cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recent advances in the modeling, scheduling and control of flexible automation

This paper initially discusses the state-of-the-art and the current limitations in the modeling, scheduling and control of flexible automation. To model flexible automation, it is argued that the simulation tools must provide enhanced capabilities to consider both controller interactions and the flow of resources that support production. It is also demonstrated that scheduling and control must be considered concurrently in real-time to effectively manage flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs). The complexity of the modem FMS further requires that the integrated scheduling and control function must be distributed among several coordinators with the system. The second part of the paper presents several research developments pertaining to the modeling, scheduling and control of flexible automation including: a Recursive, Object-Oriented Control Hierarchy for the integrated distribution of scheduling and control; a Hierarchical Object-Oriented Programmable Logic Simulator for the detailed modeling of FMSs; and a Hierarchical System Coordinator for implementing real-time scheduling and control. A physical emulator for an FMS which is being constructed is discussed as the example application in this presentation. Finally, the future research plan and the educational program based upon the developments is outlined.
The Copenhagen Climate Change Conference - A Post-Mortem

This short piece analyzes the background and content of the Copenhagen Accord on climate change, which was agreed to last December by leaders of roughly 25 countries, including all of the world's major economies. Although the Copenhagen Accord is a political rather than a legal instrument and has been criticized by some as inadequate or worse, it represents a potentially significant breakthrough. On one side, developed countries agreed to put significant new funds on the table for climate change mitigation and adaptation, both for the short and medium terms, and committed to implement national economy-wide emissions targets for the post -2012 period, which will be internationally listed. On the other side, developing countries agreed for the first time to reflect their national mitigation actions in an international instrument and to subject their actions to some form of international review. The failure of the conference as a whole to adopt the Accord leaves its future uncertain. But if the participating states actually carry through on what they negotiated in Copenhagen, the "bottom up" architecture of the Accord could help encourage and reinforce national actions. In any event, as the most that world leaders could accept through direct negotiations under an intense international spotlight, the Copenhagen Accord may well represent the high-water mark of the climate change regime for some time to come.
Who Keeps International Commitments and Why? The International Criminal Court and Bilateral Non-Surrender Agreements

What do countries do when they have committed to a treaty, but then find that commitment challenged? After the creation of the International Criminal Court, the US tried to get countries, regardless of whether they were parties to the Court or not, to sign agreements not to surrender Americans to the Court. Why did some states sign and others not? Given US power and threats of military sanctions, some states did sign. However, such factors tell only part of the story. When refusing to sign, many states emphasized the moral value of the court. Further, states with a high domestic rule of law emphasized the importance of keeping their commitment. This article therefore advances two classic arguments that typically are difficult to substantiate, namely that state preferences are indeed partly normative and that international commitments do not just screen states, they also constrain.
Comparison of new Doppler echocardiographic methods to differentiate constrictive pericardial heart disease and restrictive cardiomyopathy

This study assesses how the newer modalities of tissue Doppler echocardiography and color M-mode flow propagation compare with respiratory variation of Doppler flow in distinguishing between constrictive pericarditis and restrictive cardiomyopathy. We studied 30 patients referred for further evaluation of diastolic function who had a diagnosis of constrictive pericarditis or restrictive cardiomyopathy established by diagnostic tests, including clinical assessment, magnetic resonance imaging, cardiac catheterization, endomyocardial biopsy, and surgical findings. Nineteen patients had constrictive pericarditis and 11 had restrictive cardiomyopathy. We performed 2-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography combined with pulsed-wave Doppler of the pulmonary veins and mitral inflow with respiratory monitoring, tissue Doppler echocardiography of the lateral mitral annulus, and color M-mode flow propagation of left ventricular filling. Respiratory variation of the mitral inflow peak early (peak E) velocity of > or =10% predicted constrictive pericarditis with 84% sensitivity and 91% specificity and variation in the pulmonary venous peak diastolic (peak D) flow velocity of > or =18% distinguished constriction with 79% sensitivity and 91% specificity. Using tissue Doppler echocardiography, a peak early velocity of longitudinal expansion (peak Ea) of > or =8.0 cm/s differentiated patients with constriction from restriction with 89% sensitivity and 100% specificity. A slope of > or =100 cm/s for the first aliasing contour in color M-mode flow propagation predicted patients with constriction with 74% sensitivity and 91% specificity. Thus, the newer methods of tissue Doppler echocardiography and color M-mode flow propagation are equivalent and complimentary with Doppler respiratory variation in distinguishing between constrictive pericarditis and restrictive cardiomyopathy. The additive role of the new methods needs to be established in difficult cases of constrictive pericarditis where respiratory variation may be absent or decreased.
A sensitivity equation method for molding processes

Describes a sensitivity equation method for elliptic interface problems where the parameter of interest determines the spatial location of the interface. Elliptic differential equations of this type are often characterized by discontinuous coefficients and, in some instances, these equations may have discontinuous solutions or flux terms. The computational method constructed in the paper uses an iterative, non-overlapping domain decomposition algorithm. Preliminary results indicate that the algorithm works well under optimal conditions.
Daptomycin Pharmacokinetics and Safety following Administration of Escalating Doses Once Daily to Healthy Subjects

The purpose of this paper is to establish the pharmacokinetics and safety of escalating, once-daily doses of daptomycin, a novel lipopeptide antibiotic active against gram-positive pathogens, including those resistant to methicillin and vancomycin. This phase 1, multiple-dose, double-blind study involved 24 healthy subjects in three dose cohorts (4, 6, and 8 mg/kg of body weight) who were randomized to receive daptomycin or the control at a 3:1 ratio and administered the study medication by a 30-min intravenous infusion every 24 h for 7 to 14 days. Daptomycin pharmacokinetics was assessed by blood and urine sampling. Safety and tolerability were evaluated by monitoring adverse events (AEs) and laboratory parameters. Daptomycin pharmacokinetics was linear through 6 mg/kg, with a slight (∼20%) nonlinearity in the area under the curve and trough concentration at the highest dose studied (8 mg/kg). The pharmacokinetic parameters measured on the median day of the study period, (day 7) were half-life (∼9 h), volume of distribution (∼0.1 liters/kg), systemic clearance (∼8.2 ml/h/kg), and percentage of the drug excreted intact in urine from 0 to 24 h (∼54%). Daptomycin protein binding (mean amount bound, 91.7%) was independent of the drug concentration. No gender effect was observed. All subjects who received daptomycin completed the study. The frequencies and distributions of treatment-emergent AEs were similar for the subjects who received daptomycin and the control subjects. There were no serious AEs and no pattern of dose-related events. The pharmacokinetics of once-daily administration of daptomycin was linear through 6 mg/kg. For all three doses, plasma daptomycin concentrations were consistent and predictable throughout the dosing interval. Daptomycin was well tolerated when it was administered once daily at a dose as high as 8 mg/kg for 14 days.
Equivalence of abrupt grain-size transitions in alluvial rivers and eolian sand seas: A hypothesis

Gravel-bed rivers organize to a threshold state in which the fluid stress during dominant flow conditions slightly exceeds the critical value. These channels change fairly abruptly to sand-dominated beds, facilitated by a paucity of sediment in the range of 1–10 mm. Eolian sediments are also bimodal; sand seas often transition rapidly downwind to silty loess deposits. In this paper we hypothesize that both transitions result from the same processes: (1) production of fine sediment by spallation from saltation abrasion of coarse grains, and (2) segregation of fine and coarse modes by suspension and saltation transport, respectively. We demonstrate that gravel rivers and eolian dune fields are dynamically equivalent in terms of threshold transport (Shields stress) and collision dynamics (Stokes number). While abrasion may not be the dominant cause of downstream fining of fluvial gravels, the reduction of collision efficiency with grain diameter sets a lower limit on gravel size, leading to a grain-size gap. The collision efficiency hypothesis potentially reconciles conflicting studies on the importance of sorting and lithology in downstream fining. Shields and Stokes similitude in rivers and deserts may be used to design appropriately scaled experiments to test and refine our hypothesis.
Role of defects in propene adsorption and reaction on a partially O-covered Au(111) surface

We investigate the role of defects—adatoms, vacancies, and steps—in the bonding and reaction of propene on Au(111) containing atomic oxygen, using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The adsorption of propene is stronger on a surface containing defects compared to the flat, bulk-terminated surface, with the largest gain in binding (∼0.7 eV) on a surface with a 1/9 monolayer (ML) of Au adatoms. Charge-density difference plots reveal that the difference between defective surfaces and the bulk-terminated surface is a more pronounced depletion of electron density from the carbon–carbon π bond and a charge accumulation between the double bond and the gold atom to which the propene is bound. We calculate the energy barriers for two competing reactions that are important in determining the selectivity for propene oxidation. Allylic H abstraction by adsorbed O leads to combustion, whereas O addition to form an oxymetallacycle is the first step in propene epoxide formation. A comparison of the energetics of these two pathways on flat and defect-containing Au surfaces indicates that the reactivity depends on the nature and prevalence of surface defects. Both electronic and geometric factors, such as the path and the distance the oxygen must travel to meet the allylic hydrogen for abstraction, are important in explaining the reaction trends.
THE GLOMERULAR MESANGIUM : III. ACUTE IMMUNE MESANGIAL INJURY: A NEW MODEL OF GLOMERULONEPHRITIS

A mechanism of immune glomerular injury is described based on the fixation of antibody (Ab) to an antigen (Ag) that has localized in the glomerular mesangium. Rabbits were given, intravenously (i.v.), aggregated human IgG (AHIgG) or albumin (AHSA) and 10 h later, when the Ag by immunofluorescent microscopy was present in the mesangium, a kidney was removed and transplanted into a normal rabbit. The recipient then received, i.v., rabbit anti-HIgG or anti-HSA. Within minutes of Ab infusion, glomeruli of the donor kidney had polymorphonuclear (PMN) infiltration that over the next few hours became marked and was associated with glomerular cell swelling. At 24 h a decrease in PMN's and early mesangial proliferation was seen. By 3 days there was marked mesangial hypercellularity and increased mesangial matrix. Within minutes after Ab administration rabbit IgG, C3, and fibrin were seen in the glomerular mesangium. There was a fall in complement titer by 1 min after Ab infusion that was due to complement consumption by the donor kidney. Complement then returned to normal levels by 48 h. Significant glomerular injury did not occur ( a ) in the recipient's own kidney, ( b ) from Ag administration and transplantation without recipient Ab administration, or ( c ) from transplantation and Ab administration without prior Ag administration. These studies demonstrated that Ag localized in the glomerular mesangium can react with circulating Ab and complement resulting in severe glomerular injury.
WISP-2: a serum-inducible gene differentially expressed in human normal breast epithelial cells and in MCF-7 breast tumor cells.

WISP-2 is a Wnt-1-induced signaling protein identified as a member of CCN growth factor family. A role for this molecule during tumorigenesis is suspected but remains unproven. Here we show that WISP-2 expression was undetectable, or minimally detectable, in nontransformed human mammary epithelial cells, but was overexpressed in MCF-7 cells. Expression of WISP-2 in MCF-7 cells was modulated by serum and correlated with the serum-induced MCF-7 tumor cell proliferation, suggesting that WISP-2 is serum responsive and may be a positive regulator of tumor cell proliferation.
Advances in error correction coding for high-speed optical transmission

Several attractive classes of LDPC codes including quasi-cyclic (QC), convolutional, staircase, and spatially-coupled codes are described. We show that these classes of LDPC codes can be derived from QC-LDPC code design. We demonstrate that record coding gains can be obtained from properly designed irregular QC-LDPC codes.
Strategies for Promoting Literacy for Students Who Have Physical Disabilities

Teaching beginning reading to children with physical and speech impairments can be especially challenging. One reading strategy, known as the Nonverbal Reading Approach, is specifically designed to promote decoding and word reading for this population of students. The authors present three studies that show the successful use of this approach.
Comparing the spatial characteristics of corresponding cyber and physical communities: a case study

The proliferation of social media over the past few years is presenting us with unique opportunities to sample opinions and interests at spatial and temporal resolutions previously unheard of. In order to make best use of this information though, we need a better understanding of the degree to which the cyber community that is observed through them can serve as a proxy for the corresponding physical community. In this paper we are making a contribution towards this issue by presenting a case study in which we compare spatial characteristics of a community both in the physical and cyber spaces. The key findings of our analysis relate to the selection of an appropriate level of spatial aggregation for analyzing social media content, and on the effect in the level of participation of the distance from the point of interest.
The rule of capital, imperialism, and its opposition: Radical education for equality and justice

The paper traces the developments taking place in the sphere of education as a direct fall out of larger socio-economic and political developments. It bases its arguments in the tradition of Western educationists who, in different ways, have tried to analyse education in relation to the social relations characterising a society and who see education as an instrument of reproducing the existing ‘realities’. Deriving from the experiences of education in USA primarily it argues that trends towards standardisation and high-stakes testing cannot stand outside the social context. They are primarily constructs of capital and one of the challenges today is to see how rational knowledge is constructed. And in order to understand this construction, one needs to see how knowledge moves from what appears to be, to what is, or from appearance to essence, sometimes unmasking deception, sometimes simply deepening understanding. It is in this context that he sees schools as the central organising places of North American life. The paper defines notions of ‘courage’ and ‘change’ in context of schooling and education and concludes that changing minds is the daily life of every school worker.
Regional left ventricular perfusion and function in patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain and no ST-segment elevation.

Aims We hypothesized that the assessment of left ventricular regional function (RF) and myocardial perfusion (MP) will provide incremental value over routine evaluation in patients who present to the emergency department (ED) with chest pain (CP) and no ST-segment elevation. Methods and results In addition to routine clinical evaluation, patients with suspected cardiac CP and no ST-segment elevation were evaluated in the ED for RF and MP using contrast echocardiography (CE). Cardiac-related death, acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina pectoris, congestive heart failure (CHF), and revascularization were considered as events within 48 h (early). Of the 1017 patients studied, 166 (16.3%) had early events. Adding RF increased the prognostic information of clinical and EKG variables significantly (Bonferroni corrected P <0.0001) for predicting these events. When MP was added, significant additional prognostic information was obtained (Bonferroni corrected P =0.0002). All patients were followed for a median of 7.7 months (25th–75th percentiles: 2.7–12.5) Of these, 292 (28.7%) had events. Adding RF increased the prognostic information of clinical and EKG variables for determining the risk of events significantly (Bonferroni corrected P <0.0001), which was further increased by adding MP (Bonferroni corrected P <0.0001). Conclusion Early assessment of RF on CE adds significant diagnostic and prognostic value to routine evaluation in patients presenting to the ED with suspected cardiac CP and no ST-segment elevation. MP provides additional significant value. CE could be a valuable tool in the early triage and management of CP patients presenting to the ED.
An Examination of Public School Safety Measures across Geographic Settings

BACKGROUND: Violence at a school can have a negative impact on the health of students, teachers, administrators, and others associated with the school and surrounding community. The use of weapons in school buildings or on school grounds accounts for the majority of violent deaths, particularly among males. This national trend suggests the need for a more concerted effort to improve safety and prevent violence. This article reports the use of 13 safety measures in US public schools in 4 geographic regions (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West) and 3 community settings (urban, suburban, and rural). METHODS: Data representing 16,000 schools reported in the Educational Longitudinal Survey of 2002-2004 were analyzed. Data were self-reported by school administrators. RESULTS: Of the various safety measures assessed, fire alarms and extinguishers were consistently reported regardless of the geographic region or community setting of the school. Other than measures for fire safety, schools throughout the country routinely used exterior light and student lockers as safety measures. There was a significant difference by geographic region and community setting in the use of safety measures that required specific personnel, namely a security guard and an adult to direct a guest to sign in. CONCLUSION: Recognizing the patterns of violence at public high schools, administrators working with students, other school personnel, and community partners may consider more combinations of the safety measures within their institutions together with local resources and services to improve safety and reduce violence. Language: en
Policies, Procedures, and Practices Regarding Sport-Related Concussion in Community College Athletes.

Context: College sport organizations and associations endorse concussion-management protocols and policies. To date, little information is available on concussion policies and practices at community college institutions. Objective: To assess and describe current practices and policies regarding the assessment, management, and return-to-play criteria for sport-related concussion (SRC) among member institutions of the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA). Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Web-based survey. Patients or Other Participants: A total of 55 head athletic trainers (ATs) at CCCAA institutions. Main Outcome Measure(s): Data about policies, procedures, and practices regarding SRC were collected over a 3-week period in March 2012 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Fisher exact test, and the Spearman test. Results: Almost half (47%) of ATs stated they had a policy for SRC assessment, management, and return to play at their institution. They reported being i...
Range bagging: a new method for ecological niche modelling from presence-only data.

The ecological niche is the set of environments in which a population of a species can persist without introduction of individuals from other locations. A good mathematical or computational representation of the niche is a prerequisite to addressing many questions in ecology, biogeography, evolutionary biology and conservation. A particularly challenging question for ecological niche modelling is the problem of presence-only modelling . That is, can an ecological niche be identified from records drawn only from the set of niche environments without records from non-niche environments for comparison? Here, I introduce a new method for ecological niche modelling from presence-only data called range bagging . Range bagging draws on the concept of a species9 environmental range , but was inspired by the empirical performance of ensemble learning algorithms in other areas of ecological research. This paper extends the concept of environmental range to multiple dimensions and shows that range bagging is computationally feasible even when the number of environmental dimensions is large. The target of the range bagging base learner is an environmental tolerance of the species in a projection of its niche and is therefore an ecologically interpretable property of a species9 biological requirements. The computational complexity of range bagging is linear in the number of examples, which compares favourably with the main alternative, Qhull. In conclusion, range bagging appears to be a reasonable choice for niche modelling in applications in which a presence-only method is desired and may provide a solution to problems in other disciplines where one-class classification is required, such as outlier detection and concept learning.
Democratic Rollback and Contracting for War: Managing the Intent of Accountability with Technical Versus Adaptive Solutions

This study examines the potential for democratic rollback when contracting for security, reconstruction, and development during wartime. The context for analysis is U.S. contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2003-2010. The adoption of hybrid governance structures poses serious accountability challenges to the legitimate use of force traditionally reserved for government, as when outsourcing responsibilities to nongovernmental entities or individuals. This study evaluates the supply of institutions emerging to hold contractors accountable, including an overlooked accountability mechanism of interagency statutes. Interagency statutes are aimed at technical solutions for improving oversight of war contracting. Findings suggest that technical solutions have the potential to undermine the intent of accountability, as they do not consider what Heifetz (2003) theorizes as adaptive challenges,which are attuned to issues of policy alignment, procedural incentives, interagency dynamics and differences over how certain policy outputs are valued. However, when evaluating compliance problems,adaptive challenges can emerge, when a) credible venues of interactive dialogue are engaged, and when b) ongoing dialogue routines between the bureaucracy and elected officials keep the focus on adaptive work. In doing so, the intent of accountability can be reclaimed and sustained.
Changes in regulation of human zinc metabolism with age

To assess changes in zinc metabolism with age, kinetic studies were performed in healthy adults (26 men, 21 women) aged 20-84 yr after a single oral or intravenous bolus of 65Zn. Studies covered two consecutive 9-mo periods while subjects were on a basal dietary intake of approximately 10 mg Zn/day and while taking an additional 100 mg Zn/day orally. Zinc metabolism was analyzed by compartmental analysis using data from plasma, red blood cells, urine, feces, liver, thigh, and whole body [M. E. Wastney, R. L. Aamodt, W. F. Rumble, and R. I. Henkin. Am. J. Physiol. 251 (Regulatory Integrative Comp. Physiol. 20): R398-R408, 1986]. Changes in observed and model calculated values of zinc metabolism were assessed on age by regression. During basal state, zinc release from red blood cells decreased with age. During zinc loading, response (defined as change from basal state) of plasma zinc concentration, urinary zinc excretion, and liver zinc increased with age, while response of fraction of zinc taken up by red blood cells decreased with age. In men, response of amount of zinc absorbed increased with age and in women response of fraction of endogenous zinc excreted decreased with age. Four responses that changed with age (urinary excretion, red blood cell exchange, absorption, and endogenous excretion) occurred at previously defined sites of regulation of zinc metabolism. Results show that regulation of zinc metabolism changes with age.
REVIEW: Basic Principles and Economics of Transportation Shrink in Beef Cattle1

Abstract Shrink is a normal occurrence in cattle that affects both the seller and buyer; a few hours to over 30 d are required to replenish this lost BW. The primary factor affecting shrink is the length of time of feed and water withdrawal; rate of shrink averages ca. 1%/h during the initial 3 to 4 h, but decreases to as low as 0.1%/h after 10 h or more. Shrink is not only loss of gut fill but actual tissue loss, which can exceed 60% of the total BW loss. This amount is greater when ambient temperatures are high. Many other factors also affect the amount of shrink cattle incur. Shrink may be increased by up to 2 percentage units when environmental conditions are stressful, such as during periods of high ambient temperature, transport (compared with holding in a drylot), or during extra or rough handling. Preconditioning calves or feeding specific types of diets prior to shrink have not affected shrink conclusively. Allowing calves to consume feed or forage immediately before deprivation reduced the amount of shrink by up to 2.9 percentage units, and feeding ionophores reduced shrink by 0.2 to 1.5 percentage units. Electrolyte supplementation may also reduce shrink, but much more research is needed to determine which electrolyte or combination of electrolytes is needed, at what levels they are needed, and when is the optimal time to supplement with higher levels of electrolytes to have the greatest impact on reduction of shrink and stress.
Prediction and optimization of gene transfection and drug delivery by electroporation

Although electroporation is widely used for laboratory gene transfection and gaining increased importance for nonviral gene therapy, it is generally employed using trial-and-error optimization schemes for lack of methods to predict electroporation's effects on cells. Therefore, we used a statistical approach to quantitatively predict molecular uptake and cell viability following electroporation and show that it predicts both in vitro and in vivo results for a wide range of molecules, including DNA, in 60 different cell types. Mechanistically, this broad predictive ability suggests that electroporation is mediated primarily by lipid bilayer structure and only secondarily by cell-specific characteristics. For gene therapy applications, this approach should facilitate rational design of electroporation protocols.
Southwestern Corn Borer Control in Grain Sorghum

Granular formulations of carbofuran, methomyl, diazinon, disulfoton, and EPN ( O -elhyl O-p -nitrophenyl phenylphosphonothioate) were applied as a whorl treatment with ground equipment to R-12 variety of sorghum for control of Diatraea grandiosella (Dyar). Carbofuran and methomyl at 1.0 lb active ingredient per acre gave excellent control with yield increases of 2122 and 1769 lb per acre, respectively. Diazinon and disulfoton gave fair control, and EPN at 0.6 lb Al/acre gave poor control. In addition, carbofuran, diazinon, and disulfoton gave good green bug control.
Impaired response to acetylcholine despite intact endothelium-derived relaxing factor/nitric oxide in isolated microperfused afferent arterioles of the spontaneously hypertensive rat.

The major characteristic of renal hemodynamics in hypertension is abnormally high resistance of the preglomerular vessel, most likely the afferent arteriole (Af-Art). Although endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF)/nitric oxide (NO) has been studied extensively in large vessels, little is known about its role in Af-Art reactivity. Using isolated microperfused Af-Arts of 12- to 13-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and their normotensive control, Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats, we examined the effect of acetylcholine (ACh) or N ω -nitro-L-arginine (L-NAME), which stimulates or blocks endothelium-derived NO, respectively
Social Power and Cross-cultural Leadership: A Conceptual Exploration

Because the essence of leadership is considered to be influencing others to pursue common objectives, the way power is exercised by leaders (i.e. the influence process) has been of importance to so...
Leucocyte and thymus changes in the pyridoxine-deficient young and adult male rat.

SummarySpecific involution of the thymus resulted from pyridoxine deficiency in rats and could be distinguished from the atrophy resulting from inanition alone. Inanition induced lymphopenia of the same degree in young and adult pyridoxine-deficient animals and their respective pair weighed controls. Granulocytosis occurred only in the pyridoxine-deficient young and adult animals. All blood and thymus changes were rapidly restored to normal following realimentation of the deficient and pair weighed adult animals.
A Disaggregative Model for the Generation of Sales

refer as B2. Three interrelated topics connected with these proposed models will be discussed: (1) useful ways of visualizing B, and B as sales processes, both independently and in contrast to each other; (2) the derivation of the expectation and variance of B, and B in order to provide a kit of useful tools; (3) applications of these models in a marketing context and suggestions on extending their usefulness beyond merely a means for visualizing a sales process in the abstract. * The author is an associate professor, School of Business Administration, State University of New York at Buffalo (formerly University of Buffalo). An earlier version of this paper was presented on April 1, 1964, at the meetings of the 1963-1964 Mathematical Models Seminar of the University of Chicago, sponsored by the Ford Foundation. I am indebted to Professor Alex Orden, the seminar leader, for his encouragement, and to the Ford Foundation for partial support. ' Other recent efforts in economics and marketing stress disaggregation. Analytical Markov chain models in marketing emphasize an approach whose basic interacting units are individual households [2, 7, 8 and 12]. A recent practically minded macrosimulation by the Simulmatics Corporation [11] provides another example of disaggregation. A few thousand hypothetical individuals representing media choice "types" and classified by various demographic and economic variables constitute a small "experimental" universe. A stochastic selection of media for the various categories is first determined for each individual and only then aggregated. Another wellknown effort in the same direction has been made in Wisconsin under Guy Orcutt's leadership[9]. Population and labor force processes were simulated. The basic micro-units, the individuals, interacted directly. The aggregates were cumulations of individual responses. 2 To get a more general result we can allow both positive and negative value for P and limit the absolute value of P to a value smaller than one. Positive serial correlation, however, is typical of sales and, hence, P is assumed positive. 3 It appears that B, lies conceptually between a sum of N random independent variables where N is a constant [3] and a product of two independent random variables [1, 5, 6, 10, 13].
The impact of health care spending and income inequality on stunting prevalence

Design: Stunting prevalence data were collected for 86 countries over the period 1995-2010 and combined with panel data that included health care spending and income inequality variables as well as other underlying and socioeconomic variables. Country fixed-effects regression models were utilized to examine the impact of these variables on overall stunting prevalence, controlling for time trends. Setting: While a number of cross-country analyses have examined the drivers of stunting prevalence reduction, few have examined the impact from health care spending or income inequality. The objective of this analysis was to determine the impact of health care spending and income inequality on overall stunting prevalence. Subjects: The analysis was conducted at the country level using aggregate data, so no individual subjects were included in the analysis. Results: The results show that investments in social health insurance, as a percent of government health care spending, are one of the main drivers of lowered stunting prevalence. In addition, we show that reducing income inequality, by increasing the share of income held by three lowest income groups, reduces stunting levels. Conclusions: The results of the analysis highlight the important role of targeted health care spending and reductions in income inequality on stunting prevalence.
Surveillance Results of Influenza in Wuxi City in 2007

[Objective]To study the epidemic features of influenza in Wuxi in 2007,discuss the change of predominant strains of influenza and enhance influenza surveillance so as to provide scientific evidence for control and prevention of influenza.[Methods]All collected specimens were conducted hemagglutinin(HA) with the 0.75% blood type of "O" and MDCK cell,and culture,isolation and detection by using the hemagglutinin inhibition test(HI).[Results]A total of 650 specimens of influenza-like were tested,122 flu virus strains were isolated,the isolation rate was 18.77%,and the highest monthly rate was 42.11%.3 strains of H1Nl dispersed in winter and spring;55 strains of H3N2 were collected half in winter and spring,and half in summer;and 6 strains of Victoria flu virus sub-type B were detected in winter and spring;58 strains of Yamagata flu virus sub-type B were collected in summer.[Conclusion] The predominant stains of influenza were A subtype H3N2 and Yamagata flu virus sub-type B in Wuxi in 2007,it is necessary to enhance the precaution of the outbreak of these strains
Detection of Aeromonas in food and analysis of their virulence and drug resistance

Objective:To investigate Aeromonas distribution situation,virulence factor carrying condition and their sensitivity on antimicrobial drug in food in Wenzhou,provides the scientific basis for food poisoning monitor and food security risk assessment.Methods: Adopt step selection and systematical identification methods to inspect Aeromonas in food samples,detected the protease of Aeromonas by proteinase test,observated hemolysin through blood plate,detected two toxin gene-hlyA and aerA by PCR method.Take the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method for susceptibility test.Results: 55 strains of Aeromonas were detected in 298 foods,the total detection rate was 18.46%.Of the total owing the highest detection rate was Aeromonas veronii biovar sobria,whose detection rate was 8.72%(26/298),followed was Aeromonas hydrophila,with the detection rate was 6.04%(18/298).In various types of food,the highest detection rate of Aeromonas was meat,was 32.95%(29/88).In Aeromonas,hlyA gene carrier rate was 21.82%,aerA gene carrier rate was 23.64%,protease carrier rate was 30.91%.47.27% of the strains had the hematolysis phenomenon.Drug sensitivity test showed that Aeromonas has high drug resistance to rifampin and ampicillin,high sensitivity to amikacin,gentamicin,norfloxac.Conclusion: Foods in Wenzhou are heavily contaminated by Aeromonas.Many strains carrying virulence factors,and the antimicrobial resistant of some isolates are serious.
Guiding a self-adjusting system through chaos: Research Articles

The authors studied the parametric controls of self-adjusting systems with numerical models. The authors investigated the situation where the target dynamics changes slowly and passes through a chaotic region. The authors found that feedback destabilizes controls if the target is chaotic. If the control is unstable, the system migrates to the closest nonchaotic target, i.e., it adapts to the edge of chaos. For weak controls, the deviation between system dynamics and target is larger, but the system dynamics is less chaotic and therefore more predictable. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity, 2007 Paper at Symposium on Complex Systems Engineering, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, January 11–12, 2007, available at http://cs.calstatela.edu/wiki/images/6/6e/Hubler.pdf
Is Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Always Necessary for Dental Implant Placement?

Purpose The use of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) for evaluation of patients for dental implants has gained considerable popularity. This retrospective cohort study was designed to determine whether using a clinical examination and a panoramic radiograph (Panorex) for implant selection and determining the need for bone grafting would be comparable to using CBCT in routine implant cases. Patients and Methods Implant size and need for bone grafting were initially determined in 82 patients using a panoramic radiograph and clinical examination. These patients subsequently underwent CBCT and their treatment was re-planned by the same surgeon using Simplant treatment planning software (DENTSPLY Implants, Molndal, Sweden) in addition to clinical examination. The length and width of implants selected by each method and the need for bone grafting were recorded and the results were compared statistically with each other and with the actual treatment subsequently rendered. Results The Panorex method and the CBCT method accurately predicted implant width to within 1.5 mm of the implant actually placed in 100% of cases and length to within 1.5 mm in more than 95% of cases. For bone graft prediction, the results indicated that neither the Panorex method nor CBCT method differed substantially from the actual treatment rendered. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that the CBCT is more accurate in predicting implant length and width and the need for bone grafting procedures. However, for routine unguided implant placement in sites where anatomic structures and bone grafting are not a concern, the use of a panoramic radiograph could be adequate for determining the length and width of the implant.
Chapter 52 – Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a multifocal inflammatory autoimmune disease that grossly affects the CNS white matter resulting in progressive neurodegeneration in genetically susceptible hosts. In the past half-century great strides have been made in understanding the genetic risk, immunomodulation, and immune dysregulation that is responsible for establishing MS, as well as in the development of various disease modifying therapies that have succeeded in controlling disease evolution and survival. While MS immunopathology has long been attributed to the Th1 subset of T cells, recent work has identified novel genetic susceptibility loci in addition to establishing a putative role for the regulatory T cell and Th17 T cell subsets, among a potential role for CD8+ T cell and B cell subsets. Nevertheless the identification of an antigen or infectious agent responsible for driving the ongoing inflammatory and humoral response in MS remains to be elucidated. This chapter examines the paradigms currently being utilized for deciphering MS, highlights current disease modifying therapies, and defines compelling future directions for MS-based research.
Control Laboratory Activities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Abstract The Control Systems Project Laboratory, including a biweekly lecture, is a one-term elective for Juniors and Seniors in Electrical Engineering. Independent projects are also undertaken during the Senior year and graduate study. The main objectives of the Laboratory are to develop insight and rule-of-thumb design techniques for first-cut controller design, and to teach the development of mathematical models for more complex physical systems, based on experimental measurements of systems properties. The analog computer and DC motor are primary teaching vehicles. At a more advanced level, graphical programs, digital simulation and design techniques, optimal control, and computer control are taught.
Comparison of a mid-shelf wave hindcast to ADCP-measured directional spectra and their transformation to shallow water

Abstract In conducting a cross-shelf wave transformation experiment off the Atlantic coast of north Florida, a unique opportunity was exploited in which an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) instrument was installed 30 km offshore at the exact location of one of the archive-nodes of a WAM-like wave hindcast model (OWI3G). A second ADCP was installed 550 m from shore. Approximately 53 days of directional wave spectra collected with the two ADCPs are used to (a) locally test the reliability of a subsequent update of the hindcast, (b) document the loss in energy as the waves crossed the broad, relatively shallow continental shelf between the two instruments, (c) test the ability of the SWAN (Gen2) nearshore wave transformation model to replicate the measurements taken in shallow water when driven by the offshore ADCP spectra, and (d) reassess the spectral transformation results when the offshore hindcast is used as input. In addition to direct comparison of the time series of frequency spectra and the directional distribution of energy, typical spectral parameters are each subjected to standard error tests. Results indicate that the offshore hindcast performs well in replicating significant wave height, fairly well for mean period, but not as reliably for peak period. Directional spreading in deeper water is generally well-represented, although vector mean direction is not, and is believed due to the proximity of the coast to the hindcast node. The nearshore model requires an order-of-magnitude reduction in bed roughness from its default value before agreement in wave energy at the nearshore ADCP can be achieved. Outcomes of the error tests for the hindcast-driven versus the ADCP-driven nearshore results (after roughness calibration) are quite similar, but nevertheless indicate that transformed wave period, wave direction, and directional spreading require improvement.
Smart phone accessibility and mHealth use in a limited resource setting.

Aim To determine smartphone access and use including future opportunities for mHealth and potential ethical implications among health care professionals practicing at a health care facility in Bengaluru, India. Background The evolution of smart phones can provide convenient, portable, and rapid access to resources for health care professionals. While mobile phone accessibility has improved in recent years in many low and middle-income countries, the use of smart phones to address health priorities remains limited in some limited resource settings. Design A quantitative descriptive design was used. Methods A survey was administered in November of 2016 to nurses and physicians at a tertiary care hospital in India. Results/findings All respondents had a mobile phone, and the majority owned a smart phone that was used for text messaging, email, accessing internet, and downloading apps. Participants recommended smart phone use to improve health care provider access to continuing education and to improve patient knowledge about health. Physicians had better access to mHealth resources compared with nurses. Conclusion Credible, evidence-based, affordable mobile applications are needed to provide a platform for continuing health education to health professionals and patients in India and limited resource settings. Nurses need equitable access to mHealth resources to build successful mHealth initiatives.
The Role of Social Media in Protest Participation: The Case of Candlelight Vigils in South Korea

This study examines the role of social media and mechanisms through which it can mobilize citizens to participate in protests. Focusing specifically on Facebook as a social media platform, this study uses survey data collected in South Korea during the 2016 candlelight vigils ( N = 922). Findings suggest that the frequency of Facebook use was strongly and positively associated with protest activity. Yet, further path analysis reveals no direct effect of Facebook use on protest participation. Instead, Facebook use facilitated purposeful news consumption and political expression on the site, which in turn facilitated protest participation. Despite the prevalence of incidental exposure to news on Facebook, incidental exposure did not breed further political action, such as expressing political opinions on Facebook.
Correction to: What Is Interesting About Equivalence Relations and Behavior?

Thomas S. Critchfield was incorrectly credited as coauthor of this article. Murray Sidman is the sole author.
Lipopolysaccharide, but not lethal infection, releases tumor necrosis factor in mice.

An endogenously produced cytokine, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), is thought to be an important mediator in the pathophysiology of gram-negative sepsis (10). Infusions of TNF in animals reproduce the metabolic, hormonal, hemodynamic, and histopathologic finding seen in lethal gram-negative infection (7, 11). Pretreatment with polyclonal anti-TNF antibodies was shown to reduce endotoxin (LPS) lethality in mice (1). Passive immunization with monoclonal antibodies against recombinant human TNF conferred complete protection against shock and death in baboons challenged with an otherwise lethal infusion of E. coli (9). Measurable circulating levels of TNF have been found in animals following a lethal bolus infusion of LPS (2, 8) or live gram-negative bacteria (6, 9), while little has been reported concerning TNF produttion in other models of lethal gram-negative infection.