ciepley's response to my article does not seriously challenge this conclusion, and his attempts to show that limited government is inherently undemocratic fail. Ciepley's alternative vision of a “democracy” that does not require informed voters turns out to be not a defense of democracy at all, but a rationalization for any form of government that achieves a high level of leadership skill and bureaucratic efficiency.
Collisional energy loss above the critical temperature in QCD

Abstract We compute the collisional energy loss for a heavy quark above the critical temperature in Quantum ChromoDynamics (QCD). We work in the semi Quark–Gluon Plasma, which assumes that this region is dominated by the non-trivial holonomy of the thermal Wilson line. Relative to the result of leading order in perturbation theory, at a fixed value of the coupling constant we generically find that collisional energy loss is suppressed by powers of the Polyakov loop, l 1 . For small values of the loop, this suppression is linear when the heavy quark scatters off of light quarks, and quadratic when the heavy quark scatters off of gluons, or for Compton scattering.
The Determination of Hydroxyl Groups in Coal by Fourier Transform Infrared and 13C NMR Spectroscopy

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and solid state 13C NMR spectroscopy have been used to measure the hydroxyl groups in coal. The methodology depends upon measuring the intensities of bands and resonances assigned to the products of acetylation reactions. In the infrared three separate bands, assigned to acetylated phenolic OH, alkyl OH, and NH groups, can be identified. In NMR, we used the methoxy carbon to determine the total OH. Spectroscopic measurements demonstrate that not only does the total OH content of coals but also the individual types of OH groups vary systematically as a function of rank. The proportion of phenolic to alkyl OH is approximately constant for the coals used in this study.