cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of Natural and Transformed Endophytes for Turf Improvement

Plants and other organisms have developed many diverse and wondrous mechanisms to survive, adapt, and thrive in ever changing and often stressful environments. Our ability to understand, appreciate, and utilize these natural mechanisms of adaptation enhances our ability to develop, preserve and improve sustainable ecosystems and create a better environment.
In Situ Evaluation of Biological Hazards of Environmental Pollutants Introductory Remarks

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, although a relative newcomer to some of the areas to be discussed, is looking forward to new opportunities for the Institute as a result of authorities contained in the last Superfund reauthorization. Although this introduction is not meant to focus solely on the NIEHS Superfund Basic Research Program, or to be limited to human health consequences of environmental pollutants, these two particular areas will be emphasized because of the NIEHS’s particular responsibilities and mission. The Institute appreciates the opportunity to be involved in this meeting, for we believe that the inclusion of human health aspects is an important and essential part of the topics to be discussed.
Presynaptic Nicotine-Gated Channels Potentiate Transmission at ACh and Glutamate-Mediated Synapses

Examination of specific cholinergic and glutamatergic synapses reveals that nanomolar concentrations of nicotine potentiate both spontaneous and evoked transmission. Analysis of miniature excitatory synaptic currents (mepsc) before and after synaptic application of nicotine indicates that presynaptic changes underlie the synaptic facilitation, since nicotine increases mepsc frequency by more than 10 fold without altering the amplitude of the unit mode of mepsc histograms. Image analysis of changes in presynaptic [Ca]int, as well as pharmacological and antisense-mediated nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunit deletion experiments suggest that synaptic transmission is potentiated by direct activation of high affinity presynaptic nAChRs that include the α7 subunit.
Automatic Vehicle Identification: LPR with Enhanced Noise Removal Technique

Automatic Vehicle Identification using license plate image is having versatile range of applications. It includes traffic law enforcement, toll fee collection, tracking the vehicle’s route. It is more challenging to automate the identification of Indian vehicles by using it’s number plates. The font type and font size of the letters used randomly, the dealer’s logo or other artefacts may be available on the plate. In this proposed algorithm it is emphasise on extraction of the number plate irrespective of the angular inclination of the image i.e. extraction of region of interest (ROI) and removal of the additional artefacts then the character image segmentation followed by character recognition. The character recognition is done using correlation coefficient matching. The system is adaptive to the new fonts or regional characters by extended training set.
Circuit Design Margin and Design Variability

In the preceding chapters, process variations and circuits styles were discussed. Each circuit style has its own reaction to variations of the process. Each variation must be accounted for to maintain the functionality and desired speed of the circuit across these distributions. All process parameter distributions are a function of the range that the parameter is critical both spatially and temporally. This chapter will investigate the variation of the process on static CMOS logic, dynamic domino, pass gate and DCVS logic.
Availability function as bridge element’s importance weight in computing overall bridge health index

Extensive research has been conducted over the past two decades to evaluate the condition and bridge health index (BHI) of bridges using different performance measures. The International Associatio...
Utilizing CNNs and transfer learning of pre-trained models for age range classification from unconstrained face images

Abstract Automatic age classification from real-world and wild face images is a challenging task and has an increasing importance due to its wide range of applications in current and future lifestyles. As a result of increasing age specific human-computer interactions, it is expected that computerized systems should be capable of estimating the age from face images and respond accordingly. Over the past decade, many research studies have been conducted on automatic age classification from face images. However, the performance of the developed age classification systems suffered due to the absence of large, comprehensive benchmarks. In this work, we propose and show that pre-trained CNNs which were trained on large benchmarks for different purposes can be retrained and fine-tuned for age range classification from unconstrained face images. Also, we propose to reduce the dimension of the output of the last convolutional layer in pre-trained CNNs to improve the performance of the designed CNNs architectures. The experimental results show significant improvements in exact and 1-off accuracies on the Adience benchmark.
CGM Initiation Soon After Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis Results in Sustained CGM Use and Wear Time.

The majority of youth with type 1 diabetes are above hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) targets. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has been shown to improve clinical outcomes, and use early in the course of diabetes has the potential to improve glycemic outcomes and improve quality of life. In our clinic, youth with new-onset type 1 diabetes were offered the opportunity to start on CGM (Dexcom G6) soon after diabetes diagnosis. Ongoing CGM coverage was subsequently applied for through the patient’s insurance. Following CGM initiation, youth had a 1-week follow-up with a nurse practitioner. Per clinic standard of care, youth were seen again at 1 month post-diagnosis and every 3 months thereafter. We prospectively collected data on HbA1c, continued CGM use, days of CGM wear, method of viewing CGM data, time in range (TIR), and time in hypoglycemia. Institutional review board approval was obtained for the prospective data collection. From July 2018 to April 2019, we approached 44 youth with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes to initiate CGM. Forty-one youth (at onset: mean age 9.7 ± 4.1 years, 56% male, 90% with private insurance, 41% non-Hispanic white, HbA1c 12.2 ± 1.8% [110 mmol/mol]) were started on CGM at a mean of 9.0 ± 8.8 days post–diabetes diagnosis (Table 1). Three adolescent youth declined CGM, stating they did …
Structural analysis of dextrans containing 4-O-α-d-glucosylated α-d-glucopyranosyl residues at the branch points, by use of 13c-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry☆

Abstract Dextran fractions from NRRL strain Streptococcus sp. B-1526 and the native, structurally homogeneous dextrans from Acetobacter capsulatum B-1225, Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-1307, and L. dextranicum B-1420 were examined by 13C-n.m.r. spectroscopy at 90°. Dextran B-1526 fraction I and dextran B-1420 were also examined by g.l.c:-m.s., methylation-structural analysis. All of these dextrans and dextran fractions branch, either primarily or exclusively, through α- d -(1→4)-glucopyranosyl linkages; however, their degrees of branching differ. Several 13C-n.m.r. resonances that are diagnostic for 4,6-di-O-substituted α- d -glucopyranosyl residues have been identified. Comparison was made with dextrans from L. mesenteroides B-742 fraction L and Streptobacterium dextranicum B-1254 fraction S[L], for which previously published, methylation-structural analyses had established the presence of 4,6-di-O-substituted α- d -glucopyranosyl residues at the branch points. These fermentation culture, and in a sedimented gum-phase (fraction I). The product from the soluble phase is designated here as fraction S in order to simplify the terminology. Originally7, this product was not designated a fraction, because it was, by definition8, the main dextran product. The same distinction also applies to the pairs of products from strains B-1380, B-1420, and b-1394 (see ref. 7). The attempts thus made to establish the significance of the phase separation were indeterminant. Methods.— Methods previously described were used for the mythylation9 of the dextrans and for structural analysis6.38 by combined g.l.c-electron-impact mass spectrometry of the aldononitriles. For each permethylation, three successive Hakomori39 methylations were employed on an initial, 40-mg sample, with ∼80% (final weight) recovery of each permethylated dextran. Successive formolysis and acetic acid hydrolysis were employed, and, after each step, the resulting solutions were clear, colorless, and free from suspended material. All mass spectra were recorded with a Hewlett-Packard 5980A GC/MS integrated g.l.c.-m.s.-computer system. The g.l.c. peak-integrals reported in Table II were obtained with a Barber-Coleman Series 5000 g.l.c. instrument equipped with hydrogen-flame detectors. On-column injection with glass columns (2mmi.d. x 1.23m) was employed for all chromatograhy. The 13C-n.m.r. conditions and the methods for the preparation of dextran samples have been described4. In general, a Varian XL-100-15 spectrometer equipped with a Nicolet TT-100 system was employed in the Fourier-transform mode. The dextran samples, ∼0.3g/4 mL of deuterium oxide, were maintained at 90°. Chemical shifts are expressed in p.p.m. relative to external tetramethylsilane, but were actually calculated by reference to the solvent lock-signal. The convolution-difference resolution-enhancement (c.d.r.e.) technique has been described40.
Ultrasound-Based Nomogram Identifies Breast Cancer Patients Unlikely to Harbor Axillary Metastasis: Towards Selective Omission of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy.

As tumor biology takes precedence over anatomic staging to determine breast cancer (BC) prognosis, there is growing interest in limiting axillary surgery. There is a need for tools to identify patients at the lowest risk of harboring axillary lymph node (ALN) disease, to determine when omission of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) may be appropriate. We examined whether a nomogram using preoperative axillary ultrasound (axUS) findings, clinical tumor size, receptor status, and grade to calculate the probability of nodal metastasis (PNM) has value in surgical decision making. This was a retrospective analysis of female patients (February 2011–October 2014) with invasive BC who underwent preoperative axUS and axillary surgery. Cases with locally advanced BC, neoadjuvant treatment, or bilateral BC were excluded. PNM was calculated for each case. Using various PNM thresholds, the proportion of cases with ALN metastasis on pathology was examined to determine an optimal PNM cut-point to predict ALN negativity. Of 357 included patients, 72% were node-negative on surgical staging, and 69 (19.6%) had a PNM < 9.3%. Of these 69 patients, 6 had ALN metastasis on surgical pathology, yielding a false negative rate (FNR) of 8.7% for predicting negative ALN when a PNM threshold of < 9.3% was used. A nomogram incorporating axUS findings and tumor characteristics identified a sizeable subgroup (19.6%) in whom ALN was predicted to be negative, with an 8.7% FNR. Surgeons can use this nomogram to quantify the probability of ALN metastasis and select patients who may benefit from omitting SLNB.
Impact of Sequencing Radiation Therapy and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in the Treatment of Melanoma Brain Metastases.

Purpose Melanoma brain metastases (MBM) occur in ∼50% of melanoma patients. Although both radiation therapy (RT) and immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) are used alone or in combination for MBM treatment, the role of this combination and how these treatments could best be sequenced remains unclear. Methods and Materials We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with resected MBM who underwent treatment with RT, ICI, or a combination of RT and ICI. Among the latter, we specifically investigated the differential gene expression via RNA-sequencing between patients who received RT first then ICI (RT → ICI) versus ICI first then RT (ICI → RT). We used a glycoprotein-transduced syngeneic melanoma mouse model for validation experiments. Results We found that for patients with resected MBM, a combination of RT and ICI confers superior survival compared with RT alone. Specifically, we found that RT → ICI was superior compared with ICI → RT. Transcriptome analysis of resected MBM revealed that the RT → ICI cohort demonstrated deregulation of genes involved in apoptotic signaling and key modulators of inflammation that are most implicated in nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells signaling. In a preclinical model, we showed that RT followed by anti-programmed death-ligand 1 therapy was superior to the reverse sequence of therapy, supporting the observations we made in patients with MBM. Conclusions Our study provides initial insights into the optimal sequence of RT and ICI in the treatment of MBM after surgical resection. Prospective studies examining the best sequence of RT and ICI are necessary, and our study contributes to the rationale to pursue these.
Fission of U 238 Induced by μ - Capture

It has been pointed out that there are two ways in which a f UO/sub 2/ - meson stopped in uranium may induce nuclear fission. The energy released in the nonradiative transition of the mesonic atom to its is state as well as that liberated in the nuclear-capture process, f UO/sub 2/ /sup -/ + U/sup 238/ sintered BeO Pa/sup 238/ + , should be sufficient sometimes to induce fission. The preliminary results of an experiment performed to obtuin the relative probabilities of the two meson-induced fission mechanisms are presented. The experimental setup is described. (W.D.M.)
The 5G New Radio Code: Elementary Absorbing Sets and Error Floor Performance

The data channels in the 5G New Radio use quasi-cyclic low-density parity check (LDPC) codes for error control. Such codes, when used with a practical quantizer and an iterative decoder, typically have an error floor that is strongly impacted by absorbing sets present in the code’s structure. This paper leverages the particular structure found in the 5G code to describe a simple means of identifying its (elementary) absorbing sets and describes an algorithm for finding them. It then uses simulation results to show which of the absorbing sets are responsible for the error floor performance for a particular choice of code and quantizer parameters.
Human IgG and IgA responses to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines

SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen-specific IgG and IgA elicited by infection mediate viral neutralization and are likely an important component of natural immunity, however, limited information exists on vaccine induced responses. We measured COVID-19 mRNA vaccine induced IgG and IgA in serum serially, up to 80 days post vaccination in 4 subjects. Spike antigen-specific IgG levels rose exponentially and plateaued 21 days after the initial vaccine dose. After the second vaccine dose IgG levels increased further, reaching a maximum approximately 7-10 days later, and remained elevated (average of 78% peak levels) during the additional 20-50 day follow up period. COVID-19 mRNA vaccination elicited spike antigen-specific IgA with similar kinetics of induction and time to peak levels, but more rapid decline in serum levels following both the 1st and 2nd vaccine doses (<23% peak levels within 80 days of the initial shot). The data demonstrate COVID-19 mRNA vaccines effectively induce spike antigen specific IgG and IgA and highlight marked differences in their persistence in serum.
A Preliminary Embodiment Short Questionnaire

Consumer virtual reality (VR) technologies have made embodying a virtual avatar during an immersive experience more feasible. The sense of embodiment towards that virtual avatar can be characterized and measured along three factors: self-location, agency, and body ownership. Some measures of embodiment have been previously proposed, but most have not been validated or do not measure the three individual factors of embodiment. In this paper, we present the construction and validation of a preliminary version of a short questionnaire that not only addresses these factors of embodiment but can also be used as an in-VR questionnaire, which we call the pESQ. By using and validating the pESQ, we provide results indicating that foot tracking significantly improves self-location and agency, and that an avatar significantly improves body ownership.
The Contemporaneous Distributional Effects of Investments on Early Childhood Nutrition: A Panel Quantile Approach

This article examines the distributional effects of early nutritional investments on contemporaneous child health endowment measurements. Depending on whether investments made in child nutrition at different times complement or substitute, the return from early childhood nutritional investments can differ across the health endowment distribution. To establish a causal inference, I merge village-level rainfall data with a child-level longitudinal survey — the Ethiopian Rural Household Survey — and apply a Correlated Random Effect quantile regression for panel data model. The findings suggest that the return derived from a standard deviation increase in a village-level precipitation z-score is stronger at the lower end of the weight-for height and weight-for age z-score distributions. Given that inequalities present at an early age widen over time, the equalizing benefits of a standard deviation increase in a village-level precipitation z-score imply that scaling up investments on early childhood nutrition will not only increase long term efficiency but will also reduce inequality.
Polypharmacy in elderly people: epidemiology, consequences and prevention strategies

Aging is a status often associated with multiple comorbidities which require pharmacologic intervention and complex medication regimens. Aging population results to the increase of chronic diseases and subsequent comorbidities that require concomitant multiple medications. It is reported that about 80 % of elderly have at least one chronic condition, and about half of them have at least two (such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, arthritis, and cancer). According the literature the worldwide polypharmacy prevalence has a wide range (between 5 to 78 %) due to different definitions on the number of medications taken (ranging between 2 and 9) and the different samples studied. In most studies polypharmacy was more common between women and in more elderly people. Many multicenter studies have been performed to define the term of polypharmacy and its prevalence in the elderly population. Polypharmacy is of growing concern for the older adults, because it can be very dangerous for this population due to altered absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of the drugs within their body reflecting unexpected pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of various medications. This fact can lead to adverse drug reactions (ADR), drug interactions, noncompliance and reduced adherence, reduced functional status, geriatric syndromes, high risk of hospitalization and possible death. Over the last decade, there are several evaluation tools which can help the General Practitioner prevent the polypharmacy in the elderly. As prescribing for this group of individuals is a very challenging procedure, the General Practitioner should balance between under-treatment, over-treatment and risks and benefits. This review concluded that we need more cross-sectional clinical studies on practical preventive interventions to be applied not only on the population which is already exposed to polypharmacy, but also to the general population.
A hybrid analytical–numerical approach for the determination of strain energy release rates in shear deformable functionally graded plates

Abstract A hybrid analytical–numerical approach is developed for the determination of strain energy release rates (SERRs) in shear deformable functionally graded plates. A two-plate system is considered, where the plates are functionally graded in the thickness direction and a crack exists between the two plates. Expressions for Mode I and Mode II SERRs are developed in terms of applied loads and moments on the two-plate system along with accompanying compliance coefficients. Mode mixity is then determined with the aid of contour integral analysis, where phase angle is used to numerically solve for a mode mixity parameter. Upon validation, the approach is used to characterize how SERRs and mode mixity vary over a comprehensive range of stiffness gradations, crack lengths, and crack locations for a shear deformable functionally graded plate system.
Electromagnetic Energy Dissipation of Ultra-Wideband Plane Wave Pulses in a Causal, Dispersive Dielectric

The mathematical formulation of electromagnetic wave phenomena in lossy, dispersive media is well known and understood. Furthermore, the interpretation of Poynting’s theorem as a statement of conservation of energy for the coupled electromagnetic field-medium system is widely accepted1. However, its interpretation with regards to the thermal energy generated by a given electromagnetic field in a lossy medium is frequently misunderstood and incorrectly applied if the material is dispersive (as required by causality).
The Influence of Parental Verbal Messages about Fighting and Nonviolent Responses on Adolescent Aggressive and Effective Nonviolent Behavior

THE INFLUENCE OF PARENTAL VERBAL MESSAGES ABOUT FIGHTING AND NONVIOLENT RESPONSES ON ADOLESCENT AGGRESSIVE AND EFFECTIVE NONVIOLENT BEHAVIOR By Alison Marie Kramer, M.A. A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009 Major Director: Albert D. Farrell, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Psychology Research suggests that adolescent health requires both reducing problem behavior and promoting the development of social competence. There is strong support for the influence of parenting practices on both aggressive and competent behavior. However, there has been little research to date focused on parental messages, or the verbal communication parents provide to their children, about aggressive and effective nonviolent responses to conflict. The present study used hierarchical regression to examine parental messages supporting fighting and parental messages supporting effective nonviolent responses to problem situations in relation to adolescent aggressive and effective nonviolent behavior. These relations were expected to be moderated by adolescent gender. Additionally, the unique influence of parental messages was explored, relative to the effects of parental behavioral modeling of antisocial and prosocial acts. Messages supporting fighting and messages supporting nonviolent responses were analyzed as distinct constructs in the current study, and were expected to produce different patterns of influence on each adolescent behavior. Discrepancies based on respondent (parent or adolescent) were also anticipated. Participants included a predominantly African American sample of 105 adolescents and a parent or caregiver, who were assessed as part of a larger project evaluating the effects of a neighborhood intervention. As hypothesized, youth reports of parental messages supporting nonviolent responses were significantly related to lower levels of youth aggression, even when controlling for parental modeling. Youth reports of parental messages supporting nonviolent responses also predicted higher levels of effective nonviolent behavior, but these effects could be better accounted for by parental modeling. Contrary to expectation, parental messages supporting fighting did not significantly predict adolescent aggression or effective nonviolent behavior, and only minimal support was found for the moderating influence of gender. As anticipated, youths’ perceptions of parental messages were better predictors of their behavior than were parents’ reports. Overall, the current study’s findings have important implications for violence prevention efforts, and call for continued research.
The regulation of plant growth by the circadian clock

Circadian regulated changes in growth rates have been observed in numerous plants as well as in unicellular and multicellular algae. The circadian clock regulates a multitude of factors that affect growth in plants, such as water and carbon availability and light and hormone signalling pathways. The combination of high-resolution growth rate analyses with mutant and biochemical analysis is helping us elucidate the time-dependent interactions between these factors and discover the molecular mechanisms involved. At the molecular level, growth in plants is modulated through a complex regulatory network, in which the circadian clock acts at multiple levels.
\"Yes We Can\": Barack Obama's Proverbial Rhetoric

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Wolfgang Mieder Year: 2009 Pages: 352 Publisher: Peter Lang ISBN: 978-1-4331-0667-5 (soft cover). Prices: $32.95 USD(soft cover).
How Bacterial Lineages Emerge

Most people today recognize bacterial names like Escherichia coli and Neisseria meningitidis . Yet, from an evolutionary viewpoint, the clarity of species labels for bacteria is blurred by rampant horizontal gene transfer between bacteria ( 1 ). The forces driving speciation in bacteria include niche adaptation, selective sweeps, genetic drift, recombination of genetic material, and geographic isolation. How do those forces maintain species homogeneity or bring about lineages, when gene swapping is apparently so rife?
A Maximal Pack Test of Exercise Tolerance

(1944). A Maximal Pack Test of Exercise Tolerance. Research Quarterly. American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 291-302.
A time optimal control study of a second-order linear system with delay.

Time optimal control function and optimal trajectories solved for second order linear system with constant time delay
21 - Chromatography Data Systems (CDS) in The Pharmaceutical Laboratory: Its History, Advances, and Future Direction

This chapter discusses the history, technological advances of chromatography data systems. Also included here are the particular needs of the pharmaceutical industry and the future directions of CDS.
Control of remembered reaching sequences in monkey. I. Activity during movement in motor and premotor cortex

Motor and premotor cortex firing patterns from 307 single neurons were recorded while monkeys made rapid sequences of three reaching movements to remembered target buttons arrayed in two-dimensional space. A primary goal was to study and compare directionally tuned responses for each of three movement periods during 12 movement sequences that uniformly sampled the directional space in front of the monkey. The majority of neurons showed maximal responses during movements in a preferred direction with smaller increases during movements close to the preferred direction. These responses showed a statistically significant regression fit to a cosine function for 72% of the neurons examined. Comparisons among tuning directions computed separately for the first, second, and third movement periods suggested the near constancy of preferred direction across a rapidly executed series of movements even though these movements began at different starting points in space. Although directionally tuned neurons were only broadly tuned for a specific direction of movement, the neuronal ensemble carried accurate directional information. A population vector computed by summing vector contributions from the entire population of tuned neurons predicted movement direction with a mean accuracy of 20°. This population code made consistent predictions for each of the 36 movements that were studied using a single set of population parameters. Most of the remaining neurons (24%) that were not tuned during movement did show significant changes in activity during other aspects of task performance. Some nontuned neurons had nondirectional increases that were sustained during movement, while others showed identical phasic bursts during the three movement periods. These nontuned neurons may control stabilizations of the shoulder, trunk, and forearm during movement, or forearm movements during button pushing.
Software maintenance: a profile of past empirical research

The authors examine empirical software maintenance research reported from 1978 through 1987 and categorize the research according to placement, origin, and nature of research to determine what has been done in the past. A model of software maintenance is presented and used to derive classification characteristics. To aid in the investigation, an exhaustive electronic keyword search was made of abstracts found in Computer Database Abstracts and the INSPEC Computer and Control Abstracts. The full abstracts for the articles found in the searches were scrutinized by the researchers to determine whether they were appropriate. Based on this technique, summary and trend statistics are presented to characterize the state of empirical software maintenance research. Questions concerning the nature and future direction of software maintenance research are presented that aid in the process of internalizing the current state of empirical software maintenance research. >
Selection or Influence? Institutional Investors and Corporate Acquisitions

This paper shows that the presence of large public pension fund shareholders particularly reduces ex ante bad acquisitions. When firms with large public pension fund presence do acquire other firms, they perform relatively better in the long-run. Other institutional investors have either the opposite effect or no effect. To establish the direction of causality between institutional ownership and observed corporate merger and acquisition decisions, it is crucial to identify the sources of exogenous variations in institutional ownerships. This paper introduces two instrumental variables, one of which borrows the concept of a "Bartik'' instrument from the labor economics literature.
A note on penny-shaped cracks in transversely isotropic materials

Abstract This note contains some further discussion of the problem of a penny-shaped crack in a transversely isotropic solid. For uniform applied stress at infinity, the problem is solved using Eshelby's method. Particular attention is given to the interaction energy and the crack opening displacements. The results are given in a form which is convenient in the study of cracked solids.
External democracy promotion in Africa: Another false start?

This paper asserts that the wave of democratic elections in sub‐Saharan Africa after 1989 was driven largely by external democracy promotion efforts, and that it is for this reason that democratic regimes there are now crumbling. It examines the interaction between external democracy promotion efforts and domestic structural variables, and concludes that while the international community can induce reform and implant electoral processes in Africa, it cannot force sustainable democratic governance in the absence of capitalist economies, civil societies, and bureaucratic states.
Parallel Implementation Of The Split And Merge Algorithm On Hypercube Processors For Object Detection And Recognition

Split and merge is a computationaly efficient region segmentation technique suitable to detect objects or surfaces in a given image. Despite its superior performance, it suffers from large memory usage and excessive computation time. This paper describes parallel implementation of the split and merge algorithm in a 16 node hypercube processor in order to reduce processing time to an acceptable level in the real time applications. Three methods are proposed to parallelize the operation of the method using the nearest neghbor (mesh) topology that can be mapped onto the hypercube architecture. Comparison of the described techniques is given and processing results of the real world images are presented.
Technology Strategy in a Changing Aerospace/Defense Environment

ABSTRACTThis article addresses the changing nature of the business conducted in the aerospace/defense industry. The challenges of efficiently using technology and balancing technological advances with cost-competitiveness are discussed in relation to recent global political and cultural events. The need for a workable technology planning approach is discussed along with specific activities that aerospace defense firms can take in developing their new approach to conducting business.
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND RISK FACTORS FOR HEART FAILURE IN THE ELDERLY

Heart failure is a common problem in the elderly population, affecting 10% or more of persons more than 80 years of age. Heart failure is most likely to develop in the elderly population, with an annual incidence of 20 to 30 cases per 1000 persons aged more than 80 years. Heart failure is not only common in the elderly population but also commonly fatal, with fewer than 30% of elderly persons surviving 6 years after their first hospitalization for heart failure. Common risk factors leading to heart failure include coronary heart disease, systolic hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. The global aging of the population will perpetuate the epidemic of heart failure into the next century.
A Pictorial Approach to Molecular Orbital Bonding in Polymers: Non-Mathematical but Honest

The generator orbital (GO) approach is a useful tool for teaching students how to visualize, pictorially, the MO's in a wide assortment of discrete organic, organometallic, metal complex, and cluster molecules possessing a variety of structures. We describe a novel and useful extension of this non-mathematical but honest learning concept to a timely and important class of molecules, namely, polymers. Two examples are treated by our pictorial method: one is s-bonded polyethylene and the other is p-conjugated polyacetylene.
CHEMICAL STUDIES ON BACTERIAL AGGLUTINATION : III. A REACTION MECHANISM AND A QUANTITATIVE THEORY

1. By the application of an absolute, quantitative microchemical method for the estimation of agglutinins, precise data have been obtained on the course of the agglutination of Type I pneumococcus by homologous anticarbohydrate. 2. Within the limitations imposed by the necessity for the agglutination reaction to take place at the bacterial surface, the reaction is shown to be analogous to the precipitin reaction and subject to the same laws. 3. The entire process of a typical instance of specific bacterial agglutination has been quantitatively accounted for on a purely chemical basis and expressed in the form of equations derived from the law of mass action. 4. Experimental verification of predictions based on the theory has shown a fundamental difference between this instance of specific bacterial agglutination and the commonly adduced analogies, and necessitated a revision of current conceptions regarding the role of electrolytes and of physical forces in the reaction.
Effects of environment and heat treatment on an oxygen plasma-treated polyimide surface and its adhesion to a chromium overcoat

—The effects of oxygen plasma treatment time, duration of storage, and heat treatment on the surface chemistry of and Cr adhesion to Dupont RC5878 and Kapton polyimides were investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and contact angle and peel strength measurements. The XPS results indicate that the initial stage of plasma treatment involves oxygen adsorption with insignificant modification of the surface chemistry. After 5 s of plasma treatment the surface chemistry is modified, as suggested by the changes in the carbonyl and partially oxidized carbon functional groups' contributions to the C(1s) line shape. These modifications resulted in an increase in the peel strength and a decrease in the contact angle of water. Over the first month of storage, the intensity of the carbonyl functional group peak decreased, while the contact angle increased and reached a steady-state value of 30° after 20 days of storage. These changes are mainly attributed to moisture absorption. Importantly, the met...
Radiation Produced by an Electron Beam Passing through a Dielectric Medium

An electron beam passing through a dielectric medium may produce an instability that is associated with the growth of longitudinal waves having a velocity close to the velocity of the beam. For a transparent dielectric medium this instability occurs if the frequency $\ensuremath{\omega}$ of these waves satisfies the following condition: ${{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{1}}^{2}l{\ensuremath{\omega}}^{2}l{{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{1}}^{2}+{{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{0}}^{2}$, where ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{1}$ is the frequency of bound oscillators in the dielectric medium and ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{0}={(\frac{4\ensuremath{\pi}n{e}^{2}}{m})}^{\frac{1}{2}}$, where $n$ is the electron density. If inhomogeneities are present these longitudinal waves may be converted into transverse waves and radiated into space. Thus, there is a possibility of a luminous effect at "Bohr frequencies" that differ from the Vavilov-Cerenkov frequencies.
EVALUATION OF FRACTURE ENERGY OF COMPOSITE-CONCRETE BONDED INTERFACES USING THREE-POINT BEND TESTS

In this paper, a conventional test method using a notched three-point bending beam (3PBB) specimen is adapted to characterize Mode I fracture of composite-concrete bonded interfaces, and the interface fracture energy is evaluated based on a fictitious crack model. Two types of fiber fabrics—E-glass and carbon—are used, and a common epoxy resin is applied to bond the composite fabrics to concrete. Mode I fracture tests of the 3PBB specimens for carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP)- and glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP)-concrete bonded interfaces are performed to determine the applied load and load point displacement relationship from which the interface fracture energy is computed. The effects of loading rates, types of fiber fabrics, and curing time on the fracture energy of FRP-concrete bonded interfaces are studied and discussed. It is expected that the proposed experimental method can be used effectively to obtain fracture data for performing delamination studies under various environmental expos...
Ultrasonic Attenuation in Magnetic Single Crystals

A striking connection has been found between the magnetic properties and the ultrasonic attenuation properties of a nickel single crystal. The magnetic anisotropy has been detected by measuring the attenuation as a function of applied field intensity. Information about the vibrations of Bloch walls and the number of vibrating walls per unit length has also been obtained. The dependence of the attenuation on magnetic induction for 5-100 mc shear and longitudinal waves propagated in the [110] direction was the same for $B$ parallel to both the [111] and [001] directions. The shear modes induce much greater losses than the longitudinal mode.
Applying algebraic simulation to machine-independent microcode synthesis

Abstract One of the major problems with using machine-independent languages in firmware engineering is effective retargeting. That is, the ability to easily direct the code generated by a high-level language translator to distinct microprogrammable machines. One way to attack the problem is to develop a machine-independent semantic system for microprograms and microprogram computations which requires only a description of a target microprogrammable machine to achieve retargeting. We present an abstract method for deriving microcode based on semantic transformations using formal descriptions of target machines and a set of goal-oriented, machine-independent specification transformation rules. Emphasis is given to presenting the general method which is based on the “algebraic simulation of programs.”
Observations of the 22 April 1982 stellar occultation by Uranus and the rings

Abstract The 22 April 1982 stellar occultation of KME 14 by Uranus was observed from Tenerife, Canary Islands, using the Teide Observatory 1.5-m telescope. From model fits to the immersion and emersion ring profiles, we obtained (1) midtimes of the ring events with a typical uncertainty of 0.01 sec; (2) ring widths for rings 4, α, β, γ, δ, and ϵ with a typical uncertainty of a few tenths of a kilometer; and (3) equivalent widths and normal optical depths of all nine rings. The immersion planetary occultation was clouded out, but emersion was successfully observed, and the stratospheric temperature profile was obtained by numerical inversion. The profile shows a temperature maximum near the 8-μbar pressure level, characterized by T(8 μbar) = 141°K and T(8 μbar)–T(13 μbar) = 5°K for the sampled suboccultation latitude of −11°.9. Both the mean temperature and the temperature variations are consistent with the latitude-dependent atmospheric structure found by B. Sicardy et al. (1985, Icarus 64, 88–106) from widely separated observations of the same event.
African-Americans and Serial Homicide

African-Americans are usually over-represented among offenders arrested in “normal” homicide cases, making up a considerably larger proportion than would be expected from the Black presence in the population at large. Among serial murderers, however, African-Americans are much less in evidence—perhaps one-fifth or less of known American serial killers are Black. It may be that African-Americans are in fact less involved in serial murder activity than are Anglo Whites or Hispanics; but it must also be asked whether this is simply an impression gained from the ways in which serial murder activity is identified and investigated. For a number of reasons, law enforcement agencies might be less likely to seek or find evidence of serial murder activity where the victims are Black. As homicide is primarily an intra-racial crime, this would then mean that Black serial killers would be far more likely to escape detection.
Direct gauging of the Poincaré group. II

This paper continues the study of direct gauge theory of the Poincare groupP10. The meanings and implications of transformations induced by the local action ofP10 are studied, and transformation rules for all field quantities are derived for the local action ofP10 in a sufficiently small neighborhood of the identity. These results lead directly to a system of fundamental partial differential equations that are both necessary and sufficient for invariance of the “free field” Lagrangian density. Homogeneity arguments and the classical theory of invariants are used to obtain the most general “free field” Lagrangian density. Gauge conditions are shown to imply coordinate conditions, and an algebraic system of antiexact gauge conditions is implemented. The underlying Minkowski space,M4, and the resulting Riemann-Cartan space,U4, become attached at their “centers,” as do their respective frame and coframe bundles. Weak constraints of vanishing torsion are studied. All field quantities are shown to be determined in terms of the compensating l-forms for the Lorentz sector alone provided an explicit system of integrability conditions is satisfied. Field equations of the Einstein type are shown to result.
The Odd Couple: Hardware and Software

This column discusses issues in software performance and communication between hardware and software. It also discusses two departures from IEEE Micro's editorial board and the introduction of a new associate editor in chief.
In Response to Dillingham

Many, perhaps all, of the effects postulated by Taagepera and Colby may well be correct and my intention is not to claim the contrary. Instead, I argue that a faulty data base and lack of statistical rigor have rendered their argument uncompelling. In part, my strong reaction to their attempt may result from the disparity between the magnitude of their topic and the frailty of their treatment. The discussion of so grand a topic as creativity in Western civilization deserves better.
A comparison of tropical temperature trends with model predictions

We examine tropospheric temperature trends of 67 runs from 22 ‘Climate of the 20th Century’ model simulations and try to reconcile them with the best available updated observations (in the tropics during the satellite era). Model results and observed temperature trends are in disagreement in most of the tropical troposphere, being separated by more than twice the uncertainty of the model mean. In layers near 5 km, the modelled trend is 100 to 300% higher than observed, and, above 8 km, modelled and observed trends have opposite signs. These conclusions contrast strongly with those of recent publications based on essentially the same data. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society
IMMUNOTHERAPY WITH NONVIABLE MICROBIAL COMPONENTS

Structural components of microorganisms have been studied for immunopotentiating effect with the aid of transplantable (line 10) tumors in syngeneic guinea pigs. Microbial components were associated with oil droplets, suspended in Tween-saline, and injected intralesionally. BCG cell walls, given in this way, produced regression and cure of 50-60% of established tumors, as did viable BCG. Lipid extraction markedly reduced the tumor-regressing potency of cell walls, but P3, a trehalose mycolate present in the extract, restored full activity to the cell wall residue. P3 alone was nonsensitizing and had no antitumor activity, but it enhanced the latter property of various other microbial products. For example, the cure rates produced by cell walls of M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, M. phlei, or M. smegmatis were enhanced from 20-60% to as much as 90% by addition of P3. P3 also conferred antitumor activity on products from unrelated microbes, such as cell walls of E. coli, and in combination with endotoxins from rough Re mutant salmonellae, it produced cure rates of up to 93%. These results suggest that P3 is essential to the immunopotentiating activity of mycobacteria and that it may be broadly applicable in immunotherapy of cancer with microbial agents.
Effects of Crude Oil and Naphthalene on Growth, Caloric Content, and Fat Content of Pink Salmon Juveniles in Seawater

Abstract Juvenile pink salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha were exposed for 40 days to stable, sublethal concentrations of naphthalene (<0.80 mg/liter) and the water-soluble fraction of Cook Inlet crude oil (<0.87 mg/liter total aromatic hydrocarbons). All fish were fed equal daily rations of Oregon Moist Pellet Formula II. Concentrations (percentage of the 96-hour LC50, median lethal concentration) of 10% naphthalene and 14% water-soluble fraction of crude oil did not affect wet weight or length of exposed fish. At higher concentrations, however, growth per day determined from wet weight decreased with increased toxicant concentration. Change in length of the fish was not a sensitive measure of toxicity. Fish exposed for 40 days to concentrations of toxicants as low as 33% of the 96-hour LC50 weighed significantly less than control fish (P < 0.05). Juveniles exposed to the water-soluble fraction of crude oil had slower growth rates than those exposed to the same concentration (percentage of the LC50) of naphth...