cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Screening equilibria in experimental markets

We conduct an experimental test of a screening model of an insurance market with asymmetric information. We first conduct three sessions in which the proportion of high risk buyers is such that a separating equilibrium should exist. We then conduct three more sessions in which the only change we make is decreasing the proportion of high risks such that the equilibrium is now a pooling equilibrium. In both treatments, the observed behavior converges to the equilibrium prediction.
Fine-Grained Auditory Discrimination in Normal Children and Children with Language-Learning Problems

Two large groups of children—one progressing normally in school and the other exhibiting language-learning problems—were tested on a set of fine-grained auditory discrimination tasks that required ...
Nelarabine for the Treatment of Patients with Relapsed or Refractory T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or Lymphoblastic Lymphoma

Nelarabine (506U78) is a soluble prodrug of 9- Darabinofuranosylguanine (ara-G), a deoxyguanosine derivative. Nelarabine has significant activity in patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and lymphoma (T-LBL). Principal toxicity is grade 3 or 4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. Neurologic toxicity with Guillain-Barre syndrome, depressed level of consciousness, and peripheral neuropathy are concerning side effects. Nelarabine is well tolerated and has significant antitumor activity in T-ALL and T-LBL. Nelarabine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for patients with T-ALL/LBL who failed at least two prior regimens. Nelarabine is being explored in children and will be explored in the near future in adults with newly diagnosed T-ALL.
Crystal growth of calcite from calcium bicarbonate solutions at constant PCO2 and 25°C: a test of a calcite dissolution model

A highly reproducible seeded growth technique was used to study calcite crystallization from calcium bicarbonate solutions at 25°C and fixed carbon dioxide partial pressures between 0.03 and 0.3 atm. The results are not consistent with empirical crystallization models that have successfully described calcite growth at low PCO2 (< 10−3 atm). Good agreement was found between observed crystallization rates and those calculated from the calcite dissolution rate law and mechanism proposed by Plummer et al. (1978).
Hyperthermia for locally advanced breast cancer

Hyperthermia (HT) has a proven benefit for treating superficial malignancies, particularly chest wall recurrences of breast cancer. There has been less research utilising HT in patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC), but available data are promising. HT has been combined with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy in the neoadjuvant, definitive and adjuvant setting, albeit in series with small numbers of patients. There is only one phase III trial that examines hyperthermia in LABC, also with relatively small numbers of patients. The goal of this review is to highlight important research utilising HT in patients with LABC as well as to suggest future directions for its use.
Abstract 663: Circulating lipids and fatty acids and non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk in a nested case-control study: The Multiethnic Cohort

Objective: Dietary fatty acids provide important components of immune cells, cytokines, and prostaglandins. Intake of n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids may influence inflammatory responses that contribute to the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Because saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acid (SFA and PUFA) intake has been linked with NHL, this analysis evaluated biomarkers of dietary fat intake in relation to risk. Methods: We conducted a nested-case control analysis (275 cases and 549 controls) within the Multiethnic Cohort Study (Caucasians, Japanese Americans, Latinos, African Americans, and Native Hawaiians) to examine NHL risk by tertile of erythrocyte membrane fatty acid composition and serum lipid concentrations. Cases were matched to 2 controls by sex, year of birth, ethnicity, location (CA or HI), date and time of blood draw, and fasting hours before blood draw. Fatty acids were measured as the percentage of total measured erythrocyte membrane fatty acids using gas chromatography, and absolute serum levels of total, high density-lipoprotein (HDL), and low density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides were measured using an automated chemical analyzer (Cobas MiraPlus, Roche Diagnostics, Switzerland). Conditional logistic regression was applied to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) with adjustment for potential confounders. Results: The mean ages at blood draw were 70.1±7.4 and 70.2±7.4 years for cases and controls, respectively. The cases (82 diffuse large B-cell, 52 small cell/chronic lymphocytic leukemia, 49 follicular, 15 T-cell, and 77 others) were diagnosed 3.1±2.3 years after the blood draw. Higher prediagnostic serum lipids, in particular total (ORT3 vs T1: 0.5 [95% CI: 0.4, 0.8]; ptrend Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 663. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-663
Finite deformation finite element analyses of tensile growing crack fields in elastic-plastic material

Finite deformation finite element analyses of plane strain stationary and quasi-statically growing crack fields in fully incompressible elastic-ideally plastic material are reported for small-scale yielding conditions. A principal goal is to determine the differences between solutions of rigorous finite deformation formulation and those of the usual small-displacement-gradient formulation, and thereby assess the validity of the (nearly all) extant studies of ductile crack growth that are based on a small-displacement-gradient formulation. The stationary crack case with a significantly blunted tip is studied first; excellent agreement in stress characteristics at all angles about the crack tip and up to a radius of about three times the crack tip opening displacement is shown between Rice and Johnson's [1] approximate analytical solution and our numerical solution. Outside this radius, the numerical results agree very well with Drugan and Chen's [2] small-displacement-gradient analytical characteristics solution in the region of principal plastic deformation. Thus we identify accurate analytical representations for the stress field throughout the plastic zone of a blunted stationary crack. For the growing crack case, the macroscopic difference in crack tip opening profiles between previous small-displacement-gradient solutions and the present results is shown to be negligible, as is the difference in the stress fields in plastic regions. The stress characteristics again agree very well with analytical results of [2]. The numerical results suggest—in agreement with a recent analytical finite deformation study by Reid and Drugan [3]—that it is the finite geometry changes rather than the additional spin terms in the objective constitutive equation that cause any differences between the small-displacement-gradient and the finite deformation solutions, and that such differences are nearly indistinguishable for growing cracks.
Role of geometry in plastic instability and fracture of tubes and sheet

Abstract Conditions for plastic instability and fracture for biaxially loaded tubes are compared to those for a sheet to assess the role of geometry. Thin-walled tubes of 70-30 brass were loaded in combined axial tension-internal pressure. The strains for diffuse instability, local instability and fracture were measured and compared to results on brass sheet. Uniform deformation (up to diffuse instability) was found to be very sensitive to geometry in agreement with theory. The uniform strain in tubes for axial plane strain is twice that for hoop plane strain and the uniform strain in tubes for balanced biaxial tension is only one third of that for sheet. The strain levels for local instability and fracture did not depend on geometry. No significant differences were found for axial vs. hoop loading in tubes and the critical strain levels for tubes were actually somewhat greater than those for sheet. Although the critical local strains are similar, the amount of useful (genera) deformation beyond diffuse instability for tubes is very limited because localization occurs rapidly. In bulged or punched sheet the geometry is stable and localization occurs gradually, providing significant post-uniform deformation.
Synergistic signaling from extracellular matrix-growth factor complexes.

Investigations on extracellular matrix (ECM) and growth factor (GF) complexes have revealed an underappreciated phenomenon: they can either negate GF activity or generate synergistic signals for cell function, in particular mitogenesis. ECM and pericellular matrix molecules were first recognized to complex with GFs and regulate GF activity by the seminal observations that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF or FGF-2) required binding to a cell-surface heparin sulfate proteoglycan and to its authentic cell-surface receptor for biological activity (Klagsbrun and Baird, 1991; Yayon et al., 1991). Subsequently, numerous ECM–GF interactions that modulate GF activity were discovered; we have reviewed many of these findings (Macri et al., 2007).
Software for Weibull Inference

This article discusses software that has been developed and is made freely available that will permit exact inference on the Weibull shape parameter and quantiles based on maximum likelihood estimates from complete or type II–censored samples.
Impact of implantable-cardioverter-defibrillator trials on clinical management of patients with heart failure

The need for improved prevention of sudden cardiac death has led physicians to increase the use of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators. Despite data now being available from a variety of studies, how to identify patients who will benefit most from this invasive and expensive therapy is still unclear. Here, the impact of findings on clinical decision-making is explored.
Exposure therapy in the brief treatment of an elevator phobia

Abstract Brief treatment involving real-life graduated exposure therapy was used in the treatment of a client experiencing an irrational and handicapping fear of elevators. The client participated in a 90-minute session of exposure to riding the elevator and a 30-minute session in which information regarding the safety mechanisms of the elevator were discussed. Before treatment began, the client scored a 36 on the Clinical Anxiety Scale, which is within the clinical range for an anxiety disorder. At an 8-month follow-up, the client scored a 1 on this scale, and reported little or no anxiety when riding elevators.
EVALUATION OF RESISTANCE TO CHANGE UNDER DIFFERENT DISRUPTER CONDITIONS IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM AND SEVERE INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY

Translational research inspired by behavioral momentum theory in the area of developmental disabilities has shown effects in individuals over a range of functioning levels. In the current study, behavioral momentum was assessed in 6 children diagnosed with autism and severe intellectual disability. In a repeated measures design, participants were exposed to relatively rich versus lean reinforcement contingencies in a multiple schedule with food reinforcers. This was followed by exposure to each of four disrupting conditions: prefeeding, presentation of a concurrent alternative stimulus, presentation of a movie, and the presence of a researcher dispensing response-independent reinforcers on a variable-time schedule. Consistently greater resistance to disruption in the component with the richer schedule occurred with the alternative stimulus disrupter but not with the other disrupters. These results suggest parameters that may be more (or less) effective if behavioral momentum inspired techniques are to be exploited in therapeutic environments.
Study of the Excitation Mechanism in the Low Current Carbon Arc in Argon and Helium

Arc temperatures have been measured, and relative electron densities have been estimated for dc arcs in Ar, Ar-CO, He, and He-CO. Two temperatures were measured: the excitation temperature, Texc , by means of the zinc two-line intensity ratio method, and the rotational temperature, Tr , by the C2 band method. Relative electron densities were estimated by comparing Hα line widths in each of the four arc atmospheres. These measurements were performed to gain some understanding of the influence of small amounts of CO on the excitation characteristics of low amperage arcs in argon and helium. The resulting temperatures and electron density estimates indicate that only the arc in argon with CO present approaches local thermodynamic equilibrium. Tables of the measured temperatures and plots of the Hα line widths for the estimation of electron densities are given. Implications with regard to the excitation of metal impurities vaporized into these arcs are discussed.
POSTER: Blackboard-Based Electronic Warfare System

With internet-connected, SCADA and cyber-physical systems becoming the next battlefield for crime and warfare, technologies for defending and attacking these systems are growing in prevalence. For entities with significant asset collections that are prospectively vulnerable to this type of an attack, autonomous response, retaliation and attack capabilities are necessary to respond to a growing threat from numerous sectors. This paper presents a command and control technique for cyberwarfare based on the Blackboard Architecture. It discusses the utility of this approach and proposes a distributed command system that can run across multiple nodes of various types.
A fusion approach to cluster labeling

We present a novel approach to the cluster labeling task using fusion methods. The core idea of our approach is to weigh labels, suggested by any labeler, according to the estimated labeler's decisiveness with respect to each of its suggested labels. We hypothesize that, a cluster labeler's labeling choice for a given cluster should remain stable even in the presence of a slightly incomplete cluster data. Using state-of-the-art cluster labeling and data fusion methods, evaluated over a large data collection of clusters, we demonstrate that, overall, the cluster labeling fusion methods that further consider the labeler's decisiveness provide the best labeling performance.
On anomalous drift mobility results in α-silicon alloys

Abstract Standard carrier drift experiments using a nano second pulsed laser have been performed on near micron thick α-Si alloys sandwiched between blocking metal and injecting contacts. Our results show that the transient response is only partially due to the drifting carriers. Another major contribution comes from the previously neglected time-dependent relaxation of the Schottky barrier space charge layer after excitation. The accompanying current resembles a slow dispersive drift of carriers. Consequently, generally accepted estimates for the drift mobility which ignored this extra current may therefore be unreliable.
Tunable Diode Laser Measurements In Combustion Gases

Tunable diode lasers provide important opportunities for combustion research owing to the importance of infrared-active species in combustion. This paper summarizes recent work in the High Temperature Gasdynamics Laboratory at Stanford to develop and apply tunable diode laser techniques for combustion gas measurements. Example results are presented for species concentration and spectral parameters (line strengths and collision linewidths) of CO and NO, obtained over a broad range of temperature (295-3400K) using a room temperature absorption cell, various laboratory flames and a shock tube.© (1983) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Focal Mechanisms of Deep and Shallow Earthquakes in the Tonga-Kermadec Region and the Tectonics of Island Arcs

Well-determined focal mechanisms based on reliable first motions of both compressional and shear waves are presented for 18 shallow, 6 intermediate, and 15 deep-focus earthquakes in the Fiji-Tonga-Kermadec region of the Southwest Pacific. The double-couple model is an adequate representation for earthquake mechanisms at all depths; most of the mechanisms are characterized by a predominance of dip-slip motions. The orientations of the mechanisms of deep and shallow earthquakes appear to be systematically and fundamentally different in respect to the orientation of the seismic zone. Whereas the shallow mechanisms all appear to accommodate movements between the adjacent sides of the seismic zone, the slip planes of the deep earthquake mechanisms are systematically nonparallel to the deep seismic zone. Hence, the deep zone of activity does not appear to be a simple thrust fault. The P, B, and T axes of the double-couple solutions tend to parallel the dip, strike, and normal directions, respectively, of the portions of the Tonga seismic zone deeper than about 80 km. The P axes tend to be more stable in orientation than the B and T axes. Large variations in the orientations of some of the deep mechanisms may reflect contortions of the deep seismic zone in a simple geometrical fashion. The shallow mechanisms indicate that thrust faulting is occurring beneath the inner (islandward) margins of the Tonga and Kermadec Trenches and that transform faulting is occurring at the northern end of the Tonga Arc. The over-all interpretation of the shallow mechanisms also includes hinge faulting south of Samoa at the juncture of the thrust and transform faults. These results, which are also in agreement with mechanism data for other regions such as Japan where both numerous and reliable data are available, are most simply interpreted by a tectonic model of an island arc in which (a) shallow earthquakes occur between a segment of lithosphere that moves downward into the mantle and the segments of lithosphere on the surface, and (b) deep earthquakes occur within the downgoing slab in response to a compressional stress within it.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PHOTODYNAMIC OXIDATION AND RADIOFREQUENCY-DISCHARGE-GENERATED 1O2 OXIDATION OF GUANOSINE

— Guanosine-2-14C and guanosine-8-14C were subjected, under similar environmental conditions, to oxidation either by radiofrequency-discharge-generated singlet oxygen or by a methylene-blue-sensitized photodynamic reaction. The reaction products in both cases were compared chromatographically. The product distributions were not identical, indicating differing modes of oxidation in these two systems. It is suggested that both Type I and Type II oxidation mechanisms are operative in the photodynamic system, whereas only Type II-like reactions occur in the radio-frequency-discharge system.
Computer analysis of user interfaces based on repetition in transcripts of user sessions

It is generally acknowledged that the production of quality user interfaces requires a thorough understanding of the user and that this involves evaluating the interface by observing the user working with the system, or by performing human factors experiments. Such methods traditionally involve the use of video tape, protocol analysis, critical incident analysis, etc. These methods require time consuming analyses and may be invasive. In addition, the data obtained through such methods represent a relatively small portion of the use of a system. An alternative approach is to record all user input and systems output, i.e., log the user session. Such transcripts can be collected automatically and non-invasively over a long period of time. Unfortunately, this produces voluminous amounts of data. There is, therefore, a need for tools and techniques that allow an evaluator to identify potential performance and usability problems from such data. It is hypothesized that repetition of user actions is an important indicator of potential user interface problems.
Anabaena fuscovaginata (Nostocales), a new cyanobacterial species from periphyton of the freshwater alkaline marsh of Everglades, South Florida, USA.

A new species of the nostocalean genus Anabaena was discovered in periphytic cyanobacterial mats of the Everglades marsh, South Florida, USA. In some of the 10 samples where it occurred, the species dominated the cyanobacterial community, however, it was always part of a rich assemblage of microbiota, including many types characteristic for alkaline herbaceous wetlands of Caribbean America or freshwater tropical marshes. On the basis of typical morphological traits and occurrence in a periphytic habitat, I suggest that the species is a member of the genus Anabaena in its original sense, valid after recent separation of planktic taxa. As the most distinctive morphological feature, it has firm, coloured sheaths that have never been reported for this genus before.
Drag body design in support of wave energy harvesting

The U. S. Navy is looking for new ways to better characterize the littoral ocean environment. An extended life environmental sonobuoy that would drift through an area for several days and transmit data to a central node, is one way to accomplish this. A wave energy converter could be used to convert wave motions into electrical power and extend a buoy's operational life. One method to accomplish the conversion is to suspend an electrical generator between an oscillating surface float and a submerged, nearly motionless sea anchor. The relative motion between these two could be used to spin magnets inside fixed coils and produce electrical power. Our version of an efficient sea anchor is a compliant drag body with variable shape that automatically opens to increase force during a wave crest and closes during the downstroke of a wave trough. Several drag bodies were designed and tested in a large water tank. The forces generated by the drag bodies were measured with a load cell. An analytical model was developed to predict the measured drag body forces. The model includes two components: the inertial (or attached water mass) force, and the viscous (or velocity-squared) force, with arbitrary weighting factors. To determine the optimal weighting factors for each shape we analyzed measured forces on prototype drag bodies. The model predicted the measure forces of compliant drag bodies to better than ten percent and least-squares analysis determined the optimal weighting coefficients.
Relation of Supraventricular Paroxysmal Tachycardia to Heart Disease and the Basal Metabolism Rate

The records of 9,950 private patients were reviewed to determine the incidence of supraventricular paroxysmal tachycardia. The relationship of the tachycardia to the various types of heart disease was determined. The incidence of tachycardia in normal persons and in patients with hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism was also studied.
$1/f$ Noise and Defects in Microelectronic Materials and Devices

This paper reviews and compares predictions of the Dutta-Horn model of low-frequency excess ( ${\bf 1}/\mbi{f}$ ) noise with experimental results for thin metal films, MOS transistors, and GaN/AlGaN high-electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). For metal films, mobility fluctuations associated with carrier-defect scattering lead to ${\bf 1}/\mbi{f}$ noise. In contrast, for most semiconductor devices, the noise usually results from fluctuations in the number of carriers due to charge exchange between the channel and defects, usually at or near a critical semiconductor/insulator interface. The Dutta-Horn model describes the noise with high precision in most cases. Insight into the physical mechanisms that lead to noise in microelectronic materials and devices has been obtained via total-ionizing-dose irradiation and/or thermal annealing, as illustrated with several examples. With the assistance of the Dutta-Horn model, measurements of the noise magnitude and temperature and/or voltage dependence of the noise enable estimates of the energy distributions of defects that lead to ${\bf 1}/\mbi{f}$ noise. The microstructure of several defects and/or impurities that cause noise in MOS devices (primarily O vacancies) and GaN/AlGaN HEMTs (e.g., hydrogenated impurity centers, N vacancies, and/or Fe centers) have been identified via experiments and density functional theory calculations.
Uncle Albert Needs You! Individual Recruiting Efforts are a Necessity and an Obligation

SUMMARY The terms “recruiting” or “recruitment” are regularly used in two very different connotations: hiring (and retention) practices and also recruiting into the profession itself. This article will focus exclusively on recruiting to the profession. There has been a shortage of science librarians since the 1950s, or earlier, and yet the problem has still not been adequately resolved. While there is a general acknowledgement that something needs to be done, in many cases, practicing librarians seem to feel they only have impact in one particular area-encouraging library student assistants to pursue a library science degree. There are many other ways individual librarians can participate in recruiting, even on a very small scale. Recruiting need not be a daunting, time-consuming task. This article provides some radical ideas to get people thinking and acting in ways to improve the visibility and attractiveness of science librarianship as a profession … and not just by serving as a good role model for stu...
Kenneth Hubert Crosby (1904–1998): pioneer scholar of the Mende language

The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Hubert Crosby was a pioneer scholar of the Mende language of Sierra Leone. His contributions to the study of Mende and promotion of Mende literacy are still felt today by scholars interested in the language as well as by those many Mende who learned to read and write in the script which he helped to promote. As a minister, scholar, teacher and friend, Crosby touched the lives of all he came into contact with, both in Africa and in his native Britain.
Effect of patient setup errors on simultaneously integrated boost head and neck IMRT treatment plans

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine dose delivery errors that could result from random and systematic setup errors for head-and-neck patients treated using the simultaneous integrated boost (SIB)-intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) technique. Methods and Materials: Twenty-four patients who participated in an intramural Phase I/II parotid-sparing IMRT dose-escalation protocol using the SIB treatment technique had their dose distributions reevaluated to assess the impact of random and systematic setup errors. The dosimetric effect of random setup error was simulated by convolving the two-dimensional fluence distribution of each beam with the random setup error probability density distribution. Random setup errors of {sigma} = 1, 3, and 5 mm were simulated. Systematic setup errors were simulated by randomly shifting the patient isocenter along each of the three Cartesian axes, with each shift selected from a normal distribution. Systematic setup error distributions with {sigma} = 1.5 and 3.0 mm along each axis were simulated. Combined systematic and random setup errors were simulated for {sigma} = {sigma} = 1.5 and 3.0 mm along each axis. For each dose calculation, the gross tumor volume (GTV) received by 98% of the volume (D{sub 98}), clinical target volume (CTV) D{sub 90}, nodes D{sub 90}, cord D{submore » 2}, and parotid D{sub 50} and parotid mean dose were evaluated with respect to the plan used for treatment for the structure dose and for an effective planning target volume (PTV) with a 3-mm margin. Results: Simultaneous integrated boost-IMRT head-and-neck treatment plans were found to be less sensitive to random setup errors than to systematic setup errors. For random-only errors, errors exceeded 3% only when the random setup error {sigma} exceeded 3 mm. Simulated systematic setup errors with {sigma} = 1.5 mm resulted in approximately 10% of plan having more than a 3% dose error, whereas a {sigma} = 3.0 mm resulted in half of the plans having more than a 3% dose error and 28% with a 5% dose error. Combined random and systematic dose errors with {sigma} = {sigma} = 3.0 mm resulted in more than 50% of plans having at least a 3% dose error and 38% of the plans having at least a 5% dose error. Evaluation with respect to a 3-mm expanded PTV reduced the observed dose deviations greater than 5% for the {sigma} = {sigma} = 3.0 mm simulations to 5.4% of the plans simulated. Conclusions: Head-and-neck SIB-IMRT dosimetric accuracy would benefit from methods to reduce patient systematic setup errors. When GTV, CTV, or nodal volumes are used for dose evaluation, plans simulated including the effects of random and systematic errors deviate substantially from the nominal plan. The use of PTVs for dose evaluation in the nominal plan improves agreement with evaluated GTV, CTV, and nodal dose values under simulated setup errors. PTV concepts should be used for SIB-IMRT head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma patients, although the size of the margins may be less than those used with three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy.« less
Scattering of a Gaussian laser beam by a large perfectly conducting cylinder: physical optics and exact solutions

Two particularly accurate solutions representing the scatter of a Gaussian laser beam from a perfectly conducting cylinder, one a physical optics solution using a series Green's function and the other an exact solution, are developed. A comparison of their resulting numerical data follows in order to validate the two solutions. The practicality of these solutions is then demonstrated by using the exact solution to plot the power distribution of the scattered beam on a sensor, and to confirm that the strategic placement of a cylinder in the path of a laser beam enables amplification of the laser beam deflection angle.
Tutorial: Optimization via simulation with Bayesian statistics and dynamic programming

Bayesian statistics comprises a powerful set of methods for analyzing simulated systems. Combined with dynamic programming and other methods for sequential decision making under uncertainty, Bayesian methods have been used to design algorithms for finding the best of several simulated systems. When the dynamic program can be solved exactly, these algorithms have optimal average-case performance. In other situations, this dynamic programming analysis supports the development of approximate methods with sub-optimal but nevertheless good average-case performance. These methods with good average-case performance are particularly useful when the cost of simulation prevents the use of procedures with worst-case statistical performance guarantees. We provide an overview of Bayesian methods used for selecting the best, providing an in-depth treatment of the simpler case of ranking and selection with independent priors appropriate for smaller-scale problems, and then discussing how these same ideas can be applied to correlated priors appropriate for large-scale problems.
Attempts to calculate the electron mass

In conventional quantum electrodynamics both the electron mass and the muon mass are free parameters, so that their ratio is arbitrary. In a unified theory of weak and electromagnetic interactions, this need not be the case. We examine models in which only the muon mass appears as a counterterm. The electron is massless in zeroth order, but develops a finite and calculable mass of order $\ensuremath{\alpha}{m}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}$. Unfortunately, the precise value of the electron mass depends on details of the models, and in particular on masses of unobserved vector bosons.
Regulation of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Expression by Insulin-Like Growth Factor I

Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels are correlated with retinal ischemia-associated intraocular neovascularization in humans. Since VEGF is required for iris and retinal neovascularization in animal models of retinal ischemia, we tested whether IGF-I could act as an indirect angiogenic factor by increasing VEGF gene expression. IGF-I increased retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell VEGF mRNA in a concentration-dependent manner with an EC50 of 7 nmol/1 (53.6 ng/ml). RPE and bovine smooth muscle cells exposed to 50 nmol/l (383 ng/m1) IGF-I achieved peak VEGF mRNA expression within 2 h. IGF-I-treated RPE cells increased VEGF protein levels in conditioned media and stimulated capillary endothelial cell proliferation. Blockade of the IGF-I receptor with a neutralizing antibody abrogated the VEGF increases in RPE cells. Further, hypoxia-mediated and IGF-I-mediated increases in VEGF mRNA and protein levels were additive in RPE cells, and the hypoxia-induced VEGF increases were independent of endogenous IGF-I. VEGF promoter activity was enhanced by IGF-I in RPE cells, but VEGF transcript half-life was unaltered. In summary, the supplementation of RPE and smooth muscle cell cultures with IGF-I at 5-100 nmol/l increased VEGF mRNA and secreted protein levels. The VEGF increases in RPE cells occurred primarily through enhanced transcription of the VEGF gene and via the IGF-I receptor. Elevated IGF-I levels may promote neovascularization through increased retinal VEGF gene expression.
Development of the wake behind a circular cylinder impulsively started into rotatory and rectilinear motion

The temporal development of a 2D viscous incompressible flow generated by a circular cylinder started impulsively into steady rotatory and rectilinear motion is studied by integration of a velocity/vorticity formulation of the governing equations, using an explicit finite-difference/pseudo-spectral technique and an implementation of the Biot-Savart law. Results are presented for a Reynolds number of 200 (based on the cylinder diameter 2a and the magnitude U of the rectilinear velocity) for several values of the angular/rectilinear speed ratio alpha = omega(a)/U (where omega is the angular speed) up to 3.25. Several aspects of the kinematics and dynamics of the flow not considered earlier are discussed. For higher values of alpha, the results indicate that for Re = 200, vortex shedding does indeed occur for alpha = 3.25. However, consecutive vortices shed by the body can be shed from the same side and be of the same sense, in contrast to the nonrotating case, in which mirror-image vortices of opposite sense are shed alternately on opposite sides of the body. The implications of the results are discussed in relation to the possibility of suppressing vortex shedding by open or closed-loop control of the rotation rate.
Ablation for ventricular tachycardia during stable sinus rhythm.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) can effectively terminate ventricular tachycardia (VT) when it occurs, but do not prevent initiation of VT. There are several reasons why prevention of episodes is desirable. When VT is promptly and painlessly terminated by antitachycardia pacing, it can be asymptomatic. However, patients describe defibrillator shocksas terrible events that engender fear of future shocks, and reduced quality of life1. VT episodes are associated with increased risk of mortality and heart failure hospitalizations, although it is not clear whether the arrhythmia is merely a marker for worsening heart disease, or whether episodes of VT and possibly ICD shocks actually have an adverse effect themselves1-3. Antiarrhythmic drugs, notably sotalol and amiodarone, reduce VT episodes but inefficacy and adverse effects lead to discontinuation in approximately 20% of patients, and long term toxicities are a particular concern with the most effective drug, amiodarone4-6. Catheter ablation offers the potential to prevent VT without the adverse effects of antiarrhythmic drugs, but technical challenges limit efficacy, and ablation has procedural risks7. (SELECT FULL TEXT TO CONTINUE)
Quantum theory for two-photon-state generation by means of four-wave mixing in optical fiber

We present a quantum theory for generating two-photon states by means of four-wave mixing in optical fiber. We start with an interaction Hamiltonian that can correctly describe all nonlinear interactions among the four waves present in the fiber, namely, the frequency non-degenerate pumps, signal, and idler, including the terms responsible for self-phase modulation (SPM), cross-phase modulation (XPM), and four-photon scattering (FPS). The exact form of this Hamiltonian is obtained through comparison between the classical and quantum equations of motion. The two-photon state is then calculated by means of first-order perturbation theory. It turns out that only the FPS and the pump SPM terms contribute to the formation of the two-photon state. The entangled nature of this state is verified in a coincidence-counting experiment. The results of the theoretical calculation agree well with experimental data.
Effects of stimulus difficulty and repetition on printed word identification: An fmri comparison of nonimpaired and reading-disabled adolescent cohorts

Functional neuroimaging studies indicate that a primary marker of specific reading disability (RD) is reduced activation of left hemisphere (LH) posterior regions during performance of reading tasks. However, the severity of this disruption, and the extent to which these LH systems might be available for reading under any circumstances, is unclear at present. Experiment 1 examined the cortical effects of stimulus manipulations (frequency, imageability, consistency) that have known facilitative effects on reading performance for both nonimpaired (NI) and RD readers. Experiment 2 examined stimulus repetition, another facilitative variable, in an additional sample of adolescent NI and RD readers. For NI readers, factors that made words easier to process were associated with relatively reduced activation. For RD readers, facilitative factors resulted in increased activation in these same reading-related sites, suggesting that the LH reading circuitry in adolescent RD is poorly trained but not wholly disrupted.
Mini-D3112 bacteriophage transposable elements for genetic analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Abstract Small bacteriophage D3112 transposable elements deleted for most of the phage-lytic functions while retaining the sites required for transposition and packaging were constructed to facilitate genetic studies in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These mini-D derivatives were constructed with the terminal 1.85 kilobases (kb) of the phage left end and 1.4 kb of the phage right end and either the Tn5 kanamycin resistance or the pSC101 (pBR322) tetracycline resistance determinant. Thermally induced lysates of strains lysogenic for both a mini-D element and D3112 cts (temperature-sensitive repressor) transduced P. aeruginosa PAO recipients to drug resistance at frequencies of between 10(-4) and 10(-5)/PFU of the helper phage. As for the parent plaque-forming D3112 phage, the mini-D171 element could insert itself into many different sites in the chromosome but the frequency of insertion into particular genes varied widely. Among 1,000 insertions, none resulted in auxotrophy but 10 resulted in pigment production. Insertions were also selected in a cloning plasmid with a transduction scheme. At least eight different insertion sites were found to have been used among 10 individual insertions. Transductants harboring these mini-D elements were immune to infection by D3112, since they contained the D3112 repressor gene in the left 1.85-kb terminal fragment. Chromosomal genes were transduced in a generalized fashion 100 to 1,000 times more frequently by the mini-D-D3112 cts lysates than by the D3112 cts phage alone. Mini-D171-D3112 cts lysates also yielded some transductants that retained the drug resistance marker of the mini-D element and which were unstable for the chromosomal transduced marker. This is consistent with the miniduction properties of Mu whereby transduced genes are flanked by two mini-D elements in the same orientation.
Building Bridges To Connect The Disconnects: An Analysis Of Business Program Design Processes

The purpose of this study is to analyze current trends of design processes and redesign efforts for business programs. A review of the literature suggests business schools are not preparing graduates of their programs with the necessary knowledge, skills and dispositions as deemed appropriate to succeed in the world of work. Some research studies indicate that business schools have lost their relevancy and that there is a significant disconnect between higher education and the corporate world. This study suggests, through examples, that a certain segment of the higher education industry, consisting of the small private independent sector, is on target in preparing their students to succeed not only in the world of work, but also in the world of living. This analysis builds on previous research studies in this area which emphasize the importance of using gap analysis in program design initiatives and extends this work by providing an additional conceptual model for educators to use to ensure that our business programs not only meet the needs of our students, but also exceed employers’ expectations. This model emphasizes that to meet the constantly changing workforce needs of employers, business professors must build programs that enable each student to achieve the unique combination of industry, disciplinary and cross-disciplinary performance standards (learning outcomes) appropriate to a given sector of the economy through the integration of best practices in life-long learning and continuous quality improvement. To build the bridges that “connect the disconnects”, business professors and employers must work together to create business programs that effectively prepare the workforce for the 21 st Century.
Pseudonormality and a lagrange multiplier theory for constrained optimization

We consider optimization problems with equality, inequality, and abstract set constraints, and we explore various characteristics of the constraint set that imply the existence of Lagrange multipliers. We prove a generalized version of the Fritz–John theorem, and we introduce new and general conditions that extend and unify the major constraint qualifications. Among these conditions, two new properties, pseudonormality and quasinormality, emerge as central within the taxonomy of interesting constraint characteristics. In the case where there is no abstract set constraint, these properties provide the connecting link between the classical constraint qualifications and two distinct pathways to the existence of Lagrange multipliers: one involving the notion of quasiregularity and the Farkas lemma, and the other involving the use of exact penalty functions. The second pathway also applies in the general case where there is an abstract set constraint.
Explorations in statistics: hypothesis tests and P values

Learning about statistics is a lot like learning about science: the learning is more meaningful if you can actively explore. This second installment of Explorations in Statistics delves into test statistics and P values, two concepts fundamental to the test of a scientific null hypothesis. The essence of a test statistic is that it compares what we observe in the experiment to what we expect to see if the null hypothesis is true. The P value associated with the magnitude of that test statistic answers this question: if the null hypothesis is true, what proportion of possible values of the test statistic are at least as extreme as the one I got? Although statisticians continue to stress the limitations of hypothesis tests, there are two realities we must acknowledge: hypothesis tests are ingrained within science, and the simple test of a null hypothesis can be useful. As a result, it behooves us to explore the notions of hypothesis tests, test statistics, and P values.
Development and validation of single nucleotide polymorphism markers in the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica Gmelin by mining ESTs and resequencing

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are useful markers for genetic and genomic studies. They are needed in the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica), a major aquaculture species, for the mapping of genes affecting economically important quantitative traits such as disease resistance. Here we report the discovery and characterization of 46 SNPs in the eastern oyster by mining expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and resequencing. Sixty-three putative SNPs were identified from existing ESTs, of which 27 were validated. Three hundred and thirty-six putative SNPs were discovered by resequencing 6.8 Kb from 19 genes, corresponding to a remarkably high density of one SNP per 20 bp. Twenty-one of the candidate SNPs identified by resequencing were tested, and 19 were validated. Thirty-three of the 46 validated SNPs segregated in two mapping families, with 28 (85%) in accordance to expected Mendelian ratios. These markers are derived from expressed genes and should be useful for genetic analyses including the mapping and characterization of the genes that they represent.
A modified uniform Cramer-Rao bound for multiple pinhole aperture design

This paper presents a modified Uniform Cramer-Rao bound (UCRB) for studying estimator spatial resolution and variance tradeoffs. We proposed to use a resolution constraint that is imposed on mean gradient vectors of achieved estimators and derived the minimum achievable variance for any estimator satisfies this resolution constraint. This approach partially overcomes the limitations of the former UCRB approach based on a bias-gradient norm constraint. We applied this method in a feasibility study of using multiple pinhole apertures for small animal SPECT imaging applications. The SPECT system studied was based on an existing gamma camera. The achievable spatial resolution and variance tradeoffs for systems with different design parameters, such as number of pinholes and pinhole size, were studied.
‘Concrete’ Manipulatives, Concrete Ideas:

The notion of ‘concrete,’ from concrete manipulatives to pedagogical sequences such as ‘concrete to abstract,’ is embedded in educational theories, research, and practice, especially in mathematics education. In this article, the author considers research on the use of manipulatives and offers a critique of common perspectives on the notions of concrete manipulatives and concrete ideas. He offers a reformulation of the definition of ‘concrete’ as used in psychology and education and provides illustrations of how, accepting that reformulation, computer manipulatives may be pedagogically efficacious.
Syndecans New Kids on the Signaling Block

Cell-associated proteoglycans provide highly complex and sophisticated systems to control interactions of extracellular cell matrix components and soluble ligands with the cell surface. Syndecans, a conserved family of heparan- and chondroitin-sulfate carrying transmembrane proteins, are emerging as central players in these interactions. Recent studies have demonstrated the essential role of syndecans in modulating cellular signaling in embryonic development, tumorigenesis, and angiogenesis. In this review, we focus on new advances in our understanding of syndecan-mediated cell signaling.
Event Catalogs as Theories

All empirical social research rests, at least implicitly, on not one but two theories: a theory explaining the phenomenon under study, another theory explaining the generation of evidence concernin...
Attention Deficit Disorder Children with or without Hyperactivity Which Behaviors Are Helped by Stimulants

Each patient with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), with or without hyperactivity, is unique in the variety and severity of the handicapping conditions associated with ADD. The use of a well- designed teacher rating scale can provide the clinician with a behavioral prafile of each patient. The importance of knowing the child's specific problems is emphasized by the results of this research, which show that methylphenidate has a major effect in improving attention, is helpful in decreasing activity level, but often has only a minor effect on deficient social skills and oppositional (aggressive) behavior.