cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of virtual reality interface for product shape designs

It is generally acknowledged that existing computer-aided design systems have inefficient user interfaces. Especially during the concept shape design stage, these systems prove to be cumbersome because of two reasons: (i) they require the usage of two-dimensional (2D) input devices, while the designs are typically three-dimensional (3D); and, (ii) CAD systems require the specification of dimensions, which may not be precisely known at the concept stage. To overcome these limitations, this research proposes the use of virtual reality (VR) devices to provide a physically intuitive interface for concept shape creation. The intuitiveness of the interface arises from the use of natural hand gestures and voice commands that emulate the way in which designers discuss concept shapes. In this scenario, the interface between the human and computer plays a central role with respect to usability, usefulness and accuracy. The focus of this research is on using two modalities: (i) hand input; and, (ii) voice driven commands, or a combination of these modalities to accomplish typical CAD tasks. Based on experience with a conventional CAD system, a set of typical CAD tasks are identified. A series of tests are then performed to determine the relative efficiency of the different modality combinations to achieve each task. The interface test results indicate that while voice commands are intuitive in initiating operations such as viewpoint zooming in/out and object creation/deletion, hand inputs are effective in performing spatial tasks such as interactive dimensioning and re-location of shapes. It was also found that a combination of voice and hand input can be used for accomplishing certain tasks more effectively such as, zooming in/out a particular direction (hand orientation indicates direction and voice is used for indicating zoom in/out operation). Based on the experience with the prototypical system developed it is concluded that voice and hand input are effective ways of building three-dimensional shapes in a virtual reality environment. To verify the efficiency of the VR-CAD interface, sample injection molded parts are built on the current VR-based CAD system and a traditional CAD system, and the times taken to build these parts are compared. The test results indicate that building geometry shapes containing canonical forms, such as block, cylinder, sphere, ... etc, using a VR interface results in a speedup of five to ten times over traditional CAD systems.
Rethinking Participation: Water, Development and Democracy in Neo-Liberal Bangalore

Abstract This paper focuses on the discursive notion of participation central to two discourses, democracy and development. The contemporary rhetoric of development not only opens up the market for the economic progress of developing nations, but also demands a change in the political structure to facilitate the process. Thus, democracy is recruited as collateral for development, which theoretically improves the participation of the target population. However, my ethnography in Bangalore—the Silicon Valley of India—shows that the new middle class is partaking of development projects to reclaim participation solely for democracy. As a ‘reassemblage’, participation is employed to reconfigure democracy and development along different political axes. I present a public water supply project to describe the boundaries between the two discourses, arguing that they are drawn internally rather than externally.
Alternating Type A and Type B Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

Abstract A patient with W-P-W syndrome is presented who manifested both Type A and B configurations. The problems treating similar patients with resistant tachyarrhythmias are briefly discussed.
Spectral Band Shape of Absorption and Emission of Molecules in Dense Media

A quantitative theory of the shape of absorption and emission curves for solute molecules dissolved in crystalline solvents based on the Franck-Condon principle is given. The relation between the radiationless transition and absorption or emission is discussed.
On monotone paths among obstacles with applications to planning assemblies

We study the class of problems associated with the detection and computation of monotone paths among a set of disjoint obstacles. We give an O(nE) algorithm for finding a monotone path (if one exists) between two points in the plane in the presence of polygonal obstacles. (Here, E is the size of the visibility graph defined by the n vertices of the obstacles.) If all of the obstacles are convex, we prove that there always exists a monotone path between any two points s and t. We give an O(n log n) algorithm for finding such a path for any s and t, after an initial O(E + n log n) preprocesing. We introduce the notions of “monotone path map”, and “shortest monotone path map” and give algorithms to compute them. We apply our results to a class of separation and assembly problems, yielding polynomial-time algorithms for planning an assembly sequence (based on separations by single translations) of arbitrary polygonal parts in two dimensions.
Engineers of dreams : great bridge builders and the spanning of America

This book tells the stories of engineers who have dreamed and engineers who have toiled, of bridges of celebrity and bridges of burden, and it is about the nature of technology in a human context. Some renowned engineers and some famous bridges have tended to overshadow their contemporaries and neighbors, but the full range of stories reveals that the lesser known engineers have been of no less importance in shaping our built environment. Indeed, the personalities of all kinds of engineers, with their faults and foibles coexisting with their dreams and designs, have played as much of a role as has their technical know-how in bringing familiar bridges to fruition. It is difficult to imagine a world without bridges. Bridges and cities go together, in large part because so many of our greatest cities were founded where they are precisely because of the proximity of water. Bridges define the approaches to cities, and passing over or under some of the world's great spans is an unforgettable experience.
Methods to characterize spontaneous and startle-induced locomotion in a rotenone-induced Parkinson's disease model of Drosophila.

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that results from the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the central nervous system, primarily in the substantia nigra. The disease causes motor deficiencies, which present as rigidity, tremors and dementia in humans. Rotenone is an insecticide that causes oxidative damage by inhibiting the function of the electron transport chain in mitochondria. It is also used to model Parkinson’s disease in the Drosophila. Flies have an inherent negative geotactic response, which compels them to climb upwards upon being startled. It has been established that rotenone causes early mortality and locomotion defects that disrupt the flies’ ability to climb after they have been tapped downwards. However, the effect of rotenone on spontaneous movement is not well documented. This study outlines two sensitive, reproducible, and high throughput assays to characterize rotenone-induced deficiencies in short-term startle-induced locomotion and long-term spontaneous locomotion in Drosophila. These assays can be conveniently adapted to characterize other Drosophila models of locomotion defects and efficacy of therapeutic agents.
Overview of Architecture Frameworks and Modeling Languages for Model-Based Systems Engineering

Model-based systems engineering is a relatively new discipline. As a result, many system designers are not familiar with the main concepts of model-based systems engineering and how it can beneficially impact systems design. The paper presents an overview of architecture frameworks and modeling languages for model-based systems engineering as well as indicates future trends.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Ethambutol in Tuberculous Meningitis

Ethambutol (EMB) was present in appreciable concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with tuberculous meningitis and after a dose of 25 mg/kg, in a majority of cases, the cerebrospinal fluid concentration was 1 μg/ml or higher. Combination chemotherapy including EMB was effective in the treatment of six of eight patients with tuberculous meningitis.
Role of K+ channels in the vasodilator response to bradykinin in the rat heart

1. The role of K+ channels in the nitric oxide (NO)-independent coronary vasodilator effect of bradykinin was examined in the Langendorff heart preparation in which nitroarginine was used to inhibit NO synthesis and elevate perfusion pressure; cyclo-oxygenase was inhibited with indomethacin. 2. The K+ channel inhibitors, tetraethylammonium, procaine and charybdotoxin, but not glibenclamide, further increased perfusion pressure suggesting a role for K+ channels, other than ATP-sensitive K+ channels, in the regulation of coronary vascular tone under the experimental conditions adopted here. 3. The non-specific K+ channel inhibitors, tetraethylammonium and procaine, reduced vasodilator responses to bradykinin and cromakalim but not those to nitroprusside in the perfused heart treated with nitroarginine and indomethacin. 4. Glibenclamide, an inhibitor of ATP-sensitive K+ channels, reduced vasodilator responses to cromakalim but did not affect those to bradykinin or nitroprusside. 5. Charybdotoxin, an antagonist of Ca(2+)-activated K+ channels, inhibited responses to bradykinin but did not affect those to cromakalim or nitroprusside. 6. Nifedipine inhibited vasodilator responses to bradykinin and cromakalim without affecting those to nitroprusside. 7. Inhibition of cytochrome P450 with clotrimazole reduced responses to bradykinin but did not modify those to cromakalim or nitroprusside. 8. These results suggest that bradykinin utilizes a Ca(2+)-activated K+ channel to produce vasodilatation in the rat heart.
Reduced serum amino acid concentrations in infants with necrotizing enterocolitis.

Abstract Objective: To determine whether premature infants who have necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) have deficiencies in glutamine (GLN) and arginine (ARG), which are essential to intestinal integrity. Study design: A 4-month prospective cohort study of serum amino acid and urea levels in premature infants was done. Serum amino acid and urea levels were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography and enzymatic methods, respectively, on samples obtained on days of life 3, 7, 14, and 21. Results: Infants in the control (n = 32) and NEC groups (n = 13) were comparable for birth weight, gestational age, and Apgar scores. NEC began on mean day of life 14.5 (95% CI, day of life 11 to 18). Median values of GLN were 37% to 57% lower in the NEC group on days 7, 14, and 21 compared with those in the control group ( P P P Conclusions: Infants who have NEC have selective amino acid deficiencies including reduced levels of GLN and ARG that may predispose to the illness. (J Pediatr 2000;137:785-93)
Towards a more efficient implementation of OpenMP for clusters via translation to global arrays

This paper discusses a novel approach to implementing OpenMP on clusters. Traditional approaches to do so rely on Software Distributed Shared Memory systems to handle shared data. We discuss these and then introduce an alternative approach that translates OpenMP to Global Arrays (GA), explaining the basic strategy. GA requires a data distribution. We do not expect the user to supply this; rather, we show how we perform data distribution and work distribution according to the user-supplied OpenMP static loop schedules. An inspector-executor strategy is employed for irregular applications in order to gather information on accesses to potentially non-local data, group non-local data transfers and overlap communications with local computations. Furthermore, a new directive INVARIANT is proposed to provide information about the dynamic scope of data access patterns. This directive can help us generate efficient codes for irregular applications using the inspector-executor approach. We also illustrate how to deal with some hard cases containing reshaping and strided accesses during the translation. Our experiments show promising results for the corresponding regular and irregular GA codes.
Indications for nearly-fixed-Pomeranchuk-pole asymptotics from multiplicity distributions

It is shown that high-energy multiplicity distributions can be described by multiple-pomeranchuk-pole exchange if ihe Pomeranchuk pole is fixed. A proposed model provide a one-parameter formula for multiplicity distributions and the fit of this single parameter to the data gives the moments of the distribution and its large-multiplicity behavior in complete agreement wiih measured cross sections. Predictions concerning the average number of neutral particles as a function of the observed number of charged ones are also in agreement with the data. The model is still valid if the Pomeranchuk pole is moving but has a small slope. Corrections due to the nonvanishing slope of the Pomeranchuk trajectory are calculated. They are detectable by improving the statistics of measurements of multiplicity disiributions. (auth)
Quantum Monte Carlo method for the ground state of many-boson systems.

We formulate a quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) method for calculating the ground state of many-boson systems. The method is based on a field-theoretical approach, and is closely related to existing fermion auxiliary-field QMC methods which are applied in several fields of physics. The ground-state projection is implemented as a branching random walk in the space of permanents consisting of identical single-particle orbitals. Any single-particle basis can be used, and the method is in principle exact. We illustrate this method with a trapped atomic boson gas, where the atoms interact via an attractive or repulsive contact two-body potential. We choose as the single-particle basis a real-space grid. We compare with exact results in small systems and arbitrarily sized systems of untrapped bosons with attractive interactions in one dimension, where analytical solutions exist. We also compare with the corresponding Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) mean-field calculations for trapped atoms, and discuss the close formal relation between our method and the GP approach. Our method provides a way to systematically improve upon GP while using the same framework, capturing interaction and correlation effects with a stochastic, coherent ensemble of noninteracting solutions. We discuss various algorithmic issues, including importance sampling and the back-propagation technique for computing observables,more » and illustrate them with numerical studies. We show results for systems with up to N{approx}400 bosons.« less
Current and Future Development of Calcium Lanthanum Sulfide

Transparent samples of CaLa2S4 have been produced with good optical imaging characteristics and no significant impurity absorption bands between the intrinsic absorption edges. However, the optical transmittance of CaLa2S4 is still not adequate due to scattering and broadband absorption. Processing studies to improve the optical transmittance have concentrated on powder sulfurization, milling, and sintering. The best optical quality samples achieved to date have been fabricated using powder consisting primarily of CaSO4 and La2O2S, milled with burundum media, and sintered at 1150°C. The rain erosion resistance of CaLa2S4 has been shown to be substantially better than that of ZnS.
A target chamber for PIXE analysis using microampere beams of 4 MeV protons

Abstract To fully exploit the sensitivity and multi-element capability of proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis technique using a 4 MeV Van de Graaff generator, a special target chamber has been built. The remotely controlled multi-target chamber is operated in a partial atmosphere of pure helium and has the facility to rotate the targets in place to prevent rupturing of the target backing due to local heating by the microampere proton beam. The entire assembly is used for simultaneous analysis of up to 52 elements with dry weight detection sensitivities of 0.1–1 ppm for Z>20.
Radiation processing dosimetry

Abstract Measurements of ionizing radiation quantities of intense photon and electron radiations are used to establish quality control of industrial radiation processes. The most important quantity is absorbed dose as determined through traceability of routine dosimetry to calorimetry or standard chemical dosimetry. Some crucial concerns of dosimetry are: (1) Calculations and measurements of radiation energy depositions; (2) improved radiation interaction data in condensed media; (3) radiation scattering behavior for different substances and spectral distributions; (4) secondary radiation phenomena at boundaries and in dielectrics; (5) environmental effects on dosimetry response and analysis.
Asymptotic pseudounitary stacking operators

Stacking operators are widely used in seismic imaging and seismic data processing. Examples include Kirchhoff datuming, migration, offset continuation, dip moveout, and velocity transform. Two primary approaches exist for inverting such operators. The first approach is iterative least-squares optimization, which involves the construction of the adjoint operator. The second approach is asymptotic inversion, where an approximate inverse operator is constructed in the high-frequency asymptotics. Adjoint and asymptotic inverse operators share the same kinematic properties, but their amplitudes (weighting functions) are defined differently. This paper describes a theory for reconciling the two approaches. I introduce a pair of asymptotic pseudounitary operators, which possess both the property of being adjoint and the property of being asymptotically inverse. The weighting function of the asymptotic pseudounitary stacking operators is shown to be completely defined by the derivatives of the operator kinematics. I exemplify the general theory by considering several particular examples of stacking operators. Simple numerical experiments demonstrate a noticeable gain in efficiency when the asymptotic pseudounitary operators are applied for preconditioning iterative least-squares optimization.
Energy- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy of negative ions

Energy- and angle-resolved photoelectron detachment spectroscopy is currently being used to investigate the structure of negative ions and their interaction with radiation. Measurements of the electron affinity of the Ca atom and the partial cross sections for photodetachment of the metastable negative ion, He− (1s2s2p 4P), are reported.
Surgery for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

The modern era of surgery for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) began just over 10 years ago. Until that time pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) was performed infrequently and essentially at a single medical center (University of California at San Diego—UCSD). It posed a formidable technical challenge and was associated with both high operative mortality (> 20%) and excessive morbidity due to respiratory and multiorgan system failure. Currently PTE is performed at numerous medical centers throughout the world, largely due to the pioneering efforts of those surgeons who developed and perfected the operation at UCSD. Operative mortality rates have fallen, and postoperative complications have become less common. Although no longer simply an autopsy curiosity, CTEPH continues to be an underdiagnosed condition. Increased awareness and better diagnosis will lead to curative surgery in more patients worldwide.
Comparison of free sugars in growing and desiccated plants of Selaginella lepidophylla

Abstract The free sugars are growing and desiccated Selaginella lepidophylla plants were examined. Growing and desiccated plants differed significantly in their percentage of glucose (3.1, 0.2%), sucrose (6.9, 23.1%) and trehalose (89.8, 75.6%). The apparent stoichiometry between the decrease in sucrose and increase in trehalose concentration after rehydration suggests that sucrose serves as the carbon source for trehalose synthesis. A comparison of extraction methods revealed that using “Boileezers” in Soxhlets resulted in sugar degradation ranging from 25 to 75%. Extraction by shaking in 80% ethanol appeared to be the best extraction method.
Changes in the rheological behavior of the vagina in women with pelvic organ prolapse.

Introduction and hypothesis Pelvic organ prolapse is a common condition impacting the quality of life of millions of women worldwide. Although vaginal estrogen is widely used in women with prolapse, little is known regarding estrogen’s benefits on the biomechanical properties of vaginal tissue. Here, we aimed to examine the effect of prolapse on the biomechanical properties of the vagina and determine alterations in vaginal mechanics in the presence and absence of hormone therapy (HT).
Explicit formulas for generalized family-wise error rates and unimprovable step-down multiple testing procedures

Abstract Many multiple testing procedures (MTPs) are available today, and their number is growing. Also available are many type I error rates: the family-wise error rate (FWER), the false discovery rate, the proportion of false positives, and others. Most MTPs are designed to control a specific type I error rate, and it is hard to compare different procedures. We approach the problem by studying the exact level at which threshold step-down (TSD) procedures (an important class of MTPs exemplified by the classic Holm procedure) control the generalized FWER defined as the probability of k or more false rejections. We find that level explicitly for any TSD procedure and any k . No assumptions are made about the dependency structure of the p -values of the individual tests. We derive from our formula a criterion for unimprovability of a procedure in the class of TSD procedures controlling the generalized FWER at a given level. In turn, this criterion implies that for each k the number of such unimprovable procedures is finite and is greater than one if k > 1 . Consequently, in this case the most rejective procedure in the above class does not exist.
Insulin-Like Growth Factors I and II. Peptide, Messenger Ribonucleic Acid and Gene Structures, Serum, and Tissue Concentrations

There is currently widespread interest in the IGFs (IGF-I and IGF-II) and their roles in the regulation of growth and differentiation of an ever increasing number of tissues are being reported. This selective review focused on the current state of our knowledge about the structure of mammalian IGFs and the multiple forms of mRNAs which arise from alternative splicing and promoter sites which arise from gene transcription. Current progress in the immunological measurement of the IGF is reviewed including different strategies for avoiding binding protein interference. The results of measurements of serum IGF-I and IGF-II in fetus and mother and at various stages of postnatal life are described. Existing knowledge of the concentration of these peptides in body fluids and tissues are considered. Last, an attempt is made to indicate circumstances in which the IGFs are exerting their actions in an autocrine/paracrine mode and when endocrine actions predominate. In the latter context it was concluded that an important role for GH action on skeletal tissues via hepatic production of IGF-I and endocrine action of IGF-I on growth cartilage is likely.
Glucose regulates the expression of Gi-proteins in cultured BC3H-1 myocytes.

Abstract To examine whether glucose has regulatory effects on the expression of Gi-proteins, BC3H-1 myocytes were incubated for 24 hr in the presence of various concentrations of glucose (0–25 mM) and the amount of Gi-proteins was detected by pertussis toxin ADP-ribosylation and immunoblot analysis. Both detection methods showed a progressive decrease in the amount of Gi proteins in cells treated with increasing concentrations of glucose. A maximal reduction of 40% was observed after a 24 hr exposure to 25 mM glucose. The reduction in Gi-proteins correlated with a decrease in insulin-stimulated glucose transport.
Effect of γ-glutamyl cycle inhibitors on brain amino acid transport and utilization

Two inhibitors of the γ-glutamyl cycle, methionine sulfoximine (MSO) and 2-imidazolidone-4-carboxylic acid (ICA) were administered to C57BL/6J mice. Both agents resulted in a reduced rate of transport of tyrosine from blood to brain and a decreased rate of incorporation of tyrosine from plasma into brain protein. MSO administration also diminished the concentrations of brain tyrosine, dopamine, and norepinephrine. MSO decreased the transport rate of valine by brain as well as the rate of its incorporation into protein when expressed in relation to the plasma specific activity. The results demonstrate a significant role for the γ-glutamyl cycle in the transport of large neutral amino acids from blood to brain.
Microvasculature of the Feline Stomach

The feline gastric microvasculature was studied by corrosion of the injected vascular bed, which allowed evaluation of the vascular pattern of the different tunics. The serosal pattern consisted of numerous interconnected capillary vessels, forming a delicate network. Submucosal arteries supplied the muscular tunic through numerous anastomosing vessels that followed the direction of the smooth muscle fibers. The entire mucosal tunic was supplied by arterioles derived from the submucosal plexus; these gave rise to capillaries that surrounded the gastric glands and terminated in a diffuse, anastomosing subepithelial capillary network. Venules coursed through the mucosa in a perpendicular manner, forming submucosal veins.
Detection of DNA hybridization using the TISPR-1 surface plasmon resonance biosensor.

Biotinylated oligonucleotide probes were immobilized to the gold sensor surface of the TISPR-1 miniature integrated surface plasmon resonance liquid sensor system for the purpose of detecting specific DNA hybridization. The immobilization of the oligonucleotide capture probes was carried out through streptavidin-biotin binding technology. The sensor detected the immobilization of unlabeled DNA through shifts in index of refraction as the molecules entered and remained selectively bound to the surface in the vicinity of the exponentially decaying surface plasmon resonance wave. The surface immobilization chemistry was proven to be stable for long periods of time, reproducible, and practical for detecting DNA hybridization with the TISPR-1. DNA hybridization was detected as a slow, positive, and small (when compared to protein-protein or antibody-antigen binding experiments) increase in the measured index of refraction under passive hybridization conditions by the TISPR-1 sensor. The DNA hybridization signal was significant (index of refraction change of 0.001) when large fragment PCR-amplified DNA products were hybridized to the oligonucleotide probes (S/N = 6-10). The DNA hybridization techniques were demonstrated using DNA sequences from the HIV genome which encode the Tat and Rev genes.
Reversible shellings and an inequality for h-vectors

Abstract Several important simplicial complexes including matroid complexes and broken circuit complexes are known to be shellable. We show that the lexicographic order of the bases of a matroid can be reversed to obtain a shelling. We prove that the h-vectors of such reversibly shellable complexes of rank d , which have an empty boundary must satisfy the inequality h o + h 1 … + h i ⩽ h d + h d −1 + … + h d − i for i ⩽[ d /2]. In particular, this gives a necessary condition for the h-vector of matroids without coloops.
Ultrahigh reliability estimates through simulation

A statistical variance reduction technique called importance sampling is described, and its effectiveness in estimating ultrahigh reliability of life-critical electronics systems is compared with that of the widely used HARP and SURE analytic tools. Importance sampling is seen to provide more accurate reliability estimates with relatively little computational expense for the models studied. The technique is also seen to provide a convenient method for handling globally time-dependent failure processes and uncertainty in model parameter values. Extreme sensitivity of the importance sample algorithm to its bias parameters is illustrated, and a novel technique for selection of these parameters is proposed. >
A Simulation Analysis of Tour-Shift Construction Procedures

Work force scheduling research over the last few years has concentrated on the shift scheduling problem in service oriented firms telephone operators, postal employees, bank encoders, etc.. In all cases, the authors were primarily interested in the evaluating procedures optimal and heuristic to determine the appropriate number of workers to be assigned to the available set of work schedules to meet fluctuating work volumes. However, more attention should be given to how the available shift schedules were defined start times, durations, etc. and their impact on maintaining good productivity levels. This paper analyzes the impact of six different approaches in defining the available weekly tour-shift schedules. Tests are conducted to evaluate the performance of the six approaches using operating data from Ohio National Bank for the check proof and encoding activity. The results of this study provide some useful managerial insights into the issues of effectively staffing personnel on a weekly basis. First, restrictive employment policies/customs can substantially increase costs. Second, structured procedures can be used to identify and build good employment schedules for a weekly assignment. And third, the structured procedures presented here provide useful cost and productivity information for evaluating various staffing decisions, and weighing these decisions with other intangible factors such as employee morale and turnover.
Late Arrhythmias Following Fontan Surgery

The incidence of atrial arrhythmias following Fontan repairs varies by the type of surgery and duration of follow-up. The incidence of late atrial tachycardia has been reduced from 60% to less than 20% by surgical modifications. Late ventricular tachycardia is reported in 3% to 12% of patients. Aggressive efforts to eliminate tachycardia and improve hemodynamics may improve clinical status.
Density, sex, and nest stage affect rail broadcast survey results

The National Marsh Bird Monitoring Program is being initiated to document population trends with call-broadcast surveys. We examined effects of site-estimated vocalization density (birds calling per ha), breeding stage, call type, and sex differences on marsh bird response probability to improve marsh bird surveys. We conducted 335 broadcast surveys 10 m from 113 known Virginia rail (Rallus limicola) and sora (Porzana carolina) nests in 10 wetlands over 2 breeding seasons (2010–2011) to determine important variables for predicting response probability. The odds of both species responding to broadcast increased as vocalization density increased. Recent nest predation decreased the odds of both species responding and increasing nest age additionally decreased sora response. Both species responded similarly to broadcast during egg laying, incubation, and hatching. In addition, we present methods to confirm nesting stage during broadcast surveys using vocalization type. Both species possess 1) calls that we detected exclusively during the pre-nesting phase but not prior to replacement clutches, which may indicate unpaired birds; and 2) calls detected exclusively during the late incubation through brooding stages, which may be useful for inferring nest success from broadcast surveys. Spectrogram analysis of recorded vocalizations showed that male Virginia rails responded to broadcast calls with louder (possibly related to approach distance), longer, and faster calls (hence higher detectability) than females. We recommend that marsh bird population estimates account for detectability biases in density, stage, and sex and use call type to infer nonbreeding status and nest fate. © 2014 The Wildlife Society.
Advances in packaging for VLSI systems

Limits to the speed of systems comprising an assembly of VLSI circuits are often set by thermal considerations and by chip-to-chip communications. The use of liquid cooling and of micromachining technology appears to have eliminated thermal considerations as a relevant, fundamental limit, power densities in excess of 1 KW/cm2have been demonstrated. Chip to chip delays are less easy to eliminate, but here again the problem can be alleviated with novel micromachining technology. Analysis of a multilevel interconnect system suggests that we should be able to employ 25 signal lines/mm (allowing 1000 pin-outs around the perimeter of a 1 cm × 1 cm chip) with a propagation velocity better than c/2, an attenuation of less than 0.05 dB/mm and much less than 10% crosstalk over 10 cms.
Shape recognition based on the medial axis approach

We propose a novel, shape-matching algorithm using skeletal graphs. The topology of skeletal graphs is captured and compared at the node level. Such graph representation allows preservation of the skeletal graph's coherence without scarifying the flexibility of matching similar portions of graphs across different levels. By using an appropriate sampling resolution, we are able to achieve a high recognition rate, and at the same time, significantly reduce the space and time complexity of matching. We tested our approach against the directed acyclic graph (DAG) method on noisy graphs and occluded or cluttered scenes. The results show that our approach is an effective and efficient technique for shape recognition.
Language Acquisition and Use: Learning and Applying Probabilistic Constraints

What kinds of knowledge underlie the use of language and how is this knowledge acquired? Linguists equate knowing a language with knowing a grammar. Classic “poverty of the stimulus” arguments suggest that grammar identification is an intractable inductive problem and that acquisition is possible only because children possess innate knowledge of grammatical structure. An alternative view is emerging from studies of statistical and probabilistic aspects of language, connectionist models, and the learning capacities of infants. This approach emphasizes continuity between how language is acquired and how it is used. It retains the idea that innate capacities constrain language learning, but calls into question whether they include knowledge of grammatical structure.
Design and analysis of a propagation delay tolerant ALOHA protocol for underwater networks

Acoustic underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSN) have recently gained attention as a topic of research. Such networks are characterized by increased uncertainty in medium access due not only to when data is sent, but also due to significantly different propagation latencies from spatially diverse transmitters-together, we call these space-time uncertainty. We find that the throughput of slotted ALOHA degrades to pure ALOHA in such an environment with varying delay. We therefore propose handling this spatial uncertainty by adding guard times to slotted ALOHA, forming Propagation Delay Tolerant (PDT-)ALOHA. We show that PDT-ALOHA increases throughput by 17-100% compared to simple slotted ALOHA in underwater settings. We analyze the protocol's performance both mathematically and via extensive simulations. We find that the throughput capacity decreases as the maximum propagation delay increases, and identify protocol parameter values that realize optimal throughput. Our results suggest that shorter hops improve throughput in UWSNs.
Historical land use and altered habitats in the Great Basin

Vegetation in the Great Basin has been changing over millennia in response to climate but the rate of change since European settlement in the last 150 years has been unprecedented. Beyond the changing climate, explanations for these more recent vegetation alterations are diverse and include a myriad of human influences: the introduction of livestock (cattle, sheep, and horses), homesteading, cultivation, mining, introduction of invasive species, forage seeding programs, water diversion, elevated CO2 levels, changing fire frequencies, and recreation. These causes have had overlapping, interactive, and cumulative effects upon the landscapes of the Great Basin. This paper offers a survey of some of the most widespread historical land uses in the Great Basin since European settlement and how they may have altered natural plant communities and subsequently mammal habitats. By highlighting the nature, intensity, and extent of historical practices, this paper illustrates the need to consider a broad set of land-use legacies when defining wildlife–habitat associations at local and landscape scales. Further, it points to the need for more integrated efforts that combine historical ecology with wildlife ecology and management to address current knowledge gaps and guide effective conservation and restoration recommendations.
The History of the Present Illness as Treatment: Who's Listening, and Why Does It Matter?

Background: The history of the present illness (HPI) is examined as a narrative communication that has the potential to be therapeutic. Methods: The general principles that influence the therapeutic potential of the HPI are induced from participant observation of personal experience and natural observations of conventional social interaction. These principles are corroborated by evidence from cross-cultural healing practices, clinical experience, and experimental psychology. Results: To facilitate a therapeutic HPI, the clinician should convey a sense of safety, sensitivity, affective competence, and cognitive competence. Furthermore, the effective clinician joins the patient in coprocessing the illness experience. Conclusions: The (HPI) is not simply a diagnostic formulation. When skillfully negotiated, it can be therapeutic because it helps patients make cognitive sense of their illness, and it serves as a vehicle for sharing the affective burden with the physician. There is therapeutic potential in each of the three overlapping operations of the HPI: (1) establishing a physician-patient relationship through the process of gathering a database, (2) transforming the database into an etiologic narrative, and (3) using the narrative to coprocess the experience of illness with the patient. The therapeutic potential can be actualized by specific clinical applications (J Am Board Fam Pract 1997;10:28-35). People regularly process their personal experi­ ence by putting it into words and telling it to someone. When we are able to formulate the right story, and it is heard in the right way by the right listener, we are able to deal more effectively with the experience. It can be argued that the same principles of narrative communications pre­ vail when a physician and patient formulate a his­ tory of the present illness (HPI). In fact, one might describe the clinical history-taking process as doing systematically with a stranger what peo­ ple do intuitively with friends and relatives. Clinicians take it for granted that formulating a good HPI can lead to a correct diagnosis. In addi­ tion, experienced clinicians find that taking a good HPI can also be therapeutic. It is therapeu­ tic not only because it helps the patient to feel better but also because it helps the patient to heal better.' In this report I attempt to analyze the ele­ ments of the HPJ that can account for its thera
A four-point bending technique for studying subcritical crack growth in thin films and at interfaces

A technique was developed to obtain the subcritical crack growth velocity in a 4-point bending sample by analyzing the load-displacement curve. This was based on the observation that the compliance of a beam increases as the crack grows. Beam theory was used to analyze the general configuration where two cracks propagated in the opposite directions. A simple equation relating the crack velocity to the load and displacement was established, taking advantage of the fact that the compliance was linearly proportional to the crack lengths; thus the absolute crack length was not important. Two methods of obtaining crack velocity as a function of load were demonstrated. First, by analyzing a load-displacement curve, a corresponding velocity curve was obtained. Second, by changing the displacement rate and measuring the corresponding plateau load, a velocity value was calculated for each plateau load. While the former was capable of obtaining the dependence of crack velocity versus load from a single test, the latter was found to be simpler and more consistent. Applications were made to a CVD SiO2 system. In both cases of crack propagation either inside the SiO2 layer or along its interface with a TiN layer, the crack growth velocity changed with the stress intensity at the crack tip exponentially. As a result, a small crack will grow larger under essentially any tensile stresses typically existing in devices, provided that chemical agents facilitating stress corrosion mechanisms are also present.
Mechanical and thermo‐mechanical studies of double networks based on thermoplastic elastomers

A new approach to prepare and characterize double network elastomeric systems was investigated. A styrene-ethyl- ene-co-butylene-styrene (SEBS) triblock copolymer system con- taining physical crosslinks was used to achieve a double network by additional crosslinking using ultra-violet (UV) light. An ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) terpolymer system containing chemical crosslinks was used to achieve a conventional double network using UV crosslinking. Properties from conventional monotonic tensile tests, dynamic mechani- cal analysis, and thermomechanical properties were investigated. These double network elastomers show a transition between competitive and collaborative behavior in their mechanical proper- ties and lower coefficients of thermal expansion arising from a competition of the networks. V C 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 778-789, 2010
Squeezing CC Bonds

Making C C bonds long is a going enterprise; dozens ofbondsthatare0.10–0.15ˆlongerthananormal1.54ˆC Cbond are known. It is possible to weaken a bond throughelectroniceffects, butstrain is the majorfactor. Whataboutshort C C bonds? Single bonds between two- and three-coordinatecarbonatoms(e.g.,thecentralC Cbondsin1,3-butadiyneand1,3-butadiene)arecertainlyshort—aphenom-enonusuallyinterpretedintermsofhybridization.However,shortsinglebondsbetweentwofour-coordinatecarbonatomsarerare.Twoexamplesthathavecaughttheattentionofthecommunityarethep-acceptor-substituent-influencedbondina bridged bicyclobutane 1, with a C C bond length of1.41,
Smarter clustering methods for SNP genotype calling

Motivation: Most genotyping technologies for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers use standard clustering methods to ‘call’ the SNP genotypes. These methods are not always optimal in distinguishing the genotype clusters of a SNP because they do not take advantage of specific features of the genotype calling problem. In particular, when family data are available, pedigree information is ignored. Furthermore, prior information about the distribution of the measurements for each cluster can be used to choose an appropriate model-based clustering method and can significantly improve the genotype calls. One special genotyping problem that has never been discussed in the literature is that of genotyping of trisomic individuals, such as individuals with Down syndrome. Calling trisomic genotypes is a more complicated problem, and the addition of external information becomes very important. Results: In this article, we discuss the impact of incorporating external information into clustering algorithms to call the genotypes for both disomic and trisomic data. We also propose two new methods to call genotypes using family data. One is a modification of the K-means method and uses the pedigree information by updating all members of a family together. The other is a likelihood-based method that combines the Gaussian or beta-mixture model with pedigree information. We compare the performance of these two methods and some other existing methods using simulation studies. We also compare the performance of these methods on a real dataset generated by the Illumina platform ( www.illumina.com). Availability: The R code for the family-based genotype calling methods (SNPCaller) is available to be downloaded from the following website: http://watson.hgen.pitt.edu/register. Contact: [email protected] Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Contribution of primary carbonaceous aerosol to cloud condensation nuclei: processes and uncertainties evaluated with a global aerosol microphysics model

This paper explores the impacts of primary carbonaceous aerosol on cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations in a global climate model with size-resolved aerosol microphysics. Organic matter (OM) and elemental carbon (EC) from two emissions inventories were incorporated into a preexisting model with sulfate and sea-salt aerosol. The addition of primary carbonaceous aerosol increased CCN(0.2%) concentrations by 65–90% in the globally averaged surface layer depending on the carbonaceous emissions inventory used. Sensitivity studies were performed to determine the relative importance of organic solubility/hygroscopicity in predicting CCN. In a sensitivity study where carbonaceous aerosol was assumed to be completely insoluble, concentrations of CCN(0.2%) still increased by 40–50% globally over the no carbonaceous simulation because primary carbonaceous emissions were able to become CCN via condensation of sulfuric acid. This shows that approximately half of the contribution of primary carbonaceous particles to CCN in our model comes from the addition of new particles (seeding effect) and half from the contribution of organic solute (solute effect). The solute effect tends to dominate more in areas where there is less inorganic aerosol than organic aerosol and the seeding effect tends to dominate in areas where there is more inorganic aerosol than organic aerosol. It was found that an accurate simulation of the number size distribution is necessary to predict the CCN concentration but assuming an average chemical composition will generally give a CCN concentration within a factor of 2. If a "typical" size distribution is assumed for each species when calculating CCN, such as is done in bulk aerosol models, the mean error relative to a simulation with size resolved microphysics is on the order of 35%. Predicted values of carbonaceous aerosol mass and aerosol number were compared to observations and the model showed average errors of a factor of 3 for carbonaceous mass and a factor of 4 for total aerosol number; however, errors in the accumulation mode concentrations were found to be lower in comparisons with European and marine observations.. The errors in CN and carbonaceous mass may be reduced by improving the emission size distributions of both primary sulfate and primary carbonaceous aerosol.
Long-Term Implications of Parental Divorce for Adult Self-Concept

Adult respondents who experienced parental divorce or death as children were compared with respondents who grew up in continuously intact families on two measures of self-concept: self-esteem and sense of power. No differences in self-esteem were observed across the three groups. Respondents who experienced parental divorce scored significantly lower on sense of power than did respondents from intact families. However, this difference was no longer significant when controls were introduced for respondents' education. Further analysis indicated that low educational attainment largely mediated the relationship between parental divorce during childhood and low sense of power as an adult.