cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Origins and Influence of Land Property Rights in Vietnam

Vietnam's 1993 Land Law was intended not only to increase the security of farmers’usage rights to their land, but also to facilitate land transfers. Despite potential benefits, the actual issuance of land-use rights certificates to farmers (as specified by the law) proceeded rather slowly in some regions. This article seeks to identify factors that explain the emergence of this form of property right as well as to measure its effect on agricultural production. The results suggest that the certificate's direct contribution may be rather small in the absence of the appropriate supporting conditions and institutions.
Sharpening Stellar Images

Atmospherically induced phase perturbations have for years limited the resolution of large optical astronomical telescopes. A prototype telescope system with six movable elements has successfully corrected these phase perturbations. This use of real-time image sharpening has restored stellar images to the diffraction limit (in one dimension) for a 30-centimeter telescope. The double-star image presented indicates that the bulk of the atmospherically induced wave-front phase change occurred within 2 kilometers of the telescope. This implies that, at least for conditions similar to those of our measurement, real-time correction can be accomplished simultaneously for a region at least several arc seconds in angular size. With the present apparatus the technique should be practical for objects as dim as fifth magnitude, and with improvements the technique holds the promise of active image restoration for objects as dim as ninth magnitude.
Elastic Properties of Rolled Uranium -- 10 wt.% Molybdenum Nuclear Fuel Foils

In situ neutron diffraction data was collected during elastic loading of rolled foils of uranium–10 wt.% molybdenum bonded to a thin layer of zirconium. Lattice parameters were ascertained from the diffraction patterns to determine the elastic strain and, subsequently, the elastic moduli and Poisson’s ratio in the rolling and transverse directions. The foil was found to be elastically isotropic in the rolling plane with an effective modulus of 86 ± 3 GPa and a Poisson’s ratio 0.39 ± 0.04.
The Local Solvability of a Hamilton--Jacobi--Bellman PDE around a Nonhyperbolic Critical Point

We show the existence of a local solution to a Hamilton--Jacobi--Bellman (HJB) PDE around a critical point where the corresponding Hamiltonian ODE is not hyperbolic, i.e., it has eigenvalues on the imaginary axis. Such problems arise in nonlinear regulation, disturbance rejection, gain scheduling, and linear parameter varying control. The proof is based on an extension of the center manifold theorem due to Aulbach, Flockerzi, and Knobloch. The method is easily extended to the Hamilton--Jacobi--Isaacs (HJI) PDE. Software is available on the web to compute local approximtate solutions of HJB and HJI PDEs.
Comment on “formation and crystallization of β-alumina from precursor prepared by sol-gel method using metal alkoxide”

Abstract In the above [1] article, an earlier work “Low Temperature Synthetic Studies of β-Aluminas”, on this subject [2], with similar results but with much more interpretation of the X-ray patterns, was not cited. The readers are referred to it for more details.
Theoretical studies of ion neutralization: Two-dimensional tight binding models

Abstract The neutralization of ions impinging on a substrate is modeled by treating the substrate as both a two-dimensional, tight-binding, semi-infinite sheet and a two-dimensional, tight-binding, infinite sheet. In both cases the equations of motion are set up in a generalized Langevin format. Results are presented for a model interaction and compared with previous computations using a semi-infinite chain model and an infinite chain model.
The Sorbitol Pathway of the Human Erythrocyte

The polyol pathway appears to be widely distributed in human tissues. In this pathway glucose is reduced to its polyol derivative, sorbital, by aldose reductase and the sorbitol then converted to fructose. NADPH seves as a co-factor for glucose reduction while NAD is a co-factor in the second step. The Km for glucose of aldose reductase is sufficiently high so that the intracellular glucose concentration regulates the rate of sorbitol and fructose synthesis. Our studies now demonstrate the presence of a sorbitol pathway in the red cell and its dependence on media of varying glucose concentrations (2–50 mM) and red cell and supernatant sorbitol and fructose measured after incubation. Red cell sorbitol and fructose rose as glucose concentration increased and fructose appeared in the media. Red cell sorbitol rose from 16.0 to 99.6 μmoles/ml as media glucose rose from 2 to 50 mM. Associated with this increase was a rise in the cell lactate to pyruvate ration (69:1 to 193:1), an increase in the percent of glucose metabolized to CO2, and an accumulation of triose phosphates and a fall of the DPG within the cell. These alterations appear to reflect changes in the pyrudine nuclcotide ratios within the cell secondary to the increased metabolism of glucose to fructose. AT high glucose concentration a significant fraction of all glucose metabolized traverses this pathway and is the first evidence that high plasma glucose concentration serves to regulate red cell metabolism. In vivo confirmation of the regulatory role of plasma glucose was provided by the demonstration of increased red cell sorbitol in patients with diabetes and hyperglycemia.
A gravity loading countermeasure skinsuit

Despite the use of several countermeasures, significant physiological deconditioning still occurs during long duration spaceflight. Bone loss – primarily due to the absence of loading in microgravity – is perhaps the greatest challenge to resolve. This paper describes a conceptual Gravity Loading Countermeasure Skinsuit (GLCS) that induces loading on the body to mimic standing and – when integrated with other countermeasures – exercising on Earth. Comfort, mobility and other operational issues were explored during a pilot study carried out in parabolic flight for prototype suits worn by three subjects. Compared to the 1- or 2-stage Russian Pingvin Suits, the elastic mesh of the GLCS can create a loading regime that gradually increases in hundreds of stages from the shoulders to the feet, thereby reproducing the weight-bearing regime normally imparted by gravity with much higher resolution. Modelling shows that the skinsuit requires less than 10 mmHg (1.3 kPa) of compression for three subjects of varied gender, height and mass. Negligible mobility restriction and excellent comfort properties were found during the parabolic flights, which suggests that crewmembers should be able to work normally, exercise or sleep while wearing the suit. The suit may also serve as a practical 1 g harness for exercise countermeasures and vibration applications to improve dynamic loading.
The singular integral problem in surfaces

The calculation of surface current distribution, given the geometry and source description, is a fundamental problem in antenna theory. In extending the harmonic analysis-integral equation method from one-dimensional to two-dimensional problems, a new way to deal with the singularity in the source-field relation is needed. Some results are given for surface current integrals which convert them to a convergent form.
Evaluation of the uterine environment in experimental and spontaneous bovine metritis

This study describes a model for experimental induction of metritis in cattle. Cows were given two intrauterine inoculations of a mixture of Corynebacteriumpyogenes and Bacteroidesmelaninogenicus at 12 and 36 h following calving. The endometrium was subjected to minor irritation just prior to inoculation with bacteria. All cows showed signs of severe metritis within 48 h following the last intrauterine inoculation. The study also evaluated intrauterine oxygen-reduction potential (Eh) and pH following calving in control cows, cows with retained fetal membranes, and cows with induced metritis. The results revealed that cows with retained fetal membranes or induced metritis had lower Eh values (P < 0.05) than control cows on Days 2, 3, or 4 postpartum. This suggests that antibiotics that are effective under anaerobic conditions should be considered for intrauterine therapy during this period.
Shadow recognition in human infants

Abstract Seventy-five children of five different age groups (ranging from 13–18 to 37–42 months of age) were tested using various nonverbal indices for (a) their ability to respond to shadowed information about objects other than themselves, (b) their ability to manipulate their own shadow, and (c) their ability to recognize their own shadow as evidenced by the explicit use of shadowed information about themselves to respond to themselves. The results show that although infants are aware of shadows and show signs of having mastered the concept of shadow permanence at a fairly early age, compelling evidence of shadow self-recognition is developmentally delayed relative to what has been reported for the onset of mirror self-recognition, with most infants failing to show positive evidence prior to 3 years of age. The results are discussed in light of psychological differences that may exist between shadows and mirrors. Prior involvement and/or tutoring by parents about shadows had no effect on the emergence of shadow recognition.
Evaluation of fungicide seed treatments on flax cultivars differing in seed color

Abstract Fungicide seed treatments were evaluated in field trials on the flax ( Linum usitatissimum ) cultivars Omega (yellow-seeded) and York (brown-seeded) at Langdon and Carrington, ND in 2003 and 2004. Fungicide seed treatments reduced root rot severity compared to the untreated control in only one of the four environments tested, but did not have any effects on stand or yield. Root rot severity was greater in the cultivar Omega compared to York in two of the four environments tested. Yield differences between the cultivars occurred in two of the environments with Omega having greater yield than York at Langdon in 2003 and York having greater yield than Omega at Carrington in 2004. Although yellow-seeded flax cultivars have been previously reported as having reduced stand compared to brown-seeded cultivars, we did not observe these differences in the cultivars tested in this research.
Brand Inequalities in the Loyalty-Effects of Purchases

Choice models in marketing have generally included the effects of loyalty on individual choice behavior.Loyalty has been typically measured as proportion of purchases or as an exponentially smoothed index of past purchases. An underlying assumption of both measures is that all brands gain the same increase in loyalty with a purchase. However, such an assumption may not hold when the competing brands are not comparable. We propose a new exponential smoothing measure which incorporates brand-specific parameters for the loyalty effects of purchases. A choice model, calibrated on individual level data for the detergent category, is used to compare the proposed measure with its traditional version. This comparison reveals that the new approach improves both the fit and predictive performance of the choice model. The results also suggest that the loyalty effects of purchases are likely to be lower for brands which are purchased on price promotions and higher for expensive brands.
Energy landscapes: topographies, interparticle forces and dynamics, and how they are related

Many-body systems exhibit dynamic behavior ranging between two extremes that can be characterized as structure-seeking and glass-forming, when allowed to cool to a solid structure from a melt or high-energy random structure. This discussion reviews what has been learned about the origins of these two kinds of behavior, in terms of how long-range forces give rise to relatively smooth energy landscapes, cooperative behavior and structure-seeking character, while short-range interparticle forces do the opposite and induce glass-forming character.
Issues in blinded sample size re-estimation

The utility of blinded sample size re-estimation for clinical trials depends on the ability to estimate variability without providing information about the true treatment difference, and on some reasonable assurance that the method is not likely to cause the sample size to be increased when the treatment effect is better than anticipated. We show that violations of these properties are unlikely to occur in practice.
Carbamazepine-induced antinuclear antibodies and systemic lupus erythematosus-like syndrome.

SUMMARY: A 20-year-old woman developed a systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-like syndrome and a positive antinuclear antibody (ANA) soon after initiation of carbamazepine (CBZ) therapy. Symptoms and serology became normal after CBZ was discontinued. CBZ-induced SLE is an important but underecognized phenomenom. RESUMEN Una mujer de 20 anos de edad desarrollo un sindrome parecido a un Lupus Eritematoso Sistemico (SLE) y anticuerpos antinucleares (ANA) positivos tras la initiateon de un tratamiento con carbamacepina (CBZ). Los sintomas y las serologias se normalizaron despues de interrumpir la CBZ. La CBZ induce un importante pero poco reconocido cuadro de SLE. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Eine 20 jahrige Frau entwickelte ein Lupus-erythematodes ahnliches Syndrom mit positiven antinuklearen Faktoren kurz nach Beginn der Carbamazepintherapie. Symptome und Serologie normalisierten sich nach Absetzen von CBZ. Der CBZ-induzierte LE stellt ein wichtiges aber zu weniges beachtetes Phanomen dar.
IL-17 Promotes Immune Privilege of Corneal Allografts

Corneal allograft rejection has been described as a Th1-mediated process involving IFN-γ production. However, it has been reported that corneal allograft rejection soars in IFN-γ−/− mice or mice treated with anti–IFN-γ mAb. Th17 is a recently described IL-17A–producing Th cell population that has been linked to renal and cardiac graft rejection, which was originally thought to be Th1-mediated. We tested the hypothesis that Th17 cells mediate corneal allograft rejection in an IL-17A–dependent fashion and unexpectedly found that depletion of IL-17A increased the incidence of rejection to 90%. We demonstrate that the exacerbated rejection following depletion of IL-17A did not result from a loss of cross-regulation of Th1 cells or exaggerated delayed-type hypersensitivity responses. Instead, inhibition of the Th1 or Th17 cell lineages promoted the emergence of a Th2 cell subset that independently mediated allograft rejection. These findings demonstrate that IL-17A is not required for corneal allograft rejection and may instead contribute to the immune privilege of corneal allografts.
Effects of Online Health Sources on Credibility and Behavioral Intentions

Online health information comes from a variety of online sources. Based on a typology of online sources, this research examines the direct and combined influences of original sources (doctors vs. laypersons) and selecting sources (Web sites vs. bulletin boards vs. blogs vs. personal home pages vs. Internet) on perceived credibility of—and behavioral intentions toward—health information. A large 2 (message) × 2 (original source) × 5 (selecting source) full-factorial online experiment revealed that respondents (N = 555) were more likely to take action based on the information sourced from a Web site than from a blog or a personal home page. The effect was mediated by perceived level of gatekeeping and perceived information completeness. The analysis also yielded a three-way interaction between message, original source, and selecting source on perceived credibility, suggesting the operation of an appropriateness heuristic when evaluating source combinations for less relevant health topics. Theoretical and pr...
Literacy and Language as Learning in Content-Area Classes: A Departure from “Every Teacher a Teacher of Reading”

Abstract The popular mantra “Every teacher is a teacher of reading” and several decades of emphasis on content-area literacy have not resulted in major changes in reading and writing across the curriculum in secondary schools. In this article, we argue that reading and writing strategy instruction has not focused on what really matters to content-area teachers. Through examples from two classrooms, we suggest a focus for our content colleagues in which they learn that capitalizing on reading and writing versus teaching reading and writing is the goal of content literacy. We identify five specific principles in which reading and writing actually engage students in the content topics at hand, as well as suggestions for preservice and in-service content-area teachers.
The Role of Mammalian Embryo Culture in Developmental Biology and Teratology

Maintaining mammalian embryos in culture during the period of organogenesis has long been a goal of developmental biologists and teratologists [for review see New (1978)]. Early attempts encountered many difficulties and were successful in supporting normal growth and development for short periods only. Then in the 1960s static cultures employing standard organ culture techniques provided encouraging results (New and Stein, 1964). Later, circulation systems, in which embryos were stabilized in a chamber while medium circulated around them, were developed that were capable of maintaining normal growth for several days (New, 1967; Tamarin and Jones, 1968; Robkin et al., 1972; Shepard and Robkin, 1976). However, these systems and the techniques involved tended to be complex, thereby limiting their practicality. Finally, in the 1970s Dr. Denis New, who has been at the forefront of the establishment of in vitro systems, introduced the rotating method of culture (New et al., 1973). This approach proved to be a simple, reproducible means of maintaining mammalian (rat and mouse) embryos in culture from early postimplantation stages through much of the period of organogenesis. [Culturing older embryos (limb bud stages) is also possible.] With the advent of the rotator system the door for a host of investigations in developmental biology and teratology was opened, and numerous investigators adopted the technique.
A task analysis of a sport education physical education season for fourth grade students

Background: Previous research on Sport Education in which the participants were in the primary grades has focused on perceptions of fun and enjoyment as well as other components of motivation. To date, no study in Sport Education has examined the accomplishment of the various instructional and managerial tasks by upper primary school children, with the specific purpose of assessing the extent to which they are capable of successfully completing those tasks.Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to determine if upper primary aged children are able to work independently of the teacher and manage the numerous organizational tasks associated with Sport Education.Participants and data collection: The participants in this study were 40, fourth grade students from a school in the southeastern USA. Within both managerial and instructional systems, an ecological framework was used to examine the type of task, task explicitness, task duration, and also the extent to which students were compliant with the task deman...
Antibacterial drug resistance: implications for the treatment of patients with community-acquired pneumonia

In contrast to the tremendous number of articles and meetings devoted to elucidating the mechanisms of antibacterial drug resistance and describing the emergence of drug resistance patterns, little research has been completed on the impact of bacterial drug resistance on clinical outcomes. Moreover.among the studies that have been completed, the better-designed studies generally have failed to detect an effect of most current levels of antibacterial drug resistance on clinical outcomes for patients who have CAP. Yet, practice patterns are shifting in response to the perception that current levels of drug resistance necessitate changes in treatment patterns. This is unfortunate because it severely limits one's ability to continue to monitor the effectiveness of available therapies in light of changing patterns of antibacterial drug resistance. If levels of drug resistance continue to rise, it is likely that outcomes from those drug treatments will be affected adversely. In this regard, the recent licensing of a 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for infants and young children may have an important effect on future trends in antibacterial drug resistance. The vaccine reduces childhood carriage of vaccine serotypes,which are among the most common serotypes found among drug-resistant isolates, and may reduce transmission of these serotypes to adults [65]. In conclusion, antibacterial drug resistance has not reduced substantially the effectiveness of first-line treatments for CAP. Whether levels of drug resistance will continue to increase or decline is unknown. Therefore,carefully designed outcomes studies likely will continue to be essential to help define optimal therapy for patients who have CAP.
Examining the health effects of fructose.

IN THE 1990S, EXCESSIVE FAT CONSUMPTION WAS COMmonly believed to be the main cause of obesity. High sugar consumption was often considered to be innocuous and possibly protective against obesity by displacing dietary fat. A decade later, the American Heart Association linked intake of added sugars to weight gain and recommended substantial decreases in consumption to a daily maximum of 100 kcal for women and 150 kcal for men. Some experts now argue that sugar comprises the single most important cause of the worldwide epidemics of obesity and diabetes, primarily through the effects of fructose at prevailing levels of consumption. This Viewpoint examines the physiological effects of common sugars and argues against a narrow public health focus on fructose.
Genetic and clinical factors relating to warfarin dosing

Warfarin has a narrow therapeutic window and the hemorrhagic or thrombotic implications of over- or under-dosing can be devastating. Moreover, there is substantial individual variation in response to warfarin. This review describes the genetic and clinical factors associated with warfarin dosing, including recent developments. The pivotal role of CYP2C9 and VKORC1 is emphasized because polymorphisms of these two genes account for ∼40% of the variation in dose requirements. Recent studies have reported that polymorphisms in CYP4F2 might account for between 2 and 7% of the variation. Large studies published recently, including the Warfarin Genetics (WARG) study and the International Warfarin Pharmacogenetic Consortium, have added to our understanding of factors relating to warfarin dosing. Several prospective studies have evaluated genotype-guided dosing, but these have found negative results or were poorly designed. Whether genotype-guided dosing is clinically beneficial remains unclear, but studies are currently underway that will help to determine this.
Gastropod Colonization of a Created Coastal Wetland: Potential Influences of Habitat Suitability and Dispersal Ability

We investigated the assumption that populations of epibenthic macroinvertebrates readily establish in created coastal wetlands by quantifying the spatial and temporal patterns of Cerithidea californica (California horn snail) density in a newly created wetland and an adjacent natural area in Mugu Lagoon, southern California, United States, for 3.5 years. The natural and created sites differed in vascular plant cover and sediment grain size, organic content, salinity, and moisture content. Densities of C. californica in the created site changed little during the study period, and were often lower than those in the natural site. The influences of habitat suitability and dispersal limitation on C. californica colonization of the created site varied among snail age classes. Sediment moisture and organic content explained some of the variability in subadult (47%) and adult (55%) density and relative abundance, but none of the variability in juvenile abundance. Adult snail density was also strongly influenced by distance from the natural/created site transition zone. Juvenile and subadult snail densities were not related to distance from the natural site, possibly due to greater dispersal ability. Between-site differences in C. californica densities and size structure suggested that adult snails were affected by both habitat characteristics and dispersal ability, subadults were influenced to a lesser degree by habitat characteristics, and juveniles were not related to either factor. Accordingly, the influence of habitat characteristics and dispersal ability on created site colonization may change with snail age. Successful restoration of benthic invertebrate communities requires consideration of both habitat characteristics and dispersal ability of the target species, even in created sites in close proximity to natural areas.
Maximizing the throughput-area efficiency of fully-parallel low-density parity-check decoding with C-slow retiming and asynchronous deep pipelining

In this paper, we apply C-slow retiming and asynchronous deep pipelining to maximize the throughput-area efficiency of fully parallel low-density-parity-check (LDPC) decoding. Pipelined decoders are implemented in a 0.18 mum FDSOI CMOS process. Experimental results show that our pipelining technique is an efficient approach to maximizing LDPC decoding throughput while minimizing the area consumption. First, pipelined decoders can achieve extraordinary high throughput which non-pipelined design cannot. Second, for the same throughput, pipelined decoders use less area than non-pipelined design. Our approach can improve the throughput of a published implementation by 4 times with only about 80% area overhead. Without using clocks, proposed asynchronous pipelined decoders are more scalable in design complexity and more robust to process-voltage-temperature variations than existing clock-based LDPC decoders.
The theory of discovering rare variants via DNA sequencing

Rare population variants are known to have important biomedical implications, but their systematic discovery has only recently been enabled by advances in DNA sequencing. The design process of a discovery project remains formidable, being limited to ad hoc mixtures of extensive computer simulation and pilot sequencing. Here, the task is examined from a general mathematical perspective. We pose and solve the population sequencing design problem and subsequently apply standard optimization techniques that maximize the discovery probability. Emphasis is placed on cases whose discovery thresholds place them within reach of current technologies. We find that parameter values characteristic of rare-variant projects lead to a general, yet remarkably simple set of optimization rules. Specifically, optimal processing occurs at constant values of the per-sample redundancy, refuting current notions that sample size should be selected outright. Optimal project-wide redundancy and sample size are then shown to be inversely proportional to the desired variant frequency. A second family of constants governs these relationships, permitting one to immediately establish the most efficient settings for a given set of discovery conditions. Our results largely concur with the empirical design of the Thousand Genomes Project, though they furnish some additional refinement. The optimization principles reported here dramatically simplify the design process and should be broadly useful as rare-variant projects become both more important and routine in the future.
On-off keying optical transmission and channel capacity for indoor high rate wireless data networks

The author considers high-speed direct-detection optical on-off keying transmission in the physical layer of indoor wireless data networks and provides analytical tools to reveal the relationships between bit error rate, transmission rate, power, system and channel parameters, various noise sources, and multi-path effects. Both direct-path and diffused propagations are possible for successful transmission. Further, practical design issues such as blocking, optical pulse duration, and timing jitter are described. Typical numerical results are presented. The information-theoretical capacity of an indoor Gaussian channel with multipath is also calculated to illustrate the fundamental limit for adopting this approach. >
A Collaborative Brain-Computer Interface for Improving Human Performance

Electroencephalogram (EEG) based brain-computer interfaces (BCI) have been studied since the 1970s. Currently, the main focus of BCI research lies on the clinical use, which aims to provide a new communication channel to patients with motor disabilities to improve their quality of life. However, the BCI technology can also be used to improve human performance for normal healthy users. Although this application has been proposed for a long time, little progress has been made in real-world practices due to technical limits of EEG. To overcome the bottleneck of low single-user BCI performance, this study proposes a collaborative paradigm to improve overall BCI performance by integrating information from multiple users. To test the feasibility of a collaborative BCI, this study quantitatively compares the classification accuracies of collaborative and single-user BCI applied to the EEG data collected from 20 subjects in a movement-planning experiment. This study also explores three different methods for fusing and analyzing EEG data from multiple subjects: (1) Event-related potentials (ERP) averaging, (2) Feature concatenating, and (3) Voting. In a demonstration system using the Voting method, the classification accuracy of predicting movement directions (reaching left vs. reaching right) was enhanced substantially from 66% to 80%, 88%, 93%, and 95% as the numbers of subjects increased from 1 to 5, 10, 15, and 20, respectively. Furthermore, the decision of reaching direction could be made around 100–250 ms earlier than the subject's actual motor response by decoding the ERP activities arising mainly from the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), which are related to the processing of visuomotor transmission. Taken together, these results suggest that a collaborative BCI can effectively fuse brain activities of a group of people to improve the overall performance of natural human behavior.
Treatment of sleep disturbance in rheumatoid arthritis: A single-subject experiment

Sleep disturbances are a relatively frequent complication of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study investigated the effectiveness of behavioral strategies for the control of sleep disturbances in a woman with RA. A single-subject experimental design with a reversal phase was used to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment. Sleep parameters, pain, and mood were measured using daily diaries and home monitoring. A combined treatment of stimulus control and relaxation training was most effective in improving sleep parameters and mood when compared with baseline, treatment withdrawal, and sleep hygiene education phases. Treatment gains were maintained at 8-week follow-up.
Learning in computer science: assessment and evaluation of undergraduate research experience

Undergraduate research experience is widely viewed as an essential component of good teaching and effective learning. This paper presents our experience with undergraduate research at the University of West Georgia as it enhanced student learning in the relevant areas of computer science. A number of undergraduate students were involved in various research projects related to natural language processing. Some of the students were enrolled in a newly designed faculty directed research course to earn credit while others were involved in funded research projects without enrolling in any research credit, yet there were others who participated in the research on a voluntary basis. In all cases we observed that their involvement in research enhanced their learning not only in the areas of artificial intelligence but in many other related areas of computer science. We have found that the longer a student is involved in research the better he or she is prepared for graduate school or a professional career
Respiratory Dysregulation in Anxiety, Functional Cardiac, and Pain Disorders: Assessment, Phenomenology, and Treatment

Respiration is a complex physiological system affecting a variety of physical processes that can act as a critical link between mind and body. This review discusses the evidence for dysregulated breathing playing a role in three clinical syndromes: panic disorder, functional cardiac disorder, and chronic pain. Recent technological advances allowing the ambulatory assessment of endtidal partial pressure of CO2 (PCO2) and respiratory patterns have opened up new avenues for investigation and treatment of these disorders. The latest evidence from laboratories indicates that subtle disturbances of breathing, such as tidal volume instability and sighing, contribute to the chronic hypocapnia often found in panic patients. Hypocapnia is also common in functional cardiac and chronic pain disorders, and studies indicate that it mediates some of their symptomatology. Consistent with the role of respiratory dysregulation in these disorders, initial evidence indicates efficacy of respiration-focused treatment.
Evaluation of Unknown Foundation Depth Using Different NDT Methods

Many of the older bridges in the United States have no original contract documents available, and about 26,000 bridges that are rated as scour critical have unknown foundation conditions. Thus, no information is available regarding the type, depth, geometry, or material of these scour critical bridge foundations. The unknown bridge foundations pose a significant problem to bridge owners because of safety concerns. This paper presents the determination of an unknown bridge foundation depth at Forth Worth, Texas. The bridge was supported by driven steel H-piles. Three nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques were utilized: (1) the parallel seismic (PS) method, (2) the sonic echo (SE) method, and (3) resistivity imaging (RI). The main objective of this present study was to compare the suitability of NDT techniques to determine the unknown bridge foundation depth. Based on the field test results, both PS and RI methods provided foundation depth close to actual foundation depth. However, the SE method was determined to be unsuitable for determining the unknown steel H-pile depth.
History and Evolution of the Density Theorem for Gabor Frames

The Density Theorem for Gabor Frames is one of the fundamental results of time-frequency analysis. This expository survey attempts to reconstruct the long and very involved history of this theorem and to present its context and evolution, from the one-dimensional rectangular lattice setting, to arbitrary lattices in higher dimensions, to irregular Gabor frames, and most recently beyond the setting of Gabor frames to abstract localized frames. Related fundamental principles in Gabor analysis are also surveyed, including the Wexler-Raz biorthogonality relations, the Duality Principle, the Balian-Low Theorem, the Walnut and Janssen representations, and the Homogeneous Approximation Property. An extended bibliography is included.
Reducing the Risk of Biological Invasion by Creating Incentives for Pet Sellers and Owners to Do the Right Thing1,2

Abstract Invasive species are a major threat to biodiversity and economic interests, with many introductions resulting from actions of people involved in pet and ornamental plant businesses. Invasive species eventually end up in the care of the general public, with most costs born by society rather than businesses or owners: a classic economic externality. Although standard economic instruments used to address externalities are useful, they require considerable extension in this case. Simple taxation of the trade has been suggested and can reduce the volume of trade, but taxes do little to discipline the riskiest actors in the market. Using reptiles and amphibians as our focus, we provide an outline for a mechanism addressing invasive species issues, focusing primarily on the local level. We propose to collect funds from the trade and apply them specifically to support (1) a national resource center offering information and training; (2) programs to professionalize local education and response teams, focu...
Experiential aspects of bulimia nervosa: Implications for cognitive behavioral therapy.

Fifty female bulimic patients were asked to complete a questionnaire describing their experience during a binge-vomit episode. Findings indicated that starvation was a common precipitant of bingeing, as were situations such as being alone and eating something, and dysphoric feelings such as anxiety and frustration. Significant others, particularly the mother and the boyfriend or husband, might also precipitate a binge. Although many feelings increased or decreased in a linear fashion as the episode progressed, others such as depression and relief waxed and waned at different points in the episode. Implications of these findings for cognitive behavior therapy were discussed.
Microsurgical anatomy of the oculomotor cistern.

Objective To define the characteristics of the arachnoidal sleeve and cistern that accompany the oculomotor nerve through the cavernous sinus roof. Methods Forty cavernous sinuses were examined using 3 to 40x magnification. Information was obtained about the size of the oculomotor cistern and its relationship to the roof of the cavernous sinus and anterior clinoid process. Results An arachnoidal sleeve and cistern, referred to as the oculomotor cistern, accompanied the oculomotor nerve into the roof of all the cavernous sinuses examined. The oculomotor cistern extends from the oculomotor porus, where the nerve enters the roof of the cavernous sinus, to the area below the tip or the adjacent part of the lower margin of the anterior clinoid process. From the porus, the nerve passes forward and downward to the depth of the cistern where it becomes incorporated into the fibrous lateral wall of the cavernous sinus. The width of the cistern was maximal at the oculomotor porus averaged 5.5 mm (range, 3.0-9.2 mm), and tapered slightly towards the midpoint and deep end of the cistern. The cistern's average length was 6.5 mm (range, 3.0-11.0 mm). The oculomotor nerve usually coursed closer to the anterior than the posterior wall of the cistern at the level of the oculomotor porus. Conclusion The oculomotor cistern, an arachnoidal and dural cuff, accompanies the oculomotor nerve through the cavernous sinus roof to the area just below or anterior to the lower edge of the tip of the anterior clinoid process. The segment of the nerve inside the oculomotor cistern is interposed between its free portion in the interpeduncular cistern and the part of its course where it is incorporated into the fibrous lateral wall of the cavernous sinus. The cistern can be opened to aid in the exposure and mobilization of the nerve in dealing with pathology in the area.
Doing Time for Cyber crime: An Examination of the Correlates of Sentence Length in the United States

The purpose of the present study is to provide an understanding of the correlates of the length of sentence for a cyber crime. Using data from the Internet Crime Complaint Center, this study revealed several unique results. The results show that three measures increase the sentence length (i.e., a conviction of identity theft, fraud, and destruction of property). These results are not present in the empirical literature. We discuss the implications of these results.
Black-White Latino Racial Disparities in HIV Survival, Florida, 2000-2011.

This research aimed to estimate Black/White racial disparities in all-cause mortality risk among HIV-positive Latinos. Florida surveillance data for Latinos diagnosed with HIV (2000–2008) were merged with 2007–2011 American Community Survey data. Crude and adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) were calculated using multi-level Cox regression. Of 10,903 HIV-positive Latinos, 8.2% were Black and 91.9% White. Black Latinos were at increased mortality risk compared with White Latinos after controlling for individual and neighborhood factors (aHR 1.40, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21–1.62). In stratified analyses, risk factors for Black Latinos included: age ≥60 years compared with ages 13–19 (aHR 4.63, 95% CI 1.32–16.13); US birth compared with foreign birth (aHR 1.56, 95% CI 1.16–2.11); diagnosis of AIDS within three months of HIV diagnosis (aHR 3.53, 95% CI 2.64–4.74); residence in the 3rd (aHR 1.82, 95% CI 1.13–2.94) and 4th highest quartiles (aHR 1.79, 95% CI 1.12–2.86) of neighborhood poverty compared with the lowest quartile; and residence in neighborhood with 25%–49% (aHR 1.59, 95% CI 1.07–2.42) and ≥50% Latinos compared with <25% Latinos (aHR 1.58, 95% CI 1.03–2.42). Significant racial disparities in HIV survival exist among Latinos. Differential access to—and quality of—care and perceived/experienced racial discrimination may be possible explanations.
Characterization of a Ag Monolayer on Pt by Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering

We report the results of a surface enhanced Raman scattering investigation of a Ag monolayer (ML) electrochemically deposited on a Pt substrate. The poor electromagnetic enhancing properties of this surface insure that the observed Raman scattering intensity is short-range in origin, arising from an electronic resonant process between the surface adatom and the probe molecule. Raman spectra showed the probe molecule, pyridine, to be bound to an electron-deficient Ag site. This supports earlier vacuum studies of the Ag/Pt surface which reported an electron transfer from the Ag ML into the Pt substrate leaving a partial positive charge in the ML. The transfer is due to the work function difference between Ag and Pt.
Noncontraceptive use of contraceptive agents.

1. Monique Collier Nickles, MD* 2. Elizabeth Alderman, MD† 1. *Department of Pediatrics, Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, Bronx, NY. 2. †Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY. * Abbreviations: CDC: : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CHC: : combined hormonal contraceptive COCP: : combined oral contraceptive pill FDA: : Food and Drug Administration GnRH: : gonadotropin-releasing hormone LNG-IUS: : levonorgestrel intrauterine system NSAID: : nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug PCOS: : polycystic ovary syndrome PMDD: : premenstrual dysphoric disorder PMS: : premenstrual syndrome SCD: : sickle cell disease vWD: : von Willebrand disease vWF: : von Willebrand factor According to 2006-2008 National Survey of Family Growth data, 33% of adolescents ages 15 to 19 years using combined oral contraceptives do so solely for noncontraceptive reasons, mostly to alleviate problems and symptoms associated with menstrual periods. Consequently, it is necessary for physicians to become more knowledgeable of the known health benefits and noncontraceptive uses of contraceptive agents to enhance their treatment and care for adolescent patients. (1) After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Identify medical conditions treatable with hormonal contraception. 2. Identify noncontraceptive benefits of contraceptive agents for adolescents. 3. Recognize conditions and diseases for which menstrual regulation or suppression can benefit adolescents, improve disease outcome, and enhance quality of life. 4. List the relative and absolute contraindications to the use of combined hormonal contraceptives. 5. Describe different contraceptive methods available for use. Recent data have revealed that more than 30% of adolescent girls use contraceptive agents solely for noncontraceptive reasons, typically to alleviate symptoms associated with menstrual periods but also for acne and endometriosis. (1) Most noncontraceptive uses of these agents are off-label; however, they have been deemed appropriate secondary to research and Cochrane review. This represents a change from historical trends in which contraceptive agents, specifically, oral contraceptive pills, were typically used by adolescents primarily for prevention of unintended pregnancy. In addition to this shift, another important change during the past decade has been the introduction of several new hormonal contraceptive agents. Not only has direct advertising to the public through various media increased …
Analysis of Mouse Liver Metabolites by GC × GC–TOF MS

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOF MS) is a powerful analytical platform for analysis of metabolites in mouse liver. Metabolites are extracted using a solvent mixture of methanol/water (4:1, v/v). The metabolite extracts are analyzed on GC × GC-TOF MS after derivatization. The experimental data are further processed for metabolite identification and quantification. A three-tier method is used for high-accuracy metabolite identification, while metabolite quantification is performed to recognize metabolites with significant abundance differences between sample groups.
Dominance of colloid osmotic pressure in renal excretion after isotonic volume expansion.

Studies were carried out in unanesthetized dogs to determine the relative importance of neural, endocrine, and colloid osmotic pressure (COP) in the diuretic and natriuretic responses associated wi...
HETEs and coronary artery endothelial cells: metabolic and functional interactions.

Porcine coronary artery endothelial cells have been established in culture. These cells produce prostaglandin (PG) I2, PGF2 alpha, and PGE2 when exposed to either arachidonic acid or ionophore A231...
Shareholder Value: Changing the Face of the European Financial Industry

In the last few years the executives of European financial institutions have increasingly stressed shareholder value as their primary business goal and performance target — take Lloyds TSB Group for example: ‘Our aim is to concentrate our resources only on the best opportunities, i.e., where we have competitive advantage and greatest opportunity to create economic value’.1 In search of increasing financial returns management is forced to identify value-enhancing business and financial restructuring opportunities. New buzz words in the context of managing shareholder value are shareholder value added (SVA), economic value added (EVA), total shareholder return (TSR), and relative total shareholder return (RTSR). On the business side many financial institutions try their luck by trimming business portfolios and re-designing value chains. On the financial side some apply asset and liability management tools such as the securitization of commercial loans and life-insurance policies. In a few cases share buy-backs are conducted to increase capital productivity. All in all the imperative is to allocate resources into such areas where (risk-adjusted) returns are highest and that cover the cost of capital. Whether highest returns can be found inside or outside a financial institution does not matter in this logic.
Cloud condensation nuclei activity and droplet formation of primary and secondary organic aerosol mixtures

ABSTRACTUnderstanding the mixing behavior of anthropogenic primary and biogenic secondary organic aerosol (POA and SOA) is important for characterizing their interactions with water vapor. The following work expands upon previous studies and investigates cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activity and droplet kinetics of α-pinene SOA formed in an environmental chamber and mixed with diesel or motor oil-diesel fuel POA. The changes in the aerosol mixing are similar to previously published work but this study provides new CCN activity and droplet information. The CCN activity of the unmixed aerosol systems are measured separately; κ = 0.15, 0.11, 0.022 for α-pinene SOA, diesel POA and motor oil-diesel fuel POA, respectively. In the α-pinene SOA + diesel POA mixture, the CCN activity, characterized by κ-hygroscopicity, decreases from κ = 0.15 to 0.06 after an initial injection of the POA but increases to κ = 0.12. The increase in CCN activity occurs after particle collision (coagulation and wall-loss) rates dom...