cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimal Algorithms for Ski Rental with Soft Machine-Learned Predictions.

We consider a variant of the classic Ski Rental online algorithm with applications to machine learning. In our variant, we allow the skier access to a black-box machine-learning algorithm that provides an estimate of the probability that there will be at most a threshold number of ski-days. We derive a class of optimal randomized algorithms to determine the strategy that minimizes the worst-case expected competitive ratio for the skier given a prediction from the machine learning algorithm,and analyze the performance and robustness of these algorithms.
Stepfamily Processes and Youth Adjustment: The Role of Perceived Neighborhood Collective Efficacy

Using a representative sample from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health and a recently developed stepfamily-process typology, this study explores three plausible functions of perceived neighborhood collective efficacy with respect to stepfamily life and youth adjustment: an ability to (1) prevent maladaptive patterns of stepfamily processes, (2) promote stepchildren's adjustment beyond the influence of stepfamily processes, and (3) protect stepchildren's adjustment when faced with maladaptive patterns of stepfamily processes. The results indicate that higher levels of perceived neighborhood collective efficacy are associated with more adaptive stepfamily processes and higher levels of youth self-esteem over time, net the influence of stepfamily processes.
High-precision determination of the frequency-shift enhancement factor in Rb- Xe 129

We report a measurement of the dimensionless enhancement factor ${\ensuremath{\kappa}}_{0}$ for the Rb-$^{129}\mathrm{Xe}$ pair commonly used in spin exchange optical pumping (SEOP) to produce hyperpolarized $^{129}\mathrm{Xe}$. ${\ensuremath{\kappa}}_{0}$ characterizes the amplification of the $^{129}\mathrm{Xe}$ magnetization contribution to the Rb electronic effective field, compared to the case of a uniform continuous medium in classical magnetostatics. The measurement is carried out in Rb vapor cells containing both $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ and $^{129}\mathrm{Xe}$ and relies on the previously measured value of ${\ensuremath{\kappa}}_{0}$ for the Rb-$^{3}\mathrm{He}$ pair. The measurement is based on (1) the optically detected (Faraday rotation) frequency shift of the $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) hyperfine spectrum caused by the SEOP nuclear polarization and subsequent sudden destruction of nuclear polarization of both species and (2) a comparison of nuclear magnetic resonance signals for the two species acquired just prior to the EPR frequency shift measurements. We find ${({\ensuremath{\kappa}}_{0})}_{\mathrm{RbXe}}=518\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}8$, in good agreement with previous measurements and theoretical estimates but with improved precision.
Atom probe tomography of an alkali activated fly ash concrete

Abstract The atomic structure of alkali-activated materials (AAMs) is comprised of aluminum and silicon tetrahedral units organized in a manner that is elusive to characterization by many experimental techniques. This letter reports the use of atom probe tomography (APT) to determine the atomistic partitioning of an alkali-activated fly ash, which lends new insights into the nanoscale chemical heterogeneity of the material. APT effectively provides 3D ionic-level resolution of the alkali-activated fly ash examined in this study, and could be useful for the analysis of other cementitious materials or ceramics as well.
By any other name: early modern expertise and the problem of anachronism

The idea of expertise in early modern Europe has attracted significant attention from historians of science and technology in recent years. Some find the term useful in describing the rise of a pro...
Longitudinal disease- and steroid-related damage among adults with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus.

Abstract Objectives Determine whether adults with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) are at increased risk for disease- and steroid-related damage as compared to individuals with adult-onset SLE (aSLE), and whether they continue to accumulate disease damage in adulthood. Methods Data derive from the 2007–2015 cycles of the Lupus Outcomes Study, a longitudinal cohort of adults with confirmed SLE. The Brief Index of Lupus Damage (BILD), a validated, patient-reported measure, was used to assess SLE-associated damage. Participants with baseline BILD were included (N = 1035). Diagnosis at age Results Mean time between baseline and follow up BILD assessment was 6.3 ± 1.7 years. In adjusted analyses, participants with cSLE and aSLE had similar levels of disease-related damage, and accumulated damage at similar rates. Participants with cSLE were more likely to report steroid-related damage (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1–2.8) in the adjusted analysis as compared to those with aSLE. Likelihood of steroid-related damage increased with disease duration for both groups, but was consistently higher among cSLE participants. Conclusion In this longitudinal cohort of adults with SLE, participants continued to accumulate damage at similar rates over time, regardless of age at onset or disease duration. Childhood-onset predicted increased risk of steroid-related damage. Aggressive use of steroid-sparing treatment strategies during childhood may be important to prevent steroid-related damage in adulthood.
Iminosugars With Endoplasmic Reticulum α-Glucosidase Inhibitor Activity Inhibit ZIKV Replication and Reverse Cytopathogenicity in vitro

Zika virus (ZIKV), a vector-borne virus of the family Flaviviridae, continues to spread and remains a significant global public health threat. Currently, there are no approved vaccines or antivirals against ZIKV. We investigated the anti-ZIKV ability of three iminosugars with endoplasmic reticulum α-glucosidase inhibitor (ER-AGI) activity, namely deoxynojirimycin (DNJ), castanospermine, and celgosivir. None of the three iminosugars showed any significant cytotoxicity in Vero or human microglia CHME-3 cells when applied for 72 h at concentrations up to 100 μM. Iminosugar treatment of Vero or CHME-3 cells prior to ZIKV infection resulted in significant inhibition of ZIKV replication over 48 hours. Reduction in ZIKV replication in iminosugar-treated cells was not associated with any significant change in the expression levels of key antiviral genes. Following infection with three different strains of ZIKV, iminosugar-treated Vero or CHME-3 cells showed no cell death, whereas vehicle-treated control cells exhibited 50-60% cell death at 72 h post-infection (hpi). While there was no significant difference in apoptosis between iminosugar-treated and control cells, iminosugar-treated cells exhibited a substantial reduction of necrosis at 72 hpi following ZIKV infection. In summary, iminosugars with ER-AGI activity inhibit ZIKV replication and significantly reduce necrosis without altering the antiviral gene expression and apoptosis of infected human cells. The results of this study strongly suggest that iminosugars are promising anti-ZIKV antiviral agents and such warrant further in vivo studies.
Psychological challenges and psychiatric illness in earlier stages of CKD

Abstract Patients in the earlier stages of CKD have higher rates of psychological challenges and psychiatric illness than the general population. These challenges may contribute to lower perceived quality of life and progressive kidney disease in such patients. This chapter reviews the mental health literature regarding nondialysis dependent CKD patients. Screening, diagnosis and treatment strategies are discussed for major depression, bipolar depression, anxiety, alcohol use disorder and opioid use disorder. Much of the treatment guidelines are extrapolated from general medical populations. Therefore studies uniquely addressing patients with earlier stages of CKD are needed.
Product Sales Incentive Spillovers to the Lending Market

We examine how deadline-based convex incentives in physical product markets can affect the credit markets that finance these products. Auto dealerships respond to monthly sales targets in manufacturer incentive programs by shifting borrowers from used to new cars at the end of the month. End-of-month loans default more often, particularly among financially constrained buyers of new cars. At month-end, dealerships sway financially unsophisticated buyers to buy new cars instead of more reliable models that are available as used vehicles. We find no evidence that lenders or dealerships are hurt by this increased default risk from manufacturers' incentives.
Automated graves: The precarity and prosthetics of caring for the dead in Japan:

Once dependent on family to bury and memorialize the dead, caring for the deceased has become increasingly precarious in the wake of a decreasing and aging population, a trend towards single househ...
The Lower Functional Calculus

The lower functional calculus1 forms the next step “up” in the logical hierarchy. Most formulations include the propositional calculus as a part and, hence, include axioms of propositional logic as among their axioms. Systems of the lower functional calculus always include individual variables (for which names of individuals may be substituted), predicate variables (for which names of properties of individuals may be substituted), and at least one quantifier (usually the so-called “universal quantifier”). A standard (S) system of the lower functional calculus may be built up out of the propositional system PLT by adding axioms and definitions, or out of PLT’, by the same procedure. The system of functional logic developed in this Chapter and in Chapter 8 uses PLT’ as its propositional basis. It is called LFLT’.2 The present chapter builts that part of LFLT’ which possesses among its predicate signs, none but signs for simple or one-place predicates. The full system is outlined in Chapter 8.
A Changed Policy Environment for US Universities

American higher education has long been known for its strong degree of autonomy. In contrast to many other countries, the federal government’s role in directing the affairs of universities and colleges has historically been very limited (Gladieux & Wolanin, 1976; Graham, 1984). The state role, in turn, has been seen as one of mainly providing funding and infrastructure. For over a century, state legislatures have only occasionally turned their attention to issues such as university governance or the number and type of institutions needed to serve state needs (Bender, 1983; Hines, 2000).
The Golden Age

In the seventeenth century the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands experienced a remarkable period of prosperity in many respects. The war with Spain ended in 1648, when a peace was concluded, whereby Spain acknowledged the Republic’s independance. The Republic had long before established itself as a free and sovereign confederate state and was playing a more and more important role in European politics.
Pollen analyses for pollination research, unacetolyzed pollen

Pollinators feed on the pollen, nectar, and other plant exudates that are associated with flowers. As a result of this feeding activity, pollen becomes attached to them. Analysis of this pollen can reveal what they eat, their dispersal patterns in and around cropping systems, and their role in pollination. However, finding pollen on and or in a pollinator depends on the technique used to recover pollen. Two very easy techniques are described in detail that have been used to recover pollen from a variety of pollinators including beneficial and harmful insects, spiders, bats, and other pollinators. These techniques can be used to recover pollen from internal tissues (gut, alimentary canal, crop, etc.), external tissues (proboscis, legs, eyes, etc.), or both. By using the proper technique, better pollen recovery can be made and thus better data can be obtained about the pollinators, the foods they eat, the plants they pollinate, their migration routes and source zones.
Vaporization of Pb and Li Films in ICF Reaction Chambers

The A*THERMAL code is used to calculate the temperature rise and subsequent evaporation of liquid Pb and Li films bombarded with the debris of ICF targets. Temperature increases resulting from the various species are combined with vapor pressure data to yield evaporation rates and the subsequent total amount of Pb or Li vaporized from a thermonuclear explosion.
An interactive visualization method for integrating digital elevation models and geographic information systems vector layers

Currently there are software packages that allow a user to analyze GIS data. The problem is that the software is limited in the interaction provided. This paper presents a method for merging digital elevation models (DEM) and GIS vector layers, and also provided is an interactive visualization tool for analyzing the output.
Science, Philosophy and Physical Geography Reviewed by Basil Gomez

Robert J. Inkpen. London and New York: Routledge, 2005. ix and 164 pp., diagrams and index. $36.95 paperback (ISBN 0-415-27954-2). Discussions of the nature and theory of physical geography are oft...
Expanding the literary horizon: romantic poets and postmodern sociologists

Although literary devices help postmodern sociologists distinguish their own perspectives from those of their subjects, literary borrowing also threatens to reduce the sociologist's perspective to one among many equivalent fictions. I argue that we can diminish this threat by expanding our notion of what literature can do. Current literary borrowings follow the institutionalized practice of separating literary from explanatory discourse, but pre-institutionalized precedents show that literature can serve to conceptualize situated behavior. I analyze one such precedent in the work of the poet John Keats (1795–1821), who formulated an almost Meadian interaction theory. Keat's use of unrealistic elements and an identifiable point of view to deploy them in his texts suggests ways in which sociologists might adapt literary conceptualization to foreground their understanding of the behavior they study.
Monolith or Mosaic: Can the Federal Communications Commission Legitimately Pursue a Repetition of Local Content at the Expense of Local Diversity?

Introduction 597 I. The Commission’s 2003 Media Ownership Decision 598 II. The Core Principles of Localism & Diversity 601 III. The Commission’s Consideration of Local Diversity 603 A. The FCC Adopted Diversity and Localism as Its Core Goals 604 B. The FCC’s Analysis of Television and Newspapers Prefers Consolidation Over Competing Local Points of View 605 C. The FCC Did Not Support Its Conclusion That The Internet Furthers Local Diversity 607 D. The FCC Treated Local Media Inconsistently 609 E. The FCC Disserved Local Diversity 610 Conclusion 611
Hardware support for OpenMP collective operations

Efficient implementation of OpenMP collective operations (e.g. barriers and reductions) is essential for good performance from OpenMP programs. State-of-the-art on-chip networks and block-based cache coherence protocols used in shared memory Chip MultiProcessors (CMPs) are inefficient for implementing these collective operations. The performance of CMPs can be seriously degraded by the multitude of memory requests and coherence messages required to implement collective operations. To provide efficient support for OpenMP collective operations, this paper presents a CMP-AFN architecture and Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) extensions that augment a conventional shared-memory CMP with a tightly-integrated Aggregate Function Network (AFN) that implements low-latency collectives without using or interfering with the memory hierarchy. For a modest increase in circuit complexity, traffic within a CMP's internal network is dramatically reduced, improving the performance of caches and reducing power consumption. Full system simulations of 16-core CMPs show a CMP-AFN outperforms the reference design significantly, eliminating more than 60% of memory accesses and more than 70% of private L1 data cache misses in both the EPCC OpenMP microbenchmarks and SPEC OMP benchmarks.
Cu and Zn Uptake Inhibition by PAHs as Primary Toxicity in Plants

Studies of the interference of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on the uptake of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) by alfalfa (Medicago sativa) were investigated. Alfalfa plants were treated with three PAH compounds individually at 50 mg·kg–1(soil dry weight) along with Zn and/or Cu. The concentrations of metals were 35 mg·kg–1(soil dry weight) for Zn and 100 mg·kg–1(soil dry weight) for Cu which levels were associated with the reported concentrations in soils in the El Paso area. Phenanthrene (Phen) and bezo(a)pyrene (BaP) with combination of Zn or/and Cu were found to reduce the size of alfalfa in 5 days of germination/seedling period. Significant decrease in size in alfalfa was 67–91% in 50 mg·kg–1BaP treatments, and 30–75% in 50 mg·kg–1Phen treatments. The uptake of Zn and Cu by alfalfa under the influence of Phen and BaP after 35 days of growth period showed distinctive difference. The Cu uptake was totally inhibited by the two PAHs, while the Zn uptake was inhibited by BaP but enhanced by Phen. Acethylanthracene, however, did not show any effect on the metal uptake. The very different impact of PAH compounds on metal uptake was an indication that there may be various uptake pathways and mechanism of the organics entering into roots.
High resolution anthropomorphic phantom for Monte Carlo analysis of internal radiation sources

A digital voxel phantom which closely resembles a typical male anatomy has been created. Organ outlines were manually drawn with 1-mm resolution in each of 78 transverses of the human torso. Such an anthropomorphic three-dimensional phantom has several interesting applications in the radiological sciences. Monte Carlo simulations can yield diagnostically realistic images of new investigational radiopharmaceuticals. Uptake characteristics approximated from small animal experiments can be used to test the imaging characteristics in human geometries. The resulting images can serve as ideal projection data of known source and attenuator distributions. This can lead to a better understanding of the image formation process for clinically realistic models, and can prove especially interesting in testing and improving tomographic reconstruction algorithms. Dose calculations for internal and external radiation sources using this phantom can give new insights in the field of health physics and therapy. >
Magnetoelectric sensor excitations in hexaferrite films

We developed techniques for H- and E-field sensors utilizing single phase magnetoelectric (ME) hexaferrite thin films in the frequency range of 1 kHz to 10 MHz. The technique incorporating solenoid coils and multi-capacitors bank was developed to probe the physics and properties of ME hexaferrite film and explore ME effects for sensor detections and tunable device applications. For H-field sensing, we obtained sensitivity of 4 × 10−4 V/Gm and for E-field sensing the sensitivity was 10−3 Gm/V. Tunability of up to 6% was achieved for tunable inductor applications. The proposed fabrication designs lend themselves to significant (∼106) improvements in sensitivity and tunability.
New venture planning using advanced information systems support

This article describes a research project answering the question "Can advanced information systems, such as expert knowledge-based systems help in business strategy formulation?"
Machine Learning to the Rescue

Superman seems to know immediately when people need saving. For medical providers charged with rescuing patients after trauma, knowing when and how to intercede takes a bit more time. These clinicians rely on standard vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate to monitor injured patients for abrupt changes that indicate the need for immediate lifesaving interventions. However, subtle changes in the complex behavior of heart rate driven by nervous-system activation may precede these abrupt vital-sign changes. Now, Liu et al . use heart-rate variability and complexity measurements to improve prediction of the need for lifesaving medical interventions such as blood transfusions, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, airway interventions, or tourniquets in trauma patients. Heart-rate variability and complexity represent variation in the time between heartbeats and the change in the pattern of heartbeats over time, respectively. Healthy hearts tend to be both highly variable and complex over time. The authors borrowed from computer science, using machine learning via artificial neural networks, to find the right combination of vital signs, heart-rate variability, and complexity that most accurately identifies a “crashing” trauma patient in need of urgent medical intervention. Data were captured from 104 trauma patients in real time and transferred wirelessly to the local trauma center by using a portable vital-sign monitor attached to patients during their helicopter transport. Twenty-three percent of these patients required a total of 75 lifesaving interventions. Patients who required at least one lifesaving intervention had lower heart-rate complexity than that of those who did not require intervention, implying a worse physiological insult. The authors then used machine learning to create predictive models that could detect the need for lifesaving interventions without raising undue false alarms. They found that machine learning enabled creation of a near-perfect predictive model (receiver operating characteristics area under the curve = 0.99) using only standard heart rate, heart-rate complexity, and the Glasgow coma score—an estimate of the conscious state of a person based on eye, motor, and verbal responses. This study was limited by the small sample size and the acknowledged difficulty in extracting complex heart-rate signals from background noise. However, it appears that leveraging the power of both complex signal analysis and machine learning may be a promising way to identify those who require ongoing rescue after trauma. Such predictive power may soon save time, money, and most importantly, lives. N. T. Liu et al ., Utility of vital signs, heart-rate variability and complexity, and machine learning for identifying the need for life-saving interventions in trauma patients. Shock 10.1097/SHK.0000000000000186 (2014). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://journals.lww.com/shockjournal/Abstract/publishahead/Utility_of_vital_signs,_heart_rate_variability_and.98688.aspx
Absolute surface metrology by differencing spatially shifted maps from a phase-shifting interferometer.

Surface measurements of precision optics are commonly made with commercially available phase-shifting Fizeau interferometers that provide data relative to flat or spherical reference surfaces whose unknown errors are comparable to those of the surface being tested. A number of ingenious techniques provide surface measurements that are “absolute,” rather than relative to any reference surface. Generally, these techniques require numerous measurements and the introduction of additional surfaces, but still yield absolute information only along certain lines over the surface of interest. A very simple alternative is presented here, in which no additional optics are required beyond the surface under test and the transmission flat (or sphere) defining the interferometric reference surface. The optic under test is measured in three positions, two of which have small lateral shifts along orthogonal directions, nominally comparable to the transverse spatial resolution of the interferometer. The phase structure in the reference surface then cancels out when these measurements are subtracted in pairs, providing a grid of absolute surface height differences between neighboring resolution elements of the surface under test. The full absolute surface, apart from overall phase and tip/tilt, is then recovered by standard wavefront reconstruction techniques.
Use of silicone rubber in intranasal prostheses.

Abstract The retentive and esthetic qualities of a silicone prosthesis are very satisfactory for patients with intranasal defects. Silicone rubber retains its flexibility indefinitely, and replacement prostheses seldom are required. However, the availability of a master mold makes reproduction a simple matter when it is necessary. Patients who have had intranasal prostheses made of both acrylic resin and silicone prefer silicone appliances because of their increased retentive qualities, their softness which causes less trauma, and the satisfactory skin tone which may be obtained.
A Data Mining Address Book

This paper describes how to use web-based data mining to populate a flat-file database called the JAddressBook. The JAddressBook represents a nextgeneration address book program that is able to use web-based data mining. As it is also able to print mailing labels, and even initiate phone calls, it is useful for marketing. More over, its introduction to data mining has educational value, for those new to network programming, in Java. The methodology for converting the web data source into internal data structures is based on using HTML as input (called screen scraping). We explore a variety of techniques for reading the HTML data, as input. Our example focuses on mining data for lawyers.
Diagnosis of blue nevus-like metastatic uveal melanoma confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for monosomy 3.

Metastatic melanoma can on rare occasion simulate the appearance of a blue nevus clinically and/or histopathologically, which may lead to diagnostic confusion and delay in treatment. Given the known difficulty in recognizing a small dermal blue nevus-like melanoma metastasis by light microscopic findings alone, recent discoveries of unique cytogenetic aberrations in various types of melanomas have led pathologists to explore cytogenetic techniques as an ancillary diagnostic tool. Herein, we report a case of a 58-year-old man with a history of uveal melanoma, in which fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis for monosomy 3 helped confirm a diagnosis of blue nevus-like uveal melanoma metastasis. The patient had presented clinically with a new small 1-mm dark blue-gray macule on the forehead. Histopathologically, a small dermal nodule of pigmented epithelioid melanocytes and melanophages was found with a rare mitotic figure. The pathologist's suspicion of a blue nevus-like melanoma metastasis was confirmed by FISH analysis: both the tumor cells of the patient's prior uveal melanoma and the melanocytes of the new dermal blue nevus-like nodule carried only one copy of chromosome 3. Furthermore, deletion of 1p36 and amplifications of 8q32 were also identified. Busam KJ, Fang Y, Jhanwar S, Lacouture M. Diagnosis of blue nevus-like metastatic uveal melanoma confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for monosomy 3.
Risk Factors, Resilience, and Psychological Distress Among Holocaust and Nonholocaust Surviviors in the Post-9/11 Environment

Many older adults have experienced or witnessed devastating life events including wars, hurricanes, and explosions. This study examined retraumatization and the relationship between certain risk factors, resilience, and psychological distress in the post-9/11 environment among 120 community-dwelling older adults. Results indicate that Holocaust survivors suffered more posttraumatic symptoms during the ongoing War on Terrorism than a comparison group. A significant contributor to posttraumatic symptomatology was anxiety followed by sense of safety, and survivor status. Clinicians should anticipate that older adults exposed again to trauma may experience posttraumatic symptomatology. Health-care practitioners should focus on distant history of trauma when assessing older adults for posttraumatic stress.
Surfing the knowledge wave: Access for Caribbean development

For the 15 member states of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) to join and to introduce a measure of equity to the emergent global information society, they must be able to manage and exploit digital communication networks, technologies, products and services in ways that nurture and advance Caribbean knowledge, culture and development. This requires a type of digital access to the new telecommunication infrastructures these small developing countries as yet have been unable to attain. As a consequence, this paper develops a six‐layered model of societal access that includes physical, financial, cognitive, secure, administrative and operational components, and argues that in the absence of all of these layers functioning together, less advanced economies like those in the Caricom grouping cannot begin to build local innovation, foster knowledge creation and advocate increased equity in the evolving networked society.
Symptom Perception in Childhood Asthma: How Accurate Are Children and Their Parents?

Accurate symptom perception on the part of the patient is a critical component of asthma management. Limited data are available about how accurate children and their parents are in evaluating asthma symptoms. This study was designed to determine the symptom perceptual accuracy of families and to identify risk factors associated with inaccurate symptom perception. One hundred children (6–19 years) and their parents evaluated symptoms using subjective (visual analog scales) as well as objective (peak expiratory flow rates) measures of symptom severity. Accuracy was evaluated by comparing the match in zones (based on NHLBI clinical practice guidelines) indicated on the subjective measure with the objective measure. Children and parents were inaccurate about one-third of the time overall. Poor and minority families initially appeared to be less accurate; however, when we adjusted for the child's illness severity, these sociodemographic features were no longer significant risk factors. Children were as accurat...
Data leakage mitigation for discretionary access control in collaboration clouds

With the growing popularity of cloud computing, more and more enterprises are migrating their collaboration platforms from in-enterprise systems to Software as a Service (SaaS) applications. While SaaS collaboration has numerous advantages, it also raises new security challenges. In particular, since SaaS collaboration is increasingly used across enterprise boundaries, organizations are concerned that sensitive information may be leaked to outsiders due to their employees' inadvertent mistakes on information sharing. In this article, we propose to mitigate the data leakage problem in SaaS collaboration systems by reducing human errors. Built on top of the discretionary access control model in existing collaboration systems, we have designed a series of mechanisms to provide defense in depth against information leakage. First, we allow enterprises to encode their organizational security rules as mandatory access control policies, so as to impose coarse-grained restrictions on their employees' discretionary sharing decisions. Second, we design an attribute-based recommender that suggests and prioritizes potential recipients for users' files, reducing errors in the choices of recipients. Third, our system actively examines abnormal recipients entered by a file owner, providing the last line of defense before a file is shared. We have implemented a prototype of our solution and performed experiments on data collected from real-world collaboration systems.
Rankings and comparisons: the top lists:

The task of searching for the top companies in an industry, in a geographic region or in the world is an important and common one for business librarians and one which is satisfied by lists that rank companies and industries in a rational way (top, biggest, leading, largest). Discusses the issues involved with the concept of ranking and identifies sources of ranking information for North American companies and from US publishers for worldwide rankings, with particular reference to: Dun’s Business Rankings; national business periodicals (Fortune, Forbes, INC) with contact details and selective URLs for World Wide Web access; regional magazines; compilations (Gale’s Business Rankings Annual); finding aids; international ranking sources; sector rankings; and online sources. Notes briefly the sources for non-US rankings and screening for company rankings. Includes a reference hint for searchers in small and medium-sized libraries that most ranking questions will be answered from the Fortune or Forbes lists an...
Imidazole mediated acylation of cholesterol in functional vesicles: a simple analogue of lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase

Imidazole-functionalized surfactants transfer acetyl groups from p-nitrophenyl acetate to cholesterol in vesicular coaggregates.
Two labdane diterpenoids from Nicotiana setchellii

Abstract Two new labdanoids isolated from Nicotiana setchellii have been identified as labda-7,13 E -dien-15-ol and labda-8,13 E -dien-15-ol.
The demand for children in Arab countries: evidence from panel and count data models.

This paper provides empirical evidence on fertility determinants in Arab countries. Adopting a macro and micro framework and exploiting panel and count data models the paper estimates the impact of cultural and economic factors on the demand for children. The results obtained strongly support the hypothesis that cross-country heterogeneity buttresses differentiated fertility and that female education mitigates high fertility. Child mortality and parent‘s preferences for sons positively affect fertility. By and large, demand for children is price and income inelastic.
The effects of the epidermal and fibroblast growth factors on the replicative lifespan of cultured bovine granulosa cells.

The effects of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) on the lifespan of cultured bovine granulosa cell cultures have been investigated. Granulosa cell cultures from small follicles (4–7 mm) had a lifespan of 11–12 generations, whereas the lifespan of cultures originating from large follicles did not exceed seven generations. The addition of either EGF or FGF to the medium of cultures originating from small follicles greatly increased the lifetime of the cultures, which can then exceed 60 generations. A similar, although less pronounced, effect was observed with cultures originating from large follicles. The lifespan of granulosa cell cultures depends upon the presence of FGF or EGF in the medium, as the deletion of the mitogens resulted in rapid terminal differentiation and a shortened replicative lifespan. As either FGF or EGF can prolong the replicauive lifespan of granulosa cell cultures, it is suggested that their limited replicative lifespan when maintained in the absence o...
Highly noise suppressed bypass 6 engine for STOL application

A TF-34 engine with an acoustically treated ground test nacelle was built and tested to determine the feasibility of suppressing fan and core engine noise to the stringent levels required for STOL or short-haul commercial aircraft. The design incorporates wall treatment for the fan and core plus three treated splitter rings in the inlet and two treated splitters in the aft fan duct. Maximum suppression of fan tone noise of 40-45 dB was obtained from both the inlet and aft fan treatment. At rated fan speed, overall noise was reduced by 21 PNdB to a value of 94 PNdB on a 500-foot sideline. The overall noise reduction value was limited by the jet noise floor. Thrust losses due to the acoustic treatment are also discussed.
Biaxial creep of textured zircaloy I: Experimental and phenomenological descriptions

Abstract Creep of Zircaloy-4 was studied using biaxially loaded tubes at 673 K. Pronounced creep anisotropy is attributed to the presence of strong preferred orientations (texture) Stress and temperature dependences for steady state creep were determined from closed-end internal pressurization tests. The derived activation energy and area suggest that the climb of edge dislocations is the rate-controlling mechanism for creep in Zircaloy. A single relationship is derived which correlates the temperature and stress dependence of primary creep behavior over the range of experimental investigation. Anisotropic creep behavior as a function of loading state is modelled using Hill's anisotropic formulation modified for constant levels of creep potential. This approach is successful for both cold-worked stress-relieved materials and partially recrystallized materials.
Application of stereological analysis of cell volume to isolated myocytes in culture with and without adrenergic innervation

A three-dimensional analysis to evaluate structural changes in cultured cardiac myocytes following adrenergic innervation was performed using stereological techniques formerly limited to cells in tissue and organs. Cell volumes were calculated for two groups of cells at 96 hours in culture: isolated myocytes and myocytes innervated with adrenergic neurons. Relative and absolute volumes of the nucleus, cytoplasm, and cell were quantified by systematically sampling sections throughout the cell and by point count sampling techniques. Volumetric estimates were similarly determined for the mitochondria, sarcomeres, and other cellular components in the cytoplasm. Data were analyzed with ANOVA and randomized block design to control for variation among the cultures. Adrenergic innervation produced a 44% increase in cell volume, X±SEM, (3,344±196 μm3 to 4,816±400 μm3, P = 0.007). The absolute volume of mitochondria significantly increased after innervation (521±42 μm3 to 744 ± 54 μm3, P<0.01). Absolute sarcomere volume did not change significantly (750 ± 92 μm3 to 642 ± 1061 μm3, P = 0.14). Other cellular components, defined as all cytoplasmic components except mitochondria and sarcomeres, significantly increased with innervation (1,739 ± 166 μm3 to 3,097 ± 338 μm3, P = 0.02). The relative volume of the nucleus and the cytoplasm in the cell remained unchanged following innervation. However, the relative volume of mitochondria decreased by 6%, the percent of the cytoplasm occupied by the sarcomeres decreased by 44%, and the volume occupied by the other cellular components increased by 22%. These findings support the use of stereological analysis as a means to quantify cell volumes of cultured myocytes. Significant increases in cell size, as well as changes in intracellular composition, accompany in vitro adrenergic innervation in the developing cardiac myocyte.
Evaluating universal design: Low-and high-tech methods for mapping accessible space

To those unfamiliar with issues of accessibility for people with disabilities, the Arizona State Museum and the Administration Building on the University of Arizona (UA) campus may seem rather similar in outward appearance. Both have entrances that meet the specifications of the American with Disabilities Act, and have been redesigned in recent years. However, for participants in our research project on "Universal Design and Accessibility," they represent vastly different approaches to access.
Monitoring, diversification and managerial incentive contracts

Abstract A principal-agent model is extended to examine the optimal incentive contract when the manager is motivated by both diversification in product lines and monitoring over subordinates.
Preimplantation lethality of monosomy for mouse chromosome 19

IT remains a mystery why autosomal trisomy is found more frequently than autosomal monosomy in man. Several surveys of spontaneous abortions have revealed these chromosomal abnormalities in proportions of 26% (ref. 1) and 0.1% (refs 1, 2), respectively, while a prospective study of 47,000 newborn babies revealed no full monosomy and only five cases in which parts of chromosomes were missing3. Similarly, in mouse embryos from translocation stocks bred to produce aneuploid progeny, high frequencies of trisomy but no monosomy are found after 12–13 days4,5. This is hard to understand because most autosomal aneuploidy is assumed to result from meiotic nondisjunction, so that for every gamete carrying two copies of a particular chromosome there should be a complementary gamete carrying none. However, the deficiency of monosomic embryos could be because nullisomic gametes are less able than disomic gametes to participate in fertilisation, or because the resulting monosomic embryos are less viable early in gestation. We report here the investigation of these possibilities in a mouse system which is known to produce a high frequency of nondisjunction. Equal numbers of monosomic and trisomie progeny were found early in gestation, but while some monosomies were compatible with survival to implantation, monosomy for the smallest mouse autosome, chromosome 19, was lethal at the early to mid-blastocyst stage. This lethality did not seem to be the result of the expression of recessive lethal genes.
Functional response of the rat kidney to inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis: role of cytochrome P450-derived arachidonate metabolites

1 We tested the hypothesis that nitric oxide (NO) exerts a tonic inhibitory influence on cytochrome P450 (CYP450)-dependent metabolism of arachidonic acid (AA). 2 Nω-nitro-L-Arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), increased mean blood pressure (MBP), from 91±6 to 137±5 mmHg, renal vascular resistance (RVR), from 9.9±0.6 to 27.4±2.5 mmHg ml−1 min−1, and reduced renal blood flow (RBF), from 9.8±0.7 to 6.5±0.6 ml min−1) and GFR from 1.2±0.2 to 0.6±0.2 ml 100 g−1 min−1) accompanied by diuresis (UV, 1.7±0.3 to 4.3±0.8 μl 100 g−1 min−1), and natriuresis (UNaV, 0.36±0.04 to 1.25±0.032 μmol 100 g−1 min−1). 3 12, 12 dibromododec-enoic acid (DBDD), an inhibitor of ω hydroxylase, blunted L-NAME-induced changes in MBP, RVR, UV and UNaV by 63±8, 70±5, 45±8 and 42±9%, respectively, and fully reversed the reduction in GFR by L-NAME. Clotrimazole, an inhibitor of the epoxygenase pathway of CYP450-dependent AA metabolism, was without effect. 4 BMS182874 (5-dimethylamino)-N-(3,4-dimethyl-5-isoxazolyl)-1-naphthalenesulfonamide), an endothelin (ET)A receptor antagonist, also blunted the increases in MBP and RVR and the diuresis/natriuresis elicited by L-NAME without affecting GFR. 5 Indomethacin blunted L-NAME-induced increases in RVR, UV and UNaV. BMS180291 (1S-(1α,2α,3α.4α)]-2-[[3-[4-[(pentylamino)carbonyl]-2-oxazolyl] - 7 - oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hept - 2 -yl]methyl]benzenepropanoic acid), an endoperoxide receptor antagonist, attenuated the pressor and renal haemodynamic but not the renal tubular effects of L-NAME. 6 In conclusion, the renal functional effects of the CYP450-derived mediator(s) expressed after inhibition of NOS with L-NAME were prevented by inhibiting either CYP450 ω hydroxylase or cyclo-oxygenase or by antagonizing either ETA or endoperoxide receptors. 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) fulfils the salient properties of this mediator. British Journal of Pharmacology (1998) 125, 1065–1073; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0702171
The carcinogenic potential of dacthal and its metabolites

We evaluated the carcinogenic potential of Dacthal, an important herbicide, and its biodegradation product, tetrachloro-terephthalic acid, on the basis of their chemical and biological properties as well as by a variety of computational tools. We concluded that tetrachloroterephthalic acid does not present any substantial carcinogenic risk and that the observed rodent carcinogenicity of Dacthal is probably due to its impurities.
Parallel, overlapped, and intersected digital straight lines

A digital straight line is represented by a chain code of directions which satisfy Freeman's three criteria. Given two chain codes of digital straight lines and their starting pixels where their equations are not known, the paper will describe how to determine if they are parallel, overlapped, or intersected. An algorithm with only integer arithmetic is also implemented to find the intersection.
A Plea for Academic Pluralism (and a Little More Intellectual Humility)

Changing the Subject (Ever So Slightly) Let me begin with five basic points about scientific inquiry and methodological rigor that ground my own sense of what is to be done in the wake of current methodological battles in the fields of political science and political theory.
Mechanism of action of NH4Cl and other weak bases in the activation of sea urchin eggs.

EXPOSURE of unfertilised sea urchin eggs to NH4Cl and other weak bases such as procaine or nicotine results in the activation of some of the events which normally follow fertilisation, such as the acceleration of protein synthesis and the initiation of DNA synthesis1,2. The initial events of normal fertilisation, for example, the cortical reaction and respiratory burst, are bypassed. It has been shown that fertilisation triggers a Na–H ion exchange that results in an increase in the intracellular pH and a decrease in the pH of the surrounding seawater3. There is a similar acidification of the seawater and increase in intracellular pH when sea urchin eggs are exposed to NH4Cl or procaine. This led to the suggestion that the pH changes induced by weak bases were mediated by a mechanism similar to the Na–H ion exchange. However, it had been proposed that NH4Cl worked by a simple passive diffusion mechanism, where the uncharged species of weak base diffuses into the egg and picks up an H+ ion, resulting in an increase in the intracellular pH (ref. 4). The important distinction between these two mechanisms is that if weak bases are working by a passive diffusion mechanism, bypassing the Na–H ion exchange, then their action gives direct support to the hypothesis that an increase in the intracellular pH plays a part in the onset of biosynthetic activities after fertilisation. We show here that weak bases bypass the Na–H ion exchange, cause both the internal and external pH changes directly by their passive diffusion into the egg, and that the initial increase in the rate of protein synthesis is proportional to the amount of weak base entering the egg.
At the Beginning: the Status of Women in Neolithic and Shang China*

Despite the local and frequently disparate nature of the evidence, both archaeological and inscriptional, and despite the difficulties involved in interpreting that evidence, the study of particular topics-such as secondary burial, following-in-death, sex ratios, marriage patterns, childbearing, Shang royal consorts, Shang ancestresses, and lineage terminology-permits the general conclusion that from at least the Late Neolithic until the Late Shang the political and economic status of most women in China, as represented in burial practices and recorded religious beliefs, was, despite some significant exceptions, inferior to that of most men. The present article provides an initial exploration of how such status distinctions emerged and how they functioned.
Dielectrophoretic assembly of ordered nanostructures: Harnessing thermal randomness and inter-particle interactions

If sufficiently developed, directed assembly of engineered nanostructures could revolutionize the manufacture of integrated devices. We describe the assembly of metallic and heterostructured nanowires into ordered arrays, and show that such assembly can be controlled by balancing the various relevant energy scales in the process in a manner analogous to crystal growth. These assemblies offer examples of structures that could be applicable to next-generation sensors and electronics.
Ion Optics Arithmetic and Its Implication for the Positive Ion CTR Program

This paper discusses ion extraction optics formulations in which presheath ionization is shown to have a negligible effect on ion optics at optimum perveance; otherwise, the examples shown establish an ionization gradient instability. Infinite slot optics as a function of perveance and potential partitioning is delineated for the TFTR tetrode from 2-D considerations; finite slot optics at optimum perveance is delineated from 3-D considerations. Finally, further 2-D considerations yield an end slot design.