cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Intrahousehold Property Ownership on Expenditure Patterns in Ghana

Increasingly, economists are examining how the dynamics within households affect the outcomes of household decisions. This paper uses data from the 1991/92 and the 1998/99 Ghana Living Standards Surveys to examine how the share of assets owned by women in Ghanaian households affects household expenditure patterns. In this analysis, assets include business assets, savings, and farmland. The results indicate that women's share of assets do have an impact on household budget shares for a number of expenditure categories in each time period. The effects are robust to considering only the share of farmland held by women. Although the number of households in which women own land is much smaller than the number of households in which women own assets, the coefficients on the share of household land owned by women is statistically significant in explaining five of the nine budget categories in each time period. In particular, in both periods, women's share of farmland significantly increased budget shares on food. Finally, the paper considers the patterns of poverty and asset holdings over this time period. Copyright 2006, Oxford University Press.
Diurnal and seasonal variations in radio reception at broadcast frequencies during the last sunspot‐cycle

At the annual meeting of the Union in 1938 a report [see 1 of “References” at end of paper] as presented showing the general inverse trend of radio field-strengths in the broadcast band with increasing solar activity. The data then presented were based upon some 800 hours of evening observations of WBBM, Chicago, received in the suburbs of Boston between 9h to 10h p.m. eastern standard time from November, 1935, to January, 1938. The need for correcting field-strength observations for diurnal and seasonal variation was pointed out. It was thought that this could be expressed by a single factor which was the function of the angle of depression of the Sun below the horizon. In a subsequent publication [2] the importance of correcting radio observations for this negative solar-altitude effect was further emphasized, and a revised correction-curve published which has been regularly used at this laboratory for reducing hourly means throughout the year to a fiducial standard arbitrarily adopted, corresponding to a depression of the Sun of 30° below the horizon at the equinox in latitude 40°. Because of the wide variations in field-intensities due to the diurnal and seasonal change in the ionosphere, it is obvious that such corrections are of first consideration before fair comparisons of radio transmission are made with other cosmic phenomena.
Hydrodynamic stability of the porous wetted wall protection schemes in IFE reactors

Abstract A numerical investigation has been conducted to analyze the fluid dynamic aspects of the porous wetted wall protection scheme for IFE reactor first walls. The transient three-dimensional conservation equations, together with a level contour reconstruction method, have been used to track the three-dimensional evolution of the liquid film surface on a porous downward facing wall with different liquid injection velocities. Parametric calculations have been performed to develop generalized non-dimensional charts for the droplet detachment time, detached droplet equivalent diameter, and minimum film thickness during the transient as a function of the relevant liquid properties, and the various design and operating parameters. The effects of initial film thickness, liquid injection velocity through the porous wall, surface disturbance amplitude and configuration, disturbance mode number, and surface inclination angle have been examined. The results suggest that, when applied to the downward facing upper half of the reactor cavity, liquid film stability may impose a limit on the minimum repetition rate in order to avoid liquid ‘dripping’ into the reactor cavity between shots. The results also suggest that a minimum injection velocity is required in order to maintain the film thickness over the entire surface above a specified minimum value. The generalized charts obtained in this investigation make it possible to establish ‘design windows’ for successful implementation of the wetted wall protection scheme with various coolants and operating conditions.
Developing Science and Engineering Career Opportunities for American Indians: Experiences and Observations

This paper reports our experiences in working with precollege and undergraduate American Indian students. In 1990, we began a fourth-grade after-school science program for 30 American Indian students. At the present time the program, called Scientific Knowledge for Indian Learning and Leadership (SKILL), involves over 200 American Indian 4th-9th grade students in weekly science/mathematics activities, quarterly Saturday seminars, and summer science camps. We have collected data to try to determine factors that help to improve student attitudes towards mathematics and science. Conclusions are drawn from these analyses and from our own subjective observations. The development of American Indian involvement in undergraduate science and engineering education on our campus has been aided by the establishment of an American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) chapter and also by the promotion of collaborative learning. A comparison of our observations in the framework of other more well-established programs is given. Changes that have occurred as a result of both precollege and college activities are described and discussed. It appears that each of these activities has had beneficial influences on the other. We also report problems and concerns as well as recommendations to other groups or institutions who may be embarking on similar endeavors.
EDA tools trust evaluation through security property proofs

The security concerns of EDA tools have long been ignored because IC designers and integrators only focus on their functionality and performance. This lack of trusted EDA tools hampers hardware security researchers' efforts to design trusted integrated circuits. To address this concern, a novel EDA tools trust evaluation framework has been proposed to ensure the trustworthiness of EDA tools through its functional operation, rather than scrutinizing the software code. As a result, the newly proposed framework lowers the evaluation cost and is a better fit for hardware security researchers. To support the EDA tools evaluation framework, a new gate-level information assurance scheme is developed for security property checking on any gate-level netlist. Helped by the gate-level scheme, we expand the territory of proof-carrying based IP protection from RT-level designs to gate-level netlist, so that most of the commercially trading third-party IP cores are under the protection of proof-carrying based security properties. Using a sample AES encryption core, we successfully prove the trustworthiness of Synopsys Design Compiler in generating a synthesized netlist.
Popliteal venous aneurysm: Report of two cases and review of the world literature☆

Two new cases of popliteal venous aneurysm are reported and added to the 22 other cases of popliteal venous aneurysm available for review. Both patients were first seen with acute pulmonary embolism and were treated with thrombolytic therapy followed by anticoagulation. Each had recurrent venous thromboembolism before discovery of the popliteal venous aneurysm. One popliteal venous aneurysm was diagnosed with phlebography and the second with venous duplex imaging, confirmed with phlebography. Both were surgically corrected with tangential aneurysmectomy and lateral venorrhaphy. Twenty-four cases of popliteal venous aneurysm are now available for review. Seventy-one percent (17 of 24) presented with pulmonary embolism, 88% (21 of 24) were saccular, and 96% (23 of 24) were located in the proximal popliteal vein. All but two were diagnosed by ascending phlebography. Three patients received no treatment: in two of these the outcome was not documented and the third had occasional pain. Two patients received anticoagulation without subsequent operative repair and both died of recurrent pulmonary emboli. Operative correction resulted in a 75% patency rate with 21% complications, most of which were related to postoperative anticoagulation. No patient who was operated on had subsequent pulmonary embolism, and there were no operative deaths. We suggest that all patients who have pulmonary embolism have lower-extremity venous duplex imaging. All popliteal venous aneurysms should be surgically repaired, inasmuch as nonoperative therapy results in recurrent thromboembolism and an unacceptably high mortality rate. Tangential aneurysmectomy with lateral venorrhaphy is the recommended procedure.
A solenoidal spectrometer for reactions in inverse kinematics

A new type of spectrometer for the study of reactions in inverse kinematics is proposed, in which the target and detector are placed inside a uniform magnetic field. This device has significant advantages over more conventional approaches to measurements of key reactions, and should prove useful in the study of short-lived nuclei. The technique is directly applicable to existing research programs at present accelerators with secondary beams, and the technique is likely to be important at future radioactive beam facilities.
New High-Resolution Semi-discrete Central Schemes for Hamilton—Jacobi Equations

We introduce a new high-resolution central scheme for multidimensional Hamilton?Jacobi equations. The scheme retains the simplicity of the non-oscillatory central schemes developed by C.-T. Lin and E. Tadmor (in press, SIAM J. Sci. Comput.), yet it enjoys a smaller amount of numerical viscosity, independent of 1/?t. By letting ?t?0 we obtain a new second-order central scheme in the particularly simple semi-discrete form, along the lines of the new semi-discrete central schemes recently introduced by the authors in the context of hyperbolic conservation laws. Fully discrete versions are obtained with appropriate Runge?Kutta solvers. The smaller amount of dissipation enables efficient integration of convection-diffusion equations, where the accumulated error is independent of a small time step dictated by the CFL limitation. The scheme is non-oscillatory thanks to the use of nonlinear limiters. Here we advocate the use of such limiters on second discrete derivatives, which is shown to yield an improved high resolution when compared to the usual limitation of first derivatives. Numerical experiments demonstrate the remarkable resolution obtained by the proposed new central scheme.
In black and white: how to create perfectly colored symmetric patterns

Abstract The use of isometries to create and “perfectly color” symmetric tilings and patterns is explained. The reader is not presumed to have knowledge of isometries, group theory, or computer science. A student, designer, teacher, or any other person interested in the interplay of geometry and art (particularly geometric symmetry), and the possibility of implementation using computer graphics, can learn from this paper.
If You Can’t Join ’Em, Beat ’Em: The Gender Gap in Individual Donations to Congressional Candidates:

The authors revisit the gender gap in campaign finance and find an advantage for women candidates in earning donations from individual donors due to the activities of female donor networks and the changing congressional donor pool. Women supported by these networks, especially Democratic women, receive a boost in campaign fund-raising compared to their male counterparts, whereas women not supported by these networks receive significantly less. The ideological leanings of congressional donors also advantage Democratic women. Substantial partisan gender differences in this area of campaign finance persist, and this fund-raising gap may contribute to the growing partisan gender gap in Congress.
Hypoxia activates glycogen synthase kinase-3 in mouse brain in vivo: protection by mood stabilizers and imipramine.

Background Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3), which is primarily regulated by an inhibitory phosphorylation of an N-terminal serine, has been implicated as contributing to mood disorders by the finding that it is inhibited by the mood stabilizer lithium. Methods This study tested if the antidepressant imipramine or the mood stabilizers lithium and sodium valproate regulated pathophysiological serine-dephosphorylation of GSK3 caused by hypoxia in mouse brain in vivo. Results Hypoxia caused rapid serine-dephosphorylation of both isoforms of GSK3, GSK3β and GSK3α, in mouse cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and striatum. Pretreatment of mice with imipramine, sodium valproate, or lithium attenuated hypoxia-induced serine-dephosphorylation of GSK3β and GSK3α in all three brain regions. Conclusions These results demonstrate that imipramine and mood stabilizers are capable of blocking pathophysiologically induced serine-dephosphorylation of GSK3, supporting the hypothesis that stabilization of serine-phosphorylation of GSK3 contributes to their therapeutic effects.
The Moderating Effect of Diversity Strategy on the Relationship Between Racial Diversity and Organizational Performance

The purpose of this study was to examine the degree to which a proactive diversitymanagement strategy moderated the relationship between racial diversity and organizational performance. Data were gathered from 75 NCAA athletic departments. Hierarchal regression analysis indicated that, after controlling for the department expenditures and department size, racial diversity was positively associated with objective measures of overall performance. These effects were qualified by the moderating effects of a proactive diversity-management strategy, as departments that were racially diverse and followed a proactive diversity-management strategy had the greatest performance. The total model explained 68% of the variance in the department’s performance. Results are discussed in terms of contributions and implications. jasp_490 1445..1460
GSSI, a general model for solute-solvent interactions. 1. Description of the model.

A novel, semiempirical approach for the general treatment of solute−solvent interactions (GSSI) was developed to enable the prediction of solution-phase properties (e.g., free energies of desolvation, partition coefficients, and membrane permeabilities). The GSSI approach is based on the principle that all solution-phase processes can be modeled in terms of one or more gas-to-solution transfer processes. The free energy of each gas-to-solution transfer process is calculated as the sum of the free energy of cavity formation and the free energy of solute−solvent interaction. The solute's contributions to these free energies are modeled on the basis of various quantities computed from the solute's three-dimensional (3D) structure, whereas the solvent's contributions are modeled by empirically determined regression coefficients. More specifically, the free energy of cavity formation is modeled on the basis of the total solvent-accessible surface area of the solute. The enthalpy of solute−solvent interaction i...
In-vitro selection of Vitis vinifera 'Chardonnay' with Elsinoe ampelina culture filtrate is accompanied by fungal resistance and enhanced secretion of chitinase.

Proembryogenic masses of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) `Chardonnay' (clone 02Ch) were exposed to the culture filtrate of Elsinoe ampelina (deBary) Shear, the causal agent of anthracnose disease. After four or five cycles of recurrent in-vitro selection with medium containing 40% fungal culture filtrate, putative resistant lines RC 1 and RC 2 respectively, were established. The selected lines inhibited the growth of E. ampelina and Fusarium oxysporium (Schlecht.) (isolated from watermelon) in a dual-culture assay and reduced the growth of mycelium on a conditioned-medium test, thus suggesting the involvement of extracellular compounds in resistance. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide (SDS-PAGE) gel electrophoresis of extracellular proteins from spent suspension-culture medium showed enhanced secretion of new proteins by selected lines. A 36-kDa protein was immunodetected by a chitinase antiserum. This chitinase continued to express constitutively in differentiated somatic embryos and also in the intercellular fluids of plants regenerated from the selected lines. Somatic embryos from selected lines grew uninhibitedly in a medium containing 40% fungal culture filtrate, whereas non-selected (control) somatic embryos became necrotic and died within a few days. Plants regenerated from selected lines exhibited resistance to infection by E. ampelina in both greenhouse tests and detached leaf bioassays. Results suggest that embryogenic cells can be selected for resistance following in-vitro selection, resulting in resistant plants. Whether or not resistant cells pre-existed in the original embryogenic culture or were induced by the selection pressure could not be determined.
An experimental evaluation of a temporal decay in the prediction of performance

Abstract Data were obtained to test the explanatory power of an explanation of the temporal decay in the relationship between predictor batteries and performance criteria assessed at different stages of practice. An experimental group consisting of 67 college students enrolled in a basic flight training course leading to the FAA private pilot's certificate and an equivalent control group of 74 college students interested in aviation served as subjects. An ability battery administered before and after training to all subjects indicated that significantly greater changes occurred in the mean ability scores within the experimental group than within the control group. These results were interpreted as indicating that the temporal decay in the predictive validities of ability batteries may be attributable to changes in the subjects rather than to changes in the “importance” of ability measures as had previously been hypothesized. The implications of these findings for selection and placement programs are discussed.
Values in Leadership - Lessons Learned From Patients, Students, and Colleagues

As many of you know, I asked for considerable input into this Presidential Address. And, none of my colleagues were positive when I initially suggested using “Sphincter Preservation” as a unifying theme for describing my personal journey through almost every aspect of surgical practice, research, education, and administration.1 Even when I suggested that this same theme might be quite appropriate for the latest phase of my experiences in “deaning” and leading academic medicine and biological sciences at Chicago, still no affirmation. What then began to take shape in my mind was a discussion of leadership. I submit that this theme is most appropriate for a Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) audience because, as you will see in a bit, leadership is the overall mission and a recurring focus of this society’s design and its work. More specifically, what began to intrigue me was the possibility of an interesting set of common leadership traits we learn during our lengthy training, and even more importantly, as we care for patients with cancer. So, rather than Sphincter Preservation, perhaps this Walt Whitman line is a better starting point: “How beggarly appear arguments before a defiant deed!”2 Now I must admit that whenever I use this as a lead-in for presenting still another of my strategic plans to various trustee groups at the University of Chicago (always feigning a somewhat self-deprecating caricature of the surgical need to “do something”), I’m aware that in my present administrative venue, argument is greatly valued over anything that smacks of action. In addition, I am quite aware that Whitman is presently considered a literary lightweight by some not diminished by the fact that a copy of Leaves of Grass was among the Lewinsky subpoenaed gift portfolio! But the Whitman line does distill at least one important character trait that is distinctly surgical a compelling need to accomplish something. This trait is not widely distributed among leaders in academic medicine. I began this self-analysis by rereading past SSO Presidential Addresses, concentrating on those I have heard during my 23 years in this society. Common themes were apparent and remain pertinent despite details which often become dated. Here are some examples, in no particular order and implying no particular value judgment on my part:
Flexibility and Function in HIV Protease: Dynamics of the HIV-1 Protease Bound to the Asymmetric Inhibitor Kynostatin 272 (KNI-272)

The HIV-1 protease is a 22 kDa homodimeric protein essential for function of the AIDS virus, and protease inhibitors have been developed into effective HIV drugs. In order to better understand HIV-1 protease−inhibitor interactions, we have investigated amide backbone dynamics by correlated 1H−15N NMR spectroscopy. To date, HIV-1 protease/inhibitor complexes studied by NMR spectroscopy have been limited to C2 symmetric structures, consisting of the protease bound to a symmetric inhibitor. Herein we report studies of the dynamics of HIV-1 protease complexed to KNI-272, a potent (Ki ca. 5 pM), asymmetric inhibitor which lifts the chemical shift degeneracy of the protease monomers and allows us to ascertain if the individual protease monomers have significantly different backbone motions. Using isotope filtered/edited spectra of 15N/13C protease complexed with unlabeled KNI-272, together with distances derived from the protease/KNI-272 X-ray structure, we obtained monomer specific NMR signal assignments. We d...
Identifying components in 3D density maps of protein nanomachines by multi-scale segmentation

Segmentation of density maps obtained using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a challenging task, and is typically accomplished by time-intensive interactive methods. The goal of segmentation is to identify the regions inside the density map that correspond to individual components. We present a multi-scale segmentation method for accomplishing this task that requires very little user interaction. The method uses the concept of scale space, which is created by convolution of the input density map with a Gaussian filter. The latter process smoothes the density map. The standard deviation of the Gaussian filter is varied, with smaller values corresponding to finer scales and larger values to coarser scales. Each of the maps at different scales is segmented using the watershed method, which is very efficient, completely automatic, and does not require the specification of seed points. Some detail is lost in the smoothing process. A sharpening process reintroduces detail into the segmentation at the coarsest scale by using the segmentations at the finer scales. We apply the method to simulated density maps, where the exact segmentation (or ground truth) is known, and rigorously evaluate the accuracy of the resulting segmentations.
Synthesis and Reactivity of 3-Diazo-4-oxocoumarins for Photolithographic Applications

3-Diazo-4-oxocoumarins absorb in the deep ultraviolet (DUV) and upon photolysis undergo a Wolff rearrangement in aqueous environments to afford carboxylic acid photoproducts that are transparent in the DUV. Because this photochemical reaction transforms a base insoluble chromophore into a base soluble one, it may be exploited for the design of photolithographic materials. Examples of 5-, 6-, and 7-substituted 3-diazo-4-oxocoumarins have been synthesized and the reactivity of the corresponding photogenerated ketenes has been studied. For most chromophores, the rate of ketene hydrolysis was found to correlate with the calculated charge on the ketenyl carbon. 3-Diazo-4-oxocoumarins bearing electron-donating substituents in these positions demonstrate the lowest reactivity and therefore show the most promise for lithographic materials.
Direct closure of ostium primum defect in the repair of atrioventricular septal defect

Abstract Background . Patch closure is generally performed for atrial septation of an atrioventricular septal defect. We recently developed a new surgical technique for repairing atrioventricular septal defects that avoids the use of any patch material for closing the atrial septal defect. We report our experience with this procedure. Methods . Seven patients (complete type: 5, partial type: 2) underwent this new operation. The diameters of the atrial septal defects were measured by transesophageal echocardiography. The preoperative electrocardiograms were compared with those taken after the operations. Results . Diameters of the atrial defects ranged from 3 to 10 mm. Electrocardiograms before and after the operations did not change. No significant atrioventricular valve regurgitation and no residual shunts were detected by postoperative echocardiography. Conclusions . This method simplifies the repair of atrioventricular septal defects. In the short-term results, no arrhythmia and no valve regurgitation was seen.
Balancing constituency representation and party responsiveness in the US Senate: the conditioning effect of state ideological heterogeneity

Spatial proximity theories of representation focus on the importance of the average views of constituencies in guiding legislators’ decisions. However, legislative scholars also identify political parties as central in structuring behavior. We present and test a theory of how legislators might resolve this tension. We propose that heterogeneity in constituent preferences conditions how legislators balance the (sometimes) rival pressures of constituency and party. Specifically, greater preference heterogeneity weakens the impact of the average constituency views on roll-call behavior while strengthening the impact of party. We show support with data from the US Senate and discuss the implications for democratic representation.
FUNCTIONALITY COMPARISON BETWEEN DERIVATIZED WHEY PROTEINS AND A PREGELATINIZED STARCH

A process has been patented to produce stabilizing ingredients from whey proteins which are applicable over a wide range of typical food conditions and do not require heat or the addition of salts to induce thickening functionality. Once reconstituted in deionized water, solutions were evaluated and compared with water holding performance and rheological attributes of a pregelatinized cornstarch. Rotational viscometry was performed at pH values between 3 and 8, temperatures between 5 and 90C, and shear rates between 1 and 100 s -1 . Derivatized whey protein powders and pregelatinized starch displayed pseudoplastic behavior under shear at all temperatures tested. During temperature ramps from 5 to 90C, derivatized whey protein flow properties were essentially unchanged by varying pH. However, viscosity after the temperature increase was higher than initial values, possibly due to additional protein denaturation and hydrophobic interactions. Derivatized powders were stable and retained desired functionality over a wide range of food processing and preparation conditions and may therefore possess applicability to many products currently utilizing modified starches or hydrocolloids to texturize.
A comparison of physicians' attitudes and beliefs regarding driving for persons with epilepsy.

Abstract Objective The purpose of this survey was to compare attitudes and opinions regarding driving restrictions for persons with epilepsy (PWE) between internal medicine and general practice physicians and neurologists. Method A questionnaire aimed at eliciting physicians’ perspectives related to driving with epilepsy was developed that focused on physicians’ experiences and opinions with respect to driving issues for PWE. Three groups of physician subspecialties were targeted based on the likelihood of persons with epilepsy in their practice: neurologists, family practice physicians, and internal medicine practitioners. Questions asked about driving with controlled and uncontrolled seizures, predictable auras, nocturnal seizures, seizures without loss of consciousness, patient reporting, seizure-related accidents, and patient justifications for driving. Results Error rates were high with respect to knowledge of state reporting practices, especially among family practitioners and internal medicine physicians. Family practitioners and internists were less likely than neurologists to support driving for people with uncontrolled seizures under specific conditions and more likely to support a minimum seizure-free period before issuing a driver’s license and mandatory reporting of seizure information. Physicians who thought they were from states with mandatory reporting were more supportive of mandatory reporting of seizure information and setting a minimum seizure-free period before a driver’s license is issued. Physicians having fewer patients with epilepsy were more likely to oppose driving in persons with intractable seizures. Conclusion Nonneurologists have more restrictive beliefs regarding driving for PWE, who are in fact allowed to drive in many states. Nonneurologists, in particular, demonstrated poor knowledge of state reporting requirements for PWE. The data from this study support a significant effort to promote education of all physicians regarding state regulations and aspects of epilepsy related to driving.
Vision and Creation of the American Heart Association Pharmaceutical Roundtable Outcomes Research Centers

Background— The field of outcomes research seeks to define optimal treatment in practice and to promote the rapid full adoption of efficacious therapies into routine clinical care. The American Heart Association (AHA) formed the AHA Pharmaceutical Roundtable (PRT) Outcomes Research Centers Network to accelerate attainment of these goals. Participating centers were intended to carry out state-of-the-art outcomes research in cardiovascular disease and stroke, to train the next generation of investigators, and to support the formation of a collaborative research network. Program— After a competitive application process, 4 AHA PRT Outcomes Research Centers were selected: Duke Clinical Research Institute; Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute; Stanford University–Kaiser Permanente of Northern California; and University of California, Los Angeles. Each center proposed between 1 and 3 projects organized around a single theme in cardiovascular disease or stroke. Additionally, each center will select and train ...
PROLEGOMENA TO ANY FUTURE PROLEGOMENA

The paper by Sacks and Doyle that is the focus of this debate resembles previous papers by Cheeseman and McDermott, leaping from the observation that a specific application of some AI technology is unable to solve a problem to the conclusion that the technology itself is of limited value. We argue that claims such as this should be made more cautiously in the future, and make constructive suggestions about future qualitative physics research based on Sacks and Doyle's results.
Measurement of single macromolecule orientation by total internal reflection fluorescence polarization microscopy.

A new approach is presented for measuring the three-dimensional orientation of individual macromolecules using single molecule fluorescence polarization (SMFP) microscopy. The technique uses the unique polarizations of evanescent waves generated by total internal reflection to excite the dipole moment of individual fluorophores. To evaluate the new SMFP technique, single molecule orientation measurements from sparsely labeled F-actin are compared to ensemble-averaged orientation data from similarly prepared densely labeled F-actin. Standard deviations of the SMFP measurements taken at 40 ms time intervals indicate that the uncertainty for individual measurements of axial and azimuthal angles is ∼10° at 40 ms time resolution. Comparison with ensemble data shows there are no substantial systematic errors associated with the single molecule measurements. In addition to evaluating the technique, the data also provide a new measurement of the torsional rigidity of F-actin. These measurements support the smaller of two values of the torsional rigidity of F-actin previously reported.
Development and experimental characterization of micromachined electromagnetic probes for biological manipulation and stimulation applications

We present the design, fabrication and experimental characterization of a new micromachined electromagnetic probe, which can be readily adapted to various biological manipulation and stimulation applications. The micro electromagnetic probe consists of a protruding (out-of-chip), sharp Permalloy needle embedded into a three-dimensional gold conducting coil. The probe fabrication is carried out using traditional surface micromachining processes coupled with assembly techniques. This hybrid approach significantly reduces fabrication difficulties and provides a simple and straightforward technique to realize integrated core-coil geometries. Furthermore, by using a scanning Hall probe microscope (SHPM), a comprehensive, high-spatial resolution characterization of the probe performance (e.g. peak magnetic intensity and spatial field distribution) is achieved for the first time. The manipulation of sub-micron sized magnetic particles with the developed micro electromagnetic probe is also demonstrated.
Systolic Blood Pressure within an Intermediate Range May Reduce Memory Loss in an Elderly Hypertensive Cohort

The objective of this study was to determine if maintenance of systolic blood pressure (BP) within a high range or low range among treated hypertensive patients increases the risk of memory decline. Biennial neuropsychological evaluations were performed on 158 hypertensive subjects. Decline/year was measured on the Cued Selective Reminding test (total free recall and delayed recall) in three systolic BP groups (low-i.e., mean systolic BP during the follow-up period 150 mm Hg). In total free recall, the three systolic BP groups had significantly different declines per year (P = .02), with patients in the high subgroup showing the greatest decline. In delayed recall, the three systolic BP groups also showed significantly different declines per year (P = .04), with patients in the low subgroup having the greatest decline. Chronically elevated systolic BP > 150 mm Hg is associated with accelerated memory decline compared to older treated hypertensive patients with systolic BP in an intermediate range. Chronically maintained systolic BP within a low normal range < 135 mm Hg in older treated hypertensive subjects may be associated with accelerated memory decline, specifically in a test of delayed memory recall, compared to patients with systolic BP in an intermediate range. Optimal regulation of systolic BP may be a potential modifiable risk factor to prevent or minimize memory loss in older hypertensive patients.
Semi-automatic delineation of regions in floor plans

We propose a technique that uses a proximity metric for delineating partially or fully bounded regions of a scanned bitmap that depicts a building floor plan. A proximity field is defined over the bitmap, which is used both to identify the centers of subjective regions in the image and to assign pixels to regions by proximity. The region boundaries generated by the method tend to match well the subjective boundaries of regions in the image. We discuss incorporation of the technique in a semi-automated interactive system for region identification in floor plans. In contrast to area-filling techniques for delineating areal regions of images, our approach works robustly for partially bounded regions. Furthermore, the frailties of the method that do remain, unlike those of alternative techniques, are well-moderated by simple human intervention.
Pharmacokinetics of methylmercury in sheep.

A preliminary study of the pharmacokinetics of methylmercury was performed in sheep after a single intravenous dose of 203 Hg-labeled methylmercury. Blood samples were taken periodically, and plasma and whole blood 203Hg were determined. Blood and plasma 203Hg concentrations exhibited a biphasic exponential decline. The half-time for the major component was 14.6 days for plasma 203Hg and 14.1 days for whole blood. There was a uniform distribution of 203 Hg between red cells and plasma throughout the study. A red cell to plasma concentration ratio of 14.9:1 was obtained, with approximately 88% of the 203 Hg in blood associated with the red cell fraction. Both the feces and the wool represented major routes of excretion. Approximately 18% of the dose was present in the wool taken on day 8. This is compared with a total excretion in the feces of 11.5% of the dose over the same time course. The total of 29.5% compares favorably with a reduction of 32.5% in the terminal component of the whole blood curve. Sequential analysis of wool from the root end revealed increasing concentrations of 203 Hg to a peak. Using the first appearance of the 203 Hg label in the wool as a marker to determine the wool growth rate, the 203 Hg in wool shewed an exponential decline with a half-time similar to that seen for whole blood and plasma. The wool to blood ratio was estimated to be approximately 120:1. Tissue analysis at sacrifice revealed a rather uniform distribution of 203 Hg label in the brain. Somewhat lower levels were observed in the spinal cord and ganglia. Kidney had the highest 203 Hg concentration, and edible muscle had approximately six times the concentration measured in blood. The concentration of 203 Hg was three times higher in bile than in plasma, consistent with the substantial fecal excretion observed. The sheep may be a useful animal model for studying regional deposition of methylmercury in the CNS and mechanisms of methylmercury deposition into hair.
Inhomogeneous Parquet Theory

The parquet summation of Feynman diagrams provides a powerful approach for calculating the properties of many-particle systems. For inhomogeneous boson systems, we have showed previously1 that the parquet theory, with suitable approximations, could lead to the inhomogeneous variational theory of Krotscheck, Qian and Kohn2 (KQK). In this paper, we focus more clearly on the nature of the approximations which were implicitly made in the previous work and discuss in more detail the nature of the single-particle self-energy which is a natural part of the parquet theory which is less clearly manifested in the corresponding variational theory. At the same time, we introduce a new notation which enables rather transparent connections between the diagrammatic quantities and equations of the perturbation theory and the corresponding entities of the variational theory.
Soft Biometric Traits for Personal Recognition Systems

Many existing biometric systems collect ancillary information like gender, age, height, and eye color from the users during enrollment. However, only the primary biometric identifier (fingerprint, face, hand-geometry, etc.) is used for recognition and the ancillary information is rarely utilized. We propose the utilization of “soft” biometric traits like gender, height, weight, age, and ethnicity to complement the identity information provided by the primary biometric identifiers. Although soft biometric characteristics lack the distinctiveness and permanence to identify an individual uniquely and reliably, they provide some evidence about the user identity that could be beneficial. This paper presents a framework for integrating the ancillary information with the output of a primary biometric system. Experiments conducted on a database of 263 users show that the recognition performance of a fingerprint system can be improved significantly (≈ 5%) by using additional user information like gender, ethnicity, and height.
Lock contention aware thread migrations

On a cache-coherent multicore multiprocessor system, the performance of a multithreaded application with high lock contention is very sensitive to the distribution of application threads across multiple processors. This is because the distribution of threads impacts the frequency of lock transfers between processors, which in turn impacts the frequency of last-level cache (LLC) misses that lie on the critical path of execution. Inappropriate distribution of threads across processors increases LLC misses in the critical path and significantly degrades performance of multithreaded programs. To alleviate the above problem, this paper overviews a thread migration technique, which migrates threads of a multithreaded program across multicore processors so that threads seeking locks are more likely to find the locks on the same processor.
Anti-Corrosion Studies of Novel Conductive Polymer Coatings on Aluminum Alloys

We report the corrosion protection properties of a novel conductive polymer coating on aluminum alloys. The conductive polymer coating is a double strand molecular complex of polyaniline and a polyelectrolyte. The double strand polyaniline offers advantages in stability and processability over other forms of conductive polymers. The coated aluminum alloys (AA7075- T6) were evaluated for corrosion protection in an aggressive salt environment of.5N NaCl solutions using cyclic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Corrosion current densities were calculated for uncoated alloy samples and alloys coated with the conductive and non-conductive derivative of the double strand polymer. The conductive form of the double strand polyaniline coating shows a two order of magnitude lowering of the corrosion current over the uncoated samples and a one order magnitude lowering over the non-conductive form of the polymer coated samples. The shape of the cyclic polarization data closely resembles results of sulfuric acid anodized aluminum. This data indicates that the conductive state of the polymer is required for improved corrosion protection and an anodized type protection is occurring.
Vibrational spectra of fluvalinate

The normal Raman spectrum (NRS), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIRS) and surface-enhanced Raman spectrum (SERS) of the important insecticide and acaricide fluvalinate (C 26 H 22 ClF 3 N 2 O 3 ) were recorded for the first time. The spectral data are discussed in terms of characteristic chemical group frequencies and bonds. The fingerprint regions of fluvalinate vibrations that are distinct in FTIRS are identified and presented with the different fingerprint frequencies that are only characteristic to NRS. The enhancement of the benzene ring-breathing vibration of fluvalinate in SERS is a useful mode for trace analysis for residues of this pesticide at the subnanogram level. The vibrational spectra and polarization characteristics of NRS frequencies are useful as reference spectra for this pesticide in the qualitative analysis of its residues
The Stages and Long-Cycles of Capitalist Development

This paper critically examines the work of three prominent theorists (Aglietta, Mandel and Gordon) in an attempt to suggest a synthetic conceptual framework that analytically combines the stages and long-cycles of capitalist development on the basis of the fundamental historical materialist principle that social change originates from the contradiction between the forces and relations of production.
A Review of Recommendations for Sequencing Receptive and Expressive Language Instruction.

We review recommendations for sequencing instruction in receptive and expressive language objectives in early and intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) programs. Several books recommend completing receptive protocols before introducing corresponding expressive protocols. However, this recommendation has little empirical support, and some evidence exists that the reverse sequence may be more efficient. Alternative recommendations include teaching receptive and expressive skills simultaneously (M. L. Sundberg & Partington, 1998) and building learning histories that lead to acquisition of receptive and expressive skills without direct instruction (Greer & Ross, 2008). Empirical support for these recommendations also is limited. Future research should assess the relative efficiency of receptive-before-expressive, expressive-before-receptive, and simultaneous training with children who have diagnoses of autism spectrum disorders. In addition, further evaluation is needed of the potential benefits of multiple-exemplar training and other variables that may influence the efficiency of receptive and expressive instruction.
Stimulation of 11β-Hydroxylation in Rat Adrenal Homogenates Following Inhibition of the Respiratory Chain by Cyanide

Studies of hydroxylation of DOC-14C have been carried out in rat adrenal homogenates. The effect of inhibition of the respiratory chain in such incubations by cyanide has been studied when the hydroxylation was supported by succinate, malate, β-hydroxybutyrate, and NADPH. Cyanide, 0.5 and 1.0 nun, produced significant stimulation of hydroxylation supported by malate or β-hydroxybutyrate in rate limiting concentrations. In the presence of higher concentrations of malate (20 mil), a significant but lesser degree of stimulation was observed. When the rate of hydroxylation was supported by succinate or NADPH, no stimulation of hydroxylation was seen with low concentrations of cyanide, while higher concentrations produced complete inhibition of succinate-supported hydroxylation and mild inhibition of NADPH-supported hydroxylation. These findings are consistent with the previous suggestion that the respiratory chain and hydroxylating pathway are interconnected, possibly by a pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase...
What Is It About Organic Milk? An Experimental Analysis

Auction experiments were used to examine demand relationships and willingness to pay (WTP) for organic, rBST‐free, no antibiotics used, and conventional milk. Elasticities showed strong substitute and complement relationships between organic, rBST‐free, and no antibiotics varieties. The sum of the latter two's premiums were not significantly different than the organic premium, suggesting diminishing marginal utility for added attributes. Results from a two‐stage heteroskedastic tobit model demonstrated that WTP premiums for the varieties differ significantly by demographics and beliefs regarding the conventional version. These suggest market segments for rBST‐free and no antibiotics versions could succeed alongside organic, benefiting consumers and producers.
Brief Communication: Freaque wave occurrences in 2013

Abstract. Documenting freaque waves when they occured around the globe in 2013 is based here on news reports on the internet. It was found that there were a total 22 cases of freaque waves in 2013, based on those reported in clearly-defined physically specific environments. There were three cases in the deep ocean, six in nearshore areas, seven on sandy beaches, and seven on rocky shore areas. Note that most of the academic research has been on freaque waves in the deep ocean, which accounts for 13% of all occurrences. The majority of reported occurrences, 87%, are in the nearshore areas or along the beach area. Geographically, these cases are also fairly evenly spread around the globe. As of now, there is no general knowledge regarding the frequency of occurrence of these freaque waves, so that one may assume that 2013 was a customary year for freaque wave occurrences.
Exercise for the Elderly

Sedentary elders experience significant decline in physical ability, functional capacity, and sense of well-being with aging. Activity programs can have an impact on these losses but also carry significant risks for potential participants. Heterogeneity of the aging population requires individual assessments of their medical condition and exercise tolerance in determining the goals and conduct of an exercise program. Properly applied, such programs can significantly improve the quality of life for the elderly.
Response of Norepinephrine and Blood Pressure to Stress Increases With Age

While at rest young subjects have lower mean arterial blood pressure than old subjects and lower circulating levels of the neurotransmitter of the sympathetic nervous system, norepinephrine (NE). After standing and performing an isometric exercise, young subjects increase their circulating levels of NE less than old subjects. The cold pressor test is commonly used as a stimulus to the sympathetic nervous system, and young subjects have a much smaller pressor response than old subjects. In response to uniform stresses young subjects secrete less NE and have a smaller blood pressure response than old subjects.