cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recombination in Escherichia coli between cloned ribosomal RNA intergenic spacersfrom Vicia faba: A model for the generation of ribosomal RNA gene heterogeneity in plants

Abstract A plasmid containing the intergenic spacer (IGS) region from Vicia faba L. ribosomal RNA genes was introduced into Escherichia coli in order to study recombination within the IGS. Recombination occurred in a recA + (RR1) but not in a recA − (HB101) strain. We conclude that the IGS length heterogeneity found in V. faba may result from recombination events involving an analog of the Rec A protein.
Fractionation of polymers with supercritical fluids

Abstract Experimental data are presented for the equilibrium solubility of styrene oligomers up to chain lengths of 25 monomeric units in ethane at 333 K and at pressures of 15, 25 and 34 MPa. It was observed that at a given pressure and temperature, a mass-based partition coefficient of an n-mer between the polymerich phase and the dense-gas phase is essentially independent of the compositions of the two equilibrium phases and depends only on the chain length of the n-mer. A new lattice model, developed from statistical-mechanics, is used to reproduce quantitatively the dependence of the partition coefficient on chain length and pressure. Only a single interaction parameter is necessary for all chain lengths and pressures. The practical viability of using supercritical fluids for polymer fractionatiion is also discussed.
Risk based resilient network design

This paper presents a risk-based approach to resilient network design. The basic design problem considered is that given a working network and a fixed budget, how best to allocate the budget for deploying a survivability technique in different parts of the network based on managing the risk. The term risk measures two related quantities: the likelihood of failure or attack, and the amount of damage caused by the failure or attack. Various designs with different risk-based design objectives are considered, for example, minimizing the expected damage, minimizing the maximum damage, and minimizing a measure of the variability of damage that could occur in the network. A design methodology for the proposed risk-based survivable network design approach is presented within an optimization model framework. Numerical results and analysis illustrating the different risk based designs and the tradeoffs among the schemes are presented.
Supplemental estrogen replacement

In the current aging society, more than 30 million women have an average postmenopausal life expectancy of 28 years. Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in older women, and osteoporosis results in an estimated 1.5 million fractures per year. Various studies have suggested that postmenopausal estrogen-replacement therapy could reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with these conditions. Given the uncertainty about hormone interactions and the molecular genetics of breast cancer, it seems unwise to inject yet another element into the prognostic equation, and currently it is not recommended that estrogen-replacement therapy be used routinely in patients who have been treated successfully for breast cancer. The final decision, of course, rests with the patient and her treating physicians and is subject to medical/legal interpretation.
Post-perihelion observations of water in comet Halley

An ambitious postperihelion observational program has been carried out which significantly extends the scope of the Halley water investigation. The spectral bandwidth of the postperihelion data included essentially all of the nu3 band. Fifteen spectral lines of water were detected, including three previously undetected lines in the nu3 band and three lines in the (011-010) band. The observed relative intensities illustrate that water in the cometary coma is rotationally relaxed, as predicted by recent nonthermal equilibrium models. An ortho/para ratio of about three is consistent with both pre- and postperihelion data. The water spatial brightness profile can be fit by that of a parent molecule, and a significant sunward-tailward brightness asymmetry was observed which suggests ejection primarily into the sunlit hemisphere. Comet Halley exhibited marked temporal activity on time scales as short as two hours. The largest water production rate measured was 2.3 x 10 to the 30th mol/s on 24:18 UT in March 1986, which is about an order of magnitude or more larger than the production rates measured preperihelion at the same heliocentric distance, indicating a large pre- to postperihelion asymmetry in gas production.
Numerical model and experimental validation of heat storage with phase change materials

This paper describes the numeric model developed to simulate heat transfer in phase change materials (PCM) plunged in water tank storage. This model, based on the enthalpy approach, takes into account the conduction and the convection into PCM as well as at the interface between PCM and water of the storage. Furthermore, hysterisis and subcooling are also included. This model has been implemented in an existing TRNSYS type of water tank storage. It allows the simulation of a water storage tank filled with PCM modules made of different materials and different shapes such as cylinders, plates or spheres bed. Comparisons between measurements and simulations has been undertake to evaluate the potential of this model.
Increasing dietary lipid and iron content decreases manganese superoxide dismutase activity in colonic mucosa

Abstract Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) is an important mitochondrial antioxidant. Alteration in the regulation of MnSOD activity has been proposed to play a critical role in the development of many types of tumors. Colorectal cancer is one of the most common human malignancies and has been shown to be influenced by dietary factors. Two such dietary factors include lipid and iron. Lipid and iron are also potential modulators of MnSOD activity. This study examined lipid and iron influence on MnSOD activity in colonic mucosa. Fischer rats were fed one of eight test diets for six weeks. Four of the diets included AIN‐76A‐based formulas containing 5% corn oil or 20% lipid from corn oil, menhaden oil, or beef tallow. Four additional diets included identical formulations with iron supplemented to a level of 140 mg/kg. Results showed that iron supplementation decreased MnSOD activity in animals fed the 5% corn oil diet. An increase in dietary lipids from 5% to 20% also decreased MnSOD activity in colonic...
FlexAura: a flexible near-surface range sensor

The availability of flexible capacitive sensors that can be fitted around mice, smartphones, and pens carries great potential in leveraging grasp as a new interaction modality. Unfortunately, most capacitive sensors only track interaction directly on the surface, making it harder to differentiate among grips and constraining user movements. We present a new optical range sensor design based on high power infrared LEDs and photo-transistors, which can be fabricat-ed on a flexible PCB and wrapped around a wide variety of graspable objects including pens, mice, smartphones, and slates. Our sensor offers a native resolution of 10 dpi with a sensing range of up to 30mm (1.2"") and sampling speed of 50Hz. Based on our prototype wrapped around the barrel of a pen, we present a summary of the characteristics of the sensor and describe the sensor output in several typical pen grips. Our design is versatile enough to apply not only to pens but to a wide variety of graspable objects including smartphones and slates.
The Totora ( Scirpus Californicus ) in Ecuador and Peru

The totora (also known as matara and merme),Scirpus californicus, is widely used in Ecuador and Peru for a number of purposes. Floats made from it are still found at L.ake San Pablo and Yaguarcocha in Ecuador and at Huanchaco and L.ake Titicaca in Peru. Totora mats of highland Ecuador are woven, whereas woven mats are rare in Peru where twining seems to be the common method. Although commonly known by the Spanish name esteras, the mats are sometimes referred to as petates, a Mexican name, which may have reached the Andes in pre-Conquest times. Totoras are also used to make fans and baskets, and as food for both man and animals, the former only in the area of Lake Titicaca. The totora may have been cultivated in prehistoric times. The extensive altitudinal distribution and the apparent lack of seed set in some highland lakes suggest that man may be implicated in its spread. The totora is definitely known to be cultivated in both Peru and Ecuador in recent times. The totora comprises two subspecies: subsp.californicus found in the highlands of Ecuador and in both highland and coastal sites in Peru, and subsp.Tatora, confined to the highlands of Peru. There may be some justification for considering the two as distinct species. Chromosome counts ofn = 32 and 34 are reported for subsp.catifornicus andn = 35 for subsp.Tatora. Plants of both subspecies were found to grow well in the greenhouses at Indiana University. The totora of Easter Island, previously regarded as a variety of subsp.californicus, was found to be virtually identical to American populations of the subspecies. Although Heyerdahi has claimed that the totora was introduced into Easter Island by Peruvians in prehistoric times, it is pointed out that birds are equally, or more likely, responsible for its introduction there.
Resistance to Sevin by DDT- and Parathion-Resistant Houseflies and Sesoxane as Sevin Synergist

The new carbamate insecticide, Sevin, has a low toxicity against houseflies. However, it is activated effectively by low concentrations of Sesoxane, a pyrethrum synergist. This occurs with normal nonselected flies and also with strains selected for resistance to DDT and Parathion, which have considerable cross resistance to Sevin.
Alfred Thayer Mahan and the geopolitics of Asia

Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan's writings on geopolitics, although often overlooked, have proved prescient, sobering, and enlightening. Russia's secure position at the heart of the Eurasian land mass, according to Mahan's principles, gives it a preeminent power projection capability. Mahan advocated that the U.S. role toward Russia should be one of containment, because of Russia's incomparable land position. He also foresaw that a modernized China would eventually become a concern for the United States.
Stages of change in successful weight control: A clinically derived model

Correlational studies, meta-analyses, and experimental research have revealed that long-term treatments for obesity (1 year or more) are far more likely to improve weight control than shorter-term interventions. As treatment durations increase, so do questions about the changes that clients frequently experience in their behaviors, cognitions, and affective states during such extended efforts. If we can provide answers to these questions, it could facilitate therapeutic change via appropriate modification and alignment of expectations (for both clients and therapists). The present paper describes a clinically derived model of the stages of change that are often observed during the process of long-term weight control. It includes three primary stages (those experienced by most people during the first two years within a cognitive-behavioral treatment program) and three secondary stages (those that seem to occur regularly but only for some participants). Behavioral, cognitive, affective, and temporal aspects of the primary stages (Honeymoon, Frustration, and Tentative Acceptance) and the secondary stages (Shock/Ambivalence, Fear of Success, and Lifestyle Change) are presented. Clinical uses and implications, as well as directions for research, are discussed.
Volcanic activity at Santa Maria in 1940

In this paper a brief outline of the growth of the volcanic dome of Santiaguito in Guatemala and the chemical aspects of its fumaroles was presented. A good pictorial record of the growth was obtained by the Swiss observer Hurter from the time of its first appearance in August of 1922 up to October 1925, when steady extrusion of the viscous andesitic lava had built up the dome to a height of approximately 1,000 feet. Slow extrusion of lava from the western flank has continued since 1925 and has contributed to a great increase in the bulk of the dome. At no time has the lava issued freely. It is inferred that the lava has lost most of its gas content before reaching the surface and has thereby lost much of its potential fluidity. An outstanding event in the history of the dome was the explosive eruption of 1929 that took place on its southern slope. A glowing cloud emerged and destroyed ouch of the vegetation on the lower slope of the parent volcano, Santa Maria.
Effects of Poll Reports on Voter Preferences

Relative strengths of the bandwagon (or rally-around-the-winner) affect and its converse, the underdog effect, were tested. Study 1 was conducted with registered Republicans during 4 days immediately prior to the first major Republican primary of 1996. Bogus poll data showing Dole leading Forbes (or Dole trailing Forbes) were presented to voters who then voted their preference for Dole, Forbes, or neither. Findings showed a significantly greater tendency to vote for Dole over Forbes when the bogus poll showed Dole leading Forbes than when it showed Dole trailing. Thus, results supported the bandwagon effect and, furthermore, showed it as explaining 6% of the variance in voter preferences. In Study 2, participants were given bogus poll data on 2 personally relevant issues and were then asked to vote their preferences on the issues. Participants had extremely strong consensus preferences on one issue and were not influenced by bogus poll data. On the second issue that involved moderately strong consensus preferences, bogus polls significantly affected votes, supporting the bandwagon effect. Bandwagon effects were stronger for women compared with men, and for 2 of 3 PAD (Pleasantness, Arousability, Dominance) basic temperament factors; that is, for individuals with more arousable and less dominant temperaments. Implications for other personality variables were noted.
Rationalizing two-tiered choice functions through conditional choice

Set-valued choice functions provide a framework that is general enough to encompass a wide variety of theories that are significant to the study of rationality but, at the same time, offer enough structure to articulate consistency conditions that can be used to characterize some of the theories within this encompassed variety. Nonetheless, two-tiered choice functions, such as those advocated by Isaac Levi, are not easily characterized within the framework of set-valued choice functions. The present work proposes conditional choice functions as the proper carriers of synchronic rationality. The resulting framework generalizes the familiar one mentioned above without emptying it and, moreover, provides a natural setting for two-tiered choice rules.
The direct effects of interleukin 1, interleukin 2, Interferon-α, Interferon-γ, B-cell growth factor, and a B-cell differentiation factor on resting and activated human B cells

Abstract A wide variety of cytokines have been demonstrated to affect B-cell function. However, it is unclear which of these mediators actually exert direct effects on the B cells themselves. In the present study, the direct role of interleukin (IL) 1, IL-2, Interferon-γ, or Interferon-α in human B-cell activation, proliferation, or differentiation was examined and compared with the effects of a B-cell growth factor (BCGF) or a B-cell differentiation factor (BCDF). Highly purified human B lymphocytes were separated according to size into two nonoverlapping populations. The fraction of small B cells was incubated with IL-1, IL-2, Interferon-γ, Interferon-α, BCGF, or BCDF, and cell size changes, RNA synthesis, DNA synthesis, or supernatant immunogobulin (Ig) production were measured. Neither IL-1, IL-2, Interferon-α, Interferon-γ, nor the BCGF induced substantial cell size changes, RNA synthesis, DNA synthesis, or Ig production by the small fraction of B lymphocytes; however, the BCDF could directly activate a proportion of resting B lymphocytes to secrete Ig. The fraction of large B cells was also incubated with these cytokines. While neither IL-1, Interferon-α, nor Interferon-γ enhanced DNA synthesis or Ig production by the fraction of large B lymphocytes, DNA synthesis was augmented 23-fold by BCGF and IgG production was increased 7-fold by BCDF. Additionally, IL-2 slightly enhanced both proliferation and differentiation of large B cells but substantially less so than BCGF and BCDF; DNA synthesis was increased 4-fold, while Ig production in the presence of IL-2 was increased by ~50%. Thus, the most important lymphokines modulating the function of these two fractions of tonsillar lymphocytes were a BCGF and a BCDF.
The autoimmune regulator (AIRE) is a DNA-binding protein.

The autoimmune regulator (AIRE) protein is a putative transcription regulator with two plant homeodomain-type zinc fingers, a putative DNA-binding domain (SAND), and four nuclear receptor binding LXXLL motifs. We have shown here thatin vitro, recombinant AIRE can form homodimers and homotetramers that were also detected in thymic protein extracts. Recombinant AIRE also oligomerizes spontaneously upon phosphorylation by cAMP dependent protein kinase A or protein kinase C. Similarly, thymic AIRE protein is phosphorylated at the tyrosine and serine/threonine residues. AIRE dimers and tetramers, but not the monomers, can bind to G-doublets with the ATTGGTTA motif and the TTATTA-box. Competition assays revealed that sequences with one TTATTA motif and two tandem repeats of ATTGGTTA had the highest binding affinity. These findings demonstrate that AIRE is an important DNA binding molecule involved in immune regulation.
Construction of a new scale: The Reysen Likability Scale

While much is known about the concept of likability, a single encompassing tool to measure likability has yet to be created. The Reysen Likability Scale measures the degree of likability for a target source. Using the current scale, a total of 150 participants rated 12 individuals who were videotaped while reading a paragraph. Tapes differed with respect to whether the people genuinely laughed, faked their laughter, or did not laugh while reading a paragraph. In the present study, the reliability, and convergent and divergent validity of the new scale were assessed. Coefficient alphas for the current scale ranged from .90 to .91. Laughter predicted higher likability ratings which demonstrated convergent validity. Divergent validity was illustrated using Goldberg’s (1992) 100-Adjective Big Five Personality Test. Suggestions for research using the new scale are given.
Antineoplastic agents. 573. isolation and structure of papilistatin from the papilionid butterfly Byasa polyeuctes termessa.

Bioassay-guided separation of an extract of the wings from a Taiwan butterfly, Byasa polyeuctes termessa, allowed isolation of a new cancer cell growth inhibitor designated papilistatin (1a). The s...
Non‐newtonian two‐phase circulation in bubble columns

On applique une methode d'equilibre des forces (a l'origine utilisee pour les systemes turbulents) afin de predire la circulation dans des melanges gaz-liquide non newtoniens, et on demontre comment les proprietes rheologiques peuvent influencer un profil de circulation simple dans une colonne
Viscous and inviscid instabilities of a trailing vortex

The linear stability of the trailing line vortex model of Batchelor (1964) is studied using a spectral collocation and matrix eigenvalue method. The entire unstable region in the swirl/axial wavenumber parameter space is mapped out for various azimuthal wavenumbers for both the inviscid and viscous stability problem. The results of the study provide a direct numerical validation of the large-azimuthal-wavenumber asymptotic analysis of Leibovich and Stewartson (1983). It is shown that accurate results are obtained up to azimuthal wavenumbers of 10,000 and greater, and the agreement with the asymptotic theory is excellent.
Effects of neutron irradiation on current gain and noise in silicon avalanche photodiodes

The authors report on an experimental study of the effects of fission neutron irradiation on a silicon avalanche photodiode, which is a photodetector that is often used as the front end of a receiver in a fiber-optic link. Measurements indicate that there is a degradation in the current gain and a decrease in the multiplication noise after irradiation. Some recovery is found to occur after three days. The device, however, continues to behave linearly after irradiation. >
Technical Report: TG-142 compliant and comprehensive quality assurance tests for respiratory gating

Purpose: To develop and establish a comprehensive gating commissioning and quality assurance procedure in compliance with TG-142. Methods: Eight Varian TrueBeam Linacs were used for this study. Gating commissioning included an end-to-end test and baseline establishment. The end-to-end test was performed using a CIRS dynamic thoracic phantom with a moving cylinder inside the lung, which was used for carrying both optically simulated luminescence detectors (OSLDs) and Gafchromic EBT2 films while the target is moving, for a point dose check and 2D profile check. In addition, baselines were established for beam-on temporal delay and calibration of the surrogate, for both megavoltage (MV) and kilovoltage (kV) beams. A motion simulation device (MotionSim) was used to provide periodic motion on a platform, in synchronizing with a surrogate motion. The overall accuracy and uncertainties were analyzed and compared. Results: The OSLD readings were within 5% compared to the planned dose (within measurement uncertainty) for both phase and amplitude gated deliveries. Film results showed less than 3% agreement to the predicted dose with a standard sinusoid motion. The gate-on temporal accuracy was averaged at 139 ± 10 ms for MV beams and 92 ± 11 ms for kV beams. The temporal delay of the surrogatemore » motion depends on the motion speed and was averaged at 54.6 ± 3.1 ms for slow, 24.9 ± 2.9 ms for intermediate, and 23.0 ± 20.1 ms for fast speed. Conclusions: A comprehensive gating commissioning procedure was introduced for verifying the output accuracy and establishing the temporal accuracy baselines with respiratory gating. The baselines are needed for routine quality assurance tests, as suggested by TG-142.« less
Formation of Defects in MBE Re-Grown GaAs Films on GaAs/AlGaAs Heterostructures

In the present work, we examine the formation of defects on the sidewall slope in 1 μm - thick GaAs layers regrown on GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures. Site-specific TEM specimens of sidewall slopes are obtained using focused ion beam combined with lift-out method. TEM analysis shows planar defects, such as stacking faults and microtwins, dislocations and large twinned areas, nucleating on the AlGaAs surfaces. SIMS and EDX reveal an increase in carbon and oxygen at the interface. The defect density increased with Al content exceeding 10 10 cm -2 on Al 0.4 Ga 0.6 As. The defect formation is related to the oxidation of Al-containing surfaces.
Three new species of lichenized fungi with cephalodia from the southern New Zealand shelf islands (Campbell Plateau)

The new species Miriquidica effigurata, M. squamulosa and Pertusaria stellata are described from the southern subpolar region from collections made by Henry Imshaug and co-workers in the early 1970s. All three species occur on Campbell Island, New Zealand, with M. effigurata and P. stellata also occurring on the Auckland Islands, New Zealand, and P. stellata also being reported from Isla Desolacion in southern Chile. Miriquidica effigurata and M. squamulosa are similar to M. complanata but have apothecia with a dark (K+ purple-red) lower hypothecium and thalli containing confluentic acid and norstictic acid respectively. Pertusaria stellata is similar to P. macloviana, but has shorter ascospores and a smoother, generally paler thallus lacking papillate isidia. Cephalodia are reported for the first time in both Miriquidica and Pertusaria.
Lateral gene expression in Drosophila early embryos is supported by Grainyhead-mediated activation and tiers of dorsally-localized repression.

The general consensus in the field is that limiting amounts of the transcription factor Dorsal establish dorsal boundaries of genes expressed along the dorsal-ventral (DV) axis of early Drosophila embryos, while repressors establish ventral boundaries. Yet recent studies have provided evidence that repressors act to specify the dorsal boundary of intermediate neuroblasts defective (ind), a gene expressed in a stripe along the DV axis in lateral regions of the embryo. Here we show that a short 12 base pair sequence (“the A-box”) present twice within the ind CRM is both necessary and sufficient to support transcriptional repression in dorsal regions of embryos. To identify binding factors, we conducted affinity chromatography using the A-box element and found a number of DNA-binding proteins and chromatin-associated factors using mass spectroscopy. Only Grainyhead (Grh), a CP2 transcription factor with a unique DNA-binding domain, was found to bind the A-box sequence. Our results suggest that Grh acts as an activator to support expression of ind, which was surprising as we identified this factor using an element that mediates dorsally-localized repression. Grh and Dorsal both contribute to ind transcriptional activation. However, another recent study found that the repressor Capicua (Cic) also binds to the A-box sequence. While Cic was not identified through our A-box affinity chromatography, utilization of the same site, the A-box, by both factors Grh (activator) and Cic (repressor) may also support a “switch-like” response that helps to sharpen the ind dorsal boundary. Furthermore, our results also demonstrate that TGF-β signaling acts to refine ind CRM expression in an A-box independent manner in dorsal-most regions, suggesting that tiers of repression act in dorsal regions of the embryo.
Active site engineering of the epoxide hydrolase from Agrobacterium radiobacter AD1 to enhance aerobic mineralization of cis-1,2-dichloroethylene in cells expressing an evolved toluene ortho-monooxygenase.

Chlorinated ethenes are the most prevalent groundwater pollutants, and the toxic epoxides generated during their aerobic biodegradation limit the extent of transformation. Hydrolysis of the toxic epoxide by epoxide hydrolases represents the major biological detoxification strategy; however, chlorinated epoxyethanes are not accepted by known bacterial epoxide hydrolases. Here, the epoxide hydrolase from Agrobacterium radiobacter AD1 (EchA), which enables growth on epichlorohydrin, was tuned to accept cis-1,2-dichloroepoxyethane as a substrate by accumulating beneficial mutations from three rounds of saturation mutagenesis at three selected active site residues, Phe-108, Ile-219, and Cys-248 (no beneficial mutations were found at position Ile-111). The EchA F108L/I219L/C248I variant coexpressed with a DNA-shuffled toluene ortho-monooxygenase, which initiates attack on the chlorinated ethene, enhanced the degradation of cis-dichloroethylene (cis-DCE) an infinite extent compared with wildtype EchA at low concentrations (6.8 M) and up to 10fold at high concentrations (540 M). EchA variants with single mutations (F108L, I219F, or C248I) enhanced cisDCE mineralization 2.5-fold (540 M), and EchA variants with double mutations, I219L/C248I and F108L/C248I, increased cis-DCE mineralization 4- and 7-fold, respectively (540 M). For complete degradation of cis-DCE to chloride ions, the apparent Vmax/Km for the recombinant Escherichia coli strain expressing the EchA F108L/ I219L/C248I variant was increased over 5-fold as a result of the evolution of EchA. The EchA F108L/I219L/C248I variant also had enhanced activity for 1,2-epoxyhexane (2-fold) and the natural substrate epichlorohydrin (6-fold).
Enantiospecific adsorption of amino acids on hydroxylated quartz (101̄0)

Density functional theory calculations have been used to study the adsorption of glycine, alanine, serine, cysteine, aspartic acid and asparagine on the hydroxylated (100) surface of α-quartz. We found measurable energy differences between the two enantiomers of serine, aspartic acid and asparagine in their most stable states on this surface, while negligible differences in adsorption energies for the most stable minima of enantiomers of alanine and cysteine were observed. Our results provide fundamental information on how amino acids can exhibit enantiospecific adsorption on hydroxylated quartz surfaces.
Stability of digital control with computer interruptions

This note analyzes centralized digital control systems in which feedback loops are closed through a digital computer which generates the control law. Intermittent computer interruptions result in the deterioration of control quality and may even render the system unstable. A criterion that guarantees asymptotic stability under any admissible interruption pattern is presented in this note.
Web Usability Testing &#8213; CARE Methodology

Usability testing is a technique that is used to elicit the quality of systems and sites by regular tests carried with the potential users. Testing Web sites for usability requires an understanding of the sites' audience, category, content, usability goal and how to measure to achieve these goals. There is a whole variety of usability testing methods available for Web based testing. But our main objective was to make a pick of those right methods that could be implemented to test usability of any Web application given a short time, small budget and fewer resources. This paper describes how a combination of some of the existing methods resulted in CARE (cheap, accurate, reliable, efficient testing), a new methodology. CARE could be engaged to surmount the constraints on cost, time and resources
Exploring The Benefits Of Multiple Hardware Contexts In A Multiprocessor Architecture: Preliminary Results

A fundamental problem that any scalable multiprocessor must address is the ability to tolerate high latency memory operations. This paper explores the extent to which multiple hardware contexts per processor can help to mitigate the negative effects of high latency. In particular, we evaluate the performance of a directory-based cache coherent multiprocessor using memory reference traces obtained from three parallel applications. We explore the case where there are a small fixed number (2-4) of hardware contexts per processor and the context switch overhead is low. In contrast to previously proposed approaches, we also use a very simple context switch criterion, namely a cache miss or a write-hit to shared data. Our results show that the effectiveness of multiple contexts depends on the nature of the applications, the context switch overhead, and the inherent latency of the machine architecture. Given reasonably low overhead hardware context switches, we show that two or four contexts can achieve substantial performance gains over a single context. For one application, the processor utilization increased by about 46% with two contexts and by about 80% with four contexts.
Generalized feature extraction using expansion matching

A novel generalized feature extraction method based on the expansion matching (EXM) method and on the Karhunen-Loeve transform (KLT) is presented. The method provides an efficient way to locate complex features of interest like corners and junctions with reduced number of filtering operations. The EXM method is used to design optimal detectors for a set of model elementary features. The KL representation of these model EXM detectors is used to filter the image and detect candidate interest points from the energy peaks of the eigen coefficients. The KL coefficients at these candidate points are then used to efficiently reconstruct the response and differentiate real junctions and corners from arbitrary features in the image. The method is robust to additive noise and is able to successfully extract, classify, and find the myriad compositions of corner and junction features formed by combinations of two or more edges or lines. This method differs from previous works in several aspects. First, it treats the features not as distinct entities, but as combinations of elementary features. Second, it employs an optimal set of elementary feature detectors based on the EM approach. Third, the method incorporates a significant reduction in computational complexity by representing a large set of EXM filters by a relatively small number of eigen filters derived by the KL transform of the basic EXM filter set. This is a novel application of the KL transform, which is usually employed to represent signals and not impulse responses as in our present work.
A comparison of two Thera-Band training rehabilitation protocols on postural control.

Context: Thera-Band™ (TB) exercises are commonly utilized in ankle rehabilitation, but previous studies have shown inconsistent results. Objective: To compare two TB protocols among healthy subjects in improving postural control. Design: Mixed model design. Setting: Research laboratory. Participants: Thirty healthy subjects divided into a control (CON), three times/week (TB3) or five times/week (TB5) group. Intervention: Training groups completed TB quick-kick protocols for six weeks either three (TB3) or five times (TB5) per week. Main Outcome Measure: Center of pressure velocity in the anterior/posterior (COPVX) and medial/lateral (COPVY) directions. Results: There were no differences related to Group or Side. COPVX in the eyes open (EO) condition increased pre-post. COPVY decreased pre-post. Conclusion: The lack of differences between Groups and Side indicates these specific TB training protocols did not impact static postural control differently among healthy subjects. Key Words: therapeutic exercise, balance, ankle The inversion sprain is the most common ankle injury seen in the athletic population. 2,3 Rehabilitation and prevention of an ankle sprain demands sport specific exercises and activities to challenge the injured tendons, ligaments, muscle, and bone. 1-3 Clinicians often implement rehabilitation for weeks to months after injury. 4 The Thera-Band™ is a commonly utilized exercise device by clinicians in the rehabilitation of ankle sprains. One proposed benefit of TB training is promotion of improvements in neuromuscular control about the ankle joint. This inexpensive rehabilitation device has been tested in many studies investigating strength, proprioception, and muscle reaction times. 5-9
Four species of land snails from Costa Rica and Panama (Pulmonata: Spiraxidae)

Four species of land snails are described from Costa Rica and Panama. Two are new species and two have remained poorly known since their first discovery. A fifth species from Mexico and Guatemala is illustrated for comparative purposes because it has not been figured since 1877, and previous figures of it are inadequate for comparative purposes. The Spiraxidae subfamilies and the Spiraxinae genera are redefined.
Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Seroprevalence Among Children in Papua New Guinea, 2012–2013

Approximately 8% of the population in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. To decrease the burden of chronic HBV infection, a national 3-dose infant hepatitis B vaccination program was implemented starting in 1989, with a birth dose (BD) added to the schedule in 1992. To assess the impact of the hepatitis B vaccination program, we conducted a serosurvey among children born after vaccine introduction. During 2012-2013, a cross-sectional stratified four-stage cluster survey was conducted to estimate hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) prevalence among children 4-6 years of age. We collected demographic data, vaccination history, and tested children for HBsAg. Of 2,133 participants, 2,130 children had vaccination data by either card or recall: 28% received a BD; 81% received ≥ 3 vaccine doses. Of 2,109 children providing a blood sample, 60 (2.3%) tested positive for HBsAg. This is the largest, most geographically diverse survey of hepatitis B vaccination and HBsAg seroprevalence done in PNG. Progress has been made in PNG toward the Western Pacific Regional goal to reduce the prevalence of chronic HBV infection to < 1% by 2017 among 5-year-old children. Vaccination efforts should be strengthened, including increasing BD coverage and completing the 3-dose series.
Wind Forecast Error and Trajectory Prediction for En-Route Scheduling

This work examines wind forecast forecast error as it pertains to aircraft trajectory prediction for scheduling and spacing optimized profile descents. We first perform a statistcal analysis of the RUC-2 wind forecast by comparing the forecast with one year of archived ACARS wind speed observations. This analysis provided insights into the RUC-2 forecast’s tendency to over or under predict wind speed contributions to aircraft trajectory predictions depending on the direction of flight. These results were supported by an additional simuilation study using historical ACARS paths and airspeed profiles wand RUC-2 wind forecasts to predict flight times along multiple routings from west-coast origin airports to KATL. These predictions were then compared to the actual flights times of the ACARS path and used to form flight time error distributions as a function of aircraft routing and prediction horizon. We found that flights originating from more northernly located airports were less susceptiable to error in the RUC-2 forecasts, becuase a significant difference existed bewtween their ground track angle and the prevailing wind direction from the wind forecast. The ultimate contribution of this work is the recognition and evidence that the spatial distribution of wind forecast errors plays a significant role in trajectory prediction error. More importantly, these values must not be seen as static values, rather as continuous parameters that must be reevaluated as a predicted trajectory enters different regions of the national airspace.
BODY SIZE, SPERM COMPETITION, AND DETERMINANTS OF REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS IN MALE SAVANNA BABOONS.

One component of sexual selection is sperm competition. It has been reasoned that the intensity of sperm competition may be reflected in the relative testicular sizes of animals. Among males residing in multimale breeding systems, testicular size is relatively larger than among males residing in unimale mating systems. Information on whether differences in testicular size within a species can account for differences in male reproductive success is unavailable for natural populations of primates. A population of six troops of savanna baboons in Kenya was surveyed for morphometric analysis, and one of these troops was the subject of extensive behavioral observations afterwards. Testicular weights could not be obtained, but measurements of linear dimensions were transformed into volumetric estimates. Male weight accounted for 30% of the variance in testicular volume. Neither body size nor testicular volume was associated with differences in male reproductive activity. The outcome of fights over access to females could not be related to male body size, and ejaculatory patterns of males were independent of testicle size. Both sperm competition and aggressive competition intensified during the four-day optimum conception period, but fights over access to consort females were infrequent. Among savanna baboons, the probability of an ejaculation resulting in a conception is fairly low, which may account for the infrequency of injurious fights. Although testicle size influences sperm production, it does not influence either the timing of mating or the fertilizing capacity of spermatozoa, and both of these factors probably account for a substantial fraction of the variance in male baboon paternity. Sperm competition is an adjunct to agonistic competition as a mechanism affecting male baboon reproductive success. It is concluded that male reproductive success in baboons is affected more by social factors than by morphological traits associated with size.
Health Function of the Black Rice Wine

This paper discussed the black rice wine brewing process, emphatically elaborated the nutrition and health care effect, and finally introduced the market at present is representative of the new health care black rice wine.
"Trapped inside Their frame with your wastes piling up": Mindless Pleasures in Gravity's Rainbow

It is well known that Gravity's Rainbow was initial entitled Mindless Pleasures. what is not so well know is how this fact has been assessed by the considerable critical industry which has already grown up around the text. "It is the very rhythm of what is read and what is not read," writes Roland Barthes, "that creates the pleasure of the great narratives: has anyone ever read Proust, Balzac, War and Peace, word for word?" Possibly not. But many have read Gravity's Rainbow this way. It is already one of the most massively explicated narratives of the century. Not only does it have a reader's guide; chronological errors in the dating I certain movies have been noted, mistakes in the German have been identified, and textual sources for such matters as the imaginative recreation of Peenemunde of the semantics of Herero have been traced. There may pleasure in the enterprise, but finally it is pleasure of a quite familiar, academic kind. Concerning one of the sequences in the Zone, Douglas Fowler writes: "some of the references in this scene's last paragraph escape me." These words are the very voice of critical consternation, if not despair: something in the text has escaped, and cannot be located in terms of either knowledge or elucidation. An intellectual rhythm has been disrupted which ideally seeks to process every word. What is potentially mindless in the text must be converted into mind. The title of one of the first books of Pynchon criticism discloses the energies of what continues to sponsor it as well as have thoroughly the earlier title of Gravity's Rainbow has been transformed: Mindful Pleasures.
Visual Improvement after Intra-Arterial Thrombolysis for Central Retinal Artery Occlusion Does Not Correlate with Time to Treatment

Background: Intra-arterial thrombolysis (IAT) for the treatment of acute central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) has demonstrated variable results for improving v
A Theory of Peer-Induced Fairness in Games

A long-standing assumption in economics is that people are purely self-interested. This assumption has been challenged recently by accumulating experimental evidence based on the so-called ultimatum game. Behavioral economists propose several models of distributional fairness to relax the self-interest assumption. In this paper we introduce the concept of peer-induced fairness because people have a drive to make social comparison. That is, they look to similar others as a reference in order to form their opinions and evaluate their endowments. We investigate peer-induced fairness by considering two independent ultimatum games played in sequence by a leader and two followers. In the first ultimatum game, the leader makes a take-it-or-leave-it offer to the first follower. Before the next ultimatum game is played, the second follower obtains a public signal of this offer. Then, in the second game, the leader makes an offer to the second follower. The second follower infers what the first follower receives, uses this inference to form a reference point, and is averse to accepting offers that falls short of this benchmark. This generalized model nests the standard and several existing models of fairness. This model makes two sharp predictions. First, the leader’s offer to the second follower should be non-decreasing in the common belief of what the first offer is. Second, condition on an offer, the second follower’s likelihood of acceptance is inversely proportional to the reference point derived from the signal. We test both predictions experimentally and find strong support for them. We structurally estimate the model and show that peer-induced fairness is 2.5 times larger than distributional fairness. We incorporate heterogeneity by allowing subjects to be either purely self-interested or fairness-minded. Our estimation results suggest that half of the subjects exhibit peer-induced fairness. We show how peer-induced fairness might influence the occurrence of labor strikes, explain low variability in CEO compensation, and limit the extent of price discrimination.
Trajectories of Stress, Depressive Symptoms, and Immunity in Cancer Survivors: Diagnosis to 5 Years.

Purpose: Five-year disease endpoint trajectories are available for every cancer site. In contrast, there are few longitudinal, biobehavioral studies of survivors extending beyond the first or second year following diagnosis. This gap is addressed with stress, depressive symptom, and immunity data from breast cancer patients followed continuously for 5 years. Experimental Design: Women ( N = 113) diagnosed and surgically treated for breast cancer and awaiting adjuvant therapy completed self-report measures of stress and depressive symptoms and provided blood for immune assays [natural killer cell cytotoxicity (NKCC) and T-cell blastogenesis]. Assessments ( N = 12) were repeated every 4 to 6 months for 5 years. Results: Multiphase linear mixed models show phases of change and identified specific time points of change. Cancer stress shows two distinct phases of decline, with the change point being 12 months. In contrast, a steep decline in depressive symptoms occurs by 7 months, with stable, low levels thereafter. NKCC shows a steady upward trajectory through 18 months and upper limit stability thereafter, whereas there was no reliable trajectory for T-cell blastogenesis. Conclusions: For the first time, trajectories and specific time points of change in biobehavioral data for breast cancer survivors are provided, traced through 5 years. Following diagnosis, the breast survivor experience is one of a co-occurrence of change (recovery) in psychologic and innate immunity markers from diagnosis to18 months, and a pattern of stability (depression, NKCC) or continued improvement (stress) through year 5. These data provide new directions for survivorship care and detail of the biobehavioral trajectory. Clin Cancer Res; 23(1); 52–61. ©2016 AACR .
Opposing ends of the spectrum: Exploring trust in scientific and religious authorities:

Given the ethical questions that surround emerging science, this study is interested in studying public trust in scientific and religious authorities for information about the risks and benefits of...