cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Local Area Variation in Morbidity Among Low-Income, Older Adults in the United States: A Cross-sectional Study.

Background Recent studies have reported that low-income adults living in more affluent areas of the United States have longer life expectancies. Less is known about the relationship between the affluence of a geographic area and morbidity of the low-income population. Objective To evaluate the association between the prevalence of chronic conditions among low-income, older adults and the economic affluence of a local area. Design Cross-sectional association study. Setting Medicare in 2015. Participants 6 363 097 Medicare beneficiaries aged 66 to 100 years with a history of low-income support under Medicare Part D. Measurements Adjusted prevalence of 48 chronic conditions was computed for 736 commuting zones (CZs). Factor analysis was used to assess spatial covariation of condition prevalence and to construct a composite condition prevalence index for each CZ. The association between morbidity and area affluence was measured by comparing the average of condition prevalence index across deciles of median CZ house values. Results The mean age of study participants was 77.7 years (SD, 8.2); 67% were women, and 61% were white. The crude prevalence of 48 chronic conditions ranged from 72.5 per 100 for hypertension to 0.6 per 100 for posttraumatic stress disorder. The prevalence of these 48 chronic conditions was highly spatially correlated. Composite condition prevalence was on average substantially lower in more affluent CZs. Limitation Low-income status measured on the basis of receipt of Medicare Part D low-income subsidies and not capturing persons not enrolled in Medicare Part D. Conclusion Low-income, older adults living in more affluent areas of the country are healthier, and areas with poor health in the low-income, older adult population tend to have a high prevalence of most chronic conditions. Primary funding source National Institute on Aging.
Initial financial impact of office-based laboratories on Medicare payments for percutaneous interventions for peripheral artery disease.

Abstract Objective Percutaneous interventions for peripheral artery disease (PAD) are transitioning away from hospital-based settings to office-based laboratories (OBLs). Those in favor of OBL use reference lower hospitalization rates and high efficiency; however, critics claim financial incentives may lead to multiple procedures and higher atherectomy use. We sought to determine how Medicare payments are affected by OBL use. Methods We identified physicians performing percutaneous interventions for PAD from 2006 to 2013 in a 20% Medicare sample. Physicians performing a majority of interventions at OBLs were classified as high OBL users; control physicians performed interventions at hospital-based settings. The primary outcomes were total Medicare payments at 30 days and 1 year. Generalized log-gamma regression models were used to evaluate factors influencing payments reported as a percentage change and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). A secondary analysis was performed of physicians who transitioned from hospital-based settings to OBLs, "switch physicians." A multivariate model with difference-in-differences regression was used to evaluate the effects of transitioning to OBLs. Results A total of 89 high OBL users performed percutaneous interventions on 887 patients, and 3715 control physicians treated 54,213 patients during the time period. Payments for patients treated by high OBL users were significantly higher compared with control physicians at 30 days ($4465), 90 days ($8925), and 1 year ($27,436). Major factors increasing payments at 1 year were treatment by a high OBL user (49%; 95% CI, 42%-56%), hospital admissions (127%; 95% CI, 123%-131%), repeated lower extremity procedures (41%; 95% CI, 39%-43%), and lower extremity wound (20%; 95% CI,18%-22%). Factors decreasing payments at 1 year were living in a rural setting (8%; 95% CI, 7%-9%) and dementia (5%; 95% CI, 3%-7%). Analysis of 292 switch physicians identified 3888 patients treated before OBLs (pre-switch) and 3246 after OBLs (post-switch). Transitioning to OBLs was associated with higher payments at 30 days and 90 days, and this increase was higher compared with control physicians. Conclusions These findings highlight that OBL use for PAD interventions significantly influences Medicare payments, and its widespread adaptation should be made with caution. The main factors driving payments were hospitalization admissions, repeated lower extremity procedures, and wound status. Further work is needed to evaluate the appropriate use of OBLs to optimize patient outcomes and resource allocations.
Sexual orientation, attraction and risk for deliberate self-harm: Findings from a nationally representative sample.

Abstract To date, there has been limited investigation identifying predictors of deliberate self-harm (DSH) among sexual minority adults. The present study examined the likelihood of DSH by sexual minority status as measured by self-reported sexual identity and sexual attraction in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). Among respondents who answered both the sexual identity and attraction items on the NESARC (N = 34,273), the link between sexual minority status and DSH was examined. Univariate analyses yielded greater risk of DSH for all sexual minority identities compared to heterosexual identity. Individuals with same-sex only attraction did not differ from those with different-sex only attraction. At the multivariate level, respondents reporting bisexual and unsure identity and bisexual attraction were at two to three times greater risk of DSH compared to their heterosexual/different-sex counterparts. Same-sex attracted and gay/lesbian individuals did not differ from different-sex attracted or heterosexual individuals in adjusted multivariate models. Findings from this nationally representative sample are consistent with previous research suggesting that sexual minority status is a risk factor for DSH. There is a vital need to incorporate varying measures of sexual minority status within research and in clinics, as well as to inquire about DSH among sexual minorities.
Miller, Daegan. 2018. This Radical Land: A Natural History of American Dissent. Chicago: University of Chicago Press

Miller, Daegan. (2018). This Radical Land: A Natural History of American Dissent. Chicago: University of Chicago Press., 336 pp. $30.00. ISBN: 9780226336145. Daegan Miller’s book explores concepts such as environmentalism, wilderness, and community development in the context of 19th-century westward expansion and growth in the United States. Miller describes Henry David Thoreau’s interpretations of natural environments as a surveyor; the Adirondack land partitioned by Gerrit Smith for antebellum African American farmers; A. J. Russell’s photo-narrative of the Union Pacific Railroad; and the socialist Kaweah Colony in California situated at the foot of the “General Sherman” sequoia, briefly renamed “Karl Marx.” The tree figures prominently throughout the book as a landmark for, witness to, and victim of human exploits.
Latarjet Procedure for Anterior Glenohumeral Instability: Early Postsurgical Complications for Primary Coracoid Transfer Versus Revision Coracoid Transfer After Failed Prior Stabilization:

Background:The Latarjet procedure (coracoid transfer) is often used to successfully treat failed instability procedures. However, given the reported increased complication rates in primary Latarjet...
Survival Outcomes of Early-Stage Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer in Elderly Women

Elderly women (≥ 70 years old) form a significant proportion of patients affected by breast cancer (BC); however, the treatment decisions for this patient population are complicated, owing to the presence of comorbidities, limited life expectancy, reduced tolerability of therapy, and limited enrollment in clinical trials. A growing body of evidence suggests equivalent outcomes in elderly patients with hormone receptor-positive early-stage breast cancer receiving primary endocrine therapy only or surgery with subsequent endocrine therapy. Whether these results are reproduced in the larger BC population outside of a clinical trial currently remains unclear. Women ≥ 70 years old diagnosed with early-stage invasive breast cancer between January 2008 and December 2013 with tumor size T1 or T2, minimal nodal involvement (N0 and N1), and estrogen and/or progesterone receptor positivity who started endocrine therapy within a year of diagnosis were identified using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)–Medicare linked datasets. Endocrine therapy was identified using outpatient prescription fills for anastrozole, exemestane, fulvestrant, letrozole, raloxifene, tamoxifen, and toremifene; the first fill date was used as the treatment initiation date. Surgical intervention included either breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy. Women who received chemotherapy were excluded. Trends in the use of primary endocrine therapy only were assessed using Poisson regression. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression was used to estimate the association between undergoing surgery within a year of diagnosis and 5-year all-cause mortality, after adjusting for patient demographics, comorbidities, and clinical cancer characteristics. Similar methods were used to assess 5-year cancer-specific mortality, where noncancer mortality was treated as a competing risk. Overall, 8784 women were included in the analysis: 8006 (91%) received surgery with endocrine therapy and 778 (9%) received primary endocrine therapy alone. The proportion of women not receiving surgery remained consistent between 2008 and 2013 (p = 0.10). The 5-year mortality was 11% (n = 619), and 19% of all deaths were due to cancer causes (n = 117). After adjustment, 5-year mortality was lower among women undergoing surgery (HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.47–0.74, p < 0.0001). Similar results were found when looking at 5-year cancer-specific mortality (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.30–0.90, p < 0.0001). Elderly breast cancer patients with early-stage hormone-receptor-positive disease receiving primary surgical intervention plus endocrine therapy may have significantly improved survival than those receiving primary endocrine therapy alone. This study suggests the importance of surgical intervention for elderly breast cancer patients and warrants further investigation and comprehensive geriatric assessment to identify subsets of elderly breast cancer patients who may benefit significantly from surgical intervention.
Surveillance in South Africa: From Skin Branding to Digital Colonialism

South Africa’s long legacy of racism and colonial exploitation continues to echo throughout post-apartheid society. For centuries, European conquerors marshaled surveillance as a means to control the black population. This began with the requirements for passes to track and control the movements, settlements, and labor of Africans. Over time, surveillance technologies evolved alongside complex shifts in power, culture, and the political economy. This Chapter explores the evolution of surveillance regimes in South Africa. The first surveillance system in South Africa used paper passes to police slave movements and enforce labor contracts. To make the system more robust, various white authorities marked the skin of workers and livestock with symbols registered in paper databases. At the beginning of the twentieth century, fingerprinting was introduced in some areas to simplify and improve the passes. Under apartheid, the National Party aimed to streamline a national, all-seeing surveillance system. They imported computers to impose a regime of fixed race classification and keep detailed records about the African population. The legal apparatus of race-based surveillance was finally abolished during the transition to democracy. However, today a regime of Big Data, artificial intelligence, and centralized cloud computing has ushered in a new era of mass surveillance in South Africa. South Africa’s surveillance regimes were always devised in collaboration with foreign colonizers, imperialists, intellectuals, and profit-seeking capitalists. In each era, the United States increased its participation. During the period of settler conquest, the US had a modest presence in Southern Africa. With the onset of the minerals revolution, US power expanded, and American capitalists and engineers with business interests in the mines pushed for an improved pass system to police African workers. Under apartheid, US corporations supplied the computer technology essential to apartheid governance and business enterprise. Finally, during the latter years of post-apartheid, Silicon Valley corporations, together with US surveillance agencies, began imposing surveillance capitalism on South African society. A new form of domination, digital colonialism, has emerged, vesting the United States with unprecedented control over South African affairs. To counter the force of digital colonialism, a new movement may emerge to push to redesign the digital ecosystem as a socialist commons based on open technology, socialist legal solutions, bottom-up democracy, and Internet decentralization.
Error performance analysis of FSO links with equal gain diversity receivers over double generalized gamma fading channels

Free space optical (FSO) communication has been receiving increasing attention in recent years with its ability to achieve ultra-high data rates over unlicensed optical spectrum. A major performance limiting factor in FSO systems is atmospheric turbulence which severely degrades the system performance. To address this issue, multiple transmit and/or receive apertures can be employed, and the performance can be improved via diversity gain. In this paper, we investigate the bit error rate (BER) performance of FSO systems with transmit diversity or receive diversity with equal gain combining (EGC) over atmospheric turbulence channels described by the Double Generalized Gamma (Double GG) distribution. The Double GG distribution, recently proposed, generalizes many existing turbulence models in a closed-form expression and covers all turbulence conditions. Since the distribution function of a sum of Double GG random variables (RVs) appears in BER expression, we first derive a closed-form upper bound for the distribution of the sum of Double GG distributed RVs. A novel union upper bound for the average BER as well as corresponding asymptotic expression is then derived and evaluated in terms of Meijers G-functions.
Freedom of Information: An International Perspective

In 1995, only twenty nations worldwide had laws providing public access to government-held information. In the twenty years since then, the number of nations with such laws has grown to more than one hundred. This paper examines the international development of public access to information, with a particular focus on the European Union. It explores the expansion of freedom of information laws, the challenges still posed for those who seek access to environmental decision making, and the freedom of information regimes of selected European states that reflect a full range in terms of scope of public access.
Learning from AV Safety: Hope and Humility Shape Policy and Progress

Producing automated vehicles (AVs) that are, and can be shown to be, safe is an ongoing challenge. This position paper draws on recent work to discuss alternative approaches to assessing AV safety, noting how AI can be a positive or negative influence it. It features suggestions to promote AV safety, drawing from practice and policy, and it ends with a speculation about a special new role for AI.
Online Optimization with Feedback Delay and Nonlinear Switching Cost.

We study a variant of online optimization in which the learner receives $k$-round $\textit{delayed feedback}$ about hitting cost and there is a multi-step nonlinear switching cost, i.e., costs depend on multiple previous actions in a nonlinear manner. Our main result shows that a novel Iterative Regularized Online Balanced Descent (iROBD) algorithm has a constant, dimension-free competitive ratio that is $O(L^{2k})$, where $L$ is the Lipschitz constant of the switching cost. Additionally, we provide lower bounds that illustrate the Lipschitz condition is required and the dependencies on $k$ and $L$ are tight. Finally, via reductions, we show that this setting is closely related to online control problems with delay, nonlinear dynamics, and adversarial disturbances, where iROBD directly offers constant-competitive online policies.
On an efficient and effective intelligent transportation system (ITS) safety and traffic efficiency application with corresponding driver behavior

Driver distraction could result in safety compromises attributable to distractions from in-vehicle equipment usage [1]. The effective design of driver-vehicle interfaces (DVIs) and other human-machine interfaces (HMIs) together with their usability, and accessibility while driving become important [2]. Driving distractions can be classified as: visual distractions (any activity that takes your eyes away from the road), cognitive distraction (any activity that takes your mind away from the course of driving), and manual distractions (any activity that takes your hands away from the steering wheel [2]). Besides, multitasking during driving is a distractive activity that can increase the risks of vehicular accidents. To study the driver’s behaviors on the safety of transportation system, using an in-vehicle driver notification application, we examined the effects of increasing driver distraction levels on the evaluation metrics of traffic efficiency and safety by using two types of driver models: young drivers (ages 16-25 years) and middle-age drivers (ages 30-45 years). Our evaluation data demonstrates that as a drivers distraction level is increased, less heed is given to change route directives from the in-vehicle on-board unit (OBU) using textual, visual, audio, and haptic notifications. Interestingly, middle-age drivers proved more effective/resilient in mitigating the negative effects of driver distraction over young drivers [2].
NMR relaxation rates in a spin- 1 2 antiferromagnetic chain

We consider the low-temperature behavior of NMR relaxation rates ${T}_{1}$ and ${T}_{2G}$ in the spin-$1/2$ antiferromagnetic chain. We find that ${T}_{1}\ensuremath{\propto}\mathrm{const}$ and ${T}_{2G}\ensuremath{\propto}\sqrt{T},$ with logarithmic corrections. We determine both constants and logarithmic terms by matching perturbative renormalization-group with exact results, so that the final expressions for the relaxation rates do not contain any free parameters. Our theoretical results are in excellent agreement with NMR experiments in ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{3}.$
A Theory of Rational Choice Under Complete Ignorance

This paper contributes to a theory of rational choice under uncertainty for decision-makers whose preferences are exhaustively described by partial orders representing "limited information." Specifically, we consider the limiting case of "Complete Ignorance" decision problems characterized by maximally incomplete preferences and important primarily as reduced forms of general decision problems under uncertainty. "Rationality" is conceptualized in terms of a "Principle of Preference-Basedness," according to which rational choice should be isomorphic to asserted preference. The main result characterizes axiomatically a new choice-rule called "Simultaneous Expected Utility Maximization" which in particular satisfies a choice-functional independence and a context-dependent choice-consistency condition; it can be interpreted as the fair agreement in a bargaining game (Kalai-Smorodinsky solution) whose players correspond to the different possible states (respectively external priors in the general case).
The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil

How well do we really know anyone? How well do we really know ourselves? Are those who commit atrocities people with serious character defects or psychopathology, or are they ordinary people responding to an extraordinary situation? How many times, in the course of our ordinary lives, have we been surprised to learn about the actions of someone we thought we knew well? The Lucifer Effect provides some possible explanations for this phenomenon, as well as for those of us who have been involved in cultic groups or other situations in which we were, in retrospect, baffled by our own actions, which contradicted our previous notions of our identities. The author, eminent social psychologist Philip Zimbardo, elaborates in-depth on a lifetime he has dedicated, as a professor at Stanford University, to research and exploration of these issues.
Queer Lockdown: Coming to Terms with the Ongoing Criminalization of LGBTQ Communities

The criminal justice system exacts a toll on some Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) communities. The experience of living in poverty and the concomitant exposure to a variety of governmental systems puts all poor, but especially LGBTQ low-income people of color, at risk of incarceration. What typically goes unexamined are the myriad ways that LGBTQ people are drawn into and experience the carceral system because of sexual identities and expression. This negative effect surfaces at every conceivable level: the marginalization and subsequent criminalization of queer youth; anti-gay bias in the judicial system; the rerouting of domestic violence cases from the civil to the criminal system in states where LGBTQ people don’t meet the statutory definition of family; exposure to rape and trauma during incarceration in prisons and jails; and in disproportionate sentencing, particularly death penalty cases.Activists have long engaged in a wide range of worthwhile initiatives in pursuit of social justice. However, it is less common that groups have an unambiguous mandate to develop a philosophical and strategic approach that integrates organizing across issues of class, race, gender and sexual identity. Nevertheless, structural inequality operates through intersecting subordinations to make some more vulnerable to criminalization. In this essay, I argue that LGBTQ and civil rights communities should come to terms with and prioritize the concerns of low-income LGBTQ people who have been profoundly affected by the criminal justice system.
The blood gases, pH, and plasma electrolytes of the sow and fetal pig at 106 days of pregnancy.

Abstract Blood was obtained under general anesthesia from 6 sows and 2 fetuses of each, at 106 ± 1 days of pregnancy. The pH of umbilical vein blood was found to be higher than that of the uterine vein, but lower than femoral artery blood of the sow. The carbon dioxide contents were high and the carbon dioxide pressure of umbilical vein blood higher than that in the uterine vein. Oxygen saturations were all low, presumably due to the anesthetic, so that the conditions were not physiological. The fetal-maternal relationships were presumably maintained, however. The fetal hemoglobin concentration was less than the maternal, and the umbilical arteriovenous oxygen difference quite small. The sodium and potassium concentrations in sow and fetus were about equal. Fetal calcium-magnesium combined exceeded maternal. Fetal protein concentrations were very low, and fetal chlorides were lower than maternal. Fetal bicarbonate exceeded maternal, while lactate and phosphate concentrations were equal. Fetal pyruvate was high in the umbilical vein blood, whereas umbilical artery values equaled maternal. There was a large deficit of determined anions in the fetal blood.
Switching on elusive organometallic mechanisms with photoredox catalysis

Transition-metal-catalysed cross-coupling reactions have become one of the most used carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bond-forming reactions in chemical synthesis. Recently, nickel catalysis has been shown to participate in a wide variety of C-C bond-forming reactions, most notably Negishi, Suzuki-Miyaura, Stille, Kumada and Hiyama couplings. Despite the tremendous advances in C-C fragment couplings, the ability to forge C-O bonds in a general fashion via nickel catalysis has been largely unsuccessful. The challenge for nickel-mediated alcohol couplings has been the mechanistic requirement for the critical C-O bond-forming step (formally known as the reductive elimination step) to occur via a Ni(III) alkoxide intermediate. Here we demonstrate that visible-light-excited photoredox catalysts can modulate the preferred oxidation states of nickel alkoxides in an operative catalytic cycle, thereby providing transient access to Ni(III) species that readily participate in reductive elimination. Using this synergistic merger of photoredox and nickel catalysis, we have developed a highly efficient and general carbon-oxygen coupling reaction using abundant alcohols and aryl bromides. More notably, we have developed a general strategy to 'switch on' important yet elusive organometallic mechanisms via oxidation state modulations using only weak light and single-electron-transfer catalysts.
Salivary biomarkers of neural hypervigilance in trauma-exposed women.

Objectives More than half of all adults will be exposed to a traumatic event at some point in their lives, yet we do not yet have reliable biomarkers to help predict who experiences trauma-related symptoms in response to exposure. We tested the utility of salivary cortisol and salivary alpha amylase as markers of (1) neural reactivity to negative affective information and (2) neural hypervigilance in the absence of threat.
Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries

Low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXB’s) are luminous X-ray sources which are composed of a late-type optical companion (M ≲ 1 M⊙) and a neutron star (or possibly a black hole). They are often referred to somewhat interchangeably as galactic bulge or Population II sources, or as Sco-like sources after the historical archetype of the group Sco X-1. A schematic of one of the best-studied systems, 4U1626-67, is shown superimposed (to scale) on a photograph of the sun’s disk in Figure 1. This is the smallest known LMXB; the optical companion is slightly larger than the sunspot group and the bow-tie shaped accretion disk is the same size as Saturn’s ring system.
On the role of architectural styles in improving the adaptation support of middleware platforms

Modern middleware platforms provide the applications deployed on top of them with facilities for their adaptation. However, the level of adaptation support provided by the state-of-the-art middleware solutions is often limited to dynamically loading and off-loading of software components. Therefore, it is left to the application developers to handle the details of change such that the system's consistency is not jeopardized. In this paper, we present an approach that addresses the current shortcomings by utilizing the information encoded in a software system's architectural style. This information drives the development of adaptation patterns, which could be employed to enhance the adaptation support in middleware platforms. The patterns specify both the exact sequence of changes and the time at which those changes need to occur.
Ground-state phase diagram of the square lattice Hubbard model from density matrix embedding theory

We compute the ground-state phase diagram of the Hubbard and frustrated Hubbard models on the square lattice with density matrix embedding theory using clusters of up to 16 sites. We provide an error model to estimate the reliability of the computations and complexity of the physics at different points in the diagram. We find superconductivity in the ground state as well as competition between inhomogeneous charge, spin, and pairing states at low doping. The estimated errors in the study are below T_c in the cuprates and on the scale of contributions in real materials that are neglected in the Hubbard model.
A Study of Methods for Systematically Abbreviating English Words and Names

This study investigated various techniques for systematically abbreviating English words and names. Most of the attention was given to the techniques which could be mechanized with a digital device such as a general purpose digital computer. Particular attention was paid to techniques that could process incoming information without prior knowledge of its existence (i.e., no table lookups). Thirteen basic techniques and their modifications are described. In addition, most of the techniques were tested on a sample of several thousand subject words and several thousand proper names in order to provide a quantitative measure of comparison.
The use of R2 to determine the appropriate transformation of regression variables

Abstract It is proved that, under certain conditions, the ‘true’ model, from a set of alternative regression specifications involving different transformations of the same dependent variable, is the formulation for which population R 2 is highest. This theorem, which requires assumptions of normality, is proved through the use of Hermite polynomials. The paper contains an appendix listing the major properties of these polynomials.
Influence of chroline substitution pattern on the degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls by eight bacterial strains.

We compared the metabolism of eight di- and trichlorobiphenyls by eight bacterial strains chosen to represent a broad range of degradative activity against polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The PCB congeners used were 2,3-, 2,3′-, 2,4′-, 3,3′-, 2,3,3′-, 2,4,4′-, 2,5,3′-, and 3,4,2′-chlorobiphenyl. The bacterial strains used wereCorynebacterium sp. MB1,Alcaligenes strainsA. eutrophus H850 andA. faecalis Pi434, andPseudomonas strains LB400 and H1130,P. testosteroni H430 and H336, andP. cepacia H201. The results indicated that both the relative rates of primary degradation of PCBs and the choice of the ring attacked were dependent on the bacterial strain used. The bacterial strains exhibited considerable differences in their relative reactivity preferences for attack on mono- and dichlorophenyl groups and in the degree to which the attack was affected by the chlorine substitution pattern on the nonreacting ring. For MB1 the reactivity pattern was 3-≥4-≫2-chlorophenyl with no attack on 2,4- or 2,5-chlorophenyl groups. This strain was relatively insensitive to the chlorine substitution pattern on the nonreacting ring. Strains H1130, H430, H201, and Pi434 exhibited the same reactivity preferences as MB1, but for these strains (and for all others tested) the chlorination pattern on the nonreacting ring had a strong effect. For strain H336 the reactivity preference was 4-≥2->2,4-≥3-chlorophenyl, with no evidence of attack on 2,5-chlorophenyl rings. For strains H850 and LB400 the relative reactivity was 2->2,5->3-≫2,4->4-chlorophenyl. On this basis we propose that the eight bacterial strains represent four distinct classes of biphenyl/PCB-dioxygenase activity.
Analysis of blue-green and red algal ribosomal-RNAs by gel electrophoresis.

Ribosomal-RNAs of two species of red algae (Porphyridium aerugineum and Griffithsia pacifica) and a blue-green alga (Phormidium persicinium) were examined by the method of polycrylamide gel electrophoresis. The results of this study indicate that red algal cytoplasmic rRNAs have molecular weights (1.21 m and 0.54–0.58 m) which are the lowest of any other known for an eukaryotic organism; but a 130,000 dalton gap remains between these values (for the heavy rRNA component) and those for prokaryotic rRNAs (1.06–1.08 m and 0.56 to 0.59 m). Although the cytoplasmic rRNAs of the red algae are distinctly “eukaryotic” in size, the chloroplast rRNAs of these organisms exhibit physical characteristics (molecular weights and mode of breakdown) which make them more like blue-green algal rRNAs than like the rRNAs of other chloroplasts.
Wireless index coding through rank minimization

Index coding, initially introduced within theoretical computer science to address a specialized class of problems, has gained significant interest within communications and networking communities in recent years. Index coding has been shown to be analogous to a large class of challenging wired network coding and wireless multi-terminal problems, the latter class being of primary interest in this paper. Here, a (relaxed) rank minimization based analytic framework is presented for wireless index coding, which represents a first step in a systematic algorithmic approach to index coding for practical use. Further, the paper demonstrates its applicability over a real-world wireless testbed. The scheme operates at the network layer, and can be understood as a (non-trivial) generalization of existing principles of random linear network coding. Experimental results demonstrate that, for a class of network topologies, the rank-minimized index coding system presents a throughput gain of 50 to 100 percent greater than random linear coding for this system.
Conditions for constrained efficient solutions of multiobjective problems in Banach spaces

Abstract In this paper necessary conditions and sufficient conditions are obtained for efficient solutions of multiobjective functions (Pareto optimum) on a Banach space subject to a (possibly) infinite number of equality and inequality constraints.
3D FE simulation of H2 SAW gas sensor

Abstract In this work, a three-dimensional finite element (3D FE) model of a two-port surface acoustic wave (SAW) delay line based hydrogen sensor on XY lithium niobate (LiNbO 3 ) substrate with a palladium thin film is developed and simulated. This simulation is performed using ANSYS Version 6.1 platform. Changes in the propagation characteristics of the SAW in terms of the time delay in the voltage and particle displacements due to exposure of palladium thin film to hydrogen and insertion loss of the device are studied. Also, the impulse response of the device is simulated, from which the frequency response and hence the center frequency and insertion loss of the sensor is determined. The 3D representation of the surface acoustic wave propagation on the substrate is demonstrated.
Summary of Regional Geology in Southwest Wyoming Covered by Fifth Annual Field Conference, Wyoming Geological Association: ABSTRACT

The area of southwest Wyoming covered by the Field Conference lies west of the Rock Springs uplift, southwest of the Wind River range, north of the Uinta Mountains and south of the Gros Ventre range. It is underlain at the eastern edge, the Rock Springs uplift, by shelf sediments of Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic age. The western portion is made up of the same age beds of much greater thickness and with considerable stratigraphic variation from the shelf sediments. Because thrust faults are the basic structural feature of the western area, a well exposed section of any considerable orderly thickness is virtually impossible to find. This area of thick sediments and thrust faulting extends into eastern Utah and eastern Idaho although the Conference did not get into these areas. Irregular exposures in the mountains and absence of any data on the transition zone eastward until the Rock Springs uplift is encountered, have made correlation problems particularly difficult. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1106------------
Simulating Massachusetts Municipalities' Recession Readiness: Early Warning of a Perfect Storm?

We simulate effects of two recessions on Massachusetts municipalities in light of their relative dependence on state aid, capacity to increase property taxes under Proposition 2½ constraints, growth, and nondiscretionary costs. We also explore the efficacy of local government stabilization funds in light of current literature on stabilization funds, slack resources in general, and the state–local fiscal relationship. We found substantial variance in Massachusetts municipalities' recession readiness. Fifty-five (16 percent) municipalities have insufficient resources to weather a severe recession scenario without significant sacrifice due to reliance on state grants-in-aid, low property tax revenue growth, erosion of property tax revenue increments by increases in nondiscretionary expenditures, and inadequate stabilization funds.
Assessment for Instructional Planning.

Assessment is a common task in education that has many varied purposes. One of these is the use of assessment data to make decisions about instructional planning. This article presents a framework for how to use assessment data to plan instruction. It also provides some background on terminology of assessment for instructional planning, considerations for the development or use of assessment measures, and guidance for designing instruction.
Planar Resistors for Probe Station Calibration

This paper investigates the effects of variations in sheet resistance, geometry, distance from the probe tip, and fabrication processes on the impedance of planar nickel-chromium resistors. Resistor reactance is a strong function of film resistance, but depends only weakly on geometry and distance from the probe tip. Photoresist contamination in the resistive film induces more complicated impedance behavior, even at low frequencies. The impact on circuit design and time- and frequency-domain calibrations is considered in light of these results.
Optimal lunar launch trajectories to the Sun-Earth L1 vicinity

The sun/Earth-moon L1 point is a growing target for space missions. This paper assumes a need to place an object directly between the Earth and the sun. Possible purposes for such a mission include a type of shield to intercept some portion of the sun's rays, or conversely a lens or mirror to focus them. In addition, this paper requires a launch directly from the moon instead of a traditional orbit-to-orbit transfer. A detailed case using accurate positional and velocity data for all planetary bodies is used in this paper. Instead of focusing solely on trajectories defined as optimal by minimum fuel consumption, we looked for trajectories with low sensitivity to initial conditions to additionally minimize the frequency and magnitude of course corrections. We first analyzed the reverse problem to identify solution areas of low sensitivity to launch conditions. Using the determined restricted solution space, we were successfully able to determine a launch site on the moon that could reach L1 with the greatest number of low-cost trajectories and launch windows within the resolution of the solution space.
Dwight L. Moody: Master of audience psychology

(1952). Dwight L. Moody: Master of audience psychology. The Southern Speech Journal: Vol. 17, No. 4, pp. 265-271.
Time-dependent theory of multiphoton ionization of xenon

Calculations of the single and multiphoton ionization of xenon valence-shell electrons are reported for several wavelengths and laser intensities. The model follows a single valence electron in the field of an effective core potential, the remaining valence electrons, frozen in their ground-state orbitals, and a linearly polarized laser field. Ionization rates and cross sections are determined using a direct numerical solution of the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation using a finite-difference technique. Excellent agreement with experimental rates and previous theoretical cross sections has been obtained. Bound states, shifted into resonance by the ac Stark effect, are found to affect the ionization dynamics. Departures from perturbation theory at high intensities are demonstrated and discussed.
Age-related decreases in endocochlear potential are associated with vascular abnormalities in the stria vascularis

The density and diameter of strial capillaries were assessed in whole-mount preparations of the cochlear lateral wall from 18 gerbils aged in quiet for at least 36 months. Following morphometric analysis, histopathologic changes in selected regions of the lateral wall were examined by light and transmission electron microscopy. Alterations in strial vasculature were compared with the endocochlear potential (EP) measurements from the same ear. Vascular degeneration occurred in a segmental fashion in that regions of atrophic capillaries were found throughout the cochlea but primarily in the apical and lower basal turns and in the hook. The amount of stria with normal capillaries varied greatly among the aged ears, ranging from 19 to 87%. The resting EP also varied markedly, ranging from 23 to 83 mV. Little correlation was found between vascular alterations and the corresponding EP value from individual cochlear turns. However, significant correlations were found between the total strial area with normal vasculature and both the mean EP value and that recorded at either the round window or first turn in that ear.
Small-Scale Induction of Postharvest Yellowing of Rice Endosperm

ABSTRACT Rice endosperm often develop a yellow discoloration during commercial storage in conditions of high temperature and moisture, thereby reducing the value of the grain. This postharvest yellowing (PHY) appears to be coincidental with fungal presence. To study the yellowing process in a controlled manner, we developed a technique to induce PHY on a small, laboratory scale. Milled rice kernels were rinsed with water and incubated in clear test tubes or microfuge tubes at 65–80°C. This allowed direct observation of the color change and measurement using a colorimeter. Every rice cultivar tested (long and medium grain japonicas and indicas) showed some level of PHY, which increased with temperature yielding a maximum color change at 79°C. Most color change occurred within one day. The moisture parameters required for yellowing to occur were measured. Using sterilization and culture techniques, we found no indications of direct fungal involvement in the yellowing process.
Assisting versus repelling force-feedback for human learning of a line following task

Previous work has shown that training with ‘assist-as-needed’ method using force-feedback joystick can improve driving performance of children and adults. This work is the first study to evaluate training with a repelling force versus an assisting force for learning of a line following task. We designed a robotic training wheelchair that can accurately localize itself in the training environment, and implemented assisting and repelling force fields on the force-feedback joystick. The training protocol included three groups. The control (CT) group received no force feedback. The assisting force (AF) group was trained using the ‘assist-as-needed’ paradigm. The repelling force (RF) group was trained with the repelling force field. We observed that both the AF and RF group improved their driving skills, however, the RF group had the greatest trajectory error reduction. We believe that this pilot study could provide a promising foundation regarding robotic wheelchair algorithm effects on adult learning.
Direct detection searches for WIMP dark matter

Abstract A very active hunt is underway to discover the composition of dark matter in the universe. A large effort is devoted to the direct detection of dark matter through interactions with detectors in the laboratory. In this paper, we give an overview of the dark matter problem, discuss some of the design considerations taken in direct detection experiments, and describe some of the current efforts to discover Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), a well-motivated class of candidates for dark matter.
Effect of 60° head-down tilt on peripheral gas mixing in the human lung

The phase III slope of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) in a single-breath washout (SBW) is greater than that of helium (He) under normal gravity (i.e., 1G), thus resulting in a positive SF6-He slope diff...
Windows into the future: How lessons from Hollywood will shape the music industry

For several years, new digital technologies and startup companies have put the music industry in a defensive posture by driving innovation and disrupting established format, pricing, and distribution standards. However, with Napster now defanged, the major labels that dominate the industry are reclaiming the spotlight and taking proactive steps to secure their place in the online music arena.
Correlation of crystal structure and phase transition in DI-n- alkylarsinic acids

Abstract Single crystals of a series of di- n -alkylarsinic acids, R 2 As(O) OH, R:CH 3 to n -C 8 H 17 have been prepared and examined with X-rays. The room temperature forms of these acids are triclinic and unit cell dimensions have been determined. The crystal phase transition which occurs for the n -hexyl-, n -heptyl-, and n -octyl-compounds was observed and unit cell dimensions obtained for the high temperature monoclinic form of the n -hexyl- and n -octyl acids. Various functions of the cell dimensions were calculated. The b -dimension increases regularly with chain length in the low temperature form. The unit cell volume of the low temperature form, as a function of chain length, shows a break at R n -C 5 H 11 . The cell volumes of the high temperature form of n -C 6 H 13 and n -C 8 H 17 lie close to the line drawn through the cell volumes of the low temperature form for RCH 3 to R n -C 4 H 9 .
Shortfall risk minimization in a discrete regime switching model

There have been profound ideas on how to measure risk which have influenced the financial market. Shortfall risk minimization is one of the methods which has attracted considerable attention. This problem has been studied for the binomial model in Runggaldier and Zaccaria (2000) and Runggaldier, Trivellato and Vargiolu (2002) and for the trinomial model in Scagnelatto and Vargiolu (2002). In this paper, we investigate shortfall risk minimization in a discrete regime switching model. In the model, we have two possible regimes, which are both binomial. To fix ideas, we can think of the second regime as being the consequence of the presence of inside information, but this can also be due to other factors. Explicit solutions for one-period models are given.
Fourteen questions from the period 1965–1995

Abstract The cited questions are prompted, one each, by results from the doctoral dissertations directed by the author. In the interests of clarification and modernization, the material is recast in the light of recent developments from the literature.
The future of research in Canadian peatlands: a brief survey with particular reference to global change

Suggestions are made for future research on Canadian peatlands under several headings: distribution across the country, landscape features, environmental factors (hydrology, microclimatology, permafrost, and fire), ecosystem properties (productivity, decomposition, biogeochemical cycling, and microbial activity), biotic characteristics (flora and fauna, including rare and threatened species), and paleoecological background. This evaluation points out the need for studies of peatland restoration. In addition, it is important to follow present models of excellence for future study and to train a new generation of researchers in multidisciplinary research.