cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A finite difference method for dispersive linear waves with applications to simulating microwave pulses in water

The EPdmethod, a finite difference method for highly dispersive linear wave equations, is introduced and analyzed. Motivated by the problem of simulating the propagation of microwave pulses through water, the method attempts to relieve the computational burden of resolving fast processes, such as dipole relaxation or oscillation, occurring in a material with dynamic structure. This method, based on a novel differencing scheme for the time step, is considered primarily for problems in one spatial dimension with constant coefficients. It is defined in terms of the solution of an initial value problem for a system of ordinary differential equations that, in an implementation of the method, need be solved only once in a preprocessing step. For certain wave equations of interest (nondispersive systems, the telegrapher's equation, and the Debye model for dielectric media) explicit formulas for the method are presented. The dispersion relation of the method exhibits a high degree of low-wavenumber asymptotic agreement with the dispersion relation of the model to which it is applied. Comparisons with a finite difference time-domain approach and an approach based on Strang splitting demonstrate the potential of the method to substantially reduce the cost of simulating linear waves in dispersive materials. A generalization of the EPdmethod for problems with variable coefficients appears to retain many of the advantages seen for constant coefficients.
On-line acquisition of CT and MRI studies from multiple scanners

Currently, three GE CT9800 and three GE Signa Advanced scanners are connected to the picture archiving and communication system (PACS) at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center. While the MRI systems are equipped with a standard Ethernet interface, special development efforts were necessary in order to utilize the data port of the CT system for an automatic data transmission into the PACS network. For both modalities designated computer stations accommodate the acquisition of the image data through a special protocol and transmit the data in UCLA PACS standard format to the central controller for archiving and distribution to the display stations. The MRI images are acquired as they are generated through a capture process of the acquisition station that has direct access to the internal database of the MRI system. The transmission of the CT image data, however, is governed by the CT system computer and is limited to a low priority process in between clinical operations. Average MRI studies become available for review within thirty minutes, whereas CT studies are delayed up to two to three hours depending on the load of the CT system.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Inheritance of tuber traits from phureja in diploid phureja - Tuberosum hybrids

Heterosis and combining ability for tuber number, average tuber weight, and total yield were evaluated in Phureja - haploid Tuberosum diploid hybrids. Heterosis estimates suggest dominance for high tuber number and low average tuber weight in Phureja. Total yield of the hybrid population exceeded the high parent. The higher-yielding segment of hybrids had a significantly higher number of smaller tubers per plant. Breeding value could be improved by attaining high yield with a lower number of larger tubers per plant. General combining ability was the only significant source of variation for tuber number and average tuber weight indicating high heritability. Phenotypic recurrent selection should be an effective approach to manipulating these traits. General and specific combining ability were significant for total yield. Full exploitation of genetic variance for yield will require test-crossing.
Recommendations for Handling of Mother's Own Milk:

Often, mothers must express their milk so it can be fed to their babies in their absence or at a later time. Research has shown that human milk is remarkably resilient as long as good food-handling techniques are used. There are some measures that can be taken to optimize both the nutritional value and the immunologic protection if the milk is to be fed to a preterm or sick infant rather than to a healthy baby who is primarily breastfeeding. Keeping milk-handling and storage instructions simple and clear can encourage a mother to provide milk for her baby when she cannot breastfeed.
Healing of chronic duodenal ulcers

Abstract The microscopic appearance of some of the phases which occur in the healing of chronic duodenal ulcer as observed at necropsy is presented. The various factors which aid in the healing of chronic duodenal ulcer, with the exception of the formation of the granulation bud described by Mann, are illustrated in microscopic sections. The microscopic criteria of the scar of chronic duodenal ulcer as described by Stewart are illustrated. The part which the glands of Lieberkuhn may play in the healing of chronic duodenal ulcer is illustrated in microscopic sections.
Double Ridley-Watkins-Hilsum-Gunn effect in compensated GaAs

Our studies show that impurity scattering drastically reduces low-field electron mobility, peak velocity and negative differential mobility in compensated GaAs. Under certain conditions, such as at low temperature, high doping density and high compensation ratio, the electron velocity versus electric field relation may exhibit two maxima. The reason for the second maximum is the decrease in impurity scattering rate with an increase in the kinetic energy of L-valley electrons, and subsequent electron transfer into the X-valleys. We call this phenomenon the Double Ridley-Watkins-Hilsum-Gunn effect. This should have a profound influence upon the characteristics of high field domains in compensated GaAs.
Opposing effects of the UV lesion repair protein XPA and UV bypass polymerase η on ATR checkpoint signaling.

An essential component of the ATR (ataxia telangiectasia-mutated and Rad3-related)-activating structure is single-stranded DNA. It has been suggested that nucleotide excision repair (NER) can lead to activation of ATR by generating such a signal, and in yeast, DNA damage processing through the NER pathway is necessary for checkpoint activation during G1. We show here that ultraviolet (UV) radiation-induced ATR signaling is compromised in XPA-deficient human cells during S phase, as shown by defects in ATRIP (ATR-interacting protein) translocation to sites of UV damage, UV-induced phosphorylation of Chk1 and UV-induced replication protein A phosphorylation and chromatin binding. However, ATR signaling was not compromised in XPC-, CSB-, XPF- and XPG-deficient cells. These results indicate that damage processing is not necessary for ATR-mediated S-phase checkpoint activation and that the lesion recognition function of XPA may be sufficient. In contrast, XP-V cells deficient in the UV bypass polymerase η exhibited enhanced ATR signaling. Taken together, these results suggest that lesion bypass and not lesion repair may raise the level of UV damage that can be tolerated before checkpoint activation, and that XPA plays a critical role in this activation.
Generation of circular polarization of the cosmic microwave background

The standard cosmological model, which includes only Compton scattering photon interactions at energy scales near recombination, results in zero primordial circular polarization of the cosmic microwave background. In this paper we consider a particular renormalizable and gauge-invariant standard model extension coupling photons to an external vector field via a Chern-Simons term, which arises as a radiative correction if gravitational torsion couples to fermions. We compute the transport equations for polarized photons from a Boltzmann-like equation, showing that such a coupling will source circular polarization of the microwave background. For the particular coupling considered here, the circular polarization effect is always negligible compared to the rotation of the linear polarization orientation, also derived using the same formalism. We note the possibility that limits on microwave background circular polarization may probe other photon interactions and related fundamental effects such as violations of Lorentz invariance.
The DNA transistor interface: The interplay between pH, electric field and membrane screening dictates sensitivity

When DNA binds to a transistor, the surface potential (ψo) shifts in response to charges located within a Debye length. The native surface charge and screening capacitance are often described by the Gouy-Chapman (GC) double-layer model, which uses the Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) distribution for ions. GC model neglects screening within the DNA layer and is often insufficient to explain experimentally observed Δψo (40-80mV). We show that surface buffering capacity, E-field in the underlying oxide and ion screening in the DNA layer strongly influence sensitivity and lead to Δψo values larger than the GC model prediction. We present a formulation based on the Born charge dielectric interaction and find that a lowering in permittivity within the DNA lattice leads to ion exclusion and lower screening. We find that sensitivity to DNA charge is highest when the surface is closest to the point of zero charge (PZC).
The interaction of syntax and semantics during sentence processing: eye movements in the analysis of semantically biased sentences

Two experiments explored the effects of semantic and pragmatic information on the syntactic analysis of ambiguous sentences. In both experiments, eye movements were recorded as subjects read structurally ambiguous sentences. The first experiment showed that the relative plausibility of two possible real world events does not influence the language processor's choice of an initial syntactic analysis of an ambiguous string: clear garden-path effects were observed in both relatively plausible and relatively implausible reduced relative clauses, while no garden-path effect was observed for simple active clauses. The second experiment showed that semantic and pragmatic considerations do govern the ultimate analysis of an ambiguous sentence but that structural preferences, and their agreement with the final analysis, governed reading times. Reading times were significantly shorter for sentences where the pragmatically more plausible analysis of the sentence coincided with the analysis preferred on purely structural grounds than for sentences where the pragmatically preferred analysis conflicted with the structurally preferred analysis. Taken together, the results of the two experiments argue for the existence of distinct processors in the human sentence comprehension mechanism.
Getting the most from molecular simulation

Advanced molecular simulation methods are surveyed, emphasizing techniques that can be used to improve the quality of the results obtained by a simulation. Consideration is given to three aspects of simulation performance: sampling of configurations, analysis of data and evaluation of free energies. Monte Carlo methods are highlighted. Methods are discussed in the context of the important regions of phase space for different systems. It is stressed that the shape of the important region for a single system, or the relation between important regions for two different systems, can profoundly affect the performance of a simulation applied to them. Categories of relations for the regions are (i) no overlap; (ii) partial overlap; or (iii) a subset. The last case is especially important because it implies that there is an otherwise hidden asymmetry in the relation between the systems—this asymmetry impacts the performance of simulations applied to evaluate property differences between such systems. Effective ap...
State space representation of flexible structure dynamics in air flow

Abstract Recently [1] (Balakrishnan, 2000) it was shown that the linearized dynamics of the response of a flexible structure in inviscid incompressible airflow can be modeled as a convolution/evolution equation in a separable Hilbert space H (1) Y ˙ ( t ) = A Y ( t ) + ∫ 0 t L ( t - s ) Y ˙ ( s ) ds where Y ( · ) is the structure state, A is the infinitesimal generator of a c 0 semigroup, with a compact resolvent, and L ( t ) is linear bounded and strongly continuous in t ≥ 0 . The convolution is characteristic of the aerodynamic force and moment but H is no longer an adequate state space, essential before we can consider controllability. Indeed currently there is no design theory for stability enhancement controllers. In this paper we develop a state space representation in the form (2) Z ˙ ( t ) = A ˚ Z ( t ) where the state space Z now a Banach space in which H is imbedded and A ˚ is the infinitesimal generator of a c 0 semigroup. A control term is readily added. The structure state is given by (3) Y ( t ) = PZ ( t ) where P is a projection operator onto H . The aeroelastic modes are now identified as eigenvalues (point spectrum) of A ˚ .
When sounds collide: the effect of anthropogenic noise on a breeding assemblage of frogs in Belize, Central America

Many organisms depend on acoustic communication for myriad functions, and have evolved behaviours to minimize effects of naturally occurring acoustic interference. However, as habitats are subject to increased alteration, anthropogenic noise becomes unavoidable, and how animals overcome such interference is not well understood. In most ecosystems, only a subset of frog species is associated with disturbed habitats; the ability of these species to overcome exogenous noise suggests that habitat associations may be related to species' response to noise. We tested the hypothesis that frogs associated with largely undisturbed forest habitat would be less likely to increase call output in response to exogenous noise than would those associated with disturbed or open habitat. While this relationship was not significant, we found a slight trend supporting the hypothesis. We then asked whether anthropogenic noise affects chorus tenure at individual- or at chorus-levels. Male frogs exposed to anthropogenic noise decreased both the number of days present at the chorus and the nightly chorus duration relative to controls. Because females generally join choruses late at night to breed, the effects of noise shown here are likely to substantially decrease frog reproductive success; thus, the acoustic environment may play an important role in shaping population dynamics and in amphibian declines.
Human DNA Sequences: More Variation and Less Race

Interest in genetic diversity within and between human populations as a way to answer questions about race has intensified in light of recent advances in genome technology. The purpose of this article is to apply a method of generalized hierarchical modeling to two DNA data sets. The first data set consists of a small sample of individuals (n = 32 total, from eight populations) who have been fully resequenced for 63 loci that encode a total of 38,534 base pairs. The second data set consists of a large sample of individuals (n = 928 total, from 46 populations) who have been genotyped at 580 loci that encode short tandem repeats. The results are clear and somewhat surprising. We see that populations differ in the amount of diversity that they harbor. The pattern of DNA diversity is one of nested subsets, such that the diversity in non-Sub-Saharan African populations is essentially a subset of the diversity found in Sub-Saharan African populations. The actual pattern of DNA diversity creates some unsettling problems for using race as meaningful genetic categories. For example, the pattern of DNA diversity implies that some populations belong to more than one race (e.g., Europeans), whereas other populations do not belong to any race at all (e.g., Sub-Saharan Africans). As Frank Livingstone noted long ago, the Linnean classification system cannot accommodate this pattern because within the system a population cannot belong to more than one named group within a taxonomic level.
The geographical application of some selected physio-climatic indices to Africa

Africa was seasonally analyzed by 4 different indices:Effective Temperature, Predicted 4-hr Sweat Rate, Relative Strain and Still-Air Temperature. These classifications were applied to approximately 800 station on the continent, resulting in 9 maps which were reduced from an original scale of 1:15,000,000.Some of the major findings indicate that areas often considered as "tropical" actually indicate lesser climatic stress than those in very hot-dry regions or transition areas between very hot-dry and hot-humid. The northern hemisphere summer is by far the most severe, physiologically, over vast areas of northern Africa. Regions of greatest stress are located along the southern Red Sea, interior southern Somalia and, to a lesser degree, the Djouf Basin and Bodele Depression. The year-round mildest areas occur most frequently in parts of the eastern highlands and Atlantic coast (those influenced by cold currents). Few really oppressive conditions during nighttime could be observed.
Residency Training: Beginning with the End in Mind

In this issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, Glasheen et al. provide the rationale for targeted training in hospital medicine during residency.1 As part of this rationale, the authors describe the discrepancy between the skills obtained in residency, and those required in the practice of hospital medicine.2 In doing so, they have identified the sentinel issues that face residency reform. How should residency training be modified to meet the requirements of a dynamically changing healthcare landscape? Should residency training define the practice, or should practice define the residency training? There are no easy answers to these questions, except to confirm that residency training must continually change, balancing the needs of the profession with the ideals that give it its identity. As this change occurs, there are important caveats to be considered.
Determination of major ions in snow and ice cores by ion chromatography

Abstract The determination of major anions (Cl − , NO − 3 , SO 2− 4 ) and cations (Na + , NH + 4 , K + , Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ ) in snow and ice cores by ion chromatography at trace level concentrations (ng/g) is presented. Total acidity (H + ) was determined using an acid titration method in order to complete the ionic balance. Unique sampling techniques and sample preparation methods were developed to avoid contamination of the snow and ice samples.
A regularized smoothing stochastic approximation (RSSA) algorithm for stochastic variational inequality problems

We consider a stochastic variational inequality (SVI) problem with a continuous and monotone mapping over a compact and convex set. Traditionally, stochastic approximation (SA) schemes for SVIs have relied on strong monotonicity and Lipschitzian properties of the underlying map. We present a regularized smoothed SA (RSSA) scheme where in the stepsize, smoothing, and regularization parameters are diminishing sequences. Under suitable assumptions on the sequences, we show that the algorithm generates iterates that converge to a solution in an almost-sure sense. Additionally, we provide rate estimates that relate iterates to their counterparts derived from the Tikhonov trajectory associated with a deterministic problem.
Vectorization, threading, and cache-blocking considerations for hydrocodes on emerging architectures

This work reports on considerations for improving computational performance in preparation for current and expected changes to computer architecture. The algorithms studied will include increasingly complex prototypes for radiation hydrodynamics codes, such as gradient routines and diffusion matrix assembly (e.g., in [1-6]). The meshes considered for the algorithms are structured or unstructured meshes. The considerations applied for performance improvements are meant to be general in terms of architecture (not specifically graphical processing unit (GPUs) or multi-core machines, for example) and include techniques for vectorization, threading, tiling, and cache blocking. Out of a survey of optimization techniques on applications such as diffusion and hydrodynamics, we make general recommendations with a view toward making these techniques conceptually accessible to the applications code developer. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Strategic competition and optimal parallel import policy

This paper shows that parallel import policy can act as an instrument of strategic trade policy. We demonstrate this result in two-country international duopoly where a domestic monopolist competes with a rival …rm in the foreign market if it chooses to incur the …xed investment cost of exporting. The two …rms sell horizontally dierentiated goods and compete in prices. When the foreign market is signi…cantly larger than the domestic one, the home …rm gains if it is unable to price discriminate; its desire to not deviate too far from its optimal monopoly price in the domestic market makes it (credibly) less aggressive in price competition abroad which softens price competition and raises pro…ts. On the other hand, when the foreign market is not signi…cantly larger, it is optimal for the home country to forbid parallel imports since international price discrimination yields higher pro…ts to the home …rm. We draw out the implications of the two types of parallel import policies for global welfare.
Comprehensive Mutational Analysis of Sucrose-Metabolizing Pathways in Streptococcus mutans Reveals Novel Roles for the Sucrose Phosphotransferase System Permease

Sucrose is perhaps the most efficient carbohydrate for the promotion of dental caries in humans, and the primary caries pathogen Streptococcus mutans encodes multiple enzymes involved in the metabolism of this disaccharide. Here, we engineered a series of mutants lacking individual or combinations of sucrolytic pathways to understand the control of sucrose catabolism and to determine whether as-yet-undisclosed pathways for sucrose utilization were present in S. mutans. Growth phenotypes indicated that gtfBCD (encoding glucan exopolysaccharide synthases), ftf (encoding the fructan exopolysaccharide synthase), and the scrAB pathway (sugar-phosphotransferase system [PTS] permease and sucrose-6-PO(4) hydrolase) constitute the majority of the sucrose-catabolizing activity; however, mutations in any one of these genes alone did not affect planktonic growth on sucrose. The multiple-sugar metabolism pathway (msm) contributed minimally to growth on sucrose. Notably, a mutant lacking gtfBC, which cannot produce water-insoluble glucan, displayed improved planktonic growth on sucrose. Meanwhile, loss of scrA led to growth stimulation on fructooligosaccharides, due in large part to increased expression of the fruAB (fructanase) operon. Using the LevQRST four-component signal transduction system as a model for carbohydrate-dependent gene expression in strains lacking extracellular sucrases, a PlevD-cat (EIIA(Lev)) reporter was activated by pulsing with sucrose. Interestingly, ScrA was required for activation of levD expression by sucrose through components of the LevQRST complex, but not for activation by the cognate LevQRST sugars fructose or mannose. Sucrose-dependent catabolite repression was also evident in strains containing an intact sucrose PTS. Collectively, these results reveal a novel regulatory circuitry for the control of sucrose catabolism, with a central role for ScrA.
Genetic and Environmental Associations of Uncollectible Egg Production with Shell Quality, Rate of Lay, and Erratic Timing of Oviposition in White Leghorn Hens

Abstract The influence of oviposition rate, type, and variability on the production of uncollectible eggs (UC, soft-shelled and shell-less eggs) were studied in a pedigreed randombred flock of White Leghorn hens. These factors were investigated by using the chi-square test of association and by examining the genetic and environmental correlations between the percentage of uncollectible eggs (%UC), percentage of hard-shelled eggs (%HS), the interoviposition time (IOT), shell weight, percentage of shell (%SH), egg weight, contents weight (yolk + albumen), log variance of the interoviposition time (LV), and ZRUN, a statistic characterizing the randomness of the laying cycle. The results indicated that 51% of the variation among birds for %UC was due to genetic causes. The correlations of %UC with IOT, %HS, LV, and ZRUN were small and conservatively nonsignificant (P>.25). Thus, neither oviposition rate nor irregularities in the laying cycle appear to be affiliated with %UC production. By contrast, there was a significant (P The frequency association of UC with HS egg production snowed that the majority of UC were the result of a single oviposition; and if two eggs were produced in the same day, both were most likely to be HS. Also, the chi-square test indicated that the production of the two egg types was not independent. In particular, an excess of UC was produced as the only egg that day, indicating that the production of an UC egg precludes the production of a normal egg, and vice-versa.
Reflected boundary conditions for multirate filter banks

Several methods for applying perfect reconstruction quadrature mirror filter (PR QMF) banks to finite-length signals are described and compared. Although simple periodization produces a transform that does not increase the size of the transformed signal, it has the disadvantage of introducing a jump discontinuity at the signal's boundary. Various methods of transforming smoother extensions are considered and analyzed in terms of their ability to conserve data storage costs and reproduce the signal in a numerically efficient manner. A complete classification of two-channel schemes based on periodizing symmetric (reflected) signal extensions and using linear phase filters is described, for both even- and odd-length signals. More general techniques based on transforming linear signal extrapolations and truncating the resulting subbands to conserve data size are also presented. An example using reflected boundary extension is discussed. >
A cost-effective implementation of an ECC-protected instruction queue for out-of-order microprocessors

Major sources of transient errors in microprocessors today include noise and single event upsets. As feature sizes and voltages are reduced to create faster, more efficient, and computationally more powerful processors, these errors will increase significantly. We show that (contrary to conventional wisdom) error correction codes (ECC) can be efficiently utilized to handle these errors as instructions are being processed through the microprocessor pipeline. We will analyze some of the tradeoffs involved in a hardware implementation of ECC for the instruction queue with respect to performance, power, area, and reliability. Specifically, for an environment with high error rates, we show that we can correct all single bit errors with a negligible drop in performance. Our approach can be generalized to other data structures within the microprocessor, including the register file and reorder buffer.
Deep Prepiriform Cortex Lesion and Development of Amygdala Kindling

The effects of a unilateral thermocoagulating lesion of the deep prepiriform cortex on the development of amygdala kindling were studied in adult rats. The lesion did not alter the local excitability of the ipsilateral amygdala. Furthermore, the number of stimulations required to produce generalized seizures did not significantly differ between lesioned and control animals. The results suggest that the deep prepiriform cortex may not be important in the development of amygdala kindling.
Distress in European Banks Before and During the Financial Crisis

Using a unique data set on bank distress, this paper provides novel empirical evidence on the determinants of bank soundness in the European Union (EU) as a whole. Estimation results support the hypothesis that bank risks have converged across EU members, providing empirical justification for introduction of the pan-European system of financial regulation. We show that asset quality and earning profile of banks are important determinants of bank distress next to leverage, and should be taken into account when designing new financial regulation in the EU. Market discipline both on the side of depositors and stock market participants plays role in the EU, supporting the notion that transparency and dissemination of financial information would contribute to the financial soundness of banks. We also provide evidence in favor of contagion effects, relatively higher fragility of concentrated banking sectors, and hazards associated with high share of wholesale funding.
A Transactional Framework for Programming Wireless Sensor/Actor Networks

Effectively managing concurrent execution is one of the biggest challenges for future wireless sensor/actor networks (WSANs): for safety reasons concurrency needs to be tamed to prevent unintentional nondeterministic executions, on the other hand, for real-time guarantees concurrency needs to be boosted to achieve timeliness. We propose a transactional, optimistic concurrency control framework for WSANs that enables understanding of a system execution as a single thread of control, while permitting the deployment of actual execution over multiple threads distributed on several nodes. By exploiting the properties of wireless broadcast communication, we propose a lightweight and fault-tolerant implementation of our transactional framework
Responding to Economic Crises: Policy Alternatives for Equitable Recovery and Development

While economic crises are becoming more frequent and severe, our experienceinEastAsiahasdemonstratedhowtheinternationalresponse to these crises remains inadequate. Appropriate policy responses to economic crises entail three essential dimensions: ¢rst, the maintenance of full employment and economic stability through macroeconomic policy; second, complementary structural policy aimed at restoring con¢dence; and ¢nally, a robust social safety net to mitigate the adverse and potentially long-term eiects of economic downturns. A suitable crisis response requires that policy-makers recognize the critical role of ¢nancialmarketsandtheexistenceoftimelags.Suitablepolicyresponses should consider not only an individual economy’s ability to absorb shocks, but also the asymmetries and nonlinearities of alternative policies. As we thus seek to improve our macroeconomic and structural policies for the future prevention and mitigation of crises, it is critical that we bear in mind the protection of the most vulnerable segments of societyfromthecrisesthatwillinevitablyoccur. Economic crises can produce large and rapid increases in inequity. Indonesia’s poverty rate had drifted down from over 60 per cent in 1975 to 7 per cent just prior to the crisis. It is now expected to rise to around 20 per cent by the year 2000. In Korea more than 1 million people have lost their jobs, and many others face lower real wages and less job security. Thailand has also seen increasing poverty, unemployment, and falling real wages. Altogether, prior to the crisis there were 30 million people living on less than $1 a day in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. By 2000 that number could easily double to 60 million. The most important policy for socially equitable development is full employment. The unemployed are not just a statistic or an under-utilized resource that could have increased GDP. They are people, and no numbers can convey the degree of disruption that unemployment brings to their lives, their livelihoods, and the well-being of their families. Although safety nets and targeted assistance may mitigate some of the consequences of unemployment, from an economic, political or psychological perspective, nothing is better than a job. Jobs are the means by which people participate in the productive economy and feel productive themselves. It is one of the most important sources of inclusion in the national economy.
On the anonymity of Chaum mixes

The information-theoretic analysis of Chaum mixing under latency constraints is considered. Mixes are relay nodes that collect packets from multiple users and modify packet timings to prevent an eavesdropper from identifying the sources of outgoing packets. In this work, an entropy-based metric of anonymity is proposed to quantify the performance of a mixing strategy under strict delay constraints. Inner and outer bounds on the maximum achievable anonymity are characterized as functions of traffic load and the delay constraint. The bounds are shown to have identical first derivatives at low traffic loads.
Numerical Model of Polydispersed Silica Grain Dissolution in Glass Melting Furnaces

The objective of this paper is to report on a numerical methodology addressing the defect problem in glass-melting furnaces. Specifically, given a furnace, through use of the proposed models one can predict the individual grain dissolution behavior and global size distribution curves of the undissolved silica grains at every point in the glass melt and, of course, in the final glass. Through some illustrative results, the utility of the proposed models is illustrated.
Environmental performance of fused PM fiber couplers for fiber gyro application

Environmental test results for fused polarization maintaining (PM) fiber couplers fabricated with PANDA, bow-tie, and elliptically stressed fibers are reported. The packaged couplers are 32 mm long and 2.5 mm in diameter. Excess loss as low as 0.1 dB and polarization extinction ratio as high as 35 dB at the output ports of a coupler have been achieved. Robust couplers that are insensitive to mechanical and acoustic vibrations have been achieved through proper packaging. >
Modeling the probability of observing Armillaria root disease in the Black Hills

Summary Armillaria root disease (ARD) occurrence on ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) is not uniform in the Black Hills of South Dakota, USA. To help manage this ecosystem, a model was developed to predict the probability of observing diseased trees. A kernel density estimator was used to estimate the probability of observing ARD using presence data from two field studies. An eight-parameter regression equation using topographical data (Universal Trans Mercator coordinates, elevation and slope) derived from a Digital Elevation Model was fitted to the estimated probabilities and the residuals kriged to produce correction factors for the regression estimates. The final model, which had a relative mean squared error of 0.128, identified two peaks of high probability in the north-west portion of the Black Hills and several peaks of moderate probability throughout the Black Hills. Resume Le pourridiea Armillaire chez Pinus ponderosa n'est pas uniformement reparti dans les Black Hills du sud Dakota aux USA. Pour aider a la gestion de cet ecosysteme, un modele a ete developpe pour predire la probabilite d'observer la maladie. Un estimateur local de densite a ete utilise pour estimer la probabilite d'observation, en utilisant des donnees de presence issues de deux etudes en nature. Une equation de regression a huit parametres utilisant des donnees topographiques (coordonnees UTM, altitude, et pente) derivee d'un modele (Digital Elevation Model) a ete ajustee sur les probabilites estimees et sur les residus kriges pour obtenir des facteurs de correction sur les parametres de la regression. Le modele final qui a un carre moyen relatif de l'erreur de 0,128, identifie deux pics de probabiliteelevee dans la partie nord-ouest des Black Hills et plusieurs pics de probabilite moderee dans l'ensemble des Black Hills. Zusammenfassung Die Armillaria-Wurzelfaule an Pinus ponderosa in den Black Hills (Sud-Dakota, USA) tritt ungleichmassig verteilt auf. Zur Unterstutzung des Managements dieses Okosystems wurde ein Modell entwickelt, das die Wahrscheinlichkeit des Auftretens kranker Baume vorhersagen kann. Ein Kerndichteschatzer wurde benutzt, um die Wahrscheinlichkeit fur die Beobachtung von ArmillariaFaule aus den Daten von zwei Feldstudien abzuleiten. Eine Regressionsgleichung mit acht Parametern unter Benutzung topographischer Daten (UTM-Koordinaten, Hohe, Hangneigung) aus einem digitalen Hohenmodell wurde an die geschatzten Wahrscheinlichkeiten angepasst und die Residuen wurden mit dem Kriging-Verfahren interpoliert, um die Korrekturfaktoren fur die Regressionsschatzungen zu erhalten. Das definitive Modell, das einen relativen mittleren quadratischen Fehler von 0,128 aufwies, identifizierte zwei Gebiete mit hoher Krankheitswahrscheinlichkeit in den nordwestlichen Black Hills und verschiedene Lokalitaten mit massiger Wahrscheinlichkeit fur das Auftreten von Armillaria-Faule innerhalb des gesamten Gebietes.
Rites of passage in emerging adulthood: perspectives of young Mormons.

This study explores the role that culture, particularly religious rites of passage, may play in emerging adulthood by examining the demographics, criteria for adulthood, identity development, and risk behavior of Mormon emerging adults.
Effect of cigar smoking on endothelium-dependent brachial artery dilation in healthy young adults

Abstract Background Cigar smoking has become a quickly growing trend among teenagers, women, and young adults. The objective was to explore whether cigar smoking affects flow-mediated vasodilation in healthy, non-smoking young adults. Methods This was a prospective randomized trial with open design. It was performed in a cardiology teaching program in a private community hospital that serves as a major referral center within the greater Miami area. Apparently healthy, non-smoking young adult cardiology trainees and staff between the ages of 20 and 45 years were randomly assigned to a cigar smoking group (n = 15) or a control group (n = 14). The main outcome measures were the difference in percent diameter increase in the brachial artery after reactive hyperemia and sublingual nitroglycerin between members of the cigar smoking and control groups at baseline, measured after cigar smoking, and at 5 hours. Results Twenty-nine participants were randomized. Percent diameter increase in the brachial artery was measured with the use of high-resolution ultrasonography. Baseline percent diameter increase after reactive hyperemia and sublingual nitroglycerin was similar in both groups (6.2% vs 6.7%, P =.4 and 22% vs 23%, P =.5, respectively). We observed a 2.5% increase in brachial artery diameter with hyperemia after cigar smoking compared with a 9.4% increase in the control group, P =.045. Values after nitroglycerin were similar between groups, P =.2. Between-group analysis showed no significant difference in percent dilation after reactive hyperemia at 5 hours, P =.4, but a significant difference was seen after sublingual nitroglycerin, P =.02. Conclusions These data are compatible with the possibility that cigar smoking may have an acute effect on endothelium-dependent, flow-mediated brachial artery dilation and do not support the possibility of an immediate effect on endothelium-independent vasodilation. Taken together, these results suggest that cigars are not an innocuous alternative to cigarette smoking. (Am Heart J 2002;143:83-6.)
Design of multiband baluns on liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) based substrates

Baluns operating at multiple frequency bands can result in a reduction in the size of multiband RF front-ends. This paper presents novel multiband balun topologies, using both distributed as well as lumped components. Using LCP packaging technology, baluns operating simultaneously at the 930 and 2000 MHz frequency bands have been fabricated. Measurements show -14.5 dB and -32.4 dB return loss in the lower and upper bands. The phase and amplitude imbalances are less than 2.5/spl deg/ and 0.6 dB in each band.
Subreflectarrays for Reflector Surface Distortion Compensation

With the increasing interest in the applications of large deployable reflector antennas operating at high frequencies, the requirement on the reflector surface accuracy becomes more demanding. Thermal effects inevitably cause certain reflector surface distortions, thus degrading the overall antenna performance. This paper introduces a novel reflector surface distortion compensation technique using a subreflectarray and presents detailed discussions. A microstrip reflectarray is used as a subreflector, illuminated by a primary feed. By properly adjusting the additional phase shift provided by the subreflectarray, the aperture phase errors caused by the main reflector surface distortions are compensated, resulting in a considerably improved antenna performance. As an example, a distorted 20-m offset parabolic reflector antenna operating at X-band is successfully compensated by a subreflectarray, and the simulation results are compared with those obtained by array feed and shaped subreflector compensation techniques. The microstrip subreflectarray is low-profile, lightweight, and cost-effective. Only one primary feed is required, and a reconfigurable design can be achieved if electronically reconfigurable reflectarray elements are adopted.
FOXD3 Modulates Migration through Direct Transcriptional Repression of TWIST1 in Melanoma

The neural crest is a multipotent, highly migratory cell population that gives rise to diverse cell types, including melanocytes. Factors regulating the development of the neural crest and emigration of its cells are likely to influence melanoma metastasis. The transcription factor FOXD3 plays an essential role in premigratory neural crest development and has been implicated in melanoma cell dormancy and response to therapeutics. FOXD3 is downregulated during the migration of the melanocyte lineage from the neural crest, and our previous work supports a role for FOXD3 in suppressing melanoma cell migration and invasion. Alternatively, TWIST1 is known to have promigratory and proinvasive roles in a number of cancers, including melanoma. Using ChIP-seq analysis, TWIST1 was identified as a potential transcriptional target of FOXD3. Mechanistically, FOXD3 directly binds to regions of the TWIST1 gene locus, leading to transcriptional repression of TWIST1 in human mutant BRAF melanoma cells. In addition, depletion of endogenous FOXD3 promotes upregulation of TWIST1 transcripts and protein. Finally, FOXD3 expression leads to a significant decrease in cell migration that can be efficiently reversed by the overexpression of TWIST1. These findings uncover the novel interplay between FOXD3 and TWIST1, which is likely to be important in the melanoma metastatic cascade. Implications: FOXD3 and TWIST1 define distinct subgroups of cells within a heterogeneous tumor. Mol Cancer Res; 12(9); 1314–23. ©2014 AACR.
Mood disorders in HIV infection : prevalence and risk factors in a nonepicenter of the AIDS epidemic

Objective The authors studied the lifetime, initial cross-sectional, and 6-month follow-up prevalence of mood disorders in asymptomatic HIV-infected and uninfected homosexual men who lived in an area with a low prevalence of HIV. They also determined the relationship between current major depression and potential depression risk factors. Method Subjects included 98 asymptomatic HIV-infected and 71 uninfected homosexual men. Subjects underwent extensive clinical, psychiatric, neuropsychological, and laboratory evaluations. Results Similar proportions of HIV-infected and uninfected subjects reported a lifetime (29% and 45%, respectively), an initial current (8% and 3%), and a 6-month follow-up (9% and 11%) history of major depressive disorder. Anxiety disorders were less common, with similar proportions of HIV-infected and uninfected subjects reporting a lifetime (7% and 13%, respectively), an initial current (3% and 7%), and a 6-month follow-up (2% and 5%) history of anxiety disorders. There were no differences in the severity of mood symptoms between HIV-infected and uninfected subjects. Current major depression at initial visit was significantly associated with lifetime history of major depression but not with neuropsychological function or vitamin B12 level. Conclusions These findings are in agreement with previous studies of areas with a high prevalence of HIV. However, the proportion of subjects with mood disorders is high compared with general population studies. Both HIV-infected and uninfected homosexual men may be at high risk for major depression, especially if they have a past history of depression. Moreover, in the asymptomatic stage of HIV infection, major depression does not appear to be secondary to HIV central nervous system effects or low vitamin B12 levels.
Describing working environments in OPM

In OPM, each software process provides a working environment in which programmers can actually work in order to accomplish a designated task, rather than prescribing the algorithm of the task [1], or giving a behavioral description of the task [4]. A process will (i) collect necessary resources, (ii) collect necessary activities, and (iii) specify certain constraint on the execution of activities. A process will also (iv) navigate activities to be performed by a human, (v) execute activities asked by a human, and (vi) execute some activities automatically when certain conditions are met. Each working environment may consist of a different set of resources and activities depending on the task to be performed within it. Thus the software development environment as a whole will be a collection of smaller and heterogeneous working environments.In OPM, process templates are described in a process programming language called Galois [3] which is an extension of C++ [2]. As an example consider the working on bug process illustrated in Figure 1. In the working on bug process, a typical edit-compile-run cycle will be performed in order to fix a bug of given source files. Figure 2 will give a skeleton of the working on bug process in Galois.
Information landscaping: information mapping, charting, querying and reporting techniques for total quality knowledge management

Information landscaping--an integration of information mapping, charting, querying and reporting techniques--has been developed to enable the construction of a total quality knowledge management system focusing on a particular subject information field. The techniques apply five major parameters of the Fuzzy commonality model (FCM) including unionization, quantity, continuity or stability, changeability, and critical probability, to construct a series of information maps (infomaps) and a set of chronological-statistical charts (infocharts). The infomaps and infocharts are used as the blueprints and navigation agents for building and developing a web-based subject experts depository and query-report system. Focusing on the subject experts/expertise, this system enables a researcher to expedite a query search through infomaps (qualitative reference) and infocharts (quantitative reference). The entropy measurement and the entropy constant (the square root of the average entropy measure) are calculated to compare with the critical probability of the FCM. This leads to the finding of a set of regression straight lines and the establishment of an information oscillogram. The tropics (upper limit, middle range, lower limit), and the potential/ solstitial population and its growth rate within a subject information domain during a particular time period can be determined. They can effectively and efficiently guide librarians and information professionals towards the construction and the continuous development of an electronic collection. The cultivation of a virtual learning and referencing environment can also be created by utilizing this data.