cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimization by Self-Organized Criticality

Self-organized criticality (SOC) is a phenomenon observed in certain complex systems of multiple interacting components, e.g., neural networks, forest fires, and power grids, that produce power-law distributed avalanche sizes. Here, we report the surprising result that the avalanches from an SOC process can be used to solve non-convex optimization problems. To generate avalanches, we use the Abelian sandpile model on a graph that mirrors the graph of the optimization problem. For optimization, we map the avalanche areas onto search patterns for optimization, while the SOC process receives no feedback from the optimization itself. The resulting method can be applied without parameter tuning to a wide range of optimization problems, as demonstrated on three problems: finding the ground-state of an Ising spin glass, graph coloring, and image segmentation. We find that SOC search is more efficient compared to other random search methods, including simulated annealing, and unlike annealing, it is parameter free, thereby eliminating the time-consuming requirement to tune an annealing temperature schedule.
Closure of Skin Incisions

A closure that offers stronger and clean technique without multiple stiches across the incision leading to minimal residual scar.
Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Studies of Non-Covalent Complexes of Yeast Cytochrome c Peroxidase with Cytochromes c

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies of noncovalent complexes of yeast cytochrome c peroxidase with cytochromes. Cytochrome c peroxidase (CcP) from Baker's yeast catalyzes the hydrogen peroxide oxidation of ferrous cytochrome c. The enzyme mechanism includes intermediate steps involving a single electron transfer from ferrous cytochrome c to each oxidized CcP intermediate. Such electron transfers are each characterized by the net oxidation of ferrous cytochrome c, producing ferricytochrome c. A key development in understanding CcP behavior was the formulation of a CcP:cytochrome c complex model by Poulos and Kraut; this model has stimulated a great deal of work on CcP complexes. NMR has proven uniquely capable for detecting and characterizing CcP:cytochrome c complexes. Many other spectroscopic techniques have been employed in studies of these types of complexes but have provided less specific information. The degree of sophistication in exploiting modern NMR methods for studying these complexes is now in a period of growth. The chapter describes the different kinds of CcP:cytochrome c complexes currently being investigated in laboratory. It also describes the scope and limitations of studying these complexes by proton NMR spectroscopy.
Impacto de la edad y del género en los estilos de pensar y crear

Styles of thinking and creating indicate the preferable ways that individuals process information. This study aimed to investigate the impact of sex and age on creative styles. The sample was composed of 1.752 subjects (780 men, 972 women), ages ranging from 17-72, living in 4 Brazilian states. The scale “Style of Thinking and Creating” was administered to groups in various environments. Results analyzed by the Analysis of Variance indicated significant differences between sexes and age ranges (p?.001) for the following styles: Cautious-Reflexive; Non-Conforming/Transformer; Logical-Objective and Emotional-Intuitive. Significant interaction between sex and age were also observed for the Cautious-Reflexive, Logical-Objective and Relational-Divergent styles. In conclusion, the importance of considering gender as well as developmental influences for understanding creative expression was demonstrated. Key words: Creativity, assessment, test, style, culture.
Detection of chromosome aberrations by FISH as a function of cell division cycle (harlequin-FISH).

Chromosome aberrations are a sensitive indicator of genetic change, and the measurement of chromosome aberration frequency in peripheral blood lymphocytes is often used as a biological dosimeter of...
Measurement of Amide III Vibrational Circular Dichroism of Proteins

Empirical correlations have been made between protein vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra for amide I and II modes and the fractions of secondary structure found in analyses of their X-ray crystal structure [1]. We have now studied protein VCD in another region, the amide III (primarily C-N stretch). Its measurement has proven difficult in the infrared due to its low overall absorbance intensity and to its mixing with other non-amide modes lying in the general region near 1300cm−1 [2].
Entropic Affinities: Properties and Efficient Numerical Computation

Gaussian affinities are commonly used in graph-based methods such as spectral clustering or nonlinear embedding. Hinton and Roweis (2003) introduced a way to set the scale individually for each point so that it has a distribution over neighbors with a desired perplexity, or effective number of neighbors. This gives very good affinities that adapt locally to the data but are harder to compute. We study the mathematical properties of these "entropic affinities" and show that they implicitly define a continuously differentiable function in the input space and give bounds for it. We then devise a fast algorithm to compute the widths and affinities, based on robustified, quickly convergent root-finding methods combined with a tree-or density-based initialization scheme that exploits the slowly-varying behavior of this function. This algorithm is nearly optimal and much more accurate and fast than the existing bisection-based approach, particularly with large datasets, as we show with image and text data.
Who benefits from share contracts

Abstract Income volatility reduces the psychological and financial welfare of American households. A primary cause of income volatility for employees is job loss due to firm downsizing. Economists have suggested that firms could structure their employment polices to reduce the need to downsize by adopting share contracts rather than wage contracts. We use an experimental setting in which an employer offers employees a choice between a wage contract (the status quo) and a share contract. In a wage contract the employer pays an employee a fixed salary, whereas in a share contract, the employer sets the percentage of revenue the employee receives as pay. In addition, we manipulate whether the share contract incorporates a form of mutual monitoring and examine the effects of contract type and mutual monitoring on employee effort, employee contract choice and both employee and employer welfare (profit). Our results show that, compared to wage contracts, participants exert more effort under share contracts resulting in higher welfare for both employees and employers. Incorporating mutual monitoring into the share contract further increases total effort and participant welfare but does not lead to an increase in the use of share contracts.
The complex history of Pueblo Bonito and its interpretation

Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon is one of the most iconic pre-Hispanic archaeological sites in the U.S. Southwest. Archaeologists refer to it as a great house in recognition of its massive scale, and often describe it as the centre of the Chaco world. Yet questions remain about Pueblo Bonito’s origins, sequence of construction, duration of occupation and abandonment. Here, the authors present new research that helps to clarify the early phases of occupation, and illuminates some of the problems inherent in reconstructing a building that was a perennial work in progress.
Modified dynamic gait index and limits of stability in myotonic dystrophy type 1

Introduction The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the performance of balance and walking tests in relation to self-reported fall history in adults with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1). Methods Twenty-two (13 male) participants with DM1 completed, a 6-month fall history questionnaire, the modified Dynamic Gait Index (mDGI), limits of stability (LoS) testing, and 10-m walking tests. Results Mean (SD) falls in 6 months was 3.7 (3.1), and 19 (86%) participants reported at least 1 fall. Significant differences in mDGI scores (P = 0.006) and 10-m fast walking gait velocity (P = 0.02) were found between those who had been classified as "fallers" and those who had been classified as "nonfallers." Significant correlations were found between mDGI scores and 10-m walking time. Discussion Falls are common in DM1, and the mDGI may have potential to distinguish fallers from nonfallers, whereas the LoS failed to detect such impairment. Future studies should further explore use of the mDGI in DM1. Muscle Nerve 58: 694-699, 2018.
Abstract P186: Comparison of Hypertension Prevalence, Treatment, and Control Among African Immigrants and African Americans in the US

Introduction: African immigrants make up a growing share of Blacks in the US. However, little is known about their cardiovascular health because data are combined with African Americans, despite cu...
Model-based design for CPS with learning-enabled components

Recent advances in machine learning led to the appearance of Learning-Enabled Components (LECs) in Cyber-Physical Systems. LECs are being evaluated and used for various, complex functions including perception and control. However, very little tool support is available for design automation in such systems. This paper introduces an integrated toolchain that supports the architectural modeling of CPS with LECs, but also has extensive support for the engineering and integration of LECs, including support for training data collection, LEC training, LEC evaluation and verification, and system software deployment. Additionally, the toolsuite supports the modeling and analysis of safety cases - a critical part of the engineering process for mission and safety critical systems.
Clipping of bilateral supply to a midline ethmoidal dural arteriovenous fistula at the origin of the superior sagittal sinus using a bifrontal approach

Abstract Dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs) in the anterior cranial fossa represent only 10% of all dAVFs. Anterior fossa or ethmoidal dAVFs have a unique angioarchitecture, with cortical vein drainage, associated with a significant risk of hemorrhage. Treatment of ethmoidal dAVFs is challenging due to the ethmoidal artery origin and branch of the ophthalmic artery (OpA), which makes this lesion a difficult target for endovascular route. We present management of a 59-year-old female with a recent history of migraine. Angiography demonstrated bilateral supply with shunting directly into the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) at its origin adjacent to the crista galli via ethmoidal arteries arising from both OpA, and a 5 mm basilar tip aneurysm projecting postero-superiorly. Since the fistula had a higher risk of hemorrhage, aneurysm occlusion was deferred for treatment at a later time. Endovascular occlusion of the dAVF was not feasible due to the high risk of catherization of OpA, and the patient agreed to microsurgical treatment. A bifrontal craniotomy with ligation of SSS in its proximal third was required to allow access to the crista galli. After occlusion of the arterial feeders, clips were placed to occlude the origin of SSS and avoid fistula recurrence. The patient was discharged without complications, and post-operative angiography showed complete occlusion of the fistula and no further shunting into the SSS. This facilitated future antiplatelet therapy for endovascular treatment of the basilar aneurysm.
Use of agroindustrial byproducts as substrate for production of carotenoids with antioxidant potential by wild yeasts

Abstract In order to produce carotenoids with antioxidant potential from the wild yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Sporidiobolus pararoseus and Pichia fermentans, isolated from the ecosystem of Escudo Sul-Rio Grandense (Brazil), cultivations were performed with: raw glycerol and corn steep liquor (M1), sugar cane molasses and corn steep liquor (M2) and Yeast Malt (YM) broth. Production of β-carotene more than 63% was obtained in all the experiments. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was analyzed by the methods DPPH, ABTS and FRAP. S. pararoseus is highlighted, showing 635 and 830 μg.L−1 of carotenoids in M1 and M2, respectively. The extracts of P. fermentans in M2 were promising in relation to the antioxidant activity, presented results not reported in the literature until the present moment. Based on these results and the importance of obtaining carotenoid compounds from alternative sources, the proposed means, as well as the yeasts used, were shown to be promising choices. The use of agroindustrials media and microorganisms isolated from the ecosystems intensify the importance of this study providing new sources of biocompounds from the biodiversity and biotechnological potential of Brazil.
Historical and Current Trends in HIV Criminalization in South Carolina: Implications for the Southern HIV Epidemic

In the 1980s, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) criminalization laws became widespread across the United States. Today, such laws continue to be used to prosecute people living with HIV for a variety of behaviors though there is limited evidence that doing so curbs HIV transmission. HIV criminalization remains understudied, especially in the Deep South. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to trace the emergence, maintenance, and enforcement of HIV criminalization laws in South Carolina—a Southern state disproportionately burdened by HIV. Specifically, Nexis Uni and other criminology databases were used to identify HIV-related laws and criminal cases in South Carolina. Results indicate that the state’s criminalization laws have remained nearly unchanged for over 30 years and continue to be used to prosecute individuals, a majority of whom are African–American. Findings support the need to reconsider HIV-related laws and devote more efforts to studying the impact of HIV criminalization on the Southern epidemic.
Application of Stream Splitting Moving Target Network Defenses

Our world is ever changing, and cyber adversaries are continually finding new and innovative ways to bypass existing defenses. This paper investigates the application of a Moving Target Network Defense and demonstrates a capability to impair an adversary attempting to execute a successful cyberattack. This paper also reviews previous research into Moving Target Defenses. While moving target defenses do pose some difficulties in implementation, the benefits could be significant.
Sustainable Recipes. A Food Recipe Sourcing and Recommendation System to Minimize Food Miles.

Sustainable Recipes is a tool that (1) connects food recipes ingredient lists with the closest organic providers to minimize the distance that food travels from farm to food preparation site and (2) recommends recipes given a GPS coordinate to minimize food miles. Sustainable Recipes provides consumers, entrepreneurs, cooking enthusiasts, and restauranteurs in the United States and elsewhere with an easy to use interface to help them (1) connect with organic ingredient producers to source ingredients to produce food recipes minimizing food miles and (2) recommend recipes using locally grown food. The main academic contribution of Sustainable Recipes is to bridge the gap between two streams of literature in data science of food recipes: studies of food recipes and studies of food supply chains. The outcomes of the interphase are (1) a map visualization that highlights the location of the producers that can supply the ingredients for a food recipe along with a ticket consisting of their contact addresses and the food miles used to produce a recipe and (2) a list of recipes that minimize food miles for a given GPS coordinate in which the recipe is going to be produced.
Heroin or not: a case for timing of specimen collection

Abstract Urine drug screening is the current standard practice for screening patients suspected of abuse of illicit or prescribed medications. Yet, the screening results can suffer from false-positive or false-negative results due to the wide range of potential causative agents that need to be screened for and the inherent limitations of the methodology. A second-tier confirmation test is used to achieve more specific identification of the drugs in question to reduce false-positive results. However, other factors will also affect the accurate detection of compounds of interest and therefore affect the interpretation of results. In this case, we discuss the impact of drug metabolism, drug and metabolite half-lives, and especially the timing of specimen collection on the identification of heroin abuse. Two samples collected 15 minutes apart indicated different components by confirmation testing. While the results raised some concerns in the beginning, further investigation and particularly discussions with the care team revealed the cause of the discrepancy through the source of the specimen and the collection process. The very different results indicated the recent abuse of heroin by the patient. In summary, this case presented the clinical toxicology interpretation is affected by multiple factors beyond the limitations of screening by immunoassays. Close collaboration with the providers is essential for proper interpretation of toxicology results.
Teaching NeuroImages: Central Pontine Myelinolysis in Diabetic Ketoacidosis

A 38-year-old woman with uncontrolled type 1 diabetes (HbA1c 12.8%) was admitted for diabetic ketoacidosis (731 mg/dL blood glucose). Hyperglycemia was corrected within 24 hours to 129 mg/dL. Upon presentation, her sodium and potassium levels were 139 and 3.9 mmol/L, respectively, remaining stable until discharge. There was no history of malnutrition or alcohol abuse.
DOCKGROUND Membrane Protein-Protein Set

Membrane proteins play essential role in cellular mechanisms. Despite that and the major progress in experimental structure determination, they are still significantly underrepresented in Protein Data Bank. Thus, computational approaches to protein structure determination, which are important in general, are especially valuable in the case of membrane proteins and protein-protein assemblies. Due to a number of reasons, not the least of which is much greater availability of structural data, the main focus of structure prediction techniques has been on soluble proteins. Structure prediction of protein-protein complexes is a well-developed field of study. However, because of the differences in physicochemical environment in the membranes and the spatial constraints of the membranes, the generic protein-protein docking approaches are not optimal for the membrane proteins. Thus, specialized computational methods for docking of the membrane proteins must be developed. Development and benchmarking of such methods requires high-quality datasets of membrane protein-protein complexes. In this study we present a new dataset of 456 non-redundant alpha helical binary complexes. The set is significantly larger and more representative than previously developed ones. In the future, this set will become the basis for the development of docking and scoring benchmarks, similar to the ones developed for soluble proteins in the DOCKGROUND resource http://dockground.compbio.ku.edu.
Overt Stereotype Biases and Discrimination in the Workplace: Why Haven’t We Fixed This by Now?

A substantial amount of research exists on identifying and combating stereotypes and related biases that may improperly influence employment staffing decisions. Yet, evidence of such biases continues to appear in the reported discrimination cases and poses ongoing liability risks for employers. This paper examines various kinds of workplace stereotype biases, including those related to gender, parenthood, use of family leave, age, disability, and perceived disability, which may improperly influence performance evaluations or employment decisions based upon them. Although the behavioral science in this area has focused largely on combating implicit biases, recent U.S. appellate court cases present direct evidence of more overt biases whose effects should be readily identified and addressed. Possible explanations for the persistence of such biases in the workplace and corresponding actions to reduce or eliminate them are explored.
Biopharmaceutical Considerations of Opioid Analgesics in Models of Self-Administration: Review and Summary

Throughout this volume we have discussed the opioid analgesics and the propensity for subjects with established chronic pain to develop opioid-induced addiction. The class of opioid analgesic compounds and pharmaceutical dosage forms include not only chemicals with similar characteristics but also some significant distinctions that can impact the ultimate pharmacological effects on both analgesia and potential for addiction. In developing and/or implementing animal models of opioid addiction in the state of chronic pain it is valuable to be cognizant of the physicochemical and pharmacological characteristics of specific opioid analgesics. The objective of this chapter is to feature biopharmaceutical aspects of a series of the most common prescription analgesics opioids.
Internal Energy Transfer in Isolated Molecules: Ergodic and Nonergodic Behavior

I have been asked to present a broad overview of current understanding of the nature of intramolecular energy transfer in isolated molecules. In the short time available for this talk I can do no more than describe very briefly some attempts to answer the major questions associated with this subject. In my opinion these are: 1. Under what conditions, if any, is intramolecular energy exchange slow/rapid relative to other processes, for example photon emission, or isomerization, or fragmentation? 2. How does the intramolecular energy exchange depend on the energy of the molecule and the nature of the initial excitation? 3. If there are situations for which intramolecular energy exchange is slow relative to chemical reaction, why does this behavior occur? Does it derive from special characteristics of the molecular force fields? Are there dynamical or symmetry restrictions on the spectrum of states in these cases? Are these special situations commonly or rarely found? 4. Given the answers to (3), can we devise excitation methods and reaction conditions that permit enhancement of the selectivity of the chemistry that follows?
Ultra High Energy Astronomy

Techniques of Ultra High Energy astronomy are reviewed in this lecture. Sensitivity of experiments currently underway or planned for the near future is discussed. Recent results from the CYGNUS experiment with regard to steady emission from sources such as Cygnus X-3 and Herculus X-l are compared with those from other experiments. Criteria for next generation of detectors are developed and discussed.
On the central charge of spacetime current algebras and correlators in string theory on AdS 3

Spacetime Virasoro and affine Lie algebras for strings propagating in AdS 3 are known to all orders in α′. The central extension of such algebras is a string vertex, whose expectation value can depend on the number of long strings present in the background but should be otherwise state-independent. In hep-th/0106004, on the other hand, a state-dependent expectation value was found. Another puzzling feature of the theory is lack of cluster decomposition property in certain connected correlators. This note shows that both problems can be removed by defining the free energy of the spacetime boundary conformal field theory as the Legendre transform of the formula proposed in the literature. This corresponds to pass from a canonical ensemble, where the number of fundamental strings that create the background can fluctuate, to a microcanonical one, where it is fixed.
Understanding the needs of low SES patients with type 2 diabetes

This work-in-progress reports preliminary results of an interview study (n=5) with low SES, rural patients with type 2 diabetes. The paper presents 3 themes and associated design suggestions relating to the high-prevalence of co-morbidities, the importance of external support, and the different stages a patient may be in with respect to making lifestyle changes.
Sequence analysis of mouse mitochondrial chloramphenicol-resistant mutants

The nucleotide sequences of the 3′ halves of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA genes from four independent mouse chloramphenicol-resistant (CAP-R) mutants were determined. Each contained a different, single base change that encodes the mutational phenotype. The mitochondrial rRNAgene from the SVA31 CAP-R mutant contains a G-to-A transition at nucleotide 2161 of the noncoding strand; the SVIS CAP-R mutant, a G-to-A transition at position 2375; the LA9 CAP-R mutant, an A-to-T transversion at position 2379; and the SVT2 CAP-R mutant, a T-to-C transition at position 2433. Three of these CAP-R mutants appear to be heteroplasmic as the mtDNA populations contain both wild-type and mutant copies of the rRNAgene. The SVIS CAP-R mutation has not been observed in other mammalian CAP-R mutants, although it occurs at a site homologous to one of the yeast mitochondrial CAP-R mutations. Based upon the locations of the mutated sites within the 16S rRNA, and their proximity to previously analyzed sites of mutations conferring increased inhibitor resistance, all these mutations occur within the ribosomal RNA peptidyltransferase domain. These results provide an explanation for the pleiotropic nature of mitochondrial CAP-R mutations in mammalian cells, particularly the observations that some of the mutant lines are partially respiration deficient.
Separation of apolipoproteins by an acrylamide-gradient sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis system.

Abstract A 3–27% acrylamide-gradient sodium dodecyl sulfate slab gel electrophoresis system has been developed in order to resolve both the high and low molecular weight protein components of the plasma lipoproteins. A comparison of the electrophoresis of delipidated and undelipidated lipoprotein samples is also reported.
Considering the third dimension in stress-triggering of aftershocks: 1993 Klamath Falls, Oregon, Earthquake Sequence

Dip slip on a fault of finite dimension produces a static stress change that varies considerably in 3-D. The 1993 Klamath Falls (Oregon, USA) earthquake sequence shows a shallow, off-fault cluster of aftershocks with mixed dip-slip and strike-slip focal mechanisms. Modeled static stress change and location of aftershocks show a misleading correspondence when viewed in the customary 2-D presentation. Full 3-D analysis shows that shallow right-lateral slip is consistent with the local stress perturbation following the dip-slip main shocks.
Heliospheric cosmic ray irradiation of Kuiper Belt comets

Abstract Irradiation by galactic cosmic ray particles at energies above 0.1 GeV has been shown to be a significant source of energy for chemical modification of ices in Oort Cloud comets. However, these ions have minimal efficiency for surface modification, since their energy is deposited over depths of many meters, and they must act over the lifetime of the Solar System to produce an appreciable radiation-induced mantle. Recent measurements by the Voyager and Pioneer spacecraft, now moving outward from the Sun beyond 40 – 60 A.U. into the Kuiper belt region, have found a radially increasing intensity of the “anomalous” cosmic ray component, consisting of interstellar hydrogen and heavier ions accelerated at energies up to 10 2 MeV/nucleon at the solar wind termination shock at 65 – 100 A.U. from the Sun. Significant intensities of the anomalous cosmic ray ions are expected throughout the inner Kuiper belt region beyond the termination shock and out to the heliopause. These ions would significantly affect mantle formation on Kuiper Belt comets at column depths less than 10 grams/cm 2 in the outer surface layer of material accessible to direct and remote sensing measurements.
Graph theory and the PPP method

A graph theoretical formulation of the PPP method is presented. A weighted adjacency matrix of the PPP graph is given, wherein the off-diagonal elements are the bond orders. The automorphism group of the PPP graph is defined and shown to be isomorphic with the permutational subgroup of the permutation-inversion group of the molecule. It is demonstrated that the characteristic polynomial of the adjacency matrix of the PPP bond graph is invariant in every SCF iteration. It is shown that the PPP spectra discriminate isospectral graphs.
A non-Markovian queueing system with a variable number of channels

In this paper we study a queueing model of type GI / M / m ˜ a / ∞ with m parallel channels, some of which may suspend their service at specified random moments of time. Whether or not this phenomenon occurs depends on the queue length. The queueing process, which we target, turns out to be semi-regenerative, and we fully explore this utilizing semi-regenerative techniques. This is contrary to the more traditional supplementary variable approach and the less popular approach of combination semi-regenerative and supplementary variable technique. We pass to the limiting distribution of the continuous time parameter process through the embedded Markov chain for which we find the invariant probability measure. All formulas are analytically tractable.
Dynamic collaborator discovery in information intensive environments

As organizations continue to grow more complex, people have increasing difficulty remaining aware of others whose work could impact their own. Despite the rapid proliferation of our communication networks, we often hear the complaint “the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing.” This is a particularly important issue within large organizations and could be reduced if people could more easily discover potential collaborators. As organizations continuously re-organize, it is often the case that one person comes to be working on a problem that someone else has already solved. Likewise, a particular customer need might be more readily satisfied with the efficient identification of the appropriate individuals to assemble into a team. Coordination between people with common interests is a particularly important issue within the military intelligence community. While focusing on a specific region or political arena, for example, the significance of a certain subtle detail may not be apparent to an analyst until it can be placed in a “big picture” view that spans multiple regional and political arenas. The analyst who can find the right people to contact to help assemble this larger view is most likely to succeed. The goal of “collaborator discovery” is to help people with similar interests find each other with minimal effort.
Market efficiency and cointegration: an application to the sterling and deutschemark exchange markets

Abstract The assumption that the foreign exchange market is efficient, that is, that agents are risk neutral and use all available information rationally so that the forward exchange rate is an unbiased predictor of the future spot rate, is a property often imposed in theoretical international macroeconomic models. Although a vast empirical literature has evolved to test market efficiency, we use recent developments in the theory of cointegration to provide new methods of testing several aspects of foreign exchange market efficiency. We ffind evidence inconsistent with market efficiency for both Germany and the United Kingdom.
The landscape infrastructure footprint of oil development: Venezuela's heavy oil belt

Abstract Oil exploration and production activities (OEPA) and other extractive endeavors can create large-scale and permanent landscape alterations through the establishment of infrastructure features such as roads, well pads, pipelines and production facilities. These structures can lead to or increase landscape fragmentation and degradation, reduce biodiversity, disrupt important ecosystem services and attract informal settlements that further alter the landscape, deplete area resources and lead to social conflict. Aside from regulatory standards, many energy (oil and gas) companies include voluntary environmental performance as part of their sustainability reporting. However, they do not account for these site-specific alterations in a systematic, quantifiable and transparent way. This paper proposes a calculation of a modified Landscape Infrastructure Footprint (LIF) of OEPA based on landscape ecology metrics measured via GIS and remote sensing techniques. Three Venezuelan heavy oil belt (HOB) operations were examined with reference to the years 1990 and 2000. Results indicate that Ameriven displayed the smallest LIF. Newer technologies, best practices, land cover, competing economic interests and type of management may explain observed alterations. LIF methods provide four important benefits. First, they can help to reduce surface disturbances by informing planning practices in current as well as in new projects. Second, they fortify environmental reporting by providing objective measures of environmental performance tied to extractive activities. Third, by including LIF in their sustainability practices, extractive industries can improve their competitive advantage. Finally, the LIF helps create a set of transparent environmental performance standards that industry and regulators can adopt in order to measure and monitor landscape alterations resulting from extractive activities.
Pre-randomization and de-randomization in emergency medical research: new names and rigorous criteria for old methods

Clinical trials are performed to determine if a therapy is effective in the treatment of a disease. The methods of randomization and blinding are used to assure that the only planned difference between the two groups is the therapy itself, and differences in outcome cannot be attributed to bias. Emergency medical conditions, and in particular therapies that must be administered in an emergency, present challenges to inclusion, exclusion, randomization, and blinding that are at times insurmountable in the context of available resources. Pre-randomization (that is, assigning the therapy to be used before the event occurs) and de-randomization (that is, removing randomized cases that do not meet established inclusion criteria) may address some of the challenges resulting from emergency enrolment but have the potential to create bias. We describe these techniques, and provide criteria that should be employed if pre-randomization and/or de-randomization are being considered. It is possible to use these techniques to successfully complete clinical trials that would not have been possible using only standard methodology and still ensure that results are without bias.
Empowering Employee Sustainability: Perceived Organizational Support Toward the Environment

This paper contributes to the ongoing discussion of sustainability behaviors by introducing the construct of perceived organizational support toward the environment (POS-E). We propose and empirically test an integrated model whereby we test the association of POS-E with employees’ organizational citizenship behaviors toward the environment (OCB-E) as well as to job attitudes. Results indicated that POS-E was positively related to OCB-E, job satisfaction, organizational identification, and psychological empowerment, and negatively related to turnover intentions. We also found that psychological empowerment partially mediated the relationship between POS-E and the dependent variables. We discuss the theoretical implications as well as practical implications for managers seeking to encourage sustainability in their organizations.
Percutaneous Central Venous Access for Resuscitation in Trauma

Objective: To determine the safety of percutaneous central venous access when used for trauma resuscitation and whether the initial hemodynamic status of the patient or the site of placement affects the ease or success of line placement. Methods: Consecutive major-trauma patients were managed using a resuscitation protocol guiding intravenous line use. Percutaneous peripheral venous access was initially attempted in all patients. If this approach was unsuccessful or proved to be inadequate for volume resuscitation, venous access was attempted using central venous catheter-introducer sets. The site of the central venous access was determined by protocol. For thoracic injury, access was via the ipsilateral subclavian vein (SCV), the ipsilateral internal jugular vein (IJV), or the femoral vein. For suspected mediastinal injury, access was via the contralateral SCV or IJV, or the femoral vein. For abdominal or flank injury, access was via the SCV or IJV only. Multiple central venous access sites were used at the discretion of the trauma team. Results: Central venous access was successful at 144 of 147 sites (99%) used in 122 patients during the study period. There was only one major complication (rate = 0.7%; 95% CI 0.0–3.8%). Mean catheter placement time was 1.9 minutes, and cannulation occurred with a mean of 1.8 needle passes. Most patients (81/122) were hypotensive (blood pressure ≤90 torr) at the time of line placement, including 44 who were in cardiac arrest and four awake patients who had no obtainable blood pressure. Neither the access site nor the presence of hypotension was associated with the mean time to obtain central venous access, the mean number of attempts, or the complication rate. Conclusion: Percutaneous central venous access is relatively safe and reliable for gaining intravenous access when resuscitating trauma patients, when used in a center where physicians are experienced in the technique. Consideration should be given to expanding the use of central venous access in trauma resuscitation.
Spinophilin regulates the formation and function of dendritic spines

Spinophilin, a protein that interacts with actin and protein phosphatase-1, is highly enriched in dendritic spines. Here, through the use of spinophilin knockout mice, we provide evidence that spinophilin modulates both glutamatergic synaptic transmission and dendritic morphology. The ability of protein phosphatase-1 to regulate the activity of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors was reduced in spinophilin knockout mice. Consistent with altered glutamatergic transmission, spinophilin-deficient mice showed reduced long-term depression and exhibited resistance to kainate-induced seizures and neuronal apoptosis. In addition, deletion of the spinophilin gene caused a marked increase in spine density during development in vivo as well as altered filopodial formation in cultured neurons. In conclusion, spinophilin appears to be required for the regulation of the properties of dendritic spines.
STUDIES IN RODENT POLIOMYELITIS : VI. FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON INTERFERENCE BETWEEN MURINE AND SIMIAN STRAINS OF POLIOMYELITIS VIRUS.

1. Attempts to separate by processes of physical segregation, i.e. ultrafiltration, ultracentrifugation, or dialysis, from live SK murine poliomyelitis virus a non-pathogenic agent capable of interfering with simian poliomyelitis virus were unsuccessful. Neither was it possible to convert live SK murine virus into a non-pathogenic interfering agent by processes of chemical inactivation, i.e., phenolization or formalinization. 2. Preparations of SK murine virus, which had been markedly attenuated by ultraviolet irradiation, gave evidence of having retained some interfering power in rhesus monkeys. 3. MM murine poliomyelitis virus interfered, both in mixture tests and by peripheral administration, with two simian strains of poliomyelitis virus. With adequate amounts, distinct protective effects could be obtained in rhesus monkeys which had received murine virus (animal passage or tissue culture virus) up to 48 hours after intracerebral infection with simian poliomyelitis virus. 4. Theiler's virus of spontaneous mouse encephalomyelitis, when tested in mixture with simian poliomyelitis virus, gave some evidence of irregular and low grade interference. Interference could not be shown conclusively in experiments to prevent poliomyelitic infection or to modify its effects. 5. The nature of the interfering agent present in murine virus is discussed.
Optical interconnects for high performance computing

Future large scale high performance computing systems will necessitate extensive use of optical interconnects to meet system performance goals, requiring optical interconnects to greatly improve in cost, power, areal density and reliability. Optical printed circuit boards and silicon based integrated photonics are potential technologies to meet these challenges.
Carburization performance of Incoloy 800HT in CH4/H2 gas mixtures

Abstract Carburization performance of Incoloy 800HT has been studied after cyclic and isothermal exposures to CH 4 /H 2 carburizing gas mixtures at high temperatures for 500 h. At 800 °C in 2% CH 4 /H 2 , Incoloy 800HT suffered external oxidation and carburization, the external continuous layer of reaction products consists primarily of Cr 7 C 3 , Mn 1.5 Cr 1.5 O 4 , and FeCr 2 O 4 with Fe(Cr, Al) 2 O 4 as a minor phase. At 1100 °C in 10% CH 4 /H 2 , external carburization did not occur likely due to high carbon dissolution in the alloy substrate at this temperature. A thermodynamic analysis indicated that 1000 °C was an approximate critical temperature, below which the environment should result in mixed oxidizing/carburizing behavior, while above this temperature reducing carburizing behavior should occur. The experimental results approximately agree with the thermodynamic analysis. Metal dusting was not observed under highly carburizing conditions ( a C >1). The size and morphology of Cr-rich phases (or Cr-carbides) are both temperature- and time-dependent, while the external continuity is more temperature-dependent rather than time-dependent.
Characteristics of metallic subsurface zones in sliding and impact wear

Abstract Various metallic pairs were tested under conditions of unlubricated solid contact. Experiments were conducted for repetitive impulsive and continuous sliding contact. Wide ranges of materials and conditions (nominal contact stress and relative transverse sliding velocity) and a variety of loading modes (pure normal impact at various frequencies, compound impact at various sliding velocities, and pure sliding under various stress levels) were explored. Particular attention was focused on the establishment of subsurface material zones developed in the tests, in situ. These zones exhibit dependences on velocity, stress, material, test duration and loading mode. The experimental findings, based on several analysis techniques, serve to characterize subsurface zone composition and morphology. Both surface and subsurface features were examined by optical and electron microscopy and analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray techniques to allow interpretations concerning the role of external parameters, material transport and debris formation, as well as insight into operative mechanisms which act on specific materials under prescribed conditions to cause wear.
Neocortical projections to the pons and medulla of the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus).

The pattern of neocortical projections to the pons and medulla was determined by employing the Nauta-Gygax technique ('54) on the brains of armadillos subjected to neocortical ablations. The results of this study indicate that the pretrigeminal basilar pontine gray receives input from a considerable portion of the neocortex. Degenerating fibers resulting from a lesion of the frontal tip of the neocortex terminated within the dorsal medial, the medial and the ventral medial areas of the rostral basilar pontine gray. Corticopontine fibers from the mid-presupraorbital neocortex ended throughout the rostral to caudal extent of the basilar pontine gray, and terminated within the dorsal medial, the medial and the ventral medial areas; whereas degenerating fibers resulting from a lesion of the neocortex immediately rostral to the supraorbital sulcus terminated within the medial, the ventral and the ventral lateral areas of the basilar pontine gray. The neocortex immediately caudal to the supraorbital sulcus distributed corticopontine fibers to the ventral, the ventral lateral, the dorsal lateral and to the dorsal areas of the basilar pontine gray, while degenerating fibers resulting from lesions of the caudal one-third and most caudal tip of the neocortex projected to the ventral and lateral portions of the basilar pontine gray. Neocortical projections to the pontine and medullary reticular formation originated mainly from cortical areas rostral and immediately caudal to the supraorbital sulcus. The neocortex rostral to the supraorbital sulcus distributed to the rostral and medial portions of the pontine reticular formation, whereas corticoreticular fibers from the neocortex immediately caudal to the suprarbital sulcus, also distributed degenerating fascicles to the spinal trigeminal nucleus, the nucleus of the solitary tract and to the nucleus cuneatus. No degenerating fibers were seen to terminate within motor nuclei of cranial nerves located within either the pons or medulla.
Nonparametric Regression Analysis of Longitudinal Data

Abstract Nonparametric methods are developed for estimating the dose effect when a response consists of correlated observations over time measured in a dose–response experiment. The methods can also be applied to data collected from a completely randomized design experiment. Methods are developed for the detection and description of the effects of dose, time, and their interaction. The methods allow for individual variation in the timing and number of observations. A generalization allowing baseline covariates to be incorporated is addressed. These results may be used in an exploratory fashion in the process of building a random-effects model for longitudinal data.
Required Disclosures in Financial Reports

his paper considers required disclosures (the portions of audited financial reports that are not recognized) from both a standard-setting perspective and a research perspective. My intent is to describe standard-setting issues (that is, the questions faced by standard setters in establishing disclosure requirements) and research issues (that is, the questions faced by researchers in providing analytical and empirical evidence about required disclosures).I By recognition, I mean depictions in numbers with captions on the face of the financial statements; by required disclosures, I mean display in the notes and supporting schedules that accompany financial statements.2 Some disclosed items in financial reports are not recognized-and likely never will be-because they cannot be expressed in numbers or, more narrowly, in currency units. Examples include the qualitative description of accounting policies, a summary of inputs to the calculation of a recognized number, and a sensitivity analysis. While I will touch on these types of items, particularly the latter two, my primary focus will be on items that are not recognized but could be. The amount of financial reporting information that is communicated by means of required disclosures is significant, and has been increasing over time, with no sign of abatement. Despite their abundance, required disclosures are not well understood: we lack a comprehensive theory of mandatory disclosures; many questions remain as to how preparers, auditors, and users of financial reports view disclosures, particularly as compared to recognized items; and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)'s conceptual framework does not provide either a conceptual purpose for disclosures or criteria to support
Whirling of a forced cantilevered beam with static deflection. II: Superharmonic and subharmonic resonances

Secondary resonances of a slender, elastic, cantilevered beam subjected to a transverse harmonic load are investigated. The effects of nonlinear curvature, nonlinear inertia, viscous damping and static load are included. Cubic terms in the governing equations lead to subharmonic and superharmonic resonances of order three. The static displacement produced by the weight of the beam introduces quadratic terms in the governing equations, which cause subharmonic and superharmonic resonances of order two. Out-of-plane motion is possible in all of these secondary resonances when the principal moments of inertia of the beam cross section are approximately equal.