cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Winner's Curse Corrections Magnify Adverse Selection

The adverse-selection literature has only considered the case in which competing sellers' costs of supply are independent and privately known by the individual sellers. In contrast, the auction literature has ignored adverse selection by implicitly assuming that a bid-taker is indifferent between suppliers at a given price. We show that competition in auctions with common-value elements serves to magnify the impact of adverse selection, as a bidder supplying a higher-cost product rationally makes a heightened winner's curse correction in a procurement auction. Hence lower-cost suppliers are disproportionately likely to win the auction, potentially creating a more serious quality problem for the procurer than mainstream adverse-selection models suggest.
A Problem-Solving Approach to Law Practice Developed Through Legal Writing Courses

One of the goals of legal education should be to connect students' legal knowledge and legal skills with client populations that need legal assistance. So it is safe to say our goal as educators is to help students acquire the tools to deliver legal services to diverse client populations. Because of this, perhaps a lawyer’s most important tool is a lawyer’s ability to problem solve. This chapter explains how to focus legal writing courses on enhancing students’ ability to recognize and address client-specific problems. This chapter is excerpted from Teaching Law Practice: Preparing the Next Generation of Lawyers, eds. Cercone, Miller, & Trudeau (Vandeplas Publishing, 2013).
Fungal Cell Walls

Fungal cell walls are paradoxical combinations of unyielding rigidity and soft elastic plasticity, inert protective covers and dynamic regulators of metabolism and differentiation, impenetrable hydrophobic layers and freely secreting tips, about which all too little is understood. Keywords: chitin; glucans; hyphal tip structure; wall biosynthesis; wall interactions; hyphal form
Absorption of calcium from tortilla meals prepared from low-phytate maize

Background: Calcium fortification of maize has been achieved for millenia in Central America by the process of nixtamalization. Bioavailability of calcium is, however, compromised by phytate, present in large quantities in maize kernels and only modestly reduced by nixtamalization.
Multiple social roles and blood pressure of black and white women: The CARDIA study

ABSTRACT Purpose: Multiple social roles in women—marriage, motherhood, and work—are viewed by some as beneficial, by others as stressful, and by others as reflecting a balance between benefits and stress. The impact of social roles on blood pressure (BP) were analyzed in 1,473 blacks and 1,301 whites, ages 18–30, by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. Findings: Differential BP by educational level in black women with multiple roles: Better educated black women with multiple roles had lower mean BP than those in fewer roles (−1.3 to −8.0 mmHg systolic); less well-educated women generally had higher mean BP (+0.6 to +3.1 mmHg systolic). In whites, there was no consistent association between multiple roles and BP. In whites, marriage and motherhood were each independently related to BP regardless of education; marriage with higher BP (+0.1 to +2.4 mmHg) and motherhood with lower BP (−0.4 to −2.6 mmHg). In blacks, marriage, motherhood, and e...
Extending BDI Multi-Agent Systems with Situation Management

We extend the BDI (Belief, Desire, Intention) agent model by enabling agent beliefs to be based on real-time situations that are generated by a situation management (SM) system. This has several advantages for multi-agent systems using BDI agents. First, because of the use of event correlation and data fusion techniques in situation management, agent platforms can support highly reactive distributed applications. Second, the situation manager provides a semantically rich representation of the world and can dynamically adapt its representation for situations over time. From the system architecture perspective, we discuss several alternatives for how existing BDI-capable agent platforms can incorporate this extension. These alternatives range from complete SM functionality in each agent to having shared SM functionality among multiple agents. We also consider environments where different agent platforms use our Situation-Based BDI (SBBDI) Agent method and must interoperate. We include an example of an SBBDI agent system for homeland security threat assessment.
Hydrogen and helium interactions in Si: phenomena obscure and not-so-obscure

The deliberate use of H- and He-related phenomena in crystalline Si (c-Si) has at times been hampered by concerns of the mobility of these light elements and hence potential device instability. However H is inevitably present in many Si processing steps, though not necessarily in the finished device. Accordingly one could differentiate between a transient or catalytic interaction of H with c-Si, and one where H resides permanently during device operation. We have uncovered phenomena on both domains, and these involve trapping and de-trapping of H by defective regions, thermal activation of latent defects in hydrogenated c-Si, and low-temperature activation of ion implanted dopant atoms. He differs from H principally by its electrical inactivity, but plays a significant role in altering the microstructure. The strong interaction of He with vacancy clusters results in nanocavities that act as excellent gettering sites and also enable localized minority carrier lifetime control. H and He thus offer possibilities for defect and impurity engineering in Si.
Instantaneous dislocation velocity measurements for slowly moving dislocations

Mesure de la vitesse instantanee des dislocations en etudiant l'influence d'un champ magnetique sur l'entrainement des dislocations par les electrons de conduction lors de la deformation plastique. La valeur obtenue est independante de la densite des dislocations mobiles. Presentation d'un exemple sur des monocristaux de zinc
The trouble with Hideyoshi: censoring ukiyo-e and the Ehon Taikōki incident of 1804

Abstract This article offers a new interpretation for one of the most famous censorship events in the history of ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world). In the early summer of 1804, artists Kitagawa Utamaro (1753?–1806), Kitagawa Tsukimaro (act. 1794–1836), Utagawa Toyokuni (1769–1825), Katsukawa Shuntei (1770–1820) and Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762–1819), the writer Jippensha Ikku (1765–1831) and their publishers were punished for representing sixteenth-century warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi in commercial prints. Their sheet prints and illustrated books were capitalizing upon the popularity of the Ehon Taikōki (The Illustrated Chronicles of the Regent) published from 1797 to 1802 and its theatrical representations on jōruri and kabuki stages from 1799 to 1804. This article reviews the period evidence and analyzes the remaining sheet prints and illustrated books to offer a new interpretation of the censorship incident. It proposes that the central problem with the ukiyo-e materials was not that they flouted censo...
Soil moisture variability and scale-dependency of nonlinear parameterizations in coupled land-atmosphere models

Abstract Many of the relationships used in coupled land–atmosphere models to describe interactions between the land surface and the atmosphere have been empirically parameterized and thus are inherently dependent on the observational scale for which they were derived and tested. However, they are often applied at scales quite different than the ones they were intended for due to practical necessity. In this paper, a study is presented on the scale-dependency of parameterizations which are nonlinear functions of variables exhibiting considerable spatial variability across a wide range of scales. For illustration purposes, we focus on parameterizations which are explicit nonlinear functions of soil moisture. We use data from the 1997 Southern Great Plains Hydrology Experiment (SGP97) to quantify the spatial variability of soil moisture as a function of scale. By assuming that a parameterization keeps its general form the same over a range of scales, we quantify how the values of its parameters should change with scale in order to preserve the spatially averaged predicted fluxes at any scale of interest. The findings of this study illustrate that if modifications are not made to nonlinear parameterizations to account for the mismatch of scales between optimization and application, then significant systematic biases may result in model-predicted water and energy fluxes.
A Preliminary Study of Multidimensional Life Satisfaction Among Deaf/Hard of Hearing Youth Across Environmental Settings

A key aspect of life quality is life satisfaction. Interest in this construct has increased among children and adolescents over the past decade given the differential mental health and educational outcomes associated with life satisfaction reports. Nevertheless, most research has used general samples of students, with very little understood of how youth with disabilities view the quality of their lives. Further, many students with disabilities live and/or are educated in totally segregated residential schools or segregated day school programs. It is thus unclear how life satisfaction reports may differ with respect to these environmental settings. Using the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale, global satisfaction, as well as satisfaction ratings across a number of life domains was compared among Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing (D/HH) youth living in residential settings and D/HH youth attending day school programs. These reports were also compared with a group of hearing peers. Results revealed that the inter-domain correlations, regression coefficients, and satisfaction mean scores varied between the disability and non-disability groups, and with respect to environmental setting. Implications of these findings conclude the paper.
Solid state coordination chemistry of copper with pyridyltetrazoles: Structural consequences of incorporation of coordinating anions

Abstract The hydrothermal reactions of various Cu(II) salts with 3- and 4-pyridinetetrazole and pyrazinetetrazole were exploited in the preparation of a series of Cu(II) and Cu(I) azolate materials. The parent copper/pyridyltetrazole compositions are observed in the two-dimensional [Cu(3-pyrtet)2] (1), the reduced three-dimensional [Cu(4-pyrtet)] (2) and reduced two-dimensional [Cu(4-pyrtet)]·0.5DMF (3·0.5DMF) (Hpyrtet = pyridyltetrazole). The consequences of introducing coordinating anions are revealed in the structures of the one-dimensional [CuCl2(4-Hpyrtet)]·0.5H2O (4·0.5H2O) and the two-dimensional [Cu2I2(4-Hpyrtet)] (5) and [Cu(acac)(4-pyrtet)] (7) (acac = acetylacetonate; H2en = ethylenediammonium cation). The pyrazinetetrazolate derivative [H2en]0.5[CuCl2(prztet)] (Hprztet = pyrazinetetrazole) (6) is one-dimensional, but structurally distinct from the chain observed for 4.
Phosphorus Equilibrium. I: Impact of AlOx Media Substrates and Aqueous Matrices

AbstractFor urban drainage, the role of granular media has expanded from particulate matter (PM) filtration to media also engineered for phosphorus (P) mass transfer. In this paper, equilibrium between P as total dissolved P (TDP) and granular substrate-based aluminum oxide (AlOx) media are investigated. Aluminum oxide coated media (AOCM) are clay- (AOCMc), pumice- (AOCMp), and concrete-based (AOCMpcc), and their native substrates [uncoated media with a clay substrate (UCMs)] serve as control media. Equilibrium is modeled with Freundlich isotherms. Isotherms are evaluated in municipal wet weather (runoff), dry weather (wastewater), and a surrogate deionized (DI) water matrix as a control, each at neutral pH. Compared to UCMs, AlOx-coated (clay, pumice) and AlOx-admixture media (concrete) yield significantly higher equilibrium capacity. For runoff and wastewater, AOCMc and AOCMp generate lower capacity compared with the surrogate matrix due to competitive effects, and ligand exchange is hypothesized as a p...
The magnetic stratification of layered mafic intrusions: Natural examples and numerical models

Abstract Mafic–ultramafic intrusions commonly display a prominent petrographic and geochemical layering attributed to differentiation in a magma chamber. This layering occurs at scales from several hundreds of meters in some large intrusions, down to scales of a few millimeters. Layering-forming processes are numerous and include, both internal processes, such as crystal settling, double diffusive convection, flow segregation and compaction, and external processes such as magma-recharge, -extraction or -mixing. Mafic magma chambers may operate as a closed system or as an open system. Several recent investigations have been conducted on borehole cores through the Insizwa sill (South Africa), the Great Dyke (Zimbabwe), and the Bushveld Complex (South Africa). We present an overview of magnetic results on these intrusions. The magnetic properties of mafic rocks are dominated by the presence of magnetite in most layers. Pyrrhotite, the only ferrimagnetic sulfide, is generally restricted to sulfide-rich reefs (Merensky, J-M, Bohmke) or to massive sulfide deposits at the base of the intrusion. All intrusions display distinct variations of their magnetic properties (anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility, magnetic remanence, magnetic saturation, high field magnetic susceptibility) across the layering. The significance of these magnetic zones varies depending on the nature of variations from zone to zone. For example, a drop in magnetic susceptibility does not necessarily correspond to a new magma batch, unless it is also associated with a change in magnetic anisotropy parameters. In the studied cases, all open systems, the magnetic susceptibility and the total iron content (estimated from high field measurements) increase towards the top of these intrusions suggesting a general pattern of iron enrichment. A numerical petrologic model for a tholeiitic magma predicts magnetic susceptibility variations across a statically differentiated, closed system intrusion (no convection). The effects of sequential magma recharge and discrete magma extraction are investigated from the magnetic properties point of view. Conversely, these models can be used to interpret the magnetic stratification pattern in natural examples and test for its possible causes.
Gender and mood as mediators of the relationship between attributional style, daily life events, depression symptoms, and hopelessness

A study was conducted to investigate whether or not the relationship between attributional style, daily life events or “hassles,” and hopelessness depression is mediated by gender and mood at the time when attributional style is assessed. Measures of attributional style, hassles, depression, and hopelessness were administered, in a prospective design, to 100 undergraduate students on two occasions separated by 1 month. Results showed that the interaction of attributional style, hassles, and gender predicted change in hopelessness levels (p <.05) and that this interaction demonstrated a nonsignificant trend toward predicting change in depression symptom levels (p =.07). The interaction of attributional style, hassles, and time 1 depression scores also demonstrated a nonsignificant trend toward predicting change in depression symptom levels (p =.08), but did not predict change in hopelessness levels. The interaction of attributional style and hassles did not, by itself, predict change in either depression or hopelessness levels. These findings suggest that research investigating relationships between causal attributions for negative life events and depression should consider the potential influences of gender and of mood at the time when causal attributions are assessed.
Metabolic activation of aflatoxins related to their mutagenicity.

Abstract Rat hepatic microsome-mediated DNA-binding and mutagenesis to Salmonella typhimurium strain Ta-100 by various aflatoxins and some mixed function oxygenase-mediated metabolites of aflatoxin B 1 were studied. The data indicated a good correlation between the DNA-binding and mutagenesis; a requirement for the intact C 2 –C 3 double bond in parent aflatoxins B 1 and G 1 ; and relative inactivity of aflatoxin B 1 metabolites with an otherwise intact C 2 –C 3 double bond.
Factors Affecting Age at First Parturition, Life Span, and Vital Statistics of Florida Dairy Cows

Abstract Data from seven herds representing 14 to 52 yr were examined with 2937 to 4651 observations for various analyses. Mean age at first parturition was 29.2 mo with heritability .16 and no trend over years. First parturition age was negatively correlated (−.05) phenotypically with productive life span (time from first to last parturition), total life span (−.05), and number of parturitions (−.06). The latter were highly correlated with each other, .86 to .97. Mean productive life span was 37.3 mo. total life span 70.0 mo, and number of parturitions 3.4. Mastitis and udder troubles were more apparent with Holsteins (51%) than Jerseys and Guernseys (22%), as were losses due to problems at parturition (4.8 versus 2.6 and 3.6%). Farm and breed effects were detected for nearly all variables, as were their interactions. Cause of such interactions remains unknown. Based on life tables, after first parturition Jerseys had longest predicted productive life span (61.1 mo), followed by Guernseys (57.4) and Holsteins (56.2). Frequency of culling for low milk yield increased over the years studied, but losses due to mastitis and udder troubles, reproductive failure, and calving difficulty remained essentially unchanged.
Factors Governing the Greening of Garlic Puree

Storing garlic bulbs for a month at or above 23°C, prior to processing, prevented the production of a green pigment in the garlic puree. The amino acid S-(1-propenyl) cysteine sulfoxide was necessary for the development of the green color.
Fractional Tap-Spacing Equalizer and Consequences for Clock Recovery in Data Modems

Adaptive equalizers are usually realized in the form of a transversal filter with variable tap gains and tap spacing equal to the symbol spacing T . The performance of these equalizers depends critically on the symbol-clock phase derived in the receiver, due to the clock-phase dependent aliasing of the spectral roll-off components, upon which the conventional equalizer has no influence. In this paper we study the possibility of overcoming this difficulty by making the tap spacing of the equalizer somewhat smaller than T (fractional tap spacing). It is shown that this leads to satisfactory performance of the equalizer for a broad continuous range of clock phases, without penalizing the speed of convergence. Furthermore, it allows the application of a simple clock recovery scheme which derives a phase control signal from the equalizer tap-gain values.
Myocardial protection with pinacidil cardioplegia in the blood-perfused heart.

Background Adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium-channel openers are potent vasodilators that have been found to be cardioprotective during myocardial ischemia. The potassium-channel opener pinacidil was investigated to determine its efficacy as a cardioplegic agent. Methods A blood-perfused, parabiotic, isolated rabbit heart Langendorff preparation was used. Fifty-six hearts underwent 30 minutes of global normothermic ischemia after a 50-mL infusion of cardioplegia, followed by 60 minutes of reperfusion. The cardioplegia consisted of Krebs-Henseleit solution with either vehicle alone (control), 20 mmol KCl, or pinacidil (10, 50, 100, 150, or 200 μ mol/L). The developed pressure was measured at baseline and after reperfusion. Coronary blood flow was measured with an in-line ultrasonic probe. Results Pinacidil (50 μ mol/L), as opposed to potassium cardioplegia, provided significantly better postischemic percentage recovery of developed pressure compared with controls (68.3% ± 4.0% versus 44.6% ± 5.5%; p μ mol/L and 100 μ mol/L pinacidil groups compared with traditional hyperkalemic arrest, and this returned to baseline after 15 minutes. Conclusions The potassium channel opener pinacidil provided dose-dependent myocardial protection during global ischemia in the blood-perfused rabbit heart model. Potassium-channel openers are a promising class of drugs that may provide an alternative to traditional hyperkalemic cardioplegia.
“Molecular Basket” Sorbents for Separation of CO2 and H2S from Various Gas Streams

A new generation of “molecular basket” sorbents (MBS) has been developed by the optimum combination of the nanoporous material and CO2/H2S-philic polymer sorbent to increase the accessible sorption sites for CO2 capture from flue gas (Postdecarbonization), and for CO2 and H2S separation from the reduced gases, such as synthesis gas, reformate (Predecarbonization), natural gas, coal/biomass gasification gas, and biogas. The sorption capacity of 140 mg of CO2/g of sorb was achieved at 15 kPa CO2 partial pressure, which shows superior performance in comparison with other known sorbents. In addition, an exceptional dependence of MBS sorption performance on temperature for CO2 and H2S was found and discussed at a molecular level via the computational chemistry approach. On the basis of the fundamental understanding of MBS sorption characteristics, an innovative sorption process was proposed and demonstrated at the laboratory scale for removing and recovering CO2 and H2S, respectively, from a model gas. The pre...
On the observability of fuzzy dynamical control systems (II)

In this paper we continue to study the fuzzy logic system from the aspect of fuzzy differential equations and discuss the concept of observability. Given the rule base for the input and the output, we can determine rule base for initial value by a formula. The significance of this result is that given a deterministic system and fuzzy input and output rule base, we can determine the rule base for initial value without solving the equation.
Alcohol consumption and sensory threshold differences between C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice

Using a lithium induced taste-aversion paradigm with varying concentrations of alcohol (ethanol), C57BL/6J mice showed a higher avoidance threshold than DBA/2J mice, thus indicating that the large strain differences in ethanol preference reported in the literature may be, to some extent, caused by strain differences in the stimulus saliency of ethanol solutions.
Using fMRI to Constrain Theories of Cognition

Research on cognition often leads to debates that are centered on how many processes exist and how they interact to guide behavior. These debates occur across a range of domains and are often diffi...
Sexual behavior in the Northern Elephant seal Mirounga angustirostris.

The mating behavior of Northern elephant seals, Mirounga angustirostris, was studied during the I968, I969 and I970 breeding seasons at Ano Nuevo Island, I9 miles north of Santa Cruz, California. Copulation takes place primarily on land, from January to March; it is initiated and terminated by the male and lasts approximately 5 minutes. A few males do most of the breeding and the higher a male's rank in the social hierarchy, the more frequently he copulates. Some bulls may maintain high rank and participate in mating for 3 breeding seasons. Low ranking males are kept out of the harem so they attempt to copulate with females on the periphery or in the water with departing females. Males prevent subordinates from mounting females and disrupt copulations in progress. The higher a male's rank, the more freedom he has to copulate without interference, and the more frequently he interferes with the copulation of others. The highest ranking males interrupt their own copulations prematurely to attack other males and prevent them from copulating. Males mount weaned pups, yearlings, and non-estrous females in addition to estrous females; the latter are mounted most frequently. Females come into estrus 24 days after parturition. They are receptive for about 3 days (range I-I3 days), during which they may copulate several different times with one or more males. Females are usually in estrus when they leave the rookery and return to sea. The greatest difference in the copulatory pattern of the elephant seal, a true seal, and members of the sea lion family, is that the former interfere with the copulations of other males while the latter do not. This may he due to differing social systems, a social hierarchy in elephant seals and a territorial system in sea lions. In elephant seals, where copulations are interrupted, mating may be incomplete. This is not as likely with sea lions where copulations are never interrupted because males honor the boundaries of their neighbors. The differences in female behavior and sexual physiology - a long promiscuous estrous period in elephant seals as opposed to a brief estrus with only one copulation in sea lions - may have evolved as a compensation for the consequences of the social behavior of males.
Argatroban for anticoagulation during cardiac surgery

Background The aim of this study was to report our experience and review the published data on argatroban administration during adult cardiac surgery. Methods The information on all reported cases of argatroban use in adults, during cardiac surgery was reviewed, including that of the patient described here. This analysis focused on patient characteristics, type of surgery, argatroban dosing schedule, monitoring of anticoagulation and outcomes. Results Twenty-one cases have been reported. Fifteen patients underwent off-pump surgical procedures with the argatroban dose adjusted to maintain an activated clotting time (ACT) range between 200 and 300 s. Three intraoperative thrombi occurred in two patients when the ACT was 400 s. Intraoperative thrombotic complications were not reported in this group; however, one clot in the pump was noted after the procedure when the ACT was between 300 and 350 s. All six cases required larger volumes of perioperative blood products and three had severe coagulopathy. Of the 21 cases, seven had an indication for continued anticoagulation following surgery. Four cases did not report further use of argatroban after surgery. Three patients received argatroban after surgery without complications. Recommendations for how to use argatroban during cardiac surgery are proposed. Conclusions Argatroban, with ACT monitoring, might be safely used for anticoagulation during cardiac surgery.
Fate of erucamide in polyolefin films at elevated temperature

Erucamide is incorporated into polymer films to reduce their coefficient of friction (COF). At elevated temperatures, erucamide may be lost from the film surface to the surroundings, undergo chemical change or decomposition, and/or migrate back into the film. The major objective of this work was to investigate the fate of erucamide upon exposure to a higher temperature (55°C). Trilayer films containing a polyolefin plastomer (POP) as one skin layer and LLDPE as the other two layers with erucamide incorporated in the POP layer were used. Based on ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, solvent washing, and GC-MS results it was concluded that, upon exposure to 55°C, the major reduction in erucamide surface concentration was due to migration of erucamide back into the film and a slight reduction was due to the decomposition of erucamide present on the surface of the polymer film. Polym. Eng. Sci. 44:2247–2253, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.
Preservation of Function and Histologic Appearance in the Injured Glottis With Topical Mitomycin-C

Objective To evaluate the functional and histological effects of a single application of topical mitomycin-C after laser injury in the posterior canine glottis. Study design A prospective, randomized study of 16 canines. Methods A supersaturated (1%) solution of topical mitomycin-C was applied to a unilateral, laser-induced injury near the cricoarytenoid joint in eight dogs. The mitomycin-soaked pledget was placed immediately after induction of the injury and was left in contact with exposed cartilage for 3 minutes. The opposite side was not injured to provide an internal control. In eight additional dogs, the same laser injury was allowed to heal untreated. After 6 weeks, the animals were sacrificed and their larynges harvested. Arytenoid adduction sutures were placed bilaterally, and the force required to bring the vocal folds to midline was measured for each side using tensiometry. Gross and microscopic histological analysis was performed. Statistical analysis was accomplished using a two-tailed Student t test of unpaired samples, and the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test where appropriate. Results The mitomycin-C treated larynges demonstrated improved cricoarytenoid joint mobility (P = .007), decreased granulation tissue development (P = .03), and complete prevention of secondary "vocal granuloma" formation (P = .0004) when compared with eight dogs with identical laser injuries allowed to heal untreated. No complications were noted. Conclusions This study demonstrates functional preservation and improved histological appearance of the injured glottis after a single treatment with topical mitomycin-C. Potential applications of these findings include prophylactic use of topical mitomycin-C on glottic insults that commonly progress from granulation tissue formation to scarring and decreased vocal fold function.
Power-conserving computation of order-statistics over sensor networks

We study the problem of power-conserving computation of order statistics in sensor networks. Significant power-reducing optimizations have been devised for computing simple aggregate queries such as COUNT, AVERAGE, or MAX over sensor networks. In contrast, aggregate queries such as MEDIAN have seen little progress over the brute force approach of forwarding all data to a central server. Moreover, battery life of current sensors seems largely determined by communication costs --- therefore we aim to minimize the number of bytes transmitted. Unoptimized aggregate queries typically impose extremely high power consumption on a subset of sensors located near the server. Metrics such as total communication cost underestimate the penalty of such imbalance: network lifetime may be dominated by the worst-case replacement time for depleted batteries.In this paper, we design the first algorithms for computing order-statistics such that power consumption is balanced across the entire network. Our first main result is a distributed algorithm to compute an e-approximate quantile summary of the sensor data such that each sensor transmits only O(log2n/e) data values, irrespective of the network topology, an improvement over the current worst-case behavior of Ω(n). Second, we show an improved result when the height, h, of the network is significantly smaller than n. Our third result is that we can exactly compute any order statistic (e.g., median) in a distributed manner such that each sensor needs to transmit O(log3n) values.Further, we design the aggregates used by our algorithms to be decomposable. An aggregate Q over a set S is decomposable if there exists a function, f, such that for all S = S1 ∪ S2, Q(S) = f(Q(S1), Q(S2)). We can thus directly apply existing optimizations to decomposable aggregates that increase error-resilience and reduce communication cost.Finally, we validate our results empirically, through simulation. When we compute the median exactly, we show that, even for moderate size networks, the worst communication cost for any single node is several times smaller than the corresponding cost in prior median algorithms. We show similar cost reductions when computing approximate order-statistic summaries with guaranteed precision. In all cases, our total communication cost over the entire network is smaller than or equal to the total cost of prior algorithms.
Police Perceptions of their Work Environment: An Exploratory Study into Organization Space and Time

Studies of early career experiences consistently emphasize the importance of initial socialization. During this process, employees build and revise their perceptions of their job environment. Using a multidimensional scaling methodology, the collective and individual perceptual responses of 130 patrolmen regarding various aspects of their work setting were represented on a two-dimensional configuration. Two major questions were then addressed: (])are the collective perceptions of the patrolmen organized around dimensions related to the Meadian notions of social time and social space, and (2) are there any attitude or performance differences among those patrolmen whose individual perceptions do and do not fit the collective mapping? These questions are examined at different career stages as measured by job tenure.
Growth of crystals of V2O3 and (V1−xCrx)2O3 by the tri-arc czochralski method☆

Abstract (V 1−x Cr x ) 2 O 3 for x = 0.0 to 0.018 crystals were grown by the tri-arc Czochralski technique. They were of good chemical purity and were found to have negligible solubility. For 0.010 ≲ x ≲ 0.015 there is evidence for the coexistence of both the paramagnetic insulating and the paramagnetic metallic phases.
Prognostic factors in stage T3N0 rectal cancer: do all patients require postoperative pelvic irradiation and chemotherapy?

PURPOSE: To further define the indications for postoperative pelvic irradiation and chemotherapy, an analysis of the influence of extent of tumor invasion into perirectal fat, lymphatic or venous vessel invasion, and tumor grade on the clinical course of patients with Stage T2NO rectal cancer undergoing surgery was undertaken. METHODS: From 1968 to 1985, 117 patients with Stage T3NO rectal cancer underwent resection with curative intent. No patient received neoadjuvant or adjuvant irradiation or chemotherapy. Surgical specimens were assessed for maximum depth of tumor invasion into perirectal fat, lymphatic or venous involvement, and tumor grade. After surgery the clinical course of these patients was assessed for local control, distant metastases, and survival rate. RESULTS: For 25 patients with tumors exhibiting favorable histologic features (well-differentiated or moderately well-differentiated carcinomas invading less than 2 mm into perirectal fat, without lymphatic or venous vessel involvement), the ten-year actuarial rates of local control and recurrence-free survival were 95 and 87 percent, respectively. In contrast, the ten-year actuarial rates of local control and recurrence-free survival were inferior (71 and 55 percent, respectively) for 88 patients with tumors exhibiting moderate to deep perirectal fat invasion, vessel involvement, or poor differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: In the design of future trials of rectal cancer, selection of patients with rectal cancer for postoperative adjuvant therapy should be based not only on stage, but also on depth of invasion into the perirectal fat, vessel involvement, tumor grade, and integrity of the radial resection margin. For subsets of patients with Stage T3NO rectal cancer, there may be little benefit to adjuvant therapy after surgery.
Bolus aggregation in the oropharynx does not depend on gravity

Abstract Objective: To determine whether bolus aggregation in the oropharynx (before swallowing) depends on gravity. Design: Before-during trial, with subjects serving as their own controls. Setting: Hospital radiology suite. Participants: Five asymptomatic adult volunteers. Interventions: Videofluorography was performed while subjects ate soft and hard foods containing barium, first seated upright and then kneeling face down (quadruped position). Main Outcome Measures: Duration of food processing in the oral cavity, bolus aggregation in the valleculae, and pharyngeal swallow. Results: Transport of chewed solid food from the oral cavity to the oropharynx (stage II transport) typically started several seconds before onset of swallow, regardless of head position or initial food consistency. Bolus aggregation in the valleculae (between the epiglottis and the tongue) began an average of 1.7 ± 2.5sec before the onset of the pharyngeal swallow ( p Conclusions: Transport of chewed solid food from the oral cavity to the pharynx is driven actively by tongue-palate contact and does not depend on gravity. A bolus may accumulate in the valleculae for several seconds before the swallow.
Nucleotide sequence of the brome mosaic virus genome and its implications for viral replication.

The nucleotide sequences of brome mosaic virus (BMV) RNAs 1 (3234 bases) and 2 (2865 bases) have been determined, completing the primary structure of the 8200 base tripartite BMV genome. cDNA clones covering 99% of BMV RNA1 and a full-length cDNA clone of BMV RNA2 were isolated in the course of this work. Extensive sequence homology and known interaction with several proteins suggest that the 3′ ends of the BMV RNAs are the major regulatory regions of the genome. Smaller regions at the 5′ ends of RNAs 1 and 2 show strong homology to each other and lesser homology to RNA3. These and other features of the sequences are discussed in relation to replication, regulation and evolution of the BMV genome.
Rural labor legislation and permanent agricultural employment in Northeastern Brazil

Abstract Permanent (annual or longer term) agricultural employment declined relative to temporary (daily, weekly or seasonal) employment during the 1960s in a sugar cane producing region in northeastern Brazil, but increased rapidly during the 1970s. Predictions from economic theory are combined with observations about the economic forces at work during the period to argue that in the absence of government intervention permanent employment would likely have risen during both decades. The argument renders the introduction of the Brazilian Rural Labor Statute (RLS) of 1963 a strong candidate explanation for the decline of permanent employment in the 1960s. The RLS's “employment stability” provision, which required employers to make severance payments to workers (with at least one year tenure) dismissed without just cause, not only increased the expected cost of permanent contracts but also changed the very nature of permanent employment. Prior to the legislation employers induced permanent workers to be “subject” to them by giving them premium wage and benefits packages and threatening to dismiss them if caught shirking in subjection. Severance pay provisions made such threats incredible. The elimination of farmers' ability to derive subjection benefits from permanent employees reduced even further the incentive to hire workers under permanent contracts.
Teaching Students How to Plan: The Dominant Model and Alternatives

Rationalistic, technical curriculum making has become the dominant planning model in American education. The basic tenets of technical planning are proferred by May and the problems with rationalis tic processes are highlighted. The author asserts that adopting in teacher education "what is done" in school-based cur riculum design superimposes a technical method, even though alternative, legiti mate, and creative open-ended methods exist for teacher planning. Teacher educa tors should examine those alternatives and explore with prospective teachers the problems associated with Tyler's linear ap proach to planning.
Transonic blade-vortex interactions - Noise reduction

Several ideas for the reduction of transonic blade-vortex interaction (BVI) noise are proposed and tested. Noise due to transonic BVI is analyzed using a finite difference code; the numerically calculated 2D near-field aerodynamic results are extended to 3D linear acoustic far field using the Kirchhoff method. It is shown that the noise can be significantly reduced by splitting the vortex in two. BVI noise is also substantially reduced by reducing the vortex strength and by increasing the angle of attack.
Towards personalized multimedia dial-up services

Abstract Recent advances in networking coupled with rapid advances in storage technologies are making it feasible to design a variety of sophisticated multimedia services, in which clients will not only access mundane services, such as television, radio, and telephones, but they will also have refreshing freedom to choose, procure, and personalize these services to suit their individual needs. In this paper, we present a service architecture that describes how these multimedia services are likely to evolve from a symbiosis of different enterprises: Network providers , who own high-speed networks; Storage providers , who control access to multimedia servers; and Service providers such as publishing houses, libraries, news distributors, and entertainment houses. Towards realizing such services, we present a system architecture that addresses the two most distinguishing requirements of media: intra-media continuity and inter-media synchronization. Defining a sequence of continuously recorded media units (e.g., audio samples or video frames) as a Media Strand , we devise methods by which a storage provider can organize the physical storage of media strands on disk so as to guarantee their continuous retrieval, at real-time rates. In order to embody the temporal relationships among media strands, we define a Multimedia Rope as a collection of media strands intertwined by synchronization information. We indicate how multimedia presentations, such as lectures, movies, news, and even personalized video channels can all be represented as multimedia ropes. For synchronous playback of a multimedia rope, we present a technique by which a storage provider can determine the temporal relationships among the media strands of that rope, at the time of recording, and can later enforce these relationships, at the time of playback. At the Multimedia Laboratory at UCSD, we have developed a prototype multimedia dial-up service in an environment of multimedia workstations and video peripherals. We share our initial experiences with this prototype and outline our future plans.
The geometry of DNA supercoils modulates the DNA cleavage activity of human topoisomerase I

Human topoisomerase I plays an important role in removing positive DNA supercoils that accumulate ahead of replication forks. It also is the target for camptothecin-based anticancer drugs that act by increasing levels of topoisomerase I-mediated DNA scission. Evidence suggests that cleavage events most likely to generate permanent genomic damage are those that occur ahead of DNA tracking systems. Therefore, it is important to characterize the ability of topoisomerase I to cleave positively supercoiled DNA. Results confirm that the human enzyme maintains higher levels of cleavage with positively as opposed to negatively supercoiled substrates in the absence or presence of anticancer drugs. Enhanced drug efficacy on positively supercoiled DNA is due primarily to an increase in baseline levels of cleavage. Sites of topoisomerase I-mediated DNA cleavage do not appear to be affected by supercoil geometry. However, rates of ligation are slower with positively supercoiled substrates. Finally, intercalators enhance topoisomerase I-mediated cleavage of negatively supercoiled substrates but not positively supercoiled or linear DNA. We suggest that these compounds act by altering the perceived topological state of the double helix, making underwound DNA appear to be overwound to the enzyme, and propose that these compounds be referred to as 'topological poisons of topoisomerase I'.
Gas‐ und Dampfsensoren auf der Basis von Kohlenstoff‐Nanoröhren

Seit ihrer Entdeckung im Jahr 1991 haben Kohlenstoff-Nanorohren ein riesiges Interesse erfahren. Grund ist ihr enormes Anwendungspotenzial, und Forscher unterschiedlicher Fachrichtungen arbeiten heute gemeinsam daran, die elektronische Struktur und das Reaktionsverhalten von Kohlenstoff-Nanorohren aufzuklaren. Da ihre elektronische Struktur leicht von wechselwirkenden Molekulen beeinflusst wird, reagieren Kohlenstoff-Nanorohren extrem empfindlich auf Anderungen in der lokalen chemischen Umgebung. Dies macht sie zu idealen Kandidaten fur den Einsatz in chemischen Sensoren, und es wurden bemerkenswerte Fortschritte bezuglich der Empfindlichkeit und chemischen Selektivitat gegenuber einer Vielzahl chemischer Spezies erzielt. Trotz der zahlreichen Verbesserungen sind aber noch einige wichtige Probleme zu losen, bevor Kohlenstoff-Nanorohren mit den modernsten Feststoff-Sensormaterialien konkurrieren konnen. Die Entwicklung von Sensoren auf der Basis von Kohlenstoff-Nanorohren befindet sich zwar noch im Anfangsstadium, aber bei weiteren Fortschritten erscheint ihre Integration in kommerziell tragfahige Sensoren, die sich dann durch eine konkurrenzlose Empfindlichkeit und auserordentlich kleine Abmessungen auszeichnen werden, moglich.
Phase retrieval using nonlinear diversity

We extend the Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm to phase retrieval in a nonlinear system. Using a tunable photorefractive crystal, we experimentally demonstrate the noninterferometric technique by reconstructing an unknown phase object from optical intensity measurements taken at different nonlinear strengths.
Factors affecting postoperative pregnancy rate after endoscopic management of large endometriomata

Abstract Objective: To identify factors influencing postoperative pregnancy rate in women with extensive endometriosis and large endometriomata as the only identified cause of infertility that were treated by laparoscopy. Method: Sixty-four infertile patients with endometriomata (≥3 cm) and no other apparent cause of infertility. The latter were removed by operative laparoscopy. Life table calculations, the Student's t-test and the χ2 test were used where appropriate. Result: Thirty-four patients (53%) became pregnant during the 2-year follow-up period. A significantly increased pregnancy rate was found for the first year compared to the second (76 vs. 24%). The existence of adhesions affected adversely the outcome of the operation only as far as early achievement of pregnancy is considered. The number and size of endometriomata and the existence of peritoneal implants have not been found to affect pregnancy rates. The severity of the disease did not affect pregnancy rate, but in the cases with moderate disease most of the pregnancies were achieved during the first postoperative year. The duration of infertility was significantly associated only at the 10% level with decreased pregnancy rates. Conclusion: Extensive endometriosis with large endometriomata can be safely and effectively treated with laparoscopy using the traditional laparoscopic tools providing the infertile patient with a high chance to conceive in a relatively short period of time postoperatively.
Induction of HSP70 in cultured rat neonatal cardiomyocytes by hypoxia and metabolic stress.

BACKGROUNDA cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocyte model is used to investigate the expression of the inducible heat shock protein 70 (HSP70i) during hypoxia/reoxygenation and metabolic stress.METHODS AND RESULTSThe major HSP70i is increased in its expression at the mRNA and protein level in myocytes exposed to hypoxia/reoxygenation and metabolic stress by the addition of 2-deoxyglucose and sodium cyanide, which are inhibitors known to block ATP production. Surprisingly, the appearance of HSP70 mRNA precedes the intracellular ATP depletion caused by hypoxia, which is contrary to what we observe when the cardiomyocytes are subjected to metabolic stress.CONCLUSIONSIt has been postulated recently that the decrease in intracellular ATP content in cells under stress may be the trigger that leads to the induction of HSP70i by reducing the pool of free HSP70, thus activating the stress response. Our results indicate that although this may be the case during metabolic stress, another route of activation must be used...