cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Towards unsupervised home location inference from online social media

Users' home location is important information for many advanced information services in big data applications (e.g., localized recommendation, target ads of local business and urban planning). In this paper, we study the problem of accurately inferring the home locations of people from the noisy and sparse data they voluntarily share on online social media. Previous studies have developed supervised learning approaches to predict a person's home location in a city. However, the accuracy of these techniques largely depends on a high quality training dataset, which is difficult and expensive to obtain in practice. In this study, we propose a new analytical framework, Unsupervised Home Location Inference (UHLI), to accurately infer the home locations of people using a set of principle approaches. In particular, the UHLI scheme addresses the critical challenges of using sparse and noisy online social media data and derives an optimal solution to the home location inference problem. We evaluated the performance of our scheme and compared it to the state-of-the-art baselines using three real world data traces collected from Foursquare. The results showed that our scheme can accurately infer the home location of people and significantly outperform the state-of-the-art baselines.
Engineering radical polymer electrodes for electrochemical energy storage

Abstract In principle a wide range of organic materials can store energy in the form of reversible redox conversions of stable radicals. Such chemistry holds great promise for energy storage applications due to high theoretical capacities, high rate capabilities, intrinsic structural tunability, and the possibility of low-cost “green” syntheses from renewable sources. There have been steady improvements in the design of organic radical polymers, in which radicals are incorporated into the backbone and/or as pendant groups. This review highlights opportunities for improved redox molecule and polymer design along with the key challenges (e.g., transport phenomena, solubility, and reaction mechanisms) to transitioning known organic radicals into high-performance electrodes. Ultimately, organic-based batteries are still a nascent field with many open questions. Further advances in molecular design, electrode engineering, and device architecture will be required for these systems to reach their full potential and meet the diverse and increasing demands for energy storage.
Adapting with Honeypot Configurations to Detect Evolving Exploits

Honeypots are decoy cyberdefense systems placed in a network to entice malicious entities into attacking in order to waste attacker resources and learn information about attack behavior or previously unknown exploits. We focus on the strategic selection of various honeypot configurations in order to adapt to an intelligent attacker amidst a dynamic environment. In order to infiltrate networks, attackers leverage various exploits on the system. However, these exploits and the value they provide dynamically change over time as more information is gathered about them. We introduce a model that addresses the combinatorial complexity of the honeypot selection problem and allow for these dynamic exploits. To solve this new problem, we map this model to a Multi-Armed Bandit (MAB) problem, which is a class of machine learning problems that maintain balance between exploration and exploitation. We show empirically that both stochastic and adversarial MAB solutions improve over static defense strategies.
Targeting Metabolic Reprogramming by Influenza Infection for Therapeutic Intervention

Influenza is a worldwide health and financial burden posing a significant risk to the immune-compromised, obese, diabetic, elderly, and pediatric populations. We identified increases in glucose metabolism in the lungs of pediatric patients infected with respiratory pathogens. Using quantitative mass spectrometry, we found metabolic changes occurring after influenza infection in primary human respiratory cells and validated infection-associated increases in c-Myc, glycolysis, and glutaminolysis. We confirmed these findings with a metabolic drug screen that identified the PI3K/mTOR inhibitor BEZ235 as a regulator of infectious virus production. BEZ235 treatment ablated the transient induction of c-Myc, restored PI3K/mTOR pathway homeostasis measured by 4E-BP1 and p85 phosphorylation, and reversed infection-induced changes in metabolism. Importantly, BEZ235 reduced infectious progeny but had no effect on the early stages of viral replication. BEZ235 significantly increased survival in mice, while reducing viral titer. We show metabolic reprogramming of host cells by influenza virus exposes targets for therapeutic intervention.
Changes in brain connectivity during a sham-controlled, transcranial magnetic stimulation trial for depression.

Abstract Background The subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) has been implicated in major depressive disorder (MDD), and this study evaluated sgACC connectivity before and after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment. Methods Thirty-two MDD patients entered a sham-controlled, double-blinded, randomized trial of rTMS to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlFPC). Subjects underwent resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging before and after 20 sessions of high frequency rTMS. Seed voxels identified the affective network (AN; sgACC, amygdala), default mode network (DMN; posterior cingulate cortex [PCC]), and fronto-parietal network (FPN; dlPFC stimulation site). Results There was no significant effect of active rTMS over sham on the primary outcome measure (Montgomery-Asberg Depression Scale rating), with both groups improving over time, and no specific effect of rTMS (sham vs active) on connectivity. However, among patients who showed significant improvement, sgACC connectivity decreased for sham (to AN, trend to DMN) and active rTMS responders (to AN, DMN, FPN), but not in non-responders, who tended to maintain connectivity. Including subjects who started with sham but then received open-label active treatment, baseline connectivity from the PCC to the anterior insula was greater in non-responders compared to responders (n = 27, excluding 5 sham responders). Limitations The sample size was small; the stimulation target was non-standard, and the lack of a significant clinical effect of rTMS limits conclusions about negative findings. Conclusions sgACC connectivity reduces along with depressive symptoms, not specific to rTMS therapy. Altered connectivity of DMN with anterior insula may reflect a type of patient less likely to respond to an intervention.
Childhood cardiovascular health and subfertility: the Bogalusa Heart Study.

Although childhood cardiovascular risk can contribute to adult cardiovascular disease, and fertility and adult cardiovascular health are linked, the association between early-life cardiovascular risk and female infertility has not been studied. A total of 1799 women participated in the Babies substudy of the Bogalusa Heart Study. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides, glucose, and insulin were age-standardized and examined as predictors of self-reported fertility difficulties using multivariable logistic regression with adjustment for confounders. Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) was assessed via a report of diagnosis and symptoms, using a validated questionnaire. Women with a history of PCOS were more likely to report fertility difficulties. Childhood and adolescent cardiovascular risk factors were generally not associated with fertility indicators, although childhood LDL (aOR 1.38 per one-SD increase, 0.97–1.96) and total cholesterol (aOR 1.49, 1.06–2.11) were raised in those who never became pregnant. Pre-pregnancy risk SBP (overall fertility, aOR 1.49, 1.00–2.23) and glucose levels (ever tried but unable, aOR 2.65, 1.39–5.06) were associated with an increased risk of some infertility indicators. These results were largely unaffected by exclusion of women with PCOS. Some childhood and pre-pregnancy cardiovascular risk factors are associated with adult subfertility.
Sharing sensitive information with privacy

Modern society is increasingly dependent on (and fearful of) massive amounts and availability of electronic information. There are numerous everyday scenarios where sensitive data must be — sometimes reluctantly or suspiciously — shared between entities without mutual trust. This prompts the need for mechanisms to enable limited (privacy-preserving) information sharing. A typical scenario involves two parties: one seeks information from the other, that is either motivated, or compelled, to share only the requested information. We define this problem as privacy-preserving sharing of sensitive information and are confronted with two main technical challenges: (1) how to enable this type of sharing such that parties learn no information beyond what they are entitled to, and (2) how to do so efficiently, in real-world practical terms. This dissertation presents a set of efficient and provably secure cryptographic protocols for privacy-preserving sharing of sensitive information. In particular, Private Set Intersection (PSI) techniques are appealing whenever two parties wish to compute the intersection of their respective sets of items without revealing to each other any other information (beyond set sizes). We motivate the need for PSI techniques with various features and illustrate several concrete variants that offer significantly higher efficiency than prior work. Then, we introduce the concepts of Authorized Private Set Intersection (APSI) and Size-Hiding Private Set Intersection (SHI-PSI). The former ensures that each set element is authorized (signed) by some mutually trusted authority and prevents arbitrary input manipulation. The latter hides the size of the set held by one of the two entities, thus, applying to scenarios where both set contents and set size represent sensitive information. Finally, we investigate the usage of proposed protocols in the context of a few practical applications. We build a toolkit for sharing of sensitive information, that enables (practical) privacy-preserving database querying. Furthermore, motivated by the fast-growing proliferation of personal wireless computing devices and associated privacy issues, we design a set of collaborative applications involving several participants willing to share information in order to cooperatively perform operations without endangering their privacy.
Free Speech and Privacy Online

Universities must play a leadership role in addressing the special challenges to free speech and privacy posed by the cyberspace community—and in seeking humane solutions to these problems.
Ayn Rand: Isabel Paterson, Private Education for a Free Society, and Education for Galt’s Gulch

Ayn Rand (1905–1982) was a novelist and philosopher. She produced several successful libertarian-themed novels and created a philosophy called Objectivism. Her educational writings stressed that, as a state enterprise, public education was ill-equipped to teach the kind of individualism and rational thinking on which a free society depends. Private markets in education were preferred, among other reasons, because they were thought more likely to equip individuals for a free and rational society. Rand supported a role for government in education limited to giving tax credits to individuals for the purchase of education.
Ly-1 as a differentiation antigen on normal and neoplastic B cells.

A small subpopulation of splenic B cells carries the Ly-1 antigen, previously considered restricted to T cells (Hardy et al., 1982; Manohar et al.). The cells in this “Ly-1 B” subpopulation express other B lineage cell surface antigens, are detectable in spleen, are enriched in peritoneal washouts, are rare in (or absent from) lymph nodes and bone marrow and appear early during development (Hayakawa et al., 1983; Hayakawa et al., 1984). Thus Ly-1 B cells constitute a significant fraction of the Ig+ cells in spleens of newborn (3–5 days) mice, but decrease to a minor population (1–2 percent of total lymphocytes) in adults.
Postoperative Analgesic Requirement and Pain Perceptions after Nonaerodigestive Head and Neck Surgery

ObjectivesLittle data exist on associations between patient factors and postoperative analgesic requirement after head and neck (H&N) surgeries. Such information is important for optimizing postope...
Granuloma of the hypothalamus. Similar symptomatology and course in 3 cases of different etiology

Klinische Symptome und Diagnose diencephaler Granulome werden bei 3 intra vitam diagnostizierten Fallen beschrieben, von denen 2 autoptisch bestatigt wurden. 1. Solitares Reticulumzellsarkom, 2. Pilzgranulom, 3. klinisch diagnostiziertes Boeck-Granulom bei mediastinaler Sarkoidose. Grundrhythmusverlangsamung im EEG bestand meistens fruh, pneumencephalographische Eindellung des Bodens des 3. Ventrikels erst im Endstadium. Chronisch-entzundliche Liquorveranderungen (Pleocytose von 120–330/3, Eiweisvermehrung und Mastixlinkskurve) hatten alle 3 Falle. Der neuropathologische Befund zeigt primar diencephale Lokalisation mit Proliferation retothelialer Wandelemente und Ausbreitung entlang den hypothalamischen Gefasen; in den Spatstadien Einbruch in den 3. Ventrikel bis zum Mittelhirn.
Analyse des Einflusses nationaler Nachhaltigkeits-Regelungen auf den Unternehmenswert

Das Ziel der vorliegenden Bachelorarbeit war es zu analysieren, ob es einen messbaren Einfluss auf den Wert borsennotierter Unternehmen gibt, wenn Nationen Gesetze zugunsten der Nachhaltigkeit erlassen. Dafur wurden die wichtigsten Nachhaltigkeits-Regelungen der Lander Danemark, Frankreich und Deutschland zu verschiedenen Zeitpunkten der Gesetzgebungsverfahren betrachtet und analysiert. Um den Einfluss solcher Ereignisse auf den Wert von borsennotierten Unternehmen messbar zu machen wurde die Methodik der Event Study verwendet. Die Unternehmenswerte wurden uber die Veranderung der Aktienrenditen an den Kapitalmarkten mit Hilfe der statistischen Verfahren des Marktmodells und des Fama-French Dreifaktorenmodells geschatzt. Keywords: Nachhaltigkeit; sustainability; CSR; ESG.
At the Intersection of Method and empowerment: Reflections from a Pilot Photovoice Study with Survivors of Human Trafficking

As human trafficking research increases, attention to ethical research methods with trafficking survivors is important to ensure equitable processes and reliable results for policy and social servi...
Augmented Fluoroscopy: A New and Novel Navigation Platform for Peripheral Bronchoscopy.

Background The diagnosis of lung nodules continues to be a challenge. Confirmed diagnosis allows appropriate treatment for cancers and allows avoidance of more invasive procedures for proven noncancers. Currently, available lung biopsy technologies each have their own limitations, which affect the ability to successfully navigate to a suspicious nodule and to collect a diagnostic sample. Additional advancements in endobronchial navigation, localization, and guided biopsy are needed to obtain higher rates of definitive diagnosis for lung nodules. Methods This is a prospective, multicenter study that assessed the localization success rate and diagnostic yield of bronchoscopies guided only by the LungVision platform. Physicians navigated to pulmonary nodules according to a proposed pathway and verified nodule location using radial endobronchial ultrasound before the biopsy. Results Fifty-five patients were enrolled in the study. Two patients had >1 nodule that was evaluated on the day of the procedure. During bronchoscopy, the nodule localization success rate was 93%. The overall diagnostic yield measured the day of the procedure, based on the immediate rapid on-site pathology report, was 75.4%. Conclusion LungVision provides reliable navigation and ability to biopsy pulmonary nodules with an acceptable success rate. The platform demonstrates a high localization rate of pulmonary nodules.
Computational Neural Mechanisms of Goal-Directed Planning and Problem Solving

The question of how animals and humans can solve arbitrary goal-driven problems remains open. Reinforcement learning (RL) methods have approached goal-directed control problems through model-based algorithms. However, RL focus on maximizing long-term reward is inconsistent with the psychological notion of planning to satisfy homeostatic drives, which involves setting goals first, then planning actions to achieve them. Optimal control theory suggests a solution: animals can learn a model of the world, learn where goals can be fulfilled, set a goal, and then act to minimize the difference between actual and desired world states. Here, we present a purely localist neural network model that can autonomously learn the structure of an environment and then achieve any arbitrary goal state in a changing environment without relearning reward values. The model, GOLSA, achieves this through a backwards spreading activation that propagates goal-values to an agent. The model elucidates how neural inhibitory mechanisms can support competition between goal representations, serving to push needs-based planning versus exploration. The model performs similar to humans in canonical revaluation tasks used to classify human and rodent behavior as goal-directed. The model revaluates optimal actions when goals, goal-values, world structure, and need to fulfill drive changes. The model also clarifies a number of issues inherent in other RL-based representations such as policy dependence in successor representations, while elucidating biological constraints such as the role of oscillations in gating information flow for learning versus action. Together, our proposed model suggests a biologically grounded framework for multi-step planning behaviors through consideration of how goal representations compete for behavioral expression in planning.
Tumor Metabolism and Neurocognition in CNS Lymphoma

BACKGROUND The mechanistic basis for neurocognitive deficits in central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma and other brain tumors is incompletely understood. We tested the hypothesis that tumor metabolism impairs neurotransmitter pathways and neurocognitive function. METHODS We performed serial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) metabolomic analyses using liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry to evaluate changes in the tumor microenvironment in 14 patients with recurrent CNS lymphoma, focusing on 18 metabolites involved in neurotransmission and bioenergetics. These were paired with serial mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and MRI studies for tumor volumetric analyses. Patients were analyzed in the setting of the phase I trial of lenalidomide/rituximab. Associations were assessed by Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficient. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were also established, adjusting for within-subject repeated measures. RESULTS Of 18 metabolites, elevated CSF lactate correlated most strongly with lower MMSE score (P < 8E-8, ρ = -0.67). High lactate was associated with lower gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), higher glutamate/GABA ratio, and dopamine. Conversely, high succinate correlated with higher MMSE scores. Serial analysis demonstrated a reproducible, time-dependent, reciprocal correlation between changes in lactate and GABA concentrations. While high lactate and low GABA correlated with tumor contrast-enhancing volume, they correlated more significantly with lower MMSE scores than tumor volumes. CONCLUSIONS We provide evidence that lactate production and Warburg metabolism may impact neurotransmitter dysregulation and neurocognition in CNS lymphomas. We identify novel metabolomic biomarkers that may be applied in future studies of neurocognition in CNS lymphomas. Elucidation of mechanistic interactions between lymphoma metabolism, neurotransmitter imbalance, and neurocognition may promote interventions that preserve cognitive function.
The Building Blocks of Pandemic Communication Strategy: Models to Enable Resilient Risk and Crisis Communication

The use of theory to strategize, construct, disseminate, and evaluate pandemic communication is more likely to achieve positive outcomes. This chapter reviews relevant theoretical models including each theory’s basic definition, relevance to pandemics, use, and cases or examples to illustrate its practicality. Theories are reviewed with roots in behavior change, health communication, persuasion, public relations, and risk and crisis communication. Within the chapter, tables serve as quick-reference guides for theory overview and resources. The goal is to help readers gain basic and applied understanding of each theory in relation to pandemic communication.
Critical leisure as an alternative politics of prosperity: a political economy approach to the good life

By most accounts in popular press and in academic journals, we are in crisis. Regardless of the geographical scale in question, there are pressing social crises concerning soaring rates of wealth i...
Exploring How Interactions between Race and Social Bonds Influence Substance Use: Findings from a Predominately Black Juvenile Sample

This study uses a social bonds framework to explore the main effects of race and five social bonds (attachment to peers, attachment to parents, school commitment, activity involvement) on adolescen...
Patriotic Priority: All-German Faith or West-German Fact?

The Widening East-West Rift — All plans for zonal unification and the future constitutional status of Germany were dependent on the ability of the Occupying powers to find agreement among themselves, and throughout 1946–7 it was becoming apparent that the Allies were drawing further apart on more and more vital political questions. The implementation of the central administrative agencies foreseen at Potsdam were held up by the French, who sought to maintain an extremely decentralized political structure and to detach portions of the western territory from the rest of Germany. The Russians, at the Paris Foreign Ministers Conference of July, 1946, as well as in the Allied Control Council, sharply opposed French plans, while in turn pressing vast reparations claims which were thought unacceptable by the British and Americans. At the same time, sharp differences developed between East and West on a variety of problems including the political future of Poland and the East European countries, and these contributed toward worsening the working relationships between the Allied powers.
The Eye Lens Weight Technique in Aging of the Atlantic Croaker, Micropogon undulatus

The eye lens weight to age relationship was examined in croaker, Micropogon undulatus. Lenses were removed, fixed, and weighed using standard techniques. Age estimates were assigned based on total length measurements. Lens weight showed good correlation with total length. Age could be estimated by eye lens weight, but no more accurately or precisely than with length frequency analysis. Cumulative percent frequency analysis of lens weights showed distinct inflections in the curve, which correspond to hypothesized length at age points. The data seem to verify age structure based on length frequency analysis.
Development of Spodoptera exigua and Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on Transgenic Cotton Containing CrylAc Insecticidal Protein

The effects of transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)-cotton on three instars of Spodoptera exigua (Hubner) and Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) were studied. First, third and fifth instars were fed field-collected Bt-cotton leaves for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 d or until pupation, and then transferred to artificial diet. Larval mortality at pupation, length of larval and pupal periods, pupal weights and survival time from hatch to adult were recorded for regular and Bt-cotton. Larval mortality at pupation in S. exigua fed Bt-cotton was low for all instars exposed and feeding periods on Bt-cotton. The mortality in H. zea was high for first and third instars and significantly increased with the increase in feeding period on Bt-cotton (P < 0.05). The length of larval period increased in both species when first and third instars but not fifth instars were fed Bt-cotton. In H. zea, the larval period increased when larvae were on Bt-cotton leaves for only 2 d. Pupal weight was reduced with an increase in feeding time on Bt-cot...
Constitutional and Statutory Reservation Clauses and Constitutional Requirements of General Laws with Respect to Corporations: The Fifty States and the District of Columbia

Reservation clauses, reserving to the legislature a power to amend or repeal corporate charters, are included in the constitutions or corporation statutes of 49 states and the District of Columbia. Thirty-one states have constitutional reservation clauses; 45 states have statutory reservation clauses; 27 states have both kinds of clauses; and 49 states have at least one of the clauses. The District of Columbia has a statutory reservation clause; the District has no constitution. Utah is the lone state without a reservation clause in either its constitution or corporation code. For two states (Arizona and California), the statutory reservation clauses pertain only to nonprofit corporations, although the constitutions of both states contain reservation clauses pertaining to corporations generally.The constitutions of 41 states require that corporations be formed by general laws only. State constitutions not so requiring are those of Alaska, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. This document provides text and citations of constitutional and statutory reservation clauses and constitutional requirements of general laws with respect to corporations for the fifty states and the District of Columbia. A summary table is also provided.
Age-Dependent vasopressinergic modulation of Noc/oFQ-induced impairment of NMDA cerebrovasodilation after brain injury.

This study was designed to characterize the role of vasopressin in nociceptin/orphanin FQ (NOC/oFQ)-induced impairment of NMDA cerebrovasodilation after fluid percussion brain injury (FPI) as a function of age in newborn (1-5 days old) and juvenile (3-4 weeks old) pigs equipped with a closed cranial window. Previous studies have observed that NOC/oFQ is released into CSF and contributes to impaired NMDA induced pial artery dilation following FPI to a greater extent in newborn versus juvenile pigs. Topical vasopressin (40 pg/mL), a concentration approximating that observed in CSF following FPI in the newborn, increased CSF NOC/oFQ from 69 ± 3 to 102 ± 8 pg/mol under non-FPI conditions. CSF NOC/oFQ was elevated within 60 min of FPI (70 ± 3 to 444 ± 51 pg/mL), but release was attenuated by MEAVP, a vasopressin antagonist, in the newborn (71 ± 3 to 146 ± 11 pg/mL). CSF vasopressin and NOC/oFQ were not elevated as greatly in the juvenile following FPI and MEAVP correspondingly did not attenuate CSF NOC/oFQ rel...
Sleight of hand

For the past 20 years, job training has been promoted as the US Federal Government’s primary labour market policy for improving the employment opportunities of low‐income Americans. This essay provides new findings from the US labour market and from training programme evaluations to suggest that the focus on training as a primary anti‐poverty strategy is radically mistaken. Training has overwhelmingly failed, and its failure appears to be due to structural economic constraints rather than programme design or implementation problems. On close examination, US training policy seems to function less as an economic policy aimed at alleviating poverty than as a political strategy for insulating both private employers and public officials from the popular backlash against downsizing.
How Useful Are Forecasts of Corporate Profits

If forecasters predict higher earnings for corporations, the stock market will rise. Stock prices will drop with a forecast of lower earnings. But are such forecasts on the money? Dean Croushore uses data from the Survey of Professional Forecasters to check the accuracy of forecasts of corporate profits. The results show that, despite the volatility of corporate profits, the forecasts are rational
Sign Recognition Processes in American Sign Language: the Effect of Context:

The effect of context on sign-recognition processes in American Sign Language (ASL) was studied by means of the gating paradigm (Grosjean, 1980). Individual signs were presented in two different co...
Operation of datacenter as virtual power plant

Datacenters are becoming a significant energy consumer and ideal candidates to operate as virtual power plant (VPP). In order to provide reliable power, datacenters are provided with on-site generators and large backup resources. These resources are designed to provide power during grid failure, therefore they are underutilized most of the time. In addition, load demand of the datacenter is flexible and the datacenter's resources are designed to meet the peak load. Resource use during average load conditions is very low and they remain idle. These characteristics make datacenters ideal candidates for VPP. This paper presents a new method to operate a datacenter as a virtual power plant and participate in the power market. A benchmark for datacenters to operate as VPP was developed and two different cases were analyzed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Efficacy of Alkaline Washing for the Decontamination of Orange Fruit Surfaces Inoculated with Escherichia coli

The effectiveness of washing treatments to decontaminate orange fruit surfaces inoculated with Escherichia coli was evaluated. Washing on roller brushes with fruit cleaners or sanitizers followed by potable water rinse reduced E. coli by 1.9 to 3.5 log cycles. Prewetting fruit for 30 s before washing provided no significant benefit in most cases. Additional sanitizing treatments either with chlorine or acid sanitizers did not enhance the results of alkaline washing. In general, high pH washing solutions (pH 11.8) applied with an adequate spray volume effectively reduced the surface contamination of fruit that lowered the microbial load of fresh juice as well.
Applications of Ion Track Lithography in Vacuum Microelectronics

When a high-velocity (i.e., typically > 0.1 MeV/amu) ion passes through a material it can change the properties of the material within a cylindrical zone centered on the essentially straight trajectory of the ion. The electronic bonding, phase, and density are among the properties modified in the zone, which is called a latent nuclear, or ion, track. Because the diameters of latent ion tracks are typically less than 20 nm, selective chemical etching is generally employed to improve the detection and assessment of the tracks. Historically, etched nuclear tracks have been used mainly for nuclear particle identification, geochronology, measurement of extremely low-dose radiation levels, and creation of membrane filters.
Fuel Type as a Factor Influencing Compliance by Utilities under The Acid Rain Program

ABSTRACT Passage of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments launched the Acid Rain Program in the United States. This initiative, based on the market mechanism of a sulfur dioxide tradable “allowance” system, was a dramatic departure from traditional command and control strategies designed to reduce air pollution emissions. Power plant managers have flexibility under the program to select and implement a variety of options to reduce emissions below mandated levels. Federal agencies have collected annual performance data for affected facilities covered by the program for a number of years. Coal-burning plants are typically greater generators of sulfur dioxide (SO2) than oil burners of equivalent size. This study examined the effect of fuel type as a significant factor influencing a plant's achievement in reducing pollution emissions. Achievement was measured by using a derived variable, delta (A), defined as the difference between pounds of SO2 produced divided by the energy (in million Btu) generated, for the y...
Analysis of Salmonella and enterococci isolated from rendered animal products

The objectives of this study were to determine the current status of bacterial contamination in rendered animal products and to analyze Salmonella and enterococci isolates from the samples. One hun...
Human chorionic gonadotropin hormone is antiviral

Although it is well known that human chorionic gonadotropin maintains the corpus luteum's ability to secrete estrogen and progesterone, I believe that it serves yet another important function. Early evidence suggests that human chorionic gonadotropin is a broad-spectrum antiviral/immune potentiator.
Space policy and the size of the space shuttle fleet

Abstract During the space shuttle era, policy makers have repeatedly wrestled with the issue of fleet size. The number of shuttles had both practical and symbolic significance, reflecting the robustness of the space transportation system and US preeminence in space. In debating how many shuttles were needed, NASA and other government entities weighed various arguments to determine the optimum number of vehicles for human spaceflight. Deliberations and decisions about shuttle fleet size reflected changing policy priorities and attitudes about the role of the shuttle. That history frames issues that may arise again in planning for new space transportation vehicles beyond the shuttle.
Ultracold Fermi gases: Pre-pairing for condensation

Pair formation and condensation usually occur together in Fermi superfluids. The observation of a pseudogap that implies pairing above the condensation temperature in a strongly interacting Fermi gas is thus an exciting development.
Involvement of a cryptic ATPase activity of UvrB and its proteolysis product, UvrB* in DNA repair

The incision of damaged DNA by the Escherichia coli UvrABC endonuclease requires ATP hydrolysis. Although the deduced sequence of the UvrB protein suggests a putative ATP binding site, no nucleoside triphosphatase activity is demonstrable with the purified UvrB protein. The UvrB protein is specifically proteolyzed in E. coli cell extracts to yield a 70 kD fragment, referred to as UvrB*, which has been purified and is shown to possess a single-strand DNA dependent ATPase activity. Substrate specificity and kinetic analyses of UvrB* catalyzed nucleotide hydrolysis indicate that the stimulation in DNA dependent ATPase activity following formation of the UvrAB complex results from the activation of the normally sequestered UvrB associated ATPase. Using nucleotide analogues, it can be shown that this activity is essential to the DNA incision reaction carried out by the UvrABC complex.
Protecting the Uninsured

Health care has again emerged as a major issue. Kenneth E. Thorpe writes that the candidates' proposals differ sharply in terms of design, cost, and coverage for the uninsured.
Laser noise in GHz fiber-optic links

The Intrinsic noise of a diode laser is an important factor in the SNR of high-frequency optical fiber links. At frequencies around the laser’s resonant frequency and at moderate light levels it is the dominant factor. Both the link frequency response and the laser noise contribution to the link noise are proportional to the square of the detector current. This means that above a moderate light level, the link's SNR is only marginally improved by higher light levels or increased detector multiplication.
Microbiological Indices for total coliform and E. coli bacteria in estuarine waters

Bacterial counts for total coliforms and E. coli in estuaries are normally orders of magnitude greater at the freshwater end than at the seaward end and tidal movements and variations in freshwater flows produce continual change in the freshwater/seawater mix--this causes the bacterial counts to vary greatly throughout the estuary and the complexity creates difficulty in appraising or assessing the bacterial counts (i.e. difficulties arise when deciding if the bacterial counts for estuarine water samples are within an acceptable range--relative to their corresponding salinities). The situation is further complicated in estuaries where sewage is discharged directly. Microbiological criteria and indices that can be used in a practical way to overcome these difficulties were developed. The procedure is summarised as follows: 1. Primary criteria are proposed for total coliform and for E. coli bacteria in the freshwater at the head of the estuary and in full seawater at the mouth of the estuary. 2. For estuarine or transitional waters (i.e. waters with salinity ranging from 0 per thousand to 35 per thousand), distinct criteria are calculated for each individual sample--with a separate criterion for total coliforms and for E. coli--the individual criteria are founded on the primary criteria and vary with salinity on a pro-rata or linear basis. 3. Finally, the Microbiological Index for each result is obtained by dividing the actual bacterial count by the corresponding criterion--the acceptable Index is then equal to 1--at any salinity (i.e. where the Index is 1 then the count breaches the criterion). The Index also indicates the extent of the compliance or non-compliance with the corresponding criteria. An example of the application of the Microbiological Index is also presented--including examples of graphs that demonstrate how microbiological data for estuarine waters can be summarised and presented.
Inelastic Scattering of 6- to 19-MeV Alpha Particles from Carbon

The inelastic scattering of alpha particles from C/sup 12/ was studied in detail. The 4.43-Mev gamma rays were observed from 6- to 17-Mev bombarding energy; the particles were observed from 10 to 19 Mev. Analysis of the gamma-ray data yielded the following specific conclusions: (1) Near 13.1-Mev excitation energy in O/sup 16/ there is apparently a 2/sup +/ level in addition to the well known 1/sup -/ level. (2) The 13.27Mev level is 3/sup -/, as previously reported. (3) The previously unassigned state at 13.88 Mev is 4/sup +/. (4) A previously unreported level at 14.80 Mev has a low spin value. Numerous additional levels were found. The two-channel'' coupled equations approximation predicts many of the qualitative features of the particle angular distributions. Since the coupling is very strong, calculations for C/sup 12/ illustrate well some of the features of this approximation. (auth)
Lessons learned from organizing: 1995 -- 2004

The main objective of this panel is to provide a forum for past conference chairs, program chairs, and others, to discuss lessons learned from organizing the past 10 SIGMIS-CPR conferences and how the lessons can make future conferences even more successful.
The effect of injection procedures on efficiency in micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

Micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MECC) involves the application of a high voltage (10–30 KV) across a capillary column (75μm i.d.) which is filled with a solution containing micelles. The mobile phase in this work consisted of sodium dodecyl sulfate in an aqueous borate/phosphate buffer system. Injection parameters in MECC were investigated to minimize the contribution to band-broadening resulting from the injection process. Efficiencies as high as 240,000 theoretical plates/meter are reported.
Design factors of intravascular dual frequency transducers for super-harmonic contrast imaging and acoustic angiography

Imaging of coronary vasa vasorum may lead to assessment of the vulnerable plaque development in diagnosis of atherosclerosis diseases. Dual frequency transducers capable of detection of microbubble super-harmonics have shown promise as a new contrast-enhanced intravascular ultrasound (CE-IVUS) platform with the capability of vasa vasorum imaging. Contrast-to-tissue ratio (CTR) in CE-IVUS imaging can be closely associated with low frequency transmitter performance. In this paper, transducer designs encompassing different transducer layouts, transmitting frequencies, and transducer materials are compared for optimization of imaging performance. In the layout selection, the stacked configuration showed superior super-harmonic imaging compared with the interleaved configuration. In the transmitter frequency selection, a decrease in frequency from 6.5 MHz to 5 MHz resulted in an increase of CTR from 15 dB to 22 dB when receiving frequency was kept constant at 30 MHz. In the material selection, the dual frequency transducer with the lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-PT) 1–3 composite transmitter yielded higher axial resolution compared to single crystal transmitters (70 μm compared to 150 μm pulse length). These comparisons provide guidelines for the design of intravascular acoustic angiography transducers.
Relevant real-world undergraduate research problems: lessons from the nsf-reu trenches

Projects funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program aim to (a) enhance participation of students who otherwise might not have research opportunities, and (b) increase the number of students interested in graduate programs, thus expanding the pool of a well-trained scientific workforce. To provide meaningful experiences for these students, REU projects make use of a set of interesting, appropriate research problems that can be tackled in 8 to 10 weeks in summer.The panelists have all served as PIs or Co-PIs on NSF REU projects in computing. They will present their REU research problems, highlight challenges they encountered, and present their results. They will also discuss what they have done, or what can be done, to incorporate such research problems within the regular computing curriculum, for example, in capstone courses or senior projects. A significant amount of time will be set aside for audience participation and discussion.
Balanced Electrostatic and Structural Forces Guide the Large Conformational Change Associated with Maturation of T=4 Virus

Nudaurelia capensis omega virus has a well-characterized T = 4 capsid that undergoes a pH-dependent large conformational changes (LCC) and associated auto-catalytic cleavage of the subunit. We examined previously the particle size at different pH values and showed that maturation occurred at pH 5.5. We now characterized the LCC with time-resolved small-angle x-ray scattering and showed that there were three kinetic stages initiated with an incremental drop in pH: 1), a rapid (<10 ms) collapse to an incrementally smaller particle; 2), a continuous size reduction over the next 5 s; and 3), a smaller final transition occurring in 2–3 min. Equilibrium measurements similar to those reported previously, but now more precise, showed that the particle dimension between pH 5.5 and 5 requires the autocatalytic cleavage to achieve its final compact size. A balance of electrostatic and structural forces shapes the energy landscape of the LCC with the latter requiring annealing of portions of the subunit. Equilibrium experiments showed that many intermediate states could be populated with a homogeneous ensemble of particles by carefully controlling the pH. A titration curve for the LCC was generated that showed that the virtual pKa (i.e., the composite of all titratable residues that contribute to the LCC) is 5.8.
Protein adsorption and transport in dextran-modified ion-exchange media. II. Intraparticle uptake and column breakthrough

Protein transport behavior was compared for the traditional SP Sepharose Fast Flow and the dextran-modified SP Sepharose XL and Capto S resins. Examination of the dynamic binding capacities (DBCs) revealed a fundamental difference in the balance between transport and equilibrium capacity limitations when comparing the two resin classes, as reflected by differences in the locations of the maximum DBCs as a function of salt. In order to quantitatively compare transport behavior, confocal microscopy and batch uptake experiments were used to obtain estimates of intraparticle protein diffusivities. For the traditional particle, such diffusivity estimates could be used to predict column breakthrough behavior accurately. However, for the dextran-modified media, neither the pore- nor the homogeneous-diffusion model was adequate, as experimental dynamic binding capacities were consistently lower than predicted. In examining the shapes of breakthrough curves, it was apparent that the model predictions failed to capture two features observed for the dextran-modified media, but never seen for the traditional resin. Comparison of estimated effective pore diffusivities from confocal microscopy and batch uptake experiments revealed a discrepancy that led to the hypothesis that protein uptake in the dextran-modified resins could occur with a shrinking-core-like sharp uptake front, but with incomplete saturation. The reason for the incomplete saturation is speculated to be that protein initially fills the dextran layer with inefficient packing, but can rearrange over time to accommodate more protein. A conceptual model was developed to account for the partial shrinking-core uptake to test whether the physical intuition led to predictions consistent with experimental behavior. The model could correctly reproduce the two unique features of the breakthrough curves and, in sample applications, parameters found from the fit of one breakthrough curve could be used to adequately match breakthrough at a different flow rate or batch uptake behavior.
Hydrophobic-Charged Block Copolymer Micelles Induced by Oppositely Charged Surfaces: Salt and pH Dependence

We analyze the possibility of inducing surface micellization of hydrophobic and charged block copolymers by an oppositely charged surface using a two-state model with lateral correlations among adsorbed chains. The electrostatic attraction between the charged block and the charged surface induces diblock copolymer micellization on the surface at copolymer concentrations well below the critical micelle concentration in the bulk. We study systems with strong charge groups which have fixed charge densities and systems with weak charge groups which have solution-dependent degrees of ionizations. We analyze the effects of salt concentration, solution pH, surface charge density, polyelectrolyte block line charge density, surface tension of the hydrophobic block, and polymerization degrees of the blocks on the induced micellization. It is found that at low salt concentrations the number of chains per micelle does not significantly depend on the degree of polymerization of the charged block. The addition of salt ...
Cartesian coordinates of DNA from Raman scattering and molecular modeling

Although a great deal of work has been done lately on unusual conformations of DNA, it is not always clear how relevant these structures are to the conformations found in the genome of living organisms. It appears that it an unusual form of DNA, such as the Z form, exists in the genome, it must exist as short sections of a specific sequence such as an alternating CG Z form sequence in the midst of very long sections of B-form DNA. To examine this problem of DNA structure, we have determined the minimum length of a string of alternating CG base pairs that can go into the Z form in the middle of a long section of B-form. Rules have been developed for determining the sequence lengths required to generate Z form in the presence of B form. Although Raman spectroscopy has been very useful as a semiquantitative indication of the conformation of proteins and nucleic acids it has not been by itself capable of giving precise structural parameters such as torsional angles or Cartesian coordinates. Recently we have shown how it is possible by a combination of Raman spectroscopy, thermodynamic analysis, hydrogen-deuterium exchange and molecular modeling to generate Cartesian coordinates for oliognucleotides in solution or in the crystal. In this paper we review the principles that lead to the actual structure determination. The possible extension of these techniques to the determination of the Cartesian coordinates for bent DNA is also discussed.
Neural coding of passive lump detection in compliant artificial tissue

Here, we investigate the neural mechanisms of detecting lumps embedded in artificial compliant tissues. We performed a combined psychophysical study of humans performing a passive lump detection ta...