cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A data-driven method for in-game decision making in MLB: when to pull a starting pitcher

Professional sports is a roughly $500 billion dollar industry that is increasingly data-driven. In this paper we show how machine learning can be applied to generate a model that could lead to better on-field decisions by managers of professional baseball teams. Specifically we show how to use regularized linear regression to learn pitcher-specific predictive models that can be used to help decide when a starting pitcher should be replaced. A key step in the process is our method of converting categorical variables (e.g., the venue in which a game is played) into continuous variables suitable for the regression. Another key step is dealing with situations in which there is an insufficient amount of data to compute measures such as the effectiveness of a pitcher against specific batters. For each season we trained on the first 80% of the games, and tested on the rest. The results suggest that using our model could have led to better decisions than those made by major league managers. Applying our model would have led to a different decision 48% of the time. For those games in which a manager left a pitcher in that our model would have removed, the pitcher ended up performing poorly 60% of the time.
The IAS officer – predator or victim?

The Indian Administrative Service is a troubled institution – not least because of political compulsions imposed upon it. This article examines several of the more serious problems that it faces: a lack of professionalism, the creation of redundant posts, unsatisfactory structures of reward and punishment, and an inability to deliver services adequately. It then suggests steps which an increasingly proactive central government might take to address these problems at the state level in this federal system, where they are most apparent. These include a greater focus on policy outcomes; linking transfers with performance by state governments; and enhancing accountability outward to society and citizens, rather than inward and upward within the government.
Semiclassical description of high-spin states in rotational bands

Abstract The potential energy term in a semiclassical expression for the level energy in nuclear rotational bands was replaced by a generic function of the moment of inertia and determined numerically from experimental data. The rather mild deviations of this function from a parabola are sufficient to account for recently discovered drastic changes of the moment of inertia with angular frequency.
Microrobotics surveillance: discrete and continuous starbot

This paper focuses on robotic technologies and operational capabilities of multiscale robots that demonstrate a unique class of Microsystems with the ability to navigate diverse terrains and environments. We introduce two classes of robots which combine multiple locomotion modalities including centimeter scale Discrete and Continuous robots which are referred here by D-Starbot and C-Starbot, respectively. The first generation of the robots were obtained to allow rapid shape reconfiguration and flipping recovery to accomplish tasks such as lowering and raising to dexterously go over and under obstacles, deform to roll over hostile location as well as squeezing through opening smaller than its sizes. The D-Starbot is based on novel mechanisms that allow shape reconfiguration to accomplish tasks such as lowering and raising to go over and under obstacles as well as squeezing through small voids. The CStarbot is a new class of foldable robots that is generally designed to provide a high degree of manufacturability. It consists of flexible structures that are built out of composite laminates with embedded microsystems. The design concept of C-Starbot are suitable for robots that could emulate and combine multiple locomotion modalities such as walking, running, crawling, gliding, clinging, climbing, flipping and jumping. The first generation of C-Starbot has centimeter scale structure consisting of flexible flaps, each being coupled with muscle-like mechanism. Untethered D-Starbot designs are prototyped and tested for multifunctional locomotion capabilities in indoor and outdoor environments. We present foldable mechanism and initial prototypes of C-Starbot capable of hopping and squeezing at different environments. The kinematic performance of flexible robots is thoroughly presented using the large elastic deflection of a single arm which is actuated by pulling force acting at variable angles and under payload and friction forces.
Multivessel beating heart robotic myocardial revascularization increases morbidity and mortality.

Objective The vast majority of reports describing beating heart robotic myocardial revascularization (total endoscopic coronary artery bypass) contain very small numbers of patients undergoing single-vessel bypass. We present a large series of patients undergoing multivessel total endoscopic coronary artery bypass. Methods We performed a retrospective clinical review of 106 patients undergoing total endoscopic coronary artery bypass (72% multivessel) at 1 institution by 1 experienced cardiac surgeon/physician assistant team. These results were compared with the expected clinical outcomes from conventional coronary artery bypass grafting calculated using the Society of Thoracic Surgeons risk calculator. Results Of the 106 patients, 1% underwent quadruple total endoscopic coronary artery bypass, 8% triple, 63% double, and 28% single. The emergent conversion rate for hemodynamic instability was 6.6%. The postoperative renal failure rate (doubling of baseline serum creatinine or dialysis required) was 7.5%. Overall, 23 patients (21.7%) exhibited at least 1 major morbidity/mortality (4 deaths). The number of vessels bypassed (single/double/triple/quadruple) correlated positively with the surgical/operating room time, the lung separation time, vasoactive medication use, blood use, a postoperative ventilation time longer than 24 hours, intensive care unit length of stay, and hospital length of stay. An increased surgical time was significantly associated with major morbidity ( P = .011) and mortality ( P = .043). A comparison with the Society for Thoracic Surgeons expected outcomes revealed a similar hospital length of stay but an increased incidence of prolonged ventilation ( P = .003), renal failure ( P P = .045), and mortality ( P = .049). Conclusions Our results suggest that addressing multivessel coronary artery disease using total endoscopic coronary artery bypass offers no obvious clinical benefits and might increase the morbidity and mortality.
Neonatal NMDA receptor antagonist treatments have no effects on prepulse inhibition of postnatal day 25 Sprague–Dawley rats

Glutamate activation of the NMDA receptor is essential for neuronal differentiation, migration, and survival. Treatment with NMDA receptor antagonists, such as ketamine (KET) or phencyclidine (PCP), can trigger apoptosis in neonatal rats. However, L-carnitine (LC) treatment appears to prevent glutamate-induced toxicity in the developing CNS. Previously, we described altered preweaning behaviors (i.e., abnormal home cage, slant board and forelimb hang behaviors) resulting from neonatal PCP and KET treatment. Those adverse effects of KET were somewhat ameliorated by LC [Boctor SY, Wang C, Ferguson SA. Neonatal PCP is more potent than ketamine at modifying preweaning behaviors of Sprague-Dawley rats. Toxicol Sci 2008;106:172-9]. Here, a portion of those subjects were evaluated for prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response at postnatal day (PND) 25 since previous reports described PCP-induced effects on this response. Rats were subcutaneously treated with: saline; 10 mg/kg PCP (1x/day) on PNDs 7, 9 and 11; 20 mg/kg KET (6 injections every 2h on PND 7); or a similar regimen of ketamine and 250 mg/kg LC on PND 7, with a single injection of 250 mg/kg LC on PNDs 8-11 (KLC). Male and female rats were assessed using a standard PPI paradigm with prepulses of 68, 78 and 82 dB. Body weight was decreased 17-21% and whole brain weight was decreased 10% in PCP-treated rats. Specifically, cerebellar weight was significantly less in PCP-treated rats relative to control. Despite the magnitude of those PCP-induced changes, startle response in normal pulse only trials and percent of PPI in PCP-, KET-, and KLC-treated groups were comparable to controls. Average latency to maximum startle was 2.6 ms less in females than males (p<0.007); there were no other significant sex effects. The lack of neonatal PCP treatment on later PPI is similar to that reported by Rasmussen et al. [Rasmussen BA, O'Neil J, Manaye KF, Perry DC, Tizabi Y. Long-term effects of developmental PCP administration on sensorimotor gating in male and female rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2007; 190: 43-9.], and indicates that neonatal PCP-induced effects on PPI [Wang C, McInnis J, Ross-Sanchez M, Shinnick-Gallagher P, Wiley JL, Johnson KM. Long-term behavioral and neurodegenerative effects of perinatal phencyclidine administration: implications for schizophrenia. Neuroscience 2001; 107: 535-50.] appear difficult to replicate.
Role of the spleen in the growth of a murine B cell leukemia

A spontaneous B cell leukemia (BCL1) grew progressively in normal BALB/c mice after injection of tumor cells but did not grow in splenectomized recipients. Despite the absence of progressive tumor growth, residual tumor cells with malignant potential were found in the peripheral blood of the splenectomized animals. Splenectomy performed after injection of tumor cells but before the development of marked leukocytosis also prevented progressive tumor growth and death of the host. Thus the spleen appears to be necessary for progressive proliferation of this lymphocytic leukemia early after passage in vivo.
Distinguishing mechanisms of morphological instabilities in phase change materials during switching

Abstract The process of dewetting of a thin film from a solid substrate is important for its scientific and technological relevance, but can be difficult to observe experimentally. We report on an experimental method that may be used to investigate morphological changes, including dewetting, during laser heat treatment of alloys used for phase change memory devices. We have used nanosecond-scale time-resolved imaging to differentiate between competing thin film instabilities in GeTe, a chalcogenide-based phase change material. It is shown that in the absence of nucleated dewetting, thin films of phase change alloys may be unstable, but that nucleated dewetting can lead to a more disrupted final state of the thin film.
Ion-polar collisions in gas-filled KCD imaging detectors

A narrowing of the line spread function (LSF) has been observed when small amounts of low ionization potential polar dopant molecules were added to gas-filled high pressure kinestatic charge detector (KCD) for x-ray digital radiography. The LSF narrowing is attributed to different coexisting physical mechanisms. In this study, the impact of long-range dipole moment forces, associated with low ionization potential polar molecules, during ion-polars collisions, is investigated. Finally, this study is implemented with experimental examples.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
In Situ preparation of mono- and dichloroboranes and their reactivity with olefins

Abstract Treatment of borane (BH 3 ) in tetrahydrofuran with hydrogen chloride in a 1 to 1 ratio results in the immediate evolution of one mole of hydrogen to form monochloroborane. Dichloroborane is obtained when two moles of hydrogen chloride are reacted with one mole of borane. Hydroboration of 1-hexene with these reagents involves an anti-Markownikoff addition of the B-H bond to the olefin. Chloroboranes exhibit a markedly lower reactivity toward olefins as compared with borane or alkylboranes. The reaction of olefins with monochloroborane in a 1 to 1 ratio produces preferentially the monalkylchloroboranes. Thus hydroboration of 1-hexene with the reagent, followed by hydrolysis of the intermediate organoborane yielded 67% n-hexylboronic acid.
The effects of chronic otitis media with effusion on the measurement of transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions

Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are low-level acoustic sounds of cochlear origin that can be recorded from the external auditory canal under well-controlled conditions. They are a natural by-product of normal auditory physiology and may be divided into two general categories: spontaneous and evoked emissions. These emissions provide an objective, noninvasive measurement of cochlear function that is accurate, rapid, and simple to perform. The clinical utility of OAEs has been extensively described in both normally hearing subjects and subjects with sensorineural hearing loss. The primary clinical applications of these emissions appear to be in neonatal screening and ototoxic monitoring.
Low-temperature heat-capacity measurements of He 4 films adsorbed on a disordered substrate

The heat capacity of submonolayer, monolayer, and multilayer $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ films adsorbed on a disordered substrate (porous Vycor glass) has been measured in the temperature range 0.08-1.3 K. Two distinct regions as a function of coverage were observed: (i) coverages less than 28.6 \ensuremath{\mu}mole ${\mathrm{m}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ (approximately 1.5 layers) and (ii) coverages greater than 28.6 \ensuremath{\mu}mole ${\mathrm{m}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$. Arguments are presented to show that for the low-coverage region the adsorbed helium forms a two-dimensional (2-D) solid with a small number of thermally activated adatoms moving in free-particle-like states on top of this solid layer. Arguments are also presented to show that for the high-coverage region a superfluid $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ fraction lies on top of this initial 2-D solid below a transition temperature ${T}_{0}$. Measurements of the heat capacity of $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ films adsorbed on ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$-preplated Vycor are presented to show that a precoating serves only to change the thickness of the 2-D solid layer and does not affect the form of the heat-capacity curves.
Lattice Aligned Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Grown on Silicon Membrane

1 Electrical and Computer Engineering, UIUC, Urbana, IL 61801, USA 2 Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, UIUC, Urbana, IL 61801, USA 3 Frederick and Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, UIUC, Urbana, IL 61801, USA 4 Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department, UIUC, Urbana, IL 61801, USA 5 Current address: Dept. of Mech. Eng., University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA 6 Current address: Ctr. for Adv. Mat. and Nano. at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
Deletion of interferon-γ delays onset and severity of dacryoadenitis in CD25KO mice.

To investigate the role of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) in the onset and severity of dacryoadenitis in the CD25 knockout (KO) mouse model of Sjogren Syndrome. CD25/IFN-γ double KO (γDKO) mice were created by crossbreeding CD25KO and IFN-γKO mice. Mice were used at 8, 12, and 16 weeks. Lacrimal gland (LG) infiltrating lymphocytes were characterized with flow cytometry. Tear epidermal growth factor (EGF) concentration was measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) evaluated T-cell-related cytokines in LGs. Serum autoantibodies against M3R in LG lysates were detected with Western blot. γDKO LG showed lower lymphocytic infiltration at 8 weeks than in the CD25KO parental strain (˜20% versus ˜60%, respectively), which increased to CD25KO levels at 16 weeks. Flow-cytometry analysis showed an increase in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells with aging in γDKO LG, similar to that in CD25KO. γDKO had lower levels of interleukin (IL)-17A, transforming growth-factor (TGF)-β1, IL-21, and CCL20, and higher IL-1β and IL-13 mRNA transcripts in the LG than in the parental CD25KO strain. Autoantibodies to M3R were observed in both strains and significantly increased with aging in both strains. CD25KO mice had very low tear EGF concentrations at all ages, whereas the ear EGF concentration in γDKO mice significantly decreased with aging and inversely correlated with the presence of M3R autoantibodies and the degree of LG CD4 and CD8+ T-cell infiltration. The deletion of IFN-γ in the CD25KO mice strain delays glandular destruction and preserves glandular function. M3R autoantibodies increased with aging in both the γDKO and the CD25KO strains. The decrease in LG function in γDKO correlated with the degree of T-cell infiltration and the presence of M3R autoantibodies.
Community college faculty job satisfaction

The Herzberg two-factor theory separates job satisfaction and dissatisfaction by postulating that satisfaction is related to intrinsic factors or motivators, while dissatisfaction results from extrinsic factors or hygienes. Using the critical incident method, 222 community college instructors from twelve colleges were asked to relate aspects of their work that led them to feel satisfied and aspects that led them toward feelings of dissatisfaction. More than two-thirds of the group indicated that they gained satisfaction from student learning or from interaction with students, and nearly two-thirds related administrative, collegial, and/or organizational difficulties as leading to dissatisfaction. The two-factor theory was supported. Implications for collective bargaining, administrative action, and faculty professionalism are noted.
Diverse viscerotropic isolates of Leishmania all express a highly conserved secretory nuclease during human infections

Previously, we characterized a gene encoding the unique nuclease (LdNucs) from a Sudanese isolate of the human pathogen Leishmania donovani. This parasite secretory enzyme is involved in the salvage of host-derived purines and is constitutively expressed by both developmental forms of the parasite. Currently, we assessed whether an LdNucs-like nuclease was conserved among other geographically disparate isolates of L. donovani and whether this enzyme was produced by intracellular amastigotes during human infections. Using RT-PCR and Southern blotting, we showed that LdNuc s gene homologs were present in each of the viscerotropic Leishmania tested (i.e., L. donovani isolates from the Sudan, Ethiopia and India as well as L. infantum). Further results of in situ enzyme activity gel analyses showed that each of these parasite isolates also expressed a released/secreted LdNuc s-like nuclease activity. In Western blots, our anti-LdNucs (Sudan) peptide-specific antibody reacted with only a single ~35 kDa protein in each of the viscerotropic Leishmania isolates. Further, the ~35 kDa nuclease secreted by each of these isolates was specifically immunoprecipitated by the anti-LdNucs antibody above. In situ gel analyses showed that each of these immunoprecipitates had LdNucs-like nuclease activity. Moreover, sera from acute visceral leishmaniasis patients from India, Sudan and Brazil all immunoprecipitated an LdNucs-HA expressed nuclease demonstrating, that these patients possessed antibodies against this parasite secretory enzyme. Cumulatively, these results showed that the LdNuc s homologs were functionally conserved among geographically disparate visceral Leishmania spp. and that amastigotes of these parasites must produce this nuclease enzyme during the course of human disease.
Preconditioning techniques for nonsymmetric and indefinite linear systems

Abstract The standard preconditioning techniques for conjugate gradient methods often fail for matrices that are indefinite and/or strongly nonsymmetric. The most common alterative considered for these cases are either to use expensive direct solvers or to resort to one of many techniques based on the normal equations. This paper examines several such alternatives and compares them. In particular an incomplete LQ factorization is proposed and some of its implementation details are described. A number of experiments are reported to compare these methods.
Stem galls affect oak foliage with potential consequences for herbivory

. 1. On two dates, foliar characteristics of pin oak, Quercus palustris, infested with stem galls caused by the horned oak gall, Callirhytis cornigera, were investigated, and the consequences for subsequent herbivory assessed. 2. Second-instar caterpillars of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, preferred foliage from ungalled trees. 3. Ungalled trees broke bud earlier than their galled counterparts. 4. Galled trees produced denser leaves with higher nitrogen and tannin concentrations, but foliar carbohydrates did not differ among galled and ungalled trees. 5. Concentrations of foliar carbohydrates in both galled and ungalled trees increased uniformly between the two assay dates. Nitrogen concentrations were greater in leaves from galled trees, and decreased uniformly in galled and ungalled trees over time. Foliar tannins were also greater in foliage from galled trees early in the season; however, foliar tannins declined seasonally in galled tissue so that by the second assay date there was no difference in tannin concentrations between galled and ungalled foliage. 6. In spite of differences in foliar characteristics, performance of older, fourth instar gypsy moth caterpillars did not differ between galled and ungalled trees.
Testing Hypotheses About Evolutionary Change on Single Branches of a Phylogeny Using Evolutionary Contrasts

Interspecific comparisons of phenotypes are used extensively to test hypotheses about the evolutionary forces shaping phenotypic variation, but comparative data analysis is complicated by correlations due to the common ancestry of species. The method of evolutionary contrasts removes such correlations by estimating the amount of character change between pairs of closely related species that has occurred since their most recent common ancestors. The original method allows character change to be estimated only along pairs of branches on a phylogeny, but many hypotheses address change along single branches. In this article the method of evolutionary contrasts is extended to allow character change along a set of single branches on a phylogeny to be estimated, expected variances are presented, and it is shown that these extensions also result in a set of contrasts that are not correlated because of common ancestry. These extensions will allow hypotheses to be tested concerning character change associated with ...
Dissociation Kinetics of Energy-Selected (C6H6)2Cr+ Ions: Benzene−Chromium Neutral and Ionic Bond Energies†

Threshold photoelectron−photoion coincidence spectroscopy has been used to investigate the dissociation kinetics of the bis(benzene) chromium ion, (C6H6)2Cr+. The dissociation of the (C6H6)2Cr+ ion proceeds by the sequential loss of the two benzene ligands. The two benzene-loss reactions were found to be metastable (lifetimes in the microsecond range) at photon energies close to the dissociation limits of the precursor ions. By simulating the resulting asymmetric time-of-flight peak shapes and breakdown diagram, the 0 K appearance energies of the product ions C6H6Cr+ and Cr+ were determined to be 7.91 ± 0.15 and 9.61 ± 0.18 eV, respectively. The two C6H6−Cr bond energies in the (C6H6)2Cr+ ion were determined to be 2.51 ± 0.15 and 1.70 ± 0.15 eV, respectively. Using the heats of formation of the fully dissociated products, C6H6 and Cr+, the 298 K heats of formation of (C6H6)2Cr, (C6H6)2Cr+, and C6H6Cr+ were obtained to be 286 ± 17, 804 ± 18, and 968 ± 15 kJ/mol, respectively. Neutral C6H6−Cr bond energies ...
A review of functional brain imaging correlates of successful cognitive aging.

Preserved cognitive performance is a key feature of successful aging. Several theoretical models have been proposed to explain the putative underlying relationship between brain function and performance. We aimed to review imaging studies of the association between brain functional response and cognitive performance among healthy younger and older adults to understand the neural correlates of successful cognitive aging. MEDLINE-indexed articles published between January 1989 and December 2009 and bibliographies of these articles and related reviews were searched. Studies that measured brain function with functional magnetic resonance imaging or positron emission tomography, evaluated cognitive performance, analyzed how cognitive performance related to brain response, and studied healthy older individuals were included. Eighty of 550 articles met these criteria. Seventy percent of the studies reported some brain regions in which greater activation related to better cognitive performance among older participants. This association was not universal, however, and was seen mainly in frontal cortex brain response and seemed to be more common among older compared with younger individuals. This review supports the notion of compensatory increases in brain activity in old age resulting in better cognitive performance, as suggested by hemispheric asymmetry reduction and posterior–anterior shift models of functional brain aging. However, a simple model of bigger structure → greater brain response → better cognitive performance might not be accurate. Suggestions for future research are discussed.
Introduction to the Special Section: The Application of Effect Sizes in Research on Children and Families

ABSTRACT—Effect sizes are increasingly used to describe the magnitude of findings about program effectiveness across a range of policy contexts. However, often, both researchers and policy makers could benefit from more information about the factors that affect the calculation and interpretation of these effect sizes. To address these issues, the Administration for Children and Families and federal partners convened a roundtable in 2007, entitled Application of Effect Sizes in Research on Children and Families. This special section includes articles from this roundtable that begin a focused discussion about the purposes, calculation, and interpretation of effect sizes.
Surgical treatment of congenital esotropia.

We conducted a retrospective study of 133 children (69 boys and 64 girls) who underwent bilateral medial rectus muscle recession (most by the augmented or en-bloc technique) for congenital esotropia. Esotropia was diagnosed before the age of 6 months in 84 patients and after the age of 6 months in the other 49. A total of 27 children underwent surgery before the age of 12 months; of these, three required second procedures. A total of 106 children underwent surgery after the age of 12 months; of these, eight required second procedures. The mean preoperative deviation was 40 prism diopters. Two patients had significant A pattern deviations and 17 had significant V pattern deviations. Six patients had dissociated vertical deviations. Five to 60 days after surgery, 52 patients had no deviation and 99 were within ±10 prism diopters of no deviation. Two months after surgery, 67 patients had no deviation and 114 were within ±10 prism diopters of no deviation. Final alignments (five months to seven years postoperatively) showed that 51 patients had no deviation and 109 were within ±10 prism diopters of no deviation. Despite adequate alignment, none of 13 patients whose esotropia was diagnosed before the age of 6 months, who underwent surgery before the age of 12 months, and who cooperated with testing achieved stereopsis. This suggested that there may be two types of congenital esotropia—one without fusion potential and one in which fusion is possible but lost secondarily because of peripheral esotropic factors.
Jaume Escriva and the Perils of Female Writing on Late Medieval Valencia

In a poem directed to a woman who purportedly had asked him how she could learn to write, the early fifteenth-century Valencian poet Jaume Escriva obliged with a list of the equipment needed for putting pen to paper. His interlocutor would need a sharpened pen at least a hand and two fingers long, an inkwell, ink mixed with gum arabic, and smooth white paper. The poem's refrain incongruously reminds the lady not to laugh when she writes, while the last strophe warns her not to write on a Friday or a Saturday. If the refrain suggests that there may be something inherently humorous about female writing, the prohibition to write on Fridays and Saturdays points in a different direction. To the extent that the Church forbade couples to engage in sexual relations on those days, it is a clue that the poem is really about having sex and that even as women lack the proper equipment for penetration, they are only equipped for writing if a male furnishes them with a "pen."
Bioterrorism and bioterrorism preparedness: historical perspective and overview.

Bioterrorism has been defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as ‘‘the intentional release of bacteria, viruses or toxins for the purpose of harming or killing civilians’’ [1]. The intentional use of microbiologic agents dates back to the days before specific etiologies of infectious diseases were known. The epidemics and pandemics of natural infectious diseases caused by communicable agents have changed the course of human history frequently by claiming more lives and creating more social devastation than wars. With continued emergence and spread of previously unrecognized pathogens and reemergence of others in forms resistant to current antimicrobial agents, natural infectious diseases will remain a tool for mass casualties in the foreseeable future. Accepting ‘‘Mother Nature’’ as the most menacing ‘‘bioterrorist,’’ the concept of terror associated with biologic agents should encompass bioterrorism, biowarfare, and current and future global infectious diseases with the potential for mass casualties (eg, pandemic influenza) [2]. Epidemiologic principles, diagnostic criteria, and management strategies are common to infectious diseases regardless of the source. Many emerging pathogens are zoonotic in origin. Coordinated and cohesive efforts by scientists, health care providers, veterinarians, and epidemiologists are needed to control the global impact of infectious diseases. In addition, the law has been considered an important tool of public health, an important example being disease-reporting laws. In the context of bioterrorism, infectious diseases are not only a public health issue, but also an issue of national and international security. The authors of the recently drafted Model State
On theory, practice, and responsibilities: A conversation with Robert Hauptman

Abstract In January 2008, Dr. Robert Hauptman, Editor, Journal of Information Ethics, and Professor Emeritus, St. Cloud University, sat down with Elizabeth Buchanan, from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Information Studies' Center for Information Policy Research, to talk about the field of information ethics, its major issues, and the state of librarianship. As is widely known, Robert Hauptman, the author of hundreds of articles, is considered one of the founders of the field of information ethics. The formal application of ethical theory to information is termed “information ethics,” concurrently coined such by Robert Hauptman in the United States and Dr. Rafael Capurro in Germany in the mid 1980s. Laying the groundwork for the discipline of information ethics, was Hauptman's 1976 experiment. This was a seminal moment in reference, information ethics, and professional ethics, a moment to which information professionals, today, in the age of the Patriot Act, mass surveillance, and mass privacy violations, consider instrumental in understanding privacy, responsibility, and professional duties. This interview provides some insights on information ethics past, present, and future, from this transcendent scholar.
Experimental Observation of Continuous Melting into a Hexatic Phase

This paper reports the results of an x-ray diffuse scattering study of the melting transition of monolayer xenon on the surface of single crystals of exfoliated graphite. It is found that the two-dimensional xenon solid melts into an orientationally ordered liquid (or hexatic) phase. The temperature dependence of the orientational correlations suggests that the hexatic phase exists as a consequence of the continuous melting process, not the substrate.
Using Light-Use and Production Efficiency Models to Predict Photosynthesis and Net Carbon Exchange During Forest Canopy Disturbance

Vegetation growth models are used with remotely sensed and meteorological data to monitor terrestrial carbon dynamics at a range of spatial and temporal scales. Many of these models are based on a light-use efficiency equation and two-component model of whole-plant growth and maintenance respiration that have been parameterized for distinct vegetation types and biomes. This study was designed to assess the robustness of these parameters for predicting interannual plant growth and carbon exchange, and more specifically to address inconsistencies that may arise during forest disturbances and the loss of canopy foliage. A model based on the MODIS MOD17 algorithm was parameterized for a mature upland hardwood forest by inverting CO2 flux tower observations during years when the canopy was not disturbed. This model was used to make predictions during a year when the canopy was 37% defoliated by forest tent caterpillars. Predictions improved after algorithms were modified to scale for the effects of diffuse radiation and loss of leaf area. Photosynthesis and respiration model parameters were found to be robust at daily and annual time scales regardless of canopy disturbance, and differences between modeled net ecosystem production and tower net ecosystem exchange were only approximately 2 g C m−2 d−1 and less than 23 g C m−2 y−1. Canopy disturbance events such as insect defoliations are common in temperate forests of North America, and failure to account for cyclical outbreaks of forest tent caterpillars in this stand could add an uncertainty of approximately 4–13% in long-term predictions of carbon sequestration.
Facultative mutualism between an herbivorous crab and a coralline alga : advantages of eating noxious seaweeds

Because encrusting coralline algae rely on herbivory or low light levels to prevent being overgrown by competitively superior fleshy algae, corallines are relatively rare in shallow areas with low rates of herbivory. In contrast to this general trend, the branching coralline alga Neogoniolithon strictum occurs primarily in shallow seagrass beds and along the margins of shallow reef flats where herbivory on macrophytes is low. This alga apparently persists in these habitats by providing refuge to the herbivorous crab Mithrax sculptus at mean densities of 1 crab per 75 g of algal wet mass. When crabs were removed from some host corallines, hosts without crabs supported 9 times the epiphytic growth of hosts with crabs after only 30 days. Crabs without access to a coralline alga were rapidly consumed by reef fishes, while most of those tethered near a host alga survived. These results suggest that the crabs clean their algal host of fouling seaweeds and associate with the host to minimize predation. However, to effectively clean the host, the crab must consume the wide array of macroalgae that commonly co-occur with coralline algae in these habitats, including chemically defended species in the genera Halimeda, Dictyota, and Laurencia. Crabs did readily consume these seaweeds, which were avoided by, and are chemically defended from, herbivorous fishes. Even though crabs readily consumed both Halimeda and Dictyota in whole-plant feeding assays, chemical extracts from these species significantly reduced crab feeding, suggesting that factors other than secondary chemistry (e.g., food value, protein, energy content), may determine whole-plant palatability. Having the ability to use a wide variety of foods, and choosing the most profitable rather than the least defended foods, would diminish foraging time, increase site fidelity, and allow the crab to function mutualistically with the host alga. Despite the obvious benefit of associating with N. strictum, M. sculptus did not prefer it over other habitats offering a structurally similar refuge, suggesting that these crabs are not N. strictum specialists, but rather occupy multiple habitats that provide protection from predators. Structurally complex organisms like N. strictum may commonly suppress competitors by harboring protective symbionts like M. sculptus. It is possible that diffuse coevolution has occurred between these two groups; however, this seems unlikely because both herbivore and host appear to respond most strongly to selective pressures from predators and competitors outside this association.
A multitrait-multimethod investigation of interpersonal distance

Prior research has investigated the validity of interpersonal distance measures with respect to only one trait — comfort. This study expanded the previous research by measuring interpersonal distance along the trait dimensions of comfort, control and privacy. In addition, measures were taken along three different measurement techniques: stop distance, silhouette placement, and a paper and pencil measure (CID). The results were interpreted in terms of a multitrait-multimethod matrix. Results indicated that these measures were reliable and valid and the traits did have convergent validity. However, all of these measures were uncorrelated with a disguised distance measure of interpersonal distance.
pH-sensitive sputtered iridium oxide films

Abstract The results of an extensive series of measurements of the pH response of electrodes consisting of d.c. reactively sputtered iridium oxide on a variety of substrates are reported. After an initial instability, the electrodes behave nearly theoretically between 0 and 100 °C. Preliminary testing has shown these electrodes to be stable in aqueous solutions at temperatures up to 200 °C. Interferences appear to be acceptably small.
Association between CHRNA5 genetic variation at rs16969968 and brain reactivity to smoking images in nicotine dependent women

Background Tobacco smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the developed world. Identifying risk factors for smoking may lead to more effective treatments. Genome wide association studies revealed a relationship between development of nicotine dependence and a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP, rs16969968) of the nicotine acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) alpha-5 subunit gene (CHRNA5). The relationship between this SNP and other factors contributing to smoking behavior such as smoking cue reactivity is unclear.
Electrophoresis of Hemoglobin in Single Erythrocytes

A technique for electrophoretic analysis of the hemoglobin mixtures from single erythrocytes has been developed. Hemoglobin mixtures were separated into their constituents, A2, A, C, S, and J, at least qualitatively.
New Aluminum Agglomeration Models and Their Use in Solid-Propellant-Rocket Simularions

Random packs of ammonium perchlorate and aluminum particles in fuel binder, of the kind used to mimic the morphology of heterogeneous propellants, define distributions of aluminum particles that can be used as the starting point of agglomeration studies. The goal is to predict the fraction of aluminum that agglomerates and the size distribution of the agglomerates. Three phenomenological models are described, each with one or two parameters that can be adjusted to fit experimental data, and a number of such fits are attempted. It is shown that the agglomeration models can be calibrated to match a wide variety of propellant outputs, as needed for the numerical simulation of rocket chamber flows with aluminum injection. Results for such flows are presented and provide information about the distribution of the aluminum droplets and of the alumina smoke particles that arise from its presence.
Reconstruction of Kinship from Archaeological Data: the Concepts, the Methods, and the Feasibility

Archaeologists have recently attempted to reconstruct the residence and descent systems of particular prehistoric communities. Based on a study of residence and descent theory and pertinent examples from the ethnographic literature, we conclude that unless extremely detailed historical data exists, the analysis of kinship is best left to the ethnographer. The paper was conceived of as an attempt by archaeologically oriented anthropologists to resolve some of the difficulties encountered by us in our review of the archaeological literature on kinship reconstruction. We have, therefore, limited the scope of this paper accordingly; that is, it has been written principally with the problems of the archaeologist not the ethnographer in mind. An abbreviated version of this paper was presented at the 64th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association.
Evidence that α5β1 integrins mediate Leydig cell binding to fibronectin and enhance Leydig cell proliferation stimulated by a Sertoli cell-secreted mitogenic factor in vitro.

We reported previously that coculture of immature rat Sertoli cells with Leydig cells or the addition of a concentrate from Sertoli cell-conditioned medium (SCCM) stimulated Leydig cell [3H]-thymidine incorporation, increased cell number, and altered Leydig cell morphology (Wu and Murono, 1994). In the present studies, the effect of various extracellular matrix proteins on immature Leydig cell binding, proliferation and response to SCCM concentrate was investigated. Pretreatment of culture wells with 50 μg/mL collagen I or 10 μg/mL laminin inhibited Leydig cell binding to culture wells about 95 and 89%, respectively; however, 5 μg/mL fibronectin did not change the level of attachment. The binding of Leydig cells to fibronectin was reduced by antifibronectin or-β1 integrin antibodies (66 and 91%, respectively). Treatment of culture wells with five or 50 μg/mL fibronectin alone increased [3H]thymidine incorporation about twofold. When Leydig cells were cultured in wells precoated with increasing concentrations of fibronectin and then treated with SCCM concentrate for 2 d, [3H]-thymidine incorporation increased progressively with the concentration of fibronectin, beyond the levels observed with SCCM concentrate alone. This response was associated with increases in both Leydig cell number and labeling indices. When Leydig cells were cultured on fibronectin, their numbers increased by 3.7-and 5.1-fold following treatment with SCCM concentrates or coculture for 6 d, respectively; whereas, they increased 2.6- and 3.9-fold, respectively, when cultured on plastic. Labeling indices of Leydig cells cultured on plastic for 2 d and treated with SCCM or cocultured were 6.9 and 11.9%, respectively, while labeling indices of Leydig cells grown on fibronectin increased further to 17.6 and 26.3%, respectively. α5β1 integrin complexes and α5 integrin mRNA were expressed in Leydig cells, suggesting that binding to fibronectin may be mediated by α5β1 integrins, a fibronectin receptor. These results suggest that Leydig cell proliferation stimulated by a Sertoli cell-secreted mitogenic factor(s) is enhanced by Leydig cell binding fibronectin, and that this binding may be mediated by α5β1 integrins.
Key Success and Failure Paths in Fashion Marketing Strategies

Abstract Both successful and unsuccessful design+marketing projects in high fashion products and services represent creating and implementing recipes or paths of key success factors (KSFs). While implementing any one KSF is not sufficient for success, creating and taking certain paths that includes partially-independent KSFs is sufficient for success; other paths lead to failure; some paths are never taken because they are never though of or designers consider them to be totally unrealistic options. Consequently, fashion marketing strategists need to look beyond research attempting to learn the net effects of independent influences of KSFs. Configurations (i.e., recipes) representing alternative combinations of design+marketing dimensions are indicators of sufficiency for success versus failure for fashion marketing projects. The study of alternative decision configurations is particularly useful for fashion marketing strategists and researchers. The objectives of this article include (1) describing keys ...
Human motion classification and management based on mocap data analysis

Human motion understanding based on motion capture (mocap) data is investigated. Recent rapid developments and applications of mocap systems have resulted in a large corpus of mocap sequences, and an automated annotation technique that can classify basic motion types into multiple categories is needed. A novel technique for automated mocap data classification is developed in this work. Specifically, we adopt the tree-structured vector quantization (TSVQ) method to approximate human poses by codewords and approximate the dynamics of mocap sequences by a codeword sequence. To classify mocap data into different categories, we consider three approaches: 1) the spatial domain approach based on the histogram of codewords, 2) the spatial-time domain approach via codeword sequence matching, and 3) a decision fusion approach. We test the proposed algorithm on the CMU mocap database using the n-fold cross validation procedure and obtain a correct classification rate of 97%.
The Information-Bit Error Rate for Block Codes

The relations between the word error probability and the decoding algorithms for block codes are reviewed. A simple approximation that does not depend upon the code weight structure or the decoding details is derived for the information-bit error rate in terms of the channel-symbol error probability.
Ligation of the bronchial artery in sheep attenuates early pulmonary changes following exposure to smoke

Smoke inhalation can produce acute pulmonary edema. Previous studies have shown that the bronchial arteries are important in acute pulmonary edema occurring after inhalation of a synthetic smoke co...
Physics Exam Preparation: A Comparison of Three Methods.

In this clinical study on helping students prepare for an exam, we compared three different treatments. All students were asked to take a practice exam. One group was then given worked-out solutions for that exam, another group was given the solutions and targeted exercises to do as homework based on the result of their practice exam, and the third group was given the solutions, homework, and also an hour of one-on-one tutoring. Participants from all three conditions significantly outperformed the control group on the midterm exam. However, participants that had one-on-one tutoring did not outperform the other two participant groups.
Relationships between peak ground acceleration, peak ground velocity, and Modified Mercalli Intensity in California

Abstract We have developed regression relationships between Modified Mercalli Intensity (Imm) and peak ground acceleration (PGA) and velocity (PGV) by comparing horizontal peak ground motions to observed intensities for eight significant California earthquakes. For the limited range of Modified Mercalli intensities (Imm), we find that for peak acceleration with V ≤ Imm ≤ VIII, Imm = 3.66 log(PGA) − 1.66, and for peak velocity with V ≤ Imm ≤ IX, Imm = 3.47 log(PGV) + 2.35. From comparison with observed intensity maps, we find that a combined regression based on peak velocity for intensity > VII and on peak acceleration for intensity < VII is most suitable for reproducing observed Imm patterns, consistent with high intensities being related to damage (proportional to ground velocity) and with lower intensities determined by felt accounts (most sensitive to higher‐frequency ground acceleration). These new Imm relationships are significantly different from the Trifunac and Brady (1975) correlations, which hav...