cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Analysis of Fuel Smuggling in the Middle East as a Single Multinational Market

Fuel smuggling is a thriving business in the Middle East region where some oil-producing governments subsidize petroleum and fuel products. This multi hundred-million-dollar industry benefits black marketers and terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, who use smuggling fuel and oil to finance their operations. This article uses a mixed oligopoly framework to study the interactions between governments which influence this market. It finds out that the different approaches to pricing motivate fuel smuggling. While paying subsidies to consumers might reduce the volume of fuel smuggling and an increase in the law enforcement effectiveness will reduce the number of fuel smugglers, neither approach will stop fuel smuggling completely. Governments can stop smuggling only by adopting a strategic approach to pricing, which takes into account the multinational nature of the market.
A pilot study of animal assisted activity among hospitalized older adults

Abstract Animal Assisted Activity (AAA) is a non-medical intervention that has been shown to reduce anxiety among nursing home patients in various settings. However, AAA has not been tested among acute care hospitalized older adult patients ages 65 and older. This pilot study explored if a visit from a trained dog and its handler would decrease anxiety among hospitalized, older adult patients ages 65 and greater. The participants were recruited from medical surgical/oncology units, and the Speilberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) 6-item short form was used to measure anxiety both pre- and post-interactions with the AAA-team. The data revealed that a one-time, 12–20-min visit, allowing the patients to pet and to interact with the dog, reduced (p = .000) the participants’ self-reported anxiety.
What is an extinction burst?: A case study in the analysis of transitional behavior

Among the tactics of experimental science discussed by Sidman (1960) were those used to study transitional behavior. Drawing from his insights, this review considers an often cited but infrequently analyzed aspect of the transition from reinforcement to extinction: the extinction burst. In particular, the review seeks to answer the question posed in its title. The generic definition of an extinction burst as an increase in response rate following the onset of extinction is found to be wanting, raising more questions than it answers. Because questions of definition in science usually come down to those of measurement, the answer to the title's question is suggested to be found in how behavior prior to extinction is maintained and measured, when and how extinction is introduced, and where in time and how behavior early in extinction is measured. This analysis suggests that a single, uniform, and precise definition of the extinction burst is misguided. Examining how each of these facets contributes to what has been described generically as the extinction burst is a small, but important, part of Sidman's methodological legacy to the experimental analysis of behavior.
Classification of protein binding ligands using structural dispersion of binding site atoms from principal axes

Many researchers have studied the relationship between the biological functions of proteins and the structures of both their overall backbones of amino acids and their binding sites. A large amount of the work has focused on summarizing structural features of binding sites as scalar quantities, which can result in a great deal of information loss since the structures are three-dimensional. Additionally, a common way of comparing binding sites is via aligning their atoms, which is a computationally intensive procedure that substantially limits the types of analysis and modeling that can be done. In this work, we develop a novel encoding of binding sites as covariance matrices of the distances of atoms to the principal axes of the structures. This representation is invariant to the chosen coordinate system for the atoms in the binding sites, which removes the need to align the sites to a common coordinate system, is computationally efficient, and permits the development of probability models. These can then be used to both better understand groups of binding sites that bind to the same ligand and perform classification for these ligand groups. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method through classification studies with two benchmark datasets using nearest mean and polytomous logistic regression classifiers.
Fibrinolysis in Traumatic Brain Injury: Diagnosis, Management, and Clinical Considerations

Posttraumatic coagulopathy involves disruption of both the coagulation and fibrinolytic pathways secondary to tissue damage, hypotension, and inflammatory upregulation. This phenomenon contributes to delayed complications after traumatic brain injury (TBI), including intracranial hemorrhage progression and systemic disseminated intravascular coagulopathy. Development of an early hyperfibrinolytic state may result in uncontrolled bleeding and is associated with increased mortality in patients with TBI. Although fibrinolytic assays are not routinely performed in the assessment of posttraumatic coagulopathy, circulating biomarkers such as D-dimer and fibrin degradation products have demonstrated potential utility in outcome prediction. Unfortunately, the relatively delayed nature of these tests limits their clinical utility. In contrast, viscoelastic tests are able to provide a rapid global assessment of coagulopathy, although their ability to reliably identify disruptions in the fibrinolytic cascade remains unclear. Limited evidence supports the use of hypertonic saline, cryoprecipitate, and plasma to correct fibrinolytic disruption; however, some studies suggest more harm than benefit. Recently, early use of tranexamic acid in patients with TBI and confirmed hyperfibrinolysis has been proposed as a strategy to further improve clinical outcomes. Moving forward, further delineation of TBI phenotypes and the clinical implications of fibrinolysis based on phenotypic variation is needed. In this review, we summarize the clinical aspects of fibrinolysis in TBI, including diagnosis, treatment, and clinical correlates, with identification of targeted areas for future research efforts.
Must Good Samaritans vote

The ‘particularity problem’ is one of the most important objections to the putative duty to vote. The problem holds that the reasons usually given on behalf of a duty to vote fail to show there is ...
Inkjet Printing and In-Situ Crystallization of Biopigments for Eco-Friendly and Energy-Efficient Fabric Coloration

Current methods of fabric dyeing have a significant negative effect on the environment via toxic effluent emissions, high water usage, and high energy consumption. We demonstrate, for the first time, low-energy inkjet printing of an ecofriendly and biodegradable pigment derived from widely available spalting fungi with synthesis by-products that are fully biodegradable. Vivid and stable coloration is achieved on polyester and cotton using benign acetone-based and ethanol-based biopigment inks, with no liquid effluent or runoff, and without any synthetic dyes or mordants. We investigate the influence of fabric type, solvent type, and the number of printing passes on the color type, intensity, and uniformity, pigment crystallization, and environmental stability. Greater spatial definition of the printed pigment in inkjet printing effects greater crystallization and more vivid and uniform coloration as compared to drop-casting, the primary method used till date to color fabrics with such fungal biopigments. pH-driven interactions between the fabric, solvent, and biopigment cause solvent-driven changes in color type (from bluish to reddish) and fabric-governed changes in color intensity. The impact of our findings on minimizing the environmental impact of fabric dyeing is discussed.
Impact of quality improvement measures on the delivery of allergy immunotherapy: a 2-year follow-up.

Background Anaphylaxis is the most serious potential complication from allergy treatment with subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT). Quality measures were developed with the goal to decrease the incidence of complications resulting from SCIT and improve the safety of care provided. Methods The incidence and characteristics of anaphylaxis episodes resulting from SCIT was measured between 2008 and 2012 prior to implementation of quality measures including vial verification, vial testing, and standardized training across 6 allergy delivery sites. Errors and anaphylaxis rates were then tracked prospectively over a 2-year period after implementation of these process measures. Results From 2008 to 2012 there were 9 episodes of anaphylaxis or 0.02% of injections/year. Eight patients had sufficient information from which to derive meaningful data. Patient identification error led to anaphylaxis in 2 patients, dosing error in 2, and compounding error in 1 patient. In 2 patients, anaphylaxis occurred with advancement during pollen season, and in 1 patient no clear reason could be identified although she had asthma as a risk factor. After implementation of quality improvement measures the anaphylaxis rate fell to 0 of 8948 injections for years 2013 and 2014. Conclusion Errors in the mixing and administration of allergy serum comprised the majority of identifiable factors that led to anaphylaxis. Implementation of quality measures, including vial verification and vial testing, can improve safety and decrease anaphylaxis rates in the delivery of allergy immunotherapy.
Simulation and field-testing of hybrid ultra-capacitor/battery energy storage systems for electric and hybrid-electric transit vehicles

This paper investigates the use of ultra-capacitors combined with batteries as an improved energy storage system for electric, hybrid electric, and hybrid fuel cell transit vehicles. A demonstrator hybrid electric vehicle with an ultra-capacitor system was constructed and used to validate simulations. Results suggest a significant reduction in peak currents experienced by the battery pack in drive cycles with a high number of starts and stops.
Production Organizations in the Arts

DiMaggio and Hirsch describe the cycle from creation to consumption through which art is produced. Using an organizational model which could be applied to most culture-producing milieux, they focus on three levels of analysis: interpersonal, interorganizational, and total system.
Afterimages of the Victorian City

As emblematic spaces of social and cultural contamination, the Victorian street and underworld have had remarkable afterlives in twentieth-century reinterpretations of Victorian cityscapes. This article explores what persists in our vision of the nineteenth-century city well over a century after it was, so to speak, first seen, and how what persists impacts on our attempts to reconstruct that act of seeing. In the lived spaces around us there is in fact continuity, in that the city is a palimpsest and patchwork of Victorian and post-Victorian materials. However, to see those spaces as Victorian is in fact to elide a historical process of physical accumulation and syncretism. This article explores spectral ‘afterimages’ of the Victorian street and underground, in a variety of contemporary sources, ranging from Gary Sherman's Death Line (1972) and John Mackenzie's The Long Good Friday (1980) to Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses (New York: Picador, 1988), the material culture of steampunk and the Telectros...
New Mecyclothorax spp. (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Moriomorphini) define Mont Mauru, eastern Tahiti Nui, as a distinct area of endemism

Seven species of Mecyclothorax Sharp precinctive to Mont Mauru, Tahiti, Society Islands are newly described: Mecyclothorax tutei sp. n., Mecyclothorax tihotii sp. n., Mecyclothorax putaputa sp. n., Mecyclothorax toretore sp. n., Mecyclothorax anaana sp. n., Mecyclothorax pirihao sp. n., and Mecyclothorax poro sp. n. These seven constitute the first representative Mecyclothorax species recorded from Mauru, and their geographic restriction to this isolated massif defines it as a distinct area of endemism along the highly dissected eastern versant of the Tahiti Nui volcano. Each of the new species has a closest relative on another massif of Tahiti Nui, supporting speciation associated with vicariance caused by extensive erosional valley formation, especially the development of Papenoo Valley. Comparison of the known elevational distributions of the new discoveries on Mont Mauru to the elevational diversity profile of the comparatively well-sampled Mont Marau, northwest Tahiti Nui, suggests that numerous Mecyclothorax species remain to be discovered in higher-elevation habitats of Mont Mauru.
Use of decimated photodetector arrays in spectrum analysis

Temporal heterodyne spectrum analysis requires the use of discrete photodetector arrays that have a large number of elements. Each element is generally followed by an amplifier, a bandpass filter, a demodulator, and nonlinear devices to handle the large dynamic range. When the number of elements in the array is of the order of 1000–2000, the readout hardware is difficult to implement. We consider decimating the array so that a much smaller number of elements are used. The spectrum is scanned across this array so that each element reads out a set of spatial frequencies in a time division multiplexing fashion. In some cases there is no penalty in dynamic range; in others, the penalty is more strongly related to the reduction in the number of photodetectors. Similar techniques are applied to a cross-spectrum analyzer that uses temporal heterodyning to derive angle of arrival information from wideband signals.
Conventions, emerging norms, and norms in outdoor recreation

Conventions, emerging norms, and norms are different ways that social life becomes ordered and regularized, and they make the social worlds of outdoor recreation knowable and predictable. These concepts represent a continuum of social regularities that is illustrated through the development of an evaluative model based generally on Jackson's (1996) return potential model. Social conventions are open behaviors based on common expectations and preferences, and social norms are behaviors bounded by obligations that are enforced through sanctions. When conventions become so important that more and more people see them as obligations, a social norm may be said to be emerging. Data are presented from a study of multiple‐use bike trail users who responded to both normative and non‐normative preference statements about bike trail behaviors. The normative preferences were contained in a 1993 questionnaire, and the non‐normative preferences concerning the same behaviors were contained in a 1994 questionnaire. For s...
Structure-specific binding and photosensitized cleavage of branched DNA three-way junction complexes by cationic porphyrins.

— The interactions of cationic porphyrins with DNA oligonucleotides that form branched, three-way junction complexes (TWJ) were investigated using native gel electrophoresis, absorption spectroscopy and photochemical probing using DNA sequencing techniques. Meso-tetra(pa ra-N-trimethylaniliniumyrjporphine (TMAP), meso-tetra(4-JV-methylpyridiniumyl)porphine (T4MPyP) and meso-tetra(4-N-methylpyridiniumytyporphine (T3MPyP) were found to bind more tightly to DNA TWJ than to DNA duplexes. The binding to the junction DNA persists at high ionic strength, conditions that greatly decrease porphyrin binding affinity to duplex DNA. The TWJ DNA binding sites of TMAP and T4MPyP were localized to the junction region based on the observation of site- and structure-specific, porphyrin-sensitized photodamage to guanosine residues flanking the junction region.
Active Metamaterial-Inspired Broad-Bandwidth, Efficient, Electrically Small Antennas

Realistic designs of broad-bandwidth metamaterial-inspired electric and magnetic antennas are characterized numerically. By augmenting their narrow bandwidth counterparts with internal non-Foster elements, active metamaterial unit cells are introduced as near-field resonant parasitic (NFRP) elements. The driven and NFRP elements in each presented case are designed to achieve nearly complete matching of the entire system to a 50- Ω source without any matching network and to yield high radiation efficiencies over their FBW10 dB bandwidths that are more than 75 times their original values.
Effect of oltipraz on hepatic glutathione content and metabolism, DNA damage and lipid peroxidation in mice as a function of age

Female mice between the ages of 1–18 months were treated with 50 mg oltipraz/kg by intragastric tube every other day for 5 doses. At all ages, oltipraz resulted in significant increases in hepatic glutathione content and glutathione reductase and glutathione S-transferase activities. Oltipraz also produced decreases in hepatic DNA damage (single strand breaks) and lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde content). Highest hepatic glutathione content and glutathione reductase and glutathione S-transferase activities occurred in mice approximately 9 months of age, and declined thereafter. Oltipraz administration to 18 month old mice increased glutathione content and glutathione S-transferase activity approximately to the levels observed in 9 month old mice. Oltipraz may be effective in retarding the free radical reaction processes associated with aging and cancer.
Mormonism and the Socio‐Economic Order

Mormonism as used in this article is defined as that theological system characteristic of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‐day Saints (Mormons) as distinguished from several other religious bodies with similar names and/or with some historical and theological roots common to that body. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States, there are in excess of five million members with organised congregations (wards and branches) in 89 countries, mostly in the Americas, western Europe, the Pacific Basin (except for Communist China and Vietnam), Australia and South Africa.
Who wants to be a major power? Explaining the expansion of foreign policy ambition:

Some states define their interests more broadly than others, looking beyond their immediate security and mobilizing their national wealth in pursuit of more ambitious goals. The most successful of these states come to be seen by others as major powers. Though major powers and states aspiring to attain this status are very important in world politics, relatively little explicit attention has been paid to the question of why some states expand their foreign policy ambitions, adopting what can be termed a major-power foreign policy. This article evaluates three explanations for this policy choice. Some international relations theory claims that potential power is itself a sufficient motivation for the adoption of major-power foreign policy. Other theorists suggest that some triggering condition is required, such as increasing international threat or expanding international economic interests. Evidence concerning the construction of military capabilities and diplomatic activism indicates that potential power ...
Architecture of a web server accelerator

Abstract We describe the design, implementation and performance of a high-performance Web server accelerator which runs on an embedded operating system and improves Web server performance by caching data. It can serve Web data at rates an order of magnitude higher than that which would be achieved by a high-performance Web server running on similar hardware under a conventional operating system such as Unix or NT. The superior performance of our system results in part from its highly optimized communications stack. In order to maximize hit rates and maintain updated caches, our accelerator provides an API which allows application programs to explicitly add, delete, and update cached data. The API allows our accelerator to cache dynamic as well as static data. We describe how our accelerator can be scaled to multiple processors to increase performance and availability. The basic design alternatives include a content router or a TCP router (without content routing) in front of a set of Web cache accelerator nodes, with the cache memory distributed across the accelerator nodes. Content-based routing reduces cache node CPU cycles but can make the front-end router a bottleneck. With the TCP router, a request for a cached object may initially be sent to the wrong cache node; this results in larger cache node CPU cycles, but can provide a higher aggregate throughput, because the TCP router becomes a bottleneck at a higher throughput than the content router. We quantify the throughput ranges in which different designs are preferable. We also examine a combination of content-based and TCP routing techniques. In addition, we present statistics from critical deployments of our accelerator for improving performance at highly accessed Sporting and Event Web sites hosted by IBM.
Highly accurate potential energy surface, dipole moment surface, rovibrational energy levels, and infrared line list for 32S16O2 up to 8000 cm−1

A purely ab initio potential energy surface (PES) was refined with selected (32)S(16)O2 HITRAN data. Compared to HITRAN, the root-mean-squares error (RMS) error for all J=0-80 rovibrational energy levels computed on the refined PES (denoted Ames-1) is 0.013 cm(exp -1). Combined with a CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pV(Q+d)Z dipole moment surface (DMS), an infrared (IR) line list (denoted Ames-296K) has been computed at 296K and covers up to 8,000 cm(exp -1). Compared to the HITRAN and CDMS databases, the intensity agreement for most vibrational bands is better than 85-90%. Our predictions for (34)S(16)O2 band origins, higher energy (32)S(16)O2 band origins and missing (32)S(16)O2 IR bands have been verified by most recent experiments and available HITRAN data. We conclude that the Ames-1 PES is able to predict (32/34)S(16)O2 band origins below 5500 cm(exp -1) with 0.01-0.03 cm(exp -1) uncertainties, and the Ames-296K line list provides continuous, reliable and accurate IR simulations. The Ka-dependence of both line position and line intensity errors is discussed. The line list will greatly facilitate SO2 IR spectral experimental analysis, as well as elimination of SO2 lines in high-resolution astronomical observations.
Management of Bilateral Locked Facets of the Cervical Spine

The management of 15 cases of bilateral locked facets of the cervical spine is reviewed. The C-6, C-7 interspace was the most common interspace involved. There were 4 females and 11 males who were 16 to 63 years old (average, 26 years). Thirteen patients had a complete spinal cord lesion with loss of function below the level of the locked facets. Two had intact dorsal column function. One patient had an ascending spinal cord deficit, which did not change after open reduction. The remainder had no change in spinal cord function after reduction. However, after reduction, 1 patient had a transient root deficit and 2 patients improved in the function of the involved roots. Closed reduction was accomplished by (a) skeletal traction and weight application, (b) manual reduction under sedatives, or (c) manual reduction under general anesthesia. Five patients required open reduction. The failure of closed reduction was attributed to accompanying fractures of one of the facets in 2 cases, increasing neurological deficits during traction in 2 cases, and associated higher cervical fractures in 1 case. Internal stabilization with wire and bone or external stabilization with a halo vest or a brace was used. Twelve patients were followed for 1 1/2 to 7 years (average, 2.7 years). Stabilization after reduction was successful irrespective of the methods used. The various methods of reduction and stabilization are reviewed and discussed.
The justification of punishment and the justification of political authority

Philosophical accounts of punishment are primarily concerned with punishment by the (or: a) state. More specifically, they attempt to explain why the (a) state may justifiably penalize those who are judged to violate its laws and the conditions under which it is entitled to do so. But any full account of these matters must surely be grounded in an account of the nature and purpose of the state and the justification of state authority. Because they are not so grounded, deterrence and retributive theories are incomplete as they are typically formulated. The intuitions behind these theories can be satisfied in a variety of complete theories, i.e., theories that understand the justification of punishment in relation to the justification of state authority. A consequence of this is that at least some of the intuitions underlying deterrence and retributive theories can be satisfied at the same time by a given theory.
On the Characteristics of Electrically Operated Tuning Forks

Synopsis.---A series of experiments was performed to determine the conditions affecting the period of an electrically operated tuning fork with the following results: (1) The more massive the base of the fork and the table upon which it is placed the smaller is the period. This effect, however, is not greater than one part in 10,000. (2) A change in the constants of the electrical circuit containing the electromagnet affects the period. The effect is less than one part in 10,000 for moderate changes necessary for keeping the amplitude of vibration constant. (3) The period increases linearly with the increase in the length of the gaps between the contact springs and contact points. For the forks used this increase was about one part in 500 for a change of 0.1 mm. in the length of the gaps. (4) For a given fork there is an amplitude at which the period has a stationary value. This may be a maximum or a minimum depending upon the arrangement of the mounting of the contact springs. At small amplitudes the change in the period due to a variation in the amplitude may be considerable. (5) The temperature effect increases from 1.04 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$ at - 25\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} C. to 1.43 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$ at 56\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} C. The values corresponding to temperatures above 0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} C. are from 20 to 40 per cent. greater than those obtained by other observers. There are no other published data giving the temperature effect below 0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} C. (6) By keeping the temperature, the length of the gap and the amplitude constant, a well-made fork can be relied upon to give a constancy of rate accurate to one part in 50,000. (7) The theoretical expression for the period of vibration of a bar holds good for a tuning fork. (8) The velocity of sound in the steel of which the forks used were made is 5.49 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{5}$ cm. per sec. (9) The coefficient of modulus of elasticity of the steel is 19.10 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{11}$. (10) The temperature coefficient of the modulus of elasticity increases from - 2.2 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$ at - 25\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} C. to - 2.96 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$ at 56\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} C. These values were computed from the relation $\ensuremath{\epsilon}=\ensuremath{-}(2\ensuremath{\theta}+\ensuremath{\alpha})$, where $\ensuremath{\epsilon}$ is the temperature coefficient of modulus of elasticity, $\ensuremath{\theta}$ the temperature effect upon the period of the fork, and $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ the coefficient of linear expansion of steel.
Reaction dynamics and vibrational spectroscopy of CH3D molecules with both C-H and C-D stretches excited.

State-resolved reactions of CH3D molecules containing both C−H and C−D stretching excitation with Cl atoms provide new vibrational spectroscopy and probe the consumption and disposal of vibrational energy in the reactions. The vibrational action spectra have three different components, the combination of the C−H symmetric stretch and the C−D stretch (ν1 + ν2), the combination of the C−D stretch and the C−H antisymmetric stretch (ν2 + ν4), and the combination of the C−D stretch and the first overtone of the CH3 bend (ν2 + 2ν5). The simulation for the previously unanalyzed (ν2 + ν4) state yields a band center of ν0 = 5215.3 cm−1, rotational constants of A = 5.223 cm−1 and B = 3.803 cm−1, and a Coriolis coupling constant of ζ = 0.084. The reaction dynamics largely follow a spectator picture in which the surviving bond retains its initial vibrational excitation. In at least 80% of the reactive encounters of vibrationally excited CH3D with Cl, cleavage of the C−H bond produces CH2D radicals with an excited C−D...
Social biases toward children with speech and language impairments: A correlative causal model of language limitations

This study explores adults' attitudes toward children with limited linguistic competency. Four groups of adult judges participated in this study: kindergarten teachers, women matched for age and education level with the teachers, undergraduate college students, and speech-language pathologists. The judges listened to audiotaped samples of preschool children's speech. Two triads of children were formed, matched for age, gender, and intelligence, but differing in communication abilities. The adults responded to questionnaire items addressing child attributes (e.g., intelligence, social maturity) and parental attributes (e.g., education level, SES). Systematic biases were revealed toward children with limited communication abilities. The biases are interpreted as reflective of adults' expectations for children's language.It is argued that adults call upon a correlative causal model of language acquisition to interpret individual differences in children's language abilities. Negative social and academic consequences of such misinterpretations are discussed. The visual similarity of the error to the target word was also determined. The RD group at all ages produced significantly fewer phonologically accurate misspellings than the children with normal achievement scores, whether the constrained or the unconstrained scoring system was used. The AD-poor spellers and the RD group produced significantly fewer phonologically constrained, accurate misspellings than the NA group. Using the unconstrained measure, the AD-poor spellers at the youngest age level displayed as much difficulty using rudimentary sound-symbol conversion rules as the RD group, while at the older age levels, they did as well as the NA group. AD-good spellers performed as well as the NA group on both measures at all age levels. Children who were good readers and spellers (Good RS) were compared with children who were poor readers and spellers (Poor RS) and with children who were good readers and poor spellers (Mixed RS). Mixed RS produced significantly more phonologically and visually accurate misspellings than Poor RS. In summary, subtypes of learning-disabled children use spelling strategies that are significantly different from each other. RD children have the most difficulty acquiring the knowledge of soundspelling correspondence rules that are necessary for English spelling skills. The performance of AD children depends on the complexity of the scoring system, age, and spelling ability. Those students whose knowledge of sound-spelling correspondence rules is sufficiently well developed for reading but not for spelling (good readers/poor spellers) develop their phonetic skills more slowly than the good readers/good spellers. The understanding and use of phonological rules varies according to the subtype of learning disability, with children with a reading disability performing the most poorly at all age levels.
Constant Approximation Algorithms for Rectangle Stabbing and Related Problems

In this paper we present constant approximation algorithms for two NP-hard rectangle stabbing problems, called the weighted rectangle stabbing (WRS) problem and the rectangle stabbing with rejecting cost (RSRC) problem. In the WRS problem a set of axis-aligned rectangles is given, with each rectangle associated with a positive weight, and a set of weighted horizontal and/or vertical stabbing lines is sought so that each rectangle is intersected by at least one stabbing line with a weight (called cost) no less than that of the rectangle and the total cost (or weight) of all stabbing lines is minimized. In the RSRC problem each rectangle is associated with an additional positive rejecting cost and is required to be either stabbed by a stabbing line or rejected by paying its rejecting cost. For the WRS problem, we present a polynomial time 2e-approximation algorithm, where e is the natural logarithmic base. Our algorithm is based on a number of interesting techniques such as rounding, randomization, and lower bounding. For the RSRC problem, we give a 3e-approximation algorithm by using a simple but powerful LP rounding technique to identify those to-be-rejected rectangles. Our techniques are quite general and can be easily applied to several related problems, such as the stochastic rectangle stabbing problem and polygon stabbing problem from fixed directions. Algorithms obtained by our techniques are relatively simple and can be easily implemented for practical purpose.
Aggrecan degradation in human articular cartilage explants is mediated by both ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5.

Objective Recent published studies have shown that cartilage from ADAMTS-5–knockout mice, but not ADAMTS-4– or ADAMTS-1–knockout mice, is significantly protected from degradation. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the respective roles of these enzymes in human cartilage breakdown, using a small interfering RNA (siRNA) approach to assess the effects of inhibition of each enzyme in normal and osteoarthritic (OA) explants. Methods The activities of siRNA specifically targeting ADAMTS-1, -4, and -5 were assessed by transfection into primary human chondrocytes and cultured human cartilage explants. At 24 hours, a cytokine stimulus was applied to normal, but not OA, samples to initiate a catabolic response. At designated times, total RNA was isolated and gene expression was measured by quantitative real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. Aggrecan release and aggrecanase-generated neoepitope formation were determined by dye binding analysis and Western blotting, respectively. Results Human chondrocytes and explants were efficiently transfected with siRNA that specifically decreased the expression of each targeted gene. Suppression of ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5, individually or in combination, attenuated the degradation of aggrecan in cytokine-stimulated normal cartilage. A reduction in aggrecan degradation was also observed following siRNA-mediated knockdown of either gene in unstimulated OA cartilage. In contrast, knockdown of ADAMTS-1 failed to inhibit aggrecan loss. Conclusion Despite the apparent dominant role of ADAMTS-5 in genetically modified mice, our data suggest that both ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5 contribute to the structural damage that characterizes human OA.
Dissociable neural correlates for familiarity and recollection during the encoding and retrieval of pictures

Results from behavioral studies have supported the idea that recognition memory can be supported by at least two different processes, recollection and familiarity. However, it remains unclear whether these two forms of memory reflect neurally distinct processes. Furthermore, it is unclear whether recollection and familiarity can be best conceived as differing primarily in terms of retrieval processing, or whether they additionally differ at encoding. To address these issues, we used event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to monitor neural correlates of familiarity and recollection at both encoding and retrieval. Participants studied pictures of objects in two types of study blocks and subsequently made remember-know and source memory judgments during retrieval. Results showed that, during encoding, neural correlates of subsequent familiarity and recollection onsetted in parallel, but exhibited differences in scalp topography and time course. Subsequent familiarity-based recognition was associated with a left-lateralized enhanced positivity and observed at anterior scalp sites from 300 to 450 ms, whereas subsequent recollection was associated with a topographically distinct right-lateralized positivity at anterior scalp sites from 300 to 450 ms and bilateral activity from 450 to 600 ms. During retrieval, neural correlates of familiarity emerged earlier than correlates of recollection. Familiarity was associated with an enhanced positivity at frontopolar scalp sites from 150 to 450 ms, whereas recollection was associated with positive ERP modulations over bilateral frontal (300-600 ms) and parietal (450-800 ms) sites. These results demonstrate that familiarity and recollection reflect the outcome of neurally distinct memory processes at both encoding and retrieval.
The growth and influence of thermally grown oxide in a thermal barrier coating

The growth of a thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer and its influence on cracking was studied in an air-plasma sprayed (APS) thermal barrier coating (TBC) following thermal cycling. The TGO that formed upon thermal exposure in air was comprised predominantly of layered chromia and spinels, as well as some oxide clusters of chromia, spinel and nickel oxide. The increase in thickness of the TGO exhibited a three-stage growth phenomenon. Cracks formed mostly at oxide clusters as well as at the opening of discontinuities. Crack propagation during cyclic oxidation appeared to be related to TGO growth, with a nearly linear relationship between crack length and TGO thickness.
Health-related quality of life (HRQoL): the impact of medical and demographic variables upon pediatric recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Background The trajectory of Heath-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in pediatric recipients who have undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), as well as the demographic and medical factors that predict HRQoL, has lagged behind the adult research. Methods A prospective longitudinal study of HRQoL in pediatric HSCT recipients was conducted with 95 patients at the Columbia University Medical Center between 2002 and 2009. Both children and parents completed the PedsQL 4.0 prior to HSCT and at days 100, 180, and 365-post-HSCT. Results The majority of patients and their parents reported linear improvements in HRQoL in the first year post-transplant; however, a portion of patients were in the at-risk group at each time point. Latent growth modeling was utilized to examine demographic and medical factors that predicted initial HRQoL and its trajectory. Older age at transplant significant predicted lowered HRQoL at baseline for self- and parent-report. Female gender significantly impacted lowered self-reported physical HRQoL over time. Ethnicity was a significant predictor of HRQoL at baseline and over time for self- and parent-report, with African-American children reporting the highest HRQoL; whereas, the worst decline in psychosocial HRQoL was often reported by parents and children of Asian descent. Conclusion This research identifies the significant impact of ethnicity upon HRQoL following pediatric HSCT. It is likely that an individual's pre-morbid experiences and expectations, particularly with regard to culture, behaviors, and values, influence the parent and child's perceptions and expectations of the HSCT process. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2011; 57: 1179–1185. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effects of d-amphetamine on defensive behaviors related to fear and anxiety

Abstract In rodents, the administration of amphetamine has been associated with increased locomotor activity and stereotypy, and an emerging body of evidence suggests that it also enhances anxiety-like behavior in a number of animal models. Ethoexperimental analyses have outlined an array of defensive behaviors to threat that are responsive to anxiolytic, panicolytic-like and panicogenic agents, suggesting that the characterization of amphetamine effects on defense may provide further insights into the emotionality consequences of this drug. In Experiment 1, intraperitoneal administration of amphetamine (1 and 5 mg/kg, i.p.) on defensive behavior elicited by a predatory threat stimulus was assessed via time sampling analysis. Amphetamine dose-dependently suppressed freezing while potentiating locomotor activity. In Experiment 2, amphetamine was administered intravenously and animals were tested in a Rat Runway Test (RRT), designed to individually elicit a variety of defensive behaviors to a conspecific threat. All three doses of amphetamine (1, 2 and 5 mg/kg) produced robust changes in defensive responding by increasing directional flight behavior, jump escapes and upright/orientations. The results are in agreement with those of another psychostimulant, cocaine, and support a previously hypothesized link between flight and panic.
Channeled turbidites in the eastern Central Pacific Basin

Abstract A complex pattern of channeled turbidites has been mapped from detailed geological surveys of the eastern Central Pacific Basin between 157° and 172°W and including the Line Islands Ridge, the Central Basin Rise, the Kingman Basin, and the abyssal plain of the eastern Central Pacific Basin. The acoustic stratigraphy of about 5000 track miles of continuous reflection profiles has been analyzed for study of the depositional history of this region. The flanks of the Line Islands Ridge are blanketed by acoustically stratified, pelagic, nannofossil-foraminiferal oozes more than 1000 m thick. The Central Basin Rise has a similar lithology; sediment thicknesses vary from 100 to 1000 m. The Kingman Basin is filled with about 240 m of flat-lying, often ponded, calcareous turbidites interbedded with pelagic radiolarian ooze. The turbidites originate on the Central Basin Rise and the Line Islands Ridge. Adjacent to the Line Islands Ridge and the Central Basin Rise, in the abyssal plain of the eastern Central Pacific, channels filled with calcareous turbidites cut the siliceous pelagic sediments. The turbidites originate on the higher elevations of the Central Basin Rise and flow into the abyssal depths of the Central Basin through three graben-formed valleys, then are distributed by structurally controlled channels in the basement. Turbidite flows appear to have maintained these fixed channels and to have aggraded continuously since Eocene time.
Design and manufacturing process co-optimization in nano-technology (Designer Track Paper)

Newest manufacturing technologies with feature sizes smaller than 20nm and FinFET devices have favored more restrictive design rules for manufacturability while suffering from electrical limitations of electromigration (EM) and variability. Designers can no longer reap the benefits in power, performance and area by simply relying on feature size miniature with contemporary design techniques. This work illustrates the importance of design and manufacturing technology co-optimization. Limitations in lithography has led to slower reduction in metal and VIA shape spacing than critical dimensions, which prompts for co-optimization in metallization stack, power mesh planning, standard cell designs and placement algorithms. New routing algorithms and parasitics modeling are required to achieve improved design performance under sky-rocketing metal resistance especially at lower metal levels. Ever-lowering maximum current limits due to EM has prompted new approaches in placement optimization to counteract the potential explosion in EM violations. Adoption of FinFET has allowed ultra-low Vdd designs, which requires careful consideration of Vth offerings that allow proper trade-off between variability, area and power efficiency.
Method for the analysis of [13C]carbon monoxide by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Abstract A procedure is describe for the isotopic analysis of [ 13 C]carbon monoxide in air at levels as low as 10 ppm. A conventional gas chromatograph—mass spectrometer equipped with a gas-sampling valve, a jet-orifice separator and multiple ion monitoring capability is used. As the carbon monoxide component of an air sample is eluted from a molecular sieve (5 A) column, it is catalytically converted to carbon dioxide using Hopcalite as the reactant medium. Enhanced performance is obtained as the mass spetrometric measurement is shifted from masses 28 and 29 to masses 44 and 45 to take advantage of reduced background signals and mre stable chromatographic baselines. Typical applications involve the analysis of manomole quantities of biosynthetic carbon monoxide. The [ 13 C]carbon monoxide mole percent of an air sample containing 100 ppm carbon monoxide can be measured with a precision of ± at the 0.20 atom-present excess level. No prior sample concentration procedures are required.
A method for the differential analysis of mixtures of esterified and free fatty acids

Abstract A procedure is described which permits the preferential methanolysis of esterified fatty acids in the presence of free fatty acids and the subsequent esterification of the free fatty acids. Analysis, by gas chromatography, of the mixture before and after esterification of the free fatty acids allows an accurate determination of the esterified and free fatty acids in the presence of each other.
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Adeno-associated virus vectors serotype 2 induce prolonged proliferation of capsid-specific CD8+ T cells in mice.

Using adoptive transfer models we determined that an adeno-associated viral vector of serotype 2 (AAV2) induces in mice proliferation of CD8+ T cells that recognize an epitope within the viral capsid. Proliferation to an endogenous epitope within viral protein (VP)3 could be observed for at least 3 weeks while a foreign epitope placed at multiple copies within VP2 elicited CD8+ T cell expansion for at least 10 weeks. These data show that capsid antigens of AAV2 degrade slowly over a period of weeks and during this period provide targets to CD8+ T cells.
A microprocessor-controlled current-comparator-based DC voltage calibrator

A microprocessor-controlled current-comparator-based dc voltage calibrator is described. A self-balancing dc comparator is used to establish voltages proportional to a reference signal. The calibrator features an automatic self-calibration mode, two ranges of −10 to +10 V and −120 to +120 V with an output uncertainty of less than 2 and 3 parts per million (ppm) of full scale, respectively, a resolution of 1 ppm, and a linearity error of less than 1 ppm of full scale.