cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relating risk and reliability predictions to design and development choices

Ideally, planning and managing the design and development of complex systems should: 1) consider the entire lifecycle (design, development, testing, integration, deployment, operation and decommissioning). 2) Take risk and reliability into account, as well as more traditional measures such as cost and performance, when making tradeoff decisions. A key enabler to all of the above is the ability to relate design and development choices to risk and reliability predictions. The challenge is that in many cases the number of design and development alternatives is large. In this context, the problem of relating reliability predictions to design and development choices is non-trivial. Over several years we have developed a risk-based model the hallmark of which is the explicit representation of risk mitigations as options. We describe how this model functions, and the major implications of making mitigation options first class objects within an (otherwise relatively simple) analysis model. We also describe elaborations to this model's representation of risks, notably by the incorporation of fault tree notions. These improve the fidelity of the designs we are able to represent, and also offer the ability to represent design alternatives within the same framework. Finally, we describe the connections we are building between our risk analysis tool and other risk tools
Cleaning to achieve sterility

NASA planetary protection regulations state that a surface may be considered "sterile" if a microbial burden of less than 300 aerobic bacterial spores per square meter can be further treated to achieve a 10/sup 4/ fold reduction in viable endospores (spores). The results of previous studies have suggested that surfaces might be cleaned to a level that is essentially sterile. Here, we report the results of a comparative analysis of the efficacy/ability of three different cleaning approaches to remove bacterial spores from a series of surrogate spacecraft surfaces. In order to accomplish the most realistic and reproducible spore deposition, an aerosol chamber capable of nebulizing innocuous Bacillus atrophaeus (ATCC, 9372 [formerly B. subtilis var niger]) spores was developed and used. This enabled the relatively uniform inoculation of spores as individual entities at a concentration in excess of 10/sup 5/ spores per 2.2 cm/sup 2/ surrogate surface coupon. Coupons prepared in this fashion were subsequently delivered to three cleaning facilities: vendor A for cleaning via standard aerospace precision cleaning protocols, vendor B for cleaning via ultra-pure water, and vendor C for cleaning via liquid boundary layer disruption. Variations in the chemistry of the cleaning solutions were also explored. Preliminary results suggest that "sterility," as defined by NASA, may indeed be achieved by various cleaning procedures, despite the fact that none of these methods were originally designed, nor are they currently conducted, with such a goal in mind.
On the porous-continuum modeling of gravity-driven fingers in unsaturated materials: Extension of standard theory with a hold-back-pile-up effect

[1] The traditional Richards equation (RE) in combination with standard monotonic properties (constitutive relations and hysteretic equations of state) has been shown to lack critical physics required to model gravity-driven fingering (GDF). We extend the RE with an experimentally observed hold-back-pile-up (HBPU) effect not captured in the standard porous-continuum RE formulation. We postulate the HBPU effect is tied to wetting front sharpness and can be mathematically formulated in a variety of ways to include hypodiffusive, hyperbolic, and mixed spatial-temporal forms involving respectively a Laplacian, a second-order derivative in time, and a Laplacian of a first-order derivative in time of the state variables. For each, we can infer an extended flux relation comprised of the Darcy-Buckingham flux plus an additional component due to the HBPU effect. Extended flux relations that are mathematically similar to each can be found in the single-phase and multiphase flow literature, however, all with very different underlying conceptualizations of the possible physics.
Survival and growth rates of stocked razorback suckers (Xyrauchen texanus) in a wetland of the Green River, Utah

Abstract We stocked four cohorts (larvae and juveniles) of razorback suckers (Xyrauchen texanus) into a managed floodplain wetland in the middle Green River, Utah, from 2008–2009. Our objectives were to determine razorback sucker early life stage survival and growth rates in a natural wetland setting. We used fyke, trammel, and dip nets in addition to boat electrofishing to address project objectives and to recover stocked fish from the wetland for translocation to the Green River. We released 1,515 razorback suckers from this wetland into the Green River, of which 110 (7.3%) have been detected in the river since stocking. Larval razorback suckers survived when few nonnative fish were present, but none survived when many were present. Juvenile fish had high mortality during summer months. We suggest fish and bird predation as plausible sources of mortality for razorback suckers in this wetland.
High-Power Continuous-Wave Cr 4 +:Forsterite Laser

The temperature and pump power dependence of infrared luminescence of Cr4+:forsterite are measured. It is demonstrated that temperature-dependent fluorescence in Cr4+:forsterite is the major reason for saturation of the output power of a continuous-wave laser. At higher pump intensities the temperature rise inside the crystal becomes significant, and even outside cooling does not help to prevent significant reduction of the laser performance. These measurements serve as a guideline to construct a high-power continuous-wave Cr4+:forsterite laser.
Enfermedad de Lyme (Borreliosis de Lyme) en Costa Rica

Resumen es: La enfermedad de Lyme o borreliosis de Lyme es una zoonosis transmitida por garrapatas del genero Ixodes y producida por la espiroqueta Borrelia burgdorf...
The People in Room 3P

From a distance of ten miles or so it looks like a museum. Built of light colored stone, it is barely distinguishable from the surrounding bone-white terrain, and as it wavers in the heat waves rising from the sand, one can't help but wonder whether it's a mirage. To the right, almost on the horizon, an other similar structure can be seen, isolated and silent and wavering like a flame, but it appears to be too far away to be visited. Standing in front of the building and tilting back one's head, one counts nine stories and notices that the shades at all the windows, inset and framed in stone, are down. The staircase leading up from the sand to the colonnade is of some size and the shallow steps provide the expected mild pleasure. Turning around at the top and looking back over the terrain one has crossed, one wonders how. . . . The front doors are a good thirty feet high and when pushed inward offer no more resistance than sheets hanging from a clothesline. One's footsteps echo with cinematic distinctness in the marble-walled lobby. The air is cooler here and one feels relieved to be in out of the sun. Occupying the center of the marble floor is a sign in a chrome stand depicting a drawing of a hand with its index finger pointing straight up. One walks past it to the broad interior staircase and starts climbing. On the third floor landing there is a sign similar to the first, though this time the index finger points in the direction of a wide hallway to the right. At intervals along the hallway are heavy-looking brass doors set in blond oak architraves. At the end of the hallway one turns right again and sees, roughly halfway down the corridor ahead, a third sign, this one pointing at a brass door on the right marked 3P. The frame around the door is dripping with what appears to be blood, or a good imitation, and to one side stands a wooden bookcase bearing a variety of odds and ends. Open ing the door and flipping on the light, it can be seen that room 3P, lacking a window and smelling of floor wax, is circular in shape and no bigger than a broom closet. Were its purpose to accommodate people, it could hold no
MEMS for distributed wireless sensor networks

MEMS technology is enabling the development of inexpensive, autonomous wireless sensor nodes with volumes ranging from cubic mm to several cubic cm. These tiny sensor nodes can form rapidly deployed, massive distributed networks to allow unobtrusive, spatially dense, sensing and communication. MEMS enable these devices by reducing both the volume and energy consumption of various components. This paper reviews some of the wireless sensor nodes under development and applicable MEMS devices for small and efficient optical communication, micropower generation, and sensing. In addition, CMOS post-process micromachining is discussed as a method of achieving low cost and high integration.
Historical development of glycidyl azide polymer

The glycidyl azide polymer (GAP) is an energetic, thermally stable, insensitive, hydroxyl-terminated prepolymer with potential applications in advanced solid propellants including 1) class 1.3 nondetonable minimum smoke propellants, 2) clean propellants for solid rocket boosters, 3) gas generators/aircraft starter cartridges, 4) low-cost ASAT maneuver propulsion systems, and 5) high-performance space propellants for orbital transfer vehicles. The historical development of GAP from its conception is reviewed in this paper.
Hatchability Unaffected by Feeding Poultry Litter

Abstract Poultry litter from laying pens was added to a basal chicken breeder diet at levels of zero, two, and five percent and fed to S.C. White Leghorn hens in individual wire cages. Each diet was fed for 20 weeks to 81 hens divided equally among three experimental treatments. Weekly inseminations were made using 0.05 ml. of pooled semen. Fertility and hatchability data were kept on an individual hen basis. There were no significant differences among treatments for fertility or hatchability. Fertility varied from 89.8 percent for the zero poultry litter diet pens to 88.1 for both the two and five percent litter diet pens. Hatchability of fertile eggs was 80.4, 80.0, and 80.2 percent respectively, for hens fed diets containing zero, two, and five percent litter.
On a test statistic for the Kuramoto order parameter of synchronization: An illustration for group synchronization during rocking chairs

We discuss a quantitative approach to detect phase synchronization in noisy experimental multivariate data. To this end, we derive a test statistic based on the Kuramoto order parameter. We derive criteria for rejecting the null hypothesis of zero phase synchronization at given significance levels. We apply the test statistic to a recently conducted study on group behavior that used a rocking chair paradigm. In this context, we quantify the emergence of phase synchronization within small groups of participants.
Seismic reflection study of recessional moraines beneath Lake Superior and their relationship to regional deglaciation

Abstract Approximately 8000 km of continuous seismic reflection profiles throughout Lake Superior were examined for evidence of recessional moraines and other ice-margin deposits associated with the retreat of late Wisconsin ice. These features are correlated with the record of glacial-lake evolution in western Lake Superior. An offlapping sequence of glacial and glacial-lacustrine dediments overlying bedrock is recognized in west-central Lake Superior that is progressively younger to the northeast. The sequence underlies more recent glaical-lacustrine and postglacial sediments. Four facies are recognized on the basis of geomorphologic and acoustic properties and are interpreted to represent a southwest-to-northeast assemblage of: proglacial stratified drift (facies A), drift in major end moraines (facies B), till deposited as glacial retreat resumed, or possibly late-stage ablation till (facies C), and basal till (facies D). The prominent moraines of facies B are unusually thick and are believed to mark the ice-margin shorelines of successive major proglacial lakes that formerly occupied parts of western Lake Superior. The moraines are tentatively correlated with Glacial Lake Duluth (unit 1), Glacial Lake Washburn (unit 2), and Glacial Lake Beaver Bay (unit 3), the most prominent of lakes drained via the progressively lower outlets via the Moose Lake/ Brule-St. Croix Rivers, the Huron Mountains, and the Au Train-Whitefish regions, respectively.
Multigranular integrated services optical network

Feature Issue on Waveband Switching, Routing, and GroomingBased on all-optical switches without requiring fiber delay lines and optical-electrical-optical interfaces, the multigranular optical switching (MGOS) network integrates three transport services via unified core control to efficiently support bursty and stream traffic of subwavelength to multiwavelength bandwidth. Adaptive robust optical burst switching (AR-OBS) aggregates subwavelength burst traffic into asynchronous light-rate bursts, transported via slotted-time light paths established by fast two-way reservation with robust blocking recovery control. Multiwavelength optical switching (MW-OS) decomposes multiwavelength stream traffic into a group of timing-related light-rate streams, transported via a light-path group to meet end-to-end delay-variation requirements. Optical circuit switching (OCS) simply converts wavelength stream traffic from an electrical-rate into a light-rate stream. The MGOS network employs decoupled routing, wavelength, and time-slot assignment (RWTA) and novel group routing and wavelength assignment (GRWA) to select slotted-time light paths and light-path groups, respectively. The selected resources are reserved by the unified multigranular robust fast optical reservation protocol (MG-RFORP). Simulation results show that elastic traffic is efficiently supported via AR-OBS in terms of loss rate and wavelength utilization, while connection-oriented wavelength traffic is efficiently supported via wavelength-routed OCS in terms of connection blocking and wavelength utilization. The GRWA-tuning result for MW-OS is also shown.
ACADEMIC PUBLICATION, MARKET SIGNALING, AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH DECISIONS

Publication is an essential scientific activity, but dangers arise when it is the primary signal of professional ability. This paper presents a simple model of screening in academic job markets. Signaling pressures may bias research decisions toward orthodox, low-risk projects, denying science the bold hypotheses and vigorous competition necessary for significant advance. Screening mechanisms help explain patterns of development noted by some historians of science as well as differences in these patterns across disciplines. The paper concludes with some comments on signaling and scientific change in economics.
Obesity and Asthma Morbidity in a Community-Based Adult Cohort in a Large Urban Area: The Chicago Initiative to Raise Asthma Health Equity (CHIRAH)

Background. Urban minority populations experience increased rates of obesity and increased asthma prevalence and severity. Objective. The authors sought to determine whether obesity, as measured by body mass index (BMI), was associated with asthma quality of life or asthma-related emergency department (ED)/urgent care utilization in an urban, community-based sample of adults. Methods. This is a cross-sectional analysis of 352 adult subjects (age 30.9 ± 6.1, 77.8% females, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)% predicted = 87.0% ± 18.5%) with physician-diagnosed asthma from a community-based Chicago cohort. Outcome variables included the Juniper Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) scores and health care utilization in the previous 12 months. Bivariate tests were used as appropriate to assess the relationship between BMI or obesity status and asthma outcome variables. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to predict asthma outcomes, controlling for demographics, income, depression ...
Structural comparison of human, bovine, rat, and Walker 256 carcinosarcoma asparaginyl-tRNA

The complete nucleotide sequences of human placenta, human liver, and bovine liver tRNAAsn have been determined. A comparison of these tRNA structures with the previously reported nucleotide sequences of rat liver and Walker 256 carcinosarcoma tRNAAns reveals that the primary nucleotide sequences of the major species of mammalian cytoplasmic tRNAasn are conserved in higher eucaryotes. The complete nucleotide sequence of these tRNAs is: pG-U-C-U-C-U-G-U-m1G-m2G-C-G-C-A-A-D-C-G-G-D-X-A-G-C-G-C-m2(2)G-psi-psi-C-G-G-C-U-Q(G)-U-U-t6A-A-C-C-G-A-A-A-G-m7G-D-U-G-G-U-G-G-Z-psi-C-G-m1A-G-C-C-C-A-C-C-C-A-G-G-G-A-C-G-C-C-AOH where X is 3-(3-amino-3-carboxyl-n-propyl)uridine, Q is 7-(4,5-cis-dihydroxyl-1-cyclopenten-3-yl-aminomethyl)-7-deazaguanosine, Z is an unknown modified nucleotide, and Q(G) represents the replacement of Q nucleoside by G nucleoside in Walker 256 carcinosarcoma tRNAAsn. These primary structures were determined by combined use of the 3H- and 32P-post-labeling techniques. Sequences were compared by tritium nucleoside trialcohol analysis, completed RNAase T1 digestion followed by 3H-labeled fingerprinting on polyethylenimine-impregnated cellulose by two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography (TLC), and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of either 5'-32P- and/or 3'-[32P]pCp-labeled tRNA after partial ribonuclease digestions.
Model-based irrigation management using a dynamic parameter adjustment method

Abstract An irrigation scheduling tool was developed around a previously developed system that adjusts key parameters influencing the water balance components of the PNUTGRO crop model. These parameters were adjusted as the system was used based on soil water sensor responses to drying. An expert system determined which sensor readings were valid before they could be used to adjust parameters. A field test of the irrigation scheduling algorithms indicated that sensors could be relied on less as better predictions of soil water status were made. Comparisons of two very different sensor-based scheduling environments (one for Florida and one for Virginia) indicated potential improvements to the algorithms.
Risk of pancreatic cancer in families with Lynch syndrome.

Context Lynch syndrome is an inherited cause of colorectal cancer caused by mutations of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes. A number of extracolonic tumors have been associated with the disorder, including pancreatic cancer; however, the risk of pancreatic cancer in Lynch syndrome is uncertain and not quantified. Objective To estimate pancreatic cancer risk in families with germline MMR gene mutations. Design, Setting, and Patients Cancer histories of probands and their relatives were evaluated in MMR gene mutation carriers in the familial cancer registries of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (n = 80), Boston, Massachusetts, and University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center (n = 67), Ann Arbor, Michigan. Families enrolled before the study start date (June 2008) were eligible. Age-specific cumulative risks and hazard ratio estimates of pancreatic cancer risk were calculated and compared with the general population using modified segregation analysis, with correction for ascertainment. Main Outcome Measures Age-specific cumulative risks and hazard ratio estimates of pancreatic cancer risk. Results Data on 6342 individuals from 147 families with MMR gene mutations were analyzed. Thirty-one families (21.1%) reported at least 1 case of pancreatic cancer. Forty-seven pancreatic cancers were reported (21 men and 26 women), with no sex-related difference in age of diagnosis (51.5 vs 56.5 years for men and women, respectively). The cumulative risk of pancreatic cancer in these families with gene mutations was 1.31% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.31%-2.32%) up to age 50 years and 3.68% (95% CI, 1.45%-5.88%) up to age 70 years, which represents an 8.6-fold increase (95% CI, 4.7-15.7) compared with the general population. Conclusions Among 147 families with germline MMR gene mutations, the risk of pancreatic cancer was increased compared with the US population. Individuals with MMR gene mutations and a family history of pancreatic cancer are appropriate to include in studies to further define the risk of premalignant and malignant pancreatic neoplasms and potential benefits and limitations of surveillance.
Success by Degrees: Addressing Teacher Shortages through a School-Community College-University Partnership

Using a teacher recruitment and preparation model, a unique partnership between PK–12 schools, a community college, and a university is examined. The focus is on the training and credentialing of future educators, particularly from underrepresented backgrounds, in an efficient and quality manner to assist in meeting the current PK–12 teacher shortage. Data indicate that the partnership is progressing towards, or has met, its targets in addressing said shortage.
Brownian Shape Motion on Five-Dimensional Potential-Energy Surfaces:Nuclear Fission-Fragment Mass Distributions

Although nuclear fission can be understood qualitatively as an evolution of the nuclear shape, a quantitative description has proven to be very elusive. In particular, until now, there existed no model with demonstrated predictive power for the fission-fragment mass yields. Exploiting the expected strongly damped character of nuclear dynamics, we treat the nuclear shape evolution in analogy with Brownian motion and perform random walks on five-dimensional fission potential-energy surfaces which were calculated previously and are the most comprehensive available. Test applications give good reproduction of highly variable experimental mass yields. This novel general approach requires only a single new global parameter, namely, the critical neck size at which the mass split is frozen in, and the results are remarkably insensitive to its specific value.
Computational investigation of intermetallic compounds (Cu6Sn5 and Cu3Sn) growth during solid-state aging process

Abstract Computational investigations of the morphological evolution and growth kinetics for intermetallic compounds (IMCs, Cu 6 Sn 5 and Cu 3 Sn) formed during reaction and aging between Sn-based solder and a copper substrate are presented. Cu-substrate, Cu 3 Sn ( ɛ phase) and Cu 6 Sn 5 ( η phase) layers (or grains), as well as the Sn-liquid phase (or Sn-solid phase) are considered during the soldering (solid-state aging) process. In the simulation, interface regions are defined by the coexistence of two or more phases (at triple points) at a computational grid point. The simulation is performed through the multiphase-field approach. In the phase-field simulation, the grain boundary (GB) diffusion of the η phase as well as the interfacial energy between this phase and the solder alloy are treated as model parameters. Variation of these parameters allows the investigation of the effects of short-circuit diffusion paths and GB wetting on the morphological evolution of the IMC layers. The simulations addresses the growth kinetics of the two IMC layers (Cu 6 Sn 5 and Cu 3 Sn) during the two processes up to 14 h, illustrating the variation of η and ɛ IMC thickness and the number of η and ɛ grains as the microstructure coarsens.
House Fly (Musca domestica) Parasites (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) Associated with Poultry Manure in North Carolina

A comprehensive 12-mo. survey of indigenous house fly parasites was conducted in the 3 geographic regions of North Carolina. Eight parasite species, Muscidifurax raptor Girault and Sanders, Spalangia cameroni Perkins, S. endius Walker, S. nigra Latreille, S. nigroaenea Curtis, S . n. sp. near drosophilae, Pachycrepoideus vindemiae (Rondani), and Nasonia vitripennis Walker were found. M. raptor was the most abundant parasite collected and the only species active throughout the year. S. cameroni, S. endius and S. nigroaenea , active from June through Nov., were the prevalent Spalangia species. A discussion of collection techniques is included.
Innovative Strategic Leader Transforming From a Low-Cost Strategy to Product Differentiation Strategy

After the 2008 economic slowdown, and with increasing assault from enterprises from emerging economies, many innovative strategic leaders of multinational enterprises are forced to radically transform their enterprises. They often choose to change from low-cost strategy to innovation-driven product differentiation strategy. In this study, we use a multi-level Grounded Theory Methodology (GTM) and agency theory to empirically illustrate such a strategic transformation at a large composite fabric and accessories enterprise. Lessons are drawn from the impact of strategic transformation at multiple levels: strategic leader level, tactical-team manager level, operational follower level, and stakeholder level. Implications for practitioners and researchers are provided by way of mindful leader orientation and value-based innovation.
Construction and characterization of a manganese-binding site in cytochrome c peroxidase: towards a novel manganese peroxidase

Abstract Background : Manganese-binding sites are found in several heme peroxidases, namely manganese peroxidase (MnP), chloroperoxidase, and the cationic isozyme of peanut peroxidase. The Mn-binding site in MnP is of particular interest. Oxidation of Mn(II) to Mn(III) is a key step in the biodegradation of lignin, a complex phenylpropanoid polymer, as well as of many aromatic pollutants. Cytochrome c peroxidase (CcP), which is structurally homologous to MnP despite a poor sequence homology, does not bind manganese. Thus, engineering a Mn-binding site into CcP will allow us to elucidate principles behind designing metal-binding sites in proteins, to understand the structure and function of this class of Mn-binding centers, and to prepare novel enzymes that can degrade both lignin and other xenobiotic compounds. Results : Based on a comparison of the crystal structures of CcP and MnP, a site-directed triple mutant (GIy41→ Glu, Val45 →- GIu, His181 → Asp) of residues near the putative Mn-binding site in CcP was prepared and purified to homogeneity. Titrating MnSO 4 into freshly prepared mutant CcP resulted in electronic absorption spectral changes similar to those observed in MnP. The calculated apparent dissociation constant and the stoichiometry of Mn-binding of CcP were also similar to MnP. Titration with MnSO 4 resulted in the disappearance of specific paramagnetically shifted nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy signals assigned to residues close to the putative Mn-binding site in the mutant CcP. None of the spectral features were observed in wild-type CcP. In addition, the triple mutant was capable of oxidizing Mn(II) at least five times more efficiently than the native CcP. Conclusions : A Mn-binding site has been created in CcP and based on our spectroscopic studies the designed Mn-binding site is similar to the Mn-binding site in MnP. The results provide a basis for understanding the structure and function of the Mn-binding site and its role in different heme peroxidases.
Effect of Phosphate and Magnesium Infusions on Skeletal Turnover and Renal Content of Calcium, Phosphorus and Magnesium in Rats

Skeletal mineral uptake and resorption and renal parenchymal content of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium were measured in normocalcemic and hypercalcemic rats after infusions of phosphate, magnesium and combinations of the two. Phosphate infusion decreased plasma calcium by 20–30%, increased renal calcium by 50–300% and had no effect on skeletal turnover. In hypercalcemic but not normocalcemic rats, renal phosphorus and magnesium were also increased. Magnesium infusion in normocalcemic rats had no effect on plasma calcium but caused a 17% decrease in renal calcium. Plasma inorganic phosphorus was increased by 35% with no change in renal phosphorus. Renal magnesium was increased only 35% despite a 4-fold increase in plasma magnesium. Similar effects were observed in hypercalcemic rats except that no decrease in renal calcium and no increase in plasma inorganic phosphorus occurred. No direct effect of magnesium infusion on skeletal turnover was evident. Combined infusions resulted in two effects which were...
One-year follow-up evaluation of Project Towards No Drug Abuse (TND-4)

Abstract Objectives This paper describes the one-year outcomes of the fourth experimental trial of Project Towards No Drug Abuse. Two theoretical content components of the program were examined to increase our understanding of the relative contribution of each to the effectiveness of the program. Methods High schools in Southern California (n = 18) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: cognitive perception information curriculum, cognitive perception information + behavioral skills curriculum, or standard care (control). The curricula were delivered to high school students (n = 2734) by project health educators and regular classroom teachers. Program effectiveness was assessed with both dichotomous and continuous measures of 30-day substance use at baseline and one-year follow-up. Results Across all program schools, the two different curricula failed to significantly reduce dichotomous measures of substance use (cigarette, alcohol, marijuana, and hard drugs) at one-year follow-up. Both curricula exerted an effect only on the continuous measure of hard drug use, indicating a 42% (p = 0.02) reduction in the number of times hard drugs were used in the last 30 days in the program groups relative to the control. Conclusions The lack of main effects of the program on dichotomous outcomes was contrary to previous studies. An effect on an ordinal count measure of hard drug use among both intervention conditions replicates previous work and suggests that this program effect may have been due to changes in cognitive misperception of drug use rather than behavioral skill.
Dynamic kinetic resolution during a vinylogous Payne rearrangement: A concise synthesis of the polar pharmacophoric subunit of (+)-scyphostatin

The diastereomeric epoxycyclohexenols 3a/b (obtained via a Wharton rearrangement of a bis-epoxycyclohexanone precursor) were shown to undergo interconversion via a facile vinylogous Payne rearrangement. Mechanistic issues were probed; the doubly O-deuterated analogues underwent this equilibration more slowly than the parent dihydroxy compounds. It was possible to kinetically resolve the mixture of 3a/b under equilibrating conditions by use of Amano PS. This DKR is additionally noteworthy because it sets four stereocenters in a single event.
Beacons in computer program comprehension

In programming, beacons are lines of code which serve as typical indicators of a particular structure or operation. This research sought evidence for the existence and use of beacons in comprehension of a sort program. In the first experiment, subjects memorized and later recalled the whole sort program. Experienced programmers, but not novices or intermediates, recalled the beacon lines much better than non-beacon lines. In the second experiment, experienced programmers studied the same program and then were asked to recall several isolated parts of it. They did not know in advance that they would be asked to recall. Subjects recalled the beacon much better than non-beacon parts. They also were more certain that they recalled the beacon correctly. The results of both experiments support the idea that beacons exist as a focal point for study and understanding of programs by experienced programmers.
Playing the Angles: Russian Diplomacy Before and During the War in Iraq

The definitive version of this document can be found at http://www.blackwell-synergy.com This document was created using OCR technology, and may contain minor discrepancies from the published document.
Effects of Information-Revelation Policies Under Market-Structure Uncertainty

Geographically dispersed sellers in electronic reverse marketplaces such as those hosted by market-makers like Ariba are uncertain about the number of competitors they face in any given market session. We refer to this uncertainty about the number of competitors as market-structure uncertainty. Over the course of several market sessions sellers learn about the competitive nature of the marketplace. How they learn to reduce the market-structure uncertainty depends on the market-transparency scheme, or the revelation policy adopted. A revelation policy determines the extent to which information---the number of sellers in a session, their bidding patterns, etc.---is revealed to sellers. Because these policies control what sellers learn and how they bid in future sessions, they determine buyer surplus. Possibly because market-structure uncertainty is more prevalent in information technology-enabled marketplaces than traditional ones, prior work has not addressed the impact of revelation policies on this type of uncertainty. Currently, there is little guidance available to buyers in choosing the appropriate revelation policy. To address this information-technology-enabled problem, we use game theory to compare the buyer surplus generated under a set of revelation policies commonly used in electronic reverse marketplaces. We demonstrate that the policy that generates the least amount of market-structure uncertainty for the sellers always maximizes buyer surplus. We further investigate to provide intuition regarding how bidders' reactions to overcome uncertainty differs with the nature of uncertainty, and how those reactions impact buyer surplus.
Fluid Transport through Nanochannels using Nanoelectromechanical Actuators

The article presents the basic principle of a nanodevice used to transport fluids through nanochannels. The nanochannel is defined by two parallel plates, one (or both of them) being covered by active thin films. The films deform under the action of an electric current passing in the film through the thickness direction. This leads to a local increase in film thickness, which forms a protrusion that narrows the channel. The propagation of such protrusions along the channel leads to the pumping effect. This motion is produced and controlled electronically. Here we focus on the mechanical actuation device as well as the ensuing coupled fluid and solid mechanics problem. We describe in detail the nature and function of the active films. Then, we provide an answer to the question: given a desired fluid flux, what is the magnitude and spatial distribution of the controlling current one has to supply to the actuators?
Effectiveness of a Nosocomial Tuberculosis Control Program at an Urban Teaching Hospital

Study objective To assess the effectiveness of a nosocomial tuberculosis (TB) program at an urban teaching hospital. Design Retrospective review. Setting An urban teaching hospital, the University of California, San Diego Medical Center (UCSD), which cares for 25 to 30 culture-proven pulmonary TB cases (>80% of which are smear-positive) per year. Study population Health-care workers. Measurements (1) Purified protein derivative (PPD) conversion rates. (2) Cases of active TB among health-care workers. (3) Compliance rates with isoniazid (INH) preventive therapy. Results The UCSD program was evaluated for the years 1993 to 1995. The PPD conversion rate among established employees was 0.6%. Of 556 employees who had an exposure, 494 (88.8%) were compliant with follow-up. Three hundred thirty-seven were skin-tested (the other 157 already had a known PPD >10 mm). Only 2 of 337 (0.6%) converted. One case of active TB, unrelated to any documented hospital exposure, was discovered in 3 years among approximately 5,000 employees per year (follow-up for convertors, 18 to 54 months). Only 48.4% of eligible employees completed at least 6 months of INH preventive therapy. Conclusions UCSD's TB control measures appear to be effective in the prevention of nosocomial transmission of TB. Despite poor compliance with INH preventive therapy, cases of active TB among health-care workers were rare.
An Automated System for Rapid and Secure Device Sanitization

Abstract Public and private organizations face the challenges of protecting their networks from cyber-attacks, while reducing the amount of time and money spent on Information Technology. Organizations can reduce their expenditures by reusing server, switch and router hardware, but they must use reliable and efficient methods of sanitizing these devices before they can be redeployed. The sanitization process removes proprietary, sensitive or classified data, as well as persistent malware from a device prior to reuse. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory has developed an automated, rapid, and secure method for sanitizing servers, switches and routers. This sanitization method was implemented and tested on several different types of network devices during the Cyber Measurement & Analysis Center project, which was funded under Phases I and II of the DARPA (2008) National Cyber Range program. The performance of the automated sanitization system was excellent with an order of magnitude reduction in the time required to sanitize servers, routers and switches, and a significant improvement in the effectiveness of the sanitization process through the addition of persistent malware removal.
Aminergic neurons: state control and plasticity in three model systems.

Aminergic neurons have particular functions in many systems, and in this review their role is discussed and compared in three systems: those parts of the central nervous system controlling sleep and waking in the cat; the superior cervical ganglion; and the isolated nervous system of Aplysia.In the cat the aminergic neurons are most important in a waking state during which time external information is received, processed, and can be retrieved, and during which time habituation and sensitization occur. Aminergic neurons appear to have similar roles in state control in plasticity in both the Aplysianervous system and the superior cervical ganglion. The striking similarities in the role of aminergic neurons in these three systems support the speculation that aminergic neurons have uniquely important roles in regulation of the plastic properties of neurons.
NUT: A fast 3-dimensional neutral transport code

Abstract We present a fast code for calculating the steady-state transport of neutral atoms in an axially symmetric background plasma. The primary source for the neutrals is not required to have any symmetry. Due to the small momentum transfer involved in charge exchange collisions, the secondary neutral atoms emerge with the local velocity distribution of the plasma ions. Some neutrals are lost due to ionization. The neutral transport is described by an integral equation for the neutral source. With a careful choice of a three-dimensional spatial grid, the small scale features of these equations can be integrated analytically to yield a set of algebraic equations that can be solved by only a few iterations. This results in a fast and compact algorithm which can be used as a subroutine in plasma simulation codes. Comparisons with other currently used codes and with experimental measurements show good agreement.
JavaScript programming basics: a laboratory series for beginning programmers

The JavaScript Programming Basics lab series presents elementary programming concepts using the JavaScript language. In particular, it introduces variables, functions, and event handlers, conditions, loops, arrays, decision trees, sequential search, and selection sort. Students build three different web pages or programs: a guestbook, an "expert advice system" or decision tree, and a CD order form. These labs would be appropriate in courses on web page development, broad overview ("CS 0") courses, or elementary programming courses.Altogether, the module consists of 3 programming labs and 5 shorter "minilabs" contained in 14 files, totaling less than 600KB.There are two categories of labs in the series.• Minilabs are short, directed exercises that concentrate on a single concept, such as variables or conditions. A minilab should immediately follow the instructor's introduction of the associated topic (noted as the "prerequisites" to the lab).• Programming labs are longer, and ask students to pull together several concepts in a more complex exercise.Since the purpose of the minilabs is immediate practice of new concepts immediately after they have been introduced, the instructions in the minilabs are more detailed and explicit than those in the full-length labs. The module also includes two supplemental programming projects that extend the decision tree lab and the CD order form labs.The JavaScript Programming Basics labs are meant to supplement instructor presentations, allowing students to apply new concepts through guided exercises. This page describes the pedagogical goals and prerequisites for each programming lab and minilab.
Effects of customer feedback level and (in) consistency on new product acceptance in the click-and-mortar context

Abstract We propose that feedback level and inconsistency jointly affect potential customers' acceptance of new products. We conducted two studies, one with a two-by-two design in which feedback level and inconsistency were constructed as binary categories, and the other with a continuous design of feedback level and inconsistency. We found that (1) higher feedback level and lower inconsistency increase customer acceptance; (2) feedback inconsistency moderates the relationship between feedback level and customer acceptance; and (3) extremely negative feedback has more significant impact than do moderately negative or extremely positive ones.
Long-term moderate elevation of corticosterone facilitates avian food-caching behaviour and enhances spatial memory

It is widely assumed that chronic stress and corresponding chronic elevations of glucocorticoid levels have deleterious effects on animals' brain functions such as learning and memory. Some animals, however, appear to maintain moderately elevated levels of glucocorticoids over long periods of time under natural energetically demanding conditions, and it is not clear whether such chronic but moderate elevations may be adaptive. I implanted wild-caught food-caching mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli), which rely at least in part on spatial memory to find their caches, with 90-day continuous time-release corticosterone pellets designed to approximately double the baseline corticosterone levels. Corticosterone-implanted birds cached and consumed significantly more food and showed more efficient cache recovery and superior spatial memory performance compared with placebo-implanted birds. Thus, contrary to prevailing assumptions, long-term moderate elevations of corticosterone appear to enhance spatial memory in food-caching mountain chickadees. These results suggest that moderate chronic elevation of corticosterone may serve as an adaptation to unpredictable environments by facilitating feeding and food-caching behaviour and by improving cache-retrieval efficiency in food-caching birds.
Hormones and prostate carcinogenesis: Androgens and estrogens

Prostate cancer is the leading non-skin malignancy detected in US males and the second cause of death due to male cancer in the US. Androgenic hormones are generally believed to be causatively associated with prostate carcinogenesis, but human evidence, mostly epidemiological, for this is minimal. Circulating hormone levels are not associated with the risk of prostate cancer and neither are polymorphisms in various genes encoding the androgen metabolizing enzymes or androgen receptors. Evidence in support of the involvement of androgens in prostate cancer development is derived from clinical trials with 5α-reductase inhibitors, which reduced the risk by approximately 25%. Animal studies using rat models, however, provide clear evidence that testosterone can induce prostate cancer and can act as a strong tumor promoter in concert with genotoxic carcinogens. One such genotoxic factor may be 17β-estradiol, which is generated from testosterone by the aromatase enzyme. Estradiol can be converted to catecholestrogens, which through redox cycling, generate reactive metabolites that can adduct the DNA and potentially lead to mutations. Animal studies and limited human evidence suggest that estrogens can be involved in prostate carcinogenesis by such a genotoxic mechanism. However, how androgens exert their tumor-promoting effect is not clear. It is likely that hormonal and non-hormonal factors as well as genetic and non-genetic (environmental) factors interact in a highly complex and poorly understood manner to determine the risk of prostate cancer.
The structure of [18]-annulene: Computed Raman spectra, zero-point level and proton NMR chemical shifts

Abstract [18]-Annulene has been of great interest from the structural point of view of its bond alternation. High-level calculations based on structures selected for agreement with NMR spectra lead to a bond-alternate C 2 form over a non-alternating planar D 6h structure deduced from diffraction, infrared (IR) and electronic spectral studies. Here it is shown that computed Raman spectra for the D 6h and C 2 forms are expected to be very different. However, two equivalent non-D 6h bond-alternate minima of D 3h or C 2 geometries are separated by only a small barrier along a motion that involves CC stretching and compression. It is shown here that the zero-point level is above the barrier for this species. In light of that fact, the NMR calculations are reconsidered with inclusion of zero-point level averaging.
Magnesium pemoline and dextroamphetamine: A controlled study in children with minimal brain dysfunction

Eighty-one children with a diagnosis of minimal brain dysfunction were randomly assigned to receive magnesium pemoline (Cylert), dextroamphetamine or placebo. Parent, teacher and clinician ratings and a battery of psychological tests were measured before treatment and at the end of eight weeks. Significant improvement was found for both active drugs and few differences between drugs were obtained. Side effects were similar for the two drugs and a laboratory battery showed no toxic effects. It is concluded that magnesium pemoline offers a good alternative for treatment of this syndrome.
The APSA Teaching & Learning Conference: Two Perspectives

When I arrived in Washington, D.C. to attend the first APSA Conference on Teaching and Learning, I did not know what to expect. Although I have been a regular participant in the APSA Annual Meeting and attended many workshops on teaching and curricular development, this didn't seem to be the same. All of my contacts with the program committee and APSA had seemed more informal, specific, and intense. They had clear expectations of this small group of 40. Unlike the Annual Meeting, we would not be presenting our research for 15 minutes, answering questions from the audience, responding to the discussants' comments, and then spend the remainder of the conference as a passive observer. At the plenary session the expectations were made more explicit. We would spend more time in our groups of 10 or 15 throughout the weekend—but we would still only have approximately 15 minutes to formally present our work. Our curiosity was palpable, how would a group of academics spend the remainder of our time?
Reagan and rhetoric: An oval office aesop?

Abstract The cliche identifying President Reagan as a “Great Communicator” reflects a conceptual confusion regarding the function of political rhetoric in a democracy. This confusion is not merely conceptual, but has important political consequences. For our political and moral concepts are partially constitutive of our political and moral practices. Thus our declining standards in political rhetoric suggest a corrosion in the practice of democratic politics. We might heed Orwell's advice and attempt to reinvigorate our democratic politics by demanding rhetorical excellence from political communicators.
The effect of serum and organ emulsions on penicillin fractions.

The difference in the degree of inactivation of penicillin fractions by human, rabbit, bovine sera, or rabbit tissue emulsions is not sufficient to establish a differential assay method for estimating the various fraction concentrations in a given sample. In sera, penicillin K is more unstable than the other forms of penicillin, namely G, X, and F.