cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhancing Eco-efficiency in Agro-ecosystems through Soil Carbon Sequestration

Global cereal production must be increased by ∼50% by 2050. Crop yields in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have either stagnated or declined since the 1990s because of the widespread use of extractive farming practices and problems of soil and environmental degradation. Yield potential of improved varieties and elite germplasm is not realized because of soil degradation. The concept of eco-efficiency implies efficient and sustainable use of resources in agronomic production and soil management. However, it is not enough to merely minimize the environmental impact. It is also important to maximize agronomic production while enhancing ecosystem services. Most degraded and depleted soils of agro-ecosystems contain a lower soil organic carbon (SOC) pool than in those under natural ecosystems. Thus, restoring the SOC pool is essential to improving soil quality, increasing eco-efficiency, and enhancing numerous ecosystem services. Increasing the SOC pool in the root zone can enhance agronomic production (kg grains ha⁻¹ Mg C⁻¹) at the rate of 200 to 300 for maize (Zea mays L.), 30 to 60 for bean (Phaseolis vulgaris L.), 20 to 40 for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), 20 to 50 for soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], and 20 to 50 for rice (Oryza sativa L.). Not all improved management practices are applicable to all soil and ecological conditions. However, no-till farming along with application of crop residue mulch, manuring, legume-based complex rotations, and integrated nutrient management should be applicable under most conditions. Global food insecurity, affecting 1.02 billion people in 2009, can only be alleviated by improving soil quality and eco-efficiency through restoration of degraded/depleted soils.
A Holocene paleosecular variation record from 14C‐dated volcanic rocks in western North America

[1] A paleosecular variation (PSV) curve for western North America is presented on the basis of 94 virtual geomagnetic poles (VGPs) from dated volcanic rocks sampled at 446 sites. Approximately 60% of the paleomagnetic database has been previously published. A curve defined by “spherical smoothed splines” is fitted to the VGPs, ranked by the quality of the age determinations, where the data density is highest between 3690 and −30 years before present (B.P.) (A.D. 1950), between 7800 and 7050 years B.P., and between 14,060 and 12,700 years B.P. The younger segments of the curve derived from volcanic rocks are similar but less complex than other high-resolution PSV curves derived from lacustrine sediments, particularly the record at Fish Lake, Oregon. The PSV record from lava flows (PSVL), however, is perhaps more reliable in its general shape and chronology because of the higher fidelity of volcanic rocks as magnetic field recorders and because of the greater density of 14C dates. The new PSVL record provides a partial Holocene master curve for western North America and will be of particular value in dating geological and archeological materials using paleomagnetic directions.
The 15O steady-state method: correction for variation in arterial concentration.

One of the factors limiting the accuracy of the /sup 15/O steady-state method for the measurement of regional cerebral blood flow and oxygen metabolism is the requirement that a constant arterial blood concentration be maintained over long periods. A new method has been developed to correct for the variation of the arterial concentration in the C/sup 15/O/sub 2/ and /sup 15/O/sub 2/ steady-state inhalation technique. The time course of the arterial activity is obtained by multiple sampling over the study period. The same /sup 15/O model as is used in the steady-state method is employed but is solved without assuming equilibrium. Look-up tables are generated to relate flow and oxygen extraction fraction to tissue activity, and from them the regional parameters are estimated. Theory and simulation studies suggest that substantial improvement in accuracy can be obtained with no increase in statistical error. The validity of the method was checked experimentally by making repeated measurements in the same subject after perturbing the gas delivery. The conventional steady-state method showed significantly larger deviations in repeat measurement than did the new method. Thus, it is concluded that the proposed method is superior.
Free space optical link by mechanically-active anti-reflection switch array and corner cube reflector

We demonstrate a laboratory free space optical link by a mechanically-active anti-reflection switch array and a corner cube reflector with a 40% modulation and a 5 kbit/sec data rate for 1.064 /spl mu/m.
Looking across: A survey study of cross‐border impression formation in the Tijuana‐San Diego and Seattle‐Vancouver border corridors

Much of politics is driven by images people may hold in their minds. This is particularly true for cross-border politics, where cultural, economic, linguistic, and legal perceptions and misconceptions may affect meaningful interaction. These may raise hurdles to integration. A first step to overcome such potential hurdles is to understand the processes by which images are formed across cultural and national borders. This study proposes a simple model of cross-border impression formation and tests it with survey research data collected in the Tijuana-San Diego and Seattle-Vancouver border regions. The results confirm that crossborder impressions are influenced by exposure to foreign and domestic media, pre-existing world views, and personal cross-border experiences. The relative importance of these factors is found to vary across cities, countries and regions. Unlike U.S. citizens which rely primarily on their personal cross-border experiences to judge their neighbors, Mexicans and Canadians are significantly influenced in their view of the U.S. presented by U.S. television. The paper concludes with a discussion of some implications of the findings.
Some perspectives on quantum calculations

An interpretation of the first-order wave function is presented in terms of correlation factors in the two-body distribution function. An argument is given for using N(N-1)/2 instead of N/2 as the number of pairs in approximate corrections to Single and Double Configuration Interaction (SDCI).
Molar Pregnancy-Induced Thyroid Storm

Abstract Background: Molar pregnancy is a rare form of pregnancy, affecting approximately 1 in 1000 pregnancies in the United States. Hyperthyroidism is a rare complication of molar pregnancy; thyroid storm occurs even less frequently. Objectives: To discuss a rare cause of thyroid storm in a woman of reproductive age. Case Report: A 17-year-old girl presented to a community hospital's Emergency Department (ED) after experiencing 1 week of palpitations and tachycardia. The tachycardia partially responded to administration of calcium channel blockers and β-blockers. The patient was transferred to a tertiary care center for further evaluation. At the tertiary center, pregnancy was confirmed, thyroid storm was diagnosed, and ultrasound examination yielded a snowstorm image, indicating a molar pregnancy. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit for management. Dilatation and curettage resolved her symptoms, and after a 9-day hospital stay, she was discharged home on atenolol therapy. Conclusions: Thyroid storm induced by gestational trophoblastic disease should be considered in any woman of childbearing age who presents with symptoms suggestive of hyperthyroidism.
Effect of bupropion on immunodensity of putative imidazoline receptors on platelets of depressed patients.

Abstract A substantial number of studies have demonstrated increased imidazoline receptors (I1 binding sites) on platelets of depressed patients and downregulation following antidepressant treatments. Herein, imidazoline receptor binding protein (IRBP) antiserum was used to quantify imidazoline receptors on platelets of depressed patients before and after treatment with the atypical aminoketone antidepressant, bupropion. Western blots revealed an increase in IRBP-immunodensity (p=0.01, two-tailed) in a 33 kDa protein band in untreated depressed patients (n=21) as compared with controls (n=17). This band has been positively correlated with I1 binding sites on platelets. Following 6 weeks' treatment with bupropion, IRBP-immunodensity was downregulated in depressed patients (p=0.03, paired t-test); predominantly in responders (p=0.005). Patients non-responsive to bupropion (n=5) were significantly different from responders (p=0.05) by exhibiting no elevation in IRBP-immunodensity at pre-treatment and no downregulation of the 33 kDa band after treatment. IRBP-immunodensity was negatively correlated (r=−0.79, p=0.01) with plasma concentrations of bupropion and its metabolites at week-4 of BUP treatment. Thus, a 33-kDa IRBP on platelet plasma membranes is elevated in depression and normalized in responders to bupropion.
Chain pairs in the crosslinking of fibrin.

Abstract After sultifolysis, enzymatically crosslinked fibrin yields fragments which are different from those obtainable from non-crosslinked material. The α and γ chains of the latter disappear almost entirely and crosslinking bands appear which move slower in electrophoresis. Prominent among these is one with the mobility calculated for an α-γ hybrid chain dimeric combination. The β chain of fibrin appears to be unaffected by crosslinking.
Synthesis of Nα, Nβ-alkylated diaminopropionic acid analogs

Abstract A general route for the preparation of N α -alkylated and N β -alkylated derivatives of diaminopropionic acids is described. Nucleophilic ring opening of N-tosyl aziridine-2- t -butyl carboxylate with primary amines leads to the corresponding N β -alkyl derivative. Reaction of the N α -tosyl diaminopropionic derivative with Cs 2 CO 3 and alkyl iodide selectively produces the N β -alkylated compound.
Zone model predictive control of an artificial pancreas

A novel model predictive control strategy is described for the treatment of diabetes. Clinical results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the medically-inspired algorithms.
DECREASED LH RESPONSE TO THE SECOND OF CONSECUTIVE DAY LUTEINIZING HORMONE RELEASING HORMONE (LHRH) INFUSIONS AMONG PATIENTS WITH CONSTITUTIONAL DELAY OF PUBERTY: A PHENOMENON OF PUBERTAL MATURATION?

Consecutive day LHRH stimulation by continuous infusion has been used to evaluate pituitary reserve. Different responses on the 2 days were not present among non-pubertal hypopituitary patients, pubertal growth hormone deficient patients or adult males. However, patients with constitutionally delayed puberty demonstrated a greater serum LH response on day 1 than day 2. Urinary LH responses suggest a similar but not statistically significant pattern. This response may be a normal phenomenon of puberty or may represent part of the reason for constitutionally delayed puberty.
Provider Reports on the Ability to Implement Changes in Practice Following HIV-HCV Training

The increased mortality among persons co-infected with HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C (HCV) is a concern that provider training on HCV-HIV co-infection may address. Medical and behavioral health providers were given training on co-infection. This study addresses two research questions: What changes, if any, did providers seek to effect in their practice after training? Of those providers desiring change in their practice, which, if any, did they implement? Surveys indicated that 82% planned to change their practice. Of those, 51% were reached 3 months later, and of those, 86% reported having enacted a change. Qualitative analysis found that planned changes fell into two domains: HCV Education and HCV Medical Actions. The most frequently intended and enacted changes involved patient education. Barriers to enact changes included lack of colleague support for HCV treatment and inadequate access to hepatitis A/B vaccine. Training on HIV-HCV co-infection should: engage multiple providers from the same site; address ...
The GDR as clock for fission dynamics in hot actinide nuclei

Abstract GDR γ-rays emission in competition with fission by hot compound nuclei is used to to determine characteristic time scales for the fission process which are translated into nuclear dissipation coefficients for collective mass flow. Systematic studies in nuclei from Thorium to Rutherfordium were used to extract separately friction coefficients of compound nuclear fission inside the saddle and from the saddle to the scission point. Above a marked excitation energy threshold between 60 and 80 MeV dissipation is large and equal to full one body dissipation on the outside, possibly even larger inside the saddle. Below this energy dissipation appears to be small. The time scale for quasifission is shown to be ∼ 5 × 10−21 s, about 1 6 of that of CN fission. The time scale for deep inelastic scattering is too fast to see GDR decay from the colliding system. We compare these results with global models for one- and two-body nuclear dissipation.
Improved phase uniformity control using a new AAPSM etch stop layer technique

One of the major challenges in alternating aperture phase shift mask (AAPSM) production is the variability of the glass etch rate as a function of exposed area (pattern loading) on the mask. The lack of an endpoint system means that the etch is entirely based on time, and the result is increased variability in the mean etch depth as well as decreased yields against ever tightening phase specifications. If a transmissive etch stop layer were placed underneath an appropriate thickness of glass to obtain a 180-degree phase shift, the result is a forced endpoint at exactly 180 degrees every time. Such a film system also leads to many process advantages over conventional AAPSM processes. This paper discusses the film stack deposition and maskmaking at Photronics, Inc. and details the process advantages of using AAPSM blanks with etch stop layers.
The authorization leap from rights to attributes: maturation or chaos?

The ongoing authorization leap from rights to attributes offers numerous compelling benefits. Decisions about user, subject, object and context attributes can be made relatively independently and with suitable decentralization appropriate for each attribute. Policies can be formulated by security architects to translate from attributes to rights. Dynamic elements can be built into these policies so the outcomes of access control decisions automatically adapt to changing local and global circumstances. On the benefits side this leap is a maturation of authorization matching the needs of emerging cyber technologies and systems. On the risks side devolving attribute management may lead to attributes of questionable provenance and value, with attendant possibility of new channels for social engineering and malware attacks. We argue that the potential benefits will lead to pervasive deployment of attribute-based access control (ABAC), and more generally attribute-based security. The cyber security research community has a responsibility to develop models, theories and systems which enable safe and chaos-free deployment of ABAC. This is the current grand challenge for access control researchers.
Hindered internal rotation of the methyl group by ESR

Abstract Selective line broadening of the ESR spectrum of α,α-difluoroethyl radical shows hindered internal rotation of the methyl group, from which a barrier of 2.2 kcal mole −1 is obtained by lineshape analysis.
Incentives and the Work Decisions of Welfare Recipients: Evidence from the Panel Survey of Income Dynamics, 1981-1988

The policy issue of work replacing welfare is examined through evidence derived from the Panel Survey of Income Dynamics (1981-1988). Results indicate that welfare recipients supplement the earnings from low paying occupations with public assistance. Further, this income strategy responds to changes in economic incentives. For example, higher wages are associated with a greater probability of working without a welfare subsidy while lower wages are associated with a higher probability of mixing welfare and work. These results underscore the importance of liveable wage levels in providing for a durable substitution of work for welfare. The results also support Solow's recommendations of packaging welfare and work for those who find their occupational choices limited to the lower end of the labor market.
Gender, Ireland, and cultural change: race, sex, and nation

Gerardine Meaney, Abingdon, Routledge, 2011, 251 pp., £89 (hardback), ISBN 9780415957908 One of the most pressing tasks for postcolonial theory in Ireland is to critically analyze the toxic potenti...
Characterization of primary cell cultures derived from fat body of the beetle, Tenebrio molitor, and the immunolocalization of a thermal hysteresis protein in vitro

Abstract A cell culture system was developed for Tenebrio molitor fat body to investigate the regulation of thermal hysteresis protein (THP) production. To establish the reliability of this system we compared the histology and THP distribution of cultured fat body cells to the features of intact tissue. Cell cultures established from fat body contained three major cell types: globular, stellate and rounded cells. Globular cells resembled mature trophocytes of in vivo fat body. They contained large lipid vesicles, protein granules, and extensive glycogen stores. Stellate and rounded cells lacked protein granules, and contained varying amounts of lipids and glycogen. THPs were localized in the cytoplasm of cultured cells, associated with protein-containing granules in globular cells, or within discrete vesicles in the other cell types. In intact fat body, THPs were primarily localized to the accumulated protein granules. These results are the first to suggest that there is intracellular storage of THPs in the fat body. Such storage provides the potential for later mobilization during periods of low temperature and/or desiccation. Furthermore, our fat body primary cultures morphologically and functionally resemble their in vivo counterparts and will be useful in addressing questions about the regulation of THP synthesis and secretion by insect fat body.
Correlates of psychotic symptoms among elderly outpatients

Psychotic symptoms presenting in late life can offer a diagnostic challenge to the clinician. In this study, 140 geriatric outpatients were prospectively examined for psychotic symptoms and assessed on a number of demographic and clinical variables. Cognition was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Exam. Psychiatric diagnoses were made by DSM-III-R criteria. Twenty-seven per cent (N = 38) had psychotic symptoms, delusions being the most common type. Patients with psychosis were significantly more likely to have a previous history of psychosis, to have a lower MMSE and to live in a nursing home. Four diagnoses accounted for 79.5% of all psychotic patients. In order of frequency, these were dementia, major depression, delirium and organic psychosis (organic hallucinosis, organic delusional disorder). Psychotic patients were significantly more likely to have a diagnosis of dementia, delirium or organic psychosis than non-psychotics, but depression was significantly more likely to occur in patients without psychosis. Although psychotic symptoms occur in a variety of illnesses, elderly patients with psychosis should be carefully evaluated for these disorders.
Etomidate for rapid-sequence intubation in young children: hemodynamic effects and adverse events.

Objectives Physicians commonly use etomidate for adult rapid-sequence intubation (RSI), but the manufacturer does not recommend its use for children under 10 years of age due to a lack of data. The authors present their experience with etomidate for pediatric RSI in order to further develop its risk-benefit profile in this age group. Methods Trained abstractors reviewed the medical records for all children under 10 years old who received etomidate for RSI between July 1996 and April 2001. Results 105 children, with an average age of 3 (+/-2.9) years, received a median dose of 0.32 (+/-0.12) mg/kg of etomidate. The systolic blood pressure increased an average of 4 mm Hg (95% CI = -3.3 to 9.2); the diastolic blood pressure increased 7 mm Hg (95% CI = -3.1 to 11) within 10 minutes of receiving etomidate. The heart rate increased an average of 10 beats/min (95% CI = 4.0 to 17.4). Complications included three patients who vomited within 10 minutes of etomidate administration. There were no cases of documented myoclonus, status epilepticus, or new-onset seizures. Thirty-eight patients received corticosteroids during the hospital course, none for suspected adrenal insufficiency. Three patients died, all from severe brain injury. Conclusions In children less than 10 years old, etomidate seems to produce minimal hemodynamic changes, and appears to have a low risk of clinically important adrenal insufficiency, myoclonus, and status epilepticus. The association between etomidate and emesis (observed in less than 3% of enrolled patients) remains unclear. For clinical situations in which minimal blood pressure changes during RSI are critical, etomidate appears to have a favorable risk-benefit profile for children under 10 years old.
Turnover of F1F0-ATP synthase subunit 9 and other proteolipids in normal and Batten disease fibroblasts

Abstract Fibroblasts derived from patients with late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofucsinosis (NCL) and from a mouse model of NCL are similar to cells in intact animals in that they accumulate subunit 9 of mitochondrial F 1 F 0 -ATP synthase (F-ATPase) (Tanner, A., Dice, J.F., Cell Biol. Int. 19 (1995) 71–75). We now report no differences in the synthetic rates of F-ATPase subunit 9 in such affected cells when compared to control cells. However, the degradation rates of F-ATPase subunit 9 are reduced in both the affected human and mouse cells. This reduced degradation applies only to subunit 9 and the homologous vacuolar ATPase subunit among five distinct, reproducible proteolipid bands analyzed. Approximately 15% of newly synthesized F-ATPase subunit 9 is rapidly degraded in control cells, but this rapidly degraded component is absent in both the human and mouse NCL fibroblasts. At confluence, when the accumulated F-ATPase subunit 9 transiently disappears from human NCL fibroblasts, there is an increased degradation of all proteolipids. The pathway of degradation that is enhanced at confluence is likely to correspond to lysosomal macroautophagy. We confirmed that lysosomes were able to degrade F-ATPase subunit 9 after endocytosis of radiolabeled mitochondria. Human NCL fibroblasts were less active than control cells in this lysosomal degradation of endocytosed F-ATPase subunit 9. However, this difference was not specific for F-ATPase subunit 9 since it also applied to total endocytosed mitochondrial protein. We conclude that degradation of F-ATPase subunit 9 can occur by multiple pathways and that a mitochondrial pathway of proteolysis is defective in the late infantile human and mouse forms of NCL.
Group discriminatory power of handwritten characters

Using handwritten characters we address two questions (i) what is the group identification performance of different alphabets (upper and lower case) and (ii) what are the best characters for the verification task (same writer/different writer discrimination) knowing demographic information about the writer such as ethnicity, age or sex. The Bhattacharya distance is used to rank different characters by their group discriminatory power and the k-nn classifier to measure the individual performance of characters for group identification. Given the tasks of identifying the correct gender/age/ethnicity or handedness, the accumulated performance of characters varies between 65% and 85%.
Marketing Financial Services to Affluent Consumers

Notes how marketing philosophy and practices have become increasingly important in the financial services industry. Uses a segmentation approach to understanding consumer satisfaction and dissatisfaction and choice behaviour in relation to affluence in the financial services market. Offers guidelines from this segmental approach for devising appropriate marketing strategies. Concludes that deregulation in the financial services industry has led to a lack of operation differentiation on several levels.
Effects of Hemorrhagic Shock on Vascular Permeability to Red Blood Cells

The lymph collected from the left thoracic lymph duct of dogs in severe shock due to blood loss becomes grossly hemorrhagic. Reversible hemorrhagic shock is not accompanied by changes in lymph appearance or content of red blood cells. The increased levels of red cells in the lymph was observed prior to the appearance of the characteristic gross intestinal and peritoneal hemorrhages.
Assessing the Legitimacy of Stem Cell Research: An Instrumental Valuation Principle Approach

Research on embryonic stem cells has elicited much public and political debate. By promoting the use of the Instrumental Valuation Principle, it is argued here that institutionalists can offer a framework for policy analysis that ensures that the debate on stem cell research is informed by the instrumental use of knowledge and that it is not controlled by upper-level hegemonic powers. Our contention is that the first decade following the initial harvesting of human embryonic stem cells (1998-2008) in the United States was characterized by institutional and policy responses that created a non-deliberative environment that hindered the process of instrumental valuation of stem cell research. This paper concludes that the current conditions of limited corporate involvement are favorable toward a democratic discussion of the legitimacy of stem cell research, but this will require overt challenges to political elites' attempts to control the creation and flow of instrumental knowledge on stem cell research.
Effects of Escherichia coli on Mixotrophic Growth of Chlorella minutissima and Production of Biofuel Precursors

Chlorella minutissima was co-cultured with Escherichia coli in airlift reactors under mixotrophic conditions (glucose, glycerol, and acetate substrates) to determine possible effects of bacterial contamination on algal biofuel production. It was hypothesized that E. coli would compete with C. minutissima for nutrients, displacing algal biomass. However, C. minutissima grew more rapidly and to higher densities in the presence of E. coli, suggesting a symbiotic relationship between the organisms. At an initial 1% substrate concentration, the co-culture produced 200-587% more algal biomass than the axenic C. minutissima cultures. Co-cultures grown on 1% substrate consumed 23–737% more of the available carbon substrate than the sum of substrate consumed by E. coli and C. minutissima alone. At 1% substrate, total lipid and starch productivity were elevated in co-cultures compared to axenic cultures indicating that bacterial contamination was not detrimental to the production of biofuel precursors in this specific case. Bio-fouling of the reactors observed in co-cultures and acid formation in all mixotrophic cultures, however, could present challenges for scale-up.
Planktonic Foraminifera: Field Experiment on Production Rate

In a study of the rate of production of four species of planktonic Foraminifera in the region of the California Current it was found that their life spans are of the order of 1 month. Reproduction seems to take place mainly in the upper hundred meters. Results are in contrast to previous evidence presented in favor of yearly life cycles and maturing at great depth in other species of planktonic Foraminifera.
New method to determine optimal photolithography process conditions using scatterometry

A quick, accurate, automatic and robust method to evaluate the best focus and lens quality of the advanced lithography tools is highly demanded when the optical lithography is pushed into 130 nm regimes and beyond. This paper presents how this tedious lithographer's daily job has been performed in Texas Instrument in a more pleasant way thanks to scatterometery. The widely used critical dimension (CD) SEM measurement and +/-10% golden rule have been experiencing in great difficulties to define the optimal process conditions. CD only is not capable to fully describe the resist profile. Lithographers must consider all resist profile parameters such as sidewall angle, resist height and linewidth of resist profile which can be quickly measured by scatterometer. Across exposure field variation, another key process sensitive parameter, has to be integrated into the decision-making loop of process optimization. A new parameter (DCAT ratio) has been introduced and defined as a function of those process sensitive parameters. It has a clear maximum and zero first derivative point (that is, a preferred parabolic bell shape) at the best process condition. The DCAT ratio has been used to find the true best focus offset for multiple scanners to guide tool-to-tool focus matching. It has been used to qualify scanners, optimize lithography process and determine the exposure latitude.
KRONECKER PRODUCT AND SVD APPROXIMATIONS IN IMAGE RESTORATION

Abstract Image restoration applications often result in ill-posed least squares problems involving large, structured matrices. One approach used extensively is to restore the image in the frequency domain, thus providing fast algorithms using fast Fourier transforms (FFTs). This is equivalent to using a circulant approximation to a given matrix. Iterative methods may also be used effectively by exploiting the structure of the matrix. While iterative schemes are more expensive than FFT-based methods, it has been demonstrated that they are capable of providing better restorations. As an alternative, we propose an approximate singular value decomposition (SVD), which can be used in a variety of applications. Used as a direct method, the computed restorations are comparable to iterative methods but are computationally less expensive. In addition, the approximate SVD may be used with the generalized cross validation method to choose regularization parameters. It is also demonstrated that the approximate SVD can be an effective preconditioner for iterative methods.
Gender Differences in the Perceived Severity of Boot Camp.

Abstract We analyze survey data from 181 male and 224 female inmates serving brief prison terms for nonviolent offenses to examine offenders' perceptions of the severity of boot camp compared to prison. Building on the limited work in this area, we present reasons those offenders feel are important to both avoid and participate in alternative sanctions. Results show that men are more likely than women to choose prison over any duration of boot camp, men identify more strongly than women with reasons to avoid alternatives, and women will serve more boot camp than will men. Binary logistic and OLS regression analyses for the total sample, and by gender, reveal that prior experience serving boot camp increases the likelihood that offenders will enroll in boot camp to avoid one year of imprisonment, as well as the amount of boot camp that offenders are willing to serve. In addition, controlling for potentially relevant factors, women will serve more boot camp than men to avoid imprisonment, and being a parent...
Troubled Relationships in Later Life: Implications for Support

The personal relationships on which social support depends can become strained, problematic and antagonistic in later life. This paper explores how older support recipients themselves influence that social process, for better or worse. New data are presented regarding the nature and extent of interpersonal betrayal in the social networks of older adults that could destabilize family relationships and their social support functions. Respondents reported having betrayed 14 percent, and having been betrayed by 19 percent of the persons in their immediate support networks. In many cases, the event had occurred much earlier in their life, but had retained its symbolic impact across a lifetime.
Love's Subjects: The Alhambra Ceilings, Sentimental Fiction and Allegory

This article analyzes the way in which allegorical and narrative motifs work in the fourteenth-century Alhambra ceilings and in fifteenth-century Castilian sentimental fiction. It argues that while the Alhambra ceilings, based on courtly allegory, convey a dignified statement concerning the potential of allegory to structure a political lesson while at the same time registering cultural assimilation and social crisis, allegory in sentimental fiction is problematized from the outset, showing that the genre's evolution renders allegory ineffective to account for love's subjectivity as it was attached to an outmoded courtly subjectivity. In this way, the painted ceilings of the Alhambra can be interpreted as a stage in the use of allegory in courtly context in the Iberian Peninsula within a larger group of works that make use of similar codes.
A model-based foundation for evaluating large scale telecommunications systems

UltraSAN based on stochastic activity networks (SANs), provides a sophisticated model-based environment for evaluating large-scale telecommunications systems. When modeling telecommunications systems, one must often contend with performance measures based on rare events. Such performance measures pose a difficult problem for traditional model solution techniques. In particular, performance measures based on rare events lead to stiff systems that are difficult to solve analytically. Traditional simulation techniques can take a very long time to collect a statistically significant sample of a performance variable based of a rare event. The efficiency of simulation-based evaluations of such measures can be improved by using a variance reduction technique called importance sampling. The authors discuss the UltraSAN software and a general framework developed for the application of importance sampling to SANs within the UltraSAN environment. >
Sensor technologies for monitoring metabolic activity in single cells-part I: optical methods

A review of optical, chemical, and biological sensors to detect metabolic activity at the single-cell level is presented in the context of the development of lab-on-a-chip research instrumentation. The sensors reviewed include optical sensors, at both research and commercial levels, that can optically detect intracellular metabolites including adenosine triphosphate, nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide, reduced flavin adenine dinucleotide, and other metabolites, including oxygen, carbon dioxide, and glucose. Methods to optically detect pH changes which are a general indicator of activity in extracellular space are also briefly reviewed. Performance metrics such as sensitivity, sensor size, drift, time response, and sensing range are included when available. Highly suitable optical sensor technologies for monitoring cellular metabolic activity include luminescent (fluorescent, phosphorescent, and chemiluminescent) and colorimetric optical probes. Different approaches to extracting luminescent and colorimetric information are reviewed, including benchtop techniques, fiber-optic approaches, and the use of probes encapsulated by biologically localized embedding. A brief discussion of alternate optical sensor technologies, such as surface plasmon resonance and infrared absorption spectroscopy, is also presented.
Residue Number System Arithmetic Aided Frequency-Hopping Pattern Design in Coded OFDMA

In this paper, we propose an RNS arithmetic based FH pattern design approach that is well suited and easy to implement for practical OFDMA systems. The proposed RNS aided FH scheme not only guarantees orthogonality among intra-cell users but also randomizes inter-cell interference. We present detailed construction procedures and performance anal- ysis for both independent and cluster hopping scenarios. We also demonstrate the gains due to frequency diversity and inter- cell interference diversity on the system bit error rate (BER) performance via simulations. The proposed scheme offers BER performance gain that is consistent across all cells unlike other FH pattern design schemes such as the Latin Squares (LS) based FH pattern design, where wide performance variations are observed across cells.
Heterogeneity of Membrane Properties in Sympathetic Preganglionic Neurons of Neonatal Mice: Evidence of Four Subpopulations in the Intermediolateral Nucleus

Spinal cord sympathetic preganglionic neurons (SPNs) integrate activity from descending and sensory systems to determine the final central output of the sympathetic nervous system. The intermediola...
An Experimental Investigation of Location-Based Services

Whereas the conventional applications mostly assume stationary or fixed users, more and more emphasis is placed on mobility, the need for people to stay connected while moving around. One application domain, which is expected to greatly benefit from mobile commerce are location-based services (LBS). An experimental study is conducted involving 58 MIS students. Two experimental groups are formed: one group is equipped with wireless PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) providing location-based services, the other group-serving as a control group-is equipped with wireless connectivity only. Both groups are presented with a variety of tasks. Findings indicate that LBS not only have the potential to increase a user's productivity, but are also perceived to be very enjoyable and useful for location-dependent tasks.
Predictors of Knowledge of H1N1 Infection and Transmission in the U.S. Population

The strength of a society’s response to a public health emergency depends partly on meeting the needs of all segments of the population, especially those who are most vulnerable and subject to greatest adversity. Since the early stages of the H1N1 pandemic, public communication of H1N1 information has been recognized as a challenging issue. Public communication is considered a critical public health task to mitigating adverse population health outcomes before, during, and after public health emergencies. To investigate knowledge and knowledge gaps in the general population regarding the H1N1 pandemic, and to identify the social determinants associated with those gaps, we conducted a survey in March 2010 using a representative random sample of U.S. households. Data were gathered from 1,569 respondents (66.3% response rate) and analyzed using ordered logistic regression to study the impact of socioeconomic factors and demographic characteristics on the individual’s knowledge concerning H1N1 infection and transmission. Results suggest that level of education and home ownership, reliable indicators of socioeconomic position (SEP), were associated with knowledge of H1N1. Level of education was found to be directly associated with level of knowledge about virus transmission [OR = 1.35, 95% C.I. 1.12-1.63]. Home ownership versus renting was also positively associated with knowledge on the signs and symptoms of H1N1 infection in particular [OR = 2.89, 95% C.I. 1.26-6.66]. Policymakers and public health practitioners should take specific SEP factors into consideration when implementing educational and preventive interventions promoting the health and preparedness of the population, and when designing communication campaigns during a public health emergency.
Training, Wages, and the Human Capital Model

Using recent data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, this study examines the predictions of the human capital model concerning the relationship between training, starting wages, and wage growth. As implied by the model, training, particularly employer-financed training, is positively related to wage growth. Company-financed training also appears to be portable across jobs or to have a general component. In addition, there is some evidence that workers pay for initial training through a reduced starting wage. The results provide partial support for the human capital model.
High energy density polymer composites for pulse-power applications

In this work, we have investigated the dielectric integrity of P(VDF-HFP)/CCTO and PS/CCTO composites. An attempt has been made to understand the effect of filler preparation method (sol-gel vs. solid state) and loading on dielectric permittivity, loss, DC breakdown, and energy density of the resulting composites. The composites show high dielectric permittivity with increasing addition of CCTO fillers, presumably due to the giant dielectric permittivity exhibited by these fillers. DC breakdown measurements performed by embedding spherical electrodes into composite films show low breakdown strength at very high filler loadings (40 vol. %) possibly due to percolative effects of fillers. Nonetheless, at lower filler loadings (&#60;20 vol. %), the composites show high permittivities and lower reduction in breakdown strength leading to high calculated energy densities of 12 J/cc. With an optimized filler loading, we have achieved a composite system capable of storing large electric energy desirable for pulse power application.
Biological Warfare at the 1346 Siege of Caffa

On the basis of a 14th-century account by the Genoese Gabriele de’ Mussi, the Black Death is widely believed to have reached Europe from the Crimea as the result of a biological warfare attack. This is not only of great historical interest but also relevant to current efforts to evaluate the threat of military or terrorist use of biological weapons. Based on published translations of the de’ Mussi manuscript, other 14thcentury accounts of the Black Death, and secondary scholarly literature, I conclude that the claim that biological warfare was used at Caffa is plausible and provides the best explanation of the entry of plague into the city. This theory is consistent with the technology of the times and with contemporary notions of disease causation; however, the entry of plague into Europe from the Crimea likely occurred independent of this event. he Black Death, which swept through Europe, the Near East, and North Africa in the mid-14th century, was probably the greatest public health disaster in recorded history and one of the most dramatic examples ever of emerging or reemerging disease. Europe lost an estimated one quarter to one third of its population, and the mortality in North Africa and the Near East was comparable. China, India, and the rest of the Far East are commonly believed to have also been severely affected, but little evidence supports that belief (1). A principal source on the origin of the Black Death is a memoir by the Italian Gabriele de’ Mussi. This memoir has been published several times in its original Latin (2,3) and has recently been translated into English (4) (although brief passages have been previously published in translation, see reference [5]). This narrative contains some startling assertions: that the Mongol army hurled plague-infected cadavers into the besieged Crimean city of Caffa, thereby transmitting the disease to the inhabitants; and that fleeing survivors of the siege spread plague from Caffa to the Mediterranean Basin. If this account is correct, Caffa should be recognized as the site of the most spectacular incident of biological warfare ever, with the Black Death as its disastrous consequence. After analyzing these claims, I have concluded that it is plausible that the biological attack took place as described and was responsible for infecting the inhabitants of Caffa; however, the event was unimportant in the spread of the plague pandemic. Origin of the 14th-Century Pandemic
A systems model for adaptation to somatic distress among cancer survivors.

Applied coping research has generally failed to fulfill its goal of providing an empirical basis for clinical interventions, and research on coping with cancer is no exception. This can be attributed in large measure to the wide gap between coping theory and coping research. Theories of stress and adaptation are complex systems formulations that present conceptual and methodological challenges and thus make testing comprehensive models difficult. The present paper reviews arguments for a microanalytic strategy through which researchers can increase coverage of relevant variables from broad systems models of stress and coping by concentrating their resources on selected, high-frequency, high-stress problems. The utility of this approach for formulating problem-specific systems models is illustrated using the example of coping with somatic distress among cancer survivors. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Uniform laser scanning in a hematology analyzer

The author's objective for this work was to find the least expensive motor with the best linearity and repeatability for a rotating and scanning mirror used in a hematology analyzer instrument. The design criterion was a minimal acceptable error of 3% for the worst segment length. The galvanometer and the floppy disk motor were selected as the best candidates for further testing. All testing was repeated with ten additional floppy disk motors, and similar results occurred. In addition, life testing and temperature testing were conducted again with no significant changes. A stable oscillator circuit controls the speed of the floppy disk motor. Even if the absolute motor speed changed slightly over temperature or time, as long as it stayed uniform during the scans, the calculated segment length values did not change. The floppy disk drive motor with a mirror mounted on the shaft of the motor was the best candidate. The motor's speed came close to the desired scanning speed.
Atomic frequency standards: new trends and progress at nrc

The paper reviews the state of the art of primary laboratory atomic frequency standards. Emphasis will be put on the new techniques being used in the field such as ion trapping, laser cooling and optical pumping, to implement more accurate primary optical or microwave frequency standards. Progress made at NRC on the subject will be outlined. Finally the central role of time as a base quantity of the international system of units will be discussed.
Discontinuity Issues with Radiosonde and Satellite Temperatures in the Australian Region 1979–2006

Abstract The temperature records of 28 Australian radiosonde stations were compared with the bulk-layer temperatures of three satellite products of The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and Remote Sensing Systems (RSS) for the period 1979–2006. The purpose was to use the satellite data as “reference truth” to quantify the effect of changes in station equipment, software, and operations on the reported upper air temperatures and resulting trends. The products are lower troposphere (LT), midtroposphere (MT), and lower stratosphere (LS). Four periods of significant shifts in temperatures were found in the radiosondes relative to both satellite datasets. In the first two shifts—around 1982/83 and 1987/88—the radiosondes experienced an accumulated LT and MT warming shift of 0.5 K on average. These shifts coincided with equipment changes. If unadjusted for these shifts, the radiosondes report spurious tropospheric warming of almost 0.2 K decade−1. For LS in the first period, there is relative warming bu...
Wired-city television revisited

Raymond Williams has usefully distinguished among communication systems according to how easy it is for potential users to gain access to communications media. In this paper Williams' concepts are applied to an analysis of the television system in the United States. In addition, proposals for social applications of television which require a greatly expanded channel capacity are noted, and considerations involved in comparing the costs of wire and over-the-air systems are raised.