cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
193 nm Scatterfield Microscope Illumination Optics

A scatterfield microscope for deep sub-wavelength semiconductor metrology using 193 nm light has been designed. In addition to accommodating the fixed numerical aperture and size of its commercial catadioptric objective lens, the illumination optics are formed to implement essential parameters necessary for angular illumination control at the sample plane. This angle-resolved scatterfield microscope requires access to a relatively large (> 10 mm) conjugate back focal plane as well as increased fluence from the ArF excimer laser source. The parametric optimization process yielded a telecentric conjugate back focal plane with appropriate numerical aperture and diameter by adjustment of the parameters of two interrelated lens groups.
Job Stress Among Casino Hotel Chefs in a Top-Tier Tourism City

The degree of job stress experienced by casino hotel chefs was investigated through a total of 152 surveys from 25 randomly selected hotels in a top-tier tourism city. Overall, these chefs experienced a moderately high level of job stress, with human resources identified as the most stressful item and work–family conflicts as the most stressful factor. Chefs who worked for 5–10 years, 60 hours per week, in the production kitchen, during the night swing shifts, and had a bachelor's degree experienced the highest stress level. Increased human resource training and professional support are encouraged in the chef department to alleviate stress and to elevate job satisfaction among casino hotel chefs.
The depolarization of high-energy positrons

The depolarization of high-energy positrons degraded to rest in matter has been measured using the lifetime distribution of positronium in a magnetic field as a polarization analyser. Positron beams with initial energies between O.4 MeV and 24 MeV were investigated. The use of a linear accelerator to produce a high-energy polarized positron beam is described. The results show that 12 MeV positrons are (79± 12)% depolarized in being degraded to rest. Tor this reason, the polarization analyser using positronium in a magnetic field does not appear to be useful for high-energy applications.
An analysis pipeline with statistical and visualization-guided knowledge discovery for Michigan-style learning classifier systems

Michigan-style learning classifier systems (M-LCSs) represent an adaptive and powerful class of evolutionary algorithms which distribute the learned solution over a sizable population of rules. However their application to complex real world data mining problems, such as genetic association studies, has been limited. Traditional knowledge discovery strategies for M-LCS rule populations involve sorting and manual rule inspection. While this approach may be sufficient for simpler problems, the confounding influence of noise and the need to discriminate between predictive and non-predictive attributes calls for additional strategies. Additionally, tests of significance must be adapted to M-LCS analyses in order to make them a viable option within fields that require such analyses to assess confidence. In this work we introduce an M-LCS analysis pipeline that combines uniquely applied visualizations with objective statistical evaluation for the identification of predictive attributes, and reliable rule generalizations in noisy single-step data mining problems. This work considers an alternative paradigm for knowledge discovery in M-LCSs, shifting the focus from individual rules to a global, population-wide perspective. We demonstrate the efficacy of this pipeline applied to the identification of epistasis (i.e., attribute interaction) and heterogeneity in noisy simulated genetic association data.
Effect of elevated temperature and pressure on sprays from simplex swirl atomizers

An examination is made of the effects of air temperature and pressure on the spray quality of a moderately high capacity pressure swirl atomizer spraying jet-A and No. 2 diesel fuel. Drop size distributions, in terms of both Sauter mean diameter (SMD) and the width of the distribution given by the Rosin-Rammler N parameter, are determined over a variety of air conditions. Close to the nozzle, limited data suggest that the SMDs were a strong function of air density, but independent of air temperature. Trends of SMD and N are shown as a function of distance from the nozzle at all conditions, indicating some of the evaporation characteristics of fuel sprays.
Simulations of Information and Noise Dynamics inSupport Constrained Image Deconvolution

Shannon information may provide a useful and inequivalent alternative to noise based metrics when characterizing the performance of an imaging system. We present simulations of how a ground-based astronomical telescope processes the information in objects it views and images.
Determinants of adaptation of oldest old black Americans

Abstract Despite noticeable disadvantages over their life course and current complaints about their health and socio-economic status, the 122 blacks 85 years and older studied here expressed a high level of contentment with their lives. Using a biographical approach, three factors were found to be associated with this positive outcome. First, their social integration is high with most respondents being well integrated into their family, the black church, and the black community. Second, their culture offers coherent values about their special status as survivors. Third, reference points to evaluate their status and their expectations are redefined by turning to their, past as a standard for making positive evaluations of their present.
Ordered Products of Topological Groups

The topology most often used on a totally ordered group (G, <) is the interval topology. There are usually many ways to totally order G x G (e.g., the lexicographic order) but the interval topology induced by such a total order is rarely used since the product topology has obvious advantages. Let ℝ(+) denote the real line with its usual order and Q(+) the subgroup of rational numbers. There is an order on Q x Q whose associated interval topology is the product topology, but no such order on ℝ x ℝ can be found. In this paper we characterize those pairs G, H of totally ordered groups such that there is a total order on G x H for which the interval topology is the product topology.
Phenomenology of the production, decay, and detection of new hadronic states associated with supersymmetry

Supersymmetric theories involve spinorial partners for the gluons of QCD. If the symmetry breaking is such that they are massless or light, they probably combine with quarks to form families of new, relatively low-lying hadrinic states, which decay into ordinary hadrons and a new, neutrino-like particle. We discuss how present experiments can put limits on their production.
Decline in Lung Function in Patients With Lymphangioleiomyomatosis Treated With or Without Progesterone

Study objective: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), a disease affecting women and causing cystic lung lesions, and, in some instances, leading to respiratory failure and death, appears to be exacerbated by estrogens. Hence, hormonal therapy with progesterone is frequently employed; however, efficacy has not been demonstrated. Our aim was to determine whether progesterone administration slowed the decline in lung function in LAM. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. Design and subjects: The study population comprised 348 patients with LAM participating in a longitudinal research protocol. Declines in diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (Dlco) and FEV 1 were measured in 275 patients observed for approximately 4 years. The declines in Dlco and FEV 1 of patients treated with progesterone, po (n = 67) or IM (n = 72), were compared with those of untreated patients (n = 136). Measurements and results: Overall yearly rates of decline in Dlco and FEV 1 were 2.4 ≤ 0.4% predicted (0.69 ≤ 0.07 mL/min/mm Hg) and 1.7 ≤ 0.4% predicted (75 ≤ 9 mL), respectively (mean ≤ SEM). The most significant predictors of functional decline were initial lung function and age. After adjusting for initial FEV 1 , age, and duration of disease, patients treated with IM progesterone tended to have lower rates of decline in FEV 1 than patients treated po (1.9 ≤ 0.6% predicted vs 3.2 ≤ 0.8% predicted, respectively; p=0.081). However, there was no significant difference in rates of decline in FEV 1 between patients treated with IM progesterone and untreated patients (1.9 ≤ 0.6% predicted vs 0.8 ≤ 0.5% predicted, respectively; p=0.520), and patients treated with po progesterone and untreated patients (3.2 ≤ 0.8% predicted vs 0.8 ≤ 0.5% predicted, respectively; p=0.064). After adjusting for initial Dlco, rates of decline in Dlco were significantly higher in patients treated with po progesterone (3.6 ≤ 0.7% predicted, p=0.002) and IM progesterone (2.8 ≤ 0.5% predicted, p=0.022) than in untreated patients (1.6 ≤ 0.6% predicted). Conclusions: Within the limitations of a retrospective study, our data suggest that progesterone therapy does not slow the decline in lung function in LAM.
Effect of pre-plant soil fumigants on Agrobacterium tumefaciens, pythiaceous species, and subsequent soil recolonization by A. tumefaciens

Abstract Paradox ( Juglans hindsii × J. regia ), the dominant rootstock used in the California walnut industry, is susceptible to crown gall caused by Agrobacterium tumefaciens . In practice, soil fumigation has been a common pre-plant management strategy for crown gall, but even the industry standard, methyl bromide (MeBr), results in inconsistent disease control. To examine MeBr efficacy and identify potential alternatives, combinations of 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D), chloropicrin, iodomethane, dazomet, and metam-sodium were examined. Except for 1,3-D alone, all treatments reduced A. tumefaciens and Phytophthora cactorum populations below detection limits. MeBr eliminated A. tumefaciens populations in buried gall tissue, but a combination of 1,3-D and chloropicrin (TC35) did not. An additional 280 kg/ha of chloropicrin in addition to TC35 eliminated A. tumefaciens populations in buried gall tissue. Of the treatments tested, TC35 was the best alternative to MeBr given its efficacy on soil populations of A. tumefaciens and P. cactorum and potential suppressiveness to soil recolonization by A. tumefaciens . MeBr reduced general aerobic bacterial populations below detection limits producing a temporary biological vacuum. A. tumefaciens reintroduced in soils treated with MeBr and TC35 reached significantly higher populations than in non-fumigated soil. However, A. tumefaciens populations in TC35-treated soil were 100-fold lower than MeBr-treated soil 110 d after reintroduction. Increased recolonization rates resulting in higher subsequent soil populations could be a mechanism underlying the observed inconsistent crown gall control after MeBr application.
An evaluation of the brief multidimensional measure of religiousness/spirituality in older patients with prior depression or anxiety

The Primary objective of the study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness and Spirituality (BMMRS) in older adults. Older adults (N = 66) completed a survey in-person or over the phone. Measures included the BMMRS, Religious Problem Solving Scale, Brief Religious Coping Scale, Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy – Spiritual Well-being, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Geriatric Anxiety Inventory, and Geriatric Depression Scale. Cronbach's alphas evaluated internal consistency, zero-order correlations tested construct validity, and multiple regressions assessed the association of BMMRS domains with well-being. Most BMMRS domains were reliable and valid. Collectively, they explained 26% to 68% of the variance in well-being and psychological symptoms. Daily spiritual experiences uniquely predicted spiritual well-being, satisfaction with life, and depressive symptoms. The BMMRS is useful in older populations and may help identify those who c...
Visual Bias in Time’s “The Great Divide”: A Semiotic Analysis of Clinton and Obama Photographs

In the 2008 Democratic presidential campaign Hillary Clinton was pitted against Barack Obama for the nomination. On February 18, 2008 Time magazine published a behind-the-scenes photo essay of each candidate titled “The Great Divide.” As has been well established, news photographs can have an influence on the electorate. Using a close semiotic analysis this article considers the images found in the photo essays to discover any underlying visual bias. The results of the analysis show that the two candidates are portrayed differently. However, those differences may be a reflection of how the public and the media already perceived each candidate.
Gender Differences and Similarities in Strategies for Managing Conflict with Friends and Romantic Partners

Using hypothetical vignettes, we investigated the extent to which gender differences in conflict-management strategies depended on the relationship context of a same-gender friendship vs. a romantic relationship. Associations between conflict-management strategies, goals and gender-typed traits also were assessed. Men (131) and women (203) undergraduate students (19–25 years) from a state university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States participated. To assess expressive and instrumental personality traits, participants completed the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ; Spence and Helmreich 1978). Participants also rated their endorsement of communal and agentic goals and strategies for managing hypothetical conflicts presented in the “Peer Conflict Management Questionnaire.” This questionnaire, created for the purposes of this study, consisted of 4 vignettes that portrayed hypothetical conflicts with a friend and a romantic partner. Results showed that women were more likely than men to endorse communal strategies when managing conflict with a same-gender friend, but not with a romantic partner. Women were more likely than men to endorse agentic strategies for managing conflict with a romantic partner, but not with a same-gender friend. For conflicts with a same-gender friend, communal goals, but not expressive traits or gender, predicted communal strategy endorsement. For conflicts with a romantic partner, gender and agentic goals predicted agentic strategies; instrumental traits did not. Implications for understanding consequences of gender-typed relationship processes are discussed. The contextual specificity of gender differences and similarities are emphasized.
SU-E-T-135: Investigation of Commercial-Grade Flatbed Scanners and a Medical- Grade Scanner for Radiochromic EBT Film Dosimetry.

Purpose: To evaluate the characteristics of commercial‐grade flatbed scanners and medical‐grade scanners for radiochromic EBT film dosimetry.Methods: Performance aspects of a Vidar Dosimetry Pro Advantage (Red), Epson 750 Pro, Microtek ArtixScan 1800f, and Microtek ScanMaker 8700 scanner for EBT2 Gafchromic film were evaluated in the categories of repeatability, maximum distinguishable optical density (OD) differentiation, OD variance, and dose curve characteristics. OD step film by Stouffer Industries containing 31 steps ranging from 0.05 to 3.62 OD was used. EBT films were irradiated with dose ranging from 20 to 600 cGy in 6×6 cm2field sizes and analyzed 24 hours later using RIT113 and Tomotherapy Film Analyzer software. Scans were performed in transmissive mode, landscape orientation, 16‐bit image. The mean and standard deviation Analog to Digital (A/D) scanner value was measured by selecting a 3×3 mm2 uniform area in the central region of each OD step from a total of 20 scans performed over several weeks. Repeatability was determined from the variance of OD step 0.38. Maximum distinguishable OD was defined as the last OD step whose range of A/D values does not overlap with its neighboring step. Results: Repeatability uncertainty ranged from 0.1% for Vidar to 4% for Epson. Average standard deviation of OD steps ranged from 0.21% for Vidar to 6.4% for ArtixScan 1800f. Maximum distinguishable optical density ranged from 3.38 for Vidar to 1.32 for ScanMaker 8700. A/D range of each OD step corresponds to a dose range. Dose ranges of OD steps varied from 1% for Vidar to 20% for ScanMaker 8700. Conclusions: The Vidar exhibited a dose curve that utilized a broader range of OD values than the other scanners. Vidar exhibited higher maximum distinguishable OD, smaller variance in repeatability, smaller A/D value deviation per OD step, and a shallower dose curve with respect to OD.
The Protein and Non-Protein Nitrogen Fractions in Milk. III. The Effect of Heat Treatments and Homogenization

Summary Influence of pasteurization on the nitrogen distribution was studied by pasteurizing milk at 143°F. for 30min. in a laboratory pasteurizer. No appreciable change occurred on pasteurization, except in the case of albumin and globulin. About 9 per cent coagulation was observed in the case of albumin and 5 per cent coagulation for globulin. Pasteurization at 155°F. for 30min. and homogenization at 2,000lb. pressure per in. 2 produced no significant changes in the nitrogen distribution, except that globulin nitrogen decreased, whereas the non-protein nitrogen and α-amino nitrogen increased. On storage of evaporated milk at 100°F., the non-protein nitrogen increased with a decrease in viscosity.
Investigation of diffusion in p-version 'LSFE' and 'STLSFE' formulations

This paper deals with investigation of diffusion for p-version least squares finite element formulation (LSFEF) and p-version space-time coupled least squares finite element formulation (STLSFEF) for steady-state and transient problems. Convection dominated flows result in hyperbolic system of equations which leads to ill-conditioned matrices when using Galerkin formulation. Various techniques (SUPG, SUPG-with discontinuity capturing operator etc.) have been devised to overcome the difficulties arising primarily due to hyperbolic terms and sharp gradients. In this paper, it is demonstrated that when using p-version STLSFEF or LSFEF, no such difficulties are encountered in formulation as well as in the solution procedure. Almost all numerical processes suffer from numerical diffusion to some extent, however, it is demonstrated in this paper that in p-version STLSFE and LSFE formulations numerical diffusion can be completely eliminated by mesh refinement and p-level increase and the formulations are free of inherent diffusion. Several model problems are considered with dominant convective terms to investigate diffusion in p-version LSFEF and STLSFEF. Two dimensional convection-diffusion problems are used as steady state representative cases. One dimensional transient problems considered in this paper include pure advection, convection-diffusion and Burgers' equation. Numerical results are also compared with exact solutions and those reported in the literature.
A three‐dimensional finite element approach towards molecular SCF computations

Fully three-dimensional, SCF ground-state computations for the Hartree equation are carried out by a finite element approach that completely avoids forming or storing the Fock matrix. A combination of strategies is used to reduce storage and computational requirements by orders of magnitude over the traditional finite element approach, which makes three-dimensional molecular orbital computations feasible. Results using the three-dimensional formulation and computer program are shown for one-electron systems: He+ and H2+, and for two-electron systems: He and H2. The best results are within about 30–100 micro-Hartrees of the exact values of the total energies for the ground states of these systems, indicating that our three-dimensional approach has been correctly implemented in the computer code.
Low-power bus encoding using an adaptive hybrid algorithm

In this paper, we propose an adaptive low-power bus encoding algorithm based on weighted code mapping (WCM) and the delayed bus technique. The WCM algorithm transforms an original bus data vector to a low-energy code through one-to-one mapping. The code mapping is determined by the data probabilistic distribution in the original sequence. The WCM algorithm considers both the self and coupling capacitance of the bus wires. In addition, we found that applying the delayed-bus technique can further reduce the bus energy. A window-based adaptive encoding algorithm is proposed to improve the energy saving by adaptively changing the code mapping when significant data changes are detected. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the existing heuristic bus encoding algorithms by 20~60% in energy dissipation.
Fundamental performance limitations with Kullback-Leibler control cost

This research concerns fundamental performance limitations in control of discrete time nonlinear systems. The fundamental limitations are expressed in terms of the average cost of an infinite horizon optimal control problem. The control cost is defined by using a certain Kullback-Leibler divergence metric recently introduced by Todorov [1]. The limitations are obtained via analysis of a linear eigenvalue problem defined only by the open loop dynamics. For a linear time invariant (LTI) system the fundamental limitation is shown to depend upon the unstable eigenvalues, as in the classical Bode formula. For a more general class of nonlinear systems, it is shown that the limitation arise only if the open-loop dynamics are non-ergodic.
Service Interruptions in Large-Scale Service Systems

Large-scale service systems, where many servers respond to high demand, are appealing because they can provide great economy of scale, producing a high quality of service with high efficiency. Customer waiting times can be short, with a majority of customers served immediately upon arrival, while server utilizations remain close to 100%. However, we show that this confluence of quality and efficiency is not achieved without risk, because there can be severe congestion if the system does not operate as planned. In particular, we show that the large scale makes the system more vulnerable to service interruptions when (i) most customers remain waiting until they can be served, and (ii) when many servers are unable to function during the interruption, as may occur with a system-wide computer failure. Increasing scale leads to higher server utilizations, which in turn leads to longer recovery times from service interruptions and worse performance during such events. We quantify the impact of service interruptions with increasing scale by introducing and analyzing approximating deterministic fluid models. We also show that these fluid models can be obtained from many-server heavy-traffic limits.
Hnrpab regulates neural development and neuron cell survival after glutamate stimulation

The molecular mechanisms that govern the timing and fate of neural stem-cell differentiation toward the distinct neural lineages of the nervous system are not well defined. The contribution of post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression to neural stem-cell maintenance and differentiation, in particular, remains inadequately characterized. The RNA-binding protein Hnrpab is highly expressed in developing nervous tissue and in neurogenic regions of the adult brain, but its role in neural development and function is unknown. We raised a mouse that lacks Hnrpab expression to define what role, if any, Hnrpab plays during mouse neural development. We performed a genome-wide quantitative analysis of protein expression within the hippocampus of newborn mice to demonstrate significantly altered gene expression in mice lacking Hnrpab relative to Hnrpab-expressing littermates. The proteins affected suggested an altered pattern of neural development and also unexpectedly indicated altered glutamate signaling. We demonstrate that Hnrpab –/– neural stem and progenitor cells undergo altered differentiation patterns in culture, and mature Hnrpab –/– neurons demonstrate increased sensitivity to glutamate-induced excitotoxicity. We also
Growth Investing: Betting on the Future?

The academic research is incontrovertible. On paper, value investing (at least as defined as investing in low PE and low price to book stocks) beats growth investing. Notwithstanding this finding, growth investing retains its allure with a large subset of investors, drawn by the payoff from investing in the “right’ growth companies. In this paper, we examine different strands of growth investing, ranging from passive screening (investing in small cap companies, initial public offerings or buying growth at a reasonable price (GARP)), to more activist growth investing, which is how we characterize venture capital investing. While growth investing under performs value investing, especially over long time periods, it is also true that there are sub-periods, where growth investing dominates and there is at least some evidence that active growth investors have better luck at beating passive growth investing strategies than active value investors do at beating passive value investing strategies.
Bender–Wu formulas and classical trajectories: Higher dimensions and degeneracies

A method for the asymptotics of the perturbation series (Bender-Wu formulas) which is not restricted to one dimension is outlined. The method has a classical mechanic flavor and involves computing classical trajectories using classical perturbation methods. The method applies also when the unperturbed eigenvalues are degenerate. It is illustrated for the Hydrogen Zeeman Hamiltonian which is not separable and has degeneracies.
Light chain (AL) amyloidosis: update on diagnosis and management

Light chain (AL) amyloidosis is a plasma cell dyscrasia characterized by the pathologic production of fibrillar proteins comprised of monoclonal light chains which deposit in tissues and cause organ dysfunction. The diagnosis can be challenging, requiring a biopsy and often specialized testing to confirm the subtype of systemic disease. The goal of treatment is eradication of the monoclonal plasma cell population and suppression of the pathologic light chains which can result in organ improvement and extend patient survival. Standard treatment approaches include high dose melphalan (HDM) followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT) or oral melphalan with dexamethasone (MDex). The use of novel agents (thalidomide, lenalidomide and bortezomib) alone and in combination with steroids and alkylating agents has shown efficacy and continues to be explored. A risk adapted approach to SCT followed by novel agents as consolidation reduces treatment related mortality with promising outcomes. Immunotherapeutic approaches targeting pathologic plasma cells and amyloid precursor proteins or fibrils are being developed. Referral of patients to specialized centers focusing on AL amyloidosis and conducting clinical trials is essential to improving patient outcomes.
Averaged indicators of secondary flow in repeated acoustic Doppler current profiler crossings of bends

[1] Cross-stream velocity was measured in a large river bend at high spatial resolution over three separate survey episodes. A suite of methods for resolving cross-stream velocity distributions was tested on data collected using acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP) in the sand-bedded Sacramento River, California. The bend was surveyed with repeated ADCP crossings at eight cross sections during a rising limb of high discharge in February 2004 and twice on recession in March 2004. By translating and interpolating repeated ADCP crossings to planar grids, velocity ensembles at similar positions along irregular boat paths could be averaged. The averaging minimized turbulent fluctuations in streamwise velocities over 1 m/s, enabling the resolution of weaker cross-stream velocities (~15-30 cm/s). Secondary-flow influence on suspended sediment was inferred from a lateral region of acoustic backscatter intensity aligned with outward flow over the point bar. A near-bed decrease in backscatter intensity across the pool corresponded with inward cross-stream flow. These suspension indicators were used to orient averaged velocity grids for unambiguously defining the cross-stream velocity magnitudes. Additional field investigations could test whether the correlation between cross-stream velocity and backscatter intensity patterns results from helical recirculation of suspended sediment to the inside of the bend. These river measurements, consistent with classic and recent laboratory studies, show that ADCP surveys can provide refined views of secondary flow and sediment movement in large rivers.
Primary Renal Tubular Acidosis Recognized and Treated at Three Days of Age A Case Report Illustrating the Value of Routine Postmortem Examination

Renal tubular acidosis should be suspected even in the very young in fant who does not thrive, and who demonstrates a hyperchloremic acidosis with urine of neutral pH. This case report details the course of an infant whose disease was diagnosed in the newborn nursery.
Language Learning and Control in Monolinguals and Bilinguals.

Parallel language activation in bilinguals leads to competition between languages. Experience managing this interference may aid novel language learning by improving the ability to suppress competition from known languages. To investigate the effect of bilingualism on the ability to control native-language interference, monolinguals and bilinguals were taught an artificial language designed to elicit between-language competition. Partial activation of interlingual competitors was assessed with eye-tracking and mouse-tracking during a word recognition task in the novel language. Eye-tracking results showed that monolinguals looked at competitors more than bilinguals, and for a longer duration of time. Mouse-tracking results showed that monolinguals' mouse movements were attracted to native-language competitors, whereas bilinguals overcame competitor interference by increasing the activation of target items. Results suggest that bilinguals manage cross-linguistic interference more effectively than monolinguals. We conclude that language interference can affect lexical retrieval, but bilingualism may reduce this interference by facilitating access to a newly learned language.
“The Big Sort” That Wasn't: A Skeptical Reexamination

In 2008 journalist Bill Bishop achieved the kind of notice that authors dream about. His book, The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America Is Tearing Us Apart , was mentioned regularly during the presidential campaign; most notably, former president Bill Clinton urged audiences to read the book. Bishop's thesis is that Americans increasingly are choosing to live in neighborhoods populated with people just like themselves. In turn, these residential choices have produced a significant increase in geographic political polarization. Bishop does not contend that people consciously decide to live with fellow Democrats or Republicans; rather political segregation is a byproduct of the correlations between political views and the various demographic and life-style indicators people consider when making residential decisions. Whatever the cause, Bishop contends that the resulting geographic polarization is a troubling and dangerous development.
Melatonin inhibits oxidative modification of human low-density lipoprotein

An important property of melatonin is that it is a free-radical scavenger or antioxidant. Since free radicals can induce oxidative modification of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), a process believed to be involved in atherogenesis, we were prompted to evaluate the capacity of melatonin to prevent oxidative modification of LDL. To induce oxidation, human LDL (0.4 mg protein/ml) was incubated at 37 degrees C with either 10 microM cupric chloride or 10 mM 2,2'-azo-bis-(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH) for 3 hr or 24 hr, respectively. Several assays were then performed to unequivocally determine the extent of LDL oxidation. Compared to native LDL, oxidized LDL had increased agarose gel electrophoretic mobility and weaker immunoreactivity with a murine monoclonal antibody to human apolipoprotein B-100. Measurement of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) revealed that native LDL contained 1.8 +/- 0.6 nmoles TBARS/mg protein, whereas copper-oxidized LDL contained 53 +/- 4 nmoles TBARS/mg protein. However, when present during incubation, melatonin (0.125-4 mM) inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner the increase in electrophoretic mobility, decrease in immunoreactivity of LDL, and increase in formation of TBARS caused by either copper or AAPH. In a fourth assay, phospholipid analysis of LDL was performed. Native LDL contained 420 +/- 9 nmoles phosphatidylcholine (PC)/mg LDL protein and 30 +/- 20 nmoles lysophosphatidylcholine (LysPC)/mg LDL protein. LDL incubated with copper had a decreased PC content (276 +/- 48 nmoles PC/mg LDL protein) and increased LysPC content (76 +/- 22 nmoles LysPC/mg LDL protein). But when present during the incubation of LDL with copper, melatonin attenuated in a concentration-dependent manner the degradation of PC to LysPC. Therefore, we conclude that melatonin can inhibit oxidative modification of LDL in vitro.
The Emergence of the Structure of the Molecule and the Art of Its Synthesis

At the core of chemistry lie the structure of the molecule, the art of its synthesis, and the design of function within it. This Essay traces the understanding of the structure of the molecule, the emergence of organic synthesis, and the art of total synthesis from the 19th century to the present day.
Using the Web to create student dialogue outside the lecture hall: an empirical evaluation

Dialogue can be an important instructional activity. However, the practicalities of university engineering education require that dialogue must occur outside the lecture hall and between students. This study required students to post their work and to comment on others' work as a form of asynchronous dialogue. This format also allowed the instructor to supervise the dialogue, preventing misinformation and keeping student effort high. To assess this method, two sessions of an industrial engineering course "Introduction to Human-Machine Systems" were compared. Both sessions were identical except for the use of the web for dialogue. Grades were generally not found to be different between the two sessions. Significant differences were found in the institute-administered course evaluation: students in the "dialogue" session gave higher ratings concerning all elements of the course, including aspects not originally hypothesized to be affected by dialogue. Likewise, student comments suggest several benefits of this form of dialogue.
Promoting Inclusion by Improving Child Care Quality in Inner-City Programs

An innovative training program to improve the quality of child care for all children including those with disabilities was developed, implemented, and evaluated over a 5-year time span with child caregivers working primarily in inner city child care programs. A total of 283 directors and child caregivers participated in 1 of 15 courses that used the infant-toddler (n = 8) or preschool (n = 7) curricula of the training program. Each training curricula presented age-specific content in didactic class sessions scheduled across a 3- to 4-month time period. These class sessions were combined with three on-site consultation visits and an out-of-class assignment. Following participation in the training program, quality of care increased in infant-toddler and preschool classrooms. Before and after training, caregivers' interactions with children were characterized as neither punitive nor detached but with only moderate levels of positive interaction and permissiveness.
Biopharmaceutical Investigation of Nalidixic Acid in Man

A complex model to illustrate the pharmacokinetic parameters relating to the absorption, metabolism, and elimination of nalidixic acid in man is presented. This model was reduced to a practical working model by combining the two active forms of the drug and by combining the two conjugated forms of the drug. Employing equations derived from the working model, the plasma and urinary excretion curves from eight normal subjects were analyzed by both graphical and computer approaches following the oral administration of four dosage forms given according to a Latin square crossover design. Satisfactory fits of the curves were obtained for three of the four dosage forms. Estimates of lag time, the apparent kinetic rate constants, and the volumes of distribution were compared among the three dosage forms. Significant differences were shown among the formulations with respect to lag time and availability rates.
Ethnic-racial differences in feelings of embarrassment associated with binge eating and fear of losing control.

Objective: Limited research exists on ethnic-racial differences in the objective and subjective experiences of binge eating among women in the United States. The present study examined binge eating related psychopathology in a nationally representative sample of White, Black, Native American, Asian, and Hispanic women. Method: A subsample of 5,726 women between the ages of 19 and 27 years were selected from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Results: Ethnic-racial differences in binge eating related psychopathology were found. Asians and Native Americans were more likely than Whites to report they would feel embarrassment related to binge eating. Hispanics were more likely than Whites and Blacks to report they would be afraid to start eating for fear of losing control. Conclusion: Findings suggest that the affective dimensions associated with binge eating are differentially represented among ethnic-racial groups. Implications for treatment and prevention programs are discussed. © 2007 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2007
The size of random bucket trees via urn models

We find the asymptotic average composition of a class of nonclassic Polya urn models (not necessarily of fixed row sum) by embedding the discrete urn process into a renewal process with rewards. A subclass of the models considered has banded matrix urn schemes and serves as a natural modeling tool for the size of a class of random bucket trees. The class of urns considered extends known results for multicolor urns with constant row sums. The same asymptotic average results are shown to hold in the larger class. This provides an average-case analysis for the size of certain random bucketed multidimensional quad trees and k-d trees, which are all new results. Some bucket trees have urn schemes with constant row sum, a special case that helps detect phase changes in the limiting distribution of the (normed) size of the tree. For these special cases one can appeal to a more developed urn theory to find a limiting distribution of the normed size up to a threshold value of the capacity of a bucket. Once that cut-off point is surpassed, normality ceases to hold. This case appears in paged binary trees (threshold 116), m-ary search trees (threshold 26), and bucket recursive trees (threshold 26). The asymptotic normality results and the phase change after the threshold in these trees are already known and we only provide alternative proofs via a unified urn models approach.
Huntingtin Interacts with a Family of WW Domain Proteins

The hallmark neuropathology of Huntington's disease (HD) is due to elongation of a polyglutamine segment in huntingtin, a novel approximately 350 kDa protein of unknown function. We used a yeast two-hybrid interactor screen to identify proteins whose association with huntingtin might be altered in the pathogenic process. Surprisingly, no interactors were found with internal and C-terminal segments of huntingtin. In contrast, huntingtin's N-terminus detected 13 distinct proteins, seven novel and six reported previously. Among these, we identified a major interactor class, comprising three distinct WW domain proteins, HYPA, HYPB and HYPC, that bind normal and mutant huntingtin in extracts of HD lymphoblastoid cells. This interaction is mediated by huntingtin's proline-rich region and is enhanced by lengthening the adjacent glutamine tract. Although HYPB and HYPC are novel, HYPA is human FBP-11, a protein implicated in spliceosome function. The emergence of this class of proteins as huntingtin partners argues that a WW domain-mediated process, such as non-receptor signaling, protein degradation or pre-mRNA splicing, may participate in HD pathogenesis.
The Potential Indirect Effect of Childhood Abuse on Posttrauma Pathology Through Self-Compassion and Fear of Self-Compassion

A growing evidence base suggests that increasing self-compassion is a valuable therapeutic target and may protect against the development and maintenance of posttrauma pathology. More recently, clinicians and researchers have noted that particular individuals respond to self-compassion with strong fear and resistance, a phenomenon known as fear of self-compassion. Yet to be examined is if survivors of childhood abuse exhibit fear of self-compassion and whether it relates to psychological functioning. The present model examined pathways from childhood physical and sexual abuse to symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression through self-compassion and fear of self-compassion using a college sample (N = 377). A main effect of childhood abuse type on fear of self-compassion scores was observed, while self-compassion scores did not significantly differ by abuse type. Path analyses using bootstrapping revealed a significant indirect effect of childhood sexual abuse on symptoms of depression and PTSD via fear of self-compassion, but not self-compassion. Findings suggest that fear of self-compassion may be uniquely related to trauma pathology for survivors of childhood sexual abuse, highlighting the potential value of addressing fear of self-compassion directly in posttraumatic intervention.
Maestoso: an intelligent educational sketching tool for learning music theory

Learning music theory not only has practical benefits for musicians to write, perform, understand, and express music better, but also for both non-musicians to improve critical thinking, math analytical skills, and music appreciation. However, current external tools applicable for learning music theory through writing when human instruction is unavailable are either limited in feedback, lacking a written modality, or assuming already strong familiarity of music theory concepts. In this paper, we describe Maestoso, an educational tool for novice learners to learn music theory through sketching practice of quizzed music structures. Maestoso first automatically recognizes students' sketched input of quizzed concepts, then relies on existing sketch and gesture recognition techniques to automatically recognize the input, and finally generates instructor-emulated feedback. From our evaluations, we demonstrate that Maestoso performs reasonably well on recognizing music structure elements and that novice students can comfortably grasp introductory music theory in a single session.
Hagerman Valley landslides triggered by land-use change endanger lives, and destroy natural and cultural resources (Hagerman Valley Fossil Beds National Monument, NPS, Idaho)

The Hagerman Valley area is the ‘landslide capitol’ of the State of Idaho, United States. Land-use change from sagebrush desert to irrigated cropland has coincided with the development of unnatural groundwater aquifer systems. Snake River water has been pumped up onto the Bruneau Plateau and distributed by canal systems to crops since 1970. Irrigation water percolates down through the unconsolidated sediments and forms human-made unnatural groundwater systems.These aquifers are the causative agent for six large slope failures since 1979 within the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument and two others on Bureau of Land Management property. They are damaging natural resources and private property. In 1987, a million-dollar water diversion facility (pump station) on the edge of the Snake River was obliterated by a landslide and two workers had to run for their lives. not having time to get into their vehicle and drive to safety.The landslide was likely caused by human intervention with the natural system . Fossil sites, American Indian Cultural sites. rare plant species and endangered Snake River aquatic species have been impacted or imminently threatened . Therefore, numerous studies, research and monitoring programs have been implemented since 1984 to gain an understanding of the dynamic groundwater flow systems and the related massive landslides.
Single Cell Imaging to Probe Mesenchymal Stem Cell N-Cadherin Mediated Signaling within Hydrogels

N-cadherin (Ncad) mediates cell-cell interactions, regulates β-catenin (βcat) signaling, and promotes the chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal lineage cells. Here, we utilized confocal imaging to investigate the influence of Ncad interactions on single mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) behavior within 3-dimensional hydrogel environments under conditions that promote chondrogenic differentiation. Human MSCs were photoencapsulated in hyaluronic acid hydrogels functionalized with Ncad mimetic peptides and compared to cells in environments with control non-active peptides (Ctrl). Using single-cell imaging, we observed a significant increase in membrane βcat, nuclear βcat, and cell roundness after 3 days in Ncad hydrogels compared to Ctrl hydrogels. The extent of membrane and nuclear βcat localization and MSC roundness decreased to Ctrl hydrogel levels via pre-treatment with Ncad-specific antibodies prior to encapsulation in the Ncad hydrogels, confirming the activity of the peptide. Interestingly, there was a pronounced (>80%) increase in βcat nuclear localization in two-cell clusters within the Ctrl hydrogels, which was much greater than the increase (~30%) in βcat nuclear localization in two-cell clusters within the Ncad hydrogels. In summary, we utilized fluorescent imaging to demonstrate Ncad-mediated single cell responses to developmental cues within hydrogels towards chondrogenesis.
An evaluation of Radarsat-2 individual and combined image dates for land use/cover mapping

AbstractVarious land use/cover types exhibit seasonal characteristics which can be captured in remotely sensed imagery. This study examined how different seasons of Radarsat-2 data influence land use/cover classification accuracies for two study sites. Two dates of Radarsat-2 C-band quad-polarised images were obtained for Washington, DC, USA and Wad Madani, Sudan. Spectral signatures were extracted and used with a maximum likelihood decision rule for classification and thematic accuracies were then determined. Both despeckled radar and derived texture measures were examined. Thematic accuracies for the two despeckled image dates were similar with a difference of 3% for Washington and 6% for Sudan. Merging the despeckled images for both seasons increased overall accuracy by 2% for Washington and 9% for Sudan. Further combining the original radar for both seasons with derived texture measures increased overall accuracies by 9% for Washington and 16% for Sudan for final overall accuracy values of 73 and 82%.
The Commercial Media

On May 24, 1844, Professor Samuel Morse of New York University made history by sending the first telegraph message — “What hath God wrought?” — from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore. Sitting in the old Supreme Court chambers, Morse conveyed this information using commercial wires that ran the forty miles between the two cities on posts twenty feet high and one hundred yards apart.1 Working out of classrooms in the old University Building on Washington Square in New York, the professor had been experimenting with an electric device that instantaneously sent messages over wires.
Performing Community and Place in the St Albans Psalter

This paper focuses on the intersection of performance, community and space in the twelfth-century St Albans Psalter (Hildesheim, Dombibliothek, MS St Godehard 1). While this psalter is typically re...
Additional Observations on the Chromosomal Structure of the Vegetative Nucleus of Blastomyces Dermatitidis

(1953). Additional Observations on the Chromosomal Structure of the Vegetative Nucleus of Blastomyces Dermatitidis. Mycologia: Vol. 45, No. 3, pp. 458-460.