cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Self-Presentation of Personality During Online Profile Creation

When users present themselves in a social networking community, they are called on to create profiles that are representative and portray a desired image. In this paper, we examine the profile creation process. We explore what self-presentations are desired and how these presentations are created by having people rate their profile along personality dimensions after completing each attribute field in a mock social network-like profile. Findings indicate that people hope to convey personality traits through their online profiles and that they are able to create profiles they feel match their desired self-presentation. Free-form profile attributes best enable desired self presentations of traits, and only a few of these attributes are needed for sufficient self presentation online.
Prospects for Operations Research in the E-Business Era

The digital economy is creating abundant opportunities for operations research (OR) applications. Several factions of the profession are beginning to respond aggressively, leading to notable successes in such areas as financial services, electronic markets, network infrastructure, packaged OR-software tools, supply-chain management, and travel-related services. Because OR is well matched to the needs of the digital economy in certain ways and because certain enabling conditions are coming to pass, prospects are good for OR to team with related analytic technologies and join information technology as a vital engine of further development for the digital economy. OR professionals should prepare for a future in which most businesses will be e-businesses.
Implicit Consistency Processes in Social Cognition: Explicit- Implicit Discrepancies Across Systems of Evaluation

What happens when our automatic evaluations conflict with our attitudes that we can reflect on and articulate? In this paper, we review some processes by which explicit implicit evaluative discrepancies (EIEDs) arise and can impact our thoughts, feelings, and behavior, using a dual-systems perspective on attitudes to explain the psychological processes underlying these evaluative inconsistencies. EIEDs emerge when differential positive and negative evaluations toward attitude objects reside in systems of knowledge governed by language and reasoning (i.e., explicit evaluations) and systems of knowledge that are association-based (i.e., implicit evaluations). We discuss factors that produce EIEDs, including the influence of extrapersonal associations on attitudes, temporal, and qualitative differences in encountering attitude-relevant information, and the differential influence of processing goals. Finally, we discuss consequences of holding EIEDs, including their impact on behaviors toward attitude objects, enhanced elaboration and scrutiny of social information, motivated reasoning, errant affective forecasting, and self-regulatory success and failure.
A non-repudiation metering scheme

A metering scheme enables a Web server to measure the number of visits from clients. In addition, a proof needs to be presented by the server as evidence corresponding to this measured number. In this letter, we propose an efficient metering scheme that incorporates the hash-chaining technique and the digital signature algorithm to provide a nonrepudiation proof of this measured number.
Improved fall-related efficacy in older adults related to changes in dynamic gait ability.

Background Low fall-related efficacy is associated with the number and severity of future falls in older adults with balance disorders. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine whether improvements in clinical measures of balance after an intervention program were associated with changes in efficacy. Design. A prospective, nonexperimental, pretest-posttest design was used. Methods Sixty-three people (43 men, 20 women; mean [±SD] age=76.6±4.9 years) with a history of at least 2 falls in the previous 12 months were enrolled between 2004 and 2008 to participate in a 12-week home exercise program. Balance deficits were identified using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI), and participants were evaluated monthly. Hierarchical linear regression was used to assess the relationship between measures of balance (BBS and DGI) and efficacy (Falls Efficacy Scale) before intervention. A second model examined the relationship between changes in balance and changes in efficacy after participation in the program. Results Preintervention scores of efficacy were significantly associated with age, depression, and BBS and DGI scores. After controlling for age, depression, and strength (force-generating capacity), BBS and DGI scores together accounted for 34% of the variance in preintervention efficacy. Significant improvements were noted in efficacy, BBS and DGI scores, and depression after intervention. When controlling for preintervention efficacy and changes in depression, the changes in DGI and BBS scores together explained 11% of the variance in the change in fall-related efficacy; however, only DGI scores contributed uniquely. Limitations These results are tempered by the absence of a control group to examine the role of time on changes in efficacy. Conclusions The results suggest that increased emphasis on mobility during rehabilitation leads to improved confidence to perform activities of daily living without falling.
Effect of purely elastic flow instability on molecular conformation and drag

Linear stability analysis has shown that viscoelastic creeping flow of an Oldroyd-B liquid through a sinusoidal channel is unstable to stationary, wall-localized and short wavelength perturbations [B. Sadanandan, R. Sureshkumar, Global linear stability analysis of non-separated viscoelastic flow through a periodically constricted channel, J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech. 122 (2004) 55]. In this work, time-dependent simulations are performed to determine the nonlinear evolution of finite amplitude disturbances in the post-critical flow regime. It is shown that a nonlinear transition, which is facilitated by a supercritical pitchfork bifurcation, establishes a finite amplitude state (FAS) in which the average polymer stretch is highly modulated. The maximum normal stress, observed at the channel nip, can increase by up to approximately 100% when the Weissenberg number, defined as the ratio of the fluid relaxation time to an inverse characteristic shear rate, is increased by only 10% beyond its critical value. This is attributed to the amplification of configurational perturbations by the base flow shear rate, which attains its maximum at the channel nip. The effect of finite chain extensibility on the critical condition and nonlinear instability is investigated using the FENE-CR model. The stabilizing effect of finite extensibility can be expressed through a renormalization of the Weissenberg number by accounting for the screening effect of the nonlinear force law on the transmission of configurational perturbations to polymeric stress. The principal features of the FAS are qualitatively model-independent. The FAS exhibits a small, but numerically perceptible increase in the friction factor as compared to the base flow. The implication of the findings on the experimentally observed flow resistance enhancement phenomenon in viscoelastic creeping flows through converging/diverging geometries is discussed.
Estimating pixel-scale land cover classification confidence using nonparametric machine learning methods

Conventional approaches to accuracy assessment for land cover maps produced from remote sensing use either confusion matrices or the Kappa statistic to quantify map quality. These approaches yield global or class-specific measures of map quality by comparing classification results with independent ground-truth data. In most maps, considerable spatial variation is present in the accuracy of land cover labels that is not captured by these statistics. To date, this issue has rarely been addressed in the land cover remote sensing literature. The authors present a method to estimate pixel-scale land cover classification confidence using nonparametric machine learning methods. The method is based on recent theoretical developments from the domains of statistics and machine learning that explain the machine learning technique known as "boosting" as being equivalent to additive logistic regression. As a result, results from classification algorithms that use boosting can be assigned classification confidences based on probability estimates assigned to them using this theory. they test this approach using three different data sets. Their results demonstrate that classification errors tend to have low classification confidence while correctly classified pixels tend to have higher confidence. Thus, the method described in this paper may be used as a basis for providing spatially explicit maps of classification quality. This type of information will provide substantial additional information regarding map quality relative to more conventional quality measures and should be useful to end-users of map products derived from remote sensing.
Short term effects of a commercial eastern oyster nursery upon nutrient and plankton dynamics of a coastal embayment: observations from mesocosm experiments

Two mesocosm experiments were conducted to study the interaction of a commercial oyster-nursery system with the surrounding embayment, specifically, nutrient and plankton dynamics. The nursery was stocked with 80–200 L of oysters, sized 3–5 mm. Ambient water and the water passed through the oyster nursery were incubated in mesocosms, and nutrients and plankton were monitored over the course of 27-h incubations. The first experiment conducted in July 2009 captured a phytoplankton community dominated by Peridinium quinquecorne, a rare dinoflagellate not previously reported in the northeastern USA. Dissolved nitrogen compounds in all mesocosms were depleted within the first 6 h. The second experiment was conducted in September 2009, when a more typical and diverse phytoplankton community was present. Unlike the first experiment, Nitrate plus nitrite in the mesocosms was not depleted. Both experiments indicated little difference between the water passed through the oyster nursery and the ambient water in terms of subsequent nutrient and plankton dynamics, indicating little ‘legacy effect’ of the oyster nursery upon nutrients and plankton in this embayment. This conclusion was reached under the specific operating conditions typical for this nursery system, as chosen by the commercial partner in the study; changes in oyster stocking or flow rate are likely to change the results.
Agent Competition Double-Auction Mechanism

This paper proposes an agent competition double-auction mechanism to simplify decision making and promote transactions for the customer-to-customer marketplaces. Under the proposed double-auction mechanism, bidding one's true valuation (private information) is the best strategy for each individual buyer and seller even when shipping costs and sales taxes are different across various possible transactions. The proposed mechanism also achieves budget balance and asymptotic efficiency. Furthermore, these results not only hold for an environment where buyers and sellers exchange identical commodities, but also can be extended to an environment with multiple substitutable commodities.
Repurposing materials and waste through online exchanges: : Overcoming the last hurdle

Online material and waste exchanges (OMWEs) provide online channels to repurpose by-products, unused materials and waste from industrial and commercial facilities. Unfortunately, OMWE's also have challenges. First, sellers may have access to other disposal options and, as a result, may not fully commit to the exchange. Second, buyers can face high uncertainty about the product exchanged and the transaction being undertaken. Overcoming these challenges is the “last hurdle” to making OMWEs successful. This study investigates the factors that reduce the buyers' uncertainty and increase the sellers' commitment to the OMWE. We analyze novel transaction-level data from an online exchange (MNExchange.org) combined with other archival public records on county-level repurposing and disposal statistics. First, we find that regional repurposing policies and alternatives have a complementary effect on sellers' commitment toward OMWEs, resulting in increased OMWE exchanges. However, regional disposal policies and alternatives have a substitution effect on sellers' commitment, resulting in reduced exchange success. Further, greater product and transaction information reduce the buyer's uncertainty and increase exchange success. Finally, the analysis shows that users' (buyers and sellers) heavily rely on their prior experience with OMWEs. Specifically, higher familiarity between the buyer–seller pair and familiarity with the OMWE system leads to higher likelihood of exchange success. This study lays the foundation for understanding OMWEs and has important implications for developing policies and operations to increase online transactions of by-products, materials and wastes
New Boron Analogues of Pyrophosphates and Deoxynucleoside Boranophosphates

Tetraethyldicyanoborane pyrophosphate (2) and 3'-(diethylphosphite-cyanoborano)-5'-dimethoxytrityl.N4-benzoyl-deoxycytidine (3) have been synthesized in 70% and 76% yields, respectively. The compatibility of the substituted boranophosphates with common protecting groups is hereby demonstrated. Boron containing biologically active compounds, such as nucleosides and nucleotides 1-6 and amino acids 7-9 are important due to their potential therapeutic activity, research and diagnostic applications. Many boron containing compounds have shown promising activity as anticancer, 10. 11. 12 antiinflammatory,13 and antiosteoporotic 13agents. Oligonucleotdes in which a non-bridging oxygen atom is replaced by a borane(BH3) group are a very important class of modified nucleic acids. 1. 3. 14-16 The BH3 group is isoelectronic with oxygen in natural oligonucleotides and isoelectronic and isostructural with the oligonucleotide methyl phosphonates, which are nuclease resistant. On the other hand, the α-borano triphosphates are good substrates for DNA polymerases and incorporation of boranophosphates into DNA causes an increase in the resistance to exo- and endonucleases 2. 17a as compared to non-modified DNA. There are also notable applications of the α-borano triphosphates in PCR sequencing 17a and nucleic acid detection 17b.
Subterfuge and Sabotage: Evasion of Host Innate Defenses by Invasive Gram-Positive Bacterial Pathogens

The development of a severe invasive bacterial infection in an otherwise healthy individual is one of the most striking and fascinating aspects of human medicine. A small cadre of gram-positive pathogens of the genera Streptococcus and Staphylococcus stand out for their unique invasive disease potential and sophisticated ability to counteract the multifaceted components of human innate defense. This review illustrates how these leading human disease agents evade host complement deposition and activation, impede phagocyte recruitment and activation, resist the microbicidal activities of host antimicrobial peptides and reactive oxygen species, escape neutrophil extracellular traps, and promote and accelerate phagocyte cell death through the action of pore-forming cytolysins. Understanding the molecular basis of bacterial innate immune resistance can open new avenues for therapeutic intervention geared to disabling specific virulence factors and resensitizing the pathogen to host innate immune clearance.
Adaptive Sliding Mode Control for a Class of Uncertain Markovian Jump Systems with Time-Delay

The problem of adaptive sliding mode control for a class of uncertain Markovian jump systems with time delay is considered. Under the assumptions of matched known upper bound system uncertainties and unknown upper bound system uncertainties, the sufficient conditions are proposed to guarantee the mean exponentially stability of reduced-order sliding mode system. Under the assumption of two kind of system uncertainties, conventional sliding mode control law and adaptive sliding mode control law are proposed. The control methods guarantees that the trajectory of system arrives at the sliding surface in finite time interval and is kept here thereafter. Finally, a simulation is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Calcium Binding to Plasma Membrane Vesicles of Boar Spermatozoa

Purified plasma membrane vesicles from boar spermatozoa are shown to bind radioactive calcium with high affinity. Calcium binding to high affinity sites is enhanced by Naor K�. Binding is also markedly stimulated by low concentration of La�3 and Ho�3 but not by other large electro- philic cations. Increased calcium uptake in the presence of La�3 appears to be due to exposure of more binding sites deep within the plasma membrane vesicles. I-ugh concentrations of La�3 block calcium access to these sites. The ability of these vesicles to bind high concentrations of calcium suggests that the plasma membrane may play an important role in the storage and release of calcium in intact spermatozoa.
Retinopathy in cerebral malaria New answers, new puzzles

Cerebral malaria is one of the most common neurologic diseases in the world. According to WHO estimates, in 2010 alone there were over 216 million cases of malaria, and over 650,000 deaths, with 90% of deaths occurring in children.1 Among survivors of cerebral malaria, neurologic sequelae are common, with almost a third of patients developing epilepsy or other neurodevelopmental disabilities.2 Despite this, we know surprisingly little about the pathophysiology of cerebral malaria. Presumably sequestration of the parasite in the central circulation, with parasitized red blood cells interrupting normal cerebral blood flow, plays an important role. However, recent evidence suggests that the pathophysiology may be modulated by downstream effectors including nitric oxide, immune activation, excitotoxicity, and disruption of the blood–brain barrier leading to increased intracranial pressure.3 Complicating any discussion of pathophysiology, however, is the difficulty in describing exactly what we mean when we talk about cerebral malaria. Cerebral malaria is defined by the …
Signal processor architectures and implementations based upon gallium arsenide digital integrated circuits: The need for a wholistic design approach

The emerging Gallium Arsenide digital integrated circuit technology is rapidly becoming well enough established that designers of signal and data processors are planning its incorporation into advanced computational engines of all types. An examination of the characteristics of preset and future generation GaAs integrated circuits indicates that they will emphasize moderate on-chip gate counts and high gate speeds. Complete advantage can be taken of GaAs digital technology only if traditional signal processor architectures are completely recast at the memory layout, logic design, arithmetic implementation, and system architecture levels, and if these issues are considered in combination with system, logic boars, and chip layout and packaging constraints in a single integrated approach.
Test of a Product Cycle Model of International Trade: U. S. Exports of Consumer Durables

The cycle, 153. — High-income products, 155. — Product variations, 158. — Economics of scale, 160. — Transportation and tariffs, 160. — Conclusions, 161.
Exact rotational weights for coincidence imaging with a continuously rotating dual-headed gamma camera

In Dual Head Coincidence Imaging (DHCI), rotational weights must be applied to detected coincidence events to compensate for varying dwell-times. The dwell-time depends on both the transaxial and axial distance coordinates describing a coincidence line in parallel projection space. An exact formula is derived for the dwell-time of a DHCI camera with continuous detector rotation given a coincidence line described in parallel projection coordinates. The formula is verified by simulation. In addition, the boundary of the region where no data are measured is described. This missing-data region differs from that of a cylindrical PVI system whose diameter is the same as the head separation of the DHCI system and whose axial extent is the same as the axial dimension of the rotating planar detectors in the DHCI system.
Enzymatic synthesis of uniformly 32P-labeled polyribonucleotides and high-specific-activity ribonucleoside 5′-[α-32P]diphosphates

Uniformly /sup 32/P-labeled polyribonucleotides of high specific activity can be rapidly and easily synthesized from commercially available ribonucleoside 5'-(alpha-/sup 32/P)triphosphates by using two enzymes in sequence. Myosin ATPase completely and irreversibly converted any triphosphates to diphosphates in 10 min. The product diphosphates, without purification, can be polymerized by polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase) in 1 h with an average yield of 60%. By choosing the desired molar ratio of radioactive and nonradioactive tri- or diphosphates, polymers of a wide range of specific activity can be obtained. Since myosin ATPase and PNPase both have little base specificity, the method can be used to synthesize a radiolabeled polymer of any desired base composition.
Engineering, Professionalism, and Unions

The subject of engineering professionalism and unions is briefly examined. In this context, three theses are developed: (1) Engineering is a profession as old as medicine or laws; (2) the historical development of the modern engineering societies has allowed internal conflicts that have hindered the establishment of ethical standards and a realistic program of professional development; and (3) professionalism and unions, as defined, are compatible. The deficiencies of the present society system are identified, and it is suggested that professionalism might benefit from some form of unionization.
Reliable Broadcast with Joint Forward Error Correction and Erasure Codes in Wireless Communication Networks

One of the main challenges in wireless networks is addressing the unreliability of the wireless links, and providing reliable transmissions. Two important sources of errors in wireless transmissions are noise and interference. In order to address the errors due to noise, forward error correction methods can be used, in which redundancy is added to the packets to detect and correct the bit errors. However, when the environment is too noisy, or there is interference among the transmissions, the forward error correction codes might not be able to correct the bit errors, resulting in packet erasures. In this case, application layer erasure codes, such as network coding, are useful. In this paper, we consider a wireless network which faces both random bit errors and packet erasures. In order to provide reliable transmissions, we benefit from joint forward error correction and erasure codes, and formulate the successful transmission probability. We also propose a low-complexity method to find the optimal redundancy that should be assign to the forward error correction and erasure code. Our method consists of two phases: offline and online phases. In the offline phase, we generate a reference table, which shows the successful delivery of the packets for each possible transmission strategy. The source node uses this reference table in the second phase to find the optimal strategy depending on the noise and interference level. We show the effectiveness of our proposed method through extensive simulations.
Tetrasilane and digermane for the ultra-high vacuum chemical vapor deposition of SiGe alloys

Abstract Tetrasilane and digermane were used to grow epitaxial silicon germanium layers on silicon substrates in a commercial ultra-high vacuum chemical vapor deposition tool. Films with concentrations up to 19% germanium were grown at temperatures from 400 °C to 550 °C. For all alloy compositions, the growth rates were much higher compared to using mono-silane and mono-germane. The quality of the material was assessed using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and spectroscopic ellipsometry; all indicating high quality epitaxial films with low surface roughness suitable for commercial applications. Studies of the decomposition kinetics with regard to temperature were performed, revealing an unusual growth rate maximum between the high and low temperature deposition regimes.
Validated Assessment Tools and Maintenance of Certification in Plastic Surgery: Current Status, Challenges, and Future Possibilities.

Background The transition to the Next Accreditation System is well underway, and a shift toward competency-based assessment in the form of milestones is now the standard. A significant effort has been completed by the Plastic Surgery Milestones Working Group to develop specific milestones and assessment tools for plastic surgery training. Methods The history of the development toward competency-based assessment was reviewed. Data regarding the trends and regulations associated with board certification and the role of maintenance of certification were reviewed. Results The work of the Plastic Surgery Milestones Working Group has sparked interest in assessment and created an opportunity for further development. The efforts toward validating assessment tools by our colleagues working in other surgical specialties serve as a suitable roadmap for further progress. Board certification is an integral part of successful practice and should be regarded as an expectation. Despite the burdens associated with maintenance of certification, it serves a valuable function in ensuring optimal patient care and is often retrospectively seen as an important component of practice. Conclusions The competency-based milestones are the new standard, and work on this new methodology of assessing plastic surgery trainees is expected to continue. Accurate assessment is critical to the pathways for board certification and maintenance of certification, which serve important roles for all parties involved in the delivery of medical care.
Evidence-based initiative to improve influenza immunisation participation among undergraduate nursing students:

This evidence-based practice study presents the outcome of specific intervention strategies that have been implemented to improve the immunisation status among undergraduate nursing students in a local university. These interventions included education about the importance of the influenza vaccine, email reminders about convenient times and influenza clinic locations, raffles, and an appeal to the moral responsibility that healthcare personnel have to their patients to increase immunisation. Despite these strategies, the overall percentage of nursing students receiving the influenza immunisation only slightly improved: from 43.1% (influenza season 2010–2011) to 46.3% (influenza season 2011–2012). Similar outcomes have been found with employers who have sought to improve employee influenza immunisation rates without mandating immunisation. Given the clinical settings where students are engaged, schools of nursing, regulatory agencies, and clinical sites should not overlook the impact of students on patient...
Efficacy of two comparative antibiotic regimens in the treatment of serious intra-abdominal infections: results of a multicenter study.

Premenopausal Study. Twenty-five pre- or perimenopausal patients with advanced breast cancer were treated with leuprorelin acetate 3.75 mg (n = 9) or 7.5 mg (n = 16) every 4 weeks. Serum levels of gonadotrophins and oestrogens were suppressed markedly by both doses and there was no indication that the lower dose was less effective as an oestrogen suppressant. There were four objective responders to the 3.75 mg dose and six to the 7.5 mg dose. Toxicity was confined almost entirely to hot flushes, which occurred in 17 patients. Leuprorelin acetate is therefore an effective agent in the treatment of premenopausal breast cancer patients. There appears to be no major detriment to the use of 3.75 mg rather than the 7.5 mg dose. Postmenopausal Study. Fifteen postmenopausal patients with advanced breast cancer were treated with monthly injections of leuprorelin acetate 7.5 mg to assess the clinical activity and endocrine responses to treatment. None of the 15 patients showed an objective response to treatment, although four patients had stable disease for at least 6 months. Endocrine effects after 4 weeks' treatment included major suppression of serum gonadotrophins to below 10% of pretreatment values and decreases in the level of serum testosterone in 12 of 14 patients. In this group there were no changes in oestradiol levels, although we had previously observed suppression in postmenopausal patients treated with goserelin. In common with other gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues, leuprorelin acetate cannot be recommended as a treatment for postmenopausal breast cancer.
Malacoplakia of the urethra.

Abstract We report a case of urethral malacoplakia associated with disease of the bladder and bladder neck. Treatment consisted of fulguration of the bladder lesions and excision of the urethral lesion. Unlike most other cases of genitourinary malacoplakia, which are associated with chronic urinary tract infection, this patient had sterile urine and no history of urinary tract infections. Urethral malacoplakia is reviewed, and the pathogenesis and treatment of the disease are discussed.
Spatially explicit analysis of field inventories for national forest carbon monitoring

Tropical forests provide a crucial carbon sink for a sizable portion of annual global CO2 emissions. Policies that incentivize tropical forest conservation by monetizing forest carbon ultimately depend on accurate estimates of national carbon stocks, which are often based on field inventory sampling. As an exercise to understand the limitations of field inventory sampling, we tested whether two common field-plot sampling approaches could accurately estimate carbon stocks across approximately 76 million ha of Peruvian forests. A 1-ha resolution LiDAR-based map of carbon stocks was used as a model of the country’s carbon geography. Both field inventory sampling approaches worked well in estimating total national carbon stocks, almost always falling within 10 % of the model national total. However, the sampling approaches were unable to produce accurate spatially-explicit estimates of the carbon geography of Peru, with estimates falling within 10 % of the model carbon geography across no more than 44 % of the country. We did not find any associations between carbon stock errors from the field plot estimates and six different environmental variables. Field inventory plot sampling does not provide accurate carbon geography for a tropical country with wide ranging environmental gradients such as Peru. The lack of association between estimated carbon errors and environmental variables suggests field inventory sampling results from other nations would not differ from those reported here. Tropical forest nations should understand the risks associated with primarily field-based sampling approaches, and consider alternatives leading to more effective forest conservation and climate change mitigation.
Other Complexity Classes and Measures

This material was written for Chapter 29 of the CRC Handbook of Algorithms and Theory of Computation, edited by Mikhail Atallah.
Syphilis. Resurgence of an old disease.

SUMMARY Syphilis has persisted for centuries, yet over the last few years with public emphasis on “safe sex” practices there is still a resurgence of this disease. Control of this potentially devastating illness cannot be achieved by physicians alone. It requires a combined effort from the public, educators, government, and the medical community. Physicians may contribute by patient education, frequent testing of all individuals at high risk, and treatment and close follow-up of patients and contacts.
Association rule-based feature selection for credit risk assessment

Credit risk assessment becomes rapidly important for credit department of the bank to determine whether to issue credit cards, and make loans to both companies and individualities. However, due to the complexity of database, it is arduous for credit managers to make decisions. In order to solve this problem, this paper proposes a framework that combines feature selection and decision tree classification for credit risk assessment. The feature selection is based on association rules mining. The empirical result shows that our approach can not only reduce the data dimensionality significantly but also provide higher classification accuracies than other methods.
A Nonuniform Sampling ADC Architecture With Reconfigurable Digital Anti-Aliasing Filter

This work proposes a nonuniform sampling analog-to-digital converter (ADC) architecture that incorporates a reconfigurable digital anti-aliasing (AA) filter in the asynchronous digital domain. Considering applications where the signal frequency, bandwidth, or activity may significantly vary over time and operating conditions, it provides high flexibility, relaxes analog AA filter requirements, adapts its sampling rate according to the incoming signal, and interfaces seamlessly with synchronous digital processers. In addition, the proposed ADC architecture relaxes voltage quantization by introducing time quantization, which favors future technology scaling. Furthermore, approximated analytical noise models are derived to study the underlying quantization effects on the proposed digital AA filter. It explores the theoretical bounds of achievable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) given different ADC and filter design parameters. Finally, some hardware design considerations and limitations are discussed.
Path planning using a neuron array integrated circuit

Neuromorphic Engineering is an interdisciplinary field which combines concepts from fields such as biology, neuroscience, computer science and engineering. The goal of this field is to design systems that are based on the principles of biological nervous systems. This paper presents hardware results for path planning using a neuron array integrated circuit. The algorithm is explained and experimental results are presented showing 100% correct performance for a large number of maze environment scenarios. Although there is still more work to be completed before this is a fielded system, this work represents an new application of a neuromorphic Integrated Circuit and the results demonstrate definite potential.
EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND pH ON GROWTH AND ENTEROTOXIN PRODUCTION BY STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS1

Four strains of Staphylococcus aureus producing enterotoxin types A, B, C, and D were inoculated into buffered Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) broth at a concentration of 106 cells/ml and incubated with agitation at temperatures ranging from 7 to 50 C for intervals extending to 4 weeks. At 45 C, strains 265 (type A), 493 (type C), and 315 (type D) grew and produced enterotoxin, but there was a rapid decrease in viable cells and no enterotoxin produced by strain 243 (type B). In the range of 19 to 39 C, all strains grew and produced enterotoxin. At 13 C, strains 265, 243, and 493 grew but only strain 243 produced enterotoxin. Strain 315 did not grow at 13 C and none of the strains grew at 7 or 50 C. The population of S. aureus varied from 1.3 × 107 to 5.5 × 108 cells/ml when enterotoxin was first detected. S. aureus strain 243 was inoculated at a concentration of 108 cells/ml into BHI broth with and without 0.2 M sodium phosphate buffer and incubated at 37 C for time intervals extending to 172 hr. The initial p...
Mass and Width of the A 1

We determine the mass and width of the ${A}_{1}$ meson using a unitary and analytic isobar parametrization.
Unbecoming: Desire and Futurity in Amelia Alderson Opie’s Dangers of Coquetry

ABSTRACTThis essay interrogates Louisa Conolly’s alternative femininity in Amelia Alderson Opie’s Dangers of Coquetry (1790). I utilize error as a heuristic in two senses: as “erring,” which indicates failures and deviations and as “errancy,” which identifies subjects which wander and rove. My application of “error” to Dangers shows that Opie’s portrayal of Louisa’s coquetry is an example of feminine errancy which makes visible a femininity that challenges the way that families and nations organize futurity. Louisa, unlike many coquettes of the 1790s, has the opportunity to marry. By projecting Louisa’s desire beyond and within her monogamous marriage, Opie reveals marriage’s inability to contain emotional and erotic desire, ultimately challenging eighteenth-century myths of marriage as an institution which delimited femininity. Louisa’s death is the ultimate rejection of heteronormative futurity.
Supplementation: Dietary Supplements

In 2004, global sales of dietary supplements represented a significant business. Worldwide sales have been estimated at $70–250 billion. The demand for herbal products worldwide increased at an annual rate of 8% from 1994 to 2001, although this growth has slowed in recent years. Issues and controversies in the dietary supplement market are related to defining exactly what is a dietary supplement, understanding how sales and marketing data are derived, defining the regulatory environment, safety issues, product quality issues, labeling and health claim issues, and scientific evidence for benefit. This article describes some of these controversies and provides examples to illustrate these issues.
Regional collaboration to strengthen education for nationals & Syrian refugees in Arabic speaking host countries

Abstract The international community launched the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) to help meet the needs of more than 4.8 million registered Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt. The education arm of 3RP is the No Lost Generation (NLG) initiative, which supports the ministries of education in these host countries expand access to education; ensure the provision of quality, relevant education; and strengthen national and sub-national education systems. Planning of NLG efforts is regional; however, decision-making and implementation remain at the country level. Our study analyzes NLG initiatives for refugees in the context of recent education reform undertaken by Jordan and Lebanon, as these countries have focused on improving their national systems. We find that continued political instability in the region, and uncertainty of where refugees will reside in the future, coupled with common socio-economic concerns of the four countries, and comparable weaknesses of their education systems, suggest regional collaboration is needed to strengthen education systems. Three recommendations are offered to build the region's education systems: standardize K-12 curricula in STEM and standardize accreditation requirements for secondary formal education and NFE; develop regional databases in Arabic of evidence-based best teaching practices; improve linkages between universities and industry to secondary schools to ensure skills developed are compatible to those needed in the 21 st century economy. These recommendations make education more portable for refugees, given their uncertain future; they equalize learning opportunities for students, regardless of SES and geography; they make education relevant for refugees and nationals, providing skills young people need for better prospects. At the same time, our recommendations respect national authority in key subjects and promote local ownership of teaching and learning processes.
Thermodynamic assessment of Ag–Cu–In

The Ag–Cu–In thermodynamic material system is of interest for brazing alloys and chalcopyrite thin-film photovoltaics. To advance these applications, Ag–Cu–In was assessed and a Calphad model was developed. Binary Ag–Cu and Cu–In parameters were taken from previous assessments, while Ag–In was re-assessed. Structure-based models were employed for β-bcc(A2)-Ag3In, γ-Ag9In4, and AgIn2 to obtain good fit to enthalpy, phase boundary, and invariant reaction data for Ag–In. Ternary Ag–Cu–In parameters were optimized to achieve excellent fit to activity, enthalpy, and extensive phase equilibrium data. Relative to the previous Ag–Cu–In assessment, fit was improved while fewer parameters were used.
T wave inversions in a young athlete

A 21-year-old black athlete presented for a preparticipation medical examination prior to playing collegiate basketball. He had no exercise limitations, syncope, dizziness or palpitations. He took no medications. There was no family history of coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, sudden cardiac arrest, drowning or seizures. Physical examination revealed a tall, well-appearing young man with an athletic build. Blood pressure was 119/61 mm Hg. Cardiac examination was unremarkable with no murmurs. A screening ECG is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 Resting …
Properties Controlling Mass Transfer in Foods and Related Model Systems

A number of food operations involve mass transfer. Extraction, distillation, dehydration, infusion and leaching are among such operations, and water, salt, oils, proteins and flavors among food components most commonly involved in such transfer operation. In addition mass transfer is important in storage of foods since food stability often is determined by biological, chemical and physical processes dependent on transfer of various components notably water, oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Genetic evaluation with finite locus models

The availability of genotypic data in recent years has resulted in increased interest in the use of marker assisted genetic evaluation (MAGE) in livestock species. Under additive inheritance, Henderson's mixed model equations (HMME) provide an efficient approach to obtain genetic evaluations by marker assisted best linear unbiased prediction (MABLUP) given pedigree relationships, trait, and marker data. For large pedigrees with many missing markers, however, it is not feasible to calculate the exact gametic variance covariance matrix required to construct HMME, and thus, approximations are used. By computer simulation we observed that the use of exact matrices would increase response to selection by 2.2% up to 11.7%. Marker assisted selection (MAS) is efficient especially for traits that have low heritability and non-additive gene action. BLUP methodology under non-additive gene action is not feasible for large inbred or crossbred pedigrees. It is easy to incorporate non-additive gene action in a finite locus model. Under such a model, the unobservable genotypic values can be predicted using the conditional mean of the genotypic values given the available data, which is also known as the best predictor (BP). The potential of alternative methods to compute BP under finite locus models was studied, and it was shown that Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods that sample blocks of genotypes jointly hold most promise for such computations. The efficiency of MCMC methods for genetic evaluation by BP under finite locus models, depends on the number of loci considered in the model. Thus, the effect of the number of loci used in the finite locus model used for genetic evaluation by BP was studied by computer simulation. In our study, models with two to six loci yielded accurate BP evaluations for traits determined by 100 loci. Finally, we proposed a strategy to improve the computational efficiency of MAGE under finite locus models.
North Korea under Kim chong-Il

Winston Churchill once described the Soviet Union as "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." But in the years since Stalin's demise, the Soviet Union has become much less mysterious: foreigners are allowed to enter the country with relative ease, and the Western press is able to report openly from there on Soviet affairs; a considerable number of Soviet citizens have been permitted to emigrate. Churchill's remark can be applied with equal accuracy to mainland China, but since the early 1970's, China has been an active member of the international community. Policy changes in favor of moderation, internal and external, became possible after the deaths of the dictators, Stalin and Mao Zedung, who wielded enormous personal power over their Communist parties and state institutions. Could a similar situation arise in North Korea with the death of President Kim II-sung, who is now seventy years old? If so, can we look forward to more peaceful relations between North and South Korea, as we see, for instance, in the case of the two Germanys? A change in North Korea's "enigmatic" nature in the coming decade would have a great impact on the security interests not only of South Korea but also of the major powers concerned, including the United States. North Korea faces several problems. First, it must carry out the hereditary succession of power from Kim II-sung to his son, Kim Chong-il. This has been a gradual and laborious process. Secondly, North Korea must deal with its economic problems. Many believe it is becoming more difficult for them to maintain the highly centralized command system that has existed for thirty-seven years without any fundamental reform. Sooner or later North Korea must decide whether to relax and decentralize economic control so as to overcome the economic stagnation, in which case it will risk losing political control. The third major problem centers on North Korea's relationship with the outside world, including South Korea. For ten years now there have been cautious attempts to open North Korean society to a very limited extent, in line with political demands. Is North Korea going to open up on a larger scale, following the examples set by the USSR and China or will North Korea remain the "hermit kingdom" it has been in the past? The analysis that follows examines some of these issues and options.
Alprostadil (PGE 1) und Cyclosporin A zur Behandlung der Vaskulitis bei rheumatoider Arthritis

Eine 56jahrige Patientin mit chronischer Polyarthritis und histologisch verifizierter Vaskulitis mit Nagelfalznekrosen und Fingerendgliedgangran an beiden Handen sowie Hautulzera an beiden Unterschenkeln wurde uber 16 Wochen mit Cyclosporin A, Prednisolon und Alprostadil behandelt.
Gas Exchange at the Air–Water Interface

Gas exchange at the air–water interface is controlled by a combination of chemical and physical factors. Chemically, exchange is driven by the concentration gradient across the air–water interface. The gradient can arise as a result of several processes, including changes in solubility and biochemical reactions which alter aqueous concentrations. Physical factors influencing the exchange of gases include turbulent and molecular diffusion. Several mechanisms can impart turbulence at the air–water interface, although wind stress is considered most often. Very near the air–water interface viscous forces reduce turbulence, and gas exchange is limited by molecular diffusion in the diffusive sub-layer. Several theoretical models attempt to explain the interaction between the turbulent and diffusive layers. In addition, empirical models are used to predict the gas exchange coefficient at the air–water interface. Several field methods for estimating gas exchange in lakes are discussed. Gas exchange in some other systems, such as streams, rivers, estuaries and wetlands, has been less well constrained, partially due to greater inherent variability. The aim of this article is to equip the reader with the knowledge to make rough estimates of gas exchange in lake settings, and to give an introduction to methods that result in more direct estimates of gas exchange in lakes and other environments.