cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Varve-counting by the annual pattern of diatoms accumulated in the sediment of Big Watab Lake, Minnesota, AD 1837–1990

The goal of this study was to develop a method for extracting quantitative annual records of diatoms and other microfossils from sediments that are resistant to existing varve-counting methods because of their variable, complex, or indistinct laminations. Very linely laminated organic sediments from a deep diamictic lake in central Minnesota, USA were collected by freeze-core, dehydrated by solvent exchange, embedded with epoxy, and petrographically thin-sectioned. Diatom frustules and pollen grains were counted in contiguous 400 pm microscope fields-of-view and used to construct a sediment chronology. The concentration of diatoms in the sediment was cyclic and lowest in sediment deposited during summer. The concentration of pollen in the sediment was also cyclic and sediment deposited during the summer contained the highest concentrations of pollen and the highest percentages of ragweed (Ambrosia spp.) pollen. The sediment chronology that was produced accurately records the onset of regional (c. 1850) and watershed (c. 1880) development, a historic tornadic storm complex (1894), and individual drought years (1932, 1934 & 1935) within the 1930's drought.
Cytoskeletal remodeling of desmin is a more accurate measure of cardiac dysfunction than fibrosis or myocyte hypertrophy

Abstract Aims Fibrosis and myocyte hypertrophy are classical remodeling parameters in heart failure (HF); however, an intriguing possibility is that myocytes undergo intracellular remodeling which decrease compliance, contributing to diastolic dysfunction. The most obvious candidates are cytoskeletal proteins. The cytoskeletal protein desmin reinforces the sarcomeres, enabling force generation. As a contributor to sarcomere performance, desmin may represent a better appraisal of dysfunction than fibrosis or myocyte hypertrophy. Main methods HF was induced in sheep via coronary microembolization. Echocardiography was performed at baseline, 4-, and 12-months in HF. Desmin, fibrosis, and myocyte hypertrophy from infarcted LV posterior and noninfarcted LV anterior walls were measured using Western blot, immunohistochemistry, and digital image analysis. Multivariate regression analysis was performed, providing structure/function mechanisms. ⁎ p Key findings EF decreased from 55% to 24%⁎. LV end-diastolic area (LVEDA) increased 123%⁎ at month-12. Fibrosis increased only in posterior LV whereas myocyte hypertrophy increased in both LV posterior and LV anterior regions but only at month-12. Desmin content progressively increased 121%⁎ at month-4 and 182%⁎ at month-12 in both LV posterior and anterior walls. Multivariate linear regression (beta coefficient standardization) demonstrated that desmin was a much better predictor of EF ( β = − 0.38⁎) and LVEDA ( β = 0.58⁎) than fibrosis or myocyte hypertrophy. Significance Desmin, fibrosis, and myocyte hypertrophy are temporally and spatially heterogeneous in HF. Desmin content more accurately correlated with remodeling than fibrosis or myocyte hypertrophy, suggesting that intra-myocyte responses, likely related to mechanical stretch, are better predictors of LV function and may represent novel targets for therapeutic intervention.
Parenting in the Workplace Examining a Unique Infant Care Option

This article describes a unique, employer-based infant care program that allows parents to care for their babies in the workplace and reports on the response of the coworker employees to this arrangement. Of 35 permanent employees in a university-based research organization, 86% completed a self-report questionnaire. Results indicated that parenting babies in the workplace, in this setting, has little, if any, perceived negative effect on the work life of other employees. Additionally, these employees expressed overall positive attitudes about the program. Results did not vary by gender, education, marital status, income, job position or responsibilities, dependent care responsibilities, amount of contact with babies, or retention intention. Minority employees reported more positive effects. Implications of the findings for employers, workplace factors to consider for a viable infant care program, directions for future investigations, and new assumptions about work and family life are discussed.
Preference Grammars: Softening Syntactic Constraints to Improve Statistical Machine Translation

We propose a novel probabilistic synchoronous context-free grammar formalism for statistical machine translation, in which syntactic nonterminal labels are represented as "soft" preferences rather than as "hard" matching constraints. This formalism allows us to efficiently score unlabeled synchronous derivations without forgoing traditional syntactic constraints. Using this score as a feature in a log-linear model, we are able to approximate the selection of the most likely unlabeled derivation. This helps reduce fragmentation of probability across differently labeled derivations of the same translation. It also allows the importance of syntactic preferences to be learned alongside other features (e.g., the language model) and for particular labeling procedures. We show improvements in translation quality on small and medium sized Chinese-to-English translation tasks.
N-glycosylation requirements in neuromuscular synaptogenesis

Neural development requires N-glycosylation regulation of intercellular signaling, but the requirements in synaptogenesis have not been well tested. All complex and hybrid N-glycosylation requires MGAT1 (UDP-GlcNAc:α-3-D-mannoside-β1,2-N-acetylglucosaminyl-transferase I) function, and Mgat1 nulls are the most compromised N-glycosylation condition that survive long enough to permit synaptogenesis studies. At the Drosophila neuromuscular junction (NMJ), Mgat1 mutants display selective loss of lectin-defined carbohydrates in the extracellular synaptomatrix, and an accompanying accumulation of the secreted endogenous Mind the gap (MTG) lectin, a key synaptogenesis regulator. Null Mgat1 mutants exhibit strongly overelaborated synaptic structural development, consistent with inhibitory roles for complex/hybrid N-glycans in morphological synaptogenesis, and strengthened functional synapse differentiation, consistent with synaptogenic MTG functions. Synapse molecular composition is surprisingly selectively altered, with decreases in presynaptic active zone Bruchpilot (BRP) and postsynaptic Glutamate receptor subtype B (GLURIIB), but no detectable change in a wide range of other synaptic components. Synaptogenesis is driven by bidirectional trans-synaptic signals that traverse the glycan-rich synaptomatrix, and Mgat1 mutation disrupts both anterograde and retrograde signals, consistent with MTG regulation of trans-synaptic signaling. Downstream of intercellular signaling, pre- and postsynaptic scaffolds are recruited to drive synaptogenesis, and Mgat1 mutants exhibit loss of both classic Discs large 1 (DLG1) and newly defined Lethal (2) giant larvae [L(2)GL] scaffolds. We conclude that MGAT1-dependent N-glycosylation shapes the synaptomatrix carbohydrate environment and endogenous lectin localization within this domain, to modulate retention of trans-synaptic signaling ligands driving synaptic scaffold recruitment during synaptogenesis.
Diffusion in aqueous nitric acid solutions

The restricted diffusion method is employed to measure the differential diffusion coefficients of nitric acid in water at 25°C for the concentration range 0.033 to 9.25 molar. The concentration gradients of diffusing solutions are observed by Rayleigh interference optics. Experimental transport data are analyzed within the framework of the concentrated solution theory of electrolytes in order to elucidate the macroscopic transport characteristics of nitric acid in terms of specific binary interactions in solution. The results indicate that the transport properties of nitric acid are largely determined, as in other strong acids, by the hydrogen ion-water molecule interaction.
Hierarchical Region-Based Image Registration in Scale Space

This paper presents a new method for image registration for real natural scenes. The method is based on the observation that most natural scenes are actually 3-D. If the assumption of weak perspective is violated, the error in image registration induced by parallax is increased, leading artifacts or blurs in image mosaic. Our method first applies the affine-invariant point detector in scale space. After clustering feature point pairs, an initial global transformation is formed based on majority correspondence. The global transformation is evaluated in each region at certain scale determined by inliers. The global model is optimized for local registration by minimizing Least Square Error. This method is more robust than standard image registration algorithms on images subject to uncalibrated camera motion.
A visual query language for software visualization

Visualization for software understanding requires that the user be able to define specific visualizations that are specialized to the particular understanding task at hand. In this paper we describe a system that lets the user define such visualizations quickly and effectively. The system uses a visual query language over a variety of data sources to let the user specify what information is relevant to the understanding task and to correlate that information. Then it provides a mechanism for letting the user select and customize an appropriate visualization for this data.
Conceptualization, Measurement, and Improvement of Classroom Processes: Standardized Observation Can Leverage Capacity

The authors advance an argument that placing observation of actual teaching as a central feature of accountability frameworks, teacher preparation, and basic science could result in substantial improvements in instruction and related social processes and a science of the production of teaching and teachers. Teachers’ behavioral interactions with students can be (a) assessed observationally using standardized protocols, (b) analyzed systematically with regard to sources of error, (c) validated for predicting student learning, and (d) changed (improved) as a function of specific and aligned supports provided to teachers; exposure to such supports is predictive of greater student learning gains. These methods have considerable promise; along with measurement challenges, some of which pertain to psychometrics, efficiency, and costs, they merit attention, rigorous study, and substantial research investments.
Limitations on maximum tree density using hyperspatial remote sensing and environmental gradient analysis

article i nfo We present a novel approach for performing environmental gradient analysis to address the question: is maximum potential tree density in eastern Lake Tahoe Basin, NV limited by water, temperature/energetic constraints, or both? To address this question we fuse continuous tree density estimates derived from hyperspatialremotesensingimagery(pixelssmallerthantrees)withtwotopographicallyderivedenvironmental gradients: elevation and yearly potential relative radiation (PRR). We based our analysis on the maximum tree density found in each of over 200 environmental gradient combinations found with our area of interest, drawing from adatasetconsistingof over300,00030m plotsandover3millionindividualtrees.Atagivenelevation,sites in which maximum tree density increases as a function of increasing yearly PRR were considered to be temperature or energy limited. Conversely, sites in which maximum tree density decreased as a function of
Multi-design variable optimization for a fixed pumping power of a water-cooled cold plate for high power electronics applications

The current trend in microelectronic systems has made thermal management a critical design phase with the increase in the number of transistors per chip and decrease in system footprint. For high end systems, it has become increasingly difficult to rely on air cooling. As a result, liquid cooling has grown in prominence as a method for cooling high density interconnect (HDI) devices. Water cooling in particular has multiple advantages over air cooling as it has a greater heat carrying capacity. Cold plates will play a prominent role in cooling such high end systems. As a way of demonstrating the proposed methodology, the performance of the cold plate previously employed in IBM's Enterprise System/9000 water-cooled mainframes is optimized. By varying multiple design parameters, such as the channel dimensions, a conjugate CFD model is deployed to optimize the thermal resistance for a fixed pumping power. This will serve as an indicator for future studies into the design of robust cold plates for energy-efficient thermal management and packaging of high power single and multi-chip planar modules.
Impaired antigen-induced CD8+ T cell clonal expansion in aging is due to defects in antigen presenting cell function.

Abstract CD8 + T cell activation depends on interaction with antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and this interaction leads to the expansion of T cells with the capacity to control infection. Using professional APCs, we demonstrate that with age, the duration of APC–T cell contact time required to achieve clonal expansion increases. Nai¨ve CD8 + T cells from aged mice showed no defect in antigen-induced proliferation when stimulated with APC from young mice. In contrast, CD8 + T cells from young mice exhibited reduced clonal expansion and secreted significantly lower amounts of IFN-γ when stimulated by APCs from aged mice. The aged APCs were defective in costimulatory molecule expression and cytokine and chemokine secretion. These data indicate that defects in APC function lead to poor T cell clonal expansion and function in aging.
Solid Oxide Fuel Cells in Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Applications

The Navy is currently investigating solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) for the propulsion of unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs). SOFCs are being targeted because of their potential to carry out extended missions, which are not possible using current battery technology. In addition, they offer the advantages of being able to utilize energy-dense hydrocarbon fuels and are self-sustaining while supplying heat to reforming processes. The SOFC system evaluated in this study consisted of a Ni-YSZ-based, 6-cell stack with anode supported cells close-coupled with a micro-channel steam reformer. Various reformate gas compositions, steam to carbon ratios and flow rates were tested to gather a range of data under the expected operating conditions of UUVs. The system was operated for more than 70 hours consuming approximately 0.5 to 0.7 ml/min of fuel and producing about 100 to 230 watts of power. The integrated stack and reformer displayed stable performance with a fuel utilization of 80% and an efficiency of 50% at maximum power output.
Coping with Stresses: Roles of Calcium- and Calcium/Calmodulin-Regulated Gene Expression

Abiotic and biotic stresses are major limiting factors of crop yields and cause billions of dollars of losses annually around the world. It is hoped that understanding at the molecular level how plants respond to adverse conditions and adapt to a changing environment will help in developing plants that can better cope with stresses. Acquisition of stress tolerance requires orchestration of a multitude of biochemical and physiological changes, and most of these depend on changes in gene expression. Research during the last two decades has established that different stresses cause signal-specific changes in cellular Ca2+ level, which functions as a messenger in modulating diverse physiological processes that are important for stress adaptation. In recent years, many Ca2+ and Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM) binding transcription factors (TFs) have been identified in plants. Functional analyses of some of these TFs indicate that they play key roles in stress signaling pathways. Here, we review recent progress in this area with emphasis on the roles of Ca2+- and Ca2+/CaM-regulated transcription in stress responses. We will discuss emerging paradigms in the field, highlight the areas that need further investigation, and present some promising novel high-throughput tools to address Ca2+-regulated transcriptional networks.
Music, Creativity and Scientific Thinking

Are music and sci-ence different types of intel-ligence (as posited in the context of Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences), or are they two manifestations of common ways of think-ing? By focusing on scien-tists who have been musi-cians and on the ways they have used their musical knowledge to inform their scientific work, the author argues in this article that music and science are two ways of using a common set of “tools for thinking” that unify all disciplines. He explores the notion that cre-ative individuals are usually polymaths who think in trans-disciplinary ways.
Chronic voluntary alcohol consumption results in tolerance to sedative/hypnotic and hypothermic effects of alcohol in hybrid mice.

The continuous two-bottle choice test is the most common measure of alcohol consumption but there is remarkably little information about the development of tolerance or dependence with this procedure. We showed that C57BL/6J × FVB/NJ and FVB/NJ×C57BL/6JF1 hybrid mice demonstrate greater preference for and consumption of alcohol than either parental strain. In order to test the ability of this genetic model of high alcohol consumption to produce neuroadaptation, we examined development of alcohol tolerance and dependence after chronic self-administration using a continuous access two-bottle choice paradigm. Ethanol-experienced mice stably consumed about 16-18 g/kg/day of ethanol. Ethanol-induced withdrawal severity was assessed (after 59 days of drinking) by scoring handling-induced convulsions; withdrawal severity was minimal and did not differ between ethanol-experienced and -naive mice. After 71 days of drinking, the rate of ethanol clearance was similar for ethanol-experienced and -naive mice. After 77 days of drinking, ethanol-induced loss of righting reflex (LORR) was tested daily for 5 days. Ethanol-experienced mice had a shorter duration of LORR. For both ethanol-experienced and -naive mice, blood ethanol concentrations taken at gain of righting reflex were greater on day 5 than on day 1, indicative of tolerance. After 98 days of drinking, ethanol-induced hypothermia was assessed daily for 3 days. Both ethanol-experienced and -naive mice developed rapid and chronic tolerance to ethanol-induced hypothermia, with significant group differences on the first day of testing. In summary, chronic, high levels of alcohol consumption in F1 hybrid mice produced rapid and chronic tolerance to both the sedative/hypnotic and hypothermic effects of ethanol; additionally, a small degree of metabolic tolerance developed. The development of tolerance supports the validity of using this model of high alcohol consumption in genetic studies of alcoholism.
An analysis of substituent effects in ethane derivatives: the quantum theory of atoms in molecules approach.

MP2/6-311++G(d,p) calculations were performed on ethane and its simple derivatives. Different substituents such as: Li, Na, BeH, BH2, OH, NH2, F and NO2 were considered. The mono- and disubstituted derivatives of ethane were analyzed. The quantum theory of “atoms in molecules” was applied to localize bond critical points and to analyze relationships between their locations and characteristics of the species. The numerous correlations were found showing the crucial influence of substituent effects. It was also revealed that such parameters as the carbon−carbon distance, or the electron density at C−C bond critical point do not show the systematic changes caused by substituent effects. This means that some of QTAIM parameters, especially the positions of BCPs may be useful to detect numerous sensitive effects if the latter ones do not affect the traditionally analyzed geometrical parameters of a molecule, such as bond lengths.
Functional Domains of the Cone-Rod Homeobox (CRX) Transcription Factor

The paired-like homeodomain transcription factor CRX (cone-rod homeobox) is involved in regulating photoreceptor gene expression and rod outer segment development. Mutations in CRX have been associated with several retinal degenerative diseases. These conditions range from Leber congenital amaurosis (a severe cone and rod degeneration of childhood onset) to adult onset cone-rod dystrophy and retinitis pigmentosa (an adult onset condition that primarily affects rods). The goal of this study is to better understand the molecular basis of CRX function and to provide insight into how mutations in CRX cause such a variety of clinical phenotypes. We performed deletion analysis in conjunction with DNA binding and transient transfection-based transactivation studies to identify the functional domains within CRX. DNA binding requires a complete homeodomain. Furthermore, truncated proteins that did not contain an intact homeodomain failed to demonstrate detectable expression in tissue culture upon transfection. Transactivation analysis indicated that both the OTX tail and the WSP domain are important for controlling positive regulatory activity of CRX. Interestingly, the mapped CRX transactivation domains were also critical when coexpressed with NRL. Specifically, the synergy between CRX and NRL was constant regardless of which CRX variant was used.
Properties of A—Sin:H Films Prepared by Glow Discharge of Si2H6—Nh3 Gas Mixture

The electrical and optical properties of a—SiNx:H films prepared by the glow discharge of Si2H6-NH3 gas mixture have been investigated in a wide range of the molar ratio of NH3 to Si2H6 The maxima of the dark—and the photo—conductivity are observed at the molar ratio of about 10-1. At this molar ratio the deposition rate is about33 A/sec. The optical gap and the compositional ratio of nitrogen to silicon change smoothly from those of a—Si:H to those of a—Si3N4. It is found that the valency control is possible in a—SiNx:H films prepared at a high deposition rate.
Effect of Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF-β) on Mammary Development

Abstract Mammary growth and development in heifers and cows is regulated by a complex interaction of multiple stimuli, including environmental, nutritional, and endocrine factors. The action of these various stimuli is mediated by a host of growth factors, including transforming growth factor-beta (TGF- β ). TGF- β is a potent inhibitor of mammary epithelial cell growth and regulates extracellular matrix composition. TGF- β is expressed during bovine mammary development and its expression is particularly high at times of mammary growth and reorganization. The purpose of this paper is to review what we know about TGF- β and mammary growth and to explain how TGF- β affects the cell cycle in a normal epithelial cell line.
Autofeedback effects of prolactin on basal, suckling-induced, and proestrous secretion of prolactin.

Subcutaneous injections of ovine prolactin (oPRL, 4 mg/kg) were utilized to study the negative feedback effect of PRL on its own secretion in lactating and 4day estrous cycling female rats. Basal PRL secretion in the 10day postpartum lactating rat is not suppressed by acute or 48 hr of exposure to oPRL. In contrast, basal PRL secretion on the morning of proestrus is inhibited following 48 hr of exposure to oPRL. Thus, the lactating rat appears to be unresponsive to the negative feedback action of PRL compared with the adult female rat in regards to basal PRL secretion. The suckling-induced PRL response is partially suppressed by exposure to oPRL in 10-day postpartum lactating rats. Considering the areas under the PRL response curves, the suckling-induced release is blunted by 6 (decreased 49%), 12 (decreased 46%), and 48 (decreased 77%) hr of oPRL exposure compared to controls. In contrast, in cycling animals, 48 hr of exposure to elevated oPRL levels dramatically abolished the proestrous PRL surge. Elevated PRL levels, by a direct action on the brain and/or indirectly by altering ovarian function, inhibit or override the hypothalamic mechanism(s) mediating the proestrous PRL surge while having a lesser effect on the mechanism@) mediating the suckling-induced PRL response. Taken together, the present data point to probable differences in the mechanism(s) mediating basal, suckling-induced, and the proestrous secretion of prolactin.
Dominance, diversity and distribution of lianas in Yasuní, Ecuador: Who is on top?

Lianas of YasuniNational Park and the Huaorani Ethnic Reserve, Ecuador were sampled using 0.2-ha subsamples from 12 1-ha plots. Using surveys and herbarium collections, the total species richness of lianas in the park and reserve is estimated to be close to 500 species. Terra firme habitats are significantly more species rich than floodplain habitats, but density of stems is not significantly different between habitats. The most abundant liana species is Machaerium cuspida- tum Kuhlm. & Hoehne (Fabaceae) in both floodplain and terra firme habitats, repres- enting more than 10% of all stems in census plots. Analysis of rarity indicates that none of the liana species encountered on the 12 plots is rare in terms of geographic range, and many species are not rare in terms of population size or habitat specifi- city. The rank order of abundance, combined with the coefficient of variability in species distribution among plots, is used to identify the 38 species (an oligarchy) that dominate forests in Yasuni ´.
Invariant Manifolds for Parabolic Partial Differential Equations on Unbounded Domains

In this paper finite-dimensional invariant manifolds for nonlinear parabolic partial differential equations of the form are constructed. Such results are somewhat surprising because of the continuous spectrum of the linearized equation. These manifolds control the long-time behavior of solutions of these equations and can be used to construct systematic, rigorous expansions of the long-time asymptotics in inverse powers of . They also give a new perspective on the change in the long-time asymptotics of the equation with nonlinear term , when passes through the critical value .
Virtual Classroom Extension for Effective Distance Education

Key requirements of effective distance learning are interactivity among participants and the student's sense of presence in the classroom. This system meets those requirements, letting the instructor perceive remote students' body language and facial expressions as they listen and speak, and letting remote students participate in the on-campus classroom.
Warning: graphic content [Web formats]

The author discusses graphic formats common to the World Wide Web, as well as a new format in the offing. He considers the Graphic Interchange Format (GIF) standard image format developed by CompuServ, JPEG standard and the Portable Network Graphic (PNG) format.
Livestock Forage Conditioning Among Six Northern Great Basin Grasses

Studies of Anderson and Scherzinger's forage conditioning hypothesis have generated varied results. Our objectives were: 1) to evaluate late summer/early fall forage quality of crested wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum [Fisch. ex Link] J. A. Schultes), bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata [Pursh] A. Love), Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis Elmer), bottlebrush squirreltail (Elymus elymoides [Raf.] Swezey), Thurber's needlegrass (Achnatherum thurberianum [Piper] Barkworth), and basin wildrye (Leymus cinereus [Scribn. & Merr.] A. Love) from ungrazed paddocks and paddocks grazed at vegetative, boot, and anthesis; and 2) test hypotheses that postgrazing regrowth yields were correlated with soil moisture content when grazing occurred. Crop–year precipitation for 1997 and 1998 was 134% and 205% of average. Crude protein (CP) and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of ungrazed grasses displayed expected declines in quality. Among ungrazed grasses, late summer/early fall CP was 5.7% in 1997 and 3.6% in 1998; IVDMD was 47% and 41%, respectively. Late summer/early fall forage quality was elevated by vegetative, boot stage, or anthesis grazing. The phenologically youngest regrowth always ranked highest in CP and IVDMD. Among grasses, respective 1997 CP and IVDMD means were 9.0% and 55% for regrowth following anthesis grazing. No regrowth followed anthesis grazing in 1998, but CP and IVDMD means from boot stage treatments were 5.5% and 47%, respectively. With CP measures, a species by treatment interaction occurred in 1997, but species reacted similarly in 1998. Vegetative, boot stage, and anthesis grazing in 1997 caused respective late summer/early fall standing crop reductions of 34%, 42%, and 58%; and 34%, 54%, and 100% reductions in 1998. Forage conditioning responses were lower for bluebunch wheatgrass and crested wheatgrass than other grasses. Soil moisture content was a poor predictor of regrowth yields. Managed cattle grazing can successfully enhance late season forage quality.
Sexuality and Geography

This article poses a series of questions that ask the reader to think through how sexuality and geography are analytically interconnected, particularly in social and spatial contexts of heterosexuality. The newness of sexuality questions in geographic enquiry is also addressed. The kinds of sexuality and geography questions that have been broached in the discipline are then discussed, followed by an outline of what kinds of research might be engaged in the future.
Adrift No More: The Disappearance of the Drift Factor in the New US Dollar Index Contract

We have found that the USDX futures contract as respecified in response to the newly traded Euro now possess only a trivial drift factor. This seems to be due to the fact that the Index now is comprised largely of two currencies, Sterling and the Euro, that are expressed in American terms. Also, the fact that the Index remains a geometric average does not seem to introduce meaningful bias in Index pricing. Thus, the bias found in previous research was undoubtedly due primarily to the specification of both sides of an arbitrage leg in European terms. The results found here suggest that no systematic arbitrage can profitably be executed in the reformulated USDX futures contract.
Trends in childhood pneumococcal vaccine coverage in Shanghai, China, 2005-2011: a retrospective cohort study

In China, the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) and the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) are not offered under the government’s Expanded Program on Immunization and are instead administered for a fee. PCV7 is more effective and covers more serotypes associated with invasive disease in children, but is also more expensive, than PPSV23. Because of their expense, there is concern that these vaccines, especially PCV7, have low uptake particularly among non-locals, migrants from outside of Shanghai. This paper characterizes the differential coverage of PCV7 and PPSV23 between locals and non-locals in Shanghai, and illustrates coverage trends over time. In this retrospective cohort study, children born between 2005 and 2011 were sampled from the Shanghai Immunization Program Information System. Bivariate and multivariable analyses examined the relationships between demographic characteristics, residency status (non-locals vs locals), and vaccination coverage. PPSV23 coverage (29.8 %) among children over 2 years of age was higher than PCV7 coverage (10.1 %) for locals and non-locals. Uptake of PCV7 increased substantially after children were 2 years of age. Overall, non-local populations had higher PPSV23 coverage (OR: 1.34; 98 % CI: 1.22, 1.46) but lower PCV7 coverage (OR: 0.617, 98 % CI: 0.547, 0.695) than locals. There is a need for increasing overall pneumococcal coverage in Shanghai children, particularly with the more effective PCV7 vaccine. Morbidity and mortality due to invasive pneumococcal disease for children <1 year of age are unlikely to be mitigated if the current age-related vaccination patterns are not improved.
Optics of Hybrid Nanomaterials in the Strong Coupling Regime

We review of a body of literature related to both recent advancements and historical developments of the field of nanophotonics. Coupling between microscopic oscillators is thoroughly discussed in the context of two-level quantum emitters and either surface plasmon polaritons or microcavities. A picture of upper and lower polariton definition in terms of coherent and incoherent states is described. Recent developments that we address include several methods of manipulating coupling strength in situ, observation of a departure from the coupled oscillator model under conditions of very strong coupling, use of plasmonic structures to introduce directionality to otherwise isotropic emission from quantum dots, and mapping Rabi oscillations by probing a hybrid system at progressively later times during pumping. Throughout the review, the importance of computational methods in modeling nanoscale systems is made very evident.
Absolute Partial γ-ray Cross Sections in 238U(n, xny) Reactions

Measurements of discrete γ-ray spectra have been carried out as a function of incident-neutron energy for nuclei populated in 238U(n, xnγ (x ≤ 4) reactions. The GEANIE spectrometer, comprised of 26 Ge detectors (11 planar and 15 coaxial), was used to detect γ-rays. Neutrons were provided by the “white” neutron source of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center’s WNR facility. The energy of the incident neutrons was determined using the time-of-flight technique. Absolute cross sections were determined for emission of several γ-rays from low-lying states of 235-238U isotopes (spin up to 10ħ and excitation energy up to ~1 MeV) as a function of incident-neutron energy (1 MeV < En 100 MeV). Uncertainties associated with the spectroscopic analysis of the data are discussed. Predictions of partial γ-ray cross sections from GNASH calculations up to neutron energy En = 30 MeV are compared to the experimental results and are generally in good agreement. Combining the experimental results with the predictions of the nu...
Application of Genetic Programming for Uniaxial and Multiaxial Modeling of Concrete

In current chapter, an overview of recently established genetic programming based techniques for strength modeling of concrete has been presented. The comprehensive uniaxial and multiaxial strengths modeling of hardened concrete have been concentrated in this chapter as one of the main area of interests in concrete modeling for structural engineers. For this engineering case the literature has been reviewed and the most applied numerical/analytical/experimental models and national building codes have been introduced. After reviewing the artificial intelligence/machine learning based models, genetic programming based models are presented, with accent on the applicability and efficiency of each model and its suitability. The advantages and weaknesses of the aforementioned models are summarized and compared with existing numerical/analytical/experimental models and national building codes, and a few illustrative examples briefly are presented. The genetic programming based techniques are remarkably straightforward and have enabled reliable, stable, and robust tools for pre-design and design applications.
Observations of creep-related tilt, strain, and water-level changes on the central San Andreas fault

abstract Several simultaneous observations of surface fault creep, tilt, strain, and water-level fluctuations have been recorded along the San Andreas fault in the vicinity of the Almaden-Cienega Winery south of Hollister, California. Creep events recorded on the winery creepmeters on February 16, 1975, and by the winery and Harris Ranch creepmeters on September 17, 1975, were modeled as migrating dislocations with geometries chosen to give results that match the observed tilt and strain data. Source depths for the February 16th and September 17th creep events were found to be relatively shallow, the depth to the lower boundary of the slip surface being 0.4 and 2.0 km, respectively. In both cases slip was found to propagate from the northwest toward the southeast, which is consistent with changes in water level observed in a well near the winery. Since the installation of the tiltmeter and strainmeter 0.8 km northwest of the Cienega Winery, six tilt and strain signals with durations typical of creep events have been related to observed surface creep, while 11 such signals appear unrelated to recorded surface creep. The latter may result from surface creep of limited extent or creep at depth.
Fate of Dieldrin Applied Topically to Stable Flies Susceptible and Resistant to Dieldrin

Gas-liquid chromatography (electron-affinity) was used to study the fate of dieldrin in stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), highly resistant or susceptible to this compound. Results showed no evidence that metabolism was enhanced or that excretion of dieldrin was more rapid in resistant flies than in susceptible flies. There was some indication that penetration was slower in resistant females than in any of the other flies, but this result may have been associated with the more concentrated solutions with which these flies were treated.
Test-Retest Reliability of the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale:

Further development of a brief measure of marital satisfaction is reported. The Kansas Marital Satisfaction (KMS) Scale was administered to 106 mothers who participated in a pretest for a nutrition...
Polarization Resolved Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy as a Probe of Intrinsic Optical Anisotropies

The ultrasensitive technique of Cavity Ring-Down Polarimetry (CRDP) will be discussed, with emphasis placed upon the extraction of molecular chiroptical properties in rarefied environments and the optical measurement of linear retardation with high intrinsic precision.
Effect of Substrate Misorientation on Heteroepitaxy with Large Lattice Mismatch: Ag/Si(111)

Epitaxial films of Ag(111) were grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) on small angle misoriented Si(111) substrates. The surface normal was tilted 0 to 6° away from the Si(111) axis toward the {fx[⋏r{1}⋏r{1}2]} direction. The structure of the films was analyzed by x-ray diffraction and MeV He+ ion channeling. Despite a large lattice mismatch, good quality epitaxial films, 600–1200 A thick, were grown on the misoriented Si substrates. Interestingly, the angle between the Si(111) axis of the substrate and the Ag(111) axis of the film (the misalignment angle) is not zero. In contrast to the perfect alignment on a flat substrate, the Ag(111) axis is tilted away from the Si(111) axis toward the surface normal. Axial MeV He+ ion channeling shows the misalignment angle (up to.6°) increases with substrate misorientation angle (∼1/10 substrate misorientation angle).
Cold Mass Support System for the MSU Superconducting Cyclotron Gas-Stopper Magnet

The cyclotron gas-stopper magnet at Michigan State University consists of two superconducting coils, each in its own cryostat. The two cryostats are mounted in the two warm iron poles of a sector cyclotron magnet used to control the orbit of heavy ions as the particle energy is being removed by circulating the ions through helium gas. Because the two poles of the magnet must be separated to install the gas chamber and beam extraction system, the magnet coils cannot be connected together. As a result, the magnet cold mass support system must carry the forces pushing the magnet into the iron pole as well as any decentering forces that occur from coil placement errors. The cold mass support system for each magnet coil consists of six compression supports that support magnet forces in the axial direction. In addition, there are three radial supports to center the coil axis coaxial with the axis of the iron poles. This paper presents an analysis of the superconducting magnet cold mass support system, which must be designed to have a spring constant that is higher than the magnet force constant at the full design current for the magnet.
Fabrication,characterization and applications of conductive LaNiO_3 films with sol-chemical process

Basing on improving harsh conditions of sol-gel process of alkoxides,a dense conductive LaNiO3(LNO)films on SiO2/Si substrates were fabricated by sol-chemical process with corresponding inorganic salts.Lanthanum acetate and nickel acetate glacial acetic acid solutions were prepared via ligand exchange starting from lanthanum nitrate hexahydrate and nickel nitrate tetrahydrate after being refluxed,(CH3CO)2O removed nitrates and the crystallized H2O completely.Acetylacetone(AcAc) was partially bidentated with the metallic ion of the metallic acetates and formed M(OAc)n-x(AcAc)x,which were hydrolyzed into M(OH)n-x(AcAc)x by adding 10ml 0.4%MCL(methyl cellulose) solution.The M(OH)n-x(AcAc)x/2,polymerizing and combining with MCL,formed LNO sol precursor with heteropolymeric structure and filming easily.Perovskite LNO films were annealed at 550-850℃/60min and its lattice parameter is 0.384 nm.The temperature dependence of resistivity for LNO film with 0.6μm thickness that measured by the four-probe method can fit well by the ρ=ρ0 +AT2 between-163-150℃.The remnant polarizations and coercive fields for Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3(PZT)(52 48) thin films with LNO/Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si and Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si as substrates are 19.6 and 23.5μC·cm-2,76.1 and 85.1 kV·cm-1 respectively at 1KHz.
Student Success Skills: An Evidence-Based Cognitive and Social Change Theory for Student Achievement.

An overview of the Student Success Skills (SSS) program is offered, including descriptions of the curricular structure, extant research support related to SSS effectiveness for academic achievement...
ARM?? Microcontroller Interrupts and Exceptions

This chapter provides general information about exceptions and interrupts occurred and handled in the TivaTM ARM?? Cortex??-M4 microcontrollers. All exceptions and interrupts are controlled and managed by a nested vectored interrupt controller (NVIC) in the ARM?? Cortex??- M4 system. In TM4C123GH6PM microcontroller unit (MCU), all exceptions and interrupts are handled by the different handlers or interrupt service routines (ISR) based on the exception and interrupt sources. The interrupts are widely applied in all events and peripherals in the TM4C123GH6PM MCU system, but one of the most popular peripherals is the general-purpose input output (GPIO). The major interrupt processing modes and functions provided by the TivaWareTM Peripheral Driver Library and the CMSIS Core package, are discussed and analyzed with some examples. Both the TivaWareTM library and the CMSIS Core package provide a set of API functions to map NVIC-related registers to facilitate the interrupt configuration and processing.
Modeling Infant Word Segmentation

While many computational models have been created to explore how children might learn to segment words, the focus has largely been on achieving higher levels of performance and exploring cues suggested by artificial learning experiments. We propose a broader focus that includes designing models that display properties of infants' performance as they begin to segment words. We develop an efficient bootstrapping online learner with this focus in mind, and evaluate it on child-directed speech. In addition to attaining a high level of performance, this model predicts the error patterns seen in infants learning to segment words.
A perspective on ‘Big Data’

Many of the lessons learned with what passed for big data in the 1980s still apply today. The lessons have to do with deciding whether something is true or merely useful, the role of human creativity in posing questions, the treatment of hypotheses and the role of theory in data mining, skill development, and organizational dynamics. This essay details what has changed in the present era of ‘big data’, what has remained the same, what we may learn, and what promise the future holds. Important highlights include the role of executives in building a data-based decision culture, and the potential of big data for analyzing diversity rather than regression to means.
From Womb to Tomb? Disrupting the Narrative of the Reproductive Female Body

Anthropologists are scientific storytellers who must acknowledge the power in the stories they are telling and work to identify the evidence that supports or refutes each narrative, rethinking them when necessary. Nowhere is this more evident than in how difference is negotiated through the body in interpreting males and females in the past. For example, earlier assumptions of male the hunter (active) and female the gatherer (passive) were used to support and frame binary Western constructions of male/female. Reinforcing these ideas are the biomedical and anthropological discourses of the last two centuries that have marked the female body as burdened by reproduction: sick, in need of help, fragile, and vulnerable. This chapter interrogates how the narration of the reproductive female body reinforces assumptions that the death of a reproductive-aged female was the failure of her womb. The consequence of this normalization of the docile female body, framed as a biological fact, is that it disables female agency in anything beyond reproduction. Reimaging female roles in the past, and locating birthing as a normal biological process within complex social systems, can untangle biology and culture and offer new ways to consider how hegemonic cultural ideas have and scripted interpretations of female performance through time. In doing this the bioarchaeologist can begin to rethink the ideological norms that work in translating the past.
Follets Island: A Case of Unprecedented Change and Transition from Rollover to Subaqueous Shoals

Follets Island, a transgressive island located on the upper Texas coast, is an ideal location to study barrier island transition from a rollover subaerial barrier to subaqueous shoals. This system also allows for an examination of coastal response to accelerated sea-level rise, storms, and sediment supply. The landward shoreline retreat rate during historical time is similar to the landward retreat rate of the bay shoreline, hence its current classification as a rollover barrier. However, the island has a limited and diminishing sand supply, which makes it even more vulnerable to erosion during storms and relative sea-level rise. Four core transects that extend from the upper shoreface to the back barrier bay are used to constrain the thickness of washover, barrier and upper shoreface deposits and to estimate sediment fluxes in the context of the overall sand budget for the island over centennial timescales. Stratigraphic architecture reveals two prominent transgressive surfaces. A lower flooding surface separates red fluvial-deltaic clay from overlying bay mud and an upper erosional surface separates back-barrier deposits from overlying shoreface and foreshore deposits.
Neutronics scaling in fusion test devices

A scaling factor for the neutronics parameters of the first wall was derived as a function of the plasma and first wall radii of fusion devices based on the simple albedo concept. The derived equation followed very well the scaling behavior of the heating rate and DPA obtained by ANISN as the device size was changed. The helium and hydrogen production rates were scaled with the rate /phi/ /sup uncol/ / J /sup uncol/. A simple expression for the azimuthal distribution of neutronics parameters in the first wall was derived. The applicability of the expression was verified by comparing the heating rate profiles given by the equation with those by Monte Carlo calculations in the first two different shapes.
11 – Carbon dioxide (CO2) compression and purification technology for oxy-fuel combustion

Abstract: The chapter begins with a description of the industrial CO2 production process. The remainder of the chapter is focused on oxy-combustion flue gas CO2 purification, including process description, energy consumption, CO2 recovery, capture costs, emissions, recent advances and future outlook.