cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exploratory mining of collaborative social content

The widespread use and growing popularity of online collaborative content sites (e.g., Yelp, Amazon, IMDB) has created rich resources for users to consult in order to make purchasing decisions on various items such as restaurants, e-commerce products, movies, etc. It has also created new opportunities for producers of such items to improve business by designing better products, composing succinct advertisement snippets and building smart personalized recommendation systems. This motivates us to develop a framework for exploratory mining of user feedback on items in collaborative content sites. Typically, the amount of user feedback associated with item(s) can easily reach hundreds or thousands of ratings, tags or reviews, resulting in an overwhelming amount of information, which users may find difficult to cope with. For example, popular restaurants listed in the review site Yelp routinely receive several thousand ratings and reviews. Moreover, most online activities involve interactions between multiple items and different users, and interpreting such complex user-item interactions becomes intractable too. My PhD research concerns developing novel data mining and exploration algorithms, that account for the above-mentioned challenges, for performing aggregate analytics over available user feedback. Our analysis goal is focused towards helping (a) content consumers make more informed judgment (e.g., if a user will enjoy eating at a particular restaurant), as well as (b) content producers conduct better business (e.g., a re-designed menu to attract more people of a certain demographic group to a restaurant). My dissertation identifies a family of mining tasks, and proposes a suite of algorithms - exact, approximation with theoretical properties, and efficient heuristics - for solving the problems. We conduct a comprehensive set of experiments on the proposed techniques over both synthetic and real data crawled from the web to validate the effectiveness of our framework.
On spectral line profiles in Type Ia supernova spectra

We present a detailed analysis of spectral line profiles in Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) spectra. We focus on the feature at �3500 – 4000 u which is commonly thought to be caused by blueshifted absorption of Ca H&K. Unlike some other spectral features in SN Ia spectra, this feature often has two overlapping (blue and red) components. It is accepted that the red component comes from photospheric calcium. However, it has been proposed that the blue component is caused by either high-velocity calcium (from either abundance or density enhancements above the photosphere of the SN) or Si II λ3858. By looking at multiple data sets and model spectra, we conclude that the blue component of the Ca H&K feature is caused by Si II λ3858 for most SNe Ia. The strength of the Si II λ3858 feature varies strongly with the light-curve shape of a SN. As a result, the velocity measured from a single-Gaussian fit to the full line profile correlates with light-curve shape. The velocity of the Ca H&K component of the profile does not correlate with light-curve shape, contrary to previous claims. We detail the pitfalls of assuming that the blue component of the Ca H&K feature is caused by calcium, with implications for our understanding of SN Ia progenitors, explosions, and cosmology.
Primary cutaneous mucinous carcinoma of the eyelid treated with Mohs surgery.

Primary mucinous carcinoma (PCMC) is a rare, slow-growing mucinous variant of sweat gland tumors. Clinically, PCMC presents with a variety of morphologies and most commonly affects the eyelid or brow followed by the neck and scalp.1 According to a recent meta-analysis by Kamalpour et al,1 approximately 215 cases of PCMC have been reported from 1952 to 2010, with an increased prevalence in whites, elderly, and men. Most of these cases (136 of 159) were treated with traditional surgical excision with 1-cm minimum margins, and only a limited number (15 of 159) were treated with MMS. Of the patients treated with Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS), 2 (13%) had recurring disease with no reported metastases. In contrast, 46 patients (34%) either had recurrence of disease or disease that metastasized when treated with wide local excision. Overall, the rate of PCMC metastasis was low (6.1%), and the rate of local recurrence was high (19.6%). Mean follow-up time was 30.1 (standard deviation, 39.4) months for patients treated with excision and 23.1 (standard deviation, 17.5) months for patients treated with MMS.1 We describe a patient with PCMC of the eyelid treated with MMS who has shown no evidence of recurrence for a longer follow-up period than currently reported in the literature.
Determination of an upper limit to the phosphorus content of polypeptide chain elongation factor and ribosomal proteins in Escherichia coli.

Summary Following reports of phosphoprotein in mammalian ribosomal proteins, a similar study was undertaken in E. coli. The ribosomal proteins contained phosphate which was in the order of 1 mole/mole of subunit, but this phosphorus did not co-electrophorese with any ribosomal protein. The soluble proteins were also analyzed, and from the background level of phosphorus radioactivity in the region of the elongation factors in the gel, it was concluded that there was no greater than 1 mole/mole for all three factors together.
Chemical studies of copper-organic complexes isolated from estuarine waters using C18 reverse-phase liquid chromatography

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) and dissolved copper-organic complexes were isolated from the estuarine waters of Narragansett Bay, RI, using reverse-phase liquid chromatography employing C18 Sep-Pak cartridges (Waters Associates). The cartridges were found to have a constant retention efficiency for processing ⩽ 1-l volumes of seawater. Fractionation of the isolated material, by sequential elution of the Sep-Pak with water: methanol mixtures of increasing organic solvent concentration, yielded a fraction of the organic matter with a specific copper activity six times greater than the overall activity for the isolated DOM. Analysis of this fraction by high performance liquid chromatography suggested that the organic components are of intermediate polarity and have appreciable aromatic character. An investigation of the protonation characteristics of the isolated complexes indicated that most of the copper is associated with a broad range of acidic sites on the DOM. Analysis by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy confirmed the organic association of the isolated copper and also suggested the presence of several types of binding sites which probably involve oxygen donor ligands. Studies of the exchange of 64Cu with these binding sites on the isolated DOM indicated that 70% of the sites undergo rapid exchange with copper in seawater while 20% of these sites did not exchange in a 24-h time period.
Receiver operating characteristic analysis for biliary complications in liver transplantation

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to assess the use of the serum chemical markers, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (AP), and total bilirubin (BR) as tests for biliary complications in patients who had undergone orthotopic liver transplantation. Our study consisted of 105 consecutive adult transplant patients at the University of Chicago from March 1985 to November 1988. Biliary complications were determined by cholangiogram. Maximum serum values for three postoperative time periods (days 0 to 30, days 31 to 90, and > 90 days) were obtained for each patient. ROC analysis showed that GGT was the best single test during the earliest and latest time periods, whereas BR was best during days 31 through 90. We also assessed the time periods, surgical biliary anastomosis, pretransplant diagnosis, and location of biliary lesions compared with the incidence of biliary pathology for the patients. We found that patients with a pretransplant diagnosis of acute parenchymal liver disease were more likely to have biliary complications, and patients with end-to-end anastomosis with T tube were also more likely to have biliary complications. We further conclude that GGT, BR, and AP are all useful in screening for biliary complications and should be used routinely in liver transplant patients.
Polypyrrole actuators: modeling and performance

Conducting polymer actuators generate forces that exceed those of mammalian skeletal muscle by up to two orders of magnitude for a given cross-sectional area, require only a few volts to operate, and are low in cost. However application of conducting polymer actuators is hampered by the lack of a full description of the relationship between load, displacement, voltage and current. In an effort to provide such a model, system identification techniques are employed. Stress-strain tests are performed at constant applied potential to determine polypyrrole stiffness. The admittance transfer function of polypyrrole and the associated electrolyte is measured over the potential range in which polypyrrole is highly conductive. The admittance is well described by treating the polymer as a volumetric capacitance of 8*107 F*m3 whose charging rate is limited by the electrolyte resistance and by diffusion within polypyrrole. The relationship between strain and charge is investigated, showing that strain is directly proportional to charge via the strain to charge density ratio, (alpha) = 1*10+-10 m3*C-1, at loads of up to 4 MPa. Beyond 4 MPa the strain to charge ratio is time dependent. The admittance models, stress/strain relation and strain to charge relationship are combined to form a full description of polypyrrole electromechanical response. This description predicts that large increases in strain rate and power are obtained through miniaturization, yielding bandwidths in excess of 10 kHz. The model also enables motor designers to optimize polypyrrole actuator geometries for their applications.
From Boys to Men: Gender Politics and Jewish Identity in A Serious Man

Like many of their films, the Coen brothers' A Serious Man at once portrays a society dominated by men and calls into question what it is to be a man, especially but not exclusively a Jewish man. Indeed, while Larry Gopnik's wife is the source of much of his trouble, she, like her unmanageable daughter and the seductress-neighbor—the only women characters in the film—occupies minimal space in the narrative. But the role of the female, or the characteristics that differentiate men from women, occupy maximal space in the narrative: They are incorporated throughout the film in Gopnik's behaviors, in parodies of those behaviors, and in stereotypes of Jewish men, and non-Jewish men for that matter, that have a lengthy history in American television and film and in Western, Christian culture more generally. And so we find the central irony of A Serious Man, which is the presence of the female restricted to an indirect “male” presence that articulates the problem of male Jewish identity as it is construed and challenged in the context of American suburban life.
Recent developments in nanostructured thermoelectric materials and devices

Thermal management is a critical issue for microelectronic and microphotonic devices. The efficiency of actual thermoelectric devices is determined by the thermoelectric figure of merit Z. Because Z has unit of inverse temperature, nondimensional figure-of-merit ZT that appears often in device analysis is commonly used. The best ZT materials are found in heavily doped semiconductors which has ZT /spl sim/ 1. One particularly fruitful and exciting approach has been the use of nanostructures. In this paper, the low-dimensional structures can be considered as new materials, despite the fact that they are made of the same atomic structures as their parent materials. Because the constituent parent materials of low-dimensional structures are typically simple materials with well-known properties, the low-dimensional structures are amenable to a certain degree of analysis, prediction and optimization. The state-of-the-art of thermoelectric materials research is described here. In thermoelectric devices it is the electrons that do the useful energy conversion work and the electron temperature that matters for energy conversion. If there is a way to impart energy to electrons while minimizing the coupling to phonons, it is possible to decouple the electrons and phonons. The schematic diagram of surface plasmon coupled nonequilibrium thermoelectric cooler, which uses surface plasmons to transfer energy preferentially to electrons and utilizes non-equilibrium electron-phonon effect in thermoelectric device is shown.
An assessment of geologic sequestration potential in the panhandle of Florida USA

One alternative to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions is to store the emissions in underground geologic sequestration repositories. The efficacy of this approach has been favorably evaluated by numerous authors over the last 15 years. This paper discusses an assessment of the overall feasibility of storing emissions in three different repositories in the Florida panhandle located in the Southeastern United States. The feasibility assessment evaluates both saline aquifers and oil reservoirs located in the panhandle region. The overall feasibility is driven by the available geologic sequestration capacity, the transportation cost to deliver emissions to a respective repository, and other engineering and regulatory issues. The geologic sequestration capacity is generally controlled by the so-called storage efficiency, a variable dependent on the site-specific geology, reservoir conditions, and the injected fluid characteristics. For this paper, storage efficiency for saline repositories was assessed in more detail using numerical modeling. Based on the work completed, the 3 repositories studied have at least 4.55 gigatonnes of capacity to sequester CO2.
COMPLIANCE, ‘NEGATIVISM’, AND THE EFFECTS OF TREATMENT STRUCTURE IN AUTISM: A NATURALISTIC, BEHAVIORAL STUDY

Nineteen autistic individuals were observed in their familiar residential environment using a time-sample technique. Rates of stereotyped and self-injurious behaviors, the direction of the subject's gaze (at staff, task or elsewhere) and the number of requests made to a subject by staff were a function of treatment structure, as defined by the staff: child ratio. While patterns of compliance in response to different types of requests were observed, subjects were generally compliant. The data do not support the notion that autistic children are unusually 'negativistic'. The utility of ecologically valid observations and the need for normative data are discussed.
On-the-fly Object Modeling while Tracking

To implement a persistent tracker, we build a set of view-dependent object appearance models adoptively and automatically while tracking an object under different viewing angles. This collection of acquired models is indexed with respect to the view sphere. The acquired models aid recovery from tracking failure due to occlusion and changing view angle. In this paper, view-dependent object appearance is represented by intensity patches around detected Harris corners. The intensity patches from a model are matched to the current frame by solving a bipartite linear assignment problem with outlier exclusion and missed inlier recovery. Based on these reliable matches, the change in object rotation, translation and scale is estimated between consecutive frames using Procrustes analysis. The experimental results show good performance using a collection of view-specific patch-based models for detection and tracking of vehicles in low-resolution airborne video.
Solving the pickup and delivery problem with time windows using reactive tabu search

The pickup and delivery problem with time windows requires that a group of vehicles satisfy a collection of customer requests. Each customer request requires the use of a single vehicle both to load a specified amount of goods at one location and to deliver them to another location. All requests must be performed without violating either the vehicle capacity or the customer time window stipulated at each location. In this paper, we present a reactive tabu search approach to solve the pickup and delivery problem with time windows using three distinct move neighborhoods that capitalize on the dominance of the precedence and coupling constraints. A hierarchical search methodology is used to dynamically alternate between neighborhoods in order to negotiate different regions of the solution space and adjust search trajectories. In order to validate our technique's effectiveness, we have constructed a new set of benchmark problems for the pickup and delivery problem with time windows based on Solomon's benchmark vehicle routing problem with time windows data sets. Computational results substantiate the solution quality and efficiency of our reactive tabu search approach.
High-dose rate brachytherapy for carcinoma of the cervix

Increasingly popular in Europe and Asia as the intracavitary component for cervical cancer radiotherapy, high-dose rate brachytherapy demonstrates certain advantages over historical low-dose rate treatments. High-dose rate intracavitary treatment improves radiation safety, lessens treatment times, allows for outpatient treatment regimens, and has improved packing and retraction techniques, which can decrease rectal and bladder doses. Although retrospective studies of high-dose rate treatment show survival rates comparable with those of historical low-dose rate intracavitary treatment, there have been few randomized, prospective studies to support the use of high-dose rate techniques. Low- and high-dose rate comparisons are further complicated by the lack of standardized fractionation schemes and dose prescriptions for high-dose rate treatment. Recent data showing decreased local control in advanced cervical cancer with the prolonged overall treatment time of low-dose rate treatment suggest the practical advantage of outpatient high-dose rate intracavitary brachytherapy, which uses fractionated regimens and shortens overall treatment times. Although high-dose rate treatment has not been shown to improve survival compared with low-dose rate treatment, its practical advantages may account for its increasing use.
Modeling visual clutter perception using proto-object segmentation

We introduce the proto-object model of visual clutter perception. This unsupervised model segments an image into superpixels, then merges neighboring superpixels that share a common color cluster to obtain proto-objects-defined here as spatially extended regions of coherent features. Clutter is estimated by simply counting the number of proto-objects. We tested this model using 90 images of realistic scenes that were ranked by observers from least to most cluttered. Comparing this behaviorally obtained ranking to a ranking based on the model clutter estimates, we found a significant correlation between the two (Spearman's ρ = 0.814, p < 0.001). We also found that the proto-object model was highly robust to changes in its parameters and was generalizable to unseen images. We compared the proto-object model to six other models of clutter perception and demonstrated that it outperformed each, in some cases dramatically. Importantly, we also showed that the proto-object model was a better predictor of clutter perception than an actual count of the number of objects in the scenes, suggesting that the set size of a scene may be better described by proto-objects than objects. We conclude that the success of the proto-object model is due in part to its use of an intermediate level of visual representation-one between features and objects-and that this is evidence for the potential importance of a proto-object representation in many common visual percepts and tasks.
Analysis and synthesis of self-powered linear structural control with imperfect energy storage

Self-powered vibration control systems are characterized by a distributed network of regenerative force actuators, which are interfaced with a common power bus. Also connected to the power bus is an energy-storing subsystem, such as a supercapacitor, flywheel, or battery. The entire system is controlled using switch-mode power electronics, and the only power required for system operation is that necessary to perform these switching operations. The resultant energy conservation constraint restricts the set of feedback laws that are feasible. This paper reports on an LMI feasibility constraint for linear self-powered feedback laws, in terms of actuator and storage hardware parameters. Two design applications of this constraint are illustrated. The first is the determination of the least-efficient energy storage parameters necessary to realize a given passive control law. It is shown that this problem is quasiconvex, and may be posed as a generalized eigenvalue problem. The second example uses an extension of positive-real-constrained H 2 optimal control, to optimize a control law subject to the feasibility constraint. Both examples are illustrated in the context of base-excited vibrating structures, subjected to stationary stochastic excitation.
On the safety margin of using simplified human head models for local SAR simulations of B1-shimming at 7 Tesla.

Abstract Purposes Using simplified human models significantly alleviates the difficulty of rendering human models for subject-specific local specific absorption rate (SAR) simulations. Although its accuracy has been demonstrated with the birdcage mode combination of RF transmitters, its accuracy in general B 1 -shimming, where numerous phase and magnitude combinations can take place, is yet unknown. Methods The electromagnetic fields of a 7-Tesla eight-channel brain imaging array were simulated by using four detailed human models from the Virtual Family and their two-, three-, and four-tissue simplifications. The 10-g averaged local SAR was computed for each case with 1,000 sets of uniformly distributed random B 1 -shimming parameters. Linear regression was applied to relate the local SAR obtained by using detailed and simplified human models. The 99% confidence prediction interval was determined as the safety margin in order to cover the largest local SAR variability introduced by using simplified human models. Results The local SAR computed by using three- and four-tissue simplifications are strongly correlated with those computed by using detailed models. Safety margins of 0.38 and 0.45 W/kg/W were found appropriate for each case being considered. Conclusions The proposed procedure can be applied to evaluate the safety margin of the local SAR simulated by using simplified human models. However, discretion needs to be exercised since the safety margins in some cases may represent more than 50% overestimation.
CTL Hyporesponsiveness Induced by 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p- dioxin: Role of Cytokines and Apoptosis

Studies have shown that blocking B7-mediated costimulation induces T cell tolerance via anergy or apoptosis. Provision of exogenous IL-2 can reverse or prevent the induction of tolerance. We have previously shown that TCDD-induced suppression of the CTL response to allogeneic P815 tumor cells is accompanied by decreased expression of CD86 (B7-2) as well as suppressed IL-2 and IFNγ production. In the present studies, the role of IL-2 and IFNγ and the analysis of inappropriate deletion of CD8+ cells was examined. Administration of IL-2 on days 7–9 relative to the injection of P815 tumor cells dose-dependently increased the CTL activity and the generation of CD8+ CTL effector cells in TCDD-treated mice. This increased CTL response was not due to recruitment of naive CTL precursors (CTLp), suggesting that a small pool of activated CTLp in TCDD-treated mice could respond to the IL-2. A much larger pool of activated CTLp in control mice was also expanded by IL-2 treatment. In contrast, treatment with IFNγ during the same time period did not alter CTL activity in control or TCDD-treated mice. To address the possibility that insufficient IL-2 early in the response was responsible for the reduced pool of activated CTLp in TCDD-treated mice, IL-2 was administered on days 1–3 after P815 injection. However, not only did early treatment with IL-2 fail to restore the response in TCDD-treated mice, it suppressed the CTL response of non-TCDD-treated mice. To test whether exposure to TCDD induced apoptosis of activated CD8+ T cells, phosphatidylserine (PS) expression was measured on various days after P815 tumor challenge. Surprisingly, the percentage of apoptotic CD8+ T cells was significantly lower in TCDD-treated mice compared to controls throughout the allograft response. Similarly, exposure to TCDD failed to enhance peripheral deletion of Vβ3+CD8+ T cells after injection of the superantigen Staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA). Taken together, the data indicate that TCDD induces an early defect in CTLp activation that is not due to insufficient IL-2 or deletion of CD8+ cells and may implicate a novel mechanism by which ligands of the Ah receptor disrupt CTL precursor activation.
Sexual Performance as a Function of Time of Day in Male and Female Rats

Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of time of day on lordotic responsiveness and masculine sexual performance of rats. In experiment 1, no consistent diurnal rhythm in lordotic responsiveness was observed in ovariectomized rats given sequential treatment with estradiol benzoate and progesterone, or in ovariectomized rats maintained on Silastic capsules containing estradiol. In experiment 2, a strong diurnal variation in masculine sexual performance was observed in intact male rats. In experiment 3, a similar diurnal rhythm in masculine sexual performance was observed in castrated male and female rats bearing Silastic capsules containing testosterone. These data suggest that in Long-Evans-derived rats masculine sexual performance varies as a function of time of day, whereas lordotic responsiveness in female Sprague-Dawleyderived rats does not.
Porokeratosis ptychotropica: A clinically distinct variant of porokeratosis

Porokeratosis represents a spectrum of clinical disease. Multiple variants have been described including porokeratosis ptychotropica, a rare subtype. The clinical presentation of porokeratosis ptychotropica frequently resembles an inflammatory perianal disease. We report a patient with porokeratosis ptychotropica with coexistent disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis. We review the current literature on porokeratosis ptychotropica including the clinical presentation, histopathology, cause, and pathogenesis of this rare variant of porokeratosis.
Equine Sperm-Neutrophil Binding

When mares are inseminated repeatedly, protein molecules from the seminal plasma (SP) prevent sperm-neutrophil binding and reduced fertility. The molecule(s) responsible for sperm-neutrophil binding is not known and the identification of beneficial SP proteins is complicated by their large numbers and abundant variation. We examined several important aspects of sperm-neutrophil binding to ultimately facilitate the identification and isolation of the molecule(s) responsible. First, we raised anti-equine P-selectin antibodies to determine the involvement of this adhesion molecule in sperm-neutrophil binding. While these antibodies identified equine P-selectin, they did not inhibit sperm-neutrophil binding. However, acrosome-reacted equine sperm expressed a molecule similar to the ligand recognition unit of P-selectin. Second, we attempted to characterize SP protein binding to equine sperm and gauge their affinity. Biotinylated SP proteins were incubated with fresh sperm, washed over a viscous medium, electrophoresed, and probed with avidin. Several SP proteins bound to sperm with a strong affinity to withstand these treatments. This finding may prove valuable for future attempts to identify and characterize specific SP molecules. Lastly, we compared the secretions from male sex organs/glands on sperm motility, sperm-neutrophil binding, and their protein profile. We expected fewer proteins from individual organs/glands, which would facilitate isolation and identification of target molecules. While each secretion had a varying effect on motility and sperm-neutrophil binding, the protein profile was as complex as that seen in whole SP, indicating that collection of proteins from individual sources will not facilitate this work. Together, these experiments answer several important questions related to sperm-neutrophil binding, sperm-SP proteins interaction, and the complexity of the SP proteome.
Retinofugal projections of an echolocating megachiropteran.

The projection leading from the eye and the nuclear targets of the projection to the brainstem were identified in an echolocating megachiropteran (Rousettus aegyptiacus) following unilateral intraocular injections of radioactive amino acids. In the hypothalamus, the projection ended bilaterally in suprachiasmatic nuclei. In the ventral thalamus, it ended bilaterally in external and internal divisions of the ventral lateral geniculate nuclei. In the dorsal thalamus, the projection terminated bilaterally in the dorsal lateral geniculate nuclei and contralaterally in the lateral posterior nucleus. Input from the two eyes was segregated to laminae in the lateral division of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus. The contralateral projection ended in the dorsolateral and ventral portions of lamina 1, in lamina 2, the ventral portions of lamina 3, and an interlaminar fiber plexus. The ipsilateral projection ended in the dorsomedial portion of lamina 1, the dorsal portion of lamina 3, and the most superficial portion of lamina 1. Contralateral and ipsilateral input to the medial division of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus was for the most part segregated. The projection to the pretectum terminated in nuclei of the optic tract, pretectal olivary nuclei, and posterior pretectal nuclei. Although the input to the pretectal nuclei was bilateral, the contralateral projection was greater. The contralateral projection to the superior colliculus terminated throughout the rostral-caudal extent of the superficial gray layer. The ipsilateral projection to the superior colliculus ended in the superficial gray layer in the middle one-third of the superior colliculus only. On the contralateral side the projection to the outer portion of the superficial gray layer was especially heavy. The superior fascicle of the accessory optic tract was identified. It was traced to dorsal, lateral, and medial accessory optic nuclei. These results indicate that the visual system of Rousettus is more extensive than that of the echolocating microchiroptera and that it is similar to that described for nonecholocating Pteropus.
Statistical Interpretation of Meniscograph Solderability Tests

As part of a thick-film characterization study, a solderability test-program was initiated utilizing the meniscograph. The meniscograph test measures the changes in wetting force as a function of time, and thus affords a description of the kinematics of the wetting phenomenon. Difficulty was encountered in the derivation of unique parameters which provide consistent statistical comparisons. As an alternate to selecting a time interval from the meniscograph trace as a measure of wetting rate or only qualitatively comparing traces, as some investigators have done, we have evaluated the approach of measuring the slope of the trace replotted so as to yield a straight line fit. A plot of the logarithm of a normalized wetting force versus time has generally afforded the best fit. To evaluate the analytical techniques, a large number of meniscograph tests were conducted employing copper, nickel, and Kovar substrates using both tin-lead and lead-indium solders; and rosin flux with varying activity. With the wetting rate estimated on the basis of the logarithmic line fit, the tests have consistently ranked solder systems with regard to substrate solderability and the activity of fluxes. Calculated equilibrium contact angles were found useful in interpreting the meniscograph traces.
Probing Photoinduced Intersystem Crossing by Two-Color, Double Resonance Single Molecule Spectroscopy

A photoinduced effect on the rate of reverse intersystem crossing (isc) in single sulforhodamine 101 (SR101) molecules has been observed using a novel two-color, multipulse, double resonance technique. The observed photoinduced intersystem crossing can be modeled by a four-electronic-state scheme (T1 → TN → S1 → S0) in which one of the excitation colors is in resonance with the S0 → S1 transition and the other is resonant with the T1 → TN transition. Synchronous averaging over many cycles of the two-color pulsed excitation experiment provides transient data that can be analyzed in a straightforward manner that is analogous to a conventional chemical kinetics experiment. Separate single color pulsed experiments were used to evaluate whether single color excitation (543 nm) alone could be responsible for photoinduced reverse isc (as previously reported for other molecules). However, results from the single color, pulsed excitation experiments show no evidence of this effect for two dyes, DiI and SR101.
Comparative morphology and physiology of fruit and seed development in the two shrubs Rhus aromatica and R. glabra (Anacardiaceae)

Morphology and physiology of fruit and seed development were compared in Rhus aromatica and R. glabra (Anacardiaceae), both of which produce drupes with water-impermeable endocarps. Phenology of flowering/fruiting of the two species at the study site was separated by ;2 mo. However, they were similar in the timetable and pattern of fruit and seed development; it took ; 2m o and;1.5 mo for flowers of Rhus aromatica and R. glabra, respectively, to develop into mature drupes. The single sigmoidal growth curve for increase in fruit size and in dry mass of these two species differs from the double-sigmoidal one described for typical commercial drupes such as peach and plum. Order of attainment of maximum size was fruit and endocarp (same time), seed coat, and embryo. By the time fruits turned red, the embryo had reached full size and become germinable; moisture content of seed plus endocarp had decreased to ;40%. The endocarp was the last fruit component to reach physiological maturity, which coincided with development of its impermeability and a seed plus endocarp moisture content of ,10%. At this time, ;50, 37, and 13% of the dry mass of the drupe was allocated to the exocarp plus mesocarp unit, endocarp, and seed, respectively. The time course of fruit and seed development in these two species is much faster than that reported for other Anacardiaceae, including Rhus lancea, Protorhus,and Pistacia.
Effects of experimental phosphate deficiency on action potential characteristics and contractile performance of rat myocardium.

Chronic hypophosphataemia is associated with reversible depression in myocardial performance of the intact heart. To define the basis for this, we studied the mechanical and electrical properties of isolated left ventricular papillary muscles from rats with 6 weeks of phosphorus depletion (P6), 6 weeks of phosphorus repletion and age-matched controls (C). Muscles were perfused with Tyrode's solution (Ca2+ = 2.4 mmol·litre−1, K+ = 4.0 mmol·litre−1, dextrose = 5.5 mmol·litre−1) and driven at 0.1 Hz. P6 muscles had slowed isometric relaxation (T1/2R), depressed velocity of shortening and relaxation and prolongation of the transmembrane action potential to 75% of complete repolarisation. These results suggest that the slow relaxation phase may be the result of the prolonged APD75 and that the depressed myocardial performance in the intact heart may be based on impaired relaxation and reduced the velocity of shortening associated with hypophosphataemia. This view is supported by our finding that these alterations are reversible with phosphate repletion.
Simulation, verification and automated composition of web services

Web services -- Web-accessible programs and devices - are a key application area for the Semantic Web. With the proliferation of Web services and the evolution towards the Semantic Web comes the opportunity to automate various Web services tasks. Our objective is to enable markup and automated reasoning technology to describe, simulate, compose, test, and verify compositions of Web services. We take as our starting point the DAML-S DAML+OIL ontology for describing the capabilities of Web services. We define the semantics for a relevant subset of DAML-S in terms of a first-order logical language. With the semantics in hand, we encode our service descriptions in a Petri Net formalism and provide decision procedures for Web service simulation, verification and composition. We also provide an analysis of the complexity of these tasks under different restrictions to the DAML-S composite services we can describe. Finally, we present an implementation of our analysis techniques. This implementation takes as input a DAML-S description of a Web service, automatically generates a Petri Net and performs the desired analysis. Such a tool has broad applicability both as a back end to existing manual Web service composition tools, and as a stand-alone tool for Web service developers.
Proxy-based security protocols in networked mobile devices

We describe a resource discovery and communication system designed for security and privacy. All objects in the system, e.g., appliances, wearable gadgets, software agents, and users have associated trusted software proxies that either run on the appliance hardware or on a trusted computer. We describe how security and privacy are enforced using two separate protocols: a protocol for secure device-to-proxy communication, and a protocol for secure proxy-to-proxy communication. Using two separate protocols allows us to run a computationally-inexpensive protocol on impoverished devices, and a sophisticated protocol for resource authentication and communication on more powerful devices.We detail the device-to-proxy protocol for lightweight wireless devices and the proxy-to-proxy protocol which is based on SPKI/SDSI (Simple Public Key Infrastructure / Simple Distributed Security Infrastructure). A prototype system has been constructed, which allows for secure, yet efficient, access to networked, mobile devices. We present a quantitative evaluation of this system using various metrics.
Quantum theory of phase-conjugate mirrors

The vacuum field’s role in the radiative properties of two-level atoms located externally to a phase-conjugate mirror (PCM) is investigated. The basic result of Gaeta and Boyd [ Phys. Rev. Lett.60, 2618 ( 1988)], that the PCM emits an average of R (where R is reflectivity) noise photons per mode of the radiation field, is modified. Stimulated emission of the combined PCM–atom system takes place when the atom is in its ground state; this emission is caused by a scattering–conjugation process of virtual photons. The expression for the power emitted by a system of N (N > 1) two-level atoms also contains terms that are the expectation values of products of two atomic raising or lowering operators in addition to the usual superradiant terms. The case N = 2 is solved exactly in the limit of a vanishing separation-to-wavelength ratio. The expectation values of individual and pair-product operators are derived from the Heisenberg equations of motion, and the solutions are classified according to the value of an integral of motion. When R 1, indicating relaxation by damped oscillations.
Confirmation and Community The Relationships between Teacher Confirmation, Classroom Community, Student Motivation, and Learning

The purpose of this study is to examine sense of classroom community as a potential mediating variable in the model of teacher communicative behaviors (teacher confirmation) to the positive student outcomes of student motivation and affective learning. Two competing models were tested for model fit: the linear-sequential model and the partial-mediator model. Results indicated that while both models achieved adequate fit, the linear-sequential model is best suited for the data and for heuristic purposes. Results are discussed in terms of the general model of instructional communication (McCroskey, Valencic, & Richmond, 2004) and ways to use instructor communicative behaviors to improve the sense of classroom community.
Familial Caregivers of Patients with Brain Cancer

Brain cancer affects not only the quality of life of individuals with the disease but also that of their family members and close friends. The impact on various aspects of the family caregivers’ quality of life (QOL) is significant throughout the trajectory of the illness, such as the acute and mid- to long-term survivorship phases a well as the bereavement phase. Theoretically and methodologically rigorous research on various aspects of the family’s quality of life, including physical, spiritual, and behavioral adjustment to brain cancer in the family, will help improving not only the quality of life of family caregivers of brain cancer patients but also the quality care the family members will provide to enhance the quality of life of the patients.
Pragmatic haptics

This paper explores situations in which interfaces may be improved or simplified by switching feedback modalities. Due to availability of and familiarity with audio/visual technologies, many interfaces provide feedback via audio/visual pathways when a haptic pathway would best serve. The authors present a series of interface designs in which simple and inexpensive choices allow for reduction of cognitive complexity by allowing mental simplicity rather than technological familiarity to dictate design of information transmission.
Successful Treatment of Uterine Torsion and Fetal Retention in a Postparturient Great Pyrenees Bitch with Septic Peritonitis and Prothrombotic Complications

The treatment and favorable outcome of a bitch with uterine torsion and two retained fetuses are described. The condition was corrected surgically by ovariohysterectomy. Complications (i.e., septic shock, peritonitis, and hemostatic abnormalities) were managed with aggressive medical therapy. Torsion of the gravid uterus in dogs is a life-threatening condition which can have a successful outcome if medical complications encountered in the pre- and postoperative periods are treated quickly and effectively.
DELIVERING QOS IN XML D ATA STREAM PROCESSING USING LOAD SHEDDING

In recent years, we have witnessed the emergence of new types of systems that deal with large volumes of streaming data. Examples include financial data analysis on feeds of stock tickers, sensor- based environmental monitoring, network track monitoring and click stream analysis to push customized advertisements or intrusion detection. Traditional database management systems (DBMS), which are very good at managing large volumes of stored data, are not suitable for this, as streaming needs low-latency processing on live data from push-based sources. Data Stream Management Systems (DSMS) are fast emerging to address this new type of data, but faces challenging issues, such as unpredictable data arrival rate. On bursty mode, processing need surpasses available system capacity affecting the Quality of Service (QoS) adversely. The system overloading is even more acute in XML data streams compared to relational streams due to its extra resource requirements for data preparation and result construction. The main focus of this paper is to find out suitable ways to process this high volume of data streams dealing with the spikes in data arrival gracefully, under limited or fixed system resources in the XML stream context.
On a plausible standardized and formal theory of development/evolution of a wide class of computational structural dynamics algorithms

A plausible standardized formal theory of development/evolution of a wide class of computational algorithms for dynamic analysis is presented. The proposed developments are significantly different from the way traditional modal type and a wide class of step-by-step time integration approaches have been developed and described in the research literature and in standard text books over the years. The theoretical ideas and basis towards the evolution of a generalized methodology and formulations leading to integral operators in time and a wide class of single-step integration operators, multi-step integration operators, and a class of finite element in time integration operators, and their relationships for the resulting solution of dynamic equation systems are particularly addressed. Comparisons are also drawn with those obtained from the original methods of development. Furthermore, a variety of time operators are uniquely identified by discrete numerically assigned [DNA] algorithmic markers which not only serve as a prelude towards plausibly providing a standardized formal forum for selecting and identifying time operators but also permit lucid communication when referring to time operators. Furthermore, a single analysis code which permits a variety of choices to the analyst is now feasible for performing structural dynamic computations.
Thyroid function in human pregnancy. II. Serum butanol-extractable iodine values of pregnant women 14 through 44 years.

Abstract The problem was whether abnormal thyroid function plays a role in the high incidence of reproductive failures of women at extremes of the childbearing age. No norms appeared to be available for serum PBI (protein-bound iodine) or BEI (butanol-extractable iodine) of such women. A total of 687 BEI values were determined serially on serum during 94 normal pregnancies of girls aged 14 through 17 and 52 normal pregnancies of women aged 35 through 44 years. In comparison with values of women aged 18 to 34, older women had suggestively lower and the 14-year-old girls significantly higher BEI values. For girls aged 15 to 17, the elevation tended to decrease with each year of age.
Market Structure of Oligopoly and Efficiency of Petroleum industrial Organization

Market structure of oligopoly helps petroleum industry to realize its merit scale,improve its ability of technical innovation and promote government's effective management. For a long time,the petroleum industrial organization has been lower in efficiency, the result of lacking in market structure of oligopoly. Therefore,from now on,we should take some measures (such as carrying forward formation of market system, effectively constructing structure of the group organization,strengthening government's correct guide and perfecting market competitive order) to construct market structure of oligopoly of China Petroleum Industry at a greatly accelerated pace.
The Experimental Study of Grouped Bid Evaluation Behavior about Multi-Attribute Reverse Auction

Reverse auction with multi-attributes is widely used for centralized procurements of large enterprises and government,and the bid evaluation of grouped multi-attribute is the popular mechanism at present.The mathematical model about evaluation of bid of grouped multi-attribute is structured first.Taking bounded rationality as precondition,we forecast the existence about the accumulation of antagonism by means of bid evaluation experiments.And then take example by simulation and behavioral analysis methods of experimental economics,based on the definition of behavioral parameters,we get the conclusion that the accumulation of antagonism exists surely through the analysis of experimental data.At last,we suggest:To set a group of integrative experts and some criteria related with two groups of attributes,and open both technical and business criteria to opposing groups.Based on the experimental data,The comparison and analysis about the three mechanisms are given.Meanwhile three improved proposals are raised.In further study,it is a key point to study the bidding evaluation behavior making use of the multi-agent technology.