cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Relation between Tax Risk and Firm Value: Evidence from the Luxembourg Tax Leaks

We investigate the relation between tax risk and valuation of a firm’s tax avoidance through an analysis of the stock price reaction towards the firms that were exposed through the Luxembourg tax leaks. This event provides a unique opportunity to examine investors’ reaction to revelation of a firm’s specific tax avoidance strategies and the firm’s efforts to reduce the associated tax risks. Prior research investigating the relation of tax risk and firm value has depended on measures that could be compromised by firm reporting choices (e.g., uncertain tax benefit disclosures). The exogenous nature of the Luxembourg tax leaks provides an opportunity to better disentangle a firm’s actual tax risk from its “self-reported” tax risk. We find, on average, investors reacted positively to news of firms’ inclusion in the tax leaks. This is in contrast to the documented negative reaction to news of other tax shelter participation and the negative media and political reaction to the Luxembourg tax leaks. We attribute the difference in market reaction to information on firms’ preemptive steps to reduce the risk associated with their tax strategies by securing advance tax rulings. In cross-sectional analysis, we observe that among U.S. multinational firms, the market reacted more positively for those firms perceived to be less tax aggressive, as proxied by the firm’s cash effective tax rate. In addition, we find limited evidence of corporate governance explaining the variation in market reaction. We also fail to find empirical evidence of political or reputational costs explaining the variation in market reaction.
Epigenetics, Stem Cells, Cellular Differentiation, and Associated Hereditary Neurological Disorders

In this chapter we review the role of epigenetics in stem cell proliferation and differentiation and how this may impact the potential use of stem cells to treat various neurodegenerative diseases. We describe the basic role of epigenetics in the human brain and how it may affect neuropathology, as well as the epigenetic mechanisms involved in the development of various stem cells, including mesenchymal stem cells, neural stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and hematopoietic stem cells. In addition, the therapeutic roles of stem cells for treating neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Rett Syndrome, spinocerebellar ataxia, and multiple sclerosis are explored. The goal of the chapter is to help increase our understanding of epigenetics of stem cell biology, given that this is fundamentally important for designing stem-cell-based therapies with regards to maximizing efficiency and long-term efficacy, while reducing adverse effects which comprise the most critical criteria for translating the stem cell therapy from the bench to the bedside.
Hypophosphatemia. Causes and clinical consequences.

Severe hypophosphatemia (i.e., serum phosphorus concentration below 1 mg/dl) occurs infrequently in veterinary patients. It is most often associated with diabetic ketoacidosis in small animals. Phosphate is necessary for the production of 2,3 diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP); both are important for normal cellular metabolism. Consequences of severe hypophosphatemia may include hemolytic anemia, seizures, altered mentation, cardiomyopathy, and skeletal muscle weakness. Parenteral phosphate therapy is necessary in most cases of severe hypophosphatemia.
Developing a Finite Element Model in Conjunction with Modal Test for Wind Turbine Blade Models

There are numerous modeling approaches that can be employed in the generation of composite models for wind turbine applications. Several more traditional approaches have been used over the past few decades. However, one modeling approach used for the generation of manufacturing models uses what is referred to as the unit cell approach. This modeling approach has been used for large deformation applications where the orientation realignment of the composite plies needs to be considered in the forming process. This modeling approach has been used for static and large deformation applications but not for dynamic modeling scenarios. There would be a significant advantage to use this approach for the complete modeling of wind turbine blades. A comparison of the traditional composite ply modeling approach and the unit cell approach is studied to determine similarities and differences in the approaches. A panel section is modeled and tested in various conditions followed by correlation and updating studies. A comparison of the different modeling approaches is performed.
Ridge preservation following tooth extraction using mineralized freeze‐dried bone allograft compared to mineralized solvent‐dehydrated bone allograft: A randomized controlled clinical trial

Background Freeze dried bone allograft (FDBA) and solvent dehydrated bone allograft (SDBA) are both commonly used in alveolar ridge preservation. Previous studies have suggested SDBA may have advantages over FDBA due to a unique processing method. The primary objective of this study was to histologically compare the healing outcome between FDBA and SDBA when used for ridge preservation. Changes in morphometric ridge parameters were evaluated as a secondary outcome. Methods Forty-four patients requiring extraction and ridge preservation were randomized into two groups: FDBA (control group) or SDBA (test group). Patients returned 12 weeks post-extraction and ridge preservation for implant placement. A bone core was taken in the planned implant osteotomy site and evaluated histomorphometrically to determine the percentage of vital bone, residual graft material, and connective/other tissue. Changes in clinical ridge dimensions were also evaluated for patients in both treatment groups. Results The FDBA group showed a mean of 24.08% vital bone, 22.96% residual graft material, and 52.95% CT/other. The SDBA group showed a mean of 27.19% vital bone, 23.38% residual graft material, and 49.41% CT/other. No statistical differences were found between groups in the mean outcomes for histologic parameters or in dimensional change of the alveolar ridge. Conclusion This study provides the first histologic comparison between the wound healing of FDBA and SDBA over a 12-week healing period in a ridge preservation application. The findings suggest no significant benefit or drawback with the use of either FDBA or SDBA when comparing histomorphometric parameters or clinical dimensional changes.
Stuck here: boredom, migration, and the homeless imaginary in post-socialist Bucharest

ABSTRACTThis paper traces the transnational dimensions of affect by way of boredom to open a perspective onto the scale at which homelessness is internalized and embodied. While boredom is commonly...
Utilization Trends in Abdominal Imaging, 2004-2016.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to analyze recent trends in abdominal imaging utilization in the Medicare population. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Medicare Part B databases for 2004–2016 were re...
Assessing equivalency during the implementation of a health profession's program to a distant campus: Development of a distant campus evaluation tool

Universities are constantly looking at technology driven approaches in providing distant education. As technology evolves, another layer of evaluation is essential to assure the mode of delivery does not interfere with the delivery of content. Although guidelines are available for evaluating an academic program, there are no evaluation tools published to assess the equivalency of education when a program expands to a distant campus. This manuscript describes the development and utilization of a tool to assess equivalency in delivery of a program to a distant campus that utilizes videoconferencing technology in delivering the curriculum. The tool was based on four major areas of potential concern when using technology to deliver the curriculum: (1) technology limitations, (2) confidence in the system, (3) faculty ability to deliver the content, and (4) resources available at each site. Data obtained from implementing the tool identified site specific concerns, as well as concerns common to both sites.
Geophysical insights into Paleoproterozoic tectonics along the southern margin of the Superior Province, central Upper Peninsula, Michigan, USA

Abstract The southern margin of the Archean Superior Province in the central Upper Peninsula of Michigan was a nexus for key Paleoproterozoic tectonic events involved in the ~2.1 Ga rifting of proposed Archean supercraton Superia and subsequent assembly of Laurentia. Interpretations of the region’s tectonic history have historically been hampered by extensive Pleistocene glacial and Paleozoic sedimentary cover and a lack of appropriate geophysical data. These rifting and orogenic events formed geologic effects that are readily mappable with modern geophysical methods. New aeromagnetic and gravity data provide a critical means of mapping and interpreting the complex geological framework through cover, allowing development of significantly richer geographical and process-based perspectives on all these tectonic events. Interpretations of Precambrian contacts and structure are here, for the first time, carried >30 km eastward under Paleozoic cover. Effects of ~2.1 Ga rifting are strongly expressed geophysically, including the Dickinson Group, perhaps a unique record of the progression of rift-related sedimentation and magmatism, shown here to be a geographically extensive and largely concealed tectonic feature of the southern Superior Province. The geophysical evidence for plausible ~2.1 Ga rift-related intrusive magmatism includes a previously unrecognized swarm of northeast-striking mafic dikes cutting Archean rocks and gravity lows produced by granites. Effects of the ~1.87–1.83 Ga Penokean orogeny include gravity and magnetic gradients and pattern breaks along the Niagara fault zone suture, abundant evidence for thin-skinned thrusting and folding in the Menominee iron district, and speculative emplacement of an allochthonous sedimentary sequence in the Calumet trough. Numerous east–west trending structures imaged geophysically likely originated, or were significantly reactivated by, post-Penokean deformation. Metamorphic events at ~1.76 Ga and ~1.65 Ga may correspond to orogenies involving younger, outboard Paleoproterozoic crustal provinces recognized in southern Laurentia. For example, the previously unrecognized West Branch fault, separating the Dickinson Group from Archean rocks, is shown to be a major structure in the region, and is a proposed expression of ~1.76 Ga thick-skinned deformation. Oblique disruptions of crudely east–west striking structures have robust geophysical expressions and are speculatively connected to transpressive deformation at ~1.65 Ga. These new geophysical observations and interpretations collectively help illuminate a critical period in the tectonic evolution of Laurentia, as it transitioned from a disparate array of Archean cratons to a more coherent, growing continent.
The Impact of Hierarchical Teams, Method of Communication, and Auditor Priming on Key Audit Decisions

This experimental study explores the impact of hierarchal team decision processing in face-to-face (F2F) and computer mediated communication (CM) settings on auditors’ risk assessment and financial statement adjustment decisions. Results indicate that while hierarchal team processing of issues does not significantly impact auditor risk assessments, team processing does significantly impact auditors’ proposed adjustment decisions. Findings reveal that auditors exhibit significantly riskier decision making after hierarchical team discussions when discussions are conducted F2F versus CM, as audit experience increases, and when auditors have some versus no prior experience working on audit engagements with team members (ETM). Higher levels of task experience, however, moderate the impact of ETM on auditors’ adjustment decisions. Findings also reveal strong within-team agreement with the most experienced team member following hierarchical team processing of issues. Lastly, results show that priming of team members prior to team discussions does not significantly impact audit judgments.
Green, Fair, and Prosperous: Paths to a Sustainable Iowa: Charles Connerly (2020). University of Iowa Press, 201 pages, $15 (paperback)

Green, Fair, and Prosperous: Paths to a Sustainable Iowa meets the needs of those seeking answers to the two following questions: What are the factors that led to the current state of economy, envi...
Ideals, Determinants, and Straightening: Proving and Using Lower Bounds for Polynomial Ideals

We show that any nonzero polynomial in the ideal generated by the $r \times r$ minors of an $n \times n$ matrix $X$ can be used to efficiently approximate the determinant. For any nonzero polynomial $f$ in this ideal, we construct a small depth-three $f$-oracle circuit that approximates the determinant of size $\Theta(r^{1/3})$ in the sense of border complexity. For many classes of algebraic circuits, this implies that every nonzero polynomial in the ideal generated by $r \times r$ minors is at least as hard to approximately compute as the determinant of size $\Theta(r^{1/3})$. We also prove an analogous result for the Pfaffian of a $2n \times 2n$ skew-symmetric matrix and the ideal generated by Pfaffians of $2r \times 2r$ principal submatrices. This answers a recent question of Grochow about complexity in polynomial ideals in the setting of border complexity. We give several applications of our result, two of which are highlighted below. $\bullet$ We prove super-polynomial lower bounds for Ideal Proof System refutations computed by low-depth circuits. This extends the recent breakthrough low-depth circuit lower bounds of Limaye, Srinivasan, and Tavenas to the setting of proof complexity. For many natural circuit classes, we show that the approximative proof complexity of our hard instance is governed by the approximative circuit complexity of the determinant. $\bullet$ We construct new hitting set generators for polynomial-size low-depth circuits. For any $\varepsilon > 0$, we construct generators with seed length $O(n^\varepsilon)$ that attain a near-optimal tradeoff between their seed length and degree, and are computable by low-depth circuits of near-linear size (with respect to the size of their output). This matches the seed length of the generators recently obtained by Limaye, Srinivasan, and Tavenas, but improves on the generator's degree and circuit complexity.
Soot Formation in Diesel Combustion under High-EGR Conditions

Experiments were conducted in an optically accessible constant-volume combustion vessel to investigate soot formation at diesel combustion conditions - in a high exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR) environment. The ambient oxygen concentration was decreased systematically from 21% to 8% to simulate a wide range of EGR conditions. Quantitative measurements of in-situ soot in quasi-steady n-heptane and No.2 diesel fuel jets were made by using laser extinction and planar laser-induced incandescence (PLII) measurements. Flame lift-off length measurements were also made in support of the soot measurements. At constant ambient temperature, results show that the equivalence ratio estimated at the lift-off length does not vary with the use of EGR, implying an equal amount of fuel-air mixing prior to combustion. Soot measurements show that the soot volume fraction decreases with increasing EGR. The regions of soot formation are effectively 'stretched out' to longer axial and radial distances from the injector with increasing EGR, according to the dilution in ambient oxygen. However, the axial soot distribution and location of maximum soot collapses if plotted in terms of a 'flame coordinate', where the relative fuel-oxygen mixture is equivalent. The total soot in the jet cross-section at the maximum axial soot location initially increases and then decreasesmore » to zero as the oxygen concentration decreases from 21% to 8%. The trend is caused by competition between soot formation rates and increasing residence time. Soot formation rates decrease with decreasing oxygen concentration because of the lower combustion temperatures. At the same time, the residence time for soot formation increases, allowing more time for accumulation of soot. Increasing the ambient temperature above nominal diesel engine conditions leads to a rapid increase in soot for high-EGR conditions when compared to conditions with no EGR. This result emphasizes the importance of EGR cooling and its beneficial effect on mitigating soot formation. The effect of EGR is consistent for different fuels but soot levels depend on the sooting propensity of the fuel. Specifically, No.2 diesel fuel produces soot levels more than ten times higher than those of n-heptane.« less
No Difference in Perceived Intensity of Linoleic Acid in the Oral Cavity between Obese and Non-Obese Adults

The objective of this study was to characterize intensity perception of linoleic acid (LA) in the oral cavity in a large population. Visitors (N=504) to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science in Den...
Time-Rate Wages

Time-rate wages compensate workers based on time spent working rather than output or productivity. Salaried or hourly employees are examples of time-rate workers, and time-rate wages are the way most workers in the United States are paid. Standard time-rate wages do not usually address the principal-agent problem that occurs when a firm (the principal) hires an worker (the agent) to produce a product or service in the most efficient manner. From the worker's perspective, working efficiently may require undesirable physical or psychic effort. Without any link between effort and pay, time-rate employees have the incentive to shirk, or to exert minimal effort. For this reason, firms that use standard time-rate compensation schemes often pay based on the value of a minimal effort that can be easily monitored, such as punching a time card or keeping up with an assembly line. Keywords: piece-rate; time-rate; incentives; compensation; principal-agent problem; shirking
Cooking a Two-Dimensional Electron Gas with Microwaves

Two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) are rich test systems for a variety of phenomena in condensed matter physics. In their Perspective, Durst and Girvin discuss a surprising new phenomenon by which the electrical resistance of a 2DEG in a magnetic field can be driven nearly all the way to zero when the system is subjected to microwave radiation. This microwave-induced zero-resistance state may correspond to a new collective state of matter, or alternatively, it may represent an exciting new example of the nonequilibrium physics of pattern formation.
'Él': de Mercedes Pinto a Luis Buñuel

La novela de Mercedes Pinto El es uno de los textos literarios mas olvidados por expertos y academicos, pero sirvio de base para la pelicula de Luis Bunuel del mismo nombre. Ambos textos ofrecen topicos diferentes a explorarse, aunque la historia al principio parezca demasiado comun, ya que presenta la vida matrimonial de una mujer y su esposo, y este ultimo sufre de una paranoia-esquizofrenica que hace peligrar la vida de la mujer, la narradora. Esta pequena sintesis de la historia basica que comparten el texto literario y el cinematografico no ofrece con detalle las diferencias inherentes en ambos productos de consumo intelectual. Esto es lo que se pretende en este ensayo: investigar, con detenimiento y comparativamente, las caracteristicas tan similares pero tan equidistantes, esteticamente hablando, entre la novela de Pinto y la pelicula mexicana de Bunuel.
Fungi Isolated from Tobacco Leaves and Brown-Spot Lesions Before and After Flue-Curing

Discs of tissue excised from ripe nonflue-cured and flue-cured tobacco leaves, harvested on six dates and cultured on three selective media, yielded 21 and 24 genera of fungi, respectively. Of 5,094 fungi isolated from 3,240 pieces of nonfluecured leaf tissue, 89.5% comprised five genera, Alternaria, Cladosporium, Epicoccum, Trichoderma, and Nigrospora. Of 2,494 fungi isolated from 3,240 pieces of flue-cured leaf tissue, 70.9% were Alternaria, Cladosporium Epicoccum, Aspergillus, and Nigrospora. Flue-cured and nonflue-cured brown-spot lesions harvested at two locations yielded 12 and 14 genera of fungi, respectively. Alternaria, Penicillium, Phoma, and Stemphyllium comprised 91.5% of the 2,245 fungi isolated from noncured and 87.1% of the 1,118 fungi isolated from the cured lesions. The number and kinds of fungi obtained from diseased and healthy tissue were reduced but not eliminated by flue-curing.
Remembrance of Things Past

Power in Concert. By Jennifer Mitzen. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2013. 264 pp., paperback (ISBN-13: 978-0-226-06011-8). The nineteenth century is back with a vengeance. Even as many societies return to pre-1914 levels of income inequality, Russia openly challenges an aging liberal international order by reasserting privileges in its historical sphere of influence. Thus, Power in Concert , Jennifer Mitzen's original, sophisticated reconsideration of the Concert of Europe, is particularly well timed. Power in Concert finds the ghost in the machine of concerted collective action in a multipolar, nonliberal age, arguing that even “thin” institutions can “inject social purpose into the international political order” (p. 32). Specifically, Mitzen argues that members of forums such as the Concert of Europe can constitute an “international public power” possessing “collective intentionality”—a joint will to preserve a desirable international order. Mitzen describes collective intentionality as a macrolevel phenomenon “closer to action” than individual preferences or social norms, a form of agency defined by an agreed code of conduct (p. 32). Empirically, Power in Concert sketches the foundations of international public power in post-Westphalia Europe and its affirmation in the Congress of Vienna. Between 1815 and 1853, Mitzen argues, the Concert of Europe steered the great powers to collectively preserve the terms of the Vienna settlement, even when doing so meant sacrificing short-term individual interests—until the progressive decay of the Ottoman Empire ultimately proved impossible to manage within the Concert's framework. Beyond its conversation with scholars of the Concert of Europe and concerts more generally, Power in Concert …
Low frequency noise in CMOSTs at cryogenic temperatures

Low-frequency noise in silicon MOSFETs is characterized from room temperature down to 5 K. The input-referred noise spectra for n-channel transistors show no gate bias dependence, and the noise amplitude does not change by any significant order of magnitude at all temperatures. While the gate bias dependence in p-channel device flicker noise is observed at low temperature, some generation-recombination noise becomes dominant at temperatures below 30 K. >
Media-Generated Expectancy Violations: A Study of Political Humor, Race, and Source Perceptions

Expectancy Violation Theory (EVT) (Burgoon & Jones, 1976), a theory that until now has been exclusively used in intrapersonal communication, is used to explore the influence of humorous mass media messages in a political context. An experiment (N = 85) demonstrated that a mass media message can trigger an expectancy violation. It was found that expectancy violations influence (1) participants’ perceived humor of the message and (2) participants’ evaluations of the source. Results confirm hypotheses that participants in the expectancy violation condition found the message more humorous, and rated the source of the message more favorably than those in the control condition. However, political ideology was found to moderate these effects.
Euglena gracilis: Phenotypic resistance to 2,4-dinitrophenol☆

Euglena gracilis, when grown on a medium containing 10−5m 2,4-dinitrophenol, will initially bleach, cease to divide, and about one-half will die off. After a prolonged lag period of 6–8 days, the remaining cells green and begin to multiply. The resultant cells are resistant to dinitrophenol and will grow in its presence at rates close to those in normal medium. The resistant cells do not differ greatly from the nonresistant ones, except that they show no sign of respiratory control, their photosynthetic activity is somewhat reduced, and their size is larger. The resistant cells appear less motile, their flagellar movement is slower, and their motility appears disturbed (they tend to swim in circles). The resistance is lost when the cells are grown for 2–3 generations on medium lacking dinitrophenol.
On coupled rate equations with quadratic nonlinearities.

Abstract Rate equations with quadratic nonlinearities appear in many fields, such as chemical kinetics, population dynamics, transport theory, hydrodynamics, etc. Such equations, which may arise from basic principles or which may be phenomenological, are generally solved by linearization and application of perturbation theory. Here, a somewhat different strategy is emphasized. Alternative nonlinear models that can be solved exactly and whose solutions have the qualitative character expected from the original equations are first searched for. Then, the original equations are treated as perturbations of those of the solvable model. Hence, the function of the perturbation theory is to improve numerical accuracy of solutions, rather than to furnish the basic qualitative behavior of the solutions of the equations.
Physics of interferometric gravitational wave detectors

The Caltech-MIT joint LIGO project is operating three long-baseline interferometers (one of 2 km and two of 4 km) in order to unambiguously measure the infinitesimal displacements of isolated test masses which convey the signature of gravitational waves from astrophysical sources. An interferometric gravitational wave detector like LIGO is a complex, non-linear, coupled, dynamic system. This article summarizes various interesting design characteristics of these detectors and techniques that were implemented in order to reach and maintain its operating condition. Specifically, the following topics are discussed: (i) length sensing and control, (ii) alignment sensing and control and (iii) thermal lensing which changes the performance and operating point of the interferometer as the input power to LIGO is increased.
Matched interface and boundary (MIB) for the implementation of boundary conditions in high‐order central finite differences

High-order central finite difference schemes encounter great difficulties in implementing complex boundary conditions. This paper introduces the matched interface and boundary (MIB) method as a novel boundary scheme to treat various general boundary conditions in arbitrarily high-order central finite difference schemes. To attain arbitrarily high order, the MIB method accurately extends the solution beyond the boundary by repeatedly enforcing only the original set of boundary conditions. The proposed approach is extensively validated via boundary value problems, initial-boundary value problems, eigenvalue problems, and high-order differential equations. Successful implementations are given to not only Dirichlet, Neumann, and Robin boundary conditions, but also more general ones, such as multiple boundary conditions in high-order differential equations and time-dependent boundary conditions in evolution equations. Detailed stability analysis of the MIB method is carried out. The MIB method is shown to be able to deliver high-order accuracy, while maintaining the same or similar stability conditions of the standard high-order central difference approximations. The application of the proposed MIB method to the boundary treatment of other non-standard high-order methods is also considered.
How children tell a lie from a joke: The role of second-order mental state attributions.

The relationship between the ability to attribute second-order mental states and the ability to tell a joke from a lie was examined. Forty-eight children (mean age 6.8) were tested for their ability to make both second-order ignorance and belief attributions, and to discriminate lies from jokes. Children typically were able to distinguish a lie from a joke only after they could attribute second-order ignorance (Person 1 does not know what Person 2 knows). In contrast, children could distinguish a lie from a joke before they could attribute second-order false belief (Person 1 wrongly thinks that Person 2 thinks x). The presence of intonation distinguishing the joke from the lie had no effect on children's ability to determine that the joke was not intended as a lie. These results provide evidence for a relation between a selective aspect of the child's theory of mind (the ability to conceptualize second-order ignorance) and the child's ability to interpret and distinguish two kinds of intentionally false utterances.
Trends in binge and heavy drinking, alcohol-related problems, and combat exposure in the U.S. military.

Population-based Department of Defense health behavior surveys were examined for binge and heavy drinking among U.S. active duty personnel. From 1998–2008, personnel showed significant increases in heavy drinking (15% to 20%) and binge drinking (35% to 47%). The rate of alcohol-related serious consequences was 4% for nonbinge drinkers, 9% for binge drinkers, and 19% for heavy drinkers. Personnel with high combat exposure had significantly higher rates of heavy (26.8%) and binge (54.8%) drinking than their counterparts (17% and 45%, respectively). Heavy and binge drinking put service members at high risk for problems that diminish force readiness and psychological fitness.
Water Quality Study of Graywater Treatment Systems

ABSTRACT: A residential single family dwelling was retrofitted to recycle graywater for landscape irrigation and toilet flushing. The objective of this study was to determine improvements in graywater quality by evaluating five simple graywater treatment systems that were easily adapted to the household plumbing. The treatment systems consisted of (1) water hyacinths and sand filtration, (2) water hyacinths, copper ion disinfection, and sand filtration, (3) copper ion disinfection and sand filtration, (4) copper/silver ion disinfection and sand filtration, and (5) 20–μm cartridge filtration. Water quality parameters measured were fecal and total coliform indicator bacteria, nitrates, suspended solids, and turbidity. Reductions in bacterial concentration, suspended solids and turbidity were achieved by all systems tested. Treatment reduced nitrate concentrations to an average of 2.6 mg/liter. Reductions in suspended solids, and turbidity were influenced more by the quality of the graywater entering the treatment system than the efficiency of the systems themselves. The water hyacinths and sand filtration system provided the best graywater quality in terms of the concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria. The system providing the best water quality in regard to average suspended solids after treatment was the water hyacinths, copper ion, and sand filtration system, and the best average turbidity was achieved by the copper/silver ion generating unit with sand filtration. All systems were capable of significant reductions in fecal indicator bacteria, suspended solids, and turbidity; however, additional treatment or disinfection would be necessary to further reduce the level of coliform and fecal coliform bacteria to achieve regulatory standards in the State of Arizona.
Effect of hold times on crack retardation in aluminum alloys

Abstract Hold time effects on fatigue crack retardation in two high strength aluminum alloys (2219 and 7075) were studied for different metallurgical conditions. Experiments were performed in humid air as well as in vacuum. It was observed that as the hold time at zero load increased, the number of delay cycles decreased in general. This observation is then explained in terms of a strain relaxation phenomenon and a crack closure model. The data indicates that the relaxation effects were greater in humid air than in vacuum. Some visual evidence of surface hammering during retardation was found.
The sensitivity of lung disease surrogates in detecting chest CT abnormalities in children with cystic fibrosis.

Rationale Chest CT scans detect structural abnormalities in children with cystic fibrosis (CF), even when pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are normal. The use of chest CT is limited in clinical practice, because of concerns over expense, increased resource utilization, and radiation exposure. Quantitative chest radiography scores are useful in detecting mild lung disease, but whether they are sensitive to the presence of CT scan abnormalities has not been evaluated.
Physical aging of thin glassy polymer films monitored by optical properties

The change in refractive index of thin films formed from three glassy polymers, polysulfone, a polyimide, and poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide), measured by ellipsometry was used to track their physical aging. These thin films with thicknesses less than 1 μm were aged for up to 6000 h at 35 °C. A pronounced aging response via refractive index change, attributed to the densification of the glassy polymers, was observed for each film. The Lorentz−Lorenz equation was used to relate changes in refractive index to densification, or volume relaxation, with aging time. The volumetric aging rate was shown to be dependent on the polymer structure and the film thickness. These thin films age at rates orders of magnitude more rapid than expected for bulk or thick films.
Interference channel with a relay: Models, relaying strategies, bounds

This paper discusses the impact of relaying in interference-limited networks by studying a two-user Gaussian interference channel with a relay (ICR). Various models for relay reception and transmission are possible: The relay can receive and transmit in the same band as the sources (i.e., in-band relay reception/ transmission), or else relay reception, or both reception and transmission, can take place over orthogonal links of limited capacity (i.e., out-of-band relay reception or/ and transmission). In all scenarios, the selection of either signal relaying, interference forwarding or a combination thereof for the relay operation is identified as a common design choice. While signal relaying enables the destination to obtain a stronger desired signal or additional information, interference forwarding helps removing part of the interference. Important scenarios under which signal relaying and interference forwarding are optimal are identified, including cognitive relaying where the relay is unaware of the source codebooks and out-of band relaying, both under certain modified strong interference conditions and the latter under additional capacity constraints on the orthogonal relay links.
Research on the improvement of turpentine practices

The age-old turpentine industry is being modernized by a three-fold research attack involving advances in extraction techniques through chemical stimulation procedures; the selection, breeding and propagation of high-yielding turpentine pines; and engineering research on equipment used in woods operations.
Boosting for learning from multiclass data sets via a regularized loss function

Boosting methods employ a sequence of base classifiers to improve accuracy. While successful with binary classification, the conversion from binary boosting to multi-class boosting is not straight forward. The direct extension avoids converting the problem into multiple binary problems but suffers several problems including a vague determination of the error condition for each base classifier, an elongated training time that increases significantly with large datasets, early termination which results from repetition of misclassified instances, and inability to employ stable classifiers within the boosting scheme. In this paper, we introduce a direct multi-class boosting extension that combines an intelligent class-based stratified sampling with a regularization parameter that regularizes the unpredictability of the classifiers and accommodates multi-class data sets. The parameter extends the exponential loss function and penalizes the base classifier when it favors specific instances on expense of the correct distribution. This methodology ensures diversity among classifiers which is vital to ensemble learning. The proposed method alters the error condition at each iteration based on the base classifiers performance. Experimental results on different applications demonstrate the superior performance of our method compared to state-of-the-art methods.
Tactile imaging of palpable breast cancer

This paper presents the development of a prototype Tactile Mapping Device (TMD) system comprised mainly of a tactile sensor array probe (TSAP), a 3-D camera, and a force/torque sensor, which can provide the means to produce tactile maps of the breast lumps during a breast palpation. Focusing on the key tactile topology features for breast palpation such as spatial location, size/shape of the detected lesion, and the force levels used to demonstrate the palpable abnormalities, these maps can record the results of clinical breast examination with a set of pressure distribution profiles and force sensor measurements due to detected lesion. By combining the knowledge of vision based, neural networks and tactile sensing technology; the TMD is integrated for the investigation of soft tissue interaction with tactile/force sensor, where the hard inclusion (breast cancer) can be characterized through neural network learning capability, instead of using simplified complex biomechanics model with many heuristic assumptions. These maps will serve as an objective documentation of palpable lesions for future comparative examinations. Preliminary results of simulated experiments and limited pre-clinical evaluations of the TMD prototype have tested this hypothesis and provided solid promising data showing the feasibility of the TMD in real clinical applications.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A widget framework for augmented interaction in SCAPE

We have previously developed a collaborative infrastructure called SCAPE - an acronym for Stereoscopic Collaboration in Augmented and Projective Environments - that integrates the traditionally separate paradigms of virtual and augmented reality. In this paper, we extend SCAPE by formalizing its underlying mathematical framework and detailing three augmented Widgets constructed via this framework: CoCylinder, Magnifier, and CoCube. These devices promote intuitive ways of selecting, examining, and sharing synthetic objects, and retrieving associated documentary text. Finally we present a testbed application to showcase SCAPE's capabilities for interaction in large, augmented virtual environments.
Polymeric molecules in motion

The Theory of Vibrational Spectroscopy and Its Application to Polymeric Materials. By Paul C. Painter, Michael M. Coleman and Jack L. Koenig. Pp.530. ISBN 0-471-09346-7. (Wiley: 1982.) £44.50, $80.
Human contact in the classroom: Exploring how teachers talk about and negotiate touching students

Abstract In a “risk society,” as defined by Beck [(1992). Risk society, towards a new modernity (M. Ritter, Trans.) Newbury Park, CA: Sage, see also Castel, R. (1991). From dangerousness to risk. In G. Burchell, C. Gordon & P. Miller (Eds.), The Foucault effect: Studies in governmentality (pp. 281–298). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press], teachers are risky individuals who, “must become permanent objects of their own suspicion” [Jones, A. (2003b). Touching children: Policy, social anxiety, and the ‘safe’ teacher. Journal of Curriculum Theorizing , 19 (2), 112]. The purpose of this study was to explore how four experienced, female teachers for whom “touching” students is a natural component of their teaching, talked about how they made choices about when and how to engage in the risky behavior of touching children. Findings are organized along two axes. The first represents how participating teachers perceived contexts as facilitating or constraining human contact. The second illustrates what conversations about human contact revealed about participants’ teaching selves. This study contributes to the literature on teacher–student relationships as well as the literature on teachers’ decision-making. Implications for future research in teacher decision-making, teacher–student relationships, and teacher education are discussed.
Effect of dietary cholesterol on erythrocyte peroxidant stress in vitro and in vivo

The effect of dietary variation of plasma cholesterol concentrations on the susceptibility of erythrocytes to in vitro and in vivo peroxidant stress was studied in rats. Malonyldialdehyde, produced in vivo (endogenous malonyldialdehyde) or following in vitro exposure of cells to 10 mM H2O2 (H2O2 malonyldialdehyde), was used as a measure of peroxidant stress. After 5 weeks, the plasma cholesterol concentrations in rats receiving 1.2% cholesterol + 0.6% cholic acid in their diet rose to 6-times that of control rats receiving a diet without added cholesterol; at the same time, erythrocyte H2O2 malonyldialdehyde in the cholesterol-fed rats decreased significantly relative to the control rats. During subsequent exposure of both groups to in vivo peroxidant stress with phenylhydrazine in two separate dose trials, erythrocyte peroxidant stress remained significantly lower in the cholesterol-fed rats: at a dose of 100 mumol/100 g body weight, H2O2 malonyldialdehyde was lower; at a dose of 25 mumol/100 g body weight, both endogenous and H2O2 malonyldialdehyde were lower. Erythrocyte membrane cholesterol concentrations were 12% higher in the cholesterol-fed rats than in controls. The effects of in vivo peroxidant stress on plasma cholesterol were also studied. In vivo peroxidant stress at the higher dose of phenylhydrazine produced a decrease in plasma cholesterol concentrations of control rats. The lower dose had no effect on this group and the plasma cholesterol concentrations were unchanged in the cholesterol-fed rats during both treatments. The data suggest that elevated plasma cholesterol concentrations are protective against erythrocyte peroxidant stress. The mechanism of cholesterol's protective effect is probably mediated through elevated membrane cholesterol concentrations.
Isolation of and production of antibody to cow chromaffin granule membrane.

Abstract Cow adrenal medulla chromaffin granules were obtained relatively free of mitochondrial, lysosomal or mircosomal contamination by differential and sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The granule membrane was prepared by lysis and subsequent centrifugation of the granules and was purified further by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The membrane fraction contained cytochrome b-559, adenosine triphosphatase and 50 per cent of the chromaffin granule dopamine-β-hydroxylase activity. Injection of the membrane preparation into rabbits resulted in the production of an antibody which was used for micro-immunodiffusion and for complement fixation. Membrane antigen was detected in cow adrenal medulla microsomes and in homogenates of sheep, pig, dog and rabbit adrenal medullae.
Thermal characteristics of precursors to a difunctional imide monomer

A difunctional imide monomer may be produced from 4-nitrophthalic anhydride and m-phenylenediamine. The requisite anhydride may be generated by nitration of phthalimide followed by hydrolysis to the corresponding acid and dehydration. All intermediate compounds have been fully characterized using spectroscopic and thermal methods.
Effects of acclimation to low temperature and to water stress on photosynthesis and on physical and chemical properties of lipids from thylakoids of cucumber and cotton.

Abstract The effects of growth at low temperature and under water stress on the physical and chemical properties of lipids of thylakoids from leaves of cucumber ( Cucumis sativis L. cv. Beit Alpha MR) and cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. glandless Stoneville 213) were examined. The phospholipid transition temperature (measured by fluorescence polarization) was not different in cold-grown, water-stressed, or warm-grown control plants. These treatments also had no effect on the critical temperatures for chilling injury to photosynthetic oxygen evolution or for heat-induced increase in chlorophyll fluorescence. The molecular species compositions of cucumber and cotton thylakoid phosphatidylglycerols were compared to those of other chilling-sensitive plants and to those of plants able to acclimate. The acclimation treatments caused no changes in the phosphatidylglycerol molecular species of cucumber. However, in cold-grown cotton there was a marked decrease in the content of molecular species with high melting points. Collectively the results suggest that changes in phosphatidylglycerol molecular species composition are not always indicative of a critical process required for chilling resistance.
Entity-Based Eyring−NRTL Viscosity Model for Mixtures Containing Oils and Bitumens

A segment-based Eyring−NRTL viscosity model was recently presented and evaluated using data from a variety of mixtures containing polymers. In this paper, the segment-based Eyring−NRTL viscosity model is modified to provide a practical theory-based model for the viscosity of liquid mixtures containing complex components that cannot be typically described by the segment-based approach. To reflect these changes, this new model is referred to as an entity-based Eyring−NRTL viscosity model, because entities are viewed as abstract segments that represent complex components but are not well-defined. The entity-based Eyring−NRTL viscosity model provides a theory-based equation for liquid mixture viscosity as a function of composition, temperature, pressure, and shear rate. The correlative and predictive capability of the entity-based Eyring−NRTL viscosity model is demonstrated using component and mixture viscosity data from the following systems: lubricating oil blends, crude oil blends, bitumen−diluent mixture...
Astragalus asotinensis (Fabaceae), a Newly Discovered Species from Washington and Idaho, United States

Astragalus asotinensis Bjork & Fishbein (Fabaceae) is newly described from a single population on limestone of the Limekiln Formation at the mouth of Hells Canyon in Washington and Idaho in the United States. This population of several thousand plants has yet to be found on any of the non-calcareous substrates in the vicinity. Its affinities appear closest to Astragalus sect. Podosclerocarpi A. Gray, which hitherto encompassed three species of the Columbia Basin of British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington, in northwestern North America. Astragalus asotinensis represents a disjunct element of section Podosclerocarpi, the nearest population of which, in the form of A. sclerocarpus A. Gray, occurs 150 km northwest. With species of section Podosclerocarpi, A. asotinensis shares a strongly cauline habit, creamy white petals, non-gibbous calyx base, and stipitate, curved fruits. It is unique within section Podosclerocarpi in having sparse pubescence, a much longer ratio of peduncle-to-raceme length (4:1), and an intermediate leaflet length-width ratio (5:1).