cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Social skills intervention with learning disabled children: Selecting skills and implementing training

Abstract In view of the social difficulties faced by many learning disabled children, the present paper extends current knowledge and expertise in the area of social‐skills intervention to learning disabled children. First, nine areas of social behavior which relate to a child's acceptance from peers are reviewed and detailed, and considerations regarding how to select appropriate target skills and treatment goals for LD children are discussed. Next, methods for training the skills, and clinical applications of social skills training with LD children are presented. Treatment considerations which have emerged from clinical work on social intervention with LD children and directions for the future are also discussed.
Paleohydrology of arid southeastern maui, hawaiian islands, and its implications for prehistoric human settlement

Abstract Arid slopes on the southeastern side of Maui are densely covered with archaeological remains of Hawaiian settlement from the late prehistoric to early postcontact period (ca. A.D. 1500–1860). Permanent habitation sites, agricultural features, and religious structures indicate perennial occupation and farming in a subregion called Kahikinui, yet there is presently no year-round water source. We explore the possibility that postcontact deforestation led to the loss of either (1) perennial channel flow or (2) perennial springs or seeps. To investigate the first possibility, we estimated ancient peak flows on 11 ephemeral channels in Kahikinui using field measurements and paleohydrology. Peak-flow estimates (3–230 m3/s) for a given drainage area are smaller than those for current perennial Maui streams, but are equivalent to gauged peak flows from ephemeral and intermittent streams in the driest regions of Hawai’i and Maui islands. This is consistent with the long-term absence of perennial channel flow in Kahikinui. On the other hand, others have shown that canopy fog-drip in Hawai’i can be greater than rainfall and thus a large part of groundwater recharge. Using isolated live remnants and snags, we estimate the former extent of the forest upstream from archaeological sites. We use rough estimates of the loss of fog-drip recharge caused by deforestation and apply a simple, steady-state hydrologic model to calculate potential groundwater table fall. These order-of-magnitude estimates indicate that groundwater could have fallen by a minimum of several meters, abandoning perennial seeps. This is consistent with archaeological evidence for former perennial seeps, such as stonewalls enclosing potential seeps to protect them. Although longer-term reductions in rainfall cannot be ruled out as a factor, deforestation and loss of fog-drip recharge are obvious and more immediate reasons for a recent loss of perennial water in Kahikinui, Maui.
Genetic heterogeneity and variation in viral load during equid herpesvirus-2 infection of foals

Equine herpesvirus-2 (EHV-2) infection has been implicated as a cause of a variety of clinical disorders in young horses, including upper respiratory tract disease, generalized malaise, fever, pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia, and lymphadenopathy. Considerable sequence heterogeneity has been demonstrated previously among EHV-2 strains, and individual horses can be concurrently infected with more than one virus strain. In this study, the temporal variation of the viral load and genomic diversity of the glycoprotein B (gB) gene of EHV-2 in the nasal secretions of a cohort of foals was characterized during the first 5 months of life. The viral load in nasal secretions of foals peaked when the foals were approximately 3 months old, and there was notable genetic heterogeneity of the gB gene, both among foals and within individuals. Furthermore, there was evidence of positive selection of EHV-2 variants with unique amino acid sequences at specific sites of gB.
A Holocaust Survivorship Model: Survivors' Reflections

This article uses quotations from interviews with survivors of the Nazi Holocaust to illustrate the components of the Holocaust Survivorship Model. How better to understand the Holocaust than through the words of the survivors? Their voices speak for those whose voices were stilled forever and help create a history for those who perished.
Exercise and dialysis

Fortunately, the literature on exercise among patients on hemodialysis has grown too broad to be included in a single review. The focus of this review is on interventional studies, with an emphasis on those studies that included a control group. The good news is that there is ample evidence that exercise can improve fitness (VO(2) peak), physical functioning, and some cardiovascular risk factors in the dialysis population. However, there have been few comparative studies, and there is no consensus regarding the most beneficial regimen or the one most acceptable to large numbers of patients. A new set of recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association for older individuals and individuals with chronic diseases is relevant for our patient population and can be used to guide exercise prescription until disease-specific data are available to fill the gap.
Interaction between a drifting spiral and defects

Spiral waves, a type of ``reentrant excitation,'' are believed to be associated with the most dangerous cardiac arrhythmias, including ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation. Recent experimental findings have implicated defective regions as a means of trapping spirals which would otherwise drift and (eventually) disappear. Here, we model the myocardium as a simple excitable medium and study via simulation the interaction between a drifting spiral and one or more such defects. We interpret our results in terms of a criterion for the transition between trapped and untrapped drifting spirals.
Arrested rotation of the outflow tract may explain tetralogy of Fallot and transposition of the great arteries.

In a previous study we investigated the rapidly changing spatial relationship of the junction of the outflow tract and great arteries in normal human embryos of Carnegie stages 15 through 19. The results suggested that the malformation complexes tetralogy of Fallot and transposition of the great arteries could be accounted for as arrests in the progression of this process of rotation. To further study this question we reviewed hearts obtained at autopsy: 28 were normal, 16 had tetralogy of Fallot, and 27 had transposition of the great arteries. The angle of the aortic to pulmonary valve axis relative to the inferior surface of the heart, as viewed from apex to base, was measured from postmortem radiographs. For normal hearts the angle was 72d` + 3 SE, 48d` + 5 for tetralogy of Fallot, and 333d` + 3 for transposition of the great arteries. Although direct comparison of hearts and embryos is difficult because of the different methods of determining angles, the valve positions in normal hearts were most simi...
Marine Bacterial Chemoresponse to a Stepwise Chemoattractant Stimulus

We found recently that polar flagellated marine bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus is capable of exhibiting taxis toward a chemical source in both forward and backward swimming directions. How the microorganism coordinates these two swimming intervals, however, is not known. The work presented herein is aimed at determining the response functions of the bacterium by applying a stepwise chemoattractant stimulus while it is swimming forward or backward. The important finding of our experiment is that the bacterium responds to an identical chemical signal similarly during the two swimming intervals. For weak stimuli, the difference is mainly in the amplitudes of the response functions while the reaction and adaptation times remain unchanged. In this linear-response regime, the amplitude in the forward swimming interval is approximately a factor of two greater than in the backward direction. Our observation suggests that the cell processes chemical signals identically in both swimming intervals, but the responses of the flagellar motor to the output of the chemotaxis network, the regulator CheY-P concentration, are different. The biological significance of this asymmetrical response in polar flagellated marine bacteria is discussed.
Two closely related nickel complexes have different effects on DNA damage and cell viability.

Abstract Nickel is considered a weak carcinogen. It is known to interact with DNA and DNA-binding proteins. The ability of certain nickel compounds to cleave DNA has been exploited mainly for research purposes and less for developing new anticancer drugs. Here we compare the interactions of two closely related nickel complexes, [NiCR]2+ and [Ni(CR-2H)]2+, with DNA. CR stands for 2,12-dimethyl-3,7,11,17-tetraazabicyclo-[11.3.1]-heptadeca-1(17),2,11,13,15-pentaene. [NiCR]2+ has been used in the past as a structure-specific probe for RNA and DNA oligonucleotides in the presence of oxidizing agent but little is known about the biological effects of either complex. Our results show that [Ni(CR-2H)]2+ can damage DNA in vivo and in vitro in the absence of an added oxidizing agent and has an IC50 of 70 μM in human breast cancer cells whereas [NiCR]2+ and NiCl2 do not exhibit significant cytotoxicity. However, both [NiCR]2+ and [Ni(CR-2H)]2+ bind to the minor groove of double-stranded DNA.
AAV-expressed eCD4-Ig provides durable protection from multiple SHIV challenges

The new entry inhibitor eCD4-Ig, consisting of the immunoadhesin form of CD4 (CD4-Ig) fused to a small CCR5-mimetic sulfopeptide, avidly binds two highly conserved sites of the HIV-1 Env protein; the inhibitor has high potency and breadth and can neutralize 100% of a diverse panel of neutralization-resistant HIV-1 viruses, and when delivered to macaques using an adeno-associated virus vector, it can provide effective long-term protection from multiple challenges with simian/human immunodeficiency virus. This study describes a novel class of highly potent HIV-1 entry inhibitors that can be delivered with a gene-therapy vector to provide an effective alternative to conventional vaccines for HIV-1. To enter cells, HIV-1 first binds its cellular receptor CD4, then the co-receptor CCR5 or CXCR4 The new entry inhibitor consists of the immunoadhesin CD4-Ig fused to a sulfopeptide mimicking CCR5. This fusion, called eCD4-Ig, avidly binds the Env protein of HIV-1 and irreversibly inactivates it. Michael Farzan and colleagues show that this inhibitor has exceptional potency and breadth and can neutralize 100% of a diverse panel of neutralization-resistant HIV-1. When delivered to macaques using an adeno-associated virus, it can protect them from multiple challenges with virus. Long-term in vivo expression of a broad and potent entry inhibitor could circumvent the need for a conventional vaccine for HIV-1. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors can stably express HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs)1,2. However, even the best bNAbs neutralize 10–50% of HIV-1 isolates inefficiently (80% inhibitory concentration (IC80) > 5 μg ml−1), suggesting that high concentrations of these antibodies would be necessary to achieve general protection3,4,5,6. Here we show that eCD4-Ig, a fusion of CD4-Ig with a small CCR5-mimetic sulfopeptide, binds avidly and cooperatively to the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) and is more potent than the best bNAbs (geometric mean half-maximum inhibitory concentration (IC50) < 0.05 μg ml−1). Because eCD4-Ig binds only conserved regions of Env, it is also much broader than any bNAb. For example, eCD4-Ig efficiently neutralized 100% of a diverse panel of neutralization-resistant HIV-1, HIV-2 and simian immunodeficiency virus isolates, including a comprehensive set of isolates resistant to the CD4-binding site bNAbs VRC01, NIH45-46 and 3BNC117. Rhesus macaques inoculated with an AAV vector stably expressed 17–77 μg ml−1 of fully functional rhesus eCD4-Ig for more than 40 weeks, and these macaques were protected from several infectious challenges with SHIV-AD8. Rhesus eCD4-Ig was also markedly less immunogenic than rhesus forms of four well-characterized bNAbs. Our data suggest that AAV-delivered eCD4-Ig can function like an effective HIV-1 vaccine.
The mechanism of the contamination of porcelain insulators

An analysis of the nature of the air-borne particles which constitute the main source of contamination on outdoor porcelain insulators, and of the forces acting upon them in the electrostatic field around an insulator, suggests that these forces are inadequate to account completely for the observed distribution and the quantity of the deposits on insulator surfaces. Direct measurements of the field strengths close to the insulator confirm that the voltage gradients do not reach very high values under normal conditions, and that the electrical forces are proportionately weak. Investigations of the air flow over the insulators, and comparisons of the formations of air eddies observed in the flow over the geometrical forms associated with the complex shapes of insulators, show that the aerodynamic conditions have a considerable bearing upon the patterns formed by the deposits on the insulators. Wind-tunnel experiments provide results which illustrate the influence of the Reynolds' number, the applied voltage, the surface roughness, the wind velocity and the humidity, upon the distribution and amount of deposited matter. Moisture films constitute a special case of temporary contamination with sparking following the receding edges of the drying films. Finally, a method is suggested of estimating the flashover values of insulators from a consideration of the distribution of surface resistance as modified by the presence of deposited matter.
Endorsing a negative in-group stereotype as a self-protective strategy: Sacrificing the group to save the self☆

This work examined if stigmatized targets will embrace negative in-group stereotypes in order to protect their self-esteem from the threat of stereotypic failures. All studies focused on the stereotype that women have lower math ability than men. In Study 1, women who failed a math test showed buffered self-esteem if they were first given the opportunity to endorse this stereotype. Study 2 replicated this effect and showed that women, but not men, increased their endorsement of this stereotype following math failure. Study 3 showed that the tendency to embrace this stereotype in response to failure was most pronounced among women with high trait self-esteem. Together, these findings suggest that there are contexts in which stigmatized individuals can protect their self-esteem in the face of stereotypic failures by embracing the very stereotypes that would have predicted their failure.
Teacher-implemented joint attention intervention: pilot randomized controlled study for preschoolers with autism.

Objective The vast majority of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) attend public preschools at some point in their childhood. Community preschool practices often are not evidence based, and almost none target the prelinguistic core deficits of ASD. This study investigated the effectiveness of public preschool teachers implementing a validated intervention (the Joint Attention and Symbolic Play/Engagement and Regulation intervention; JASP/ER) on a core deficit of autism, initiating joint attention. Method Sixteen dyads (preschoolers with ASD and the public school teachers who worked in the child's classroom) were randomly assigned to the 6-week JASP/ER intervention or a control group. Results At the end of the intervention, JASP/ER teachers used more JASP/ER strategies than the control teachers, and JASP/ER preschoolers used more joint attention in their classroom than control children. Additionally, JASP/ER children spent more time in supported engagement and less time in object engagement than control preschoolers on a taped play interaction. Conclusions Findings suggest that teachers were able to improve a core deficit of children with ASD in a public preschool context.
Nutrition and health education for limited income, high-risk groups: Implications for nutrition educators

Nutrition educators have made much progress in educating families about food and its relationship to health, but many families who hear these health messages are not able to make the necessary changes to incorporate them into their lifestyles. For families with limited incomes or social patterns that predispose them to high-risk health behaviors, the struggle to cope with life's everyday problems takes precedence over health promotion and disease prevention. These families are often at high risk for health problems arising from the abuse of alcohol and tobacco, a lack of exercise, and a poor diet. Youths raised in such families are at particular risk for engaging in a number of negative health behaviors that are linked to chronic disease in adulthood. As the health care gap between the poor and the wealthy continues to widen, nutrition educators are faced with the challenge of meeting the needs of such high-risk families. Risk factors are individual or environmental hazards that increase one's vulnerability to negative developmental outcomes. 1 They do not guarantee negative outcomes but, rather; increase the odds that problem behaviors will occur. Poverty is one of many risk factors that place families at risk for engaging in poor health and nutrition behaviors2; it is associated with an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes.36 The Report of the Task Force on Minority Health released in 1985 and 1986 emphasized the need for special attention to be paid to chronic health problems among minorities, whose average annual income is lower than that of white Americans. 7 In an article about blacks in the Mississippi Delta, Clancy recognized poverty as the most overwhelming cause of poor health among minorities.s Further, researchers in a Harlem study found that one third of the deaths that occurred among poor, black Americans would not have occurred if poor, black Americans had the same health status as white Americans with comparable incomes.
Regulation of skin microvasculature angiogenesis, cell migration, and permeability by a specific inhibitor of PKCα

Activation of protein kinase C (PKC) induces phenotypic changes in the morphology of microvascular endothelial cells that affect major functions of the microvasculature. These functions include the first stages of sprouting in angiogenesis, cell migration following wounding, and vascular permeability. The specific isoform(s) of PKC responsible for each of these changes has not been previously identified. In this study, we used two inflammatory agents, IL-1 β and phorbol myristic acetate, to activate PKC isozymes and specific inhibitors of PKC α (Go6976) and PKC β (hispidin) to distinguish how each of these isoform(s) controls angiogenesis, wound healing, and permeability. In all cases, only inhibition of PKC α inhibited each of these functions when compared to the inhibition of PKC β . Additional analysis of the mechanism of action of Go6976 (RT-PCR, Western blots, and immunohistochemistry) of the changes in the phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated forms of PKC α in the cell membrane and cytoplasm confirmed the specificity of PKC α inhibition by Go6976. These studies therefore indicate a specific and a regulatory role of the PKC α isoform in three major endothelial cell functions that are important in the maintenance of microvascular homeostasis.
Aortic valve replacement after a Bentall procedure

Porcine valve failure after a Bentall procedure presents a particularly challenging situation for cardiothoracic surgeons. We describe a patient who was initially turned down for operative intervention because of the excessive operative risk involved, but who subsequently underwent successful valve replacement without removal of the aortic conduit.
A CAPD patient group on sexuality--a critical view.

This article describes the experience with a social work group on sexuality and analyzes the results critically.Patient groups have been widely described in the social work literature. For ESRD patients the group approach has been found to be particularly useful and the patient's ability to help each other with the many problems in dealing with psychological, social and economic life changes has been valued. The issue of sexuality in ESRD patients has also been frequently discussed although no references have been made to groups on sexuality.
Vulnerability and the receipt of recommended preventive services: the influence of multiple risk factors.

Context: Previous studies have confirmed the independent associations of race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and potential access with the receipt of preventive care. More pragmatic models of vulnerability are needed to examine the concomitant influence of multiple risk factors. Objective: To operationalize vulnerability as risk profiles of predisposing (race/ethnicity and education) and enabling (eg, income, health insurance, and having a regular source of care) factors, and their association with the receipt of preventive care. Study Design: Cross-sectional data on 14,983 adults from the Household Component of the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Main Outcome Measures: Receipt of recommended preventive care: blood pressure and cholesterol screening, flu shot, Papanicolaou test, mammogram, and dental visit. Results: Controlling for other factors, analyses of risk profiles revealed a clear dose‐response relationship with the receipt of preventive care regardless of race/ethnicity. In the total sample, having more risk factors was associated with a lower prevalence of, for example, receiving a cholesterol screening: 1 risk (PR 0.77; CI, 0.71‐0.84), 2 risks (PR 0.56; CI, 0.49‐0.64), and 3 risks (PR 0.34; CI, 0.25‐0.43). Conclusion: Sizeable disparities in the receipt of recommended preventive services were found in relation to increasing vulnerability risk profiles. Without attention to such co-occurring risks, it is unlikely that substantial gains will be made in reducing disparities in the incidence of and mortality from the most common preventable diseases in the United States.
User-defined application-specific monitors for dynamic systems

Language extensions have been defined to support the definition of a model and monitor of a system having a dynamic data environment. Access to the data in a structured manner is provided. An example is given and the software implementation of the interactive definition environment is discussed. >
UCB System Description for the WMT 2007 Shared Task

For the WMT 2007 shared task, the UC Berkeley team employed three techniques of interest. First, we used monolingual syntactic paraphrases to provide syntactic variety to the source training set sentences. Second, we trained two language models: a small in-domain model and a large out-of-domain model. Finally, we made use of results from prior research that shows that cognate pairs can improve word alignments. We contributed runs translating English to Spanish, French, and German using various combinations of these techniques.
Bradykinin degradation and relation to myocyte contractility.

Background: Past studies have demonstrated that exogenous bradykinin (BK) causes vasodilation and increases coronary blood flow, effects that may be beneficial in the setting of cardiac disease sta...
Employee Blogs: Protected Speech Or Grounds For Discharge?

Posting and reading blogs is one of the fastest growing uses of the Web. Blogging gives an ordinary person the ability to have a conversation with a wide audience. Dozens of employee-bloggers have been “dooced” (terminated) for exercising what they consider to be their First Amendment right to free speech. An important legal issue with significant implications for both employers and employees is to what extent are employee blogs a form of protected speech. The First Amendment, employment at will, and laws protecting employee speech are discussed. Suggestions are made for procedures employees should follow to safely blog.
Physical and chemical characteristics of bottom soil profiles in ponds at Auburn, Alabama, USA and a proposed system for describing pond soil horizons

Soil cores were taken from each of three, 2-, 23-, and 52-yr-old research ponds (650–1,010 m2 area) at Auburn, Alabama. Many physical and chemical variables changed in intensity with increasing depth in cores. Compared to original compacted pond soil, sediment contained more moisture; had lower bulk density (<1.4 g/cm3); possessed higher percentages of silt and clay; had greater porosity, specific surface area, and cation exchange capacity; and contained greater concentrations of organic matter and nutrients. Sediment organic matter was highly decomposed as evidenced by low proportions (5–15%) of carbon and nitrogen associated with the light fraction (soil retained on a 53-μm sieve). Sediment depth at 100-cm water depth increased with pond age (11.7 cm, 28.3 cm, and 48.3 cm in 2-, 23-, and 52-yr-old ponds, respectively), but sediment composition did not change greatly over time. Successive layers in cores were as follows: 1) water near the soil-water interface with a high concentration of solids; 2) high moisture content sediment with dry bulk density <0.3 g/cm3; 3) lower moisture content sediment with bulk density between 0.3 and 0.5–0.7 g/cm3; 4) rapid transition of bulk density from 0.5–0.7 g/cm3 to 1.4 g/cm3; 5) original compacted soil with bulk density of 1.4–1.7 g/cm3. We propose that these five layers be referred to as F (flocculent layer), S (stirred or mixed sediment), M (mature, bulk, un-mixed sediment), T (transitional layer), and P (original, undisturbed pond bottom) horizons, respectively. Superficial, oxidized sediment is termed an So horizon, and the reduced part of the S horizon is termed an Sr horizon. The upper part of the T horizon is an MT horizon when it is similar to the M horizon, or a FT horizon when it resembles the P horizon. A system for delineating horizons in pond soil profiles will be valuable in future attempts to classify pond soils.
Digital Literacy and Privacy Behavior Online

This study examined the impact of three dimensions of digital literacy on privacy-related online behaviors: (a) familiarity with technical aspects of the Internet, (b) awareness of common institutional practices, and (c) understanding of current privacy policy. Hierarchical regression models analyzed data from a national sample of 419 adult Internet users. The analyses showed strong predictive powers of user knowledge, as indicated by the three discrete dimensions, on privacy control behavior. However, the findings were mixed when accounting for the interaction between knowledge and Internet experiences. There were limitations on the extents of knowledge and action related to personalized information. Furthermore, those limitations divided with sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender, income, and education. Ramifications for the current status of the FTC policy are discussed.
ChvD, a Chromosomally Encoded ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter-Homologous Protein Involved in Regulation of Virulence Gene Expression in Agrobacterium tumefaciens

A yeast two-hybrid screen searching for chromosomally encoded proteins that interact with the Agrobacterium tumefaciens VirB8 protein was carried out. This screen identified an interaction candidate homologous to the partial sequence of a gene that had previously been identified in a transposon screen as a potential regulator of virG expression, chvD. In this report, the cloning of the entire chvD gene is described and the gene is sequenced and characterized. Insertion of a promoterless lacZ gene into the chvD locus greatly attenuated virulence and vir gene expression. Compared to that of the wild-type strain, growth of the chvD mutant was reduced in rich, but not minimal, medium. Expression of chvD, as monitored by expression of b-galactosidase activity from the chvD-lacZ fusion, occurred in both rich and minimal media as well as under conditions that induce virulence gene expression. The ChvD protein is highly homologous to a family of ATP-binding cassette transporters involved in antibiotic export from bacteria and has two complete Walker box motifs. Molecular genetic analysis demonstrated that disruption of either Walker A box, singly, does not inactivate this protein’s effect on virulence but that mutations in both Walker A boxes renders it incapable of complementing a chvD mutant strain. Constitutive expression of virG in the chvD mutant strain restored virulence, supporting the hypothesis that ChvD controls virulence through effects on virG expression.
Active-Space N -Representability Constraints for Variational Two-Particle Reduced Density Matrix Calculations

The ground-state energy of a system of fermions can be calculated by minimizing a linear functional of the two-particle reduced density matrix (2-RDM) if an accurate set of N-representability conditions is applied. In this Letter we introduce a class of linear N-representability conditions based on exact calculations on a reduced active space. Unlike wave-function-based approaches, the 2-RDM methodology allows us to combine information from calculations on different active spaces. By adding active-space constraints, we can iteratively improve our estimate for the ground-state energy. Applying our methodology to a 1D Hubbard model yields a significant improvement over traditional 2-positivity constraints with the same computational scaling.
Online Privacy: IP Addresses and Expeditious Disclosure of Identity in India

Over the past decade, the internet has frequently been used in India for the perpetration of a range of ‘cyber crimes’ – from extortion to defamation to financial fraud. In a revealing statistic, in 2010 the Mumbai police reportedly “received 771 complaints about internet-related offenses, 319 of which were from women who were the victims of fake profiles, online upload of private photographs and obscene emails.” Law enforcement authorities in India have not exactly lagged behind in bringing these new age cyber criminals to book, and have installed special ‘Cyber crime cells’ in different cities to combat crimes on the internet. As even a casual Google search with the phrase “IP address, police, India” would reveal, police authorities in different cities in India have been quite successful in employing IP Address data obtained from web-services and ISPs to trace culprits. However, along with its utility in the detection of crime, the tracking of persons by their IP addresses is potentially invasive of individuals’ privacy. In the absence of a culture of strict adherence to the ‘rule of law’ by the police apparatus in India, the unbridled ability to track persons through IP addresses has the potential of becoming an extremely oppressive tool of surveillance.In this short note, I review the statutory mechanism regulating the retention and disclosure of IP addresses by internet companies in India.
A multimedia content generation methodology in support to SOC decoder development and validation

This paper presents a new methodology in multimedia content generation in support to SOC decoder development and validation. The proposed content generation covers multi-standard video and audio. Content is categorized in conformance content, interoperability content, stress content, and negative content. Each category offers the ability to extend the scope of possibilities within the realm of coverage necessary to provide effective content that contributes to enhance the quality of the design and consequently its robustness. Although coverage is not 100% exhaustive the proposed methodology has contributed to improve SOC verification and validation and to comply with current standard attributes.
Strengthening of lower bounds in the global optimization of Bilinear and Concave Generalized Disjunctive Programs

Abstract This paper is concerned with global optimization of Bilinear and Concave Generalized Disjunctive Programs. A major objective is to propose a procedure to find relaxations that yield strong lower bounds. We first present a general framework for obtaining a hierarchy of linear relaxations for nonconvex Generalized Disjunctive Programs (GDP). This framework combines linear relaxation strategies proposed in the literature for nonconvex MINLPs with the results of the work by Sawaya and Grossmann (2009) for Linear GDPs. We further exploit the theory behind Disjunctive Programming by proposing several rules to guide more efficiently the generation of relaxations by considering the particular structure of the problems. Finally, we show through a set of numerical examples that these new relaxations can substantially strengthen the lower bounds for the global optimum, often leading to a significant reduction of the number of nodes when used within a spatial branch and bound framework.
Serum antibody responses in children with rotavirus diarrhea can serve as proxy for protection.

We examined sera from 42 patients 1 to 30 months of age for rotavirus immunoglobulin M (IgM), IgA, IgG, and IgG subclasses and sought to determine if serum antibody could serve as a reliable marker for prediction of disease severity. Infants in the first few months of life usually had high maternal IgG titers and, when they were infected with rotavirus, had low IgM titers or no IgM in acute-phase sera and poor seroconversions 3 weeks later, suggesting that maternal antibodies had inhibited viral replication and antibody responses. All patients ≥6 months of age had IgM in acute-phase sera, indicating that IgM is a good marker for acute rotavirus infection. IgG was the best overall predictor of an infection, as the convalescent-phase sera of 81% of the patients had a fourfold rise in the IgG titer. IgA titers in convalescent-phase sera and conversion rates were higher among patients ≥12 months of age than among children younger than 12 months. IgG1 was the predominant subclass detected in the acute-phase sera of some children and in all 28 convalescent-phase serum samples examined. Patients with preexisting acute-phase IgG titers of ≥100 or ≥200 had diarrhea that was less severe or of a shorter duration. These results indicate that serum IgG is the most reliable marker for seroconversion and is a consistent proxy for protection against severe disease.
Fitness consequences of male provisioning of incubating females in a desert passerine bird

Male provisioning of incubating females can increase reproductive success by maintaining physiological condition of females and consistency of incubation. The effects of male provisioning on the maintenance of incu- bation temperature and embryo development should be particularly pronounced in environments where ambient temperature exceeds the tolerance of unincubated eggs and where consistency of female incubation might be particu- larly important for hatching success. Here, we investigated the reproductive consequences of incubation feeding in a desert population of House Finches (Carpodacus mexic- anus) in southwestern Arizona. We found that greater nest attentiveness by females was related to higher minimum incubation nest temperature, that in turn was closely associated with hatching success. Only 44% of males regularly provisioned their incubating females. Although provisioned females maintained higher incubation tem- perature and took fewer incubation breaks than non-pro- visioned females, overall, male provisioning did not influence incubation dynamics or hatching success. Fur- ther, a male's incubation feeding rate did not correlate with male provisioning of nestlings. These results corroborate the finding that, in male House Finches, neither provi- sioning of incubating females nor pre-incubation courtship feeding are associated with increases in circulating pitui- tary prolactin--the hormone regulating male provisioning of nestlings. We suggest that incubation provisioning by male might be a component of pair maintenance behavior and that variation in male incubation behavior is best understood in relation to asymmetries in residual repro- ductive values between the mates.
The landscape of asbestos: Libby and beyond

This article discusses risk assessment and decision‐making in the rural community of Libby, Montana. The community faces serious health risks caused by decades of exposure to asbestos from an asbestos‐contaminated vermiculite mining operation. The risks from the exposure are not only occupational but involve the greater community as well. The article explores issues that are increasingly evident and problematic in this community: the willingness or ability to recognize a problem, like serious environmental contamination, can be influenced by one's perceived willingness or ability to accept or manage the consequences of such recognition. This finding has emerged not only in this community but in a number of other studies conducted by the authors. Findings suggest that if the consequences of recognition are not deemed manageable or possible (e.g. perceived ability to move to a safer location or the willingness to change occupations), residents will minimize the scope of a problem and remain in a situation t...
The differing impact of household income on firm emergence by heterogeneous start-up configuration

Using the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics II dataset, we examine the role that household income plays in the emergence of consumer-oriented start-ups by individual (solo), family-based (family), and non-family based start-ups (team). In particular, we address the research question: Does household income impact firm emergence, and if so, is emergence impacted differently based on start-up configuration? Our results indicate that household income does have a significant impact on average firm emergence, as well as on emergence growth rates for solo and family firms, playing an especially significant role for family firms. Furthermore, we found that household income is not a significant predictor of start-up activity completion for teams. Results from our study reinforce the extant literature on the benefits of starting a firm with teams, and suggests that these enterprise types may provide a more stable platform on which to launch a start-up. Implications of these findings and opportunities for future research are offered.
Ensuring Scalability and Re-Usability of Spreadsheet Analytical and Optimization Models

Spreadsheet optimization models are commonly understood to be difficult to scale up and down in size, reducing their utility for models that are large or will be reused. In contrast, an equivalent algebraic optimization model scales up and down very easily. In this paper, we show how to overcome this spreadsheet scalability disadvantage. We provide a technique to program an optimization model in a spreadsheet that can easily be scaled up or down in size and re-optimized using the Excel Solver. Our technique enables a spreadsheet model to be scaled and reused as easily as its equivalent algebraic implementation. We give examples involving transportation models and are working on examples involving manufacturing optimization and other extensions and generalizations, and on techniques for sharing spreadsheet optimization models with other systems.
Variability in Maternal Behavior by Dall's Sheep: Environmental Tracking or Adaptive Strategy?

Effects of environmental variation and timing of births on patterns of nursing and weaning behaviors were examined in Dall's sheep ( Ovis dalli dalli ) in central Alaska. Indices of plant productivity, growing season, and quality of diet (crude protein in feces) indicated that later plant phenology resulted in a shorter growing season in 1989. Timing of parturition was ca. 2 weeks later and less sychronous in 1989 than in 1988. Females responded to this delay of births, and to forage availability and quality, by nursing lambs for a greater total time following parturition, and by reducing total time spent nursing more rapidly in 1989. Maternal females exhibited behaviors associated with weaning more often during early lactation in 1989, when parturition was delayed. Patterns of maternal care did not correspond with indices of quality of diet, suggesting that these differences did not result from environmental tracking. At far northern latitudes, where the period in which to rear young is limited, females exhibited plasticity in patterns of maternal investment to compensate for variation in environmental conditions and timing of births. This variability in maternal care likely represents an adaptive strategy important even in highly predictable environments with only slight or occasional annual variation.
Studies on the Inactivation of Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone (TRH)∗

SummaryInactivation of porcine thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) by plasma fractions in vitro was determined using mice maintained on a low iodine diet and pre-treated with 5 μCi of 125I and 0.085 μg of triiodothyronine. Incubation of TRH with porcine, bovine, or human serum caused a complete inactivation in 30 min. The optimum pH for the inactivation was about 7 and the optimal temperature was between 30 and 40°. The rate of inactivation of TRH was proportional to the enzyme concentration and time. Preheating rat plasma to 56° for 30 min greatly reduced this inactivation. When plasma fractions of porcine, bovine, and human origin were incubated with TRH in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate, pH 7.4, at 37° for 30 min, alpha, beta, and gamma globulin fractions caused an 80-90% inactivation of added TRH. Albumin and fibrinogen caused a 40-50% reduction in TRH activity while the beta-lipoprotein fraction only induced a slight inactivation of TRH. Incubation of TRH with slices of rat liver, kidney, brain cortex, and...
Thermal Conductivity of Zn4-xCdxSb3 Solid Solutions

β-Zn4Sb3 was recently identified at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a new high performance p-type thermoelectric material with a maximum dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit ZT of 1.4 at a temperature of 673K. A usual approach, used for many state-of-the-art thermoelectric materials, to further improve ZT values is to alloy β-Zn4Sb3 with isostructural compounds because of the expected decrease in lattice thermal conductivity. We have grown Zn4-xCdxSb3 crystals with 0.2≤×<1.2 and measured their thermal conductivity from 10 to 500K. The thermal conductivity values of Zn4-xCdxSb3 alloys are significantly lower than those measured for β-Zn4Sb3 and are comparable to its calculated minimum thermal conductivity. A strong atomic disorder is believed to be primarily at the origin of the very low thermal conductivity of these materials which are also fairly good electrical conductors and are therefore excellent candidates for thermoelectric applications.
The Handbook of Health Behavior Change Edited by Kristin A. Reikert, Judith K. Ockene and Lori Pbert

Reviewed by JOSHUA MORGANSTEINChange is hard. If it were easy, the Handbook of Health and Behavior Change wouldn’t be so important. An increasing body of data continues to refine and expand our und...
Abdominal paracentesis for the ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome with severe pulmonary compromise

The ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is potentially a life-threatening condition associated with ovulation induction. It affects multiple organ systems and can cause ovarian enlargement, ascites, hemoconcentration, hypercoagulability, pleural effusion, oliguria, and liver function abnormalities. We report three cases of ovarian hyperstimulation with severe pulmonary compromise following in vitro fertilization (IVF) or gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) that responded well to abdominal paracentesis
Contemporary Adjuvant Treatment of Breast Cancer

Adjuvant therapy with either chemotherapy or hormonal therapy offers statistically significant benefits for most subsets of women with breast cancer that in many cases outweigh the risks of treatment, but the potential benefit will vary from patient to patient and by modality of therapy. The absolute reduction in risk is proportional to the overall risk of relapse or death, so greater absolute benefit can be anticipated for those with a greater risk. Consensus recommendations provide a reasonable outline for initiating the discussion of adjuvant therapy, but treatment considerations must be individualized to take into account the patient's personal willingness to accept these weighed estimates of objective probabilities of benefit, toxicity, and risk. Many questions remain and will be answered only through the clinical trials process. Every patient with breast cancer should be given the opportunity to consider participation in a clinical trial when appropriate for both the sake of medical knowledge and the benefit of future patients.
Transfer of Buddhism across Central Asian Networks (7th to 13th Centuries), edited by Carmen Meinert, Leiden: Brill, 2016, xvii + 333 pp., ISBN 978 90 04 30741 4, $163/ €126 (hardback); ISBN 978 90 04 30741 4, $160/ €140 (e-book)

This volume of essays is an output of the Kate Hamburger Kolleg, ‘Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe’ at the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) at Ruhr University, Bochu...
Use of preoperative aspirin in combined coronary and valve operations

Background The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between preoperative aspirin use and postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing combined coronary artery bypass grafting and valve operations. Methods All combined coronary artery bypass grafting and valve procedures from 2008 to 2015 at our institution were identified. After exclusions, patients were stratified according to those that received preoperative aspirin and those who did not. Propensity score methodology was used to match the 2 groups using baseline and operative characteristics. Logistic regression models were then developed to assess differences in postoperative outcomes between groups. Results Of the 563 patients identified, 534 met inclusion criteria: preoperative aspirin = 327 (61.2%), no preoperative aspirin = 207 (38.8%). After propensity matching, 194 patient pairs were analyzed, with no significant differences in preoperative characteristics. No significant differences were observed between the preoperative aspirin and no preoperative aspirin groups in rates of 30-day mortality (3.6% vs 4.1%, P = 1.00), major adverse cardiovascular events (23.2% vs 24.2%, P = .91), or 30-day readmission (12.4% vs 11.9%, P = 1.00), among others. Conclusion Preoperative aspirin use in patients undergoing combined coronary artery bypass grafting and valve operations was not associated with significant differences in major postoperative outcomes. Large-scale, randomized trials are needed to better establish the role of preoperative aspirin in this population.