cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Including users with disabilities

This SIG will begin the information exchange on designing for disabilities for professionals who have not formally considered disabled communities as part of their user/subject base before. Until recently, only professionals working in the area of assistive technologies/devices focused on design for people with disabilities. However, more applications, software, products and services that have typically been targeted at the general population now have requirements that they be equally usable by the "normal" healthy population of users and by users with various disabilities (e.g., physical, sensory, cognitive). For example, in the United States, the FCC has mandated that all telecommunication devices and services used by the general population be accessible by people with disabilities whenever it is readily achievable (i.e., without much difficulty or expense). To the extent it is not readily achievable for these devices to be accessible, then they must be made compatible with commonly used assistive devices [2][3]. There are other mandates and standards that are heading in the same direction [1]. For professionals working on products, services, and applications that are or will soon be impacted by these types of mandates, the typical methods used for design, data collection, and test will be fundamentally altered.
Fear and avoidance of internal experiences among patients with substance use disorders and PTSD: The centrality of anxiety sensitivity

This study evaluated anxiety sensitivity, cognitive avoidance, and alexithymia and their relationship to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use indices concurrently and prospectively in an outpatient substance abuse treatment sample that screened positive for PTSD (N=58). Anxiety sensitivity accounted for substantial variance in the PTSD clusters, reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal, both concurrently and prospectively. Cognitive avoidance accounted for additional variance with concurrent PTSD avoidance symptoms. Anxiety sensitivity and cognitive avoidance were largely not associated with alcohol use indices. Alexithymia was largely redundant with cognitive avoidance and was, therefore, not included in the regression analyses. Theoretical and treatment implications of these findings are discussed in the context of individuals with dually diagnosed PTSD and substance abuse disorders.
Biology, husbandry, and veterinary care of captive Chinese pangolins (Manis pentadactyla)

We report observations on the biology, diet, husbandry, and veterinary care of four adult Chinese pangolins (Manis pentadactyla) maintained at the University of California, San Diego, for 1.5 years; and the births of two baby pangolins. Experience indicates that the minimum requirements for Chinese pangolins is an enclosure 10–12 m2, 26°C ambient temperature, a nest box with sand floor, and litter boxes placed in one or two corners of the enclosure for defecation and urination. A diet of two cans of cat food (Science Diet or ZuPreem), 6 tablespoons Esbilac, 2 tablespoons psyllium seed powder, and two raw egg yolks provide adequate nutrition for four pangolins for 1–2 days. Veterinary care should include a complete physical examination of integument and organ systems, determination of blood values, fecal analysis, and treatment with the anthelmintic thiabendazole for elimination of internal parasites. Parasites observed in the four pangolins included Strongyloides, hookworms, filarial nematodes (species unidentified), and nematodes of the genus Cylicospirura. The baby pangolins were born in November (male) and February (female), weighed 93 g and 92 g at birth, and lived 1 and 5 days, respectively. All adult pangolins observed strictly nocturnal behavior patterns.
Empowering Digital Interactions with Real World Conversation

The potential of augmented reality technologies (AR) for learning in a social and informal setting has been recognized, but little is yet known about the kinds of learning interactions it promotes and supports. In this paper, we describe initial findings from a study where an interactive, immersive, full-body simulation was deployed in a science center. Children complete a series of simulation tasks by making themselves mobile, and using their bodies to enact their understanding of a scientific system. Parents and siblings are able to support these activities by engaging the child in conversations about their actions and subsequent outcomes. Our analysis shows that parents primarily support the child’s learning by prompting her to reflect and plan, countering a child’s tendency to engage with the simulation in an unsystematic way. The analysis suggests that, unlike traditional learning technologies, these kinds of immersive, visible, and physical technology platforms are able to support productive forms of social interaction, creating a space for reflection and engagement with critical concepts that benefits processes for learning.
Sequence of choline acetyltransferase temperature-sensitive mutants determined by the polymerase chain reaction.

Abstract Two temperature-sensitive alleles of Drosophila melanogaster , Cha ts1 and Cha ts2 , have been previously identified and are thought to be point mutations in the structural gene for the neurotransmitter biosynthetic enzyme choline acetyltransferase. In order to clarify the molecular nature of these alleles and characterize the presumed amino acid substitutions, we have used the polymerase chain reaction to amplify choline acetyltransferase messenger ribonucleic acid fragments from both mutant genotypes. Amplified mutant complementary deoxyribonucleic acid was cloned and used to construct chimeric complementary deoxyribonucleic acid clones containing approximately two-thirds of the wild-type sequence which would code for N-terminal amino acids and one-third of the mutant sequence coding for the C-terminal amino acids. After in vitro translation of complementary ribonucleic acid produced from the chimeric complementary deoxyribonucleic acid clones, choline acetyltransferase activity was determined and shown to be thermolabile. Sequence analyses of these clones showed that one amino acid substitution due to single base substitution is crucial in each chimeric choline acetyltransferase complementary deoxyribonucleic acid to generate a thermolabile choline acetyltransferase product. The point mutations of the structural gene for choline acetyltransferase are thus confirmed and shown to regulate the thermolability of the enzyme produced by Cha ts1 and Cha ts2 .
Big data: extending the business strategy toolbox

The business world is rapidly digitizing as companies embrace sensors, mobile devices, radio frequency identi- fication, audio and video streams, software logs, and the Internet to predict needs, avert fraud and waste, understand relationships, and connect with stakeholders both internal and external to the firm. Digitization creates challenges because for most companies it is unevenly distributed throughout the organization: in a 2013 survey, only 39% of company-wide investment in digitization was identified as being in the IT budget (Weill and Woerner, 2013a). This uneven, discon-necked investment makes it difficult to consolidate and simplify the increasing amount of data that is one of the outcomes of digitization. This in turn makes it more difficult to derive insight – and then proceed based on that insight. Early big data research identified over a dozen characteristics of data (e.g., location, network associations, latency, structure, softness) that challenge extant data management practices (Santos and Singer, 2012).
Sonic waveform attenuation in gas hydrate-bearing sediments from the Mallik 2L-38 research well, Mackenzie Delta, Canada

[1] The Mallik 2L-38 research well was drilled to 1150 m under the Mackenzie Delta, Canada, and penetrated a subpermafrost interval where methane hydrate occupies up to 80% of the pore space. A suite of high-quality downhole logs was acquired to measure in situ the physical properties of these hydrate-bearing sediments. Similar to other hydrate deposits, resistivity and compressional and shear sonic velocity data increase with higher hydrate saturation owing to electrical insulation of the pore space and stiffening of the sediment framework. In addition, sonic waveforms show strong amplitude losses of both compressional and shear waves in intervals where methane hydrate is observed. We use monopole and dipole waveforms to estimate compressional and shear attenuation. Comparing with hydrate saturation values derived from the resistivity log, we observe a linear increase in both attenuation measurements with increasing hydrate saturation, which is not intuitive for stiffening sediments. Numerical modeling of the waveforms allows us to reproduce the recorded waveforms and illustrate these results. We also use a model for wave propagation in frozen porous media to explain qualitatively the loss of sonic waveform amplitude in hydrate-bearing sediments. We suggest that this model can be improved and extended, allowing hydrate saturation to be quantified from attenuation measurements in similar environments and providing new insight into how hydrate and its sediment host interact.
Trends in the catalytic reduction of CO2 by hydrogen over supported monometallic and bimetallic catalysts

Abstract The reduction of CO2 by hydrogen has been conducted on supported catalysts in a batch reactor. Catalysts synthesized on a reducible support (CeO2) showed higher activity than on an irreducible support (γ-Al2O3). The active metal also played an important role in controlling the selective reduction of CO2 to CO instead of CH4. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the formation of uniform, bimetallic particles. Among the monometallic and bimetallic catalysts evaluated in the current study, PdNi/CeO2 was the most active bimetallic catalyst, but also formed the greatest amount of CH4, while PtCo/γ-Al2O3 showed the highest selectivity to CO with little CH4 production. The selectivity was correlated with electronic properties of the supported catalysts by using values of surface d-band center. The general trends observed should provide insights in identifying desirable catalysts for the reduction of CO2.
A Method of Decomposing Wave Motions

A method is presented for decomposing wave motion into its principle components. The basic idea is a generalization of proper orthogonal decomposition. The method involves the representation of real oscillatory signals as complex phasors. The relationship between complex modes and wave motion is explored. From an ensemble of complex signals, a complex correlation matrix is formed, and its complex eigensolution is the basis of the decomposition (like a complex singular value decomposition). The complex eigenvectors contain standing and traveling characteristics. A traveling index is proposed to quantify the relative degree of traveling and standing in a waveform. A method of dissecting a wave mode into its traveling and standing parts is also proposed. From the complex modes and modal coordinates, frequencies, wavelengths, and characteristic wave speeds can be obtained. The method is applied to traveling and standing-wave examples.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
The police and social threat: Urban transition, youth gangs, and social control

Based on a study of U.S. cities of 25,000 or more, this paper describes the impact of urban decline from 1970–1980 and the magnitude of youth gang problems on municipal fiscal commitment to policing. After statistical controls are imposed for the city's crime rate, revenues and demographic characteristics, the results indicate that urban transition and recognition of youth gang problems influence municipal police funding. Implications are drawn concerning the extent to which police are called upon to manage social threats that rise from the ashes of urban decay.
Carbon‐13 NMR spectra of methylated cyclobutanes and ethyl cyclobutane‐carboxylates

The 13C NMR spectra of cyclobutane and seven methylated homologs and of ethyl cyclobutanecarboxylate and five isomeric diethyl cyclobutanedicarboxylates are reported and substituent parameters for methyl groups in methylcyclobutanes are calculated. Of note is a sizeable and nearly configuration-independent upfield shifting γ-effect.
Metabolism of 8,11,14,17-eicosatetraenoic acid by human platelet lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase.

Abstract Human platelets metabolize 8,11,14,17-eicosatetraenoic acid primarily into 12-hydroxy-8,10,14,17-eicosatetraenoic acid. Several other hydroxy acids were also produced in small amounts via an indomethacin insensitive pathway. Platelet cyclooxygenase metabolized this acid only into 12-hydroxy-8,10,14-heptadecatrienoic acid. It was not possible to detect any cyclic products even though vesicular gland cyclooxygenase metabolizes this ( n −3) acid to 17,18-dehydroprostaglandin E 1 (Oliw, E.H., Sprecher, H. and Hamberg, M. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 2675–2683).
Competition, herbivory, and reproduction of trichome phenotypes of datura wrightii

The trichome dimorphism of Datura wrightii is intriguing because glandular trichome production has a high fitness cost. Plants producing glandular trichomes (''sticky'' plants) are resistant to many insect herbivores that attack plants producing nonglandular trichomes (''velvety'' plants). When protected from herbivores, sticky plants initially pro- duce fewer seeds than velvety plants but grow to a larger size. In a three-year field ex- periment, we tested the hypothesis that sticky plants acquire a competitive advantage through greater vegetative growth. In the absence of herbivores, sticky and velvety plants grew to similar sizes in their first year, but sticky plants grew larger in the second and third years. Seed production of sticky plants was 46-60% less than velvety plants in their first year, and this caused a 13% reduction in their finite rate of increase overall, even though sticky plants produced more seeds than velvety plants did in later years. The impact of herbivory varied with plant density, and herbivores reduced plant fitness more at low plant density than at high plant density. The differences in growth associated with trichome morphology occurred too late to provide a competitive advantage to sticky plants and probably contribute little to the maintenance of D. wrightii's trichome dimorphism.
Botulism: the causative agent and its control in foods

Abstract Clostridium botulinum is the causative agent in four types of botulism: foodborne, infant, wound and those classified as undetermined. The types of C. botulinum and food products involved in various foodborne botulism outbreaks are discussed in this review. Most foodborne botulism outbreaks result from consumption of home-processed or home-canned foods; relatively few are caused by commercial products. Various physical and chemical treatments that can be used in foods either to destroy C. botulinum spores or control their outgrowth and toxin production are presented, and concerns about potential foodborne botulism outbreaks from new generation foods are discussed.
Orientation in extruded BeO

Abstract Characteristic particle shape in three types of BeO powder used for extrusion was shown to control the amount and direction of preferred orientation in extruded rods. The enhancement of orientation during grain growth was demonstrated. A quantitative measurement of orientation distribution was used with thermal expansion and Young's modulus measurements on polycrystalline rods of varying orientation to resolve these properties along the principal crystallographic axes.
Uniqueness of positive solutions for a class of semipositone elliptic systems

Abstract We consider the system − Δ u = λ f ( v ) ; x ∈ Ω − Δ v = μ g ( u ) ; x ∈ Ω u = 0 = v ; x ∈ ∂ Ω where Ω is a ball in R N , N ≥ 1 , and ∂ Ω is its boundary, λ , μ are positive parameters, and f , g are smooth functions that are negative at the origin and f ( x ) ∼ x p and g ( x ) ∼ x q for large x for some p , q ≥ 0 with p q 1 . We establish the uniqueness of positive solutions when the parameters λ and μ are large.
Classic Hemodynamic Findings of Severe Aortic Regurgitation

A 46-year-old woman was hospitalized for acute heart failure. Transthoracic echocardiogram showed a left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic dimension of 5.6 cm, normal LV systolic function, and malcoaptation of the aortic leaflets (Movie I in the online-only data supplement). M-mode showed type A early closure of the mitral valve (Figure …
What's Next in the Pipeline

The first decade of the new millennium has been disappointing for transplant therapeutics: no new immunosuppression agents have been approved. Several high profile drugs and biologics failed the rigors of clinical trials or had disappointing preclinical results (FTY720, FK778, anti-CDI54, anti-IL15, anti-CD28, R3421). Several challenges face the industry and clinical investigators in bringing novel drugs to the clinic including the difficulty in targeting new endpoints for toxicities or chronic allograft disease since acute rejection has been reduced to below 15% as well as the Food and Drug Administration insistence of excluding the use of immunosuppression regimens embraced by the transplant community in control arms of clinical trials. Currently six new agents, 3 small molecules (ISA247, a semisynthetic analogue of cyclosporine; AEB071, a protein kinase C isoforms inhibitor; CP 690,550, a selective Janus kinase inhibitor) are in phase II trials and 3 biologics (belatacept, a second generation CTLA4Ig; efalizumab, a humanized antiCD11a [LFA1] monoclonal antibody; and alefacept, a LFA3-IgG1 fusion receptor protein) are in phase II/III clinical trials. The preclinical pipeline is not only full but promises to address previously neglected targets and fulfill unmet medical needs in transplant therapeutics.
An investigation of the applicability of data usage analysis

Abstract An investigation into the application of data usage analysis to detect faults in large data processing programs was performed. This investigation was done to gain insight into the applicability of data usage analysis. The method uses stylized comments, called data usage comments. A prototype tool, DataCheck, was developed which incorporated a limited form of infeasible path detection. The investigation showed that data usage analysis is effective in the detection of a general class of persistent data usage faults in large programs and that the type of infeasible path detection implemented in DataCheck is sufficient to eliminate most spurious data usage error messages. The difference between data usage analysis and other technologies like variable reference analysis are described.
Isolation of a Crystalline Disaccharide, Hyalobiuronic Acid, from Hyaluronic Acid

THE structure of hyaluronic acid, an important constituent of the ‘ground substance’, has been the subject of intensive study in recent years. Applications of conventional methylation and periodate consumption methods to the intact polysaccharide1,2 have indicated that such methods will not yield substantial evidence of structure. The isolation and clarification of structure of crystalline oligosaccharides derived from hyaluronic acid is the most rigorous method of studying the structural details of this physiologically important substance. Such well-defined compounds are also required as models for establishing the specificity of the enzyme systems acting on hyaluronic acid.
Winter surface energy budget in Denver, Colorado

Abstract The surface energy budget plays a major role in the evolution of the boundary layer in an urban environment. Because of the complex pattern of city surfaces, measurement and simulation of the surface energy budget are very difficult to perform. This paper presents a study of the winter surface energy budget conducted in downtown Denver, Colorado. By combining measurements with model simulations using a Geographical Information System, the temporal and spatial evolution of the surface energy budget inside downtown Denver is described. Results show the importance of heat emission from building walls, local shadowing by tall buildings, subsurface heat flux, and the effects of snow cover on the surface energy budget.
What Influences Literacy Outcome in Children With Speech Sound Disorder

Purpose In this study, the authors evaluated literacy outcome in children with histories of speech sound disorder (SSD) who were characterized along 2 dimensions: broader language function and pers...
Adaptive color artwork

The words in a document are often supported, illustrated, and enriched by visuals. When color is used, some of it is used to define the document's identity and is therefore strictly controlled in the design process. The result of this design process is a "color specification sheet," which must be created for every background color. While in traditional publishing there are only a few backgrounds, in variable data publishing a larger number of backgrounds can be used. We present an algorithm that nudges the colors in a visual to be distinct from a background while preserving the visual's general color character.
Pediatric distal radial fractures treated by emergency physicians.

Abstract Background: The initial management of distal radius fractures in children is part of the usual practice of Emergency Medicine. However, no data are available evaluating the outcome of pediatric forearm fractures that undergo closed reduction and casting by emergency physicians. Study Objective: To assess short-term outcomes after distal forearm fracture reductions performed by emergency physicians. Methods: A retrospective cohort study with matched controls was performed on children with a closed, displaced, or angulated distal forearm fracture that required manipulation. The study group was defined as patients in whom emergency physicians performed closed manipulation and cast immobilization without orthopedic consultation. The control group was defined as patients who had closed reduction by an orthopedic resident. Two controls were identified for each study patient on or around the same date of visit. During the 20-month period, the medical records of 22 study patients and 42 controls were reviewed. The two groups were similar in age, fracture angulation and displacement, and skeletal maturity. Results: All patients had acceptable alignment at 3–5-day follow-up. Two study patients and one control required re-manipulation at subsequent follow-up ( p = 0.34). All other patients in both groups who were seen at follow-up had satisfactory healing and function at 6–8 weeks after injury. Three study patients and 4 controls had an unscheduled outpatient visit to the Emergency Department (ED) for cast-related problems ( p = 0.80). None of these patients developed compartment syndrome. The mean length of stay in the ED was lower in the study group than in the control group (3.1 h compared to 5.1 h, respectively; p = 0.0026). The mean facility charge also was lower in the study group ($2182.50 compared to $3031 in the control group; p = 0.0006). Conclusions: Our results suggest that emergency physicians may be able to successfully provide restorative care for distal forearm fractures using closed reduction technique. Care rendered by emergency physicians was associated with a shorter length of stay and lower facility charges.
Characterizing the value of technological knowledge for lean manufacturing

This paper argues that managing technological knowledge is the last frontier of lean manufacturing. An empirically grounded model of the structure of organizational technological knowledge allows manufacturing managers to determine the true value of lean manufacturing practices over lifecycle of their processes. The approach described in this paper also helps fab managers enhance profitability by choosing appropriate strategies organizational learning and problem-solving for three semiconductor businesses: VLSI, commodity components and specialty parts.
CONTROLLING RELATIONS IN CONDITIONAL DISCRIMINATION AND MATCHING BY EXCLUSION

Abstract Normally capable adults learned two-choice identity matching of three-digit numerals and arbitrary matching of physically dissimilar nonsense syllables. The stimuli were displayed on a computer terminal, and responses consisted of typing on the terminal's keyboard. In Experiment 1, every trial displayed a sample numeral, a comparison numeral, and three equal signs (= = =). The comparison stimulus was to be selected if it was identical with the sample; otherwise the equal sign was to be selected. This "single comparison" method was then used to show that arbitrary matching could be based upon either sample-S+ or sample-S- relations. In Experiment 2, a series of probe trials displayed a novel sample, a comparison stimulus from the arbitrary matching baseline, and = = =. Subjects typically selected = = =; they apparently were excluding the baseline comparison stimulus. Experiments 3 through 5 investigated which variables in training would lead to the selection of baseline comparison stimuli in response to novel samples. Behavior was usually unchanged when baseline training included relating comparison stimuli to as many as four different samples. Punishment contingencies were effective, but performance did not generalize unless those contingencies were applied in relation to more than one baseline comparison stimulus.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL PARADOX OF BICYCLING

Substituting bicycling for driving is frequently promoted as a means of reducing energy consumption and the associated degradation of the environment. This paper estimates the magnitude of this effect. The analysis takes account of the first-order effects due to the dramatically lower energy requirements of transportation by bicycle relative to automobiles. The environmental benefits of human power are, however, strongly coupled to the environmental costs of increased population, due to increased longevity of those who engage in physical activity. Paradoxically, increased use of human power for transportation is unlikely to reduce substantially the use of energy because of this second-order effect. Humanpowered transportation is therefore less an environmental issue and more an issue of public health. The interplay between longevity and environmental impact is a central feature of the conflicting societal objectives of improving human health and increasing environmental sustainability.
Health Costs Do Reduce U.S. Competitiveness

Publishing at its best can be a lively exchange between a journal's authors and readers. We encourage your responses to what you read in Health Affairs. Please keep responses brief (two typed pages) and sharply focused. Health Affairs reserves the right to edit all letters to the editor for clarity and space.
MSP: multi-sequence positioning of wireless sensor nodes

Wireless Sensor Networks have been proposed for use in many location-dependent applications. Most of these need to identify the locations of wireless sensor nodes, a challenging task because of the severe constraints on cost, energy and effective range of sensor devices. To overcome limitations in existing solutions, we present a Multi-Sequence Positioning (MSP) method for large-scale stationary sensor node localization in outdoor environments. The novel idea behind MSP is to reconstruct and estimate two-dimensional location information for each sensor node by processing multiple one-dimensional node sequences, easily obtained through loosely guided event distribution. Starting from a basic MSP design, we propose four optimizations, which work together to increase the localization accuracy. We address several interesting issues, such as incomplete (partial) node sequences and sequence flip, found in the Mirage test-bed we built. We have evaluated the MSP system through theoretical analysis, extensive simulation as well as two physical systems (an indoor version with 46 MICAz motes and an outdoor version with 20 MICAz motes). This evaluation demonstrates that MSP can achieve an accuracy within one foot, requiring neither additional costly hardware on sensor nodes nor precise event distribution. It also provides a nice tradeoff between physical cost (anchors) and soft cost (events), while maintaining localization accuracy.
Netstub: a framework for verification of distributed java applications

Automated verification of distributed programs is a challenging problem. Since the behavior of a distributed program encompasses the behavior of the network, possible configurations of the network have to be investigated during verification. This leads to very large state spaces, and automated verification becomes infeasible. We present a framework that addresses this problem by decoupling the behavior of distributed programs from the behavior of the network. Our framework is based on a set of stub classes that replace native methods used in network communication and enables verification of distributed Java applications by isolating their behavior from the network. The framework supports two modes of verification: unit verification and integration verification. Integration verification checks multiple interacting distributed application components by running them in a single JVM and simulating the behavior of the network within the same JVM via stub classes. Unit verification targets a single component of a distributed application and requires that the user write an event generator class that utilizes the API exported by the framework. While unit verification only checks a single application component, it benefits from a greatly reduced state space compared do that of integration verification
The Relationships of Coping, Negative Thinking, Life Satisfaction, Social Support, and Selected Demographics With Anxiety of Young Adult College Students

Problem Understanding young adults' anxiety requires applying a multidimensional approach to assess the psychosocial, behavioral, and cognitive aspects of this phenomenon. Methods A hypothesized model of the relationships among coping style, thinking style, life satisfaction, social support, and selected demographics and anxiety among college students was tested using path analysis. A total of 257 undergraduate students aged 18–24 years completed an online survey. The independent variables were measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Brief Students' Multidimensional Life Satisfaction Scale, the Brief COPE Inventory, the Positive Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire, and the Cognition Checklist-Anxiety. The outcome, anxiety, was measured using the Anxiety subscale of the 21-item Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale. Findings Only negative thinking and maladaptive coping had a direct relationship with anxiety. Negative thinking was the strongest predictor of both maladaptive coping and anxiety. Conclusion These findings suggest that helping undergraduates manage their anxiety by reducing their negative thinking is critical. Designing and testing interventions to decrease negative thinking in college students is recommended for future research.
Meeting Ph.D. graduates' needs in a changing global environment

While the world is becoming smaller in some senses, the intellectual terrain is becoming ever more difficult to traverse. The physical world is changing at an accelerated pace because of human activities. New technologies and intellectual breakthroughs have profoundly changed our understanding of the environment but also have revealed vast chasms of ignorance at the boundaries between disciplines. Disciplines have fractured, multiplied, and coalesced like volcanic islands in a sea of turmoil. The net result is that interdisciplinary collaborations are increasingly needed to extend research frontiers and address issues at the interface of science and society.
Macromolecular crystallography and medicine

Macromolecular crystallography is discussed in terms of its impact on medicine, and selected examples of protein structures of medical relevance are provided. The application of crystallography to the study of genetic diseases is covered, as well as the role of crystallography in the development of novel pharmaceuticals.
Tests of ecological equivalence of two species of terrestrial gastropods as second intermediate hosts of Panopistus pricei (Trematoda: Brachylaimidae)

Metacercariae of Panopistus pricei (Brachylaimidae) are common parasites of 2 species of terrestrial gastropods (Neohelix albolabris; Webbhelix multilineata) in southeastern Nebraska. Field data were collected to determine if individuals of N. albolabris and W. multilineata function as ecologically equivalent second intermediate hosts of P. pricei along a transect on the western edge of the Missouri River. Metacercariae were recovered and measured from samples of 30 snails of each species collected at each of 6 sites; whole kidneys from snails of both species were examined to quantify microhabitat use. Microhabitat use of P. pricei did not differ between host species; in both N. albolabris and W. multilineata, metacercariae were concentrated in the primary ureter and occurred throughout the kidney proper. Prevalences and mean abundances did not differ between host species at any site, nor did the relationship between parasite abundance and host size. Prevalences and mean abundances across sites were positively correlated between host species. At 2 sites, demographics of metacercariae differed between host species, suggesting short-term differences in the history of encounters with cercariae in the environment and differences in transmission to shrew definitive hosts. Overall, N. albolabris and W. multilineata appear to be equivalent and required second intermediate hosts of P. pricei in the area studied.
Resource management in networked multimedia systems

User expectations for multimedia applications are imposing enormous demands on network delivery. Proper resource management is crucial to high throughput, fast rates, and time and space guarantees. >
Postsynaptic mechanisms involved in long-term potentiation.

Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a persistent enhancement of synaptic transmission observed at excitatory synapses in the mammalian hippocampus (Bliss and Lomo, 1973). This phenomenon is one of the most striking examples of synaptic plasticity in the vertebrate brain, and has been intensively studied as a model for learning and memory. LTP can be divided into two parts, the triggering or initiation events, and the long-lasting alteration in synaptic strength. In the past six years a considerable body of work has clarified some of the processes involved in triggering LTP, and it has become widely accepted that these processes are localized to the postsynaptic neuron. In contrast, the processes responsible for maintaining the potentiation over time are not as clearly understood, and the synaptic site of these processes remains controversial. This chapter will focus on work from our laboratory studying the cellular mechanisms involved in LTP at the Schaffer collateral-pyramidal cell synapse in the CA1 region of the hippocampal slice preparation.
Dispersionless three-dimensional metamaterial with a very high refractive index

We present metamaterials that can possess arbitrarily high refractive indices over very broad frequency range. Nearly independent control of permittivity and permeability can be achieved by geometrical designs, without using dispersive, resonant elements.
Statistical pulse compression

The seismic method in petroleum exploration is an echo-location technique to detect interfaces between the subsurface sedimentary layers of the earth. The received seismic reflection record (field trace), in general, may be modeled as a linear time-varying (LTV) system. However, in order to make the problem tractable, we do not deal with the entire field trace as a single unit, but instead subdivide it into time gates. For any time gate on the trace, there is a corresponding vertical section of rock layers within the earth, such that the primary (direct) reflections from these layers all arrive within the gate. Each interface between layers is characterized by a local (or Fresnel) reflection coefficient, which physically must be less than unity in magnitude. Under the hypothesis that the vertical earth section has small reflection coefficients, then within the corresponding time gate the LTV model of the seismic field trace reduces to a linear time-invariant (LTI) system. This LTI system, known as the convolutional model of the seismic trace, says that the field trace is the convolution of a seismic wavelet with the reflection coefficient series. If, in addition, the reflection coefficient series is white, then all the spectral shape of the trace within the gate can be attributed to the seismic wavelet. Thus the inverse wavelet can be computed as the prediction error operator (for unit prediction distance) by the method of least squares. The convolution of this inverse wavelet with the field trace yields the desired reflection coefficients. This statistical pulse compression method, known as predictive deconvolution with unit prediction distance, is also called spike deconvolution. Alternatively, predictive deconvolution with greater prediction distance can be used, and it is known as gapped deconvolution. Other pulse compression methods used in seismic processing are signature deconvolution, wavelet processing, and minimum entropy deconvolution.
Direct Spectrophotometric Determination of Fat and Moisture in Meat Products

SUMMARY— The near-infrared spectral absorption properties of P-mm-thick samples of meat emulsions were measured by direct spectrophotometric techniques. The resulting spectra are interpreted in terms of absorptions from O-H and C-H stretching vibrations combined with scatter losses. Optical-density differences are correlated with fat and moisture contents. The difference in optical density between 1.80 and 1.725 p gave a high correlation with moisture content and the difference between 1.725 and 1.65 P gave a high correlation with fat content. Direct spectrophotometric analysis predicted fat content within a standard error of ± 2.1% and moisture content within ± 1.4%. The possibilities of this technique are explored and the problems to be solved in developing a rapid, accurate method are discussed
Frequency by Decades of Unicuspid, Bicuspid, and Tricuspid Aortic Valves in Adults Having Isolated Aortic Valve Replacement for Aortic Stenosis, With or Without Associated Aortic Regurgitation

Background— Aortic valve stenosis (with or without aortic regurgitation and without associated mitral stenosis) in adults in the Western world has been considered in recent years to most commonly b...
Networks for approximation and learning

The problem of the approximation of nonlinear mapping, (especially continuous mappings) is considered. Regularization theory and a theoretical framework for approximation (based on regularization techniques) that leads to a class of three-layer networks called regularization networks are discussed. Regularization networks are mathematically related to the radial basis functions, mainly used for strict interpolation tasks. Learning as approximation and learning as hypersurface reconstruction are discussed. Two extensions of the regularization approach are presented, along with the approach's corrections to splines, regularization, Bayes formulation, and clustering. The theory of regularization networks is generalized to a formulation that includes task-dependent clustering and dimensionality reduction. Applications of regularization networks are discussed. >
De Madres a Madres: a community partnership for health.

Abstract To increase the number of Hispanic women who begin early prenatal care, a community partnership for health was initiated among the general public, businesses, 14 volunteer mothers, and one community health nurse. Volunteer mothers living in the targeted community were taught how to identify Hispanic women at risk for not starting early prenatal care, and how to provide social support and community resource information within a culturally acceptable milieu. At the end of the first year of the partnership, over 2000 women at risk for not starting early prenatal care had been contacted by the volunteer mothers.
Uniform Head in Horizontal and Vertical Wells

The steady-state head within a fully penetrating well may be estimated by evaluating the Thiem equation at the radius of the well. A method is presented here to extend results from the Thiem equation to horizontal wells and to partially penetrating wells. The particular model used in this investigation is based upon the analytic element method; it accurately reproduces a boundary condition of uniform head along the cylindrical surface at the perforated face of the well. This model is exercised over a representative range of parameters including the well's length, radius, and pumping rate, and the aquifer's hydraulic conductivity and thickness. Results are presented in a set of figures and tables that compare the well's drawdown to the drawdown that would have been obtained using the Thiem solution with the same pumping rate and radius. A methodology is presented to estimate the head within a horizontal or partially penetrating well by adding a correction term to results that can be readily obtained from computer models of vertical fully penetrating wells. This approach may also be used to contrast the differences in head between horizontal and vertical wells of various lengths, radii, and placement elevations.
Shipboard Power Systems Research Activities at Mississippi State University

The future all-electric ship platform is providing a new set of research and development activities related to the electric power system. In order to design, build, and operate the ship effectively, tools must be developed that allow for modeling, simulation and analysis of individual parts of the shipboard power system as well as integration of the power system as a whole. This paper reports on activities at Mississippi State University related to modeling and simulation of shipboard power systems in the area of power system analysis, power electronic analysis and integration, and material modeling and testing.
Hierarchical heterogeneous particle swarm optimization: algorithms and evaluations

Particle swarm optimization PSO has recently been extended in several directions. Heterogeneous PSO HPSO is one of such recent extensions, which implements behavioural heterogeneity of particles. In this paper, we propose a further extended version, Hierarchcial Heterogeenous PSO HHPSO, in which heterogeneous behaviors of particles are enforced through interactions among hierarchically structured particles. Two algorithms have been developed and studied: multi-layer HHPSO ml-HHPSO and multi-group HHPSO mg-HHPSO. In each HHPSO algorithm, stagnancy and overcrowding detection mechanisms were implemented to avoid premature convergence. The algorithm performance was measured on a set of benchmark functions and compared with performances of standard PSO SPSO and HPSO. The results demonstrated that both ml-HHPSO and mg-HHPSO performed well on all testing problems and significantly outperformed SPSO and HPSO in terms of solution accuracy, convergence speed and diversity maintenance. Further computational experiments revealed the optimal frequencies of stagnation and overcrowding detection for each HHPSO algorithm.
Effect of glucose on induction of a-glucosidase in Candida.

Candida stellatoidea (Jones & Martin) Langeron & Guerra grown in glucose broth does not ferment maltose immediately upon presentation of this disaccharide; however, washed cells acquire the power to use maltose after a few hours incubation with this sugar. Although inducer alone is sufficient to elicit measurable production of enzymic activity, addition of arginine greatly stimulates the adaptation. Conversely, presence of glucose in the induction milieu prevents acquisition of ability to ferment maltose (Bradley and Creevy, 1961). Previous work determined neither the specificity of the induced enzyme nor the mechanism of the glucose inhibition. The results presented here demonstrate that the a-glucosidase is an enzyme with high specificity for maltose and that glucose affects enzyme synthesis rather than its activity.
The world of biometry

The International Biometric Society is an international society for the advancement of biological science through the development of quantitative theories and the application, development and dissemination of effective mathematical and statistical techniques. We consider some of the nonscientific and scientific issues being addressed by researchers in and across Regions and Groups of our Biometric world. These run the gamut of theoretical to applied mathematics and statistics with the applications spanning many fields and, not surprisingly, forming a rich source of new theoretical developments.
Establishment of Foundation for Cooling Column

Presents the optimum foundation scheme established for the cooling column at the Jixi Power Plant through reviewing different foundation schemes with necessary considerations dccorded the complicated geological conditions where the cooling column is: existence of soft basement complex, big changes in thickness of filled earth, and poor engineering properties of discrete earth, which justify further treatment of foundation.
Pulmonary vascular response to angiotensin II in canine pacing-induced heart failure

The effects of angiotensin II(ANG II) on pulmonary vascular resistance and microvascular permeability were studied in isolated, blood-perfused, ventilated canine lung lobes from control animals (n = 40) and animals with pacing-induced heart failure (n = 15). Conditioned dogs were paced (245 beats/min) for 30.6 +/- 0.9 (SE) days until left ventricular shortening fraction decreased by 56% (P < 0.05). Baseline pulmonary arterial resistance (Ra) (19.1 +/- 1.6 vs. 8.0 +/- 1.1 cmH2O.1(-1).min.100g) and venous resistance (Rv) (17.1 +/- 2.3 vs. 7.8 +/- 1.0 cmH2O.1(-1).min.100 g) were greater (P < 0.05) in the paced group compared with controls, respectively. Increments in Ra (delta Ra) and Rv(delta Rv) were measured after intra-arterial boluses of ANG II (1-10 micrograms). ANG II produced a dose-dependent response in delta Ra that was enhanced after pacing (P < 0.05). There was no effect on delta Rv in either group. At increased venous pressure (Pv = 20 cmH2O), the increments in delta Ra were significantly attenuated in both groups. In control lobes at low Pv, delta Ra and delta Rv both tended to decrease with increased lobar blood flow, suggesting that blood flow affects the pulmonary vascular response of ANG II. The baseline capillary filtration coefficient (Kf,c) was not different in the paced group compared with control, nor was there any effect of ANG II on Kf,c in the paced group. However, Kf,c did increase after ANG II in the control groups evaluated at either low or high Pv (P < 0.05). This difference in Kf,c was not seen if the experiment was done at increased Pv but without ANG II administration. We conclude that the pulmonary vasoconstrictor activity of ANG II is modestly enhanced in canine pacing-induced heart failure. Nonetheless, ANG II does not likely contribute to increased pulmonary vascular resistance in vivo in heart failure, since this effect was abolished at increased Pv. Finally, the absence of any effect of ANG II on pulmonary microvascular permeability in the paced group is suggestive of some adaptive remodeling of the capillary endothelial barrier.
Perspectives of Future Accelerators and Colliders

The research and development of accelerators has been an integral and essential part of elementary particle physics research. Indeed, the physics progress has been paced, to a large extent, by the improvement in performance of accelerators. It is therefore of crucial importance to attempt to forecast what is in store for the future of accelerators. To do this let us first take a look at the path we have covered during the past 50 years of the field.