cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High-performance low-maintenance sputter source

Abstract A Model 860 sputter ion source obtained from Ionex Corporation has been extensively modified to improve beam quality and reduce maintenance. Modifications include improving the cesium vapor delivery and pumping systems, eliminating the target cathode insulator, alteration of the ionizer coil to minimize the cesium beam spot size, changing the source biasing scheme to optimize beam energy homogeneity, and adding a large diameter gap lens to improve the negative ion optics. Beams from hydrogen to tin have been produced. A carbon beam of 650 μA was limited in intensity only by the current capacity of the target rod bias supply. It is observed with carbon that the principal emittance source is the space charge of secondary electrons produced at the target cathode by the cesium beam.
Con Job: An Estimate of Ex-Felon Voter Turnout Using Document-Based Data*

Objective. Ex-felon voter turnout was estimated for the first time using government records rather than statistical models. Statistical models have estimated that 25–35 percent of eligible ex-felons would vote in federal elections. Methods. Six-hundred-sixty recently released ex-felons in Erie County, NY, who would have been legally eligible to register and vote in 2004 or 2005, were compared with data from the Erie County Board of Elections to determine whether they registered and voted in either 2004 or 2005. Results. Five percent this population of ex-felons voted in either 2004 or 2005. Conclusions. Single-digit turnout among ex-felons raises questions about the assumptions underlying statistical estimates, and it also suggests that elections would have to be very close for ex-felons to have an impact on the results.
Reproduction of the Chinch Bug (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae) on New Resistance Sources in Grain Sorghum

Recently identified sources of chinch bug, Blissus leucopterus leucopterus (Say), resistance in grain sorghum were tested for new sources of antibiosis that reduce fecundity. Comparison with the susceptible ‘milo’ check indicated that some new sources possessed increased antibiosis in the seedling stage that usually was retained in older plants. Egg viability and female longevity on seedlings were not significantly affected by genotype. No significant differences between new resistant germ plasm and previously identified sources for mean fecundity or longevity were seen, but chinch bug fecundity on certain new sources (‘BCK60-1155’, ‘1155’, and ‘SC 303’) was substantially lower. Antibiosis levels observed in the resistant sorghums are sufficient to adversely influence chinch bug reproduction and reduce chinch bug populations responsible for late-season yield losses. This information would assist in planning breeding and deployment strategy and serve to develop a possible new resistance screening procedure.
Nursing involvement improves compliance with tight blood glucose control in the trauma ICU: a prospective observational study.

Summary Introduction The importance of tight glycaemic control has gained acceptance over the last 5 years as a critical component of routine intensive care unit (ICU) measures. In an environment already strained for resources and staffing, however, effective strategies providing for increased input and responsibility of bedside nursing personnel are paramount to successful implementation. Hypothesis Increasing input and responsibilities of ICU nursing staff in tight glycaemic control policies improves glucose control in the trauma ICU. Methods After Institutional Review Board approval, we conducted a prospective "before-after" trial examining the effect of nursing education and input on outcome of a tight (goal 80–120mg/dL) glycaemic control protocol. After a three month assessment of compliance with a previously physician-developed protocol, an educational in-service was conducted for all trauma ICU nursing staff. Nursing staff were then asked to provide input on the development of a new protocol using multiple-choice ballots to define 7 components of protocol criteria. Using nursing input, we developed and implemented a new glycaemic protocol that shifted much of the responsibility for initiation and subsequent adjustment of insulin infusion to the bedside nurse, allowing them to more liberally utilise their bedside clinical judgment and knowledge of the specific patient. Results Nursing input on seven factors of protocol criteria did not differ significantly from the previously existing protocol, except with reference to nursing desire for increased responsibility in the implementation and maintenance of tight glycaemic control. After three months implementation of a new protocol developed utilising nursing input, both mean blood glucose levels achieved (137.8mg/dL vs. 128.2mg/dL, p =0.028) and time to first hourly blood glucose within goal range ( Conclusion Nursing input and increased responsibility improved the results of a tight glycaemic control in our trauma ICU. Increasing nursing input in the development and implementation of a tight glycaemic policies can result in safe and effective improved glucose control in the trauma ICU.
Atopic dermatitis and food hypersensitivity reactions.

Objective: To determine the role of food hypersensitivity in atopic dermatitis and to determine whether patients with atopic dermatitis who had food hypersensitivity could be identified by screening prick skin tests using a limited number of food allergens. Study design: Patients with atopic dermatitis attending the Arkansas Children's Hospital Pediatric Allergy Clinic underwent allergy prick skin testing to a battery of food antigens. Patients with positive prick skin tests underwent double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenges. Results: One-hundred sixty-five patients were enrolled and completed the study. Patients ranged in age from 4 months to 21.9 years (mean 48.9 months). Ninety-eight (60%) patients had at least one positive prick skin test. A total of 266 double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenges were performed. Sixty-four patients (38.7% of total) were interpreted as having a positive challenge. Seven foods (milk, egg, peanut, soy, wheat, cod/catfish, cashew) accounted for 89% of the positive challenges. By use of screening prick skin tests for these seven foods we could identify 99% of the food allergic patients correctly. Conclusions: This study confirms that most children with atopic dermatitis have food allergy that can be diagnosed by a prick skin test for the seven foods. (J Pediatr 1998;132:132-6)
Basic space science and developing countries

Abstract Basic science — including space science — is vital for national development, but developing countries often meet obstacles to participation in the international scientific community. This can be mitigated by international cooperation, particularly in the field of education. The author calls for a concerted effort to increase such cooperation regionally, internationally and bilaterally; international organizations should also become involved. Various forms of cooperation are suggested and UN efforts in the promotion of basic space science are described.
Magnetic short range order and the exchange coupling in magnets

Abstract We discuss our recent results of time-dependent density functional simulations of magnetic properties of Fe and Ni at finite temperatures. These results indicated that a strong magnetic short range order is responsible for the magnetic properties of elementary Ni and any itinerant magnet in general. We demonstrated that one can use the value of the magnetic short range order parameter to produce new quantitative classification of magnets. We also discuss the nature of the exchange coupling and its connection with the short range order. The spin-wave like propagating and diffusive excitations in paramagnetic localized systems with small short range order have been predicted while in the itinerant systems the short range order is more complicated. The possible smallness of the quantum factor in the itinerant magnets with short range order is discussed.
A Muscle-Specific Insulin Receptor Knockout Exhibits Features of the Metabolic Syndrome of NIDDM without Altering Glucose Tolerance

Skeletal muscle insulin resistance is among the earliest detectable defects in humans with type 2 diabetes mellitus. To determine the contribution of muscle insulin resistance to the metabolic phenotype of diabetes, we used the Cre-loxP system to disrupt the insulin receptor gene in mouse skeletal muscle. The muscle-specific insulin receptor knockout mice exhibit a muscle-specific > 95% reduction in receptor content and early signaling events. These mice display elevated fat mass, serum triglycerides, and free fatty acids, but blood glucose, serum insulin, and glucose tolerance are normal. Thus, insulin resistance in muscle contributes to the altered fat metabolism associated with type 2 diabetes, but tissues other than muscle appear to be more involved in insulin-regulated glucose disposal than previously recognized.
Acts of War, Acts of Memory: “Dead-Body Politics” In US Latina Novels of the Salvadoran Civil War

The violence and displacement of the Salvadoran civil war not only destroyed lives, but by dispersing the agents of collective memory it also threatened the foundations of community and identity. US Latina writers Demetria Martinez, Sandra Benitez, and Graciela Limon have begun to reconstruct the memory and history of El Salvador as a way to build a Latino/a community in the United States across national, cultural, and ethnic borders. They transform the Salvadoran body into a representation of the disappeared Salvadoran collective memory, an act of cultural restoration that illuminates the political meaning of the body in contemporary Latino/a literature. These novels point to an emerging intersection not only between art and war but between literature and human rights activism.
The blue gene/L supercomputer: a hardware and software story

The Blue Gene/L system at the Department of Energy Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California is the world's most powerful supercomputer. It has achieved groundbreaking performance in both standard benchmarks as well as real scientific applications. In that process, it has enabled new science that simply could not be done before. Blue Gene/L was developed by a relatively small team of dedicated scientists and engineers. This article is both a description of the Blue Gene/L supercomputer as well as an account of how that system was designed, developed, and delivered. It reports on the technical characteristics of the system that made it possible to build such a powerful supercomputer. It also reports on how teams across the world worked around the clock to accomplish this milestone of high-performance computing.
An Ion Pair in Class II Major Histocompatibility Complex Heterodimers Critical for Surface Expression and Peptide Presentation

Abstract In this report we demonstrate that the ion pair Arg-80α and Asp-57β, located in the peptide-binding site of nearly all class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins, is important for surface expression and function of the murine class II heterodimer I-Ad. Charge reversal at either of these two residues by site-directed mutagenesis generated mutant class II molecules that failed to appear at the cell surface. This defect in surface expression was partially reversed when the invariant chain was present or when the mutants were paired with the corresponding charge-reversed variant of the opposite chain. Surprisingly, surface expression was restored when cells expressing the single-site mutants were cultured at reduced temperature. In addition, the substitution of Asp-57β with residues found in alleles of class II molecules associated with diabetes resulted in heterodimers that were inefficiently expressed at the cell surface and presented foreign peptide poorly. Together, these results demonstrate that the formation of a salt-bridge between Arg-80α and Asp-57β is required for efficient surface expression of class II MHC molecules, therefore representing an important step in the assembly and transport of functional class II heterodimers to the cell surface.
Cl K-edge X-ray spectroscopic investigation of enzymatic formation of organochlorines in weathering plant material.

The contribution of halocarbons from plant weathering to the total organohalogen budget of terrestrial systems is gaining recognition. To evaluate the formation of such halocarbons, speciation of chlorine in Sequoia sempervirens (redwood) needles was examined in the presence of an external chloroperoxidase (CPO) enzyme using Cl K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The Cl forms in fresh and naturally weathered needles and in model laboratory reactions were compared. To provide a straightforward analogue to the enzymatic chlorination in plants, chlorination reactions were conducted for phenol, a common moiety of plant macromolecules. Plant material chlorination was also examined in the presence of hypochlorite in an ancillary mechanistic investigation. The dominant form of Cl in fresh, unreacted plant material was found to be inorganic Cl-, which was partially converted to organochlorine in the presence of CPO. Chlorination is affected by the nature of reactant (CPO, H2O2) addition, reaction time, and temp...
Regression Uncertainty Quantification Using Bootstrap Method for Residual Stress Field Predictions

[Abstract] Compressive residual stresses play an important role in increasing the fatigue life of metallic components. The nature of the residual stress field imparted by surface enhancement techniques such as shot peening, low plasticity burnishing, and laser peening depends on the process and the operating parameters. Variations in estimation of the residual stress field can cause a considerable uncertainty in fatigue life calculations because it is known that fatigue life estimations are sensitive to the residual stress field. This work develops a framework to quantify the variability in the residual stress field caused by uncertainty of predicting material behavior in the laser peening process simulation. The input uncertainty is considered to be the material model constant estimates obtained from a non-linear regression analysis to fit the experimental data of stress-strain curves. A statistical technique known as bootstrapping for regression is used to evaluate the multivariate normality assumption of the input uncertainty. The input uncertainty is propagated through finite element analysis to obtain the confidence bounds on the residual stress field. The upper and lower bounds are interpolated to obtain a confidence band for the entire residual stress field. A demonstration problem is shown to validate the methodology.
SPHERULITE DEFORMATION IN POLYBUTENE-1,

Abstract : The postulate of spherulite deformation has now been verified by direct microscopic observation. Films of polybutene-1, about 1 mil thickness, (made from samples obtained through the courtesy of Phillips Petroleum Company) were prepared by molding in a laboratory press at 150 C for 15 min at 2,000 psi pressure and then lowering the temperature to less than 80 deg at the natural cooling rate of the press before removing. They were stretched varying amounts, either directly after preparation or after aging for more than 100 hours. No changes in spherulite appearance or birefringence was detectable upon aging even though the crystal structure is known to change during this period. However, the changes of the birefringence of the spherulites of the fresh and aged samples upon stretching are different. (Author)
Applied climatology: 'heat waves'

Weather and climate impact many human activities. Thus, climate data and information are used extensively in a broad range of social, economic and environmental applications. Evidence of this is provided by the wide range of studies presented in previous progress reports on applied climatology in this journal. These have focused on urban and agricultural meteorology, biometeorology, energy use and the energy industry, weather and climate forecasting and climate services, climate impact assessment, air quality, drought and flooding, road climatology, and wind and winter weather. In this brief progress report attention is directed to recent studies (since 2000) on heat waves: their definition and description; their effects on human health; underlying causes; and future scenarios for increased frequency and impact. As noted by Sheridan (2004), in contrast to hurricanes, tornados or other severe storms, the awareness of ‘heat’ as an atmospheric hazard has been largely under-recognized. However, heat waves are a major cause of weather-related deaths that have broad geographic impacts. In the summer of 2003, for example, it is estimated that the heat wave that affected Western Europe, particularly France and Spain, claimed more than 35 000 lives (Schar et al., 2004). The heat wave of 1998 in India resulted in an estimated loss of life of 15 000 (De et al., 2004). Moreover, future climate scenarios suggest that in a ‘warmer world’ heat vulnerability may increase significantly (Meehl et al., 2000; McGeehin and Mirabelli, 2001). Tol (2002), for example, suggests that worldwide an additional 350 000 people could die from heat-related cardiovascular and respiratory problems for every 18C increase in the global mean temperature.
SCAMP1 function in endocytosis.

Secretory carrier membrane proteins (SCAMPs) are ubiquitous components of recycling vesicles that shuttle between the plasma membrane, endosomes, and the trans-Golgi complex. SCAMPs contain multiple N-terminal NPF repeats and four highly conserved transmembrane regions. NPF repeats often interact with EH domain proteins that function in budding of transport vesicles from the plasma membrane or the Golgi complex. We now show that the NPF repeats of SCAMP1 bind to two EH domain proteins, intersectin 1, which is involved in endocytic budding at the plasma membrane, and γ-synergin, which may mediate the budding of vesicles in the trans-Golgi complex. Expression of SCAMP1 lacking the N-terminal NPF repeats potently inhibited transferrin uptake by endocytosis. Our data suggest that one of the functions of SCAMPs is to participate in endocytosis via a mechanism which may involve the recruitment of clathrin coats to the plasma membrane and the trans-Golgi network.
Efficacy of preemergence application of S-Metolachlor plus Fomesafen or Metribuzin as an element in the control of common waterhemp (Amaranthus rudis Sauer) in soybeans

Abstract Field experiments were conducted near Manhattan, KS in 2005 and 2006 and Sabetha, KS in 2005 to determine the efficacy of S-metolachlor tank-mixed with fomesafen or metribuzin as an element in the control of common waterhemp in soybean. Preemergence treatments included S-metolachlor + fomesafen at 0.91 + 0.22, 1.21 + 0.28, 1.52 + 0.36, and 1.82 + 0.43 kg ai ha−1 (kg active ingredients per hectare) and S-metolachlor + metribuzin at 2.42 + 0.59 kg ai ha−1. These treatments were applied alone or followed by a postemergence glyphosate application at 0.88 kg ha−1. Common waterhemp control with S-metolachlor + fomesafen was greater than 88 and 60% at 2 and 8 WAT (Weeks After Treatment), respectively at Manhattan in 2005. However, S-metolachlor + fomesafen, regardless of the rate, gave complete common waterhemp control 2 WAT and greater than 95% common waterhemp control through 8 WAT at Sabetha. In 2005, S-metolachlor + metribuzin controlled 59 and 91% of common waterhemp 8 WAT at Manhattan and Sabetha,...
Reciprocal Variations in Urinary Cortisol and Aldosterone in Response to Increased Salt Intake in Humans

In this study utilizing isotopic techniques for measuring specific corticoids, the oral administration of 8–16 g of NaCl daily for 6–10 days in addition to a constant dietary intake resulted in an increased rate of urinary cortisol excretion in each of 6 subjects. There were rises in the cortisol secretion rates measured in 2 of the subjects, although these were proportionately less than the corresponding increases in cortisol excretion. Although these results seemingly conflict with earlier reports that cortisol production is unresponsive to changes in salt balance, the apparent contradiction is explained by the inability to detect subtle fluctuations with the corticoid measurements previously employed, whereas the methods utilized in this study afford much greater sensitivity. The anticipated lowering of the aldosterone excretion rate occurred as a result of the increased salt intake and the pattern of the aldosterone response was virtually the reciprocal of that of cortisol. Urinary corticosterone, pre...
Role of Pinin in neural crest, dorsal dermis, and axial skeleton development and its involvement in the regulation of Tcf/Lef activity in mice

Previous in vitro studies have indicated multiple and varied roles of Pinin (PNN); however, its in vivo role has remained unclear. Here, we report generation of null, hypomorphic, and conditional Pnn alleles in mice. We found that insertion of neomycin-resistance cassette into intron 8 of Pnn resulted in knockdown of Pnn, which allowed Pnn hypomorphic embryos to pass peri-implantation lethality. These mice are lethal at perinatal stages and exhibit defects in the cardiac outflow tract, palate, dorsal dermis, and axial skeleton. Since Wnt/beta-catenin signaling has been shown to play pivotal roles in development of all tissues affected by Pnn hypomorphism, we speculated that Pnn may affect Wnt/beta-catenin signaling. Supporting this view, we demonstrate abnormal activities of Tcf/Lef transcription factors, and alterations in beta-catenin level in multiple Pnn hypomorphic tissues. Taken together, the data suggest that Pnn plays important roles during mouse development through its involvement in regulation of Tcf/Lef activity.
Worldlines as Wilson Lines

Gravitational theories do not admit gauge invariant local operators. We study the limits under which there exists a quasilocal description for a class of nonlocal gravitational observables where a sum over worldlines plays the role of the Wilson line for gauge theory observables. We study nonlocal corrections to the local description and circumstances where these corrections become large. We find that these operators are quasilocal in flat space and anti-de Sitter, but fail to be quasilocal in de Sitter space.
“Getting on Board” with AMJ: Balancing Quality and Innovation in the Review Process

This article discusses the importance of the editorial review process and the importance of having a fair and effective means of evaluating submitted works. Editors of journals such as the “Academy...
Factors Affecting Expansion of Corn Meals with Poor and Good Expansion Properties

ABSTRACT Two corn meals, one with good and one with poor expansion properties, were used to study the critical factors responsible for poor expansion during corn curl extrusion. Screening tests revealed that the corn meal with poor expansion had a slightly larger particle size. This sample also had a larger proportion of opaque particles compared to the corn meal with good expansion. Extrusion of coarse corn grits showed that larger particle size alone could cause poor expansion. Water diffusion tests showed that the sample containing more opaque particles was more competitive for water. As a result, in corn that contained both opaque and vitreous particles less water was available to the vitreous particles. The underplastisized (dry) vitreous particles remained glassy (unmelted) during extrusion, resulting in reduced expansion of the extrudates. The results suggest that addition of water to the conditioning cylinder of the extruder would overcome poor expansion.
An SIMD multiple DSP microprocessor system for image processing

Abstract In this paper, we discuss a parallel processor design using eight DSP microprocessors (TMS320C25) and dual-port RAMs for image processing applications. The application of image processing algorithms on this architecture, hardware details, performance analysis, simulation of image processing algorithms and comparison with architectures reported in the literature are also discussed.
Resistance to cisplatin does not affect sensitivity of human ovarian cancer cell lines to mifepristone cytotoxicity.

The prototypical antiprogestin mifepristone exhibits potent growth inhibition activity towards ovarian cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. The aim of this research was to establish whether mifepristone is capable of inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptotic cell death regardless of the degree of sensitivity ovarian cancer cells exhibit to cisplatin. OV2008, OV2008/C13, A2780, A2780/CP70, Caov-3, and SK-OV-3 cell lines exhibiting a range of sensitivities to cisplatin were used. Growth inhibition, cell viability, and sub-diploid DNA content in response to treatment with escalating doses of either mifepristone or cisplatin were assessed by microcapillary cytometry. Apoptotic cell death was evaluated by measuring genomic DNA fragmentation and cleavage of caspase-3 and poly (ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP). The sensitivities to cisplatin manifested by the cell lines were OV2008 > A2780 > Caov-3 > SK-OV-3 > OV2008/C13 > A2780/CP70. Mifepristone inhibited the growth of all six cell lines in a dose-related manner with IC50s ranging from ~6–12 μM and without significant correlation with the relative sensitivities the cells displayed for cisplatin. Moreover, at the highest concentration studied, mifepristone triggered apoptotic death in all six cell lines as evidenced by the increase in sub-diploid fragmented DNA content and cleavage of caspase-3 and of its downstream substrate PARP. Mifepristone is cytotoxic towards ovarian cancer cells independent of the sensitivity exhibited by the cells to cisplatin, displaying cytostatic effects at lower concentrations and lethal effects at higher concentrations. Mifepristone monotherapy emerges as a valuable therapeutic alternative for platinum-resistant ovarian cancers.
The Consumer Revolution in Urban China; Japanese Consumer Behavior: From Worker Bees to Wary Shoppers

The Consumer Revolution in Urban China. Deborah S. Davis, ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000. xiii + 366 pp., illustrations, tables, photographs, bibliography, index. Japanese Consumer Behavior: From Worker Bees to Wary Shoppers. John McCrcery Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2000. ix + 278 pp., illustrations, photographs, bibliography, index.
Matrix strengthening mechanisms of an iron fiber-copper matrix composite as a function of fiber size and spacing.

Copper matrix-iron fiber composites of fiber diameters from 10 to 5 × 10−3 mils and volume fractions from 0.03 to 0.97 were fabricated in order to study the dependence of mechanical properties on these variables. Composite elastic moduli agreed well with the predictions of the rule of mixtures. However, matrix and composite yielding and plastic flow were quite dependent on fiber diameter and spacing, exhibiting positive deviations from the simple rule of mixtures by factors of more than five in some cases. Yielding behavior may be explained by a combination of dislocation extrusion and pileup models for low volume fractions of fiber. Triaxiality generated by the difference in Poisson coefficients of the phases inhibits matrix yielding in higher volume fraction composites, allowing matrix flow only when the fibers also yield.
Effects of Ultra-High Temperature and Vat Processes on Heat-Induced Rheological Properties of Yogurt

Abstract Effects of ultra-high temperature and vat processing temperatures on rheological properties of yogurt were investigated. Gel firmness, penetration, fluidity, spreadibility, and consistency were measured by rheological methods used in the food industry. Cultured yogurt processed by the ultra-high temperature system showed much lower gel firmness and apparent viscosity than yogurt processed by the vat systems.
Higher-order computational model for coded aperture spectral imaging

Coded aperture snapshot spectral imaging systems (CASSI) sense the three-dimensional spatio-spectral information of a scene using a single two-dimensional focal plane array snapshot. The compressive CASSI measurements are often modeled as the summation of coded and shifted versions of the spectral voxels of the underlying scene. This coarse approximation of the analog CASSI sensing phenomena is then compensated by calibration preprocessing prior to signal reconstruction. This paper develops a higher-order precision model for the optical sensing in CASSI that includes a more accurate discretization of the underlying signals, leading to image reconstructions less dependent on calibration. Further, the higher-order model results in improved image quality reconstruction of the underlying scene than that achieved by the traditional model. The proposed higher precision computational model is also more suitable for reconfigurable multiframe CASSI systems where multiple coded apertures are used sequentially to capture the hyperspectral scene. Several simulations and experimental measurements demonstrate the benefits of the discretization model.
Brightness temperature validation for SeaWinds radiometer using Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer on ADEOS-II

After the launch of NASA's SeaWinds scatterometer in 1999, a radiometer function was implemented in the Science Ground Data Processing Systems to allow the measurement of the Earth's microwave brightness temperature. This paper presents the validation of the SeaWinds radiometer (SRad) ocean brightness temperatures using the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR) as a brightness temperature standard. Results are presented which compare collocated and simultaneously measured ocean brightness temperatures while operating on Japan's ADEOS-II satellite.
Integrated broadband lumped-element symmetrical-hybrid N-way power dividers

This paper presents a monolithically-integrated, broadband, lumped-element, symmetrical-hybrid power divider centered at 20GHz which was designed and fabricated to uniformly distribute power to arrays of Josephson junctions for superconducting voltage standards. This solution achieves a ten-fold decrease in chip area, and a two-fold increase in bandwidth when compared to a standard distributed 180°-hybrid by utilizing LC Π sections and a coplanar-waveguide phase inverter instead of transmission lines. A single divider demonstrates 0.5 dB maximum insertion loss, and a 1.5:1 VSWR bandwidth of 13–23 GHz. An eight-way, three-level, binary, power divider network is characterized in a divider/attenuator/combiner back-to-back measurement configuration with a 20 dB match bandwidth from 11.5–21.5 GHz. In the 15–22 GHz band of interest, the maximum insertion loss for the sixteen-way divider network is 1.0 dB, with an average of 0.5 dB.
Channel-adaptive resource allocation for scalable video transmission over 3G wireless network

The paper addresses the important issues of resource allocation for scalable video transmission over third generation (3G) wireless networks. By taking the time-varying wireless channel/network condition and scalable video codec characteristic into account, we allocate resources between source and channel coders based on the minimum-distortion or minimum-power consumption criterion. Specifically, we first present how to estimate the time-varying wireless channel/network condition through measurements of throughput and error rate in a 3G wireless network. Then, we propose a new distortion-minimized bit allocation scheme with hybrid unequal error protection (UEP) and delay-constrained automatic repeat request (ARQ), which dynamically adapts to the estimated time-varying network conditions. Furthermore, a novel power-minimized bit allocation scheme with channel-adaptive hybrid UEP and delay-constrained ARQ is proposed for mobile devices. In our proposed distortion/power-minimized bit-allocation scheme, bits are optimally distributed among source coding, forward error correction, and ARQ according to the varying channel/network condition. Simulation and analysis are performed using a progressive fine granularity scalability video codec. The simulation results show that our proposed schemes can significantly improve the reconstructed video quality under the same network conditions.
On test case generation from asynchronously communicating state machines

This paper proposes an approach for generating test cases in Concurrent TTCN from a system of asynchronously communicating finite state machines. We give an algorithm for generating a noninterleaving model of prime event structures from a generalized model of asynchronously communicating finite state machines and deal with the generation of test cases from prime event structures.
American States and the Industrial Policy Debate

The current popular debate over industrial policy tends to be Indifferent to the possible relevance of economic policies in American states. The states are not only very active in this arena through their Industrial and economic development efforts, but also have untapped potential for influencing business decisions. As an integral part of the Amerlcan economic policy arena, states cannot and should not be ignored by industrial policy advocates. Some constitutional, policy, and programmatlc implications of this point are briefly discussed.
Understanding supercritical speedup

Simulations running under Time Warp using lazy cancellation can beat the bound given by the critical path. We explain this phenomenon to be the result of a kind of intra-object parallelism. Specifically, we show that instances of beating the critical path, called supercritical speedup, are made possible by messages that are independent of some event which precedes the message. This insight leads to a new definition for the critical path which is a tighter lower bound on Time-Warp simulations using lazy cancellation than any previously proposed. These results suggest criteria for choosing between lazy and aggressive cancellation.
The Use of Grain Size Statistics to Distinguish Between High- and Moderate-energy Beach Environments

ABSTRACT Swash zone sediments on two oceanside and two bayside beaches on Sandy Hook spit are examined to determine whether distinct differences exist among grain size parameters on beaches which have very. different wave regimes. The differences are subtle due to the inherent similarity of swash zone processes and the overall similarity of the source sediments. Differences in grain size statistics are noticeable, however, and they appear to be related to differences in wave energy and beach mobility on each beach. Measures of dispersion offer one means of discriminating among beaches. Examination of plots of changes in grain size statistics through time are also useful. Bivariate plots appear to be of limited value, however.
Profiles of Sibling Bullying

Considerable research has been done on childhood bullying, including its antecedents and consequences. Yet, with all of the attention on bullying, particularly school bullying, sibling bullying has been vastly overlooked. Sibling bullying is a type of violence prevalent in the lives of most children, but little is known about the phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to profile sibling bullying by examining prevalence rates, the extent to which siblings perceive sibling bullying to be normative, and victim–perpetrator differences in perceptions of sibling bullying. Twenty-seven sibling pairs who wrote stories about personal experiences of sibling bullying and victimization completed questionnaires about these experiences and responded to their sibling partners’ stories. Of the siblings surveyed, 78% reported being bullied by their sibling and 85% reported bullying their sibling during their childhood. This is far greater than published statistics on peer bullying. Not surprisingly, victims viewed sibl...
Pulmonary vascular mechanics: important contributors to the increased right ventricular afterload of pulmonary hypertension

Chronic hypoxia causes pulmonary vasoconstriction and vascular remodeling, which lead to hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH). HPH is associated with living at high altitudes and is a complication of many lung diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, and obstructive sleep apnea. Pulmonary vascular changes that occur with HPH include stiffening and narrowing of the pulmonary arteries that appear to involve all vascular cell types and sub-layers of the arterial wall. Right ventricular (RV) changes that occur with HPH include RV hypertrophy and RV fibrosis, often with preserved systolic and diastolic function and ventricular-vascular coupling efficiency. Both vascular stiffening and narrowing are important contributors to RV afterload via increases in oscillatory and steady ventricular work, respectively. The increased blood viscosity that occurs in HPH can be quite dramatic and is another important contributor to RV afterload. However, the viscosity, vascular mechanics and ventricular changes that occur with HPH are all reversible. Furthermore, even with continued hypoxia vascular remodeling does not progress to the obliterative, plexiform lesions that are seen clinically in severe pulmonary hypertension. In animal models, the RV changes appear adaptive, not maladaptive. In summary, HPH-induced vascular mechanical changes affect ventricular function but both are adaptive and reversible, which differentiates HPH from severe pulmonary hypertension. The mechanisms of adaptation and reversibility may provide useful insight into therapeutic targets for the clinical disease state.
Induction of Voluntary Feed Intake Restriction in Broiler Chicks by Dietary Glycolic Acid Supplementation

Abstract Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding various dietary levels of glycolic acid (GA) on feed intake (FI) and growth in young broiler chickens. When fed at a supplementation level equimolar to glycine (GLY, 2.64% of the diet), chicks fed GA consumed 44% less feed from 21 to 42 days of age than those fed GLY, and 25% less than those fed an equimolar level of glyoxylic acid. Graded dietary levels of GA (0 to 3% of the diet) were fed in additional experiments to chicks from 0 to 14, 0 to 21, or 21 to 42 days of age, respectively. In all three age periods, a dose-dependent reduction in FI was observed with GA supplementation. In only one experiment at the highest level (3%) did dietary GA significantly increase mortality. Acetic acid supplementation (1.7 and 3.4% of the diet), unlike supplementation with equimolar levels of GA, had no influence on FI. Glycolic acid has potential as a chemical means of restricting voluntary FI in avian species where this is necessary for obtaining optimum reproductive efficiency, reduced fat deposition, or cessation of egg production.
Using Land-Use Planning Tools to Mitigate Hazards Hazardous Liquid and Natural Gas Transmission Pipelines

Critical infrastructure such as hazardous liquid and natural gas transmission pipelines has received little attention by planning scholars even though local development management decisions have far-reaching consequences for homeland security, environmental damage, and human exposure. Using a survey of planning directors in North Carolina, the article identifies frequently used tools for mitigating pipeline hazards and examines factors associated with tool adoption. Despite the risks associated with pipeline rupture, most localities use few mitigation tools, and adoption of regulatory and informational tools appear associated with divergent factors. Whereas stakeholder participation, commitment, capacity, and community context were associated with total tool and information tool use, only stakeholder participation and capacity factors were associated with regulatory tool use.
Nonlinear Dynamics and Structural Change in the U.S. Hog—Corn Cycle: A Time‐Varying STAR Approach

The linearity of the U.S. hog-corn cycle has been questioned by Chavas and Holt (1991). Even so, attempts have not been made to model the potential nonlinear dynamics in the hog-corn cycle by using regime-switching models. One popular alternative is Tersmooth transition autoregressive (STAR) model, which assumes regime switching is endogenous and potentially smooth. In this article, we examine monthly data for the U.S. hog-corn cycle, 1910-2004. A member of the STAR family, the time-varying STAR, is fitted to the data and its properties examined. We find evidence of nonlinearity, regime-dependent behavior, and time-varying parameter change.
Location based services for next generation wireless mobile networks

We study how wireless network can support location based services (LBS) a to mobile users. WE assume that each mobile is capable of self-geolocation using GPS and indoor geolocation [K. Pahlavan et al., Feb 2002]. The wireless network collects the geolocation information from mobiles and provides this information to application service so that the services can be custom-tailored for each mobile user. The main challenge in wireless network is to keep track of geolocation of mobile users so that the application service can maintain the quality of the service (QoS). In general, the quality of service depends on how often mobile terminals update their geolocation. Since geolocation update requires battery power and radio resource, optimizing the geolocation update frequency is critical. In this paper, we present geolocation update schemes that minimize the update frequency while satisfying the QoS of application service. For case study, we consider location based traffic report service (LBS-TR) and location based navigation service (LBS-NS). In LBS-TR, mobile users who are about to enter heavily jammed highways are informed in a timely manner so that the mobile users can avoid traffic congestion. In LBS-NS, mobile users are provided with navigation instructions that are custom-tailored to the geolocation of the users. The granularity of navigation instruction changes as the user moves from highway to local street and from local street into building complex.
Mr. Fusion: a programmable data fusion middleware subsystem with a tunable statistical profiling service

Voting is the process of combining multiple replies from replicated servers into a single reply. Data fusion is similar to but more general than voting. In data fusion, the input sources are not necessarily replicated servers, hence the inputs exhibit greater variance. Data fusion is a fundamental building block in distributed systems. It occurs in diverse contexts such as consensus, sensor networks, intrusion detection, and hierarchical resource monitoring, among others. This paper describes Mr. Fusion, a framework that provides data fusion in middleware. The heart of Mr. Fusion is a Fusion Core module that provides mechanisms for programming a wide variety of data fusion algorithms. Another part is a Fusion Status Service that monitors low-level outputs from the Fusion Core and alerts subscribers to divergent values or timings. The implementation borrows techniques from data warehousing and data mining.
Paradigm of Life: A Grounded Theory of Occupational Renewal in Persons with Chronic Pain

The purpose of this study was to explore the daily routines of persons with chronic pain, to analyze the role of occupations in the chronic pain experience, and to develop a grounded theory on the role of occupation in the lives of people with chronic pain. The participants were ten individuals with chronic pain who lived in four northeastern states. Data collection tools included demographic sheets, one openended question, the Assessment of Occupational Function (AOF), an occupational configuration, the Rand 36-Item Health Survey 1.0 Questionnaire Items assessment, and the Mankoski Pain Scale. The data was first reduced into ten separate case studies. The case studies were then analyzed via closed and open coding. Closed coding was conducted according to four occupational risk factors (Cronin-Davis, Lang, & Molineux, 2004). A grounded theory emerged from this coding process. The researchers named this emergent theory the Paradigm of Life. The Paradigm of Life clarifies the relationship between occupation and pain, and it may be useful guide the development of worksite injury-related secondary and tertiary prevention programs. It also shows how occupational engagement can enhance quality of life in persons who live with chronic pain.
The Posttraumatic Stress Defence in Canada: Reconnoitring the 'Old Lie'

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a hitherto-obscure phenomenon in the criminal law. Law has, for too long, been "marching with medicine, but in the rear, and limping a little." Yet, increasing awareness of the Disorder has prompted counsel to plead it in both civil and criminal proceedings. It is, perhaps, unsurprising that this disease, which was once prevalent as "shell shock," is the modern scourge of Canada's military obligations abroad. When Canadian Forces (CF) personnel return home, they are often not debriefed, nor provided with adequate mental health services. This neglect sows a ticking time bomb in Canadian homes; when the time is up, the explosion is sometimes violent, and criminal charges are laid. Yet, PTSD is not germane to only soldiers; sexual assault victims, and disaster survivors often suffer from the Disorder. However, because combat veterans often suffer more severe PTSD, and suffer it more prevalently, they will be the focus in this analysis. This paper will demonstrate that Posttraumatic Stress Disorder can form the basis of a successful Defence of Mental Disorder (Not Criminally Responsible, or NCR) in criminal proceedings. The analysis will first define PTSD as a Mental Disorder; second, it will synthesize the Canadian law on the Defence of Mental Disorder; third, it will demonstrate how PTSD can form a basis for a successful NCR defence; fourth, it will address potential problems with the latter assertion; and finally, it will propose some measures to prevent PTSD in the highest risk group - Canadian Forces soldiers - and more effective means of treating them when they do suffer from PTSD. A 2008 report by CBC News indicates that the number of CF soldiers suffering from PTSD has more than tripled since Canada first deployed troops to Afghanistan in 2001. The deployment is now expected to continue to 2011. Veteran Affairs acknowledges that "without [treatment] - many [such] veterans have the potential to harm themselves or others." In June 2006, the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench, acquitted a CF member on this precise defence, in R. v. Borsch. The Court of Appeal recently ordered a new trial, on factual grounds. These decisions, coupled with the fact that the Defence application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada is currently pending, demonstrate that this defence is clearly relevant to the discourse in the modern Canadian criminal law
Transport of 99mTc-MAG3 via Rat Renal Organic Anion

The terms molecular imaging and molecular biology are being used increasingly in modern medicine. This reflects not so much a change in what we do as it does a refinement in our understanding and the conceptual approach to what we do. This advancement is not restricted to medicine but pervades our