cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bilingualism in the Community: Codeswitching and Grammars in Contact Rena Torres Cacoullos and Catherine E. Travis (2018)

Bilingualism in the Community. Codeswitching and Grammars in Contact Rena Torres Cacoullos and Catherine E. Travis (2018)
Impact of Structural Racism on Kidney Health: A Scoping Review

Structural racism remains a fundamental reason for persistent health disparities in the United States. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted that structural racism persists and negatively impacts the health of Black Americans. Despite significant evidence demonstrating the impact of structural racism on health, there is a lack of evidence explicitly focusing on kidney health. This scoping review was conducted to analyze the available evidence to identify the best strategies nephrology nurses can utilize to dismantle structural racism and improve kidney health in Black Americans. Results of this scoping review (n = 12) identified significant gaps in the literature regarding strategies to improve kidney health in Black Americans. There is a need for future research to understand the effect of structural racism on kidney health.
The CH··O Hydrogen Bond. A Historical Account

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a history of the problem, how the CH· · ·O H-bond went from a nonissue to one of recognized importance. The history also includes a discussion on the contributions made by computational chemistry along the way, at each stage. The chapter discusses a unique and surprising property of the CH· · ·O bond that led some to initially deny its characterization as a H-bond at all, and others to go so far as to dub it an “anti-H-bond”. This property has been analyzed and placed into proper perspective through the power of modern quantum chemistry. The early definition of a H-bond paired a proton donor group, typically OH or NH, with an acceptor that contained a nonbonded electron pair. It was the OH· · ·O, OH· · ·N, and NH· · ·O sorts of H-bonds that dominated most thinking about H-bonds. Nonetheless, the weaker sorts of H-bonds were not completely ignored: a smaller number of studies considered the H-bonding abilities of F, Cl, S, and so on.
Homosexuality in the Life and Work of Joseph Conrad: Love Between the Lines

Acknowledgments Chapter One: Playing Tricks on the Dead: Outing Joseph Conrad and the Ethics of Literary Criticism Chapter Two: Life, Letters, and Neurasthenia Chapter Three: Male Intimacy in Conrad's Tales of Adventure - The Nigger of the Narcissus and Heart of Darkness Chapter Four: Male Intimacy in Conrad's Tales of Adventure - Romance and Victory Chapter Five: Conrad's Bachelor Narrators: Lord Jim, "Il Conde," and Under Western Eyes Chapter Six: Conrad's Bachelor Narrators: "The Secret Sharer," Chance, and The Shadow Line Chapter Seven: Conclusion: "Amy Foster" and Imaginative Bisexuality Notes Bibliography Index
Improved Scheme for Energy Spreading Transform Based Equalization

In this paper, an improved scheme for energy spreading transform (EST) based equalization is proposed. In the improved scheme, optimal frequency-and time-domain filters that maximize signal-to-interference-noise ratio (SINR) are employed to enhance the performance while the filters used in the original scheme [1] can be regarded as an approximation of the optimal filters.
A2-web immanants

We describe the rank 3 Temperley-Lieb-Martin algebras in terms of Kuperberg's A"2-webs. We define consistent labelings of webs and use them to describe the coefficients of decompositions into reduced webs. We introduce web immanants, inspired by Temperley-Lieb immanants of Rhoades and Skandera. We show that web immanants are positive when evaluated on totally positive matrices and describe some further properties.
RTMBA: A Real-Time Model-Based Reinforcement Learning Architecture for robot control

Reinforcement Learning (RL) is a paradigm for learning decision-making tasks that could enable robots to learn and adapt to their situation on-line. For an RL algorithm to be practical for robotic control tasks, it must learn in very few samples, while continually taking actions in real-time. Existing model-based RL methods learn in relatively few samples, but typically take too much time between each action for practical on-line learning. In this paper, we present a novel parallel architecture for model-based RL that runs in real-time by 1) taking advantage of sample-based approximate planning methods and 2) parallelizing the acting, model learning, and planning processes in a novel way such that the acting process is sufficiently fast for typical robot control cycles. We demonstrate that algorithms using this architecture perform nearly as well as methods using the typical sequential architecture when both are given unlimited time, and greatly out-perform these methods on tasks that require real-time actions such as controlling an autonomous vehicle.
Two Roles for Summary Accounting Data in Explaining Takeover Premia

This paper proposes and tests two roles for summary accounting data in explaining cross-sectional variation in takeover premia. We propose that the target's excess stock return at a takeover bid announcement reflects an expectation that the bidder will extract operating efficiency benefits and/or asset adaptation value from the target, and that the target's pre-bid net income and equity book value proxy for these sources of economic gains. In a sample of 855 initial bids for non-financial targets over 1987-1996, we find evidence consistent with these hypotheses. For bids that are ex-post successful, takeover announcement premia are reliably positively related to target book equity and net income. In contrast, ex-post unsuccessful bids have takeover premia that are unrelated to target net income, and only weakly positively related to target book equity. Our findings are robust to controlling for a variety of factors that prior research has suggested may also explain cross-sectional variation in takeover premia, including poor managerial performance, the choice between a merger and tender offer, target net operating losses, target free cash flow, and bidder size.
CATECHOLAMINE CONTENT OF THE INITIAL VOIDED URINE OF THE NEWBORN.

Abstract 1. 1. The catecholamine content of the initial voiding by newborns was determined by bioassay. 2. 2. The urine of infants delivered by outlet forceps contained significantly larger amounts of catecholamines than infants delivered spontaneously and by cesarean section. 3. 3. The catecholamine content of urine from infants delivered from mothers with toxemia of pregnancy and placental insufficiency was small compared to the control group. 4. 4. It is hypothesized that these infants were in chronic stress and the supply of catecholamines was exhausted.
Metabolic Stress and Atherosclerosis

Diabetes is associated with accelerated atherosclerotic macrovascular disease affecting arteries that supply the heart, brain, and lower extremities. As a consequence, patients with diabetes have a much higher risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and limb amputation. The excess risk associated with diabetes remains even after adjustment for traditional coronary heart disease risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia. Type 2 diabetic patients without a previous myocardial infarction have as high a risk of myocardial infarction over 7 years as nondiabetic patients with a previous myocardial infarction. Type 1 diabetes results in nearly 100% atherosclerosis by the fifth decade of life. The mechanisms by which diabetes confers this increased risk are much less clear than those responsible for diabetic microvascular disease, but associational studies suggest that the metabolic derangements caused by insulin resistance and insulin deficiency are involved. These include dyslipoproteinemia, excess free fatty acid flux, and hyperglycemia. In this chapter we review recent findings on the mechanisms whereby high glucose and high FFAs, present in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, lead to vascular dysfunction and injury. Pathways involving advanced glycation end products, protein kinase C, NF-κB, aldose reductase, hexosamine, and CREB (cAMP response element binding protein) are reviewed. Both hyperglycemia and high free fatty acid flux lead to increased vascular oxidative stress, which appears to activate all of these signaling pathways, leading to diabetic macrovascular disease. Keywords: diabetes; atherosclerosis; oxidative stress; cardiovascular mortality; polyol pathway; aldose reductase; advanced glycation end products; protein kinase C; hexosamine; CREB
Morality in discourse

Judgments and norms infuse discourse and interaction; this is what is meant by “morality in discourse.” This entry defines a discursive approach to moral concepts, reviews the research history of the topic, considers different perspectives and dimensions, and describes current and developing research on the topic.
Shockingly Early: Chromatin-Mediated Loss of the Heat Shock Response.

In this issue of Molecular Cell, Labbadia and Morimoto (2015) show that there is a precipitous decline in stress resistance at the onset of reproduction in C. elegans and that this transition is regulated by changes in repressive chromatin marks.
Is Hypersexuality Dimensional or Categorical? Evidence From Male and Female College Samples.

The recent attempt to introduce hypersexual disorder into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), has increased empirical scrutiny of the construct. Consensus on its definition and underlying structure remains elusive. Whereas some conceptualizations favor a categorical latent structure, others speculate that hypersexual behavior is dimensional. Research on the latent structure of hypersexual behavior, however, has been sparse. This is unfortunate, because determination of the latent structure can contribute to more accurate assessment, diagnosis, and understanding of etiological process. To date the only study on hypersexuality's latent structure found consistent evidence of a dimensional structure for males but less clear results for females. In the present study the Multidimensional Inventory of Development, Sex, and Aggression (MIDSA), a self-report, contingency-based inventory, was administered to 1,146 college students. Four indices of hypersexual behavior a...
A slant axis antenna based on a spherical primary and offset correcting subreflectors

The antenna system introduced is a hybrid between completely steerable primary reflectors and a fixed spherical primary. This concept uses a sphere which is rotated around a vertical axis only. Thus it is not subjected to variable gravitational orientation and can be supported by multiple wheels over its entire expanse.
Regulation of Murine Cytochrome Oxidase Vb Gene Expression in Different Tissues and during Myogenesis: ROLE OF A YY-1 FACTOR-BINDING NEGATIVE ENHANCER *

The mouse cytochrome oxidase (COX) Vb promoter contains three sequence motifs with partial or full consensus for YY-1 and GTG factor binding and a CArG box, located between positions −480 and −390. Individually, all three motifs stimulated transcription of the TKCAT promoter, and bound distinctly different proteins from the liver and differentiated C2C12 nuclear extracts. Collectively, these motifs, together with the downstream flanking sequence, −378 to −320, suppressed the transcription activity of heterologous promoters, thymidine kinase-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (TKCAT) and COXIV/CAT. The transcription activities of both TKCAT and COXIV/CAT constructs were induced 3-4-fold during induced myogenesis of C2C12 cells. The downstream CArG-like motif binds transcription factor YY-1, while the upstream YY-1-like motif binds to a yet unidentified factor. Co-expression with intact YY-1, but not that lacking the DNA binding domain suppressed the transcriptional activity. Mutations targeted to the CArG-like motif abolished the suppressive effect of the negative enhancer and the inducibility of the promoter during myogenic differentiation. Our results suggest that the activity of the negative enhancer may determine the level of expression of the COX Vb gene in different tissues.
Documentation of Media Reflections of the Patriotic Revival in the United States in the 1980s

Abstract Quantitative evidence for the alleged patriotic revival of the early to mid-1980s in the United States was sought from certain archives under the assumption that shifts in such attitudes would be reflected in the popular culture and mass media. For this report, three archives were identified that were thought to represent converging approaches to the issue: (a) an analysis of the patriotic content of all World Series program covers from 1903 to 1987, (b) a year-by-year count of the number of titles under the rubric of patriotism in the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature from 1961 to 1987, and (c) an analysis of filmographies that provided an estimate of the number of commercial war movies—as an index of the appeal of patriotic themes—released annually from 1940 to 1986. Each sort of archive independently displayed an increase of patriotic content in the 1980s; together they empirically support the claim of a patriotic revival in the media.
M2 Mediated Contractions of Human Bladder From Organ Donors Is Associated With an Increase in Urothelial Muscarinic Receptors

Aims Previous studies have shown increased density of M2 receptors in hypertrophied rat bladders that possess an M2 contractile phenotype. The aim of the current study is to determine whether human bladders with an M2 contractile phenotype also have a greater density of bladder M2 receptors. Materials and Methods Human bladders were obtained from 24 different organ transplant donors. Darifenacin and methoctramine affinity was determined by the rightward shift of cumulative carbachol concentration contractile response curves for each bladder. Radioligand binding and immunoprecipitation was used to quantify M2 and M3 subtypes in isolated detrusor muscle and urothelium. In addition, pig bladder muscle and urothelial receptors were quantified for comparison. Results In the human urothelium total, M2 and M3 muscarinic receptor density is significantly negatively correlated with the affinity of darifenacin for inhibition of contraction of the detrusor muscle. In the detrusor muscle there is no correlation between receptor density and darifenacin affinity for inhibition of contraction. Muscarinic receptor density is greater in the muscle than in the urothelium in human bladders whereas in the pig bladder the density is greater in the urothelium than in the muscle. Conclusions The greater density of urothelial muscarinic receptors in human bladders with lower darifenacin affinity, indicative of a greater contribution of M2 receptors to the contractile response, points towards a possible role of the urothelium in controlling M2 mediated contractile phenotype. In comparison between human and pig bladders, the distribution of muscarinic receptor subtypes in the muscle and urothelium are quite different. Neurourol. Urodynam. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
MANEUVERING PERFORMANCE OF HIGH-SPEED SHIPS WITH EFFECT OF ROLL MOTION

The Author describes a study of the coupled motions of yaw, sway, roll, and rudder of high-speed naval ships such as destroyers. The purpose of the study was to develop mathematical equations to represent the realistic manoeuvring behaviour of these ships, and then to examine, through a series of digital simulation runs, the yawing and rolling motions of the ships during high-speed operation. On the basis of recent captive-model tests on a high-speed ship form, important coupling effects between yaw, sway, roll, and rudder motions were included in the mathematical model. It is concluded inter alia that asymmetry of the underwater hull, due to rolling, generates yaw moment, with a consequent tendency to turn towards one direction (e.g., to port) when the ship is heeled the other way (i.e., to starboard), so contributing to inherent yaw instability due to roll combined with other coupling terms. When GM is small, the coupling terms can introduce severe rolling motions in a seaway, and the possibility exists of yaw/roll instability for a ship system with autopilot during high-speed operations. Refinement of autopilot characteristics has important effects on yawing and rolling behaviour. Series rolling problems frequently observed at high-ship-speeds in waves can be partly due to inherent yaw/roll instability or marginal stability.
On distributed equilibrium seeking for generalized convex games

This paper considers a class of generalized convex games where each player is associated with a convex objective function, a private convex inequality constraint and a private convex constraint set. The component functions are potentially non-smooth. The players aim to compute a Nash equilibrium through communicating with neighboring players. We study two distributed computation algorithms and show their convergence properties in the presence of data transmission delays and dynamic changes of network topologies.
Mitochondrial dysfunction induced by heat stress in cultured rat CNS neurons.

Previous work demonstrated that hyperthermia (43°C for 2 h) results in delayed, apoptotic-like death in striatal neuronal cultures. We investigated early changes in mitochondrial function induced b...
STEADY AND TRANSITION STATES: EFFECTS OF ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITY ON BODY-ROCKING IN RETARDED CHILDREN

Two experiments are reported in which steady and transition states were observed for two independent operants (body-rocking and ball-manipulandum). First, stable fixed-ratio response rates were successively obtained for body-rocking and ball-manipulandum responding. Second, transition states were obtained for the two operants simultaneously. The results showed that the independent operants under standardized experimental conditions showed moderately correlated and stable response rates. The method of simultaneous operants provided a valid technique for analysis of transition states, i.e., the functional separation of stereotyped acts (e.g., body-rocking) and alternative activity (ball-manipulandum). Finally, the effects of experimental manipulations were reversible.
Analytical solution for the plane strain inclusion problem of an elastic power-law hardening matrix containing an elastic cylindrical inclusion

Abstract An elasto-plastic analytical solution is presented for the plane strain inclusion problem of an elastic power-law hardening matrix containing an elastic cylindrical inclusion and subjected to equi-biaxial tension. Hencky’s deformation theory and von Mises’ yield criterion are used. All stress, strain and displacement components are derived in explicit forms in terms of two constant parameters, which are determined from the boundary conditions using a simple iterative procedure. Three specific solutions of practical interest are obtained as limiting cases. Illustrative numerical results are also provided to demonstrate applications of the solution. It is quantitatively shown that the extent of plastic deformation in the matrix is controlled by the ratio of Young’s moduli of the inclusion and matrix materials, Poisson’s ratio of the inclusion material and the strain-hardening effect of the matrix material, of which the first two factors are dominant. These findings are of practical importance to the design of fiber-filled metal-matrix composites.
Inflammatory bowel diseases in pediatric and adolescent patients: Clinical, therapeutic, and psychosocial considerations

Inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis) primarily affect young adults, but in 15%-25% of cases, the initial disease starts in childhood. Many aspects of inflammatory bowel disease, including initial evaluation, nutritional support, medical and surgical intervention, and the direction of future research, are encountered in both adult and pediatric patients. However, it is important to delineate issues specific to pediatric patients, especially growth velocity impairment, derangements in and treatment of abnormal bone mineralization, and transitional care issues; the lack of extensive randomized, controlled pediatric therapeutic trials is also a concern. This article reviews the epidemiology of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease incidence and prevalence worldwide, clinical issues (including impairments of growth velocity and bone density), diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, and psychosocial issues unique to pediatric patients. Future research directions defined by the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition and opportunities provided by existing pediatric research databases are highlighted.
The cognitive neuroscience of deception

William Hazlitt (1778–1830), a British writer, once asserted that, “life is the art of being deceived.” Human social relations are so steeped in deception that it is impossible to imagine life with...
The genome of Eimeria tenella: further studies on its molecular organisation

The molecular karyotype of the coccidial parasiteEimeria tenella has been further resolved. Different conditions of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis were used to separate up to 14 chromosomes that ranged in size between 1 and in excess of 6 megabase pairs (Mb) of DNA. Comparisons of several populations revealed some size polymorphisms of homologous chromosomes. Probes containing tandem repeats of the DNA sequence CAG and the telomeric-like sequence TTTAGGG hybridised to each chromosome. All other probes containing either repetitive or non-repetitive sequences were mapped to individual chromosomes.
Optimization of separations using short capillary columns in supercritical fluid chromatography

Figure 2 shows the analysis of a silage juice diluted ten times with oxalic acid solution. Apart from filtration, no other sample preparation steps were utilized. For analysis of isobutyric acid, trimethylacenc acid should not be added. Results showed good agreement with packed column analysis of the same sample, even for lactic acid at this higher level. 4 Conclusions Aqueous solutions of free fatty acids can be analyzed on polar thick film capillary columns. However, column preparation procedures used by the manufacturer appear to be critical for good results to be obtained. Suitable capillary columns offer an increase in column efficiency over packed columns for VFA, with less retention of higher acids. However, the ruggedness of capillary columns may be a further consideration. We have used some packed columns for the analysis of over 500 biological samples (silage extracts) without ill-effect. The FFAP capillary has been used for nearly one hundred injections of aqueous standards and some biological extracts without apparent loss
Theory agrees with experimental thermal denaturation of short DNA restriction fragments

Experimental melting transitions of several natural DNAs of known nucleotide sequences have recently been obtained. The differential melting curves of these DNAs—φX174 DNA1–3, fd DNA4 and SV40 DNA5—all show distinctive sets of peaks or fine structure. Theoretical melting curves calculated from the sequences and a few a priori parameters have not accurately predicted the experimental transitions2,6,7. Although calculated fine structure resembled experimental curves in some cases, the characteristic features of a DNA's differential melting curve could not generally be produced. Azbel8,9 and Gabbarro-Arpa et al.5 have recently obtained good agreement between calculated and experimental curves using a different theoretical approach—only ground-state configurations of DNA were considered for temperatures inside the transition region. Their results suggest that the basic model of DNA melting, common to all theoretical approaches, is accurate. We have used here an exact theoretical approach to calculate melting curves of four DNA restriction fragments of 95–301 base pairs containing the lactose promoter region (Fig. 1). Theoretical curves agree very well with the experimental transitions published by Hardies et al.10 and obtained in this laboratory.
Dynamics of disentanglement, density matrix, and coherence in neutrino oscillations

In charged current weak interaction processes, neutrinos are produced in an entangled state with the charged lepton. This correlated state is disentangled by the measurement of the charged lepton in a detector at the production site. We study the dynamical aspects of disentanglement, propagation, and detection, in particular, the conditions under which the disentangled state is a coherent superposition of mass eigenstates. The appearance and disappearance far-detection processes are described from the time evolution of this disentangled 'collapsed' state. The familiar quantum mechanical interpretation and factorization of the detection rate emerges when the quantum state is disentangled on time scales much shorter than the inverse oscillation frequency, in which case the final detection rate factorizes in terms of the usual quantum mechanical transition probability provided the final density of states is insensitive to the neutrino energy difference. We suggest possible corrections for short-baseline experiments. If the charged lepton is unobserved, neutrino oscillations and coherence are described in terms of a reduced density matrix obtained by tracing out an unobserved charged lepton. The diagonal elements in the mass basis describe the production of mass eigenstates whereas the off-diagonal ones provide a measure of coherence. It is shown that coherences are ofmore » the same order of the diagonal terms on time scales up to the inverse oscillation frequency, beyond which the coherences oscillate as a result of the interference between mass eigenstates.« less
Effects of Age and Hearing Sensitivity on the Use of Prosodic Information in Spoken Word Recognition

It is well known that spoken words can often be recognized from just their onsets and that older adults require a greater word onset duration for recognition than young adults. In this study, young and older adults heard either just word onsets, word onsets followed by white noise indicating the full duration of the target word, or word onsets followed by a low-pass-filtered signal that indicated the number of syllables and syllabic stress (word prosody) in the absence of segmental information. Older adults required longer stimulus durations for word recognition under all conditions, with age differences in hearing sensitivity contributing significantly to this age difference. Within this difference, however, word recognition was facilitated by knowledge of word prosody to the same degree for young and older adults. These findings suggest, first, that listeners can detect and utilize word stress in making perceptual judgments and, second, that this ability remains spared in normal aging.
Abundance, Distribution, and Habitat of the Threatened Minnows Campostoma ornatum and Notropis chihuahua in the Trans-Pecos Region of Texas

Abstract The Rio Grande and its tributaries in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas have been impacted by a variety of anthropogenic activities such as dewatering and the introduction of nonnative species. These environmental manipulations have negatively affected the native fishes leading to extirpations and declining populations throughout the region. Campostoma ornatum and Notropis chihuahua inhabit tributary streams of the Rio Grande in the Trans-Pecos region and are considered as state-listed threatened species. Little is known about their status and ecological requirements in the region. We hypothesized that the distribution and abundance of these threatened minnows in these spring-fed habitats can be modeled by two primary factors: local environmental conditions that are maintained by spring flow and the abundance of introduced species such as the plains killifish, Fundulus zebrinus. We used classification and regression trees to analyze variation in abundance and incidence of the target species from Al...
A Neo-Durkheimian Theory of Small Communities

The core hypothesis of the neo-Durkheimian theory of community proposed here is that average welfare of the residents is determined by the interaction of ‘structure’ and ‘transaction organization,’ and that this interaction holds net of individual attributes. In formula form: w = (S*t). Structure is defined by three systemic dimensions – differentiation, pluralism and solidarity – which are interpreted as ‘institutionalized problem-solving capacity.’ These dimensions have causal primacy over transaction organizations such as factories, commercial firms, medical facilities, and so on, even though transaction organization is technically exogenous. The effect of this transaction term is to reverse the conventional political economy causal sequence, which begins with production organization and moves through class polarization to lower average welfare.
Long-wavelength correlations and transport in a marginal Fermi liquid

Marginal Fermi liquid was originally introduced as a phenomenological description of the cuprates in a part of the metallic doping range which appears to be governed by fluctuations due to a quantum-critical point. An essential result due to the form of the assumed fluctuation spectra is that the large inelastic quasiparticle relaxation rate near the Fermi surface is proportional to the energy measured from the chemical potential, ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{i}^{\ensuremath{-}1}\ensuremath{\propto}\ensuremath{\epsilon}$. We present a microscopic long-wavelength derivation of the hydrodynamic properties in such a situation by an extension of the procedure that Eliashberg used for the derivation of the hydrodynamic properties of a Landau-Fermi liquid. In particular, the density-density and the current-current correlations and the relation between the two are derived, and the connection to microscopic calculations of the frequency dependence of the optical conductivity with an additional Fermi-liquid correction factor shown to follow. The method used here may be necessary, quite generally, for the correct hydrodynamic theory for any problem of quantum-critical fluctuations in fermions.
A parallel disk storage system for real-time multimedia applications

We describe design and implementation of the RIO (randomized I/O) multimedia object server which manages a set of parallel disks and supports real-time throughput and statistical delay guarantees. This storage subsystem was implemented as part of a multimedia information server supporting multiple concurrent applications such as video on demand and 3D interactivc virtual worlds. We discuss principal issues and innovations involved in design and implementation of RIO storage system, presenting experimental performance results measured on a prototype implementation. A multimedia data server must be ready to handle a variety of real-time object types (video, audio, 3D interactive virtual worlds, etc.) along with a nonreal-time workload component. Achieving simultaneously (1) high utilization and (2) low latency with high degree of certainty is the challenge. Our prototype system provides a statistical guarantee of quality of service. Our experimental results show that it is possible to achieve a very small probability of exceeding a deadline (less than 10 -6 ), with relatively high disk utilization (70-99%, in terms of fraction of the maximum disk capacity), together with relatively small delay bound (on the order of 0.5-1.5 s), using contemporary disks. Results were achieved using random allocation of disk blocks and replication in conjunction with on-line load balancing.
Young Children’s Thinking About Decomposition: Early Modeling Entrees to Complex Ideas in Science

This study was part of a multi-year project on the development of elementary students’ modeling approaches to understanding the life sciences. Twenty-three first grade students conducted a series of coordinated observations and investigations on decomposition, a topic that is rarely addressed in the early grades. The instruction included in-class observations of different types of soil and soil profiling, visits to the school’s compost bin, structured observations of decaying organic matter of various kinds, study of organisms that live in the soil, and models of environmental conditions that affect rates of decomposition. Both before and after instruction, students completed a written performance assessment that asked them to reason about the process of decomposition. Additional information was gathered through one-on-one interviews with six focus students who represented variability of performance across the class. During instruction, researchers collected video of classroom activity, student science journal entries, and charts and illustrations produced by the teacher. After instruction, the first-grade students showed a more nuanced understanding of the composition and variability of soils, the role of visible organisms in decomposition, and environmental factors that influence rates of decomposition. Through a variety of representational devices, including drawings, narrative records, and physical models, students came to regard decomposition as a process, rather than simply as an end state that does not require explanation.
An operating systems course with projects in java

This paper describes a set of five programming projects in an undergraduate Operating Systems course. The problems are designed to reinforce the fundamental concepts that are discussed in most operating systems textbooks. Students are required to write programs that will simulate the behavior of the process management, process synchronization, memory management, and storage management components of an operating system.
Can a small blood vessel prosthesis be derived from heterologous foreign body reactive tissue

This study investigated as a small diameter vascular replacement the tissue formed adjacent to an implanted cylindrical foreign body, heterologously transplanted. Grafts of 4 mm i.d. were grown in rabbits and transplanted to dogs as segmental carotid and femoral artery replacements. These maintained 50% patency after 3 weeks. Variables in the further development of this concept are discussed.
On bazaars and battlefields: recent scholarship on mediterranean cultural contacts

For the past century, the field of Mediterranean Studies has been primarily dominated by two paradigms that appear on the surface, at least, to be mutually exclusive: the bifurcated Mediterranean of the battlefield, and the linked Mediterranean suggested by the region’s many bazaars and other places of encounter and exchange. But when the dotted lines separating the color-coded civilizations inscribed on maps of the Mediterranean are erased, when we begin to question and to breach its boundaries, new patterns of interaction materialize which fundamentally call into question many cherished assumptions about the sea, and about familiar and time-worn categories such as east and west, Ottoman and European, Muslim and Christian. In their place we are able to perceive a more nuanced and complex world of contention, as well as commerce, connection and even coexistence.
Safety segregation: The importance of gender, race, and ethnicity on workplace risk

Using micro data of the Bureau of Labor Statistics we examine the extent and the causes of workplace risk inequality in the United States. Far more men than women and far more blacks and Hispanics than whites are killed or injured at work. Occupational differences between men and women and among the races explain most, but not all, of the workplace risk inequality in the United States. After controlling for occupation, men experience twice as many workplace fatalities as women but fewer nonfatal injuries, while black and Hispanic males experience slightly more workplace fatalities than white males but fewer nonfatal workplace injuries. We find little evidence men choose higher risk jobs and women lower risk jobs because of differences in economic circumstances or risk preferences. But economic and taste factors explain large fractions of the fatal and the nonfatal injury rate differences by race/ethnicity. Workplace risk inequality among the races primarily reflects differences in educational attainment.
Availability and performance of psychiatric acute care facilities in California from 1992 to 1996.

OBJECTIVE: The acute care psychiatric hospital industry has been challenged by managed care, government policies, and marketplace competition to control rising costs. This study examined changes in the availability and performance of acute care psychiatric delivery facilities in California between 1992 and 1996. METHODS: A retrospective longitudinal research design was used. Data on facilities, licensed psychiatric beds, discharged patients, days of care, occupancy, average length of stay, licensure, and type of ownership for the years 1992, 1994, and 1996 were purchased from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. Data were analyzed using numerical description and percent-change calculations. RESULTS: Between 1992 and 1996 licensed beds, days of care, and average length of stay decreased in acute psychiatric facilities and services, while psychiatric discharges and facility occupancy increased. The for-profit sector and the specialty acute care sector experienced large decreas...
Estimated Economic Impacts of Potential Policy Changes Affecting the Total Allowable Catch for Walleye Pollock

Abstract Walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma accounts for approximately 1 of every 20 kg of world landings of fish, shellfish, and crustaceans. There has, however, been little formal market analysis of walleye pollock. In this paper, an international econometric demand and supply model is constructed and estimated for walleye pollock caught in the waters off Alaska. The Japanese market for surimi was the most important modeled factor in determining exvessel prices for Alaska pollock. Model simulations were employed to investigate potential revenue effects of changes in the total allowable catch. In the short run, policy decisions that increase harvest from 1993 levels would also increase revenues to the pollock harvesting sector. In 1993, exvessel revenues would have continued to increase until harvest levels reached 1.7 million metric tons, at which point revenues would have started to decline. Likewise, decreases in harvest from 1993 levels would have lowered exvessel revenues.
Differences in the cellular zinc content and 5'-nucleotidase activity of normal and acrodermatitis enteropathica (AE) fibroblasts.

The acrodermatitis enteropathica (AE) mutation affects zinc (Zn) metabolism in human fibroblasts. We hypothesize that the mutation affects the cell Zn content, which subsequently affects the activity of various zinc-dependent enzymes, such as 5′-nucleotidase. Therefore, normal and AE fibroblasts were grown in normal medium containing physiological levels of Zn (16 Μmol/L) for ∼24 h. The medium was replaced by normal medium (16 Μmol/L Zn), Zn-depleted medium (1.5 Μmol/L Zn), or Zn-supplemented medium (200 Μmol/L Zn) for another 24 h. Regardless of the Zn concentration of the growth medium, the AE fibroblasts contained significantly less Zn than normal fibroblasts grown in comparable medium. Nevertheless, growth of the fibroblasts in 200 Μmol/L Zn medium significantly increased the cell Zn content fourfold of both normal and AE fibroblasts. The activity of 5′-nucleotidase in the AE fibroblasts grown in 16 Μmol/L Zn or 1.5 Μmol/L Zn medium was also significantly lower than in normal fibroblasts. Changing the growth medium from 16 Μmol/L Zn to 1.5 Μmol/L Zn medium did not affect the activity of the enzyme in either genotype. Cells grown in 200 Μmol/L Zn medium exhibited threefold greater 5′-nucleotidase activity in AE fibroblasts, but had no affect on enzyme activity in normal cells. In summary, altering the cell Zn content of normal fibroblasts did not result in a significant change in their 5′ -nucleotidase activity. However, AE fibroblasts grown in 200 Μmol/L Zn medium exhibited recovery of their 5′-nucleotidase activity to normal levels. These results support the hypothesis that the AE mutation affects the cellular Zn content. The lower cell Zn content subsequently affects the activity of 5′-nucleotidase.
Photoelectrocatalytic humic acid degradation kinetics and effect of pH, applied potential and inorganic ions

This study addresses the removal of humic acid (HA) dissolved in an aqueous medium by a photoelectrocatalytic process. UV254 removal and the degradation of color (Vis400) followed pseudo-first order kinetics. Rate constants were 1.1 × 10−1 min−1, 8.3 × 10−2 min−1 and 2.49 × 10−2 min−1 (R2 > 0.97) for UV254 degradation and 1.7 × 10−1 min−1, 6.5 × 10−2 min−1 and 2.0 × 10−2 min−1 for color removal from 5 mg dm−3, 10 mg dm−3 and 25 mg dm−3 HA respectively. Following a 2 h irradiation time, 96% of the color, 98% of the humic acid and 85% of the total organic carbon (TOC) was removed from an initial 25 mg dm−3 HA solution in the photoanode cell. Photocatalytic removal on the same photoanode was also studied in order to compare the two methods of degradation. Results showed that the photoelectrocatalytic method was much more effective than the photocatalytic method especially at high pH values and with respect to UV254 removal. The effect of other important reaction variables, eg pH, external potential and electrolyte concentration, on the photoelectrocatalytic HA degradation was also studied. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry
A processing investigation of the accessibility of the uninterpretable gender feature in L2 French and L2 Spanish adjective agreement

Lardiere (2009) hypothesizes that second-language (L2) grammar development involves the reassembly of features in the constraints of Universal Grammar. Feature reassembly assumes the domain-specific Agree operation, in which an (interpretable) feature on a probing node values an uninterpretable counterpart feature on a goal node, and spell-out computations, providing morphological expression to these nodes. Because features express class membership (e.g., feminine expressions), Hawkins and Casillas (2008) proposed that agreement in non-advanced L2 acquisition may involve co-occurrence between expressions, computed presumably according to feature compatibility (e.g., Shieber, 1986). These two types of agreement computations predict distinct processing profiles and grammar-processing relations. Results from a self-paced moving-window experiment targeting overt adjective agreement in superlative constructions revealed that L1-English L2-French/Spanish learners’ profiles appear more consistent with feature valuation. Form sensitivity lagged behind computational ability in low-proficiency learners, suggesting that L2 grammar acquisition is subserved by a universal parsing mechanism (e.g., Dekydtspotter, 2001; Schwartz, 1999).
Effect of dietary energy on performance, egg component, egg solids, and egg quality in Bovans White and Dekalb White hens during phase 2

A 4×2 factorial experiment of four dietary energy levels (2,776, 2,820, 2,864 and 2,908kcal/kg) and two strains (Bovans White and Dekalb White) was conducted to determine the influence of dietary energy on performance, egg composition, egg solids, and egg quality of two strains of commercial Leghorns during Phase 2 (from 40 to 51 week of age). This experiment lasted 12 weeks. Bovans White hens (n=768) and Dekalb White hens (n=768) at 40 week of age were randomly divided into 16 treatments (8 replicates of 12 birds per treatment). Bovans hens had significantly higher egg production, percent egg yolk, Yolk/Albumen ratio, whole egg solid, and crack eggs than Dekalb hens while Bovans hens had significantly lower egg weight, feed conversion, egg specific gravity, percent shell, Haugh unit, shell thickness, and yolk color than Dekalb hens. With increasing dietary energy hens linearly adjusted feed intake from 105.0 to 101.7g/hen/day to achieve a constant energy intake so that the same amount of dietary energy (5.2kcal) was used to produce 1g of egg. Increasing dietary energy had significant effects on feed conversion, percent yolk, percent albumen, Yolk/Albumen ratio, and dirty eggs. Based on feed conversion, increasing dietary energy to 2,864kcal ME/kg by the addition of poultry oil might be sufficient for optimal performance of laying hens during Phase 2 (wk 40 to 51).
Pangloss: a machine translation project

The project involves three sites (NMSU, USC, CMU) and is devoted to enhancing the state of the art in machine translation of natural language texts.
Presleep Determinants of Dream Content: Effects of Two Films:

Twenty-four Ss were exposed to controlled presleep stimuli. On one experimental night, they saw a violent episode, on the other, a nonviolent episode, from a TV western series. Dreams were collected using Dement and Kleitman's electrophysiological methods, by means of which rapid eye movement (REM) periods were used to identify “dream” periods. REM reports following the violent episode were longer, and more imaginative, vivid, and emotional, but neither more unpleasant nor more violent, than those following the nonviolent film. Direct incorporation of the content of either film was very infrequent. It was also shown that MMPI clinical scales correlated positively with ratings of many “dream-like” features of sleep mentation, and that, although there were stylistic similarities between waking and sleeping fantasy, there was little similarity in instinctual content. Finally, recent findings on the extent and nature of sleep mentation occurring outside REM periods were almost totally confirmed.
Bulking agents for stress urinary incontinence: Are they still indicated?

Injectable bulking agents have been widely available for nearly 20 years, but their role in treating stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in women is poorly defined. Although safely and easily administered in the office or outpatient setting, injectable therapy has been associated with variable rates of success. Typically, success rates approach 70%, with fewer than half of these women achieving dryness. Multiple injections may also be necessary for optimum results. Despite few comparative studies, surgery appears to be more objectively effective than injectable therapy, although improvements in quality of life are similar. In light of this information, injectables maintain an important role in the treatment of SUI in properly selected patients who have undergone detailed discussion of goals and expectations.
Effects of dietary zinc on melanoma growth and experimental metastasis

These studies were designed to determine the effects of zinc on in vitro melanoma cell growth and in vivo metastasis. Cultured P51 mouse melanoma cells were larger, had longer doubling times and a decreased rate of tritiated-thymidine uptake when grown in zinc depleted compared to standard medium. Experimental metastasis was evaluated using intravenously injected, radiolabelled melanoma cells. Cell distribution and survival were determined 1, 3 and 21 days post-injection in C57BL/6 mice fed low zinc (0.5 and 4.0 mg Zn/kg) or stock diets. Altered organ distribution and survival of melanoma cells were observed in the zinc depleted dietary groups compared to the stock diet group. After 21 days of tumor growth, lungs of mice fed diets low in zinc contained up to 50% fewer labelled tumor cells than those of mice fed the stock diet. Livers of mice in the 0.5 mg Zn/kg group contained a greater percentage of tumor cells 21 days post-injection than those of mice fed the stock diet. Thus, dietary zinc can influence experimental tumor metastasis through modification in organ distribution of tumor cells and their subsequent survival.