cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Soil Moisture Data Assimilation Using Support Vector Machines and Ensemble Kalman Filter

A hybrid data assimilation (DA) methodology that combines two state-of-the-art techniques, support vector machines (SVMs) and ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF), is applied for soil moisture DA in this work. The SVM methodology provides a statistically sound and robust approach to solving the inverse problem, and thus to building statistical models. EnKF is an extension of the Kalman Filter (KF), a well-known tool in prediction updating. In the present research, ground measurements were used to build a SVM-type soil moisture predictor. Subsequent observations and their statistics were assimilated to update predictions from the SVM model by coupling it with EnKF. In this way, both model predictions and ground data, as well as their statistics, are fused thus minimizing the prediction error and making the predictions and observations statistically consistent. The results are shown for two approaches; one in which update is done at every time step and the other which assumes that data is only available at alternate time steps (in window of 10 time steps) and hence update is performed at those occasions. The SVM-EnKF coupling is shown to improve soil moisture forecasts in an example using data from the Soil Climate Analysis Network site at Ames, Iowa.
Can Involuntary Outpatient Commitment Reduce Arrests among Persons with Severe Mental Illness

Involuntary outpatient commitment (OPC) is a promising but controversial legal intervention that may reduce criminal justice contact in persons with severe mental illness (SMI). This article examin...
Decapentaplegic: A gene complex affecting morphogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster

The decapentaplegic gene complex (2-4.0) in Drosophila melanogaster is defined by a series of allelic mutations affecting imaginal disk development. Decapentaplegic (dpp) mutant individuals exhibit a variety of pattern deficiencies and duplications in structures derived from one or more of the 15 major imaginal disks. Based on dpp mutant phenotypes, we suggest that the dpp gene complex is involved in the elaboration of positional information within developing epidermal tissue. The dpp mutations are recessive and fall into six phenotypic classes. Milder alleles (classes I and II) affect only one or a few disks while most alleles (classes III, IV, V and EL) affect all major imaginal disks. Class EL homozygotes are embryonic lethals; development is arrested before germ-band shortening late in gastrulation. Presently inseparable from EL, is a haplo-insufficient function (Hin-d) associated with the distal (left) end of the dpp gene complex. The dpp gene complex occupies most or all of 22F1--3, three densely staining polytene chromosome bands. A colinearity exists between map positions of the four identified functional units within the complex and the severities of mutant phenotypes caused by disruption of these functions. Most dpp mutations are gross chromosomal rearrangements; they exert polar effects on the decapentaplegic functions that are proximal to the rearrangement breakpoints in 22F. Many structural similarities exist between the decapentaplegic and bithorax gene complexes.
Biliary carcinoma associated with biliary cysts.

The 24th reported case of biliary carcinoma associated with biliary cyst is reported and the previously reported cases are reviewed. Analysis of the 24 cases in which carcinoma developed shows that stones were present in the cyst in 25% of cases. The most common cell type was adenocarcinoma (70%) and the most common site for tumor was in the posterior cyst wall (57%). One half of the patients reported developed carcinoma a mean of 4 years following an internal drainage procedure for biliary cystic disease. Of the reported cases of biliary cysts associated with cystlithiasis, one-third had associated biliary carcinoma. It is suggested that excisional therapy be performed when possible in all patients with biliary cystic disease, and in particular, in those with associated cystlithiasis. Cancer 40:880–883, 1977.
Fatigue crack nucleation based on a random slip process—I. Computer model

Abstract A computer model of fatigue crack nucleation, based on the concept of random slip, has been developed with guidance from surface observations of slip behavior within a persistent slip band (PSB), using bright field viewing and interferometry. The observations provide direct experimental determination of the parameters needed in the model. The computer simulations show that crack nucleation, defined as an intrusion of 4 μm depth, occurs in good agreement with the observed number of cycles, and that the generated PSB profiles agree well in appearance with those of real PSB's. The model also can account (indirectly) for crack nucleation at PSB edges, as is often observed, when local strain variations within actual PSB's are considered; the local strain tends to be higher at the edges of PSB's. It is shown that earlier model of crack nucleation based on random slip can be rehabilitated if up-to-date understanding on slip behavior is taken into consideration.
Sex Differences in Criminal Homicide and Suicide in England and Wales and the United States

This is an analysis of patterns of criminal homicide and suicide in England and Wales and the United States during recent decades. Special attention is given to the sex of homicidal offenders and victims and of suicide victims. Also stressed are age of offenders and victims, the familial and other role relationships of homicidal offenders and victims to each other, and the nature of homicide followed by the offender's suicide in the two countries. In England and Wales, the low violence country, females if they kill at all are much more prone to commit suicide than homicide, as compared to females in the United States, the high violence country. In England and Wales, female victimization rates for both forms of death much more nearly approach those of males than is the case in the United States. Homicidal offenders are more likely to victimize members of their own families in England and Wales than in the United States. This is particularly true of English-Welsh females and especially in regard to killing ...
Predictive decision-making for vehicular cognitive radio networks through Hidden Markov models

Vehicular networks that require additional spectrum for communication may leverage cognitive radio technology. Towards this aim, the vehicle must select one among several candidate channels for data transmission, with the possibility that other surrounding vehicles may also identify the same spectrum for their use. Such networks are distinguished from their classical, stationary counterparts by high mobility, timevarying and heterogeneous environment leading to dynamic channel availability. Owing to this changing environment, the history of spectrum usage information may be unavailable to the vehicles at all points on their journey, necessitating blind decisionmaking. In this paper, we propose a method of spectrum selection without a priori channel information. The main contributions of our work are: (i) we provide a framework to determine, through a Hidden Markov Model, whether a channel is occupied by a licensed user, another cognitive radio enabled vehicle, or if the observed signal fluctuations are due to noise; and (ii) we devise a prediction algorithm to determine which channels are likely to be available within the shortest amount of time. Our approach is verified through a simulation study, and we demonstrate equivalent performance to schemes that use prior history of the channel usage at specific vehicle locations.
Acromegaly and cancer: not a problem?

Acromegaly is usually caused by a GH-secreting pituitary adenoma. Somatic growth and metabolic dysfunction occur subsequent to unrestrained GH secretion and elevated insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and IGF-binding protein (IGFBP)-3 levels (1) (Fig 1). Classic clinical features of acromegaly include acral overgrowth, sweating, headaches, menstrual disturbances, and glucose intolerance (Table 1) (2). Well-documented clinical risks of long-term tissue exposure to uncontrolled GH hypersecretion include cardiac disease and hypertension, diabetes, respiratory disorders, joint disease, and neuropathy (Table 2) (3). The degree of risk for malignancy in these patients is unresolved; and acromegaly, representing an experiment of nature, could answer the question of whether or not elevated GH and IGF levels provide a permissive growth advantage for neoplasms, resulting in more aggressive malignant disease and/or increased cancer-associated mortality (4). Analysis of the determinants for mortality outcome in acromegaly indicates that approximately 60% of patients succumb to cardiovascular disease; 25% from respiratory disease; and in 15% of patients, the cause of death is attributed to malignancy (Table 2). Nevertheless, absolute circulating GH values seem to constitute the most significant single determinant of survival, regardless of the cause of death (5–14). Several recent compelling studies support the critical role of GH, suggesting that GH control is associated with reversal of adverse mortality rates, regardless of the nature of associated comorbidity (13). Thus, suppression of GH to less than 1 ng/mL, during an oral glucose tolerance test, and normalization of IGF-I levels portend a favorable mortality outcome (15).
High nuclearity cerium–manganese clusters and their structural and magnetic properties: Ce IV 3 Mn III 7 and Ce IV 5 Mn III 11

Abstract The syntheses, structures, and magnetic properties are reported of two new high nuclearity Ce–Mn oxo carboxylate clusters at high CeIV/MnIII oxidation states and with nuclearities of Ce5Mn11 and Ce3Mn7. The compounds are (NnBu4)2[Ce5Mn11O13(OH)2(O2CPh)24(NO3)2](NO3) (1) and [Ce3Mn7O8(O2CPh)17(H2O)4] (2). 1 was prepared from the oxidation of Mn(O2CPh)2 by (NnBu4)2Ce(NO3)6, whereas 2 was obtained from the comproportionation reaction of Mn(O2CPh)2 and NnBu4MnO4 in the presence of Ce(NO3)3. Both compounds possess unprecedented structures, comprising an irregular metal topology of several edge-fused triangular units with overall virtual C2 symmetry. Variable-temperature, solid-state dc and ac magnetization studies on 1 and 2 in the 1.8–300 K range revealed predominantly weak antiferromagnetic exchange interactions within the complexes. For 1, the combined dc and ac data indicate an S = 5 ground state but with low-lying excited states consistent with the high nuclearity. For 2, even lower-lying excited states were observed, precluding clear determination of the ground state but with an estimate of S = 2 or 3, or less. Complexes 1 and 2 are new additions to the Ce–Mn family of clusters and the broader class of 3d/4f molecular systems, and 1 is the highest nuclearity Ce–Mn cluster to date.
Formation and Characterization of Anchored Polymer Coatings on Alumina

Maleic acid adsorbed on alumina can copolymerize with 1-alkenes to form monolayers of polymer coatings that are tightly anchored on the alumina surface. The structure of the copolymer formed on the alumina surface was characterized by means of solid-state 13C NMR and proton NMR of the extractable polymer fraction. The molecular weight of the extracted polymer was determined using gel permeation chromatography. The conditions for producing a high loading of polymer coating on alumina were optimized. The change of the surface area and pore size of alumina after the formation of the polymer coating was studied by the use of nitrogen adsorption. The morphology of the coated alumina particles was studied by the use of scanning electron microscopy. The stability of polymer-coated alumina was tested against solvent washing, and it was found that poly(maleic acid−1-octadecene) cross-linked with divinylbenzene was stable in many aqueous and nonaqueous solvent systems. Finally, the copolymerization of maleic acid a...
Online pediatric information seeking among mothers of young children: results from a qualitative study using focus groups.

BACKGROUND: Pre-natal and post-natal periods are times when many women actively seek health information from multiple sources, including the Internet. However, little is known about how pregnant women and mothers of young children seek and process online pediatric health information. OBJECTIVE: To explore why and where mothers of young children look for online health information and how they determine if the information they receive is trustworthy. METHODS: Focus groups were conducted in a Southeastern US city to provide an in-depth exploration of web-related behaviors and beliefs among mothers who work inside and outside of the home. Data from the focus groups were coded using deductive and inductive coding schemes and content was analyzed for the existence of themes. RESULTS: Twenty mothers of young children participated in four focus groups. Most participants sought information on the Internet during pregnancy and nearly all sought online information after their child was born, primarily to diagnose or treat pediatric conditions and to seek advice on parenting and development. Participants mainly used commercial information websites for health information and many expressed disdain for commercial product websites. Many also expressed concerns about the reliability of health information on the web and described strategies for determining how much they trust each website. CONCLUSIONS: Women appear to be high information seekers during pregnancy and the first few years following delivery, and this period represents an important window of time for providing online health information. Participants suggested that online information sources and motives for providing online information should be clear in order to increase perceptions of trust. Participants expressed preference for online clinical health information that is presented by clinical professionals, and online parenting advice that is presented from other parents. [J Med Internet Res 2004;6(1):e7]
Optimal critical regions for pre-test estimators using a Bayes risk criterion

Optimal critical regions for pre-test estimators are developed in the context of the normal linear regression model with a conjugate prior, where the criterion is Bayes risk and where the pre-testing involves a single coefficient. When prior information is neutral regarding the sign of the coefficient, it is shown that the optimal include-exclude decision involves no pre-testing. When prior information is weighted toward a particular sign, pre-testing is appropriate but the optimal critical regions are quite different from those associated with the traditional pre-test estimator.
Computing the Lyapunov spectrum of a dynamical system from an observed time series

The paper examines the problem of accurately determining, from an observed time series, the Liapunov exponents for the dynamical system generating the data. It is shown that, even with very large data sets, it is clearly advantageous to utilize local neighborhood-to-neighborhood mappings with higher-order Taylor series rather than just local linear maps. This procedure is demonstrated on the Henon and Ikeda maps of the plane itself, the Lorenz system of three ordinary differential equations, and the Mackey-Glass delay differential equation.
Novel triazole antifungal agents.

The risk of opportunistic infections is greatly increased in patients who are immunocompromised due to AIDS, cancer chemotherapy and organ or bone marrow transplantation. Candida albicans is often associated with serious systemic fungal infections, however other Candida species such as Candida krusei, Candida tropicalis and Candida glabrata, as well as Cryptococcus neoformans and filamentous fungi such as Aspergillus, have also emerged as clinically significant fungal pathogens. Two triazole antifungal agents, fluconazole and itraconazole, were introduced over a decade ago and since then have been used extensively for the prophylaxis and treatment of a variety of fungal infections. Although both drugs are effective and have their place in therapy, limitations regarding the utility of these agents do exist. For example, fluconazole is not effective for the prophylaxis or treatment of Aspergillus species and has limited activity against C. krusei and C. glabrata. The use of itraconazole has been limited sec...
Lorentz-Invariant Algebraization of Pion-Hadron Vertex Functions

Making use of rather general dynamical assumptions, it is proven that the problem of determining relativistic pion transition amplitudes may be completely reduced to the study of unitary representations of the noncompact dynamical group $SO(3, 1)\ensuremath{\bigotimes}SO(4, 3)$, since matrix elements of physical observables are shown to form a closed algebra which is identical with the Lie algebra of this group. These assumptions are Lorentz and isospin invariance of strong interactions, the Lehmann-Symanzik-Zimmermann reduction technique, an effective-interaction Lagrangian or partial conservation of axial-vector current, the usual equal-time commutator algebra between axial charges, and the absence of exotic states. The connection with the dynamical group approach previously proposed by Barut is discussed.
Differences in Electronic Cigarette Awareness, Use History, and Advertisement Exposure Between Black and White Hospitalized Cigarette Smokers

E-cigarette use has increased rapidly over the past decade. There is growing concern about e-cigarette use and advertising given limited regulation of these products. This cross-sectional study reports on data collected at baseline from hospitalized cigarette smokers (N = 944) recruited in monthly cohorts between December 2012 and September 2013. Participants were queried regarding e-cigarette awareness and use, and number and sources of e-cigarette advertisement exposures in the previous 6 months. Most Whites (99 %) reported ever hearing of an e-cigarette compared to 96 % of Blacks (p < 0.001). Over two thirds (64 %) of Whites reported ever using an e-cigarette compared to 30 % of Blacks (p < 0.001). There were significant trends in increasing e-cigarette use for both racial groups with an average increase of 13 % each month (p < 0.005) and in increasing e-cigarette advertisement exposure reported for the previous 6 months, with a 14 % increase each month (p < 0.0001). Whites reported 56 % greater advertisement exposure than Blacks (mean = 25 vs. 8 in month 1 to 79 vs. 45 in month 9, respectively; p < 0.0001). For Blacks, advertisement exposure was significantly associated with e-cigarette use (p < 0.001). Whites reported more advertisement exposure from stores and the Internet, and Blacks reported more advertisement exposure from radio or television. Results suggest that e-cigarette marketing is beginning to breach the Black population who are, as a consequence, “catching up” with Whites with regard to e-cigarette use. Given the significant disparities for smoking-related morbidity and mortality between Blacks and Whites, these findings identify new areas for future research and policy.
Stereoretentive Synthesis and Chemoselective Amide-Forming Ligations of C-Terminal Peptide α-Ketoacids

C-Terminal peptide cyanosulfur ylides are readily converted to C-terminal peptide α-ketoacids, poised for chemoselective amide-forming reactions with hydroxylamines. These easily prepared and bench stable ylides are quickly and selectively oxidized with aqueous Oxone without the need for protection of most peptide side chains and with minimal epimerization. This approach offers the first method for preparing enantiomerically enriched, side chain unprotected α-ketoacids
Transthoracic Needle Aspiration Biopsy following Negative Fiberoptic Bronchoscopy in Solitary Pulmonary Nodules

To evaluate the utility of transthoracic needle aspiration biopsy (TTNAB) following negative fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) in a patient with a solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN), we reviewed the records from 262 patients who had undergone TTNAB over an eight-year period. Fifty-eight patients had a SPN and met the criteria for inclusion in this series. Twenty-five of these (43 percent) were diagnosed by TTNAB; 24 had malignant lesions; one had M tuberculosis. Of the remaining 33 patients, 18 went on to definitive diagnostic procedures (surgery, repeat FOB or TTNAB). Nine of these patients had a malignancy. Fifteen patients were followed long-term; one was diagnosed with carcinoma two years after the initial work-up. Carcinoma was not found in any patient under 40 years of age. A benign lesion was diagnosed by TTNAB in only two patients. We conclude that TTNAB is a valuable procedure in the evaluation of patients with a SPN and negative FOB. While a negative FOB and TTNAB do not assure that the lesion is benign, a complex of variables influences the decision regarding thoracotomy vs careful follow-up.
Development of a semi-continuous method for the measurement of nitric acid vapor and particulate nitrate and sulfate

An automated method for the measurement of nitric acid vapor, particulate nitrate, and particulate sulfate in the atmosphere has been developed. The method is based on a semi-continuous wet effluent denuder (WED) and wet effluent frit (WEF) sampling system, followed by ion chromatography with conductivity detection. The method provides separate measures of nitric acid and particulate nitrate, and is characterized by a sample frequency of 15 min and a detection limit of 10 pptv (parts per trillion by volume) for each species. A variety of laboratory tests used to characterize the system performance are described. Among them, the particle passing efficiency of the denuder was evaluated using NH4NO3 particles (diameters < 1 μm) generated by a new method. Ambient measurements using this method were compared with the Nylon and Teflon filter pack method at three field sites: a loblolly pine forest in rural Alabama; a suburban site in Boulder, CO; and a rural mountain site: near Nederland, CO. The methods intercomparison was carried out at sites with varying nitric acid mixing ratios, with the whole data set ranging from < 0.1 to 4 ppbv nitric acid. The nitric acid measurements collected using the WED method compared very well with the filter pack method (linear regression results: slope = 1.00 ± 0.05, r = 0.97). Particulate nitrate and sulfate measurements were compared pnly in Alabama. The particulate sulfate measured with the wet effluent frit and with the filter pack agreed within 12% on average. The particulate nitrate measured using the frit was much higher than that measured by the filter pack, and in addition, the WEF nitrate exhibited a strong diurnal variation while the filter pack nitrate did not. Principal component analysis has been performed on the data set as a means to elucidate the cause of this difference, and to examine the atmospheric variability observed during the Alabama study.
A mesoscopic description of contractile cytoskeletal meshworks

Epithelial morphogenesis plays a major role in embryonic development. During this process cells within epithelial sheets undergo complex spatial reorganization to form organs with specific shapes and functions. The dynamics of epithelial cell reorganization is driven by forces generated through the cytoskeleton, an active network of polar filaments and motor proteins. Over the relevant time scales, individual cytoskeletal filaments typically undergo turnover, where existing filaments depolymerize into monomers and new filaments are nucleated. Here we extend a previously developed physical description of the force generation by the cytoskeleton to account for the effects of filament turnover. We find that filament turnover can significantly stabilize contractile structures against rupture and discuss several possible routes to instability resulting in the rupture of the cytoskeletal meshwork. Additionally, we show that our minimal description can account for a range of phenomena that were recently observed in fruit fly epithelial morphogenesis.
The Contours and Sources of Ethnic Identity Choices Among Asian Americans

Objective. How do individuals of Asian descent in the United States identify themselves in ethnic terms and why? The purpose of this research is to map the contours of ethnic self-identities among Asian adults and explain their identity preferences in this immigrant community of color. Methods. We analyze a new and large-scale survey that collected public opinion from randomly selected individuals of the six largest Asian American descents who resided in five major metropolitan areas in 2000–2001. Results. We find that two-thirds of the respondents prefer to identify themselves in ethnic-specific modes. Although only one in six respondents preferred to identify themselves as “Asian American,” close to six in ten respondents indicated acceptance to this panethnic term as part of their identification. Using multinomial regression analysis, we show that indicators of primordial ties and prior socialization, in addition to cultural, social, and political integration, are instrumental in structuring ethnic identity preferences among Asian Americans. Conclusions. Our results confirm ethnic identity as a fluid, malleable, and layered phenomenon that depends on context. Our findings also highlight the need for reconsideration and expansion of the extant conceptual frameworks on studying ethnic identity formation for a nonwhite, multiethnic, multilingual, and globally connected population.
Inequalities for quantile functions with a uniform studentized CLT that includes trimming

This article is about proving central limit theorems (CLT's) via quantile function (qf) inequalities. Especially, a uniform studentized central limit theorem is derived that utilizes the method. Moreover, the degree of uniformity in this approach to normality is quite surprising (as it includes stable distributions with exponents 0<e<α ≤ 2). The slowly varying function requirement for asymptotic normality of Xn appears very intuitively in the qf approach. Moreover, trimming a slowly growing number of observations from each tail guarantees asymptotitic normality of the trimmed mean T n in a class of distributions that far exceeds the union D of all distributions that are in the domain of attraction of any and all stable distributions. Variance estimation and the law of large numbers (LLN) are also considered in similar generality. Believing that good inequalities are the key to good theorems, much care was taken in formulating the versions of the inequalities presented. Thus the inequalities are also at th...
Subsurface heat transfer on Enceladus: Conditions under which melting occurs

Given the heat that is reaching the surface from the interior of Enceladus, we ask whether liquid water is likely and at what depth it might occur. The heat may be carried by thermal conduction through the solid ice, by the vapor as it diffuses through a porous matrix, or by the vapor flowing upward through open cracks. The vapor carries latent heat, which it acquires when ice or liquid evaporates. As the vapor nears the surface it may condense onto the cold ice, or it may exit the vent without condensing, carrying its latent heat with it. The ice at the surface loses its heat by infrared radiation. An important physical principle, which has been overlooked so far, is that the partial pressure of the vapor in the pores and in the open cracks is nearly equal to the saturation vapor pressure of the ice around it. This severely limits the ability of ice to deliver the observed heat to the surface without melting at depth. Another principle is that viscosity limits the speed of the flow, both the diffusive flow in the matrix and the hydrodynamic flow in open cracks. We present hydrodynamic models that take these effects into account. We find that there is no simple answer to the question of whether the ice melts or not. Vapor diffusion in a porous matrix can deliver the heat to the surface without melting if the particle size is greater than ~1 cm and the porosity is greater than ~0.1, in other words, if the matrix is a rubble pile. Whether such an open matrix can exist under its own hydrostatic load is unclear. Flow in open cracks can deliver the heat without melting if the width of the crack is greater than ~10 cm, but the heat source must be in contact with the crack. Frictional heating on the walls due to tidal stresses is one such possibility. The lifetime of the crack is a puzzle, since condensation on the walls in the upper few meters could seal the crack off in a year, and it takes many years for the heat source to warm the walls if the crack extends down to km depths. The 10:1 ratio of radiated heat to latent heat carried with the vapor is another puzzle. The models tend to give a lower ratio. The resolution might be that each tiger stripe has multiple cracks that share the heat, which tends to lower the ratio. The main conclusion is that melting depends on the size of the pores and the width of the cracks, and these are unknown at present.
A CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE FARMWORKER PESTICIDE SAFETY PROGRAM.

Farming is one of the most hazardous occupations in the US. Anyone who works on a farm is at risk for a variety of occupational injuries and illnesses. Hired farmworkers are often at a disadvantage for preventing injury and illness because they lack control in the workplace. Over the past few decades, the number and percentage of US farmworkers who are immigrants, mainly from Mexico and the Latin American countries, has increased dramatically. Because many of these recently-arrived workers do not speak or read English, it is especially difficult for them to learn and implement workplace safety procedures. Safety education materials are frequently not available in Spanish, and employers are seldom bilingual.
Monte Carlo simulation of colloidal membrane filtration: Model development with application to characterization of colloid phase transition

This study investigates phase transition from a fluid-like polarization layer to a solid cake layer of particle deposits during membrane filtration of interacting colloidal particles. A Monte Carlo simulation model of dead-end filtration is used under the influences of hydrodynamic bias from the permeation flux as well as inter-particle interactions. The model effectively demonstrates the roles of the hydrodynamic drag force and inter-particle potential in governing the volume fraction of the particle deposit. The cake layer volume fraction is shown to be sensitive to the combination of particle surface (zeta) potential, solution ionic strength, particle size, and applied transmembrane pressure. Further application of the model leads to a holistic characterization of the phase transition phenomenon. The onset of phase transition is characterized with flexibility and adaptability with concern for both physico-chemical standards, such as volume fraction and inter-particle separation distance, as well as pragmatic considerations, such as the desire to operate the system below the critical flux and avoidance of irreversible cake formation.
Graph Cuts via $\ell_1$ Norm Minimization

Graph cuts have become an increasingly important tool for solving a number of energy minimization problems in computer vision and other fields. In this paper, the graph cut problem is reformulated as an unconstrained l1 norm minimization that can be solved effectively using interior point methods. This reformulation exposes connections between graph cuts and other related continuous optimization problems. Eventually, the problem is reduced to solving a sequence of sparse linear systems involving the Laplacian of the underlying graph. The proposed procedure exploits the structure of these linear systems in a manner that is easily amenable to parallel implementations. Experimental results obtained by applying the procedure to graphs derived from image processing problems are provided.
Organization and staffing barriers to parent involvement in teen pregnancy prevention programs: challenges for community partnerships.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate parent involvement in a Southern California teen pregnancy prevention community partnership project. Researchers expected to find parent and family-related participation barriers similar to those described in the family support literature, which they could address with program modifications. Methods Three phases of qualitative evaluation occurred: key informant interviews and focus groups with youth and parents; focus groups with service providers; and key informant interviews with service providers, their supervisor, and the collaborative coordinator. Theory-based, open-ended question guides directed the interviews and focus groups, and transcriptions were coded and themed using grounded theory methods. Results Parents and youth sought ways to improve connections and communication with each other, and parents welcomed parenting education from the project. Unexpectedly, the major obstacles to parent participation identified in this project were largely organizational, and included the assignment of parent involvement tasks to agencies lacking capacities to work effectively with parents, inadequate administrative support for staff, and the absence of an effective system for communicating concerns and resolving conflicts among collaborative partners. Conclusions Youth serving agencies may not be the best partners to implement effective parent involvement or family support interventions. Collaborative leadership must identify appropriate partners, engender their cooperation, and support their staff to further the overall goals of the collaborative.
Freezing the Master Production Schedule: Implications for Fill Rate*

Previous research examining alternative ways of dealing with schedule instability has shown that freezing a portion of the master production schedule (MPS) is a cost effective way to reduce instability. While it is often argued that MPS freezing limits the firm's ability to react to changing customer needs, the impact of freezing on customer service is not well understood. We examined the impact of freezing a specified portion of the MPS on the average fill rate under a wide variety of conditions using controlled simulation experiments. The results show that freezing can be implemented without causing a severe reduction in customer service.
Characterization of load-length-velocity relationships of nine different skeletal muscles.

Abstract A three-dimensional characterization of muscle load, length and velocity was obtained from nine muscles in the cat's hind limb through contractions where the muscles shortened against inertial–gravitational loads. A model based on the load–length characteristic and second-order dynamics describes shortening velocity related to load and length under these conditions. We conclude that this model describes well contraction velocity as function of length and load under inertial–gravitational load conditions, with correlation coefficients higher than 0.9 in most of the tested muscles.
Visual impact of plumes from power plants: A theoretical model

Abstract Theoretical relationships have been derived and transformed into a computer model to describe plume visual impact at various observer vantage points resulting from power plant boiler operation. Plume visual impact results from a reduction in visual range (visibility) and plume coloration. The model considers plume transport and diffusion, light scattering and absorption by aerosols and gases, and chemical transformation in the plume of nitric oxide to nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide to sulfates, and nitrogen oxides to nitrates. The model is applied in a parametric study to explore the effect of emissions and environmental conditions on plume visual impact. The case selected is a hypothetical 1500 Mwe coal-fired power plant equipped with efficient particulate abatement equipment. The results establish that visual range is not significantly affected unless the observer is viewing along the plume axis or unless significant amounts of secondary particles are formed in the plume. Yellow-brown plume coloration is shown to result from the net production of nitrogen dioxide gas in the plume. The coloration is most apparent during stable and clear atmospheric conditions and effectively masked for elevated concentrations of background or plume aerosol.
Psychological approaches to panic disorder: a review.

Panic disorder has been the subject of considerable research and controversy. Though biological conceptualizations have been predominant, psychological theorists have recently advanced conditioning, personality, and cognitive hypotheses to explain the etiology of panic disorder. The purpose of this article is to provide an empirical and conceptual analysis of these psychological hypotheses. This review covers variants of the "fear-of-fear" construal of panic disorder (i.e., Pavlovian interoceptive conditioning, catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations, anxiety sensitivity), research on predictability (i.e., expectancies) and controllability, and research on information-processing biases believed to underlie the phenomenology of panic. Suggestions for future research are made.
Physiological and structural properties of colchicine-treated chick skeletal muscle cells grown in tissue culture.

Abstract Chick muscle cells grown in tissue-culture medium containing colchicine developed into rounded cells called “myosacs.” Electron micrographs of myosacs were similar to untreated myofibers except that microtubules were absent and the contractile material was disorganized. Most of the electrophysiological characteristics of myosacs were similar to those of untreated myofibers. Thus, both cellular types had similar resting potentials, nonlinear current voltage curves, three types of action potentials (Na + , Ca 2+ , and Cl − spikes), and acetylcholine sensitivity with “hot spots.” Both demonstrated contraction with electrical or chemical (acetylcholine, caffeine) stimuli. The one significant difference was that myosacs, unlike myofibers, were always isopotential throughout their intracellular space.
Automatic target scoring system using machine vision

This paper reports on the development of a machine vision system for assessing targeting accuracy of ballistic, projectile-firing, weapon systems. The machine vision system developed here can monitor the target continuously, report precise quantitative targeting information, and simultaneously provide a color-coded display of impacts. The only other automated target scoring system on the market today is based on the analysis of acoustic signatures of projectiles using a heavily instrumented target. The proposed vision-based technique, in contrast, is inherently passive, requiring little or no modification of the existing set up.
Confluence of Bound-Free Coherences in Laser-Induced Autoionization

We solve exactly the problem of double configuration mixing (Coulombic and radiative) in a "Fano model" atom, and predict a new confluence of coherences in laser-induced autoionized electron spectra.
Motivating factors and facilitating conditions explaining women's participation in co-management of Sri Lankan forests

Abstract Among South Asian countries, Sri Lanka has only recently ventured into community management of its forests. This paper focuses on a qualitative exploration of two communities in a rainforest conservation project in Sri Lanka. The high level of women's participation is attributed to motivating factors and facilitating conditions. Obstacles to forest co-management outcomes include reduced forest dependency and top–down decision making. Adaptive implementation strategies compensate for these obstacles by establishing strong networks and structural organizations in forest boundary communities. This suggests that an intervention addressing the actual needs of stakeholders, rather than focusing on perceived problems, would allow for increased participation.
Causes of disease and causes of death

In early-nineteenth-century medical literature, one finds an elegant symmetry between causes of disease and causes of death: both were sufficient causes of particular events. However, as I will argue, by the end of the century physicians no longer sought sufficient causes of individual disease episodes – instead almost all of medical research was organized around the quest for necessary causes that were shared by all the episodes of each particular disease. Such causes carried great practical and theoretical advantages: they enabled physicians to control and to explain disease phenomena.One might wonder why there has been no parallel change in our thinking about causes of death; to this very day, causes of death are sufficient causes of particular events. In principle there is no apparent reason why we could not identify necessary causes for classes of deaths – indeed, we sometimes do so. But, in the case of death, such causes hold little interest. Because of how they are used, sufficient causes for individual deaths are more interesting and more important to us than are necessary causes of deaths. Thus, the change in thinking about causes of disease – the change that destroyed the symmetry between causes of disease and causes of death – may not reflect simply progress within a fixed system of medical goals and values, but a profound change in the social role of physicians.
Rainbow, Sky, and Stars in the Iliad and the Odyssey: A Chorizontic Argument

The opinion has been expressed frequently of late, notably by Professor Mackail and Miss Stawell, that the Odyssey may well be the work of the advanced years of the Homer of the Iliad . Miss Stawell remarks that one of an alert mind must feel that the Odyssey is the poem of an older man—one who has conceived and written a poem before. She suggests that that poem may have been the Iliad . So Professor Mackail argues that a “different mind may come to a poet with the lapse of years and with fresh experiences,” and that “the poet who produced the Iliad in the early prime of his life was a poet capable of the artistic and poetical change that is felt in the Odyssey , among new surroundings, with an altered view of life, with an imaginative ardour burning less strongly and with increased constructional mastery.”
SPOKEN LANGUAGE INDICES OF UNCERTAINTY

The present study investigates two propositions of uncertainty reduction theory and examines their effects on language use. Linguistic diversity and verbal immediacy were measured in two conversational segments taken from different periods of the entry phase of 72 interviews. A discriminant analysis function accounted for 19.36% of the variance in the measures. A sign test of the discriminant function coefficients showed a significantly consistent shift, across individuals, from the earlier conversational segment to the later. The results are consistent with the propositions of uncertainly reduction. Implications of this interpretation are discussed.
The impact of exclusion criteria on a physician's adenoma detection rate.

Background The adenoma detection rate (ADR) is a validated and widely used measure of colonoscopy quality. There is uncertainty in the published literature as to which colonoscopy examinations should be excluded when measuring a physician's ADR. Objective To examine the impact of varying the colonoscopy exclusion criteria on physician ADR. Design We applied different exclusion criteria used in 30 previous studies to a dataset of endoscopy and pathology reports. Under each exclusion criterion, we calculated physician ADR. Setting A private practice colonoscopy center affiliated with the University of Illinois College of Medicine. Patients Data on 20,040 colonoscopy examinations performed by 11 gastroenterologists from July 2009 to May 2013 and associated pathology notes. Main Outcome Measurements ADRs across all colonoscopy examinations, each physician's ADR, and ADR ranking. Results There were 28 different exclusion criteria used when measuring the ADR. Each study used a different combination of these exclusion criteria. The proportion of all colonoscopy examinations in the dataset excluded under these combinations of exclusion criteria ranged from 0% to 92.2%. The mean ADR across all colonoscopy examinations was 39.1%. The change in mean ADR after applying the 28 exclusion criteria ranged from −5.5 to +3.0 percentage points. However, the exclusion criteria affected each physician's ADR relatively equally, and therefore physicians' rankings via the ADR were stable. Limitations ADR assessment was limited to a single private endoscopy center. Conclusion There is wide variation in the exclusion criteria used when measuring the ADR. Although these exclusion criteria can affect overall ADRs, the relative rankings of physicians by ADR were stable. A consensus definition of which exclusion criteria are applied when measuring ADR is needed.
Convergence of the Iterative Conditional Estimation and Application to Mixture Proportion Identification

The iterative conditional estimation (ICE) is an iterative estimation method of the parameters in the case of incomplete data. Proposed since about fifteen years, ICE works under weak hypotheses and has been successfully applied in many unsupervised processing problems. In particular, it gave good results in unsupervised image segmentation based on complex models like hidden fuzzy Markov fields, hidden evidential Markov fields, or triplet Markov fields. However, there were no general theoretical results concerning its asymptotic behavior until now. The aim of this paper is to provide a general theorem, and to specify two applications: the mixture proportion estimation in a very general setting, and estimation of the components means in Gaussian mixture. The position of ICE with respect to the "Expectation-Maximization" (EM) method is also briefly discussed.
Binding energies of the light hyperfragments

The purpose of the present paper is to determine the constants of a phenomenological potential assumed for the λ0-nucleon interaction by fitting them to the observed binding energies of the mass 3 and 4 hyperfragments. Variational calculations have been carried out for these hyperfragments and hyperhelium-5. The calculations indicate that the λ0-n,ucleon force is strongly spin dependent, and also that the hypertrineutron and hyperhelium-3 are not bound. The chief assumptions that have made are: (a) the spin of the λ0 is 1/2; (b) the hyperdeuteron is not bound; (c) the λ0-nucleon interaction arising from the virtual exchange of heavy mesons may be represented by the assumed phenomenological potential (any possible pion admixture resulting from the virtual exchange of at least two pions between the λ0 and nucleon being neglected) ; (d) all but the principalS-states of the hyperfragments with mass numbers less than or equal to five may be neglected; (e) the nucleonnucleon interaction is represented by the central Yukawa interaction. The last three assumptions are rather severe and imply that the present calculations are to be considered as preliminary to a more complete investigation, in which the tensor interaction between nucleons and also the pion admixture of the λ0-nucleon force are included.
Finite state machine synthesis with concurrent error detection

A new synthesis technique for designing finite state machines with on-line parity checking is presented. The output logic and the next-state logic of the finite state machines are checked independently. By checking parity on the present state instead of the next state, this technique allows detection of errors in bistable elements (that were hitherto not detected by many previous techniques) while requiring no changes in the original machine specifications. This paper also examines design choices with respect to parity prediction circuits. Two such examined choices are the multi-parity-group and the single-parity-group techniques. A new state encoding technique based on the JEDI program is developed for the synthesis of the next-state logic with an additional parity output. Synthesis results produced by our proposed procedure for the MCNC'89 FSM benchmark circuits show on average a 25% reduction in literal counts compared to previous techniques.