cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mate choice as social cognition: predicting female behavioral and neural plasticity as a function of alternative male reproductive tactics

Female mate preference behavior has traditionally been viewed as a sensory response, yet recent research supports the involvement of cognitive processes. Here we argue that cognition is likely to arise as a critical component of female mate choice in mating systems with alternative male reproductive phenotypes. In alternative male mating systems, selection should favor female recognition of, and adaptive response toward, different male behavioral strategies: avoid phenotypes incurring fitness costs and affiliate with phenotypes associated with fitness benefits. Here we review the behavioral, molecular and neural evidence supporting cognitive processes in female mate choice behavior across animals, and make predictions as to how the relative contribution of social cognition in mate choice decisions is likely to vary by mating system.
A low-sodium solution for gastrointestinal lavage.

Golytely is a sodium sulfate-based solution used for lavage cleansing of the colon. Although most patients and physicians prefer Golytely lavage over other methods of bowel cleansing, its highly salty taste is a drawback. This report describes the development of a modified lavage solution that has a barely perceptible salty taste. This solution was developed by removing sodium sulfate, increasing the concentration of polyethylene glycol, and making minor adjustments in the concentration of other salts. Golytely, reduced sodium sulfate Golytely (Golytely-RSS), and a balanced electrolyte solution were infused into the stomachs of normal subjects. After steady-state lavage conditions were established, the rates of fluid and electrolyte absorption were measured. Average fluid absorption rate was 791 ml/h with the balanced electrolyte solution, compared with only 63 and 45 ml/h with Golytely and Golytely-RSS, respectively. Golytely-RSS was studied at 3 infusion rates, from 0.9-1.8 L/h, and the time and volume of solution required for colon cleansing was determined; the lower infusion rate (0.9 L/h) took longer but required less solution to cleanse the colon. In conclusion, Golytely-RSS has the essential feature of Golytely; i.e., lavage is associated with negligible salt and water absorption. The less-salty taste of Golytely-RSS may make it less difficult to drink and thereby enhance patient compliance; the total volume of solution required for cleansing is less when the solution is ingested at 0.9 L/h than when the ingestion rate is 1.8 L/h.
Location-aware Authentication and Authorization - Concepts and Issues

Summary form only given. In the talk, we first discuss motivations why taking into account location information in authentication and access control is important. Then, we survey current approaches to location-aware authentication with focus on the Auth-SL system that supports contextbased flexible authentication policies. Next, we discuss location-aware access control and present the GEO-RBAC system and the FENCE system that use location for different purposes. Throughout the discussion, we will identify open research directions.
Mechanical properties of the human achilles tendon.

Abstract Objective. To determine whether the human Achilles tendon has higher material properties than other tendons and to test for strain rate sensitivity of the tendon. Design. Mechanical testing of excised tendons. Background. While the human Achilles tendon appears to experience higher in vivo stresses than other tendons, it is not known how the Achilles tendon's material properties compare with the properties of other tendons. Methods. Modulus, failure stress, and failure strain were measured for excised human Achilles tendons loaded at strain rates of 1% s−1 and 10% s−1. Paired t-tests were used to examine strain rate effects, and average properties from grouped data were used to compare the Achilles tendon's properties with properties reported in the literature for other tendons. Results. Failure stress and failure strain were higher at the faster strain rate, but no significant difference in modulus was observed. At the 1% s−1rate, the mean modulus and failure stress were 816 MPa (SD, 218) and 71 MPa (SD, 17), respectively. The failure strain was 12.8% (SD, 1.7) for the bone-tendon complex and 7.5% (SD, 1.1) for the tendon substance. At the 10% s−1 rate, the mean modulus and failure stress were 822 MPa (SD, 211) and 86 MPa (SD, 24), respectively. The mean failure strain was 16.1% (SD, 3.6) for the bone-tendon complex and 9.9% (SD, 1.9) for the tendon substance. These properties fall within the range of properties reported in the literature for other tendons. Conclusions. The material properties of the human Achilles tendon measured in this study are similar to the properties of other tendons reported in the literature despite higher stresses imposed on the Achilles tendon in vivo. Relevance The human Achilles tendon does not adapt to high in vivo stresses by developing correspondingly high material properties. This leaves the tendon at an increased risk of injury and may help to explain the high incidence of Achilles tendon injuries.
A note on the generalization of some results in hypothesis sampling theory

Abstract A basic derivation of Trabasso and Bower (1968) , that presolution probability of correct responding is constant and equal to p, uses two statements which are not true in general. The theorem can, however, be proved in the special case p = 1 2 by a different method as shown here. A modified result in which the presolution probability of correct responding depends on the composition of the focus sample is also derived for the general case of p ≠ 1 2 .
Discriminative Random Fields

In this research we address the problem of classification and labeling of regions given a single static natural image. Natural images exhibit strong spatial dependencies, and modeling these dependencies in a principled manner is crucial to achieve good classification accuracy. In this work, we present Discriminative Random Fields (DRFs) to model spatial interactions in images in a discriminative framework based on the concept of Conditional Random Fields proposed by lafferty et al.(2001). The DRFs classify image regions by incorporating neighborhood spatial interactions in the labels as well as the observed data. The DRF framework offers several advantages over the conventional Markov Random Field (MRF) framework. First, the DRFs allow to relax the strong assumption of conditional independence of the observed data generally used in the MRF framework for tractability. This assumption is too restrictive for a large number of applications in computer vision. Second, the DRFs derive their classification power by exploiting the probabilistic discriminative models instead of the generative models used for modeling observations in the MRF framework. Third, the interaction in labels in DRFs is based on the idea of pairwise discrimination of the observed data making it data-adaptive instead of being fixed a priori as in MRFs. Finally, all the parameters in the DRF model are estimated simultaneously from the training data unlike the MRF framework where the likelihood parameters are usually learned separately from the field parameters. We present preliminary experiments with man-made structure detection and binary image restoration tasks, and compare the DRF results with the MRF results.
Physiologic Surface- Active Agents and Drug Absorption VII:Effect of Sodium Deoxycholate on Phenol RedAbsorption in the Rat

The influence of sodium deoxycholate on the absorption of phenol red in the rat was studied using three techniques to assess absorption—viz., urinary excretion data after oral administration to intact animals, loss of drug from in situ intestinal loops, and transfer of drug across the isolated everted intestine. Each of the methods provided evidence that the bile salt markedly enhances the absorption of phenol red by altering the permeability of the intestinal membranes. In the intact rat, these effects appear to be reversible.
Illumination-invariant face recognition using composite filters synthesized by simulated annealing

The design of composite filters for illumination-invariant face recognition is discussed. As 3-D profiles have been extensively used as a way to ensure this behavior, the two main constraints of 3-D analysis (i.e., 3-D profile acquisition and the 3-D face-matching computational requirements) are considered. The first limitation is solved using a 3-D acquisition system based on the projection of structured color light, which provides reliable 3-D data with a very simple setup. The second shortcoming is tackled by limiting the recognition task to 2-D complexity, so the computational cost is reduced. With the 3-D profile information available, 2-D training set images that correspond to different illumination conditions are derived for the synthesis of a 2-D composite filter using the simulated annealing algorithm. The experimental results confirm the potentiality of the proposed method. Additionally, the concept of ''average face" is presented and its feasibility as an appropriate method for the recognition of a target from a set of objects is supported by experimental results.
Piezoelectric and electromagnetic respiratory effort energy harvesters

The movements of the torso due to normal breathing could be harvested as an alternative, and renewable power source for an ultra-low power electronic device. The same output signal could also be recorded as a physiological signal containing information about breathing, thus enabling self-powered wearable biosensors/harvesters. In this paper, the selection criteria for such a biosensor, optimization procedure, trade-offs, and challenges as a sensor and harvester are presented. The empirical data obtained from testing different modules on a mechanical torso and a human subject demonstrated that an electromagnetic generator could be used as an unobtrusive self-powered medical sensor by harvesting more power, offering reasonable amount of output voltage for rectification purposes, and detecting respiratory effort.
Tandem queues and kanban-controlled lines

The two-card kanban-controlled line can be viewed as a generalization of the tandem queue. Many of the kanban systems described in the production literature, and used in practice, are equivalent to a tandem queue. This paper shows when tandem queues can be used to obtain the performance measures of two-card systems. Results from a simulation study show that the tandem queue serves as an upper bound for more general two-card systems. The practical significance of this is that a tandem queue approximation can be used to find the minimum number of kanbans required to achieve a desired production rate.
Differential Histogram Equalization Based Image Simplification

Image simplification is an important pre-processing task in object segmentation and recognition. The histogram-based approach is the simplest way of image simplification. However, it is difficult to find a general rule of obtaining the proper threshold for all different cases. Recently, the research on image simplification using morphology seems to achieve a better performance. Nevertheless, the quality of simplification results relies on the selection of maskers obtained from complicated morphological operations. In this paper, we present a new perspective view based on differential histogram equalization (DHE) in image simplification. It is developed to not only generate better quality results, but possess lower computational complexity.
Children's Allegations of Sexual Abuse: A Model for Forensic Assessment

It is important both clinically and forensically to gain information to provide an understanding of the veracity of a child’s allegations of sexual abuse. Even though it is reasonable to hypothesize that most allegations are true—children are not infallible and thus some allegations are false. A systematic model of pathways to false allegations—however rare or common—is important because so much depends on this question (i.e., both false positives and false negatives are harmful to children). We propose that there are two major pathways to false allegations of child sexual abuse: (1) the child is lying and (2) the child has a false memory due to his or her problems in information processing. We conclude by presenting a more detailed protocol for more formally evaluating these pathways to false allegations in specific cases.
Making the sour sweet? Upcoming food-pellet reinforcement produces positive induction when rats press a lever for unsweetened lemon juice

Abstract Research has suggested that rats increase their response rate for a low-valued reinforcer when a high-valued reinforcer will soon be available (i.e., positive induction) because the value of the low-valued substance has increased. The present study tested if such a procedure could be used to increase rats’ responding for a non-reinforcing food. Rats pressed a lever for unsweetened lemon juice in the first half of a 50-min session and, in treatment conditions, for food pellets in the second half. Experiment 1 demonstrated that rates of responding for the lemon juice generally varied directly with the upcoming rate of food-pellet reinforcement and that responding in lemon juice-only sessions did not differ significantly from that observed during extinction. Experiment 2 demonstrated that rats consumed more lemon juice following a condition in which they were displaying positive induction than following a condition in which they only responded for lemon juice. The present results are consistent with the increase in value account of positive induction. More importantly, they may indicate that certain environmental conditions can increase food-directed behavior for a non-reinforcing food, a finding which may have implications for our understanding of eating behavior and dysfunctions (e.g., overeating).
A multimodal imaging agent for intrinsic surface enhanced Raman scattering of biological tissue

Raman imaging is an optical method that provides chemo-selective contrast, microscopic resolution and multiplexing capability. Medical applications, however, still suffer from weak signals and resulting long acquisition times. Plasmon resonance effects can drastically increase signals for Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS). Here, we present concepts towards an ideal, multimodal SERS agent for medical applications. Enhancement of intrinsic spectra of biological tissue is combined with contrast in Photoacoustic- and Magnetic Resonance Tomography, making this imaging agent highly promising for clinical radiology.
Synthesis of monodispersed Ag nanoparticles and their optical characterization

Monodispersed silver nanoparticles were prepared by applying electric field on unipolar charged nanoparticles fabricated using heterogeneous condensation technique in gas media. Strong plasmon resonances were observed for thin films containing monodispersed silver nanoparticles.
Sonographic Investigation of Female Infants with Inguinal Masses

We present three cases of indirect inguinal hernias occuring in female infants aged between six weeks and two months. In each case ovarian tissue was identified sonographically within the herniated tissues. All cases presented with tender masses within the labia majora. This relatively common clinical condition should be high on the list of differential diagnoses of inguinal masses in female infants. Early recognition of an ovary decreases the risk of infarction plus the sonographic detection of ovarian tissue is diagnostic in gender differentiation of infants with ambiguous genitalia.
125Te NMR chemical shifts and tellurium coordination environments in crystals and glasses in the Ge―As―Sb―Te system

Abstract The local coordination environments of Te atoms have been investigated in crystalline and glassy binary and ternary tellurides in the system Ge–As–Sb–Te using 125Te solid-state wideline nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The average 125Te NMR chemical shifts in these materials range from 300 to 1050, 90 to 700 and − 2000 to − 4100 ppm for 2, 3 and 6-coordinated environments, respectively. Te atoms are predominantly 2-coordinated in binary Ge–Te, As–Te and ternary Ge–As–Te glasses. The 125Te NMR spectrum of the cubic Ge1Sb2Te4 phase with rock salt structure is consistent with a random distribution of Ge/Sb vacancies in the lattice. Besides the coordination number, the 125Te chemical shifts in these materials are also found to be sensitive to the chemical identity of the nearest neighbors. 125Te NMR spectroscopy shows significant future promise in its application as a technique complementary to diffraction and EXAFS in understanding the short-range structure of amorphous Ge–As–Sb tellurides.
Changing demographics in REM sleep behavior disorder: Possible effect of autoimmunity and antidepressants

Abstract Background Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) has been described predominantly in elderly men and in association with neurodegenerative disease. But an increasing proportion of cases in recent reports and in clinical practice do not fit this description; thus we sought to describe a current RBD population and possibly identify new subgroups with RBD. Methods Records of 115 consecutive patients with polysomnogram-confirmed RBD at an academic sleep center were retrospectively reviewed. Results Male to female ratio was 2:1, and 1.25:1 for early-onset (age Conclusions RBD is diagnosed more equally between men and women and in younger individuals than previously reported. While neurodegenerative disease is frequently co-incident with RBD in older men, most women and early-onset cases have "idiopathic" RBD. High prevalence of autoimmune disease among women with RBD suggests an intriguing link between immune dysfunction and RBD. A high rate of antidepressant use provides support for a potentially causal role for antidepressants in RBD.
Uses of Antimicrobials in Plant Agriculture

Bacterial diseases of plants are less prevalent than diseases caused by fungi and viruses. Antimicrobials for prophylactic treatment of bacterial diseases of plants are limited in availability, use, and efficacy, and therapeutic use is largely ineffective. Most applications are by spray treatments in orchards. Monitoring and surveillance for drug resistance are not routinely done. In the United States, data on use of antimicrobials for treatment of bacterial diseases of plants are limited to streptomycin and oxytetracycline. Resistance to streptomycin has become widespread among bacterial phytopathogens; no resistance among these bacteria has yet been reported for oxytetracycline. No human health effects have been documented since inception of use of antimicrobials in plants in the 1950s. Transfer of antimicrobial resistance from marker genes in transgenic plants to bacteria has not been documented under natural conditions in field-grown plants. However, antimicrobial-resistance genes are being eliminated from use as marker genes because of concerns about possible transfer from plant genomes back to bacteria, with further horizontal transfer to the bacteria in the environment, or from plant genomes to animals by plant consumption. No new antimicrobials are expected to be used in plant agriculture because of high costs of development, regulatory constraints, and environmental and human health concerns. Alternatives to antimicrobials, such as biocontrol agents, transgenic plants, and novel chemicals, are being developed and marketed, although their efficacy remains to be determined.
Factors enhancing Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated gene transfer in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Parameters enhancing Agrobacterium-mediated transfer of foreign genes to peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cells were investigated. An intron-containing beta-glucuronidase uidA (gusA) gene under the transcriptional control of CaMV 35S promoter served as a reporter. Transformation frequency was evaluated by scoring the number of sectors expressing GUS activity on leaf and epicotyl explants. The 'Valencia Select' market type cv. New Mexico was more amenable to Agrobacterium transformation than the 'runner' market type cultivars tested (Florunner, Georgia Runner, Sunrunner, or South Runner). The disarmed Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA101 was superior in facilitating the transfer of uidA gene to peanut cells compared to the disarmed strain C58. Rinsing of explants in half-strength Murashige-Skoog (MS) media prior to infection by Agrobacterium significantly increased the transformation efficiency. The use of cocultivation media containing high auxin [1.0 or 2.5 mg/l (4.53 micromolar or 11.31 micromolar) 2,4-D] and low cytokinin [0.25 or 0.5 mg/l (1.0 micromolar or 2.0 micromolar) BA] promoted higher transformation than either hormone-free or thidiazuron-containing medium. The polarity of the epicotyl during cocultivation was important; explants incubated in an inverted (vertically) manner followed by a vertically upright position resulted in improved transformation and shoot regeneration frequencies. Preculture of explants in MS basal medium or with 2.5 mg thidiazuron per l prior to infection drastically decreased the number of transformed zones. The optimized protocol was used to obtain transient transformation frequencies ranging from 12% to 36% for leaf explants, 15% to 42% for epicotyls. Initial evidence of transformation was obtained by polymerase chain reaction and subsequently confirmed by Southern analysis of regenerated plants.
Impacts of drift and population bottlenecks on the cultural transmission of a neutral continuous trait: an agent based model

Although there is increasing interest in the connections between copying error and the generation of variation of continuous cultural traits, the complex interplay between forces of evolutionary drift and copying error in continuous traits remains under-examined. Here, an agent based model is provided that examines the effects of drift and population bottlenecks on the production of variation in a selectively neutral metric attribute under vertical, unbiased, and prestige biased modes of transmission. The provided model has implications for inferring demographic change or restricted forms of knowledge in the production of technologies.
Calculation of scattering from a complex square well by a variational method

Abstract In the course of numerical calculations of scattering from a complex square well, we found it useful to obtain estimates of phase shifts by quick hand computation. This can be accomplished by a simple variational method. The phase shifts for all angular momenta can be obtained in closed form convenient for computation.
Early Learning and Development Standards in East Asia and the Pacific: Experiences from eight countries

This paper analyses how countries in UNICEF’s East Asia and Pacific Region (EAPR) have engaged in the Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS) process. ELDS has been developed by the governments of Cambodia, China, Fiji, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam over the last 3 years with technical and financial support from UNICEF. The ELDS process allowed each country to define its own domain framework, using terminology and defining dimensions and domains in ways that reflected national perspectives and culture while ensuring holistic child development. No two national frameworks are exactly the same, yet they all include aspects of physical development, socio-emotional development, cognitive development and language development. Moral-spiritual and cultural development, creativity and approaches towards learning were also included by some countries. Regarding the purpose and objectives for undertaking the ELDS process, there were also commonalities and differences between countries. ELDS is being applied as the basis for curriculum revision, for instructional improvement and teacher training, for programme evaluation, for parenting education, for public advocacy and for national alignment of standards. Lessons learned in terms of factors for success include the need for conceptual clarity on holistic child development and ELDS processes amongst key stakeholders and decision makers from the outset, the necessity of national leadership and shared stakeholder responsibility, and the importance of technical assistance, follow-up and exchange between countries. Looking to the future, recommendations are made to use advanced countries to support countries just starting the process, to hold a follow-up regional workshop on application and use of ELDS, to develop publications, studies and reports on using ELDS in Asian countries, and to develop a more standardized Asian ELDS model based on validated indicators from the region, to allow countries to use Asian validated standards for specific purposes or research.
Dichromacy in the antelope ground squirrel.

Abstract The antelope ground squirrel ( Ammospermophilus leucurus ) appears to have a form of color vision analogous to that of the human protanope or extreme protanomolous trichromat. This conclusion is based on behavior responses of the animals to illuminated colored ports to which they were conditioned. In this experiment the reward for a correct response was a sunflower seed given to the squirrel at a location which was symmetrical to the colored test port and the comparison port from which the test port was being discriminated. In such tests the squirrels were unable to discriminate red or green on the basis of wavelength. They reacted as if they were red-green color blind. In contrast, the color blue was well discriminated from other colors and from white light, and this was seen in positive responses to the blue port as well as in negative responses, i.e. those in which the animal went away from the blue port. Additionally, the squirrels behaved as if they were able to discriminate yellow as a color, although some evidence of a desaturation effect was obtained in the appearance of the yellow. The total evidence suggested that these squirrels possess a yellow-blue mechanism for discriminating hue. In the experiments, accounting was made of luminosity, smell, and other sensory clues which might explain the results. None of these appear to be responsible for the responses although in improperly designed experiments, non-visual clues, probably via the sense of smell, were involved in determining the behavior.
Epidemiology of herpes simplex virus type 2 infections in a high-risk adolescent population

The seroprevalence of infection with type 2 herpes simplex virus (HSV-2) was determined in 135 adolescents detained in a juvenile detention facility. A total of 16% of enrollees were seropositive for HSV-2. Age of onset of sexual intercourse, number of lifetime partners, frequency of condom use, and history of sexually transmitted diseases did not predict HSV-2 seropositivity.
Diffraction By an Anisotropic Impedance Half Plane

For a plane wave incident at an oblique (skew) angle on an anisotropic impedance half plane, the second order difference equation for the angular spectra is converted to a pair of inhomogeneous non-singular integral equations and then solved. The exact expression for the scattered field is determined and compared with a previous approximate solution.
Wettability Alteration Mechanism for Oil Recovery from Fractured Carbonate Rocks

Oil can be recovered from fractured, initially oil-wet carbonate reservoirs by wettability alteration with dilute surfactant and electrolyte solutions. The aim of this work is to study the effect of salinity, surfactant concentration, electrolyte concentration, and temperature on the wettability alteration and identify underlying mechanisms. Contact angles, phase behavior, and interfacial tensions were measured with two oils (a model oil and a field oil) at temperatures up to 90°C. There exists an optimal surfactant concentration for varying salinity and an optimal salinity for varying surfactant concentration at which the wettability alteration on an oil-aged calcite plate is the maximum for anionic surfactants studied. As the salinity increases, the extent of maximum wettability alteration decreases; also the surfactant concentration needed for the maximum wettability alteration decreases. IFT and contact angle were found to have the same optimal salinity for a given concentration of anionic surfactants studied. As the ethoxylation increases in anionic surfactants, the extent of wettability alteration on calcite plates increases. Wettability of oil-aged calcite plates can be altered by divalent ions at a high temperature (90°C and above). Sulfate ions alter wettability to a greater extent in the presence of magnesium and calcium ions than in the absence. A high concentration of calcium ions can alter wettability alone. Magnesium ions alone do not change calcite plate wettability. Wettability alteration increases the oil recovery rate from initially oil-wet Texas Cordova Cream limestone cores by imbibition.
Ca2+ influx via TRPC channels induces NF-κB-dependent A20 expression to prevent thrombin-induced apoptosis in endothelial cells

NF-κB signaling is known to induce the expression of antiapoptotic and proinflammatory genes in endothelial cells (ECs). We have shown recently that Ca2+ influx through canonical transient receptor potential (TRPC) channels activates NF-κB in ECs. Here we show that Ca2+ influx signal prevents thrombin-induced apoptosis by inducing NF-κB-dependent A20 expression in ECs. Knockdown of TRPC1 expressed in human umbilical vein ECs with small interfering RNA (siRNA) suppressed thrombin-induced Ca2+ influx and NF-κB activation in ECs. Interestingly, we observed that thrombin induced >25% of cell death (apoptosis) in TRPC1-knockdown ECs whereas thrombin had no effect on control or control siRNA-transfected ECs. To understand the basis of EC survival, we performed gene microarray analysis using ECs. Thrombin stimulation increased only a set of NF-κB-regulated genes 3- to 14-fold over basal levels in ECs. Expression of the antiapoptotic gene A20 was the highest among these upregulated genes. Like TRPC1 knockdown, thrombin induced apoptosis in A20-knockdown ECs. To address the importance of Ca2+ influx signal, we measured thrombin-induced A20 expression in control and TRPC1-knockdown ECs. Thrombin-induced p65/RelA binding to A20 promoter-specific NF-κB sequence and A20 protein expression were suppressed in TRPC1-knockdown ECs compared with control ECs. Furthermore, in TRPC1-knockdown ECs, thrombin induced the expression of proapoptotic proteins caspase-3 and BAX. Importantly, thrombin-induced apoptosis in TRPC1-knockdown ECs was prevented by adenovirus-mediated expression of A20. These results suggest that Ca2+ influx via TRPC channels plays a critical role in the mechanism of cell survival signaling through A20 expression in ECs.
Cosmic ray evidence for physics beyond the Standard Model

Ultra high energy observational data collected during the last decade indicate an anomalous interaction of the particles emitted by some point sources in the sky. We briefly review the evidence and discuss possible explanations of the observed anomalies. The most likely interpretation is that at energies of the order of a few TeV in the Center of Mass, new phenomena begin to take place which cannot be explained within the framework of the Standard Model. Implications of such an explanation are briefly discussed.
Dynamics and Control of Dual-Hoist Cranes Moving Triangular Payloads

Certain heavy-lifting applications require the coordinated movement of multiple cranes. Such tasks dramatically increase the complexity of crane operation, especially when the payload has a non-uniform shape. This paper studies the dynamic behavior of a dual-hoist bridge crane moving triangular payloads. Simulations and experiments are used to develop an understanding of the dynamic response of the system. Various inputs and system configurations are analyzed, and important response characteristics are highlighted.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Expectation: principles and practice of very brief therapy

What is very brief therapy? A number of years ago I did a library search on the subject of brief therapy and found a book by that title. It was written by an analyst and he wrote about the advantages of doing brief therapy which he defi ned as only taking one year of fi fty sessions! Most modern day therapists would consider brief therapy to be ten or fewer sessions. My private practice consists of doing very brief therapy which I defi ne as one or two sessions. That is, I treat every session as if it were the last one. I heard the late Steve deShazer once talk about some research done at the Brief Family Therapy Center of Milwaukee. They are located in the inner city, and their clients can be diffi cult. The receptionist read the completed intake form and informed the client, ‘Oh, it usually takes ten sessions to help people with these concerns’. The next client would be told, ‘For what you have written here it usually takes our staff fi ve sessions to help people’. The staff did not know what their clients were told. On follow-up about one year later there was about an 85% satisfaction rate by the clients in the study. Those who were told ten sessions started doing signifi cant work around the eighth or ninth session; the fi ve session people did this around the fourth session. The only difference was the expectation of the client. My reasoning at this point was that if ‘expectation’ could effectively reduce the number of sessions from ten to fi ve, why not use this idea to reduce effective change work to one or two sessions? So, I now tell all of my clients that I rarely see people more than once or twice, but I will see them for as many times as they fi nd seeing me helpful. I should also add that I am retired with a good pension, and that there is thus no economic incentive for me to prolong therapy. I work for myself on a cash only basis (no insurance accepted). And, my sessions are always open-ended with no given time limit. Does this work? I, indeed, see most of my clients for one session. Although encouraged to keep in touch, I generally get feedback erratically, and up to years later. If you are into instant gratifi cation, do not do work in this manner. I do get referrals from former clients – sometimes years later!
Superconductivity and the Bohr Magneton

Each superconducting metal is characterized by a function H c (T) where H c is a magnetic field in gauss and T is absolute temperature, which determines the boundary between those states in which the material shows superconducting properties and the region where the properties are normal. That is, for each T, the magnetic field H must be less than H c (T) for the metal to be in the superconducting state.
The application of simulation models and systems analysis in epidemiology: a review

Hurd, H.S. and Kaneene, J.B., 1993. The application of simulation models and systems analysis in epidemiology: a review. Prey. Vet. Med., 15: 81-99. A method for classifying epidemiologic process models is presented along with a brief history of epidemiologic modeling. Epidemiologic models are distinguished as being associative or process models. Associative models attempt to establish etiology by observing the associations of various risk factors with the occurrence of disease. Process models attempt to quantitatively describe the course of disease in a dynamic population. This begins with a hypothesis regarding the underlying structural processes involved. A process model can be classified further according to: ( 1 ) how it models the effect of chance; (2) application perspective; ( 3 ) the mathematical treatment of time; (4) the computational treatment of individuals; ( 5 ) the method for determining a solution. The literature was reviewed for examples of applied epidemiologic process models. Examples are cited and classified according to the classification method proposed in this paper. Suggestions for appropriate applications of various models and further research are made.
The Effects of Integrated Marsh Management (IMM) on Salt Marsh Vegetation, Nekton, and Birds

An integrated marsh management (IMM) project in an urbanized watershed on Long Island, New York, USA, aimed to mitigate salt marsh degradation and to reduce mosquito production by an innovative combination of restoration and open marsh water management methods. The grid ditch network at two treatment marshes was replaced with naturalized tidal channels and ponds. Effects of the hydrologic alterations were monitored utilizing a before–after–control–impact approach. The treatment marshes experienced a number of beneficial outcomes including a fourfold reduction in the invasive Phragmites australis and increased native vegetation cover in the most degraded portions of the marsh, increased abundance and diversity of marsh killifish and estuarine nekton species, higher shorebird and waterfowl densities, and increased avian species diversity. The successful implementation of IMM concept led to improved marsh health and diminished mosquito production. Therefore, this study may serve as a template for similar large-scale integrated salt marsh restoration projects.
From recipient to contributor: examining customer roles and experienced outcomes

In recent years, both management and marketing fields have emphasized the importance of a customer orientation. In this project, a different set of lenses is adopted to examine customer orientation from the customer’s point of view. Customers can enact four specific roles that enable them to create a partnership with human services firms. Customers can be important resources for the firm. They can actively participate in the firm’s activities as co‐producers of the service. As buyers, customers can develop a relationship with a service organization, and as recipients they register evaluations of their encounter. Analysis of an extensive survey of customer perceptions and investments in a firm’s activities provided an outside‐in look at customer orientation. The results present clear evidence that customers can influence the outcomes they experience. Avenues for future research and practical opportunities for managers to capitalize on their relationships with customers are discussed.
Bone Mineral Content, Lean and Fat Body Mass after Significant Weight Loss in Obese Children and Adolescents

Bone Mineral Content, Lean and Fat Body Mass after Significant Weight Loss in Obese Children and Adolescents
The adverse influence of narcissistic injury and perfectionism on college students' institutional attachment.

This study examined the relationship of narcissistic vulnerability, shame-proneness, and perfectionism to college student adjustment. Using a sample of 200 college students, narcissistic injury, socially prescribed perfectionism, other-oriented perfectionism, and self-oriented perfectionism predicted college adjustment as defined as institutional attachment in a canonical correlation analysis. In addition, narcissistic injury, shame-proneness, and socially prescribed perfectionism were found to correlate positively with each other.
HUMAN INFECTION WITH THE AGENT OF FELINE PNEUMONITIS

Abstract A Bedsonia sp. isolated from conjunctival scrapings of a man with acute follicular keratoconjunctivitis differed from the TRIC agents in its resistance to sulphonamides and in producing an iodine-negative inclusion. The patient owned a cat with a recent history of rhinitis and conjunctivitis—manifestations consistent with feline pneumonitis. A bedsonial agent isolated from this cat and from another cat in the same household had the same characteristics as the agent recovered from the patient. The isolate from the patient produced a typical, acute, inclusion-positive conjunctivitis in experimentally infected cats.
A Neurobehavioral Systems Analysis of Adult Rats Exposed to Methylazoxymethanol Acetate on E17: Implications for the Neuropathology of Schizophrenia

Background As a test of plausibility for the hypothesis that schizophrenia can result from abnormal brain, especially cerebral cortical, development, these studies examined whether, in the rat, disruption of brain development initiated on embryonic day (E) 17, using the methylating agent methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM), leads to a schizophrenia-relevant pattern of neural and behavioral pathology. Specifically, we tested whether this manipulation leads to disruptions of frontal and limbic corticostriatal circuit function, while producing schizophrenia-like, region-dependent reductions in gray matter in cortex and thalamus. Methods In offspring of rats administered MAM (22 mg/kg) on E17 or earlier (E15), regional size, neuron number and neuron density were determined in multiple brain regions. Spontaneous synaptic activity at prefrontal cortical (PFC) and ventral striatal (vSTR) neurons was recorded in vivio. Finally, cognitive and sensorimotor processes mediated by frontal and limbic corticostriatal circuits were assessed. Results Adult MAM-E17-exposed offspring showed selective histopathology: size reductions in mediodorsal thalamus, hippocampus, and parahippocampal, prefrontal, and occipital cortices, but not in sensory midbrain, cerebellum, or sensorimotor cortex. The prefrontal, perirhinal, and occipital cortices showed increased neuron density with no neuron loss. The histopathology was accompanied by a disruption of synaptically-driven “bistable membrane states” in PFC and vSTR neurons, and, at the behavioral level, cognitive inflexibility, orofacial dyskinesias, sensorimotor gating deficits and a post-pubertal-emerging hyper-responsiveness to amphetamine. Earlier embryonic MAM exposure led to microcephaly and a motor phenotype. Conclusions The “MAM-E17” rodent models key aspects of neuropathology in circuits that are highly relevant to schizophrenia.
Mathematical modelling and optimization of a rotary fluidized-bed coating process

Abstract A three-factor, three-level Box-Behnken design was used to study the rotary fluidized-bed aqueous coating process. 10% theophylline-containing granules were made, dried and subsequently coated in a rotary fluidized-bed. Based on the experimental design, the factor combinations resulted in different theophylline release rates and profiles. An optimization attempt was made to achieve a maximum amount of drug release after 11 h. The percent dissolution-time profiles were found to be significantly affected by the coating temperature and spray nozzle pressure. Theophylline release rates were found to be linearly affected by the polymer amount. Overall, the rotary fluidized-bed was found to be an efficient piece of equipment for granulating and coating processes.
Nexus authorization logic (NAL): Design rationale and applications

Nexus Authorization Logic (NAL) provides a principled basis for specifying and reasoning about credentials and authorization policies. It extends prior access control logics that are based on “says” and “speaks for” operators. NAL enables authorization of access requests to depend on (i) the source or pedigree of the requester, (ii) the outcome of any mechanized analysis of the requester, or (iii) the use of trusted software to encapsulate or modify the requester. To illustrate the convenience and expressive power of this approach to authorization, a suite of document-viewer applications was implemented to run on the Nexus operating system. One of the viewers enforces policies that concern the integrity of excerpts that a document contains; another viewer enforces confidentiality policies specified by labels tagging blocks of text.
Inter- or intramolecular electron transfer between triruthenium clusters: we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it

Abstract The purpose of this review is to examine the fundamental differences between intermolecular self-exchange vs . intramolecular ET in mixed-valence complexes based on similar triruthenium structural units. The role of orbital overlap between ancillary ligands of the electron donor and acceptor are considered in self-exchange reactions which are found to be strongly adiabatic and again in bridged mixed-valence systems. The method of infrared (IR) reflectance spectroelectrochemistry for the determination of extremely fast (10 11 –10 13 s −1 ) ET rate constants is reviewed as a tool to provide quantitative information about the time scales of localization and delocalization. The role of internal vibrations of the bridging ligand in strongly delocalized mixed-valence ions is investigated by resonance Raman and IR spectroscopies. The role of solvent dipolar relaxation times in determining the rates of ultrafast intramolecular ET reactions is reviewed in the context of inorganic mixed-valence chemistry. Finally, the concept of Robin–Day Class II/III “borderline” complexes is considered, and a concise definition of the localized to delocalized transition is provided in terms of the relative contributions of external solvent and internal complex ion vibrational modes to ET.
Randomized coalition structure generation

Randomization can be employed to achieve constant factor approximations to the coalition structure generation problem in less time than all previous approximation algorithms. In particular, this manuscript presents a new randomized algorithm that can generate a 23 approximate solution in O(n2.587^n) time, improving upon the previous algorithm that required O(n2.83^n) time to guarantee the same performance. Also, the presented new techniques allow a 14 approximate solution to be generated in the optimal time of O(2^n) and improves on the previous best approximation ratio obtainable in O(2^n) time of 18. The presented algorithms are based upon a careful analysis of the sizes and numbers of coalitions in the smallest optimal coalition structures. An empirical analysis of the new randomized algorithms compared to their deterministic counterparts is provided. We find that the presented randomized algorithms generate solutions with utility comparable to what is returned by their deterministic counterparts (in some cases producing better results on average). Moreover, a significant speedup was found for most approximation ratios for the randomized algorithms over the deterministic algorithms. In particular, the randomized 12 approximate algorithm runs in approximately 22.4% of the time required for the deterministic 12 approximation algorithm for problems with between 20 and 27 agents.
Crack Propagation in Nial and FeAl

The crack-propagation behavior and fracture toughness at room temperature of extruded and heat-treated NiAl and FeAl were examined by testing chevron-notched, three-point flexural specimens at constant crosshead speeds. In Ni-50 at. % Al, sudden load drops occurred repeatedly, indicating run-arrest crack propagation. The fracture resistance was not found to depend on the crosshead speed. Iron additions of up to 1 at. % and boron additions of 0.01 at. % did generally not improve the fracture toughness. By contrast, crack propagation in Fe-40 at. % Al occurred in a stable manner. In agreement with the environmental sensitivity of this intermetallic alloy, fracture resistance did depend on the crack-propagation velocity, indicative of the kinetic nature of this process. While the crack-growth resistance of iron aluminides was reduced by changing the aluminum content from 40 to 45 at. %, it was increased significantly by small additions of boron.