cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reference test courses for autonomous mobile robots

One approach to measuring the performance of intelligent systems is to develop standardized or reproducible tests. These tests may be in a simulated environment or in a physical test course. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has developed a test course for evaluating the performance of mobile autonomous robots operating in an urban search and rescue mission. The test course is designed to simulate a collapsed building structure at various levels of fidelity. The course will be used in robotic competitions, such as the American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) Mobile Robot Competition and the RoboCup Rescue. Designed to be repeatable and highly reconfigurable, the test course challenges a robot's cognitive capabilities such as perception, knowledge representation, planning, autonomy and collaboration. The goal of the test course is to help define useful performance metrics for autonomous mobile robots which, if widely accepted, could accelerate development of advanced robotic capabilities by promoting the re-use of algorithms and system components. The course may also serve as a prototype for further development of performance testing environments which enable robot developers and purchasers to objectively evaluate robots for a particular application. In this paper we discuss performance metrics for autonomous mobile robots, the use of representative urban search and rescue scenarios as a challenge domain, and the design criteria for the test course.
Dystroglycan expression in the mouse cochlea

Abstract Viable dominant spotting (W v /W v ) mice have a c-kit gene mutation, which impedes the migration of neural crest cells to the developing cochlea where they normally differentiate into intermediate cells (ICs). A prominent pathological feature shared by these mutants and the aging human and gerbil cochlea is thickening of the basement membrane (BM) of strial capillaries. Atrophy of strial capillaries in the aging gerbil has been associated with changes in the expression of dystroglycan (DG), a cell-surface receptor that regulates BM assembly. Here we evaluated the expression of DG in W v /W v mutant and C57BL/6J wild-type mice to investigate the possible role of ICs in regulating strial capillary BM homeostasis. The DG gene product was identified in lateral wall dissections from both W v /W v mutant and wild-type mice by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Subunit-specific antibodies were employed to localize the α and β subunits of the DG heterodimer. Some sites in both wild-type and mutant mice, such as the subepithelial BM lining the scala media and regions of contact between selected epithelial cells, expressed α-DG alone. Other sites such as the perineural BM and the perivascular BM subtending strial capillaries and capillaries in the central portion of the auditory nerve coexpressed α- and β-DG. The strong diffuse staining for α-DG along the basolateral membrane of strial marginal cells disappeared with advancing strial degeneration in abnormal turns of W v /W v mutants. Variations in staining intensity for both α- and β-DG also occurred in the subendothelial BM of strial capillaries in turns lacking ICs and appeared to correspond with the degree of capillary atrophy. The results support the possibility that ICs play a role in the homeostasis of the strial capillary BM.
Technology, governance, and the escalation of Ebola: wicked problems in real time

Digital technologies have been perceived as a means of facilitating governance in addressing complex, dynamic policy problems. Yet, technology alone cannot resolve interdependencies among divergent organizations operating at different levels of authority, access to resources, and experience in heterogeneous contexts. We report preliminary findings from an ongoing study of the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa that revealed breakdowns in governance due in part to limited use of digital technologies to support systematic monitoring of the spread of the disease, search for, and exchange of, valid information and knowledge essential to manage a rapidly evolving, complex threat. We apply a systems theory approach to this wicked problem as a framework for examining the interactions between key actors involved in the response to this epidemic. Preliminary findings are drawn from a content analysis of news articles posted on the United Nations Relief Web and include a chronological record of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa from March through December 2014. A planned network analysis will measure the centrality of actors, as well as the strength and direction of ties among the participating actors: local, provincial, national, regional, and international. We anticipate developing a model of sociotechnical design for addressing complex policy problems
Regulation of ghrelin gene expression in stomach and feeding response to a ghrelin analogue in two strains of rats

Ghrelin is a peptide produced by the stomach and released into the circulation. As a natural ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue (GHS) receptor, it stimulates growth hormone secretion but it also stimulates feeding in humans and rodents. The orexigenic effect of ghrelin has been related to AgRP/NPY and orexin pathways. We proposed that ghrelin might be involved in the susceptibility to diet induced obesity and in the regulation of macronutrient selection. We have investigated these hypotheses in two strains of rat, the Osborne-Mendel (OM) rat that prefers diets high in fat and is sensitive to dietary obesity and the S5B/P1 (S5B) rat that prefers a low fat diet and is resistant to high fat diet induced obesity. OM and S5B rats were adapted to a choice of high fat (HF) and low fat (LF) diet for 2 weeks. GHRP-2, an analogue of ghrelin, was injected intraperitoneally into satiated and 24 h fasted rats at doses of 10, 30 and 90 nmol. Food intake was measured over the next 4 h period. In satiated S5B rats, GHRP-2 stimulated intake of the LF diet in a dose dependent manner but did not affect the intake of the HF diet. In satiated OM rats, 90 nmol of GHRP-2 stimulated HF intake. In contrast, neither fasted OM nor S5B rats increased the intake of either HF or LF diet in response to GHRP-2. Fasting for 18 h induced a large rise in ghrelin mRNA in stomach of OM rats but not in S5B rats. There were no significant differences in plasma total ghrelin. An increase in ghrelin mRNA in stomach immediately before the onset of the dark cycle was observed in OM but not in S5B rats. Active ghrelin level was significantly affected by different feeding conditions in both OM and S5B rats adapted on HF diet with a trend to increase after 48 h of fasting and to decline to basal levels following 10 h of refeeding. These data suggest that ghrelin stimulates the intake of the preferred macronutrient. In addition, a differential regulation of ghrelin gene expression between OM and S5B rats may be important in their differential sensitivity to HF diet-induced obesity.
A dynamic model of entrepreneurship with borrowing constraints: theory and evidence

Does wealth beget wealth and entrepreneurship, or is entrepreneurship mainly determined by an individual’s ability? A large literature studies the relationship between wealth and entry to entrepreneurship to inform this question. This paper shows that in a dynamic model, the existence of financial constraints to the creation of businesses implies a non-monotonic relationship between wealth and entry into entrepreneurship: the probability of becoming an entrepreneur as a function of wealth is increasing for low wealth levels—as predicted by standard static models—but it is decreasing for higher wealth levels. U.S. data are used to study the qualitative and quantitative predictions of the dynamic model. The welfare costs of borrowing constraints are found to be significant, around 6% of lifetime consumption, and are mainly due to undercapitalized entrepreneurs (intensive margin), rather than to able people not starting businesses (extensive margin).
Thirty-Year Trends (1975 to 2005) in the Magnitude of, Management of, and Hospital Death Rates Associated With Cardiogenic Shock in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction A Population-Based Perspective

Background— Limited information is available about potentially changing and contemporary trends in the incidence and hospital death rates of cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction. The objectives of our study were to examine 3-decade-long trends (1975 to 2005) in the incidence rates of cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction, patient characteristics and treatment practices associated with this clinical complication, and hospital death rates in residents of a large central New England community hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction at all area medical centers. Methods and Results— The study population consisted of 13 663 residents of the Worcester (Mass) metropolitan area hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction at all greater Worcester medical centers during 15 annual periods between 1975 and 2005. Overall, 6.6% of patients developed cardiogenic shock during their index hospitalization. The incidence rates of cardiogenic shock remained stable between 197...
High Phase Order Induction Motors - Part II-Experimental Results

Experimental tests have been carried out on a small induction motor connected for six phases and for nine phases. These include torque measurements over the entire speed range and load tests with balanced source and with one phase open. Some of the machine impedances, including sequence impedances, were measured and these generally agree with predicted values. The motor was subjected to source voltages having harmonics and the measured currents show good agreement with theoretical values based on the analysis in a companion paper.
Weight bearing as a measure of disease progression and efficacy of anti-inflammatory compounds in a model of monosodium iodoacetate-induced osteoarthritis

Abstract Objective : To describe an in vivo model in the rat in which change in weight distribution is used as a measure of disease progression and efficacy of acetaminophen and two nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in a model of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced osteoarthritis (OA). Methods : Intra-articular injections of MIA and saline were administered to male Wistar rats (175–200g) into the right and left knee joints, respectively. Changes in hind paw weight distribution between the right (osteoarthritic) and left (contralateral control) limbs were utilized as an index of joint discomfort. Acetaminophen and two archetypal, orally administered NSAIDs, naproxen and rofecoxib, were examined for their ability to decrease MIA-induced change in weight distribution. Results : A concentration-dependent increase in change in hind paw weight distribution was noted after intra-articular injection of MIA. Both naproxen and rofecoxib demonstrated the capacity to significantly ( P Conclusion : The determination of differences in hind paw weight distribution in the rat MIA model of OA is a technically straightforward, reproducible method that is predictive of the effects of anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents. This system may be useful for the discovery of novel pharmacologic agents in human OA.
Relationship between arterial blood pressure and plasma norepinephrine levels in a patient with neurogenic hypertension

This study examined the relationship between arterial blood pressure and plasma norepinephrine levels during 12 hours of monitored sleep in a 35-year-old man in whom neurogenic hypertension developed immediately after surgical removal of a large hemangioblastoma at the obex region of the cervical-medullary junction. Plasma norepinephrine levels throughout the 12-hour sampling period correlated (r = 0.81, p less than 0.01) with mean arterial blood pressures, suggesting that sleep-related changes in blood pressure were dependent on associated changes in sympathetic nervous system activity in this patient with neurogenic hypertension.
Acculturation, Drinking, and Intimate Partner Violence among Hispanic Couples in the United States: A Longitudinal Study

This article examines the 5-year association between acculturation, drinking, and maleto-female partner violence and female-to-male partner violence among Hispanic couples in the United States. A national representative sample of Hispanic couples 18 years of age or older was interviewed in 1995 and 2000. Both members of the couple were independently interviewed. Differences in prevalence rates of male-to-female partner violence and female-to-male partner violence, incidence, and recurrence across acculturation groups are not significant. Drinking is associated with acculturation among women. Couples with mixed acculturation level (high-medium) are less at risk for maleto-female partner violence. An increase of five standard drinks per week in men’s drinking decreases the risk of female-to-male partner violence by 10%. Acculturation level at Time 1 is not associated with male-to-female partner violence and female-to-male partner violence status 5 years later.
The effects of treadmill running on aging laryngeal muscle structure.

Objectives/Hypothesis Age-related changes in laryngeal muscle structure and function may contribute to deficits in voice and swallowing observed in elderly people. We hypothesized that treadmill running, an exercise that increases respiratory drive to upper airway muscles, would induce changes in thyroarytenoid muscle myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms that are consistent with a fast-to-slow transformation in muscle fiber type. Study Design Randomized parallel group controlled trial. Methods Fifteen young adult and 14 old Fischer 344/Brown Norway rats received either treadmill running or no exercise (5 days/week/8 weeks). Myosin heavy chain isoform composition in the thyroarytenoid muscle was examined at the end of 8 weeks. Results Significant age and treatment effects were found. The young adult group had the greatest proportion of superfast-contracting MHCIIL isoform. The treadmill running group had the lowest proportion of MHCIIL and the greatest proportion of MHCIIx isoforms. Conclusion Thyroarytenoid muscle structure was affected both by age and treadmill running in a fast-to-slow transition that is characteristic of exercise manipulations in other skeletal muscles. Levels of Evidence NA. Laryngoscope, 2015
Narrow and wide field amacrine cells fire action potentials in response to depolarization and light stimulation

Action potentials in amacrine cells are important for lateral propagation of signals across the inner retina, but it is unclear how many subclasses of amacrine cells contain voltage-gated sodium channels or can fire action potentials. This study investigated the ability of amacrine cells with narrow ( 200 microm) dendritic fields to fire action potentials in response to depolarizing current injections and light stimulation. The pattern of action potentials evoked by current injections revealed two distinct classes of amacrine cells; those that responded with a single action potential (single-spiking cells) and those that responded with repetitive action potentials (repetitive-spiking cells). Repetitive-spiking cells differed from single-spiking cells in several regards: Repetitive-spiking cells were more often wide field cells, while single-spiking cells were more often narrow field cells. Repetitive-spiking cells had larger action potential amplitudes, larger peak voltage-gated NaV currents lower action potential thresholds, and needed less current to induce action potentials. However, there was no difference in the input resistance, holding current or time constant of these two classes of cells. The intrinsic capacity to fire action potentials was mirrored in responses to light stimulation; single-spiking amacrine cells infrequently fired action potentials to light steps, while repetitive-spiking amacrine cells frequently fired numerous action potentials. These results indicate that there are two physiologically distinct classes of amacrine cells based on the intrinsic capacity to fire action potentials.
Propenyl ethers. III. Study of the photoinitiated cationic polymerization of propenyl ether monomers

The effects of photoinitiator structure and variations in the experimental parameters on the rate and extent of the photoinitiated cationic polymerization of propenyl ether monomers were studied. It was found that the photoinitiators can be divided into two classes: those which exhibit an induction period and those which do not. It was demonstrated that in those propenyl ether polymerizations using iodonium salts and certain sulfonium salts which do not have an induction period, a free radical chain-induced decomposition of the onium salt takes place. The reactivity of a particular onium salt photoinitiator was shown to be related to its reduction potential. It was also shown that the structure of the monomer plays a major role in the free radical induced decomposition reaction. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
shl, a New Set of Arabidopsis Mutants with Exaggerated Developmental Responses to Available Red, Far-Red, and Blue Light

The interaction of light perception with development is the subject of intensive genetic analysis in the model plant Arabidopsis. We performed genetic screens in low white light—a threshold condition in which photomorphogenetic signaling pathways are only partially active—for ethyl methane sulfonate-generated mutants with altered developmental phenotypes. Recessive mutants with exaggerated developmental responses were obtained in eight complementation groups designated shl for seedlings hyperresponsive to light. shl1, shl2, shl5, and shl3 shl4 (double mutant) seedlings showed limited or no phenotypic effects in darkness, but showed significantly enhanced inhibition of hypocotyl elongation in low-white, red, far-red, blue, and green light across a range of fluences. These results reflect developmental hyper-responsiveness to signals generated by both phytochrome and cryptochrome photoreceptors. The shl11 mutant retained significant phenotypic effects on hypocotyl length in both the phyA mutant and phyB mutant backgrounds but may be dependent on CRY1 for phenotypic expression in blue light. The shl2 phenotype was partially dependent on PHYB , PHYA , and CRY1 in red, far-red, and blue light, respectively. shl2 and, in particular, shl1 were partially dependent on HY5 activity for their light-hyperresponsive phenotypes. The SHL genes act (genetically) as light-dependent negative regulators of photomorphogenesis, possibly in a downstream signaling or developmental pathway that is shared by CRY1 , PHYA, and PHYB and other photoreceptors ( CRY2 , PHYC , PHYD , and PHYE ).
Developmental differences in elimination of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) during Xenopus laevis development.

Abstract Although 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a potent developmental toxicant in most vertebrates, several frog species are insensitive to TCDD, especially during early life stages. Previous experiments with ranid frogs suggest that TCDD insensitivity results largely from rapid elimination. Recent studies in the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis; family Pipidae) link low TCDD toxicity with the low binding affinity of aryl hydrocarbon receptors, which mediate the toxic effects of dioxin-like compounds. The present study sought to examine TCDD elimination in X. laevis embryos and tadpoles, enabling an integrated assessment of the relative roles of TCDD elimination and AHR-related mechanisms in TCDD insensitivity within a single frog species. Using tadpoles (stage 52–55; ∼1 month old) exposed to [3H]TCDD, we observed that TCDD has a relatively short half life of 102.6 h, consistent with other frogs and much faster than reported clearance rates in developing fish. In contrast, TCDD elimination is much slower during early development. Embryos exposed during primary organogenesis (from stage 31–41, beginning ∼36 h after fertilization) exhibited little TCDD elimination during the subsequent 96 h. Enhanced TCDD clearance in later developmental stages may follow the appearance of a functional digestive tract and the onset of feeding. These results suggest that rapid elimination is unlikely to contribute mechanistically to TCDD insensitivity during development of the cardiovascular system, which is significantly perturbed by TCDD in fish embryos.
Associations Between Low-Income Children's Fine Motor Skills in Preschool and Academic Performance in Second Grade

Research Findings: Given the growing literature pertaining to the importance of fine motor skills for later academic achievement (D. W. Grissmer, K. J. Grimm, S. M. Aiyer, W. M. Murrah, & J. S. Ste...
The evolution of the Voyager mission sequence software and trends for future mission sequence software systems

The historical background of the spacecraft sequence generation process as it is represented by the Voyager mission to the outer planets is discussed. Present plans for future sequencing methods are examined, including the emphasis on cutting costs and the contrast between the centralized and distributed systems for sequencing. The use of artificial intelligence in mission sequencing is addressed.
Generation of O-band polarization entanglement in SMF-28

We demonstrate the generation of high-quality entangled photon pairs in the 1310-nm O-band. Using an ultra-stable source design, we produce polarization entanglement with 97.5% fidelity as characterized via coincidence basis tomography.
Scalable QSF-Trees: Retrieving Regional Objects in High-Dimensional Spaces

Many database applications require effective representation of regional objects in high-dimensional spaces. By applying an original query transformation, a recently proposed access method for regional data, called the simple QSF-tree (sQSF-tree), effectively attacks the limitations of traditional spatial access methods in spaces with many dimensions. Nevertheless, sQSF-trees are not immune to all problems associated with high data dimensionality. Based on the analysis of sQSF-trees, this paper presents a new variant of sQSF-trees, called the scalable QSF-tree (cQSF-tree), which relies on a heuristic optimization to reduce the number of false drops into pages that contain no object satisfying the query. By increasing the selectivity of search predicates, cQSF-trees improve the performance of multidimensional selections. Experimental evidence shows that cQSF-trees are more scalable than sQSF-trees to the growing data dimensionality. The performance improvements also increase with more skewed data distribution.
Imitation learning for task allocation

At the heart of multi-robot task allocation lies the ability to compare multiple options in order to select the best. In some domains this utility evaluation is not straightforward, for example due to complex and unmodeled underlying dynamics or an adversary in the environment. Explicitly modeling these extrinsic influences well enough so that they can be accounted for in utility computation (and thus task allocation) may be intractable, but a human expert may be able to quickly gain some intuition about the form of the desired solution. We propose to harness the expert's intuition by applying imitation learning to the multi-robot task allocation domain. Using a market-based method, we steer the allocation process by biasing prices in the market according to a policy which we learn using a set of demonstrated allocations (the expert's solutions to a number of domain instances). We present results in two distinct domains: a disaster response scenario where a team of agents must put out fires that are spreading between buildings, and an adversarial game in which teams must make complex strategic decisions to score more points than their opponents.
Differential protein expression profiling by iTRAQ-2DLC-MS/MS of lung cancer cells undergoing epithelial-mesenchymal transition reveals a migratory/invasive phenotype.

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of epithelial cells in both normal embryonic development and certain pathological contexts. Here, we show that TGF-β induced-EMT in human lung cancer cells (A549; adenocarcinoma cells) mediates tumor cell migration and invasion phenotypes. To gain insights into molecular events during EMT, we employed a global stable isotope labeled profiling strategy using iTRAQ reagents, followed by 2DLC−MS/MS, which identified a total of 51 differentially expressed proteins during EMT; 29 proteins were up-regulated and 22 proteins were down-regulated. Down-regulated proteins were predominantly enzymes involved in regulating nutrient or drug metabolism. The majority of the TGF-β-induced proteins (such as tropomyosins, filamin A, B, & C, integrin-β1, heat shock protein27, transglutaminase2, cofilin, 14-3-3 zeta, ezrin-radixin-moesin) are involved in the regulation of cell migration, adhesion and invasion, suggesting the acquisition of a ...
Adaptive diversity in PSO

Spatial Extension PSO (SEPSO) and Attractive-Repulsive PSO (ARPSO) are methods for artificial injection of diversity into particle swarm optimizers that are intended to encourage converged swarms to engage in exploration. While simple to implement, effective when tuned correctly, and benefiting from intuitive appeal, SEPSO behavior can be improved by adapting its radius and bounce parameters in response to collisions. In fact, adaptation can allow SEPSO to compete with and outperform ARPSO. The adaptation strategies presented here are simple to implement, easy to tune, and retain SEPSO's intuitive appeal.
CO 2 laser saturation of internal-vibrational modes of molecular impurities in alkali halides

CO2 laser saturation of the ν3 internal-vibrational mode of ReO4− molecules embedded in alkali-halide matrices has been observed near 10.8 μm. Excited-state lifetimes (T1) of the ReO4− internal-vibrational mode as a function of temperature between 1.3 and 300 K were extracted from the saturation data.
Grip form and graphomotor control in preschool children.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of the grip scale presented by Schneck and Henderson, the effect of grip form on drawing accuracy, and the effect of implement diameter on grip form and drawing accuracy. METHOD Sixty boys and girls who were 3, 4, and 5 years of age performed 20 trials of a precision drawing task, 4 trials each with five implements of varying diameters (4.7, 7.9, 11.1, 14.3, and 17.5 mm). RESULTS First, all 1,200 grips could be coded according to Schneck and Henderson's 10-grip whole-configuration assessment system, but the interrater reliability was lower than expected (.67 proportion of perfect agreement). Second, using Schneck's five-level scoring system, the level of grip significantly affected drawing accuracy, with the highest grip level used most often with the highest accuracy scores and the lowest observed grip level used most often with the lowest accuracy scores. Third, increasing implement diameter led to significantly lower level grips but did not significantly affect accuracy. CONCLUSIONS Therapists are recommended to use Schneck and Henderson's 10-grip scale only for documenting the persons' grips and changes in their grips, but if comparisons between individual persons are desired, then Schneck's five-level scale, which affords greater generalizability, should be used. Further, children with graphomotor performance deficits are not likely to benefit from grip manipulations because such strategies were shown to make better only performance that is already good.
Brand vulnerability to product assortments and prices

Abstract The assortment of brands that a specific brand competes against varies from one point of sale to another. The competitive landscape changes further because of within-assortment price variations at each location. The joint variation in assortment composition and pricing creates a complex set of scenarios under which a brand needs to compete. In this paper, we develop an approach to assess changes in a brand's vulnerability under alternative assortment and price configurations. We specifically propose that, in market environments with high variability in the competitive set and prices, it is more appropriate to assess a brand's strength relative to alternative assortment configurations rather than against individual competing brands. We build a model that depicts a brand's vulnerability in latent assortment space rather than the traditional brand space. The results from an illustrative model application are used to draw inferences about changes in brand vulnerabilities under shallow and deep promot...
Learning how to learn by solving bizarre problems: a playful approach to developing creative and strategic thinking

Purpose – In this paper, the authors present the insights and takeaways related to their experience with the design and development of ProblemUp!, a card game focused on helping higher education students develop personal strategies to overcome challenges in college and in life. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents a case study with analysis of and reflections on the design and development of an educational card game. Findings – The design and development of ProblemUp! has engendered a number of insights to analyze, design and implement games that can help students become successful learners in school and life, beyond subject matter. The authors realized that it is worthwhile to offer different opportunities for players to engage with the game (e.g. alternative sets of rules, face-to-face and online versions), while at the same time keeping the game affordable, accessible and fun to play. Ultimately, ProblemUp! reflects a social and playful approach to learning that can help students become st...
Control of Cryptotermes brevis

Bioassay of a standard, whole-building fumigation substantiates the hypothesis that sulfuryl fluoride is highly effective against Cryplotermes brevis (Walker) in Key West, Florida. Ultraviolet light trapping during the swarming season indicated no flight activity in fumigated buildings within 2 years after treatment. Laboratory treatment of wood surfaces with silica acrogel controlled reproductive termites, and residues from 1% dieldrin sprays gave 95-100% control. Dichlorvos fumigation in drums was ineffective at dosages recommended for control of other insect species.
An Application of Two Estimates for e

(1969). An Application of Two Estimates for e. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 76, No. 8, pp. 918-919.
SEASONAL BOTTOM CHANGES BOLINAS BAY, CALIFORNIA

Five bottom surveys over a period of a year were made in the north portion of Bolmas Bay, California Comparisons between successive surveys permitted an evaluation of the areas and depths of scour and fill with the seasons and were correlated with littoral current measurements Data for a 22-year period also were available on the position of the mean high-tide line over a limited length of beach These data showed a cyclic variation of the position of the high-tide line with the season with the most variation from year to year occurring during the spring months.
Stability of Resistance to Demeton and Ovex in the Citrus Red Mitea

Strains of the citrus red mite, Panonychus citri (McGregor), that had acquired resistance to demeton and ovex were collected in the field and maintained in the laboratory without further selective treatments with either chemical. Resistance to demeton declined from 163-fold to 2-fold in 78 months through 169 generations. Resistance to ovex declined from 13I-fold to 56-fold in 69 months through 149 generations.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Transition From Payments for Volume to Value Implications for North Carolina Physicians, Providers, and Patients

The US Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have announced goals and timelines to transition from payments based on volume to payments based on value, quality, and efficient delivery of care. These value-based payments and alternative payment models will impact all health care professionals and provider organizations by encouraging better care, healthier people, and spending health care dollars wisely and efficiently.
Voiding Pressure Studies

In much the same way that the urodynamacist can analyze storage phase defects by measuring urethral, abdominal and bladder pressure during bladder filling with multichannel urethrocystometry, one can use the same technique to analyze the emptying phase. Both normal micturition patterns and abnormal patterns such as detrusor sphincter dyssynergia (which will be discussed in Chapter 26) may be identified. In addition, analysis of voiding function will help to enable investigators to avoid postoperative voiding dysfunction as well as voiding dysfunction following nonsurgical treatments of urinary incontinence.
MetaMorph: a library framework for interoperable kernels on multi- and many-core clusters

To attain scalable performance efficiently, the HPC community expects future exascale systems to consist of multiple nodes, each with different types of hardware accelerators. In addition to GPUs and Intel MICs, additional candidate accelerators include embedded multiprocessors and FPGAs. End users need appropriate tools to efficiently use the available compute resources in such systems, both within a compute node and across compute nodes. As such, we present MetaMorph, a library framework designed to (automatically) extract as much computational capability as possible from HPC systems. Its design centers around three core principles: abstraction, interoperability, and adaptivity. To demonstrate its efficacy, we present a case study that uses the structured grids design pattern, which is heavily used in computational fluid dynamics. We show how MetaMorph significantly reduces the development time, while delivering performance and interoperability across an array of heterogeneous devices, including multicore CPUs, Intel MICs, AMD GPUs, and NVIDIA GPUs.
A one-protein signaling pathway in the innate immune system

Group A Streptococcus protease SpeB directly binds and activates IL-1β (LaRock et al., this issue).
Towards more accurate open source kart race balancing

The open source community has created many games that are based off of commercially available titles. Some games may have a more complete or accurate representation of their commercial counterpart while others strive to set themselves apart from being simply clones of a commercial game. This paper compares the open source kart racing game Super Tux Kart with its commercial peer Super Mario Kart. Obtaining items to be used against opponents is a feature common to both games that balance the abilities of the players, however the rates at which different items are handed to the player appear to be different. This paper presents a study which efficiently captures data from the commercial game, compares that data with the source code covering item selection in the open source game, and makes a suggestion in order to more accurately represent the item collection game balancing mechanism in the open source game.
Responding to Marginalization: Language Practices of African-Born Muslim Refugee Youths in an American Urban High School

This article offers an analysis of how refugee youths from Africa used and shifted languages and discourses in the United States. Drawing on sociocultural theories of language and utilizing ethnogr...
Geopolitics of Religion and Its Role in Youth Agency

As part of reconstructing political socialization methods, it is important to analyze the effect of religion. Traditionally, children and youth were thought to gain the majority of their political viewpoints through their parents or caregivers whose perspectives could be influenced by religious beliefs and affiliations. Along the same lines, religious socialization of children and youth has largely focused on the same top-down methodology; that is, a child or youth becomes affiliated with the same religion as that of his or her parents/caregivers. It has been argued that an individual’s religious beliefs will affect his or her political affiliation and ideology; hence, if a youth’s political socialization is dependent on his or her parent/caregiver, then he or she would also share the same religious belief system. While this is sometimes the case, religion plays a much more pervasive role within the system of political socialization for youth. Moving beyond only a parent/caregiver’s religious beliefs, youth are influenced by the way they perceive religion in the community at large. In addition, the politicization of religion cannot be ignored and its relation to the practice of religion is as important to youth as political socialization. As part of reconstructing the traditional methodology of political socialization, one of the most important processes is to unpack the politicization of religion and religious affiliation since global politics do not distinguish between religion and political affiliation of youth. In the case of Palestine, youth take religious courses at school and many of the political parties endorse religious idioms, while the local/global political reality is affected by the politics of religion. Hence, youth demonstrated their political agency by integrating the politicization of religion. Due to this interaction, religion and its politicization are significant factors in the political socialization of Palestinian youth, as a 14-year-old male journal participant from a village simply stated, “I became one of Hamas supporters because it is [an] Islamic party.”
Los adioses (1954) de Juan Carlos Onetti: procedimientos para alcanzar la sugerencia y el énfasis en el significado como nouvelle

ABSTRACTBased on a presentation of the production of nouvelles in Hispanic America and its current study, in which the permanent academic and critical interest in Juan Carlos Onetti's Los adioses (1954) stands, this article raises and discusses the procedures used by the author to achieve a narrative that by its nature of nouvelle refuses the explicit in exchange for the suggestion. Among such procedures are the character of the narrator, the ellipsis, and a language of conjecture and doubt. With all of those procedures Onetti builds an open and multiple text in which his major emphasis during the writing process lies in the development of the meaning of the text, instead of just narrating the story, as proposed by Henry James in various prefaces to his nouvelles.
David Oliver: Challenges for rural hospitals—the same but different

The UK is densely populated. Even Scotland, with only 62 people per square kilometre, pales in sparseness next to Canada or Australia, whose densities are 3.2 and 2.6, respectively.1 Even so, our rural areas face distinct challenges, and the problems facing urban health systems are exacerbated in the countryside: less car ownership, worse public transport, longer travel times to GP surgeries. Practices are smaller and have more difficulty attracting GPs. The hospital is often a long round trip from patients’ homes. Distance makes access to moderate level urgent and ambulatory care crucial, as is rehabilitation …
Swing Time: Score (1974)

Unfortunately for us, the many, many films released worldwide every year rarely speak to anything remotely related to bisexuality. Nevertheless, bi spectators and scholars have little reason to des...
Stimulus Control of Avoidance of a High Fixed-Ratio Schedule of Positive Reinforcement

After exposure to a multiple schedule which included variable-interval (VI 2-min) and fixed-ratio (FR 500) components in alternation, the performances of four pigeons were studied on a concurrent discriminated FR avoidance-VI schedule. Each avoidance response postponed the occurrence of FR 500 on the food key for a specified interval (R-S2), maintaining the subject on a VI 2-min schedule of food reinforcement. With the R-S2 interval constant, the avoidance rate increased as the interval (R-S1) between the response and a pre-FR warning stimulus was shortened. The pre-FR warning stimulus gained almost exclusive control of avoidance responding. Experimental manipulations established that the avoidance behavior was under the control of FR occurrences. When the avoidance schedule was converted to a non-discriminated condition, FR-avoidance was not maintained.
Not Too Hot, Not Too Cold, but “Just Right”

When ordering diagnostic tests, physicians are faced with a problem of not too many tests, not too few, but 'just right'. However, in medical diagnostics 'just right' may be very difficult to identify. Such is the conundrum presented in study by Rubenstein and colleagues regarding appropriate use of repeat esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) medical facilities. The important message of this paper is that out of 235,855 patients with an index EGD, 36% underwent repeat EGD over 5 years, of which only 9% (range 3-18%a cross VHA facilities) were classified as probable overuse.
Defining Primary Care Shortage Areas: Do GIS-based Measures Yield Different Results?

PURPOSE To examine whether geographic information systems (GIS)-based physician-to-population ratios (PPRs) yield determinations of geographic primary care shortage areas that differ from those based on bounded-area PPRs like those used in the Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designation process. METHODS We used geocoded data on primary care physician (PCP) locations and census block population counts from 1 US state to construct 2 shortage area indicators. The first is a bounded-area shortage indicator defined without GIS methods; the second is a GIS-based measure that measures the populations' spatial proximity to PCP locations. We examined agreement and disagreement between bounded shortage areas and GIS-based shortage areas. FINDINGS Bounded shortage area indicators and GIS-based shortage area indicators agree for the census blocks where the vast majority of our study populations reside. Specifically, 95% and 98% of the populations in our full and urban samples, respectively, reside in census blocks where the 2 indicators agree. Although agreement is generally high in rural areas (ie, 87% of the rural population reside in census blocks where the 2 indicators agree), agreement is significantly lower compared to urban areas. One source of disagreement suggests that bounded-area measures may "overlook" some shortages in rural areas; however, other aspects of the HPSA designation process likely mitigate this concern. Another source of disagreement arises from the border-crossing problem, and it is more prevalent. CONCLUSIONS The GIS-based PPRs we employed would yield shortage area determinations that are similar to those based on bounded-area PPRs defined for Primary Care Service Areas. Disagreement rates were lower than previous studies have found.
Application of Clustering Techniques in a Network Security Testing System

Security has become a main concern in corporate networks. In order to keep a network protected it is necessary to periodically perform security tests to control devices and services, and also identify possible vulnerabilities. Never two networks behave the same way; thus, results obtained from security tests may substantially differ from one to another. In this case, trying to manually find a behavior pattern for all networks becomes a difficult task. Unsupervised techniques can help security analysts finding certain devices patterns, and also help revealing hidden problems in network security. This paper proposes a solution based on unsupervised techniques to help security analysts handling all the information obtained from security tests in order to detect abnormal groups of devices or atypical system behaviors.
The Barotropic Tide in the Strait of Gibraltar

The Strait of Gibraltar represents the transition between two very different tidal regimes, that in the North Atlantic where the tidal ranges exceed 2 m and that in the Mediterranean where the ranges are less than 1 m. The surface tide within the strait is principally forced by the Atlantic tide and has a strongly semidiumal character, i.e. ~96% of the pressure and ~74% of the current variability observed are contained within this band. The cotidal chart for the principal sernidiurnal constituent M2 presents a complicated diffraction pattern within the strait. Corange lines (lines of equal amplitude) are aligned perpendicular to the axis of the strait with a >50% magnitude decrease between Atlantic and Mediterranean sides. Cotidal lines (lines of equal phase) show a southwestern propagation emanating from a point source around Tarifa, implying a ~40 min time delay between maximum elevation at the north and south shores around the longitude of Tarifa. Using simultaneous pressure and current observations, it is shown that this apparent complicated behavior of the surface tide is the manifestation of simple, first order, along- and across-strait momentum balances.
Environmental Health in the Twenty-First Century: A Peek into the Future

Predicting the future is risky business at best, and any such prediction based on the assumption that current trends will continue very far into a new century, let alone a new millennium, is even less certain. When growth is exponential (e.g., human population increase since the initial emergence of Homo sapiens), continuing such a trend also defies the laws of physics. Using the example of Malthusian population explosion, long before the next millennium ends, planet Earth would consist of a throbbing mass of protoplasm expanding at the speed of light. Thus, I had best confine my peek into the future only to the early years of the twenty-first century. As a teacher of environmental health for most of the last half of the twentieth century, I am in the twilight of my career and will not have to answer for the folly of my predictions for very long. Thus I will attempt to summarize this turn-of-the-century perspective by projecting environmental health trends beyond (but not very far beyond) the dawn of the new millennium.
Reconciling pronunciation differences between the front-end and the back-end in the IBM speech synthesis system.

In this paper, methods for reconciling pronunciation differences between a rule-based front-end and the pronunciations observed in a database of recorded speech are presented. The methods are applied to the IBM Expressive Speech Synthesis System [1] for both unrestricted and limited-domain text-to-speech synthesis. One method is based on constructing a multiple pronunciation lattice for the given sentence and scoring it using word and phoneme n-gram statistics computed from the target speaker’s database. A second method consists of storing observed pronunciations and introducing them as alternates in the search. We compare the strengths and weaknesses of these two methods. Results show that improvements are achieved in both limited and unrestricted domains, with the largest gains coming in the limited-domain case.
In Vitro Selection and Characterization of VX-478 Resistant HIV-1 Variants

VX-478 (141W94), a potent inhibitor of HIV protease, is in late stage clinical trials for the treatment of HIV infection and AIDS. Resistant viruses were raised in vitro by passage of HIV-1IIIB in the presence of increasing concentrations of VX-478 and the related hydroxyethylamino sulfonamide inhibitor VB-11,328. By direct PCR analysis of selected viruses, a number of mutations were identified (L10F, M46I,147V, I50V and I84V) in the protease gene. These mutations were introduced into recombinant HIV-1 protease and the mutant enzymes assayed against a panel of inhibitors of diverse chemical structure. For VX-478, significant increases in IC90 and Ki were observed for virus or protease, respectively, containing I50V single mutation or an M46I/I47V/I50V triple mutation. The mutant proteases were also characterized for their kinetic competence to process substrates representing cleavage sites of gag-pol viral polypeptide. The kinetic data were interpreted with the aid of molecular modeling to understand the effect of mutations on inhibitor binding and processing of the gag-pol polypeptide to generate infective virions.