cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sparse Recovery of Streaming Signals Using $\ell_1$ -Homotopy

Most of the existing sparse-recovery methods assume a static system: the signal is a finite-length vector for which a fixed set of measurements and sparse representation are available and an l1 problem is solved for the reconstruction. However, the same representation and reconstruction framework is not readily applicable in a streaming system: the signal changes over time, and it is measured and reconstructed sequentially over small intervals. This is particularly desired when dividing signals into disjoint blocks and processing each block separately is infeasible or inefficient. In this paper, we discuss two streaming systems and a new homotopy algorithm for quickly solving the associated l1 problems: 1) recovery of smooth, time-varying signals for which, instead of using block transforms, we use lapped orthogonal transforms for sparse representation and 2) recovery of sparse, time-varying signals that follows a linear dynamic model. For both systems, we iteratively process measurements over a sliding interval and solve a weighted l1-norm minimization problem for estimating sparse coefficients. Since we estimate overlapping portions of the signal while adding and removing measurements, instead of solving a new l1 program as the system changes, we use available signal estimates as starting point in a homotopy formulation and update the solution in a few simple steps. We demonstrate with numerical experiments that our proposed streaming recovery framework provides better reconstruction compared to the methods that represent and reconstruct signals as independent, disjoint blocks, and that our proposed homotopy algorithm updates the solution faster than the current state-of-the-art solvers.
Necessity of routine cardiac evaluation in patients receiving pegylated liposomal doxorubicin for gynecologic cancer.

Abstract Objective Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) has similar reported clinical efficacy compared with conventional doxorubicin with less cardiotoxicity. The manufacturer of PLD advises that cardiac function should be evaluated with endomyocardial biopsy, echocardiography or multigated radionucleotide scan (MUGA) pre-treatment and during therapy. This study was designed to assess the necessity of pre-treatment cardiac evaluation in patients receiving PLD. Methods After IRB approval, a retrospective study of all women with gynecologic cancer who received PLD from 2006 to 2018 was performed. Demographic information, treatment records, cardiac risk factors, and cardiac surveillance testing were examined. Wilcoxon signed rank sum test and logistic regression were used to evaluate the association of cumulative PLD exposure with cardiotoxicity. Results A total of 235 patients received PLD for gynecologic cancer. Patients received a median of 3 cycles of PLD with a cumulative dosage of 237 mg over a median follow-up time of 24 months. Sixteen patients in the cohort (7%) had no cardiac surveillance at all. Of the remaining patients who underwent cardiac testing, 183 (84%) received MUGA scans and 36 (16%) had echocardiography. Of the 56 patients who had both pre- and post-treatment cardiac testing, there was no significant difference in median ejection fraction (p = 0.17). Three patients developed PLD-associated cardiac toxicity but only one patient had severe manifestations requiring discontinuation of PLD therapy. Conclusions Routine cardiac testing before, during or after treatment with PLD may be unnecessary. Cardiac testing may be more appropriate for individual patients for whom the clinical suspicion of PLD-related cardiac toxicity is high.
A heat balance model to explain delayed thermoacoustic sound production in seawater using metal electrodes

Experiments conducted with solid metal wire electrodes in seawater generated second harmonic sound waves thought to be thermoacoustic in origin. Using sine wave bursts of five cycles of 10 kHz voltage across the electrodes, the thermoacoustic sound production was repeatedly observed to be delayed by about 240 μs from the initial applied voltage. At the time of these experiments around 2014, we were unable to account for this surprising delay in sound production. Recently, we built a heat balance model for the driven water volume that shows heat accumulating, during the applied voltage, faster than it can escape by heat conduction to the surrounding water. This results in a build up of heat in the driven water volume that increases the local temperature and density until a threshold level for sound production is reached. After the last cycle of the voltage burst, sound waves continue to be produced until enough heat has conducted away from the driven water volume for the temperature and density to fall below the sound production threshold. Although the model uses several simplifying assumptions, the results match the experimental observations reasonably well.Experiments conducted with solid metal wire electrodes in seawater generated second harmonic sound waves thought to be thermoacoustic in origin. Using sine wave bursts of five cycles of 10 kHz voltage across the electrodes, the thermoacoustic sound production was repeatedly observed to be delayed by about 240 μs from the initial applied voltage. At the time of these experiments around 2014, we were unable to account for this surprising delay in sound production. Recently, we built a heat balance model for the driven water volume that shows heat accumulating, during the applied voltage, faster than it can escape by heat conduction to the surrounding water. This results in a build up of heat in the driven water volume that increases the local temperature and density until a threshold level for sound production is reached. After the last cycle of the voltage burst, sound waves continue to be produced until enough heat has conducted away from the driven water volume for the temperature and density to fall bel...
Carbon-11 and Carbon-12 beam range verifications through prompt gamma and annihilation gamma measurements: Monte carlo simulations

Range uncertainty remains a big concern in particle therapy, as it may cause target dose degradation and normal tissue overdosing. Positron emission tomography (PET) and prompt gamma imaging (PGI) are two promising modalities for range verification. However, the relatively long acquisition time of PET and the relatively low yield of PGI pose challenges for real-time range verification. In this paper, we explore using the primary Carbon-11 (C-11) ion beams to enhance the gamma yield compared to the primary C-12 ion beams to improve PET and PGI by using Monte Carlo simulations of water and PMMA phantoms at four incident energies (95, 200, 300, and 430 MeV u-1). Prompt gammas (PGs) and annihilation gammas (AGs) were recorded for post-processing to mimic PGI and PET imaging, respectively. We used both time-of-flight (TOF) and energy selections for PGI, which boosted the ratio of PGs to background neutrons to 2.44, up from 0.87 without the selections. At the lowest incident energy (100 MeVu-1), PG yield from C-11 was 0.82 times of that from C-12, while AG yield from C-11 was 6 ∼ 11 folds higher than from C-12 in PMMA. At higher energies, PG differences between C-11 and C-12 were much smaller, while AG yield from C-11 was 30%∼90% higher than from C-12 using minute-acquisition. With minute-acquisition, the AG depth distribution of C-11 showed a sharp peak coincident with the Bragg peak due to the decay of the primary C-11 ions, but that of C-12 had no such one. The high AG yield and distinct peaks could lead to more precise range verification of C-11 than C-12. These results demonstrate that using C-11 ion beams for potentially combined PGI and PET has great potential to improve online single-spot range verification accuracy and precision.
Combating Internet Trolls: The Right of Publicity and Section 230

Section 230 protects internet trolls and websites from liability for defamation and other torts, but not from liability for intellectual property infringement. This essay argues that some plaintiffs may be able to use the right of publicity to bring claims otherwise preempted by Section 230. Specifically, it reflects on whether Kenneth Zeran could have filed a successful right of publicity action.
A kd-tree-accelerated hybrid data-driven/model-based approach for poroelasticity problems with multi-fidelity multi-physics data

Abstract We present a hybrid model/model-free data-driven approach to solve poroelasticity problems. Extending the data-driven modeling framework originated from Kirchdoerfer and Ortiz (2016), we introduce one model-free and two hybrid model-based/data-driven formulations capable of simulating the coupled diffusion-deformation of fluid-infiltrating porous media with different amounts of available data. To improve the efficiency of the model-free data search, we introduce a distance-minimized algorithm accelerated by a k-dimensional tree search. To handle the different fidelities of the solid elasticity and fluid hydraulic constitutive responses, we introduce a hybridized model in which either the solid and the fluid solver can switch from a model-based to a model-free approach depending on the availability and the properties of the data. Numerical experiments are designed to verify the implementation and compare the performance of the proposed model to other alternatives.
Multiple constraints cause positive and negative feedbacks limiting grassland soil CO2 efflux under CO2 enrichment.

Terrestrial ecosystems are increasingly enriched with resources such as atmospheric CO2 that limit ecosystem processes. The consequences for ecosystem carbon cycling depend on the feedbacks from other limiting resources and plant community change, which remain poorly understood for soil CO2 efflux, JCO2, a primary carbon flux from the biosphere to the atmosphere. We applied a unique CO2 enrichment gradient (250 to 500 µL L−1) for eight years to grassland plant communities on soils from different landscape positions. We identified the trajectory of JCO2 responses and feedbacks from other resources, plant diversity [effective species richness, exp(H)], and community change (plant species turnover). We found linear increases in JCO2 on an alluvial sandy loam and a lowland clay soil, and an asymptotic increase on an upland silty clay soil. Structural equation modeling identified CO2 as the dominant limitation on JCO2 on the clay soil. In contrast with theory predicting limitation from a single limiting factor, the linear JCO2 response on the sandy loam was reinforced by positive feedbacks from aboveground net primary productivity and exp(H), while the asymptotic JCO2 response on the silty clay arose from a net negative feedback among exp(H), species turnover, and soil water potential. These findings support a multiple resource limitation view of the effects of global change drivers on grassland ecosystem carbon cycling and highlight a crucial role for positive or negative feedbacks between limiting resources and plant community structure. Incorporating these feedbacks will improve models of terrestrial carbon sequestration and ecosystem services.
Geochemical cycle of hydraulic fracturing fluids: Implications for fracture functionality and frac job efficiency in tight sandstone

Abstract The efficiency of the hydraulic fracturing processes is measured through its success rate in opening fracture space, fracturing fluid injectivity, and recovery rates of flowback fluid. This paper applies the volumetric ratio (RFF/FW) between recovered hydraulic fracturing fluid (FF) and formation water (FW) – besides gas production (GP) and flowback efficiency (FE) – as a third criterion and novel classification tool to quantify the loss of fracturing fluids, the inflow of formation water, and to define the type of involved fractures during hydraulic fracturing. Eight scenarios were designed to assess the performance and success rate of hydraulic fracking operations. For model calibration, geochemical time trends of flowback fluids from two horizontal wells were compared with the known composition of injected FF and local FW to quantify mixing ratios (RFF/FW) between both fluid types in produced water. The use of Na and Cl concentrations as nonreactive elements resulted in the most precise solution for endmember calculations. For the cased-hole scenario (C-1), low values of most operational parameters (gas recovery, injected fracturing fluid, recovered flowback volume, and FE of 0.37) reflect tight reservoir conditions with limited conductive capacity of induced fractures in the target zone. The elevated RFF/FW ratio (2.65) and dominant FF return during the first day of flowback suggest that injected fracturing fluids either remained close to the sealed borehole and returned immediately to surface during post-fracture production or were lost to the formation due to unconnected hydraulic fractures. In contrast, a complex fracture system at the open-hole completion (O-1) allowed the release of gas from micropores, reflected by relatively elevated ratios of 0.5 for FE and low RFF/FW ratios of 1.09. The interconnectivity between natural and induced fractures permitted the injection of larger volumes of FF with an elevated flowback of both fracturing fluid and formation water. A portion of 26% of the injected FF was recovered from well O-1 during a flowback period of 41 days, while an identical percentage was reached at well C-1 during 10 days. It is of practical importance for fracking operations that geochemical fingerprinting of flowback water can provide strategic decisions to optimize fracturing project performance beyond the capabilities of petrophysical data from well logging. In the present case, similar permeability and porosity characteristics for both targeted clastic intervals could not explain the contrasting performance of both frac jobs. Geochemical assessment can lead to avoiding water-pay zones to minimize the volume of required fracturing fluids for injection purposes, and to economize the recycling process for recoverable flowback fluids. An improved understanding of the functionality of the structural network of natural and induced fractures by the present classification is applicable to predict the success rate for upcoming frac jobs.
A Threshold Model of Visual Search

A new model of visual search is proposed. It is suggested that in searching for a target among distractors, there is some threshold level of similarity between the target and the distractors. When the similarity of the target to a given distractor is below this threshold the distractor can be quickly rejected. When the distractor is above the threshold level of similarity it will take additional time to reject the distractor.Several models of visual search, including threshold and non-threshold models, are simulated on a computer and compared to the results obtained by Geiselman, Landee & Christen (1982) in a visual search task. A threshold search model in which the time to reject distractors over the similarity threshold is a function of the increment above the threshold (where similarity is defined as proposed in Workman & Fisher, 1987), is shown to provide the best fit to the data. Implications for the selection of symbols for graphic displays are briefly discussed.
Volcanic morphology of West Mata Volcano, NE Lau Basin, based on high‐resolution bathymetry and depth changes

High-resolution (1.5 m) mapping from the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) D. Allan B. of West Mata Volcano in the northern Lau Basin is used to identify the processes that construct and modify the volcano. The surface consists largely of volcaniclastic debris that forms smooth slopes to the NW and SE, with smaller lava flows forming gently sloping plateaus concentrated along the ENE and WSW rift zones, and more elongate flows radiating from the summit. Two active volcanic vents, Prometheus and Hades, are located ∼50 and ∼150 m WSW of the 1159 m summit, respectively, and are slightly NW of the ridgeline so the most abundant clastic deposits are emplaced on the NW flank. This eruptive activity and the location of vents appears to have been persistent for more than a decade, based on comparison of ship-based bathymetric surveys in 1996 and 2008–2010, which show positive depth changes up to 96 m on the summit and north flank of the volcano. The widespread distribution of clastic deposits downslope from the rift zones, as well as from the current vents, suggests that pyroclastic activity occurs at least as deep as 2200 m. The similar morphology of additional nearby volcanoes suggests that they too have abundant pyroclastic deposits.
Regulators of G protein signaling exhibit distinct patterns of gene expression and target G protein specificity in human lymphocytes.

The newly recognized regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) attenuate heterotrimeric G protein signaling pathways. We have cloned an IL-2-induced gene from human T cells, cytokine-responsive gene 1, which encodes a member of the RGS family, RGS16. The RGS16 protein binds G iα and G qα proteins present in T cells, and inhibits G i - and G q -mediated signaling pathways. By comparison, the mitogen-induced RGS2 inhibits G q but not G i signaling. Moreover, the two RGS genes exhibit marked differences in expression patterns. The IL-2-induced expression of the RGS16 gene in T cells is suppressed by elevated cAMP, whereas the RGS2 gene shows a reciprocal pattern of regulation by these stimuli. Because the mitogen and cytokine receptors that trigger expression of RGS2 and RGS16 in T cells do not activate heterotrimeric G proteins, these RGS proteins and the G proteins that they regulate may play a heretofore unrecognized role in T cell functional responses to Ag and cytokine activation.
Modeling and Adaptive Control of a Fermentation System

Experiments are performed to obtain kinetic parameters for mathematical modeling of Zymomonas mobilis fermentation for ethanol production. A locally linearized model is used to study the adaptive control of the fermentation process. A multivariable hybrid adaptive control technique is utilized to control the fermentation process.
Flex bending fatigue testing of wires, foils, and ribbons

Medical devices, such as guide wires, valves, needles, and stents are often subjected to cyclic loading conditions in service, while there is also an increasing demand for smaller devices made with materials that are difficult to machine. Fatigue testing of such structures is complicated by their small dimensions, particularly under fully reversed loading conditions. This paper summarizes our recent work on a variety of different materials (e.g. 316LVM, Cu–15Ni–8Sn, Nitinol, amorphous metals) where flex bending fatigue has been utilized to develop fatigue-life curves of as-received materials (e.g. wire, foil, sheet) under fully reversed conditions.
New polymers and polymer derivatives by cationic techniques. Combination of controlled elementary steps

Some key concepts available to the macromolecular engineer have been outlined. In addition to useful ultimate properties the macromolecular engineer has also to consider convenient processing characteristics. The way toward these objectives is by combining of elementary events, by exploiting the mechanistic understanding of controlled ion generation cationation/propagation and termination. Figure 14 outlines and combines some of the elements considered, and shows some representative structures that can be synthesized by utilizing carbocationic macromolecular engineering concepts.
Compression-compression fatigue of 3D woven composites

Polymer composites with 3D woven graphite fiber reinforcement (3D interlock weaves) have been tested in compression-compression fatigue under load control. As under monotonic loading, the principal mechanism of failure is kink band formation in the primary load bearing tows. Observations of kink bands and microcracking in sectioned specimens suggest that fatigue progresses by the accumulation of damage to the resin within individual tows. It is conjectured that resin damage leads to failure by lowering the critical stress for kink band formation on a single cycle. If resin damage is assumed to accumulate at a rate proportional to some power of the local axial shear stress in a misaligned tow, then a simple formula follows for the cycles to kink band formation. Under load control, only a few kink bands are required for specimen failure. Then the formula is also the basis for estimates of fatigue life. Fatigue life data and measured misalignment angles, which determine the local axial shear stress, support the fatigue model.
Virtualization in the age of heterogeneous machines

Since their invention over 40 years ago, virtual machines have been used to virtualize one or more von Neumann processors and their associated peripherals. System virtual machines provide the illusion that the user has their own instance of a physical machine with a given instruction set architecture (ISA). Process virtual machines provide the illusion of running on a synthetic architecture independent of the underlying ISA, generally for the purpose of supporting a high-level language.To continue the historical trend of exponential increase in computational power in the face of limits on clock frequency scaling, we must find ways to harness the inherent parallelism of billions of transistors. I contend that multi-core chips are a fatally flawed approach - instead, maximum performance will be achieved by using heterogeneous chips and systems that combine customized and customizable computational substrates that achieve very high performance by closely matching the computational and communications structures of the application at hand. Such chips might look like a mashup of a conventional multicore, a GPU, an FPGA, some ASICs, and a DSP. But programming them with current technologies would be nightmarishly complex, portability would be lost, and innovation between chip generations would be severely limited.The answer (of course) is virtualization, and at both the device level and the language level. In this talk I will illustrate some challenges and potential solutions in the context of IBM's Liquid Metal project, in which we are designing a new high-level language (Lime) and compiler/runtime technology to virtualize the underlying computational devices by providing a uniform semantic model. I will also discuss problems (and opportunities) that this raises at the operating system and data center levels, particularly with computational elements like FPGAs for which "context switching" is currently either extremely expensive or simply impossible.
THE INFLUENCE OF ANTICIPATING REGRET AND RESPONSIBILITY ON PURCHASE DECISIONS

It is suggested that consumers' choices between alternatives can be systematically influenced by asking them to anticipate the regret and responsibility they would feel if they made the wrong decision. Specifically, on the basis of the notion that choices of conventional or default options are associated with lower regret and responsibility, it is proposed that consumers who anticipate how they would feel if they made the wrong decision would be more likely to purchase a currently available item on sale rather than wait for a better sale and more likely to prefer a higher-priced, well-known brand over a less expensive, lesser-known brand. These propositions were supported in three studies. The findings also suggest that an error caused by selection of a lesser-known, lower-priced brand is associated with greater responsibility but less regret than an error caused by a choice of a well-known, higher-priced brand.
Formation and growth of amorphous phases by solid‐state reaction in elemental composites prepared by cold working

Amorphous alloys of Ni-Zr and Cu-Zr have been synthesized by solid-state reaction of composite metal mixtures produced by mechanical deformation of metal powder mixtures and intercalated foil layers. The materials obtained were investigated by means of x-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. The results are compared with known data for thin films and rapidly quenched alloys.
MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF RBa2Cu3O7−x(R=Y, Eu, Dy) IN THE WELL-ORDERED AND QUENCHED STATES

Magnetic susceptibility between 6 and 300 K and magnetization measurements at 6 and 30 K were conducted on a sequence of RBa2Cu3O7−x(R=Y, Eu, Dy) materials including a set of well-annealed and hence properly oxygenated samples and two sets of quenched specimens (from 700° and 950°C). Corresponding to the three heat treatments, samples demonstrated respectively superconducting transitions at ~95 K, ~50 K and general semiconducting behavior.
Combinatorial evaluation of cations, pH-sensitive and hydrophobic moieties for polymeric vector design.

Three combinatorial libraries of polymeric vectors were evaluated to investigate the functional roles of molecular weight (MW), cations, pH-sensitive moieties, and hydrophobic derivitization in polymer-mediated gene delivery. Four cationic and pH-sensitive moieties (imidazole, primary, secondary, and tertiary amino) and three hydrophobic residues (C4 butyl, C6 hexyl, and C8 octyl) were assessed in single and serially incremented, binary combinations. Three MWs were evaluated—10, 30, and 50 kDa. The highest levels of transfection, comparable to branched PEI (25 kDa), were achieved by 30 kDa and 50 kDa formulations containing primary amino and imidazole groups. Primary amino groups offered superior charge-neutralizing and size-condensing capacity, while imidazole groups appeared to bind with DNA via nonelectrostatically mediated interactions to produce stable polyplexes that were resistant to premature dissociation. Eight of the 10 highest-transfecting polymers possessed IC50 values greater than the maximum concentration of free polymers exposed to cells (200 µg/ml). The results herein have identified highly efficient polymeric formulations with superb toxicity profiles and have revealed the functional roles that the investigated pendant groups play in the transfection process. The reported polymeric system offers a versatile and robust platform upon which future structure–function studies may be based to create safer and more efficient polymeric vectors.
The Role of Biomass in Shifting Cultivation

Shifting cultivation has traditionally been characterized as a highly productive system in terms of the ratio of energy outputs to inputs. This characterization, however, does not take into account the energy contribution of the natural vegetation cleared in preparing the field for cultivation. As a result, the central feature of shifting cultivation, the exploitation of the natural vegetationsoil complex as a substitute for human labor, has been ignored. The omission of the biomass contribution can be attributed to both a focus on the practices involved rather than the underlying strategy of the shifting cultivator, and an excessive preoccupation with the renewability of the energy sources involved in different agricultural systems. A definition of shifting cultivation is proposed that focuses attention on the relationship between the natural vegetationsoil complex and the shifting cultivator. Two methods of including the energy contribution of forest biomass in calculating the productivity of shifting cultivation systems are compared. When the biomass contribution is included, shifting cultivation appears to be an extremely unproductive system of agriculture.
Changes in liver and adipose tissue enzymes and lipogenic activities during the onset of hypothalamic obesity in mice

Abstract Introduction of hyperphagia by injection of aurothioglucose resulted in rapid deposition of tissue lipid. The changes in tissue enzyme levels and in vivo rates of lipogenesis from U-14C glucose were measured at 2, 4, and 8-week intervals post-aurothioglucose injection. Rapid increases of both enzyme activity and in vivo lipogenesis were observed during the onset of obesity. The elevated levels of adipose tissue enzyme activities were restored to normal levels 8 weeks post-injection. However, some lipogenic enzymes in liver tissue remained elevated throughout the experimental period. Liver tissue enzymes normally associated with glucogenesis were slightly elevated during the onset of obesity.
Do "flashbacks" represent obsessional imagery?

Abstract We describe three patients, all meeting DSM-III-R criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), whose vivid, intrusive obsessional images had been diagnosed by previous treatment personnel as “flash-backs” of repressed childhood trauma. All three patients had been urged to engage in psychotherapy to “uncover” their putative repressed memories. However, serotonin reuptake antagonists produced prompt remission of the images and the associated obsessional and compulsive symptoms in all cases. It may be that in some patients, so-called flashbacks instead represent the very common obsessional images of OCD.
Head start participation and school readiness: evidence from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort.

Established in 1965 as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, Head Start (hereafter, HS) provides education, health, nutrition, and other social services to low-income preschool-age children and their parents. A primary goal of HS is to promote school readiness and recently, the educational aspects of HS’s mission have been emphasized through, for example, Congressional mandates to raise the quality of HS teachers (Gormley, Phillips, Adelstein, & Shaw, 2010). A perennial challenge in HS research is the fact that children served by HS are not a random sample of the population. Several recent observational studies that apply rigorous methods have documented both short- and long-term benefits of HS. In 1998, Congress authorized a random assignment experiment, the Head Start Impact Study (HSIS). This study showed that HS yielded short-term benefits, which, however, diminish by the end of first grade (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2005, 2010). However, most HS research, including the HSIS, has overlooked another important challenge that could also contribute to divergent findings across studies. Most previous studies have not clearly defined the reference group, although children who do not attend HS may have different types of care arrangements (Lee, Brooks-Gunn, & Schnur, 1988; USDHHS, 2005, 2010; Zhai, Brooks-Gunn, & Waldfogel, 2011). If, as theory would suggest, the effects of HS vary depending on the arrangements to which it is compared, then not taking this into account could obscure those effects and could help explain why studies from different periods or areas produce inconsistent results. The only recent study to directly address this issue showed that the effects of HS did vary by the comparison group (Zhai et al., 2011). This study advances the literature on the effects of HS on children’s school readiness at kindergarten entry in four ways, using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B). First, we clearly define the reference group, comparing HS participants with non-participants who received state-funded prekindergarten (hereafter, pre-K), other center-based care, other non-parental care, or parental care. Second, we examine several aspects of school readiness, including academic skills as well as social and emotional wellbeing. Third, we employ multiple imputation and propensity score matching to address the issues of missing data and selection bias. Finally, we examine whether the associations between HS and children’s school readiness differ by child, parent, and program factors (i.e., children’s initial cognitive ability, parental education, and the number of hours in HS) to see if benefits are more salient among certain groups of children.
Infant mortality decline in Chile: A replication

This replication of a previous analysis of the effect of sociological variables on infant mortality rates in Chile refines the earlier work by using the more numerous communes for comparisons, by presenting the basic data in the form of a path analysis, and by expanding the theory to include “health practices,” customs, such as avoiding teenage pregnancies, that are community-backed and maintained. This type of practice is then integrated into the “institutionalized problem-solving capacity” framework that guides the analysis. Urabnization and voting, the two indicators of institutionalized problem-solving capacity, predict reduced infant morality, as before. Teen pregnancies is a positive predictor, as expected, but the number of children already born does not predict. These results are net of two indicators of health technology-whether or not a physician was in attendance, and the number of clinics. Mother's education also predicted low infant morality, and the theory is applied to this well-known predictor to interpret its effect. In addition, the anomalous role of mother's education in the dominant biomedical explanation is highlighted.
An integrated system for bridge management using probabilistic and mechanistic deterioration models: Application to bridge decks

This paper presents a system for the maintenance management of aging highway bridges that integrates two different approaches for deterioration modeling. Probabilistic state-based/time-based models are used to predict the macro-response of bridge components for network level analysis, while reliability-based mechanistic models are used to predict the micro-response of bridge components for project level analysis. Probabilistic state-based/time-based models are developed using qualitative performance indicators (condition ratings) that are determined through visual inspections to identify the overall condition of damaged components in a bridge network. Reliability-based mechanistic models are developed using quantitative performance indicators (physical parameters) that are determined through detailed condition surveys, analytical assessments, and empirical investigations to identify the extent and severity of specific deterioration mechanisms for safety critical structures and/or highly damaged components. The condition rating data obtained from the Ministere des Transports du Quebec database and the condition assessment of the Dickson Bridge in Montreal, Canada were used to demonstrate the two approaches for predicting the deterioration of concrete bridge decks at the two levels of management of the integrated system.
The impact of finance regulations on political parties: The case of Bulgaria

Abstract This article suggests that a successful explanation of the development of Bulgaria's post-1989 party system must include the rules governing funding of political organisations. By examining the composition of party incomes and spending practices, I evaluate patterns and trends in fund raising using official party self-reported accounts and other data for 2001 – 05. I conclude that the specific public funding regime led to the emergence of three tiers of parties. The case of Bulgaria suggests that in the absence of strict regulations for reporting and enforcement mechanisms, the image of parties as representatives of the public interest was seriously damaged.
Blood loss from coronary angiography increases transfusion requirements for coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Abstract Objective: To determine the blood loss associated with coronary angiography and its impact on hemoglobin and transfusion requirements for subsequent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: Tertiary-care, academic medical center. Participants: A total of 506 adult patients undergoing coronary angiography and CABG surgery. Interventions: None (observational study). Measurements and Main Results: Coronary angiography was associated with a reduction in hemoglobin of 1.8 g/dL. This reduction in hemoglobin was a significant predictor of allogeneic red blood cell transfusion. Conclusion: Coronary angiography contributes to a 1.8 g/dL reduction in hemoglobin concentration before CABG surgery and was associated with increased transfusion of allogeneic blood products. Measures aimed at maintaining red cell volume during coronary angiography, increasing erythropoiesis, or delaying surgery beyond 2 weeks may result in a decrease in transfusion requirements for patients undergoing CABG surgery.
The microdetermination of reducing sugars in blood by means ofp-Anisyl tetrazolium blue

Glucose reacts mole per mole with a solution of 1 mg/ml ofp-Anisyl tetrazolium blue at pH 12.5 and boiling for 45 to 60 seconds to give the insoluble blue diformazan. A minimum of 1μg and a maximum of 200μg of glucose may be estimated with a relative standard deviation of±0.03. These values are equivalent to a reducing sugar concentration from 4 to 800 mg per 100 ml of blood if the procedure is followed as outlined. One microgram of glucose changes the absorbance by 0.018; the corresponding figures for the method ofNelson andSomogyi and the procedure ofSaifer, Valenstein andHughes21 are 0.006 and 0.009, respectively.
Retrieving Known Items with LibX

ABSTRACT LibX (http://www.libx.org/) is an open source Firefox extension that provides direct access to library resources in multiple ways: through a toolbar, a context menu, and via cues that LibX places into web sites a user visits. A LibX edition integrates support for the resources to which a particular user community has access, including the library OPAC, databases, and their OpenURL link resolver. As one of its features, LibX supports the fast (one-click) retrieval of known items, such as research articles. This frequent task is automated by exploiting Google's Scholar service as a hidden backend that is used for searches. In this paper, we evaluate the effectiveness of LibX in retrieving known items that were listed as references in a sample of articles in four widely read journals. We conclude that LibX's matching algorithm can lead the user to an accessible copy of an item on average in 81% of cases with a negligible number of irrelevant items retrieved. As a result, LibX can dramatically reduce...
Clusters and reference points in cognitive representations of the environment

Abstract The study examined the roles of hierarchical clusters and reference points in individuals' mental representations of their environment. Cluster analyses were performed on the subjects' self-produced building lists to determine how they subdivided the university campus and a series of rating scales was used to determine which of their buildings acted as reference points. In keeping with the assumption that cluster inclusion is used as a source of information in making distance judgements, subjects gave larger distance estimates for cross-cluster than for within-cluster building pairs. The prediction that subjects would make larger estimates when judging the distance to a reference point vs from a reference point was not substantiated by the data, however, two other results supported the role of reference points in drawing together categories: due to their strong ties with numerous locations, reference points entered subjects' hierarchies relatively late; and subjects made more accurate building placements when given reference anchors. Sex differences in accuracy on the various spatial judgements led to the suggestion that females were more dependent upon clustering and reference points than were males.
Algorithms for finite and semi-infinite min-max-min problems using adaptive smoothing techniques

We develop two implementable algorithms, the first for the solution of finite and the second for the solution of semi-infinite min-max-min problems. A smoothing technique (together with discretization for the semi-infinite case) is used to construct a sequence of approximating finite min-max problems, which are solved with increasing precision. The smoothing and discretization approximations are initially coarse, but are made progressively finer as the number of iterations is increased. This reduces the potential ill-conditioning due to high smoothing precision parameter values and computational cost due to high levels of discretization. The behavior of the algorithms is illustrated with three semi-infinite numerical examples.
The “SKADE LITorSET” expert system for corporate “Litigate or settle” decisions

The 'SKADE LITotSET' system is a blackboard-based expert system that makes 'litigate or settle' decisions in the product liability area. It has three knowledge sources: Legal, Manager and Insurance Adjuster. The combined expertise from each of these is required to solve the 'litigate or settle' problem. The control component co-ordinates the interaction between the various knowledge sources on the blackboard. Based on the latest changes to the data on the blackboard, it selects and executes the next knowledge source. The model reproduces the decision makers' opportunistic reasoning processes by the interaction between the various knowledge sources through the blackboard. The results of analyses of a hypothetical case through a series of experiments with the 'SKADE LITorSET' system indicate that the blackboard is an appropriate model for development of expert systems in the 'litigate or settle' decision domain. The initial success with the blackboard approach suggests that further work needs to be done to see whether more complex models can be built to incorporate a broader range of determinants of settlement decisions.
On the substance and uses of culture's elements

Culture has two universally accepted defining characteristics: being learned and being shared. Being learned, it is in the mind, and being shared, it is in more than one mind so that no one can observe culture's units directly, including insiders. Conventionally, culture's units are exhaustively categorized as either characterizing reality or evaluating it. A second exhaustive, so cross-cutting, division is proposed separating specific and narrowly applicable units from those that are general and broadly applicable. Several hypotheses follow from the foregoing. One is that culture's behavioral guidance comes not from single units but from hybrids of units characterizing reality and others evaluating what is characterized. These hybrids, procedurals, are what make culture the basis for human adaptation. A specialized procedural of wide and profound importance, status, is culture's action arm because it distributes culture's units differentially across situations and provides participants with behavioral guidance tailored for the situation at hand according to their statuses. In addition to providing cultural distribution, status plays a key role in cultural organization, the extremely influential relation among culture's units.
Moore on Post-Keynesian Macroeconomics: A Review

Shaking the Invisible Hand (Moore 2006) is the newest textbook-like introduction to post-Keynesian economics. It follows in the tradition of Arestis (1992), Chick (1983), Davidson (1994), Kregel (1973), Lavoie (1992), Palley (1996), and Reynolds (1987) seeking to present post-Keynesian ideas clearly, in a way that can help educate graduate students and advanced undergraduate students. It is also geared to post-Keynesian scholars, who can learn a good deal from a serious reading of this book. Moore's addition to the literature on post-Keynesian macroeconomics is superior to the alternatives for several reasons. First, it is more up-to-date than the works published in the 1980s and 1990s. Second, instead of relying on Keynes's rather confusing Z function, or on complex four-sector diagrams with complicated analytics, it starts with standard macroeconomic models; then it points out their flaws and shows how they must be modified to make sense as well as to depict accurately the real world. Third, Moore's book has the virtue of starting with a reasonable discussion of methodology in the sciences and in economics. Finally, the book provides a detailed and compelling answer to the lament of John King (2002: ch. 12) and others (e.g., Walters & Young 1997) that there does not seem to be a consistent postKeynesian paradigm. Shaking the Invisible Hand sets forth this paradigm in terms of method, theory, and policy.
Coexisting pseudogap, charge-transfer-gap, and Mott-gap energy scales in the resonant inelastic x-ray scattering spectra of electron-doped cuprate superconductors

We present a computation of Cu $K$-edge resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) spectra for electron-doped cuprates, which includes coupling to bosonic fluctuations. Comparison with experiment over a wide range of energy and momentum transfers allows us to identify the signatures of three key normal-state energy scales: the pseudogap, charge-transfer gap, and Mott gap. The calculations involve a three-band Hubbard Hamiltonian based on Cu ${d}_{{x}^{2}\ensuremath{-}{y}^{2}}$ and O ${p}_{x}$, ${p}_{y}$ orbitals, with a self-energy correction which arises due to spin and charge fluctuations. Our theory reproduces characteristic features, e.g., gap collapse, large spectral weight broadening, and spectral weight transfer as a function of doping, as seen in experiments.
Intelligent Infrastructure for Energy Efficiency

Buildings use 40% of the primary energy supplied in the United States, and more than 70% of all generated electricity ( 1 ), primarily for heating, cooling, and lighting. About 20% of the energy used by buildings can potentially be saved by correcting faults, including malfunctions and unnecessary operation ( 2 ). Initial deployments of advanced control systems currently in development suggest that they can save an additional 10 to 20% ( 3 ). The energy efficiency resource recoverable through such improved building controls and fault detection corresponds to the output from hundreds of power plants, equivalent to more than one-third of the coal-fired power production in the United States ( 1 ). Realizing these substantial savings will require introducing intelligence into the infrastructure of buildings, to distribute the optimization of their operation and detection of their faults.
Ceftriaxone and cefazolin attenuate the cue-primed reinstatement of alcohol-seeking.

Alcohol consumption and the reinstatement of alcohol-seeking rely on glutamate and GABA transmission. Modulating these neurotransmitters may be a viable treatment strategy to prevent alcohol relapse. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and the antibiotic ceftriaxone (CEF) alter the glial reuptake and release of glutamate while the antibiotic cefazolin (CEFAZ) modulates GABA signaling without affecting glutamate. Here we used the extinction-reinstatement model of relapse to test the ability of these compounds to attenuate the reinstatement of alcohol-seeking. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to self-administer 20% (v/v) alcohol in the home cage using an intermittent schedule (24 hr on, 24 hr off) for 12 sessions. Subsequently, animals self-administered alcohol during daily 45-min operant sessions for 26 sessions, followed by extinction training. We tested whether chronic administration of NAC, CEF or CEFAZ attenuated the cue-primed reinstatement of alcohol-seeking. CEF and CEFAZ attenuated cue-primed reinstatement of alcohol-seeking while NAC had no effect. We subsequently investigated whether CEF and CEFAZ alter the self-administration of sucrose and chow pellets and if CEFAZ attenuates the reinstatement of cocaine-seeking. The operant self-administration of regular chow and sucrose was not altered by either CEF or CEFAZ. CEFAZ had no effect on cocaine reinstatement, a behavior that has been strongly tied to altered glutamate homeostasis in the nucleus accumbens. Thus the ability of CEFAZ to attenuate alcohol reinstatement likely does not involve the glial modulation of glutamate levels. The dampening of GABA transmission may be a common mechanism of action of cefazolin and ceftriaxone.