cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Packet Drop and RSSI Evaluation for LoRa: An Indoor Application Perspective

LoRa is widely used in the Wireless networking sector because of the unique quality such as low power, low bit rate, long-range, and single-hop wireless communication system. With the advancement of the Internet of Things (IoT), LoRa is one of the most useful technology in comparison to other wireless networking technology such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Zigbee, and Wi-Fi. In this paper, we have considered the parameter of RSSI and packet drop in the indoor environment. For the LoRa we use the Adafruit RFM95W LoRa radio module for its ability to change bandwidth and Spreading Factor (SF). In our research, we use 915 MHz bandwidth and SF7. Subsequently, we also consider SF7, because theoretically the less the SF the more the packet drops. We tried to find out how many packets will be dropped in the indoor scenario with the short distance as the SF has a higher chance to drop more massages. We have sent 800 LoRa messages from the transmitter to the five different locating receiver end devices to learn about the RSSI and packet drop.
Rent Seeking and International Trade in Agriculture

Rent seeking is an important activity in international agricultural trade. Special-interest groups initiate many protectionist trade measures. For example, the United States was recently in a trade war with the European Union over bananas and beef, and with Canada over wheat. The source of each of these particular disputes provides a good example of the various policy instruments generating contestable rents and hence trade frictions: trade rents from import quotas (bananas); domestic rents altered by own and other countries’ domestic policy (wheat); and the non-trade concerns rents (beef)i. “Non-trade concerns” rents refers to rents sought under the hubris of the new trade agenda arising from trade protectionist policies seeking to control food quality, achieve food security, internalize negative and positive externalities (that is, environment and the landscape, respectively), and enhance viability of rural areas.
Strategies for Adopting Children's Refugee Literature in the Multicultural Classroom

Although many studies currently detail refugee experiences about famine, war, and frightening events like the holocaust, little research about the portrayal of the refugee experience in children’s literature exists ( Hope, 2008 ). This lack of research or gap creates a problem of understanding for educators and students in the multicultural classroom. These refugee children have had little or no formal education and this has created a major learning block for them in American classrooms. This study seeks to answer the question: what are examples of refugee children’s literature and effective strategies to help children better understand and appreciate one another and their cultures? A book review of selected refugee children’s literature and an analysis of pedagogy of effective instructional strategies were the methodologies used in the study. Study findings indicate four refugee children’s books represent similarities and the uniqueness of the literature and identify effective instructional strategies and activities to enhance greater understanding of the refugee experience. Policy implications from the study suggest strategies that educators may employ to adopt children’s refugee literature in the multicultural classroom. The path to embrace, to enhance, and to celebrate the life experiences of refugee children may be accomplished through the implementation of these effective instructional strategies in the multicultural classroom to help children better understand and appreciate one another and their cultures.
Atomic Housewives: Shutter Island and the Domestication of Nuclear Holocaust

ABSTRACT:Martin Scorsese's 2010 film Shutter Island is one of several post–September 11 cultural texts that use Cold War settings to challenge the trend in US culture to displace social and political fears by escaping to a nostalgia for an idealized postwar society. The film ostensibly replaces the protagonist's wartime trauma with a domestic tragedy while simultaneously undermining that replacement. Its attempt to bury the guilt for war crimes under worries about the collapse of the nuclear family confronts the United States' attempt to justify its actions in the War on Terror through a nostalgic imaginary of the Cold War.
Intra-Household Allocation and the Mental Health of Children : Structural Estimation Analysis

This paper estimates the structural parameters of a dynamic model where parents with one child periodically decide whether or not their child uses various mental health services. In this model, mental health services improve a child's mental health (which parents care about), however, mental health services may be costly to the parents both in terms of utility and household consumption. Using a panel data set collected as part of the Fort Bragg Mental Health Demonstration, we estimate the model with a maximum likelihood procedure that accounts for unobservable differences in mental health endowments of children and population heterogeneity in parental preferences and in the effectiveness of mental health services. We estimate that parents experience relatively high disutility when a child uses mental health services, implying parents enroll their children in mental health services only if these services have multi-period effects on their child's mental health. Correspondingly, we find that outpatient and inpatient mental health services have permanent effects on a child's mental health. We conclude that the improvement over time of the mental health of the children in our data is, in a large part, the outcome of forward looking parents choosing to increase their child's mental health.
Overview of the 1995 Nato Arw on Nuclear Submarine Decommissioning and Related Problems

The NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Nuclear Submarine Decommissioning and Related Problems was held in Moscow June 19-22, 1995. It was preceded by a visit to the Zvezdotchka Shipyard at Severodvinsk, a repair and maintenance yard for Russian nuclear submarines, for a subgroup of the workshop attendees. Attendance at the workshop was approximately 115 with participants from Russia, United States, France, Norway, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, and Germany Most of the material in this paper is drawn directly from the workshop proceedings.[1]
When R(X) and R⟨X⟩ are Clean: A Constructive Treatment

For R a commutative ring, we give constructive proofs that R(X) is clean exactly when R is clean, and that R ⟨ X ⟩ is clean exactly when R is zero dimensional. We also give a constructive proof of the known result that R(X) = R ⟨ X ⟩ exactly when R is zero dimensional. By a constructive proof we mean one that is carried out within the context of intuitionistic logic. In practice, this means that the arguments are arithmetic rather than ideal theoretic.
Avomic Prairie Rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis) Fail to Attack Rodent Prey

and Summary It has been hypothesized, though tested only indirectly, that striking and envenomation of rodent prey by rattlesnakes is guided by thermal and visual senses, vomeronasal senses being employed only after envenomation. To test this hypothesis, prairie rattlesnakes that were reliable hunters/feeders in the laboratory were rendered “avomic” (i.e., their VNOs were sutured closed) or given a control surgery. While all control subjects struck, located, and swallowed prey, avomic rattlesnakes never did so. Avomic subjects exhibited fewer tongue flicks as well. Chemical cues detected by the VNO appear to play a significant role in both pre-strike and post-strike phases of prairie rattlesnake predation. Low rates of tongue flicking observed prior to the strike may be an effect of the cryptic ambush strategy used by rattlesnakes during the pre-strike phase of predation.
Romantic Physiology and the Work of Romantic Imagination: Hypothesis and Speculation in Science and Coleridge

The imagination was often pathologized within Romantic-period medicine. Although this pathologizing of the imagination made it the source of delusion, it actually set into motion a disciplining of the imagination that was scientifically useful. Through careful discipline in the form of a scientific method, the imagination bracketed its discoveries as appearances, something yet to be proven. I show how, within the physiology of the time, speculation, hypothesis, and imagination are entangled, so that speculations come to have value in relation to what they explain and the experiments they inspire. I then consider why Coleridge praises the work of physiologist Richard Saumarez on his way to developing his famous definition of imagination, and I show how physiological method provides a new understanding of Coleridge's methods in the Biographia.
Quality and quantity: Reconstructing feminist methodology

Many feminist sociologists have rejected quantitative in favor of qualitative methods, a position which might seem justified by feminist critiques of positivism. This paper examines both quantitative and qualitative methods in light of two major themes in radical feminist epistemology, the critique of objectivity and the politics of the research process, and finds both classes of methods vulnerable. We argue that underlying the argument against quantitative methods is a rejection of abstraction and a dichotomization of methodologies, both of which are inconsistent with feminist insights. We call for a reconstruction of methodology that transforms both quantitative and qualitative techniques in ways informed by feminist epistemology and builds research agendas that integrate both approaches.
ORCHIOPEXY USING 2 MM. LAPAROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS:2 TECHNIQUES FOR DELIVERING THE TESTIS INTO THE SCROTUM

Purpose: We describe modified techniques of laparoscopic orchiopexy using 2 mm. instruments that enable straightforward delivery of the testis into the scrotum.Materials and Methods: The preferred technique involves a radially dilating trocar advanced over the 2 mm. grasper placed antegrade through the new internal ring. The other method is similar but Amplatz dilators are used when a radially dilating trocar system is not available.Results: We used these techniques with complete success to deliver 18 testes into the scrotum.Conclusions: The testis may be safely and effectively delivered to the scrotum using 2 mm. instruments and disposable fascial dilators or a radially dilating trocar system.
X-Ray Optical Properties: A Review Of The Constraints And The Data Base

Elements of the theory of x-ray scattering relevant to x-ray optics applications are reviewed. Dispersion-theory and sumrule constraints are considered in relation to determining the refractive index from measured attenuation spectra. Current tabulations of x-ray cross sections and scattering factors are summarized and discussed.
Apomixis in Amelanchier laevis, Shadbush (Rosaceae, Maloideae)

A B S T R A C T We studied ovule and megagametophyte development in tetraploid (n = 34) individuals of Amelanchier laevis in Maine. Nomarski differential interference contrast microscopy of cleared, whole ovules and conventional microscopy of sectioned, stained material show no clear evidence for the successful completion of meiosis. Instead, the megasporocyte or its derivatives degenerate and one to six nearby cells develop into aposporous initials. Usually more than one of these divide to form eight-nucleate, Polygonum-type megagametophytes. The egg apparently forms a proembryo parthenogenetically, but seed maturation requires pollination. This evidence for apospory and pseudogamy, the first to be reported in Amelanchier, conforms to the general pattern found in other apomictic genera of the Maloideae.
The rice OsLpa1 gene encodes a novel protein involved in phytic acid metabolism

The rice low phytic acid 1 (lpa1) mutant was originally identified using a forward genetics approach. This mutant exhibits a 45% reduction in rice seed phytic acid with a molar-equivalent increase in inorganic phosphorus; however, it does not appear to differ significantly in productivity from its wild-type progenitor. A second lpa1 mutant was identified from additional screening for high seed inorganic phosphorus phenotypes. Using a positional cloning strategy, we identified a single candidate gene at the rice Lpa1 locus. Sequence analysis of the candidate gene from the lpa1 mutants revealed two independent mutations (a single base pair substitution and a single base pair deletion) that confirmed the identification of this candidate as the rice low phytic acid 1 gene, OsLpa1. The OsLpa1 gene has three splice variants. The location and nature of the two mutations suggests that these lesions only affect the translation of the predicted protein derived from the longest transcript. The proteins encoded by OsLpa1 do not have homology to any of the inositol phosphate metabolism genes recently characterized in plants, although there is homology to 2-phosphoglycerate kinase, an enzyme found in hyperthermophilic methanogens that catalyzes the formation of 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate from 2-phosphoglycerate. OsLpa1 represents a novel gene involved in phytic acid metabolism.
A Mitochondrial-Vacuolar Signaling Pathway in Yeast That Affects Iron and Copper Metabolism

Mitochondria utilize iron, but the transporters that mediate mitochondrial iron uptake and efflux are largely unknown. Cells with a deletion in the vacuolar iron/manganese transporter Ccc1p are sensitive to high iron. Overexpression of MRS3 or MRS4 suppresses the high iron sensitivity of Δccc1 cells. MRS3 and MRS4 have recently been suggested to encode mitochondrial iron transporters. We demonstrate that deletion of MRS3 and MRS4 severely affects cellular and mitochondrial metal homeostasis, including a reduction in cytosolic and mitochondrial iron acquisition. We show that vacuolar iron transport is increased in Δmrs3Δmrs4 cells, resulting in decreased cytosolic iron and activation of the iron-sensing transcription factor Aft1p. Activation of Aft1p leads to increased expression of the high affinity iron transport system and increased iron uptake. Deletion of CCC1 in Δmrs3Δmrs4 cells restores cellular and mitochondrial iron homeostasis to near normal levels. Δmrs3Δmrs4 cells also show increased resistance to cobalt but decreased resistance to copper and cadmium. These phenotypes are also corrected by deletion of CCC1 in Δmrs3Δmrs4 cells. Decreased copper resistance in Δmrs3Δmrs4 cells results from activation of Aft1p by Ccc1p-mediated iron depletion, as deletion of CCC1 or AFT1 in Δmrs3Δmrs4 cells restores copper resistance. These results suggest that deletion of mitochondrial proteins can alter vacuolar metal homeostasis. The data also indicate that increased expression of the AFT1-regulated gene(s) can disrupt copper homeostasis.
Monte Carlo physics on a concurrent processor

We show how Monte Carlo problems of various kinds can be efficiently implemented on a parallel processor possessing the interconnect topology of a hypercube. Examples discussed include lattice gauge theory, the physics of two-dimensional melting, long-range interactions, and simulated annealing.
Agonist-induced μ opioid receptor phosphorylation and functional desensitization in rat thalamus

Abstract By metabolically labeling tissue slices from striatum and thalamus with [32P]orthophosphoric acid and immunoprecipitating the receptor with μ receptor-specific antiserum, we found that the endogenous μ receptor in the brain tissue did undergo phosphorylation. The phosphorylation occurred at basal level (no drug treatment) and was enhanced with DAMGO-treatment. The enhancement of the phosphorylation was blocked by naloxone. Morphine stimulation also increased the phosphorylation, but the amount of enhancement was less than that caused by DAMGO-treatment. μ receptor phosphorylation in the thalamus was much greater than the striatum, while no phosphorylation of the μ receptor in the cerebellum was detected, even with DAMGO treatment. The extent of μ receptor phosphorylation identified in the thalamus, striatum and cerebellum is consistent with the previous studies of μ receptor distribution. The time course and dose–response studies demonstrated that μ receptor phosphorylation was a rapid event, exhibited a positive dose-dependent response, and was similar to that observed in the cloned μ receptor in CHO cells. Furthermore, we correlated the change of μ receptor phosphorylation with the desensitization of the μ receptor function, specifically, inhibition of adenylyl cyclase activity in the thalamus of morphine-tolerant rats. We found that in the thalamus of rats chronically treated with morphine, the enhancement of μ receptor phosphorylation in basal and DAMGO-treated samples paralleled the desensitization of DAMGO-mediated inhibition of adenylyl cyclase. Our results suggest that μ receptor phosphorylation in vivo may play an important role in the modulation of mu receptor function following both acute exposure to morphine and during the development of morphine tolerance.
Temperature acclimation in the lizards Cnemidophorus sexlineatus and Anolis carolinensis

Abstract 1. 1. Oxygen consumption was measured at 10, 20, and 30°C in winter field-collected Cnemidophorus sexlineatus and, winter collected Anolis carolinensis. 2. 2. Additionally Cnemidophorus and Anolis were laboratory subjected to two temperature regimes (10 or 30°C) for 14 days, and subsequently metabolically evaluated at 10, 20, and 30°C. 3. 3. Anolis, periodically winter active, displayed partial acclimation in both the laboratory and winter field studies to cold temperatures (10 and 20°C). 4. 4. Although Cnemidophorus, a hibernator, did not acclimate to cold temperatures (10 and 20°C) in the laboratory, winter field-collected Cnemidophorus displayed inverse translation of metabolic rates between 10 and 30°C rather than inverse compensation as previously reported.
Specific sequence motifs direct the oxygenation and chlorination of tryptophan by myeloperoxidase.

Most studies of protein oxidation have typically focused on the reactivity of single amino acid side chains while ignoring the potential importance of adjacent sequences in directing the reaction pathway. We previously showed that hypochlorous acid (HOCl), a specific product of myeloperoxidase, inactivates matrilysin by modifying adjacent tryptophan and glycine (WG) residues in the catalytic domain. Here, we use model peptides that mimic the region of matrilysin involved in this reaction, VVWGTA, VVWATA, and the library VVWXTA, to determine whether specific sequence motifs are targeted for chlorination or oxygenation by myeloperoxidase. Our results demonstrate that HOCl generated by myeloperoxidase or activated neutrophils converts the peptide VVWGTA to a chlorinated product, WG+32(Cl). Tandem mass spectrometry in concert with high resolution 1H and two-dimensional NMR analysis revealed that the modification required cross-linking of the tryptophan to the amide of glycine followed by chlorination of the i...
l-Rhamnulose 1-phosphate aldolase from Escherichia coli. III. The role of divalent cations in enzyme activity

Abstract l -Rhamnulose 1-phosphate aldolase is a zinc metalloenzyme which contains 2 g-atoms of zinc per mole of enzyme [Ref. 2]. A study has been made of the effect of the metal chelator 1,10 phenanthroline on the reversible cleavage of l -rhamnulose 1-P catalyzed by the aldolase. 1,10 phenanthroline is an inhibitor strictly competitive with l -rhamnulose 1-phosphate or dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP), indicating involvement of zinc at the binding site of these compounds. It is a noncompetitive inhibitor with l -lactaldehyde, suggesting that l -lactaldehyde binds to a site on the enzyme not identical to that for ketose phosphate. DHAP, but not l -lactaldehyde prevents loss of zinc from the enzyme during dialysis against chelators at pH 5.0. Native l -rhamnulose 1-phosphate aldolase and succinylated aldolase were shown by equilibrium dialysis to bind 2 moles of DHAP per mole enzyme. Metal-free subunits of the enzyme, or enzyme inactivated by treatment with 8-hydroxyquinoline 5-sulfonic acid or p-mercuribenzoic acid binds less than 1 mole of DHAP per mole of enzyme. The data suggest that each molecule of enzyme has two binding sites for DHAP and that the metal and sulfhydryl integrity of the enzyme must be maintained for binding and catalysis to occur.
Bank regulation and supervision in the context of the global crisis

Abstract We provide novel evidence on regulatory and supervisory practices around the world in the context of the global financial crisis, using data from a new World Bank survey covering 143 countries. Analyzing differences between crisis and non-crisis countries, we find that crisis countries had less stringent and more complex definitions of capital but exhibited lower actual capital ratios, faced fewer restrictions on non-bank activities, were less strict in the regulatory treatment of bad loans, were less able to demand banks to adjust their equity, provisions or compensation schemes, and had greater disclosure requirements but weaker incentives for private agents to monitor banks. Comparing regulatory and supervisory practices before and after the global crisis, there is evidence of few changes. While capital ratios increased, bank governance and resolution regimes were strengthened, private sector incentives to monitor banks deteriorated.
An unusual case of carcinoma polyarthritis with associated vasculitis

This report describes a patient who presented with an unusual polyarthritis syndrome. After extensive evaluation, squamous cell carcinoma of the lung was diagnosed. During the course of the illness, the patient developed vasculitic features and "rheumatoid-like" nodules. Two months after the administration of combined-modality therapy for stage IIIA non-small cell lung carcinoma, the signs and symptoms of polyarthritis and vasculitis had disappeared completely. Ten months later, the patient remains in clinical remission. This is the first published report of simultaneous vasculitic and polyarticular manifestations in a patient with carcinoma polyarthritis.
Kinetic Studies on the Heat Inactivation of Peroxidase in Sweet Corn

SUMMARY A kinetic procedure employing D values was used instead of the usual end-point method to study heat inactivation of peroxidase in whole-kernel sweet corn. Results at 150–200°F indicated that a heat-labile fraction and a heat-stable fraction were being inactivated. The resistant fraction represented 5% of total enzyme activity, and was concentrated in the pericarp. Increasing the blanch time at 200°F from 2 to 5 min decreased residual enzyme activity from 3.3% to 1.7%. Inactivation of the heat-resistant fraction at 210–290°F also followed a first-order reaction. The phantom inactivation-time curve showed that an HTST process based on microbial destruction could leave residual enzyme activity.
The behavioral role of physical therapy in pain management

Physical therapy assessment and treatment of chronic pain patients focuses on increasing functional ability and decreasing disability. A range of behavioral techniques discussed in this paper are used to achieve these goals.
Oncomodulin is abundant in the organ of Corti

A small, acidic Ca(2+)-binding protein (CBP-15) was recently detected in extracts of the mammalian auditory receptor organ, the organ of Corti [Senarita et al. (1995) Hear. Res. 90, 169-175]. N-terminal sequence data for CBP-15 [Thalmann et al. (1995) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 215, 142-147] implied membership in the parvalbumin family and possible identity with the mammalian beta-parvalbumin oncomodulin. As shown herein, the latter conclusion is supported by strong cross-reactivity between CBP-15 and isoform-specific antibodies to oncomodulin. Moreover, we have succeeded in amplifying the guinea pig CBP-15 coding sequence from organ of Corti cDNA using degenerate oligonucleotide primers based on the rat oncomodulin sequence. The deduced amino acid sequence of guinea pig CBP-15 displays 90%, 92%, and 98% identity with mouse, rat, and human oncomodulin isoforms. Demonstration of the presence of oncomodulin in the organ of Corti is the first documentation of this substance in a postnatal mammalian tissue.
Geology of the Vredefort impact structure: A guide to sites of interest, by Roger L. Gibson and Wolf Uwe Reimold

Book review by J. R. MORROW: Geology of the Vredefort impact structure: A guide to sites of interest, by Roger L. Gibson and Wolf Uwe Reimold
Joint attention as action

Abstract We demonstrate that “joint attention”, usually conceived of in the psychological sciences as indicative of such minded processes as the capacity for understanding the intentional, goal-directed behavior of others, is fundamentally an interactional process, one that cannot be extricated from the ongoing flow of social activity. We examine very young children's actions of showing objects to others, and explicate the practical procedures by which they draw and sustain another's attention to an object, and convey “what for”—that is, what another should do in response. At issue is how children in a natural social setting (here, a daycare center) track the activities of others for felicitous moments to present objects, and design and position their actions by reference to the ongoing preoccupations, commitments, and distractions of others. Further, drawing another's attention poses sequential implications for children's actions which structure opportunities for parties (child and other) to display, and modify, their understandings of what sort of social exchange is transpiring between them.
The role of glucuronidation in N-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)succinimide (NDPS) nephrotoxicity: nephrotoxic potential of NDPS and NDPS metabolites in Gunn, Wistar, and Fischer 344 rats.

Abstract The agricultural fungicide N -(3,5-dichlorophenyl)succinimide (NDPS) is an acute nephrotoxicant in rats. Although the mechanism of NDPS nephrotoxicity is not clear, our previous studies have strongly suggested that glucuronide conjugation of NDPS metabolite(s) is an important biotransformation reaction leading to the ultimate nephrotoxicant metabolite(s) mediating NDPS nephrotoxicity. In this study, the nephrotoxic potential of NDPS and its nephrotoxicant metabolites, N -(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-2-hydroxysuccinimide (NDHS) and N -(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-2-hydroxysuccinamic acid (NDHSA), was examined in Gunn rats, which contain a genetic deficiency in bilirubin uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase (UDPGT), to explore further the role of glucuronidation in NDPS nephrotoxicity. The nephrotoxic potential of NDPS, NDHS, and NDHSA was also examined in Wistar rats, the parent strain for Gunn rats and which generally have normal UDPGT activity. Comparisons were then made with the nephrotoxicity induced by these compounds in Fischer 344 (F344) rats. Age-matched male F344, homozygous (j/j) Gunn, and Wistar rats were used. Rats (four to eight rats/group) of each strain were administered NDPS (0.4 mmol/kg ip), NDHS (0.1 or 0.2 mmol/kg ip), NDHSA (0.1 mmol/kg ip), or vehicle, and renal effects were monitored functionally and morphologically for 48 h. NDPS and its nephrotoxicant metabolites, NDHS and NDHSA, were much weaker nephrotoxicants in Gunn rats than in F344 rats, while Wistar rats were susceptible to the nephrotoxicity induced by NDPS, NDHS, or NDHSA. These results suggest that the lack of NDPS nephrotoxicity observed in Gunn rats is due to the deficiency in UDPGT in this strain rather than the parent Wistar strain being inherently nonresponsive to NDPS nephrotoxicity. Therefore, it appears that glucuronide metabolite(s) of NDHS and/or NDHSA contribute(s) to NDPS nephrotoxicity, although the exact nature of the nephrotoxicant glucuronide metabolite(s) of NDPS remains to be determined.
Differential effects of amount on temporal and probability discounting of gains and losses

In four experiments, we compared the effects of delay, probability, and monetary amount on the subjective value of gains and losses. For delayed gains, smaller amounts were discounted more steeply than larger amounts, whereas the opposite pattern was observed with probabilistic gains. For both delayed and probabilistic losses, however, amount had much smaller and less reliable effects on discounting. Taken together, the pattern of differential magnitude effects leads to delayed gains’ being discounted significantly more steeply than delayed losses, but only at smaller amounts, whereas probabilistic gains are discounted significantly more steeply than probabilistic losses, but only at larger amounts. Even though the same hyperbola-like function described both individual and group discounting of delayed and probabilistic gains and losses, the present findings suggest that different processes are involved in discounting positive and negative outcomes. Raw data may be downloaded from www.psychonomic.org/archive.
Performance Analysis and Enhancements of Narrowband OFDM Powerline Communication Systems

We compare the performance of different powerline communication (PLC) systems under various realistic noise conditions, namely white noise, periodic impulsive noise in the time-domain, and narrowband co-channel interference. We base the study on narrowband (< 500 kHz) PLC based on OFDM in general, with specific focus on two prominent PLC industrial specifications for e-metering applications: PRIME and G3. From the simulation results, for white noise and for higher coding rates we find that the Reed Solomon (RS) outer code used in G3 yields significant gains, but can be improved by adapting the RS code rate to the packet size. For lower coding rates, we do not find significant advantage of adding RS coding. For time-domain impulsive noise, we find that the best performance-complexity tradeoff is obtained by choosing the interleaver size to be somewhere between one symbol (PRIME) and the entire packet (G3). Specifically, it is beneficial to choose an interleaver whose size is comparable to the AC lines period, which is the typically inter-burst duration of impulsive noise. For narrowband interference, both PRIME and G3 offer good performance, but PRIME is preferable because it achieves higher data rates by employing higher order modulation. The immunity to narrowband interference makes PRIME/G3 an attractive candidate for automotive charging applications.
Alcohol increases impulsivity and abuse liability in heavy drinking women.

Heavy drinking has increased in recent years and has been linked to numerous health-related risks, particularly in women. A number of factors may play a role in exacerbating the risks linked to heavy drinking, such as impulsivity, which itself is related to a number of risky behaviors. The present study investigated the effects of alcohol (0, 0.5, 0.75 g/kg) on impulsivity in female heavy drinkers (n = 23) and female light drinkers (n = 23) using a double-blind, placebo-controlled outpatient design; all women were tested during follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. Each session, participants completed a range of tasks including subjective measures of abuse liability, cognitive performance tasks, three behavioral impulsivity tasks, and a risk-taking task. Alcohol increased impulsivity on the Immediate and Delayed Memory Task (IMT and DMT) and Delay Discounting task. Heavy drinkers scored higher on impulsivity self-reports and were more impulsive on the IMT and the GoStop task than light drinkers. The high dose of alcohol further increased impulsive performance on the IMT and DMT in heavy drinkers. There were no group differences or alcohol effects on the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. Alcohol increased sedative-like effects more in light drinkers and increased stimulant-like effects and alcohol liking more in heavy drinkers. In summary, female heavy drinkers are less sensitive to the negative effects of alcohol, report more positive effects of alcohol, and are more impulsive than female light drinkers. Moreover, impulsive responding was exacerbated by alcohol drinking among female heavy drinkers, indicating that women who drink at this level are at increased risk for developing alcohol use disorders and engaging in other risky behaviors, particularly after drinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved). Language: en
Unification of nonlinear filtering in the context of binary logical calculus, part II: Gray-scale filters

This second part of a two-part study concerning the logical structure of nonlinear filters treats gray-scale filters. The algebraic framework of threshold decomposition is dedscribed in terms of the appropriate underlying commuting diagram, along with the manner in which generalized stack filters fall out of the framework when it is interpreted in the context of logical calculus. Relationships between representations for morphological and generalized stack filters are expressed in cellular logic.
Beginning a Career in Pediatric Hematology: 1926

Since retiring, I've been asked several times what it was like when I went to medical school. Was it hard being a woman physician? How did you know you wanted to be a pediatrician? Why did you work with children who had cancer? And, since leukemia was surely a fatal disease at the time, why did you choose to work with those children? The answers to all these questions are complex and I have found them difficult to answer briefly. It was true that less than 10% of the freshman medical class of 1925 were women, but they were wonderful, lasting friends, as were many of the men. Medical school seemed no more difficult for the women in our class than for the men, who were always ready to do thoughtful things such as pith my frog in zoology or invite me to a class dance. How did I decide
Behavioral Interactions Between Aphaenogaster rudis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and Reticulitermes flavipes (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae): The Importance of Physical Barriers

Predation pressure from ants is a major driving force in the adaptive evolution of termite defense strategies and termites have evolved elaborate chemical and physical defenses to protect themselves against ants. We examined predator–prey interactions between the woodland ant, Aphaenogaster rudis (Emery) and the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar), two sympatric species widely distributed throughout deciduous forests in eastern North America. To examine the behavioral interactions between A. rudis and R. flavipes we used a series of laboratory behavioral assays and predation experiments where A. rudis and R. flavipes could interact individually or in groups. One-on-one aggression tests revealed that R. flavipes are vulnerable to predation by A. rudis when individual termite workers or soldiers are exposed to ant attacks in open dishes and 100% of termite workers and soldiers died, even though the soldiers were significantly more aggressive towards the ants. The results of predation experiments where larger ant and termite colony fragments interacted provide experimental evidence for the importance of physical barriers for termite colony defense. In experiments where the termites nested within artificial nests (sand-filled containers), A. rudis was aggressive at invading termite nests and inflicted 100% mortality on the termites. In contrast, termite mortality was comparable to controls when termite colonies nested in natural nests comprised of wood blocks. Our results highlight the importance of physical barriers in termite colony defense and suggest that under natural field conditions termites may be less susceptible to attacks by ants when they nest in solid wood, which may offer more structural protection than sand alone.
Self-esteem and perceived quality of romantic and family relationships in young adults

Abstract A questionnaire study was conducted with young adults (M = 26) in which they characterized the degree of problems experienced in their family as adults and during childhood, construals of their relationship with their mother and father (warm, cold, or inconsistent), construals of their adult romantic relationships (secure, avoidant, or anxious), and their social and performance self-esteem. Family problems (childhood and adulthood) were more frequently reported for mothers and fathers described as being cold or inconsistent than those described as warm. Avoidant adult romantic attachment style was associated with cold parenting styles, family problems, and lower social, but not performance, self-esteem, compared to those reporting the secure style. Those with an anxious adult romantic style demonstrated lower performance, but not social, self-esteem, compared to those reporting the secure style. This suggests a compensatory effect in the self-system. The retrospective nature of the design precludes conclusions about the developmental origins of these findings; however, the continuity within the self-system and across relationships has important implications for understanding an individual's future behavior in both family and romantic relationships.
Instrmental effects on glass transition temperatures

Abstract The testing and evaluation program leading to the certification of a selected batch of polystyrene as ICTA Certified Reference Material GM 754 is described. Defined points from the glass transition curve were obtained, first in a preliminary program, then in 24 laboratories with the use of ten kinds of apparatus. Data were obtained in four heating rate ranges, 4-6, 8-12, 16-24, and 30-50°C/min. The initial departure was rejected for certification because of its relative lack of reproducibility and the comparatively subjective nature of its determination. The two defined points, Tb and Tc, had unweighted mean values of 104.4 and 107.5°C, respectively, with standard deviations of 1.5 and 1.7°C, respectively. Data from individual investigators had a mean standard deviation of 0.53 ± 0.28°C. Separation of the data by heating rate, sample holder configuration, temperature sensor location and combinations of these disclosed that the reproducibility under a given set of conditions warranted certificatio...
Turnover of brain postsynaptic densities after selective deafferentation: detection by means of an antibody to antigen PSD-95

Antibodies to antigen PSD-95, a neuronal protein present only in postsynaptic densities (PSDs), have been used to follow immunohistochemically the loss and recovery of PSDs after selective deafferentation of both the hippocampal formation and the lateral septal nucleus of the rat. Three days after unilateral entorhinal ablation, densitometry of brain tissue sections stained by the peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) method showed a decrease of about 25% in the outer 2/3 of the ipsilateral dentate gyrus molecular layer (ML), whereas staining in the inner 1/3 of the same ML layer actually increased about 16%. The intensely staining inner 1/3 of the deafferented ML expanded over time so that by 30 days postlesion the expansion had reached 60-70% of the ML. In the lateral septal nucleus, unilateral fimbria transection did not change either the pattern of anti-PSD PAP staining or that of [125I]protein A binding as revealed by autoradiography or by microdissection of the lateral septal nuclei to determine bound radioactivity by gamma-counting. Bilateral intraventricular injection of kainic acid to destroy area CA3 of the ipsilateral hippocampus caused very little loss of anti-PSD stain in the dentate gyrus ML, but decreased by 45% and 34% the intensity of stain in stratum radiatum and stratum oriens of the hippocampus, respectively. However, bilateral injections of doses of kainate high enough to destroy areas CA3, CA4 and part of CA1, caused 53% loss of stain in the inner 1/3 of the dentate gyrus ML. Recovery from the PSD loss caused by kainate in area CA1 was slow, only 67-81% of control by 90 days post-lesion. The immunohistochemical results in dentate gyrus and septum corresponded closely with quantitative data obtained by electron microscopy. Therefore, the response of PSDs to the loss of their presynaptic counterpart appears to depend on the overall extent of deafferentation of the neuron, the zone of the dendritic tree where deafferentation occurs and, perhaps, other specific features of the target cells.
Pathological gambling and compulsive eating associated with aripiprazole.

The patient was a 64-year-old woman with a 31 year history of schizophrenia well managed with pimozide. She was changed from pimozide to aripiprazole 3 years previously, starting on 10 mg day−1 for...
The effects of SO2 contamination, brine salinity, pressure, and temperature on dynamic contact angles and interfacial tension of supercritical CO2/brine/quartz systems

Abstract The successful implementation of geologic CO2 sequestration schemes in deep saline aquifers requires storage sites with minimum risk of CO2 leakage through the caprock and maximum storage capacity in the reservoir rock. Some of the essential parameters that affect the effectiveness of a storage scheme are the density of CO2, the interfacial tension between CO2-rich and aqueous phases, and the wettability of reservoir rock and caprock in contact with these fluids at reservoir conditions ( Tokunaga and Wan, 2013 ). In this study, densities, interfacial tensions, and dynamic contact angles of CO2/brine/quartz systems at high temperatures and pressures were simultaneously measured using the Axisymmetric Drop Shape Analysis with no-Apex (ADSA-NA) method. Measurements were performed at pressures (2000–4000 psig), temperatures (50–100 °C), and brine salinities (0.2–5 M) relevant to carbon sequestration in deep saline aquifers. These experimental conditions had not been investigated in the past. Additionally, the effect of SO2 as a co-contaminant (0–6 wt%) was investigated on these parameters for the first time. Contact angle hysteresis was also examined and the possible implications of the results on different CO2 trapping mechanisms were discussed.
Strategic Planning in the Public Sector

This note reviews some recent literature on the public sector application of strategic planning. The historical development of strategic planning in the private and public sectors is briefly reviewed, and the major concepts and attributes of the strategic planning process are described. Two major issues are discussed. One is the question of whether strategic planning is actually a new technique in terms of public sector application, or simply a restatement of older processes. The other is the question of the applicability of strategic planning to the public sector, which entails a debate about the fundamental similarities and differences between the public and private sectors.
Some notes on the Yellow River

In order to promote cultural and scientific exchange, the American Geophysical Union has invited a delegation from the Society of Hydraulic Engineers of the People's Republic of China to visit the United States. This team, led by Pao-Ling Li, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Water Conservancy and Electric Power, will probably visit the U.S. Weather Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, California Institute of Technology, Colorado State University, the University of Iowa, Harvard, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology during May and June 1980. This tour reciprocates a visit to the People's Republic of China by a team of American engineers and scientists in September and October 1978. Our team was led by J. F. Kennedy, Director of the Institute of Hydraulic Research at the University of Iowa, and included C. L Chiu, Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Pittsburgh; R. Clark, Associate Director of the U.S. Weather Service; J. E. Glover, Chief of the River Division, Waterways Experiment Station, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; A. S. Harrison, Head of the Technical Engineering Branch, Mississippi River Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; D. Louie, Chief Hydraulic Engineer, Harza Engineering Company; N. Matalas, Staff Hydrologist, Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey; C. F. Nordin, Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey; E. L. Pemberton, Head of the Sedimentation Section, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; A. R. Robinson, Staff Scientist, Science and Education Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture; and myself.
Use of Silver – Silver Oxide Reference Electrodes in Fuel Cell Investigations

IN a recent publication1 it has been pointed out that the solubility of silver oxide in strongly basic solutions2–4, and effects resulting therefrom, should not be overlooked in interpreting polarization data for hydrox, and methanol fuel cells using a silver–silver oxide oxygen electrode. The polarization of such cells, apparently, can be adequately accounted for by the transport of complex silver anions. The effect of the dissolved silver oxide on the electrode reactions was not discussed.
Neutral V production with 14.6 ×A GeV/c silicon beams☆

Abstract We present the results of a measurement of neutral V production with 14.6 × A GeV/ c Si beams on Au and Cu targets. The Λ and K s 0 yields were measured as a function of negative particle multiplicity. Effective temperatures were determined from an exponential fit to the transverse mass distributions.
Whole body vibration exposures in forklift operators: comparison of a mechanical and air suspension seat

Using a repeated measures design, this study compared differences in whole body vibration (WBV) exposures when 12 forklift operators drove the same forklift with a mechanical suspension and an air suspension seat. A portable PDA-based WBV data acquisition system collected and analysed time-weighted and raw WBV data per ISO 2631-1 and 2631-5 WBV measurement standards. Tri-axial measurements of weighted vibration (A(w)), crest factor, vibration dose values, time-weighted average-peak, raw (+) peak, raw (-) peak and static compression dose (S(ed)) were compared between seats. There were significant differences in z-axis WBV exposures with the air suspension seat, yielding lower WBV exposures. In addition, there were differences between seats in how they attenuated WBV exposures based on the driver's weight. In the mechanical suspension seat, WBV exposures were weight-dependent, with lighter drivers having higher WBV exposures, whereas with the air suspension seat, the same trends were not as prevalent. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: This study contributes to the understanding of how different seat suspensions can influence WBV transmission and how some components of vibration transmission are dependent on the weight of the driver. Additional systematic studies are needed to quantify how various factors can influence WBV exposures.
Molecular dynamics simulations to explore the effect of projectile size on the ejection of organic targets from metal surfaces

Abstract Experiments have shown that cluster projectiles as compared to atomic projectiles enhance the secondary ion emission of organic molecules. The yield depends nonlinearly on the number of constituent atoms in the primary ion cluster. In this paper, we describe molecular dynamic simulations aimed at determining the fundamental mechanisms responsible for the enhancement in emission yield. Our model system, a biphenyl adsorbate on a Cu(001) surface, is chosen as a prototype of the experimental systems of interest. Cu atoms and Cu n clusters with n = 2–4 and kinetic energies from 0.050 to 0.100 keV per atom are brought in at 45° incidence. The emission yield of the biphenyl molecule increases nonlinearly with the number of atoms in the cluster. Several parts of the biphenyl molecule must be hit in order for it to be ejected intact. A monatomic projectile initially strikes one atom in the top surface layer, while a polyatomic projectile initially strikes two or more atoms. Therefore, with the cluster projectile, there will be a greater probability of two or more collision cascades that are adjacent in time and space and can collaborate to eject the molecule from the surface.