cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Visual discrimination learning and interhemispheric transfer in the cat, as affected by 6-hydroxydopamine.

Learning and interhemispheric transfer of visual flux, pattern and form discriminations were studied in the cat after selected exposure of one suprasylvian cortex to 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). Biochemical assay using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) two weeks after 6-OHDA revealed no discernible norepinephrine or dopamine in the treated cortex, but elevated concentrations of these transmitters in the cortex of the opposite hemisphere. Visual discriminations learned before treatment with 6-OHDA were retained at a high level using either the eye on the side of chemical lesion or the eye on the untreated side. An asymmetric deficit in learning new form discriminations was present, however, when the eye on the untreated side was used, in contrast to normal learning using the eye on the side of the hemisphere with depleted adrenergic nerve supply. Once learning was achieved using the lesioned hemisphere transfer of the engram was found to the untreated hemisphere. Thus, the unlesioned hemisphere was unable to learn normally using direct retinal input from the ipsilateral eye, but showed good capacity for learning using indirect visual input from the contralateral eye. This suggests a powerful influence of the callosum on the learning abilities of the two hemispheres, an influence proved by sectioning the callosum. Callosotomy resulted in a reversal of the discriminative capacities seen after 6-OHDA, i.e. the lesioned hemisphere was defective relative to the unlesioned hemisphere.
Agonist‐stimulated cobalt uptake provides selective visualization of neurons expressing AMPA‐ or kainate‐type glutamate receptors in the retina

Fast-acting excitatory neurotransmission in the retina is mediated primarily by glutamate, acting at α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) -selective and kainate-selective receptors. To localize these sites of action, cat retinas were stimulated with either AMPA or kainate and processed for histochemical visualization of cobalt uptake through calcium-permeable channels. Treatment with both agonists resulted in staining of A- and B-type horizontal cells and several types of OFF cone bipolar cells; there was no evidence for staining of ON cone bipolar cells or rod bipolar cells. The subpopulations of OFF cone bipolar cells differed in their responses with two distinct types that stained heavily with cobalt after exposure to AMPA and three different types that were preferentially labeled after exposure to kainate. Although many amacrine and ganglion cells appeared to respond to both agonists, AII amacrine cells were stained after stimulation by AMPA but not by kainate. The OFF cone bipolar cells that exhibit AMPA-stimulated cobalt uptake were found to have a high level of correspondence with cells that show immunocytochemical staining for the AMPA-selective glutamate receptor subunits GluR1 and GluR2/3. Similarly, the cone bipolar cells exhibiting kainate-stimulated cobalt uptake resemble those that are immunoreactive for the kainate subunit GluR5. The results indicate that, whereas many retinal neurons express both AMPA and kainate receptors, AII amacrine cells and subpopulations of OFF cone bipolar cells are limited to the expression of either AMPA or kainate receptors. This differential expression may contribute to the unique character of transmission by these cell types. J. Comp. Neurol. 454:341–349, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
FERTILITY, CHILDHOOD, AND DEATH IN THE VICTORIAN FAMILY

GEORGE ELIOT’S MIDDLEMARCH concludes with the summing up of the lives of her most visionary characters, bringing them to either happy fulfillment or early demise according, not to the worth of their dreams but, in part, to their success or failure in choosing a domestic partner. For Dorothea Brooke, Middlemarch’s most luminous and large-souled citizen, Eliot can finally justify no other existence than that of a devoted wife and mother. Eliot defends this apparent demotion of her heroine from modern Saint Theresa to London matron by arguing that her “study of provincial life” was of necessity the story of domestic times, when, in fact, the “heroics” of raising a family and offering “wifely help” to a husband were more noble than sororal obligation or religious mysticism. Though the novel is set in the late Georgian period just before the first Reform Bill of 1832, it was published in 1871–72, at the height of the Victorian era and is thoroughly Victorian in character. For the Victorians, the “reformed rakes” of Richardson and Fielding are no longer desirable as heads of households. The Queen herself seemed to offer a model of perfect domesticity in her large family, middle-class values, and reliance on her husband. In fact, just as Eliot concedes the dominance of the “home epic” (890), the myth of the Victorian family continues to maintain a powerful presence within contemporary American culture. Questions that still consume us today — What makes a good mother?
Control of mesophase pitch properties by supercritical fluid extraction

Abstract Supercritical fluid (SCF) extraction has been used to fractionate an isotropic petroleum pitch and produce a number of pitch fractions, many of which contain 100% mesophase. Toluene was used as the supercritical solvent, and experiments were carried out in a region of liquid-liquid equilibrium that exists for mixtures of pitch and toluene above the critical pressure of toluene. A central composite design was used to investigate the effects of the operating variables of temperature, solubility parameter and solvent-to-pitch ( S P ) ratio on the yield and softening point of the produced mesophase pitch fractions. Temperatures, pressures and S P ratios from 310 to 360 °C, 45 to 155 bar and 2.5 to 4.0, respectively, were investigated. Using the developed statistical models, the effect of operating variables on softening point and mesophase yield can be quantitatively predicted. Chemical analyses of the mesophases by elemental analysis and DRIFT indicate that the extraction process can also be used to alter the chemical composition (e.g. the degree of alkyl substitution) of the produced mesophases. The flexibility of SCF extraction for processing pitches is illustrated by the fact that one can change the operating temperature and pressure and still maintain a constant mesophase yield or softening point.
Does the study of victimization revictimize the victims

Although the number of questionnaire surveys examining the sequelae of prior sexual and physical victimization has increased over the last decade, little attention has been given to understanding the impact of such studies on participants. As part of a larger study of long-term effects of prior sexual and physical victimization, 500 randomly selected women in an HMO received a comprehensive questionnaire including multiple symptomatic distress measures and several items inquiring into previous history of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse and neglect. They also completed a short rating scale asking about their reactions to completing the questionnaire. Despite the sensitive content, the women who participated generally found the experience to be a positive one. Only a small number of women were more upset than they had anticipated, but the vast majority felt they would have completed the survey even if they had known in advance how they would feel. The subset of women who did express distress was significantly different from the group that did not, with respect to other measures of symptomatic distress and trauma exposure. These data suggest that surveys that inquire into prior episodes of childhood victimization are generally well tolerated by women who participate, and that, although a small number may be disturbed by these investigations, in general, adverse reactions may be less common than previously anticipated.
Alzheimer's Association recommendations for operationalizing the detection of cognitive impairment during the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit in a primary care setting

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act added a new Medicare benefit, the Annual Wellness Visit (AWV), effective January 1, 2011. The AWV requires an assessment to detect cognitive impairment. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) elected not to recommend a specific assessment tool because there is no single, universally accepted screen that satisfies all needs in the detection of cognitive impairment. To provide primary care physicians with guidance on cognitive assessment during the AWV, and when referral or further testing is needed, the Alzheimer's Association convened a group of experts to develop recommendations. The resulting Alzheimer's Association Medicare Annual Wellness Visit Algorithm for Assessment of Cognition includes review of patient Health Risk Assessment (HRA) information, patient observation, unstructured queries during the AWV, and use of structured cognitive assessment tools for both patients and informants. Widespread implementation of this algorithm could be the first step in reducing the prevalence of missed or delayed dementia diagnosis, thus allowing for better healthcare management and more favorable outcomes for affected patients and their families and caregivers.
Teaching product liability as an ethical issue in engineering and computer science

This paper discusses the ethical implications of product liability and strategies for teaching product liability as an ethical issue to engineering and computer science students. The product liability climate can have substantial impact on the working environment of engineers charged with product safety. Many product liability controversies turn on the notion of "standard of care", which has both legal and ethical dimensions. The importance of product liability as an ethical issue can be demonstrated for students by considering the well-known Therac-25 and McDonald's coffee cases as well as less-publicized but more common cases involving appliances and hand tools. Such cases not only illuminate ethical issues and dilemmas posed by product liability claims and policy, but also help to clarify the relationship between law and ethics.
The interlaminar interface of a carbon fiber polymer-matrix composite as a resistance heating element

The interface between two crossply laminae of a continuous carbon fiber epoxy-matrix composite is an effective resistance heating element. For an interface of area 5 £ 5m m 2 and resistance 0.25 V, a DC electrical power input of 1.1 W (2.1 A, 0.53 V) results in a maximum temperature of 85 8C (initial temperature ¼ 19 8C). The time to reach half of the maximum temperature is 10 s. The efficiency of energy conversion reaches 100% after about 47 s of heating, when the heat power output is about 2 £ 10 4 W/m 2 of the interlaminar interface. In case that the volume resistance of the laminae dominates the resistance, the response time is longer. An additional advantage of the use of the interlaminar interface as the resistance heating element is that the interface area can be divided to provide a two-dimensional array of heating elements for the purpose of spatially distributed heating. q 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Reducing Receive Buffer Blocking In Concurrent Multipath Transfer

Using the application of bluck data transfer, we investigate the performance of Concurrent Multipath Transfer using SCTP Multihoming (CMT) with existing five retransmission policy under the scenario of a sender is constrained by the receive buffer (rbuf). We find that all of retransmission policy has some defects in aspect of reducing receive buffer blocking. In order to further alleviate some of the throughput degradation caused by rbuf blocking problem, the combination of Congestion window, Slow start threshould and Lossrate(CSL) to be taked into account. Based on this, we present a suggestion called compound parameter Retransmission policy (i.e., Rtx-CSL policy) to further improve the goodput of infinite rbuf CMT association. We also discuss CMT performance using Rtx-CSL policy and constrained rbuf values of 32 KB, 64 KB, and 128 KB. A demonstrate using simulation is provided showing how rbuf blocking is reduced and overall throughput of an rbuf- constrained CMT association could benefit from Rtx-CSL policy.
Emerging Literacy Views and Practices: Results from a National Survey of Head Start Preschool Teachers.

The authors conducted a national survey of Head Start preschool teachers to assess their views and practices related to emerging literacy. Results indicated that Head Start teachers use a variety o...
CAD procedures for planar re-entrant type couplers and three-line baluns

A generalized network model for coupled multiconductor transmission lines is derived based on normal mode parameters. The model is used in the design of planar re-entrant type couplers. By using this network model, the design of a planar re-entrant coupler can be derived from the design of a traditional two-line coupler. The design procedure for single-layer planar baluns using three-conductor transmission lines has also been developed based on this network model. Design procedures and examples are presented. >
ALLOGLOSSIDIUM HIRUDICOLA SP. N., A NEOTENIC TREMATODE (PLAGIORCHIIDAE) FROM LEECHES, HAEMOPIS SP.

Alloglossidium hirudicola sp. n. is described from adult specimens recovered from the ceca of leeches, Haemopis sp., purchased from a commercial source. It differs from A. corti (Lamont, 1921) Van Cleave and Mueller, 1934, and from A. geminus (Mueller, 1930) Van Cleave and Mueller, 1934, in having shorter ceca, smaller cirrus pouch, and in distribution of cuticular spines.
Timed sequential induction chemotherapy and risk-adapted postremission therapy for acute myelogenous leukemia

Cytogenetic analysis at the time of diagnosis predicts outcome in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). For those patients with favorable risk cytogenetics, stem cell transplant can be delayed until the time of relapse. For those patients with nonfavorable cytogenetic risk profiles, stem cell transplant may be required for optimal survival benefit. We treated patients with de novo AML and age less than 60 years first with etoposide, mitoxantrone, cytarabine, and G-CSF (EMA-G) to induce remission. Patients in complete remission were assigned to treatment with chemotherapy alone if they had favorable risk cytogenetics defined as the identification of a core-binding factor translocation. Patients with any other cytogenetic profile were assigned to treatment with either autologous or allogeneic stem cell transplant depending on the availability of an HLA-matched donor. Following EMA-G, 33 of 40 patients (83%) achieved CR. Of the 25 patients who actually were treated with postremission chemotherapy, 21 were treated with their assigned risk-adapted therapy. Of the 33 patients in remission, 5 year relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) was 46 and 38%, respectively. Our intensive and risk-adapted, stem cell transplant approach to the treatment of patients with AML requires a better definition of risk and does not appear to substantially improve results compared with more standard approaches.
Protein secondary structure prediction using BLAST and Relaxed Threshold Rule Induction from Coverings

Protein structure prediction has been a very important and challenging research problem in bioinformatics for years. Yet the determination of protein structures by time-consuming and relatively expensive experimental methods continues to lag far behind the explosive discovery of protein sequences. With the recent breakthrough of combining multiple sequence alignment information and artificial intelligence algorithms to predict protein secondary structure, the Q 3 accuracy of the best computational prediction methods has finally exceeded 80%. Herein we present a rule-based data-mining approach called BLAST-RT-RICO (Relaxed Threshold Rule Induction from Coverings) that utilizes multiple sequence alignment information to predict protein secondary structure. This method uses the PSI-BLAST algorithm to identify suitable proteins, and then generates rules from these proteins that can be used to predict secondary structure. By also utilizing known homologous template secondary structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) database, BLAST-RT-RICO achieved a Q 3 score of 89.93% on the standard test dataset RS126 and a Q 3 score of 87.71% on the standard test dataset CB396. These successful preliminary results suggest that this rule-based method may be the foundation for even more accurate prediction of protein secondary structure in the future.
Get in the Game: The Effects of Game-Product Congruity and Product Placement Proximity on Game Players’ Processing of Brands Embedded in Advergames

This study focused on the effects of game-product congruity and product placement proximity on advergame players’ brand memory, brand attitude, game enjoyment, and future intention to play. A 2 (congruity) × 2 (proximity) repeated-measures experiment was used. Results revealed that players’ implicit memory improved for congruent games only. Explicit memory measures also showed signs of improvement for brands in the congruent/central game condition. Surprisingly, it appears that the incongruent/peripheral game condition produced the best results overall with the smallest negative attitude change, the most game enjoyment, and the highest intention to play again in the future. These contradictory findings suggest to brand marketers who design advergames to be careful when combining multiple game featurescongruity and proximity) within a single advergame because this strategic move may provide optimal brand memory while also producing the opposite desired effect for attitude toward the brand, game enjoyment, ...
Ultralow-profile micromachined power inductors with highly laminated Ni/Fe cores: application to low-megahertz DC-DC converters

Micromachined inductors with submillimeter profiles and comparable electrical performance to thicker, commercially-available surface-mount devices, have been fabricated and characterized for low-megahertz dc-dc converters. The fabrication approach involves micron-scale lamination of Ni/Fe cores, combined with three-dimensional micromachined copper windings. The magnetic core of the fabricated inductor has 72 laminations of 1-/spl mu/m-thick Ni/Fe films. The inductor dimension is 11.5 /spl times/ 5.7 /spl times/ 0.7 mm, and the dc resistance is 150 m/spl Omega/. A maximum Q of 9.2 at 3 MHz with an inductance value of 2.3 /spl mu/H and a dc saturation current (I80) of 0.2 A were obtained. Use of this inductor in a regulated dc-dc boost converter circuit (7-12 V) operating at 2.2 MHz yielded 1.9-W power output at 71% efficiency.
Distance based indexing for string proximity search

In many database applications involving string data, it is common to have near neighbor queries (asking for strings that are similar to a query string) or nearest neighbor queries (asking for strings that are most similar to a query string). The similarity between strings is defined in terms of a distance function determined by the application domain. The most popular string distance measures are based on (a weighted) count of (i) character edit or (ii) block edit operations to transform one string into the other. Examples include the Levenshtein edit distance and the recently introduced compression distance. The main goal is to develop efficient near(est) neighbor search tools that work for both character and block edit distances. Our premise is that distance-based indexing methods, which are originally designed for metric distances can be modified for string distance measures, provided that they form almost metrics. We show that several distance measures, such as the compression distance and weighted character edit distance are almost metrics. In order to analyze the performance of distance based indexing methods (in particular VP trees) for strings, we then develop a model based on distribution of pairwise distances. Based on this model we show how to modify VP trees to improve their performance on string data, providing tradeoffs between search time and space. We test our theoretical results on synthetic data sets and protein strings.
Beneficial effects of weight loss on plasma apolipoproteins in postmenopausal women

A total of 39 postmenopausal women 40-70 years of age and undergoing hormone replacement therapy participated in a 6-month weight reduction program, which consisted of a low calorie diet (5040 KJ/day) and phentermine hydrochloride therapy. Subjects had an average body mass index of 35.95+/-5.32 kg/m(2) and 42.20+/-11.0 kg of total fat. Body mass index, plasma lipids, total and trunk fat, and plasma apoproteins were measured at baseline and after 3 and 6 months of the weight reduction program. Subjects experienced an overall 10% weight loss during the treatment period (P<0.001). Plasma LDL cholesterol and triglycerides were reduced by 18% and 15% (P<0.01) respectively, whereas HDL cholesterol was increased by 9% (P<0.01) over the 6-month period. Plasma apoproteins were significantly affected by weight loss. Plasma apolipoprotein (apo) B concentrations were reduced 6.5% (P<0.01), and apo C-III and apo E were reduced by 9% over 6 months (P<0.01). The observed decreases in plasma apo B were significantly correlated with the observed changes in plasma cholesterol (r=0.356, P<0.01) over 3 months. In addition, changes in plasma triglycerides were correlated with changes in both apo C-III (r=0.436) and apo E (r=0.354) over 6 months. These results suggest that weight loss may have multifactorial effects on lipoprotein metabolism, resulting in better plasma lipid and apoprotein profiles.
Mechanisms underlying hypoxia development in tumors.

The purpose of this review is to critically evaluate physiologic mechanisms that lead to hypoxia in tumors. This review will challenge some of the current paradigms and present an alternative view. There are two types of hypoxia, as described radiobiologically. Long intercapillary distances between microvessels are believed to be causal fordiffusion limited or chronic hypoxia.Intermittent vascular stasis is commonly believed to be responsiblefor perfusion limited or acute hypoxia.If one considers the multitude of factors that could influence oxygen transport, it becomes clear that these two classifications are gross oversimplifications of a more complex process. Factors that are known to affect delivery include microvessel density, vessel orientation, red cell flux, hemoglobin saturation and blood viscosity, to name a few. One must also consider the oxygen consumption rate, which can be influenced by cell proliferation rate and other factors, such as inflammation. This review will present a comprehensive model including factors governing oxygen transport in tumors that provides a testable mechanistic underpinning for future research on this subject. The increased interest in tumor hypoxia because of its influences on gene expression and selection for more aggressive phenotype further emphasizes the need for more detailed study.
Detection of Single and Multiple Trace Element Labels in Individual Eggs of Diet-Reared Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Tobacco budworms, Heliothis virescens (F.), were reared on artificial diet containing one, two, or three of the following trace elements in the given quantity: 1,000 ppm rubidium (Rb), 1,000 ppm strontium (Sr), 2,000 ppm cesium (Cs), and 2,000 ppm dysprosium (Dy). Singly and multiply labeled females were allowed to mate with labeled and unlabeled males, and eggs were collected and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry for element content. Individual eggs contained detectable levels of two of the four elemental maternal labels (rubidium 100% and cesium 68%) alone or in combination. Differences were found in element content of eggs produced over a 7-d period; detectability of rubidium was not affected, but cesium detectability declined >10%. Spermatophores produced by Rb-treated males were >80% reliably labeled. Whole bodies, wings, and head capsules of Rb- and Cs-treated males and females provided 100% reliable detection; only the wing provided reliable detection of Sr-labeled adults.
Abstract 4467: Role of 12-lipoxygenase in regulation of ovarian cancer growth

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Eicosanoid-related enzymes may be implicated in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer. We found that high grade serous ovarian carcinoma had a significantly higher level of 12-LOX expression than normal ovarian epithelium. These data led us to hypothesize that the lipoxygenase pathway is important in the regulation of ovarian cancer growth. In the present study, we examined the role of 12-lipoxygenase (12-LOX), the main human 12-HETE generating enzyme, in the regulation of proliferation and survival in epithelial ovarian cancer in vitro and ovarian cancer development and angiogenesis in vivo. Down-regulation of the 12-LOX expression using 12-LOX siRNA also resulted in markedly reduction in the epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) OVCAR-3 growth as we have previously observed with BMD-122, a selective 12-LOX inhibitor. In addition, BMD-122 significant inhibited the VEGF expression whereas purified 12-HETE increase VEGF expression in OVCAR-3 cells. Furthermore, we found that BMD-122 markedly decreases angiogenesis induced by OVCAR-3 in a Matrigel plug angiogenesis assay. Systemic administration of BMD-122 to nude mice bearing experimentally-induced ovarian cancer resulted in a 60 % decrease in tumor size. These data suggest that 12-LOX may be involved in regulation of ovarian cancer growth, survival and cancer-induced angiogenesis. Thus inhibition of 12-LOX could be useful as adjuvant therapy of ovarian cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4467. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-4467
Neotropical orchid eco-tourism: educational experience of an orchid neophyte at the Bosque de Paz Biological Preserve, Central Volcanic Range, Costa Rica

The purpose of this presentation is to describe the efforts of the owners of the Preserve to attract the interest of orchid profes- sionals and amateur enthusiasts to this mountain haven and to consider more ways in which orchid eco-tourism might be encouraged to grow to the ben- efit of Costa Rica, orchid science and the conserva- tion of orchid habitat.
Management of Esophageal Leaks and Fistulas

Esophageal leaks and fistulas traditionally have been treated with surgical management. The development of endoscopic therapy has provided new therapeutic options in treating patients with esophageal perforation and fistulas. This chapter discusses the endoscopic and surgical management of esophageal leaks and fistulas. Some techniques involving the use of esophageal stents are off-label uses that have not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Bupropion Induced Hyponatremia in an Elderly Patient: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

We present the case of a 72-year-old female with a major depressive episode who developed hyponatremia associated with bupropion. In reviewing the literature, there are only a few case reports which pertain to this topic. The clinical symptoms of hyponatremia can be misinterpreted as a worsening of the primary psychiatric illness and can lead to potentially serious consequences if not fully evaluated. We recommend that clinicians should be well aware of this side effect and that sodium levels should be checked within the first 2 weeks after initiating treatment in patients, especially those with additional risk factors for hyponatremia, such as older age, female sex, diuretic use, low BMI, and unexplained mental status changes at any time during treatment with antidepressants. The risk for hyponatremia associated with mirtazapine appears to be low and its use can be helpful in patients who have developed hyponatremia induced by other antidepressants and who experienced symptoms of weight loss and insomnia.
Low-Temperature Heat Capacity of α- and β-Cerium

Both the β and α phases of Ce are present in samples of the metal at low temperatures. The β phase is essentially trivalent, and has one localized 4f electron. The α phase has a valence intermediate between three and four. The fourth electron is no longer in a well-localized 4f state,1 nor is it fully promoted into the conduction band. The valence usually assigned2 to the α phase is 3.6.
Equalisation of Factor Prices by Sufficiently Diversified Production Under Conditions of Balanced Demand

If we have two factors (‘labour and land’) and one good, the slightest geographical difference in factor endowments will make factor prices unequal. If a second good is added that differs not at all in factor intensities from the first, the same conclusion holds.
A Numerical Assessment of the Propagation and Coalescence of Delamination Cracks in Thermal Barrier Systems

Interactions have been calculated between cracks induced in thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) upon thermal cycling, motivated by displacement instability in the thermally grown oxide (TGO). The results indicate that the energy release rate G cycles as the temperature changes, with the largest value arising at ambient temperature. It increases on a cycle-by-cycle basis. The trends in G predict two responses. (i) Isolated cracks should be confined to the vicinity of the imperfection, as observed experimentally. (ii) Cracks that converge from neighboring imperfections exhibit a minimum G prior to convergence, providing the possibility that they might coalesce. Equating this minimum to the toughness of the TBC provides a criterion for coalescence and failure. Imposing this criterion allows the change in crack length upon cycling and the number of cycles to failure to be ascertained. The results are consistent with experimental measurements obtained from furnace cycle tests.
Approximating the Solution to Mixed Packing and Covering LPs in Parallel O˜(epsilon^{-3}) Time

We study the problem of approximately solving positive linear programs (LPs). This class of LPs models a wide range of fundamental problems in combinatorial optimization and operations research, such as many resource allocation problems, solving non-negative linear systems, computing tomography, single/multi commodity flows on graphs, etc. For the special cases of pure packing or pure covering LPs, recent result by Allen-Zhu and Orecchia [Allen/Zhu/Orecchia, SODA'15] gives O˜(1/(epsilon^3))-time parallel algorithm, which breaks the longstanding O˜(1/(epsilon^4)) running time bound by the seminal work of Luby and Nisan [Luby/Nisan, STOC'93]. We present new parallel algorithm with running time O˜(1/(epsilon^3)) for the more general mixed packing and covering LPs, which improves upon the O˜(1/(epsilon^4))-time algorithm of Young [Young, FOCS'01; Young, arXiv 2014]. Our work leverages the ideas from both the optimization oriented approach [Allen/Zhu/Orecchia, SODA'15; Wang/Mahoney/Mohan/Rao, arXiv 2015], as well as the more combinatorial approach with phases [Young, FOCS'01; Young, arXiv 2014]. In addition, our algorithm, when directly applied to pure packing or pure covering LPs, gives a improved running time of O˜(1/(epsilon^2)).
Impacts of transient instability on power system reliability

This paper addresses the effects of transient instability on power system reliability. Composite system reliability evaluation has been performed based on steady-state estimation of load curtailments. In composite reliability evaluation, after each contingency, faulted components are assumed to be isolated from the rest of the system immediately and the system is assumed to return to a stable state with proper generation rescheduling for minimum load curtailments. In this context, minimum load curtailments are usually performed by solving linear/non-linear programming optimization problems. Although the optimization problem with minimum load curtailment may find a steady-state feasible solution, a stable transition to a post-fault stable equilibrium point is not guaranteed. In this paper, three probabilistic transient stability indices are proposed to assess system robustness against transient contingencies and update the reliability indices. Transient stability direct methods are used in assessing system stability and determining the probabilistic stability indices. This method is applied on the reduced WECC (Western Electricity Coordinating Council) system and the results showed that the effect of transient instability should not be ignored.
Voice vs. truth: Differential effects of voice and lying on self- and other-perceived status

This research examines the relationship between two elements of procedural fairness, representativeness (given/denied voice) and ethicality (told the truth/lied to), and how these elements affect individuals’ perceptions of status of themselves and others. Results from four studies revealed that representativeness affected individuals’ self-perceived status, while ethicality affected individuals’ perceptions of status of the other actor. Additionally, we show that the effects can be explained by the extent to which representativeness and ethicality encouraged individuals to focus either on themselves or on the actor who engaged in such actions. This research provides evidence of the relationship between voice, lying, focus, and status, opening up opportunities for future research aimed at better understanding the relationship between different elements of procedural fairness, as well as the relationship between organizational fairness and business ethics more broadly.
Flexural creep behavior of adhesively bonded metal and composite laminates

Abstract Adhesively bonded structures exhibit time dependent behavior when subjected to constant load (creep). In this investigation, long-term creep behavior of adhesively bonded aluminum and carbon fiber composite beams under flexural loading was predicted. Three-point bending test was selected because of its simplicity and the fact that bending stresses are quite common. In this study, two types of adhesively bonded beam specimens were tested: specimens prepared by adhesively bonding two aluminum beams and specimens prepared by adhesively bonding two unidirectional carbon fiber laminated beams. Accelerated creep tests were performed at higher temperatures up to 60 °C and deflection was measured as a function of time for both types of specimens. Time-temperature superposition principle (TTSP) was used to construct the master curves to predict longer-term creep response of the adhesively bonded beams. Prony series was used to model the master curve by non-linear least square fitting. The analytical results showed good agreement with finite element results where ABAQUS software was used to model the flexural creep response of the adhesively bonded beams.
Increases in the competitive fitness of West Nile virus isolates after introduction into California.

Abstract To investigate the phenotypic evolution of West Nile virus (WNV) in California, we competed sixteen isolates made during 2007–08 against COAV997-5nt, a genetically marked clone from the founding 2003 California isolate COAV997-2003. Using in vivo fitness competitions in House Finches (HOFI) and Culex tarsalis mosquitoes, we found that the majority of WNV WN02 and SW03 genotype isolates exhibited elevated replicative fitness in both hosts compared to COAV997-5nt. Increased replicative capacity in HOFIs was not associated with increased mortality, indicating that these isolates had not gained avian virulence. One WN02 isolate from Coachella Valley, a region geographically close to the isolation of COAV997, showed neutral fitness in HOFIs and reduced fitness in Cx. tarsalis . Two isolates from Kern County and Sacramento/Yolo County out-competed COAV997-nt in HOFIs, but were transmitted less efficiently by Cx. tarsalis . Competition demonstrated neutral or increased fitness that appeared independent of both WN02 and SW03 genotypes.
STEM project activities for pK-12 students: What it takes to make it happen

This paper discusses the work-in-progress to set up and deliver Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) project activities with critical Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) components for STEM students across the different school grades ranging from pre-Kindergarten (pK) through twelve (12). The STEM project activities are carefully chosen to relate basic and advanced engineering principles to engineering design specifications and real-world constraints and comprise simple and timely laboratory activities in ECE topics such as electronic circuits, electrical energy sources, wireless communications, and embedded systems. This forms part of the larger outreach and partnership program labeled “Engage pK-12 students in ECE.” It is hoped that, in the future, the outreach will include delivery of laboratory content through the cyber-learning networks, thereby enabling pK-12 students in schools within and across school districts to interact and share their STEM learning experiences. In addition, these networks create the environment for pK-12 students of schools and school districts to participate in ECE project activities through a virtual STEM education experience. The “Engage pK-12 students in ECE” program aims to (a) raise the level of awareness among pK-12 students of the promising careers in the ECE disciplines upon graduation (b) establish and sustain the dialog between the pK-12 schools and the University to encourage the pK-12 school students to pursue and excel in subjects with STEM components (c) promote the interaction between the engineering faculty at the University and the pK-12 students and their teachers through activities which deliver and reinforce critical STEM components.
Directed constraint networks: a relational framework for causal modeling

Normally, constraint networks are undirected, since constraints merely tell us which sets of values are compatible, and compatibility is a symmetrical relationship. In contrast, causal models use directed links, conveying cause-effect asymmetries. In this paper we give a relational semantics to this directionality, thus explaining why prediction is easy while diagnosis and planning are hard. We use this semantics to show that certain relations possess intrinsic directionalities, similar to those characterizing causal influences. We also use this semantics to decide when and how an unstructured set of symmetrical constraints can be configured so as to form a directed causal theory.
Effects of Drugs on Schedule-Controlled Behavior and Cardiovascular Function in the Squirrel Monkey

Environmental circumstances can modulate physiological functions and alter the action of drugs. There is now much systematic information on how the behavioral effects of drugs are modified by environmental determinants of behavior. Most drugs have selective actions on behavior in different situations, and predictions about the behavioral effects of a drug require knowledge about the conditions under which the drug is acting and the determinants of behavior in that situation. In some instances the profound effects of environmental factors in modifying the actions of drugs apply to the toxic effects of drugs; for example, it is now well known that changing the environmental circumstances can markedly enhance the lethality of amphetamine (Chance, 1946, 1967; Gunn and Gurd, 1940; Hohn and Lasagna, 1960; Weiss et al., 1961.)
Varicella-Zoster Virus Neurotropism in SCID Mouse–Human Dorsal Root Ganglia Xenografts

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a neurotropic human alphaherpesvirus and the causative agent of varicella and herpes zoster. VZV reactivation from latency in sensory nerve ganglia is a direct consequence of VZV neurotropism. Investigation of VZV neuropathogenesis by infection of human dorsal root ganglion xenografts in immunocompromised (SCID) mice has provided a novel system in which to examine VZV neurotropism. Experimental infection with recombinant VZV mutants with targeted deletions or mutations of specific genes or regulatory elements provides an opportunity to assess gene candidates that may mediate neurotropism and neurovirulence. The SCID mouse–human DRG xenograft model may aid in the development of clinical strategies in the management of herpes zoster as well as in the development of “second generation” neuroattenuated vaccines.
Satellite Observations of the Antarctic Ozone Depletion

The morphology of satellite total ozone and temperature observations in the polar and subpolar Antarctic regions are reviewed. An analysis of the total ozone and 70 mb temperature data in the depletion region for for October and September shows similar secular trends. These trends result from changes which primarily occur in late September in both the minimum total ozone and temperature. The strong correlation between ozone and temperature suggests an important dynamical component to this phenomenon. A simple computation shows that a vertical velocity field of 0.06 cm/sec can account for both the secular ozone and temperature trends in the minimum region.
PEPA Based Performance Modeling for Robust Resource Allocations Amid Varying Processor Availability

Computational environments that are comprised of high performance parallel and/or distributed computing systems, often suffer performance degradation due to unforeseen variations in problem, algorithm, and system characteristics. In such environments, the underlying computational resource is considered to be non-dedicated. Therefore, to maintain a desired level of performance, there is a need for a study of the robustness of resource allocations. A robust resource allocation is expected to guarantee a predetermined level of performance, and optimize the execution performance, whenever possible. The goal of performance modeling and evaluation is to understand the behavior of the system (which includes the application and the computational system) and identify aspects of the system that are sensitive from a performance point of view. In general, much work has been focused on formulating robustness metrics for a number of resource allocation techniques via simulation, or using performance modeling for evaluating metrics, such as throughput and utilization in concurrent systems. Therefore, to the best of our knowledge, performance modeling for evaluating response times of resource allocations in parallel and distributed computing systems, and the related robustness analysis is still an open problem. The authors have validated the use of the performance evaluation process algebra (PEPA) for analyzing the robustness of static resource allocations for dedicated parallel computational resources in earlier research. In the work presented here, an Eclipse workbench that uses an implementation of PEPA, has been employed to numerically implement the model to obtain the performance of a number of static resource allocations obtained for a parallel execution environment with non-dedicated computational resources. The novelty of the proposed approach is to study the impact of varying processor/machine availability on the robustness of resource allocations. Moreover, as a novel approach, the variability in processor/machine availability is introduced into the performance modeling of the overall computational system. The performance is obtained via a numerical analysis of the performance of the modeled execution of applications on parallel computational resources with varying availability. Further, the results of the numerical analysis are used for evaluating the robustness of the static resource allocations. The work presented herein extends the benefits of using PEPA models towards a cost effective and low overhead analysis of robustness of resource allocations for a non-dedicated parallel computing system.
Establishment of the miniature fish species Danionella translucida as a genetically and optically tractable neuroscience model

ABSTRACT The rapid adoption of the larval zebrafish as a systems neuroscience model has been driven largely by its small size and optical transparency, which enable the use of imaging and optogenetics techniques to record and manipulate activity throughout the brain. Unfortunately, larval fish lack the mature behavioral repertoire of adults and so a number of learning phenomena and social behaviors cannot be investigated in these animals. Here we establish the pedomorphic fish species Danionella translucida as a laboratory model that overcomes this limitation. Adult Danionella possess the size and optical transparency of late-larval zebrafish, which we exploit to image deep within the brains of a behaviorally mature animals using two-photon microscopy. The close phylogenetic relationship between Danionella and zebrafish enabled us to use existing reagents and techniques for transgenesis, and zebrafish-derived enhancer elements drove transgene expression in Danionella with their intended specificities. In a behavioral assay for socially-reinforced place preference, interactions between fish were found to be positively reinforcing and dependent on gender, demonstrating the power of this species for studies of learning and memory as well as social behavior. The establishment of Danionella’s behavioral, molecular, and optical tractability provides a unique opportunity for researchers seeking to understand the relationship between circuits and adult-onset behaviors at a whole-brain level.
Relationship dissolution following marital infidelity: comparing European Americans and Asian Americans

The present study examined how attitudes toward divorce as well as the Investment Model relate to the decision to divorce following a spouse's infidelity among European Americans and Asian/Asian Am...
La espiritualidad. ¿Una herramienta de sanación o un factor agravante?: la violencia doméstica en las comunidades religiosas

Los anos 90 marcaron un progreso importante en el desarrollo de politicas que sancionan la violencia domestica y de campanas para la toma de conciencia sobre los derechos de las mujeres de llevar vidas libres de violencia y abuso. Estos avances llevaron tambien a un aumento en la cantidad de estudiantes de trabajo social, profesionales y educadores que tomaron parte en la causa de las mujeres maltratadas. Se han realizado diversos estudios sobre la incidencia y la prevalencia de la violencia domestica en diversos grupos y comunidades, en los que se concluye que basicamente no existe un grupo cultural ni socioeconomico que no se vea afectado por la violencia domestica (Berry, 2000). La paradoja es que si bien somos testigos de una creciente toma global de conciencia sobre los problemas de genero, las desigualdades de genero siguen provocando graves problemas a aquellas que representan la mayoria de la poblacion mundial. En el mundo, entre 20 y 50% de las mujeres experimentaran violencia por parte de sus parejas, ya sea esta de tipo fisico o sexual (Jewkes, 2002:2). Esta ponencia aborda el crecimiento y la desigualdad reflejados en la violencia en la pareja en los grupos religiosos conservadores.
Compressing unstructured mesh data from simulations using machine learning

The amount of data output from a computer simulation has grown to terabytes and petabytes as increasingly complex simulations are being run on massively parallel systems. As we approach exaflop computing in the next decade, it is expected that the I/O subsystem will not be able to write out these large volumes of data. In this paper, we explore the use of machine learning to compress the data before it is written out. Despite the computational constraints that limit us to using very simple learning algorithms, our results show that machine learning is a viable option for compressing unstructured data. We demonstrate that by simply using a better sampling algorithm to generate the training set, we can obtain more accurate results compared to random sampling, but at no extra cost. Further, by carefully selecting and incorporating points with high prediction error, we can improve reconstruction accuracy without sacrificing the compression rate.