cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Succinct and Adaptively Secure ABE for ABP from k-Lin

We present succinct and adaptively secure attribute-based encryption (ABE) schemes for arithmetic branching programs, based on k-Lin in pairing groups. Our key-policy ABE scheme has ciphertexts of constant size, independent of the length of the attributes, and our ciphertext-policy ABE scheme has secret keys of constant size. Our schemes improve upon the recent succinct ABE schemes in [Tomida and Attrapadung, ePrint ’20], which only handles Boolean formulae. All other prior succinct ABE schemes either achieve only selective security or rely on q-type assumptions.
Impact of Enhanced Care Coordination on Emergency Department and In-patient Hospital utilization and Hospital Length of Stay for Children with Medical Complexity

PURPOSE: To describe the change in emergency department and acute hospital care utilization after establishing care in a family-centered medical home for children with medical complexity. METHODS: 358 children with medical complexity, defined as three or more chronic health conditions and technology dependence, were enrolled into a patient- and family- centered medical home situated at a pediatric academic institution starting in July 2017. The medical home offers same day appointments for acute care, twenty-four access to medical home clinicians, and …
Factorizations of bivariate Taylor series via inverse power products

Let $$f(x,y)=1+\sum \nolimits _{\begin{array}{c} p=1\\ m+n=p \end{array}}^{\infty }a_{m,n}x^my^n$$ be a formal power series. We convert f(x, y) into the formal product $$\prod \nolimits _{\begin{array}{c} p=1\\ m+n=p \end{array}}^{\infty }(1-h_{m,n}x^m y^n)^{-1}$$ , namely the inverse power product expansion in two independent variables. By developing new machinery involving the majorizing inverse power product, we provide estimates on the domain of absolute convergence of the inverse power product via the Taylor series coefficients of f(x, y). This machinery introduces a myriad of “mixed expansions,” uncovers various algebraic connections between $$(a_{m,n})$$ and $$(h_{m,n})$$ , and leads to the identification of the domain of absolute convergence of the inverse power product as a Cartesian product of polydiscs. This makes it possible to use the truncated inverse power product expansions $$\prod \nolimits _{\begin{array}{c} p=1\\ m+n=p \end{array}}^{P}(1-h_{m,n}x^my^n)^{-1}$$ as approximations to the analytic function f(x, y). We derive an asymptotic formula for the $$h_{m,n}$$ , with m fixed, associated with a majorizing inverse power product. We also discuss various combinatorial interpretations provided by these inverse power product expansions.
Women's Education and Literacy in England, 1066–1540

This essay provides a holistic review of what girls and young women learned, and the settings in which they learned, in the Middle Ages in England between the Norman Conquest (1066) and the Dissolution of the Monasteries (late 1530s). Education of girls was carried out in households, elementary schools, and nunneries, as well as through employment and apprenticeship. Girls were taught a wide range of subjects, depending on their socioeconomic status, including practical skills, reading comprehension, and social accomplishments. This essay also provides a review to date of the scholarship on the topic.
Phantom premise and a shape-shifting ism: reply to Hassoun.

In ‘Against vaccine nationalism’, Nicole Hassoun misrepresents our argument, distorts our position and ignores crucial distinctions we present in our article, ‘Love thy neighbor? Allocating vaccines in a world of competing obligations’. She has created a strawman that does not resemble our position. In this reply, we address two features of ‘Against vaccine nationalism’. First, we address a phantom premise. Hassoun misattributes to us a thesis, according to which citizen-directed duties are stronger than noncitizen-directed duties. This thesis is a figment of her imagination, not a fragment of our argument. Second, we address a shape-shifting ism. Ambiguity attaches to ‘vaccine nationalism,’ ambiguity that Hassoun exploits despite our distinguishing various meanings of the phrase. As a result, the type of vaccine nationalism she argues against is not the type we defend. Hassoun objects to the following argument, which is her reconstruction of ours: > P1. When we belong to a nation-state, we belong to a community that creates > > (moral) reasons to act in the interest of our citizens. > > P2. Our obligations to members of the global community (or those outside of our nation[-]state) are weaker than those [to] our cocitizens because of the associative ties with them. > > C.[‘]Within a nation-state, there are moral reasons to procure and allocate vaccines in a self-interested manner’. (Hassoun,1 p1) Hassoun does not contest P1.1 Instead, she objects to P2, which is the focal point of her response. She writes, ‘The problem with Ferguson and Caplan’s argument is that they just baldly assert P2’ (Hassoun,1 p1). She then asks, ‘Why are our obligations to members of the global community (or those outside of our nation[-]state) weaker than those to our cocitizens because of the associative ties?’ (Hassoun,1 p1). There are obvious problems with Hassoun’s formulation of P2. Notice that P2 contains an inference …
Patterns in environmental priorities revealed through government open data portals

Abstract The ways in which environmental priorities are framed are varied and influenced by political forces. One technological advance--the proliferation of government open data portals (ODPs)--has the potential to improve governance through facilitating access to data. Yet it is also known that the data hosted on ODPs may simply reflect the goals and interests of multiple levels of political power. In this article, I use traditional statistical correlation and regression techniques along with newer natural language processing and machine learning algorithms to analyze the corpus of datasets hosted on government ODPs (total: 49,066) to extract patterns that relate scales of governance and political liberalism/conservatism to the priorities and meaning attached to environmental issues. I find that state-level and municipal-level ODPs host different categories of environmental datasets, with municipal-level ODPs generally hosting more datasets pertaining to services and amenities and state-level ODPs hosting more datasets pertaining to resource protection and extraction. Stronger trends were observed for the influences of political conservatism/liberalism among state-level ODPs than for municipal-level ODPs.
Food Safety and School Garden Program for Elementary and Middle School Students

School food safety education programs have increased knowledge and promoted proper food safety practices, attitudes and beliefs of students. It is important to target children to have them be aware...
Open-Loop Verification of Motion Planning for an Underwater Eel-Like Robot

In this paper, we perform experimental verification of open-loop motion planning for a biomimetic robotic system using our underwater eel-like robot. Our results from past work provide theoretical justification for proposed gaits for forward/backward swimming, circular swimming, sideways swimming and turning in place. We have developed a five-link, underwater eel-like robot focusing on modularity, reliability and rapid prototyping, to verify our theoretical predictions. Results from experiments performed with this robot using visual position sensing in an aquatic environment show good agreement with theory.
Anthocyanidins and related compounds—XIV : Reductive dimerization of flavylium salts by metals

Abstract Flavylium salts are reductively dimerized by Zn or Mg in neutral or acidic media to yield colorless, crystalline α- and β-bis-flav-2-enes of types VI and VII. The α- and β-forms undergo facile thermal interconversion.
Arab Revolutions: Breaking Fear| Mediating Discourse of Democratic Uprising in Egypt: Militarized Language and the “Battles” of Abbasiyya and Maspero

During the street protests in Egypt following the fall of the Mubarak regime in 2011, the media discourse was rooted in a militarized language used to mediate the unfolding events and a people’s struggle against entrenched power structure. We focus on two major conflict events between the security forces and the protesters: the clashes at Maspero (Radio and Television Building) and the march from Tahrir Square to the Ministry of Defense in Abbasiyya. We situate the two events within the trajectory of the uprising.
Lay explanations for Kentucky's "Coronary Valley".

Kentucky and its neighboring states have some of the highest coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality rates in the United States, leading researchers to nickname the region “Coronary Valley.” Currently, little is known about factors that account for “Coronary Valley” however, understanding lay perspectives on CHD risk factors may provide insights into this high prevalence of CHD and may guide prevention efforts. In December 1999, a statewide telephone survey was administered to a random sample of Kentucky residents to elicit lay explanations for the high rates of CHD. Standard protocol for descriptive statistics was undertaken. Respondents (N = 624) identified most of the biomedically acknowledged risk factors, with an overwhelming majority acknowledging that high rates of smoking and poor diets contribute to CHD. Older respondents and those who reported having heart disease were more likely than others to identify factors beyond their control, including stress and pollution (p < .0005 and p < .001, respectively). After controlling for the presence of heart disease, age differences remained significant only among those who reported no heart disease. Education had marginal significance (p = .027) on explanations for CHD, while gender, racial or ethnic background, and type of community residence had no significant effects. Since most Kentuckians are aware of traditional risk factors underlying CHD, prevention efforts should be directed at removing structural and information barriers to behavior change (e.g., by providing smoking cessation programs) rather than limiting prevention efforts to traditional health education approaches (i.e., increasing knowledge of CHD risk factors).
Integrating Women's Issues in the Social Work Curriculum: A Proposal

Abstract Female faculty at Arizona State University's School of Social Work joined forces to revise syllabi for required MSW courses with the intent of integrating content on women. They argue that integration can be achieved only through the development of new paradigms that include women's experiences. They propose an approach based on a historico-structural perspective reinforced by social work values and ecological and critical perspectives. Examples of the curricular modifications introduced by this approach are given.
A Calculus for Set-Based Program Development

We propose an algebraic calculus for set-based program development. First, we reconstruct a fragment of set theory via atomic distributive lattices (ADL). Semantically, ADL extends boolean reasoning about sets by element-wise reasoning; it avoids presupposing a universal set. Operationally, ADL yields abstract, concise, elegant proofs from few elementary principles. Second, we develop a focused automated proof-search procedure for ADL with simple deduction and powerful reduction and simplification rules. Proof-search is guided by rewriting techniques. The procedure decides several subclasses. Main application is the proof-support for formal methods like B or Z.
Critical properties of cellular automata with evolving network topologies

Cellular automata (CAs) in their original form are laid out on regular structures such as rings or lattices. An unsophisticated evolutionary algorithm applied to the underlying structure of the CA's connectivity is capable to significantly improve its performance solving non-trivial tasks. In this work, we study the network properties that emerge in CAs with evolving topology for the density classification problem. We compare a simple rewiring mutation operator to a more sophisticated one that allows an increase in connectivity. We also analyze the effect of initial structure in the CAs before evolution, working over the entire spectrum of regular, irregular, and random networks. We conclude that, unsurprisingly, an increase in connectivity is the driver of fitness. This also result in an increase in the clustering coefficient, and decrease in assortativity. However, our study shows that artificial evolution can also achieve high fitness in CAs with constant degree by creating shortcuts through the network, lowing the characteristic path length, and keeping the assortativity and clustering coefficient constant.
Dietary restriction attenuates age-associated muscle atrophy by lowering oxidative stress in mice even in complete absence of CuZnSOD

Age-related loss of muscle mass and function, sarcopenia, has a major impact on the quality of life in the elderly. Among the proposed causes of sarcopenia are mitochondrial dysfunction and accumulated oxidative damage during aging. Dietary restriction (DR), a robust dietary intervention that extends lifespan and modulates age-related pathology in a variety of species, has been shown to protect from sarcopenia in rodents. Although the mechanism(s) by which DR modulates aging are still not defined, one potential mechanism is through modulation of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. To directly test the protective effect of DR against oxidative stress-induced muscle atrophy in vivo, we subjected mice lacking a key antioxidant enzyme, CuZnSOD (Sod1) to DR (60% of ad libitum fed diet). We have previously shown that the Sod1(-/-) mice exhibit an acceleration of sarcopenia associated with high oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and severe neuromuscular innervation defects. Despite the dramatic atrophy phenotype in the Sod1(-/-) mice, DR led to a reversal or attenuation of reduced muscle function, loss of innervation, and muscle atrophy in these mice. DR improves mitochondrial function as evidenced by enhanced Ca2+ regulation and reduction of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, we show upregulation of SIRT3 and MnSOD in DR animals, consistent with reduced mitochondrial oxidative stress and reduced oxidative damage in muscle tissue measured as F2-isoprostanes. Collectively, our results demonstrate that DR is a powerful mediator of mitochondrial function, mitochondrial ROS production, and oxidative damage, providing a solid protection against oxidative stress-induced neuromuscular defects and muscle atrophy in vivo even under conditions of high oxidative stress.
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis, Implementation of

Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is potentially one of the most beneficial and productive tasks in a well structured reliability program. FMEA consists of examining the modes and causes of potential item failures and determining the product response to the failure. Steps can then be taken to change the design to eliminate the failure, mitigate its effects, or develop compensating provisions if the failure should occur. FMEA can be applied to hardware, software, material, and process related causes of failure. Functional, interface, and detailed FMEAs can be usefully employed throughout the design process from the concept stage to production and deployment. Keywords: failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA); fault analysis; functional fault analysis; interface fault analysis; detailed fault analysis; piece part fault analysis; failure effect; failure mode; system safety
Experimental evidence for seismically initiated gas bubble nucleation and growth in groundwater as a mechanism for coseismic borehole water level rise and remotely triggered seismicity

Changes in borehole water levels and remotely triggered seismicity occur in response to near and distant earthquakes at locations around the globe, but the mechanisms for these phenomena are not well understood. Experiments were conducted to show that seismically initiated gas bubble growth in groundwater can trigger a sustained increase in pore fluid pressure consistent in magnitude with observed coseismic borehole water level rise, constituting a physically plausible mechanism for remote triggering of secondary earthquakes through the reduction of effective stress in critically loaded geologic faults. A portion of the CO2 degassing from the Earth's crust dissolves in groundwater where seismic Rayleigh and P waves cause dilational strain, which can reduce pore fluid pressure to or below the bubble pressure, triggering CO2 gas bubble growth in the saturated zone, indicated by a spontaneous buildup of pore fluid pressure. Excess pore fluid pressure was measured in response to the application of 0.1–1.0 MPa, 0.01–0.30 Hz confining stress oscillations to a Berea sandstone core flooded with initially subsaturated aqueous CO2, under conditions representative of a confined aquifer. Confining stress oscillations equivalent to the dynamic stress of the 28 June 1992 Mw 7.3 Landers, California, earthquake Rayleigh wave as it traveled through the Long Valley caldera, and Parkfield, California, increased the pore fluid pressure in the Berea core by an average of 36 ± 15 cm and 23 ± 15 cm of equivalent freshwater head, respectively, in agreement with 41.8 cm and 34 cm rises recorded in wells at those locations.
Competitive control of invasive vegetation: a native wetland sedge suppresses Phalaris arundinacea in carbon-enriched soil

Summary 1 Invasive plants pose a major threat to native plant communities around the globe. Current methods of controlling invasive vegetation focus on eradication of existing populations, and are often effective only in the short term. Manipulating resource availability to give native species a competitive advantage over invasive species could reduce ecosystem vulnerability to invasion and might more effectively control invasive vegetation. We evaluated this approach for controlling invasions of sedge meadow communities by Phalaris arundinacea, a widespread invasive grass in North American wetlands. 2 To test whether lowering nitrogen (N) availability would allow a wetland sedge, Carex hystericina, to suppress Phalaris competitively, we examined Carex and Phalaris competition under a range of inorganic N concentrations (25–400 mg kg−1) in a glasshouse. We lowered N availability in wetland soil using carbon enrichment and repeated harvests of a cover crop, and then created a N gradient by applying NH4-N to the N-depleted soil. 3 In soil without carbon added, competition with Phalaris reduced Carex biomass by 91%, while competition with Carex did not influence Phalaris, as is commonly observed in sedge meadows. Phalaris biomass was five times Carex biomass in mixed stands. Conversely, in soil depleted of available N via carbon enrichment, competition with Carex reduced Phalaris biomass by 82%, while competition with Phalaris reduced Carex biomass by only 32%, indicating that Carex is the superior competitor for N. Carex biomass was six times Phalaris biomass in mixed stands in the carbon-enriched soil. 4 Carbon enrichment lowered soil inorganic N by 10–30 mg kg−1. NH4-N addition mitigated the negative effects of carbon on Phalaris growth and competitive ability, indicating that carbon enrichment altered competitive outcomes by lowering N availability. Greater Carex N uptake efficiency under N-poor conditions appeared to account for the Carex competitive ability for N. 5 Synthesis and applications. Carex dominance in carbon-enriched soil strongly suggests that lowering soil inorganic N to < 30 mg kg−1 in restored wetlands would allow establishing sedge meadow communities to suppress Phalaris invasions. Low-N soils might be achieved via carbon enrichment, vegetation harvests and reduced N inputs. Reducing community vulnerability to invasion by manipulating resource availability appears to be a promising approach to invasive species management.
Temporal determinants of spatial sine-wave masking

Abstract A temporal forced-choice procedure was used to measure the contrast threshold for a sinusoidal test grating (spatial frequency = f) superimposed upon a sinusoidal background or masking grating (spatial frequency = 3f). The spatial contrast of the background grating was varied, and threshold measurements were made at each of a number of background contrasts to describe a threshold versus masking contrast ( tvc ) function. Tvc functions were obtained when the background and test grating contrasts were, independently of each other, held steady (0 Hz) or modulated at 5 Hz. The changes of temporal modulation frequency affected the slopes of the tvc functions. In some cases the tvc functions for steady and flickering test gratings crossed one another. The changes of slope suggest, and the crossovers imply, that some steady and flickering patterns are detected by separate visual mechanisms.
Simulating botulinum neurotoxin with constant pH molecular dynamics in Generalized Born implicit solvent

Abstract A new method was proposed by Mongan et al. for constant pH molecular dynamics simulation and was implemented in AMBER 8 package. Protonation states are modeled with different charge sets, and titrating residues are sampled from a Boltzmann distribution of protonation states. The simulation periodically adopts Monte Carlo sampling based on Generalized Born (GB) derived energies. However, when this approach was applied to a bio-toxin, Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A (BoNT/A) at pH 4.4, 4.7, 5.0, 6.8 and 7.2, the p K a predictions yielded by the method were inconsistent with the experimental values. The systems being simulated were divergent. Furthermore, the system behaviors in a very weak acidic solution (pH 6.8) and in a very weak basic solution (pH 7.2) were significantly different from the neutral case (pH 7.0). Hence, we speculate this method may require further study for modeling large biomolecule.
Competitive harm and geographic area disclosure under SFAS 131

Abstract Prior research documents considerable diversity in the amount of detail provided by companies in complying with the foreign country disclosure requirements of SFAS 131 . We posit that the potential competitive harm associated with country specific disclosures provides an incentive for management to avoid making these disclosures. Specifically, we hypothesize that firms with higher potential competitive harm costs will provide less detailed geographic area disclosures. Our results show that, as expected, firms exposed to greater competitive harm costs provide less detailed country specific revenue disclosures. This study helps to explain the diversity in practice with respect to the level of detail provided by companies in their geographic area disclosures under SFAS 131 . In addition, it adds to the literature examining the impact of potential competitive harm on disclosures made by U.S. firms, by extending the line of research to geographic area disclosures.
Amplification and expression of sequences cotransfected with a modular dihydrofolate reductase complementary dna gene.

Abstract A modular dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene has been constructed from a DHFR complementary DNA by the addition of proper transcription initiation and RNA splicing signals. After DNA transfection in the absence of carrier DNA this gene is capable of transforming Chinese hamster ovary cells deficient in DHFR (DHFR − ) to the DHFR + phenotype. Initial transformants contain one to five copies of the modular gene integrated into the Chinese hamster ovary genome. After sequential increases in the concentration of methotrexate in the growth medium, cells are selected that contain up to 1000 copies of the transforming DNA. Since the entire early region of simian virus 40 (SV40) DNA was present intact in the original construct, it was possible to directly demonstrate that early proteins of SV40 are co-expressed after amplification. In one clone, a polypeptide related to SV40 small tumor antigen (t) represented over 10% of the total protein synthesis. The usefulness of this construct as a general amplification vector is discussed. Plasmid (pBR322) sequences, present intact in the amplified cellular DNA, have been rescued by bacterial transformation in order to demonstrate the integration of plasmid DNA into Chinese hamster ovary host DNA and also to demonstrate amplification of that Chinese hamster ovary host DNA after methotrexate selection. Characterization of an initial DHFR + transformant, its subclones, and first step methotrexate-resistant colonies from these subclones leads to the conclusion that (1) plasmid DNA integrated into Chinese hamster ovary DNA is extremely fluid, as demonstrated by its frequent deletion, and (2) transfected DNA sequences most frequently deleted are also those most frequently amplified on methotrexate selection.
Theatrical Convention and Audience Response in Early Modern Drama

Acknowledgments Introduction Part I: 1. 'As it was acted to great applause': Elizabethan and Jacobean audiences and the physicality of response 2. Meat, magic and metamorphosis: on puns and wordplay 3. Managing the aside 4. Exposition, redundancy, action 5. Disorder and convention Part II: Introduction to Part II 6. Drama of disappointment: character and narrative in Elizabethan and Jacobean tragedy 7. Laughter and narrative in Elizabethan and Jacobean comedy 8. Epilogue: Jonson and Shakespeare Plays and editions cited Works cited Index.
Why panic()?: improving reliability with restartable file systems

The file system is one of the most critical components of the operating system. Almost all applications running in the operating system require file systems to be available for their proper operation. Though file-system availability is critical in many cases, very little work has been done on tolerating file system crashes. In this paper, we propose Membrane, a set of changes to the operating system to support restartable file systems. Membrane allows an operating system to tolerate a broad class of file system failures and does so while remaining transparent to running applications; upon failure, the file system restarts, its state is restored, and pending application requests are serviced as if no failure had occurred. Our initial evaluation ofMembrane with ext2 shows thatMembrane induces little performance overhead and can tolerate a wide range of file system crashes. More critically, Membrane does so with few changes to ext2, thus improving robustness to crashes without mandating intrusive changes to existing filesystem code.
Structural properties of NaCl

A theoretical description of the static structural, vibrational, and solid-solid phase-transition properties of alkali halides is presented. The description is ab initio involving pseudopotentials and density-functional theory. Using NaCl as a prototypical example, we conclude that properties of alkali halides can be computed accurately using this first-principles approach.
Restricted Feeding of Pullets 1. The Value of Pasture and Self-Selection of Dietary Components

Abstract THE EFFECT of restricting the feed intake of growing pullets on subsequent productivity has been reviewed recently by Gowe et al. (1960). It is generally agreed among researchers that restricted feeding in any of its forms reduces body weight and delays sexual maturity to an extent dependent upon the time and severity of restriction. When sexual maturity is delayed, normal egg size is attained more rapidly without any loss of total eggs laid, resulting in a greater total weight of eggs (Sunde et al., 1954; Schneider et al., 1955; Couch and Isaaks, 1957; Bruins, 1958; Bruckner and Hill, 1959; MacIntyre and Aitken, 1959; Walter and Aitken, 1961; Hollands and Gowe, 1961). When restriction is severe, mortality is usually increased during the period of restriction with a corresponding decrease in laying house mortality (Schneider et al., 1955; Bruins, 1958; Bruckner and Hill, 1959; Ringrose, 1958; Gowe et al., 1960; Hollands and …
Interferometric measurement of laser heating in praseodymium-doped YAG crystal

Temperature measurement is required for many applications but can be difficult in some cases. Laser heating or cooling studies demand accurate measurements of temperature changes. A Michelson interferometer configuration has been used to investigate laser heating in solids. An analytical formula was derived to estimate the temperature change from the fringe count by taking into account the temperature dependence of the sample length and refractive index. When 115 mW of a focused Ar+ laser beam (488 nm) passes through a Pr3+-doped YAG sample, its temperature increased by 11.7±1.0 K along the beam path due to nonradiative relaxation. The power dependence of the fringe count/movement was recorded. The temperature change was estimated by the interferometric method and is in agreement with that measured by a thermocouple.
Resection of hepatocellular adenoma in patients with glycogen storage disease type Ia

Background/Aims Because dietary modifications have prolonged the life expectancy of patients with glycogen storage disease type Ia (GSD Ia), the incidence of hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) to carcinoma (HCC) transformation is increasing. The objective of this retrospective study is to assess the safety and effectiveness of HCA resection in GSD Ia patients. Methods Clinicopathologic, peri-operative, and long-term data were reviewed from patients who underwent HCA resection. Comparisons were made with Fisher's exact, Mann–Whitney U , and log-rank tests; survival was estimated with Kaplan–Meier analysis. Results From 1998 to 2006, 38 patients underwent HCA resection. Seven (22%) had GSD Ia. Post-operative mortality occurred in one GSD Ia patient. GSD Ia patients had greater morbidity (86% vs. 20%) and shorter time to adenoma progression (median 23 months vs. not yet reached) after partial hepatectomy compared to the general population ( p Conclusions Despite substantial morbidity, partial hepatectomy is feasible in GSD Ia patients and is an effective intermediate step in the prevention of HCC until definitive treatment with liver transplantation.
Quantum efficiency calibration of AXAF CCDs from 2 to 10 keV

ABSTRACT We describe methods used to measure the X-ray detection efficiency of reference CCDs for the AXAF CCD Imaging Spectrometer in the spectral range between 2 keY and 10 keV. The reference CCDs are identical to and are used as calibration transfer standards for the actual flight CCDs. Both radioactive (55Fe) and fluorescentX-ray sources are used to illuminate the CCDs, providing a range of discrete emission lines to cover the energyband. A Si(Li) solid state detector is inserted into the beam to provide absolute calibration from 2 - 10 keV(where the Si(Li) detection efficiency can be calculated from first principles) . The response function of the Si(Li)detector is discussed, along with factors used to obtain CCD efficiency parameters from the raw data. Calibration geometry and typical data are also presented.KEYWORDS: ACIS, AXAF, calibration, CCD, Si(Li) detector, detection efficiency 1 Introduction The Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) is an orbiting X-ray telescope being developed as part of
Mismatching the opponent's offers in negotiation

Abstract Mismatching in negotiation involves responding with high demands to the opponent's low demands and with low demands to the opponent's high demands. Prior research has shown that the opponent's demands are often mismatched but that this effect is attenuated when information is available about the outcomes achieved by the opponent from the available alternatives. The present research showed that mismatching was also attenuated when the negotiator knew the location of the opponent's limit (the alternative beyond which the opponent would not concede). Two new interpretations of the attenuation effect were suggested on the basis of this finding. In addition, women were found to engage in more mismatching than men, being particularly likely to exploit a soft opponent.
Massive Multispecies, Multilevel Non-LTE Model Atmospheres for Novae in Outburst

We have used our PHOENIX multipurpose model atmosphere code to calculate atmospheric models that represent novae in the optically thick wind phases of their outburst. We have improved the treatment of non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) effects by expanding the number of elements that are included in the calculations from 15 to 19 and the number of ionization stages from 36 to 87. The code can now treat a total of 10,713 levels and 102,646 lines in NLTE. Al, P, K, and Ni are included for the first time in the NLTE treatment, and most elements now have at least the lowest six ionization stages included in the NLTE calculation. We have investigated the effects of expanded NLTE treatment on the chemical concentration of astrophysically significant species in the atmosphere, the equilibrium structure of the atmosphere, and the emergent flux distribution. Although we have found general qualitative agreement with previous, more limited NLTE models, the expanded NLTE treatment leads to significantly different values for the size of many of the NLTE deviations. In particular, for the hottest model presented here (Teff = 35,000 K), for which NLTE effects are largest, we find that the expanded NLTE treatment reduces the NLTE effects for these important variables: H I concentration, pressure structure, and emergent far-UV flux. Moreover, we find that the addition of new NLTE species may greatly affect the concentration of species that were already treated in NLTE, so that, generally, all species that contribute significantly to the e- reservoir or to the total opacity, or whose line spectrum overlaps or interlocks with that of a species of interest, must be treated in NLTE to ensure an accurate result for any particular species.
Domain Mapping of Human Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonuclease STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL EVIDENCE FOR A DISORDERED AMINO TERMINUS AND A TIGHT GLOBULAR CARBOXYL DOMAIN

We recently described the pre-steady state enzymatic binding kinetics of apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease (AP endo). In this report we describe the domain structure of the enzyme in solution determined by mild protease digestion in the presence and absence of substrate, product, and an efficient competitive inhibitor (HDP). AP endo is a 35.5-kDa protein with a high degree of homology to its prokaryotic counterpart, exonuclease III (Exo III), except for the amino terminus, which is lacking in the prokaryotic enzyme. The entire conserved region plus an additional 20 residues unique to the eukaryotic enzyme was inaccessible to trypsin and V8 protease, indicating that it forms a tight globular structure. In contrast, the amino-terminal 35 residues were readily accessible to all the proteases investigated, leading us to conclude that they associate poorly with the rest of the structure and constitute a highly fluid region. When AP endo was boiled with SDS and cooled prior to the addition of V8 protease, several acidic residues within the globular domain became protease-accessible, indicating rapid renaturation except along the nuclease fold with restoration of globular conformation for the carboxyl two-thirds of the molecule. Of all the proteases tested, only chymotrypsin was able to cleave internal to the globular portion without prior denaturation. Although AP endo cleaved with chymotrypsin retained full enzymatic activity, the activity was lost when the digested peptides were recovered after denaturation by heat and/or boiling in SDS, precipitation, and renaturation or when fragments were recovered from an SDS gel and renatured. Thus, the protein is probably held together strongly by noncovalent interactions that maintain enzymatic function after protease nicking. The three major chymotrypsin cleavage sites, Tyr-144, Leu-179, and Leu-205, became strikingly less accessible to protease digestion in the presence of abasic site-containing DNA. Since the three residues form a spherical triangle on the surface of the molecule on one side of the nuclease fold, there must be multiple means by which DNA containing an abasic site associates with the enzyme. The most likely explanation is that substrate and product, both of which were present during proteolysis, bind differently to the enzyme. Finally, the two cysteine residues thought to be involved in the redox reaction of AP endo with Jun protein were entirely inaccessible to proteolysis even after prolonged exposure of AP endo to reducing agents. Consequently, if AP endo plays a role in the physiological function of Jun, it must undergo major conformational changes in the process. Alternatively, the two cysteines could maintain an appropriate conformation such that other residues participate directly in the redox activity.
Changes in intracellular Ca2+ distribution during the transition of fibroblasts from the proliferating to the stationary state.

Abstract The intracellular distribution of Ca 2+ was studied in chicken embryo fibroblasts as they progressed from the proliferating to the stationary state in cell culture. Cytoplasmic Ca 2+ content was approximately six-fold higher in replicating fibroblasts than in confluent, nonproliferating cells. The quantity of Ca 2+ associated with intracellular organelles (i.e., mitochondria, microsomes, nuclei) did not change during the transition to the stationary state. The ratio of cytoplasmic: organelle Ca 2+ decreased from approximately 24 in logarithmically growing cells to 1.9 in nonproliferating fibroblasts.
NaN/Nav1.9: a sodium channel with unique properties

Abstract The Na v 1.9 Na + channel (also known as NaN) is preferentially expressed in nociceptive neurons of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and trigeminal ganglia. Na v 1.9 produces a persistent, tetrodotoxin-resistant current with wide overlap between activation and steady-state inactivation, and appears to modulate resting potential and to amplify small depolarizations. These unique properties indicate that Na v 1.9 has significant effects on the electroresponsive properties of primary nociceptive neurons. Downregulation of Na v 1.9, which results from a lack of peripheral glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor following peripheral axotomy, might retune DRG neurons and contribute to their hyperexcitability after nerve injury. Thus, Na v 1.9 appears to play a key role in nociception and is an attractive target in the search for more effective treatments for pain.
Distributed query processing

On presente plusieurs techniques d'optimisation des questions au sein d'un reseau de bases de donnees. Les caracteristiques d'un algorithme integrant ces techniques sont enoncees
Explaining the Variation in Organized Civil Society Across States and Time

I analyze the determinants of the numbers of tax-exempt cultural and historical, sports and recreation, civil rights, and environment and conservation organizations in American states circa 1990 and 1998. Controlling for state population, aggregate measures of educational attainment and religious affiliation have substantial and statistically significant effects across all four types of organizations and for both philanthropic and nonphilanthropic sports and recreation organizations. In contrast, the effects of public spending, fundraising regulations, and direct democracy provisions are relatively small. Thus, the size and composition of these parts of organized civil society are largely independent of the public sector.
Exploring benefits of non-linear time compression

In comparison to text, audio-video content is much more challenging to browse. Time-compression has been suggested as a key technology that can support browsing-time compression speeds up the playback of audio-video content without causing the pitch to change. Simple forms of time-compression are starting to appear in commercial streaming-media products from Microsoft and Real Networks.In this paper we explore the potential benefits of more recent and advanced types of time compression, called non-linear time compression. The most advanced of these algorithms exploit fine-grain structure of human speech (e.g., phonemes) to differentially speedup segments of speech, so that the overall speedup can be higher. In this paper we explore what are the actual gains achieved by end-users from these advanced algorithms. Our results indicate that the gains are actually quite small in common cases and come with significant system complexity and some audio/video synchronization issues.
Oxygen consumption in carbon dioxide anesthetized house flies, Musca domestica linn. (Diptera: Muscidae)☆

Abstract 1. 1. Carbon dioxide in concentrations (33 per cent) producing knockdown in house flies does not limit oxygen consumption when oxygen is maintained at normal atmospheric tension. 2. 2. Analyses were performed on a gas chromatograph employing a thermal conductivity detector, nitrogen carrier gas and Porapak Q (80–100 mesh) columns. 3. 3. A previous hypothesis ascribing the site of action to a site near the cytochromes is contradicted by these findings.
Synthesis of 7-Epineoptilocaulin, Mirabilin B, and Isoptilocaulin. A Unified Biosynthetic Proposal for the Ptilocaulin and Batzelladine Alkaloids. Synthesis and Structure Revision of Netamines E and G

Addition of guanidine to a 6-methylhexahydroindenone in MeOH at 85 °C afforded 7-epineoptilocaulin. A similar reaction with a 6-propylhexahydroindenone afforded netamine E. MnO2 oxidation of 7-epineoptilocaulin and netamine E afforded mirabilin B and netamine G, respectively. The netamines have the side chains trans, not cis as was initially proposed. A unified biosynthetic scheme for the batzelladines and ptilocaulin family is proposed. Conjugate addition of guanidine to a bis enone followed by an intramolecular Michael reaction of the enolate to the other enone, aldol reaction, dehydration, and enamine formation will lead to a tricyclic intermediate at the dehydroptilocaulin oxidation state. 1,4-Hydride addition will lead to ptilocaulin or 7-epineoptilocaulin depending on which face the hydride adds to. 1,2-Hydride addition will lead to isoptilocaulin. The key tricyclic intermediate was prepared from a tetrahydroindenone and guanidine and reduced with NaBH4 to give a mixture rich in ptilocaulin and isop...
Estimation of Yield and Nitrogen Removal by Corn

A wide variety of mathematical models have been used to relate crop production to management factors such as applied N and water availability. These include power functions and exponential functions. The objective of this analysis was to use an extended logistic model to relate dry matter fields and plant N removal to applied N for corn (Zea mays L.) for three soils in North Carolina. In this model, response of both dry matter yield and plant N removal to applied N were described by logistic equations. Plant N concentration was then related to applied N by the ratio of these logistic equations. Model parameters were estimated by nonlinear regression. Analysis of variance showed that the N response coefficient c was common for dry matter yield and plant N removal for each soil. Overall correlation coefficients of yield and plant N removal with applied N were very high for all three soils (R > 0.99). It was shown that 50% of the total dry matter and 80% of total plant N were contained in the grain at all applied N levels. Minimum potential grain yield of 25.9 Mg ha −1 agreed closely with an estimate in the literature of 265 Mg ha −1 (500 bushels acre −1 ). Dependence of plant N concentration on plant N removal was shown to follow a linear relationship. The present model provides a rational basis for coupling of dry matter tield and plant N removal in response to applied N. It can be used in design and management decisions related to agricultural production and environmental quality
Measurement and calculation of the absolute infrared intensities of PF3

Abstract The integrated infrared intensities of the fundamental vibrations of PF 3 are experimentally determined using nitrogen broadening pressures of 550 psi. Since several sets of values arise for the molecular charge distribution parameters ∂ P /∂ S j as a consequence of the inherent sign ambiguity in the measured ∂ P /∂ Q i , a preferred set of derivatives is indicated through comparisons with semiempirical CNDO 2 molecular orbital calculations. Values for the molecular dipole derivatives ∂ P /∂ S j are as follows: A 1 species. ∂P z ∂S 1 = 3.27 ± 0.69 D/ A and ∂P z ∂S 2 = −3.16 ± 0.28 D/ A ; E species, ∂P x ∂S 1 = −7.14 ± 0.30 D/ A and ∂P x ∂S 4 = −0.94 ± 0.01 D/ A . With the molecular orbital calculations as a guide, the redistribution of the electronic charge during the fundamental vibrations is discussed as a function of net atomic charge density and atomic polarization terms. Charge reorganizations for PF 3 are compared to those for NF 3 .
Forcing of Tropical SST Anomalies by Wintertime AO-like Variability

Abstract A lagged maximum covariance analysis (MCA) is utilized to investigate large-scale patterns of covariability between sea surface temperature (SST) in the global tropics and 500-mb geopotential height (Z500) in the extratropics at monthly to interannual time scales distinct from the conventional El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) signal during the Northern Hemisphere (NH) winter. The first MCA mode indicates a strong impact of tropical SST anomalies associated with ENSO on the extratropical atmosphere. The second MCA mode corresponds with coupling between Arctic Oscillation (AO)-like atmospheric variations and tropical SST anomalies. An AO-like MCA mode appears to depict an atmosphere-to-ocean forcing, in which the tropical ocean responds to the higher extratropical AO-like atmospheric anomalies with an intraseasonal time lag. In winter, AO-like atmospheric variability is associated with the northern tropical Atlantic mode and the tropical Pacific ENSO Modoki mode through enhanced or weakened trad...
226 Externally Removable Tracheal Stents to Treat Recalcitrant Esophageal Anastomotic Strictures in Pediatric Patients With Long Gap Esophageal Atresia

patients) and the ESBD groups (60 patients). There were no significant differences in background demographics. 39 patients had prior history of endoscopic sphincterotomy (P 0.825). The mean (S.D.) size of the largest common bile duct stone was 12.87 (7.11) and 12.53 (5.07) mm respectively (P 0.82). There were no differences in the rate of stone clearance during the index ERCP for all stones (90.9% vs 86.67%, P 0.435) and for stones that were 1.5cm (85% vs 80%, P 0.25). However, significantly more patients in the ES group required the use of the BML to complete stone extraction (45% vs 28.3%, P 0.047). Complications occurred in 18.2% and 20% of the patients respectively (P 0.795) and there were no differences in the rates of postsphincterotomy bleeding amongst the 2 groups (10.6% vs 8.35%, P 0.66). There were no procedure-related mortalities.Conclusions:Combined sphincterotomy and balloon dilation enables the retrieval of large common bile ducts stones with reduced need of the BML. The procedure can achieve high rates of complete stone clearance with comparable rates of morbidities to standard sphincterotomy.
Evidence for Persistent Binding of Biologically Active Thyrotropin to Thyroid in Vitro

Differences exist in the rates at which hormones are inactivated by, or dissociate from, their target tissues. The present studies examined the binding of biologically active TSH to thyroid slices and compared its characteristics to those of PGE1. Canine thyroid slices were initially incubated with 5 mU/ml of bovine TSH (TSH-Initial) for 15 min, washed and incubated in media free of hormone for 3 hr. At the conclusion of this second incubation period, all slices were again washed. Some were then transferred to media containing 10-2M theophylline for a final 10 min incubation and subsequent measurement of cAMP and protein kinase, while others were transferred to media containing [l-l4C]glucose without theophylline fora final 45 min incubation to assess glucose oxidation. Identically treated slices never exposed to TSH served as controls, while others were exposed to TSH only during the final 10 or 45 min incubation periods (TSH-Final). cAMP content determined after the final 10 min incubation in theophylli...