cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of P-element-mediated transformation to identify the molecular basis of naturally occurring variants affecting Adh expression in Drosophila melanogaster.

The purpose of the work reported here is to identify the molecular basis of the difference in level of expression between the polymorphic Slow and Fast alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) alleles in Drosophila melanogaster . Previous studies have shown that Fast lines typically have a two- to threefold higher activity level than Slow lines and they also have a substantially higher level of ADH-protein (estimated immunologically). The results of a restriction fragment length polymorphism study in relation to ADH activity variation had previously suggested that the difference in Adh expression between allozymes might not be due entirely to the amino acid replacement substitution, but could be due in part to linkage disequilibrium with a regulatory site polymorphism. Here we describe an approach that makes use of P-element-mediated transformation in order to identify the nucleotide substitution(s) responsible for this difference in ADH level. This approach consists of generating recombinants in vitro between Adh region clones derived from a typical Slow/Fast pair of alleles and then testing for the effects of particular restriction fragments on expression in vivo by transformation. Using this approach, the effect on both ADH activity and ADH-protein level clearly maps to a 2.3-kb restriction fragment that includes all of the Adh coding sequence and some intron and 3' flanking sequence, but excludes all of the 5' flanking sequence of the distal (adult) transcriptional unit. Comparison of Kreitman's DNA sequences for this fragment from several Slow and Fast alleles showing the typical difference in activity level shows that only three nucleotide substitutions distinguish all Fast from all Slow alleles. Thus, it is likely that one or more of these substitutions causes the major difference in Adh expression between allozymic classes. One of these substitutions is, of course, the Slow/Fast amino acid replacement substitution (at 1490) while the other two are nearby third position silent substitutions (at 1443 and 1527). A quantiative analysis of variation among transformant stocks shows that the P-element transformation approach can be used to localize even relatively small effects on gene expression (on the order of 20%).
The relative advantage of electronic channels: a multidimensional view

The Internet has the potential to fundamentally change the structure of marketing channels, but only if consumers choose to adopt electronic channels. Thus, this paper aims to develop a more nuanced understanding of consumer channel choices. Specifically, it contends that it is important to examine consumers' intent to adopt electronic channels, not as a monolithic decision, but as a choice they make at each of four stages in the purchase process: requirements determination, vendor selection, purchase, and after-sales service. Innovation diffusion theory suggests that consumers make adoption decisions based on their perceptions of the relative advantage of the innovation. The relative advantage of electronic channels is conceptualized as a multidimensional construct involving a cumulative assessment of the perceived relative merits of channels on three dimensions: convenience, trust, and efficacy of information acquisition. Combining the multidimensional nature of relative advantage with the multistage purchase process, the central assertion, and intended contribution, of this paper is to show that the relative advantage of electronic channels, and the influence of each dimension of relative advantage on the adoption of electronic channels, will vary across the different stages of the purchase process. Survey data were collected from faculty and staff at a large university about their intention to use the web for auto insurance transactions. The results provide support for the multidimensional nature of relative advantage, although the emergent factors do not align neatly with the hypothesized dimensions (convenience, trust, and efficacy of information acquisition) or stages. Results of the study support three conclusions. First, the dimensions along which consumers assess relative advantage blend hypothesized dimensions such as trust and convenience with stages of the purchase process. Second, consumers consider the relative advantage of channels at two distinct stages of the purchase process: gathering information and executing the transaction. Third, different dimensions of relative advantage are critical in predicting consumer channel choice at each stage.
Nanoscale FETs and STM lithography

This paper outlines a new proposal for silicon nanoelectronics based on STM/AFM lithography, selective deposition of epitaxial silicides, and heterolayer overgrowth. The all-UHV process we envision is completely planarized, and could eventually permit fabrication of 3-dimensional devices and circuit architectures with an unlimited range of possibilities.
Semiarid unsaturated zone chloride profiles: Archives of past land use change impacts on water resources in the southern High Plains, United States

[1] Unsaturated zone chloride profiles in semiarid regions provide a decadal- to century-scale record of past environmental changes, similar to climate change records provided by tree rings and ice cores. Impacts of conversions from natural ecosystems to rain-fed agriculture on water resources are recorded in chloride profiles in semiarid regions, as typified by the southern High Plains (SHP), Texas, southwestern United States. Large chloride accumulations beneath natural grassland and shrubland ecosystems (3 profiles) reflect evapotranspirative enrichment of atmospherically derived chloride during the Holocene, indicating no recharge in interdrainage areas. Conversion to rain-fed agriculture is recorded by downward displacement (9 profiles) or complete flushing (10 profiles) of chloride bulges, indicating increased recharge. Increased recharge associated with cultivation (median 24 mm/yr, 5% of precipitation, 19 profiles) was quantified using chloride mass balance calculations. The timing of land use change was estimated using chloride data, and results (43–89 years) are consistent with aerial photo records and landowner surveys. New equilibrium volumetric recharge rates beneath rain-fed agriculture in the SHP (0.63 km3/yr) will require decades to establish and represent one to eight times recharge rates for baseline precultivated conditions that are focused beneath ephemeral lake or playa drainages (0.08–0.83 km3/yr). These chloride profiles generally represent decadal-scale monitoring of subsurface response to land use change.
Mortality of Douglas-fir after two semiochemical baiting treatments for Douglas-fir beetle (Coleoptera : Scolytidae)

In May 1989, a study was conducted in southwestern Idaho to test the hypothesis that infestations of Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins, would not differ among plots containing five semiochemical baits per 0.4 ha, two semiochemical baits per 0.4 ha, and control plots containing no baits. On average, 5.8 times and 6.4 times more trees were infested on the plots with two- or five-bait treatments, respectively, compared with the control plots. The average number of infested trees did not differ significantly between baited plots. However, means in baited plots differed significantly from means in the control plots
Responses of Chinchilla Inferior Colliculus Neurons to Amplitude-Modulated Tones with Different Envelopes

Responses of single neurons in the inferior colliculus of the chinchilla to amplitude-modulated tones were obtained. In one condition, the modulating waveform was a low-frequency sinusoid (SAM tone). In the other, the modulator was a trapezoid with fixed parameters, used to create trains of brief tone bursts presented at various repetition rates (TRAM tone). Modulation frequency (or repetition rate) was varied over the range from 10 to 200 Hz. Many individual neurons exhibited strong selectivity for modulator type. Neurons with pauser discharge patterns to steady-state tones usually exhibited greater responsiveness to SAM tones than to TRAM. In contrast, neurons that responded transiently to steady-state tones usually exhibited greater responsiveness to TRAM tones than to SAM. Neurons with sustained responses to steady-state tones responded strongly to both types of modulated tones. The selectivity for modulator type suggests that transient neurons may play a different functional role in the representation of envelopes than do other types of neurons.
God’s Campesinos? Mexico’s Revolutionary Church in the Countryside

While revolutionary attempts to eradicate religion have been well studied, this article explores a little-known attempt to construct state hegemony within the religious sphere by founding a revolutionary Church (the Iglesia Catolica Apostolica Mexicana, or Mexican Catholic and Apostolic Church) in 1925. The article first explores the agrarian ideology of the schism, conceived as a revolutionary form of spiritual modernisation. It then charts the popular reception of the schism in Mexico State and argues that some agrarianised communities appropriated the new religion because it was seen as the spiritual adjunct of land reform, a means of blending popular revolutionary and religious beliefs, and a sectarian political weapon.
Glomerular immune injury in the rat: effect of antagonists of histamine activity.

The participation of histamine via H1 and H2 receptors, in the alteration of glomerular ultrafiltration consequent to acute glomerular immune injury was evaluated in three groups of Munich-Wistar rats, before and after the administration of large doses of antiglomerular basement membrane antibody (AGBM). Group 1 was the control and was untreated; group 2, rats continuously infused with H1 receptor antagonist diphenhydramine; and group 3, rats receiving continuous infusion of the H2 receptor antagonist cimetidine. In group 1, nephron filtration rate (SNGFR) decreased within 60 min after AGBM from 58 +/- 2 to 32 +/- 5 nl . min-1 . g kidney wt-1 (P less than 0.0005) due to decreases in both nephron plasma flow (RPF) (291 +/- 35 to 119 +/- 23 nl . min-1 . g kidney wt-1) (P less than 0.0005) and the glomerular permeability coefficient (LpA) (0.13 +/- 0.02 to 0.06 +/- 0.01 nl . sec-1 . g kidney wt-1 . mm Hg-1) (P less than 0.01). In group 2, SNGFR decreased similarly with AGBM (59 +/- 2 to 23 +/- 10 nl . mm-1 . g kidney wt-1) (P less than 0.0005) due again to major reductions in RPF and LpA, suggesting no protective effect of H1 receptor blockade. In group 3, control, pre-AGBM values for SNGFR and RPF were lower than they were in groups 1 and 2 due to cimetidine infusion. SNGFR and RPF decreased but to a lesser extent in group 3 (48 +/- 3 to 41 nl . min-1 . g kidney wt-1) (P less than 0.0005). Renal vascular resistance did not change after AGBM in this group but interpretation of this finding is complicated because blood pressure decreased after the antibody administration. LpA decreased in group 3 as in group 1, therefore neither H1 nor H2 receptor antagonist prevented reductions in LpA. The absence of vasoconstriction after AGBM during H2 receptor blockade may have been a nonspecific effect of cimetidine. Histamine plays no major role in AGBM-induced immune injury in the rat and does not prevent a reduction in nephron filtration rate.
Consumer control of oak demography in a Mediterranean-climate savanna

Tree recruitment is rare and oak populations are declining in many Mediterranean-climate oak savannas. Factors affecting acorn production, seedling establishment and initial seedling growth have been much studied in short-term experiments. However, fecundity and early survival rates have not been placed in a demographic framework that also considers sapling survival and growth and adult tree mortality. We use matrix models and life table response experiments to analyze long-term experimental and observation data on California valley oak (Quercus lobata Nee´) near its southern range limit in Santa Barbara County to answer three questions: (1) How sensitive is oak population growth rate to variation in acorn production and initial seedling establishment vs. sapling survivorship and growth? (2) How do mammalian consumers—specifically, cattle, deer and rodents—impact valley oak seedling establishment and sapling survival and growth? (3) Can vertebrate consumers account for the observed population decline of valley oak in savannas in its southern range? We find that population growth is far more sensitive to consumer- mediated variation in sapling survivorship and growth than to variation in fecundity or seedling establishment and that consumers exert strong influence on the demography of the species. Deterministic, finite population growth rate (k )i s,1 for unprotected plants and for plants that are protected from cattle but still exposed to mule deer and rodents. Population growth rate increases to 1.03 with protection from both cattle and deer, mainly because plants are able to quickly reach the tree layer when they are protected from ungulate browsing. Population growth rate jumps to 1.15 for plants protected from both ungulates and rodents as a result of increased survivorship and height growth of established individuals and because of increased seedling establishment during the first year. Our experimental findings are consistent with observed patterns in natural populations in Santa Barbara County, where tree recruitment is rare in both grazed and non-grazed savannas but more common in areas such as roadsides that are refuges from cattle and deer.
Hazard assessment of lead

Exposure to lead (Pb) continues to be a source of concern for the US Food and Drug Administration and other United States federal regulatory agencies. Blood lead levels as low as 10 micrograms/dl have been associated with impaired neurobehavioural and cognitive development and electrophysiological deficits in children and reduced gestational age and birth weight in infants. Blood lead levels of 10 micrograms Pb/dl are also of concern in pregnant women because of exposure to the fetus. Blood lead levels of 30 micrograms Pb/dl have been associated with elevated blood pressure and other adverse effects in adults. Thus, the values of 10 and 30 micrograms Pb/dl represent lowest-observed-effects levels for developing and adult populations, respectively. The ingestion levels that result in these blood levels of concern were estimated to be 60 micrograms Pb/day for children ages 6 years or younger, 150 micrograms Pb/day for children aged 7 years or older, 250 micrograms Pb/day for pregnant women and 750 micrograms Pb/day for adults. Provisional total tolerable intake levels for lead were derived from these blood lead levels for each group by applying the Renwick approach to obtain a tolerable exposure level.
Thin-Film Thermopile Matrix for Detecting Pulsed Radiation

A thin-film thermopile matrix is vacuum deposited on a glass substrate. Nickel and copper thin films are used for the two junction materials. A total of 400 junctions are deposited over an area 2.2 cm by 2.2 cm, corresponding to a junction density of 82 junctions/cm2. Half of these junctions are hot junctions and the other half are reference junctions. The reference junctions are shielded from the incoming pulsed radiation by a 0.05-cm-thick gold shield. All junction pairs are series connected so that the thermal emf's add. An output voltage of 0.1 mV per junction pair is obtained when the device is illuminated with a 1.5-msec pulse from a l-kV xenon flash tube. The output voltage from an individually wired, Chromel-constantan thermopile is 0.2 mV per junction pair when the thermopile is illuminated with an identical pulse.
Impact of interannual rainfall anomalies on Indian Ocean salinity and temperature variability

[1] A nonlinear reduced gravity model with four active layers and mixed layer physics is used to investigate how precipitation anomalies affect salinity and temperature variability in the Indian Ocean. In one experiment the model is forced by observations of monthly varying winds and rainfall for the period 1980–2000. In another it is forced by the same winds and climatological rainfall. Comparison between the two experiments is focused on the 1992–2000 period, during which rainfall variations attain extrema in the southeastern Indian Ocean with two deficits close to zero in 1994 and 1997 and a maximum of 16 mm/d in 1998. Rainfall anomalies significantly affect model sea surface salinity (SSS), but SSS is also highly governed by winds. Indeed, SSS is at its absolute minimum in 1994 despite the local rainfall deficit. Sea surface temperature (SST) is strongly affected along the equator east of 80°E and along Indonesia where the mixed and the barrier layers become thin in 1994 and 1997. There the precipitation deficits affect SST primarily by entraining more subsurface water to the surface. In 1994 the subsurface waters are anomalously cool because of eastward advection of colder water from the west. In 1997 they are so because of northward advection of water cooled by coastal upwelling farther south. The precipitation excess does not affect SST because the temperature difference between the mixed layer and the barrier layer is very little then. Including interannual rainfall anomalies makes SST off Sumatra colder in 1994 and 1997, in much better agreement with observations.
Fast computations for some matrix functions

Abstract The matrix exp ( A ·t) has to be computed to solve homogeneous, linear differential equations, to calculate exp ( F ·t) where F is a ‘companion’ matrix and in the state-space approach to automatic control. In all these cases, speed is of the utmost importance. The present paper develops methods of solution which are faster than those normally used and adapts them to parallelization (thereby achieving an additional speedup).
Utilization of health care resources for low-risk patients with acute, nonvariceal upper GI hemorrhage: An historical cohort study

Abstract Background: Adults hospitalized with acute, nonvariceal upper GI hemorrhage can be accurately stratified according to their risk of subsequent adverse outcomes by using the Rockall score. Low-risk patients (Rockall score ≤ 2) may be candidates for early discharge. Methods: Cases were identified with ICD-9-CM codes for calendar years 1997 and 1998. Medical record data to determine patient Rockall risk score, health care resource utilization, and adverse outcomes were abstracted with standardized forms. Results: Fifty-three of 175 (30%) cases had Rockall scores ≤2. As predicted, those patients with Rockall scores ≤2 had a low risk of adverse outcomes with only 2 of 53 (4%) meeting criteria for recurrent bleeding as defined by the "Rebleed" variable, and no mortality. These low-risk patients had a mean hospital stay of 2.6 ± 2.1 days; 49% were admitted to an intermediate or intensive care unit bed and 57% were given H2 receptor antagonists intravenously. Conclusions: The proportion of patients admitted with acute, nonvariceal, upper GI hemorrhage with Rockall Scores ≤2 was substantial. Adverse outcomes were rare. In contrast, the level of health care resource utilization appeared high. The Rockall score has potential as a clinically based concurrent decision rule to improve the quality of care by finding those patients less likely to require intensive health care services. (Gastrointest Endosc 2002;55:321-7.)
A Statistical Plume Model with First-Order Decay

Many atmospheric contaminants decay or react in the atmosphere. In situations such as the diffusion of radioactive contaminants, certain chemical pollutants and viable microorganisms, a first-order decay rate is considered to be an appropriate model. The conventional method of estimating the downwind concentrations from a continuous point source of these decaying contaminants is to multiply the estimated concentration of an equivalent amount of a conserved pollutant by the factor exp(-kx/u-bar) in which k is the first-order decay rate, x the downwind distance and u-bar the wind speed. In this paper, the statistical diffusion theory is extended to incorporate first-order decay. The statistical theory shows that there is a distribution of the local age of the contaminant at any point downwind. Since this distribution is skewed toward ages less than the travel time x/u-bar, the proposed theory predicts higher concentrations than the conventional approach for a pollutant that decays at a first-order rate. The difference is a function of sigma/sup 2//sub x/k/xu-bar. If this term is very small, the two approaches are in good agreement. If this term is large, the predictions of the proposed model are higher.
Spectroscopic Observations of Bright and Dark Emission Features on the Night Side of Venus

Near-infrared spectra of a bright and a dark thermal emission feature on the night side of Venus have been obtained from 2.2 to 2.5 microns at a spectral resolution of 1200 to 1500. Both bright and dark features show numerous weak absorption bands produced by CO2, CO, water vapor, and other gases. The bright feature emits more radiation than the dark feature throughout this spectral region, but the largest contrasts occur between 2.21 s 2.32 microns, where H2SO4 clouds and a weak CO2 band provide the only known sources of extinction. The contrast decreases by 55 to 65 percent at wavelengths longer than 2.34 microns, where CO, clouds, and water vapor also absorb and scatter upwelling radiation. This contrast reduction may provide direct spectroscopic evidence for horizontal variations in the water vapor concentrations in the Venus atmosphere at levels below the cloud tops.
The Origin of Painting: A Problem in the Iconography of Romantic Classicism

IN both Occidental and Oriental cultures, one of the oldest and most pervasive legends of the origin of painting involves the observation of a shadow and the tracing of its outline.1 Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History, mentions just such a legend, claiming that while authorities are not in exact accord about the beginnings of the art of painting, they all at least agree that it began with the outlining of a man's shadow;2 and Quintilian, too, tells us how painting in its most primitive phase was restricted to tracing a line round a shadow thrown in the sunlight.3 Thanks to the study of such classical writers, this legend was persistently referred to throughout the Renaissance. Thus, Alberti's Delia pittura cites Quintilian's remarks;4 Leonardo's Trattato alludes to the same legendary origin;5 and Vasari's Proemio delle Vite refers to Pliny's account of the outlined shadow.6
Music therapy research in the NICU: an updated meta-analysis.

PURPOSE To provide an overview of developmental and medical benefits of music therapy for preterm infants. DESIGN Meta-analysis. SAMPLE Empirical music studies with preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). MAIN OUTCOME Evidence-based NICU music therapy (NICU -MT ) was highly beneficial with an overall large significant effect size (Cohen's d = 0.82). Effects because of music were consistently in a positive direction. RESULTS Results of the current analysis replicated findings of a prior meta-analysis and included extended use of music.(1) Benefits were greatest for live music therapy (MT ) and for use early in the infant's NICU stay (birth weight <1,000 g, birth postmenstrual age <28 weeks). Results justify strong consideration for the inclusion of the following evidence-based NICU -MT protocols in best practice standards for NICU treatment of preterm infants: music listening for pacification, music reinforcement of sucking, and music pacification as the basis for multilayered, multimodal stimulation.
The Chrysanthemum and the coast: Management of coastal areas in Japan

Abstract This paper furnishes a sociopolitical perspective from which to view coastal management in Japan. The recent history of coastal management is briefly summarized. Three specialized studies of coastal area management are introduced. Coastal management in Japan is a highly complex yet fragmented system. However, there are signs that coastal management there is evolving toward greater coordination and comprehensiveness.
Blast Testing of Cold-Formed Steel-Stud Wall Panels

AbstractCold-formed steel-stud walls have been utilized as an attractive option for blast-resistant design due to the combination of high strength and ductility that enable them to absorb and dissipate blast energy through large deformation kinematics. However, achieving the available ductility of the steel studs requires special attention to the stud-to-track connection details, which has remained an active area of research and development. While much of the existing literature has described specialized ideal boundaries to ensure that the full tensile membrane response of the studs would be achieved prior to connection failure, the research reported in this paper examines the blast performance of cold-formed steel-stud walls with commercially available connections and bridging. Experimental results from a series of three open-arena blast tests of identical cold-formed steel-stud wall panels are presented. Distortional buckling of the studs around unstiffened punchouts in the web as well as web crippling ...
Online continuous stereo extrinsic parameter estimation

Stereo visual odometry and dense scene reconstruction depend critically on accurate calibration of the extrinsic (relative) stereo camera poses. We present an algorithm for continuous, online stereo extrinsic re-calibration operating only on sparse stereo correspondences on a per-frame basis. We obtain the 5 degree of freedom extrinsic pose for each frame, with a fixed baseline, making it possible to model time-dependent variations. The initial extrinsic estimates are found by minimizing epipolar errors, and are refined via a Kalman Filter (KF). Observation covariances are derived from the Cra´mer-Rao lower bound of the solution uncertainty. The algorithm operates at frame rate with unoptimized Matlab code with over 1000 correspondences per frame. We validate its performance using a variety of real stereo datasets and simulations.
Graphics methods for tracking three-dimensional heart wall motion.

Abstract An analysis of heart wall motion requires that specific points on the wall be identified and their movements tracked in three dimensions over several heart beats. A method to reconstruct time-dependent 3D coordinates from any two or more perspective views has been developed. We have used this method to determine accurately the 3D dynamics of bifurcation points of the coronary arteries or surgically implanted markers by tracking their projections in both views of a biplane coronary cineangiogram. The tracking operation is aided by a sophisticated interactive computer system which superimposes an animated graphics display onto the film image. This allows entries to be checked and corrected immediately. The most powerful tool provided by the graphics system is the ability to display the backprojections of positions from one view as auxiliary lines across the other view on which the projection of the point of interest must lie. We provide some examples of cardiac wall motion measures we have made using this system.
SUMOylation of Psmd1 Controls Adrm1 Interaction with the Proteasome

SUMOylation is the covalent conjugation of SUMO polypeptides to cellular target proteins. Psmd1 is a subunit of the proteasomal 19S regulatory particle that acts as a docking site for Adrm1, another proteasome subunit that recruits ubiquitinated substrates for proteolysis. Here, we show that the SUMO deconjugating enzyme xSENP1 specifically interacts with Psmd1 and that disruption of xSENP1 targeting delays mitotic exit. Psmd1 becomes SUMOylated through the action of the SUMO E3 enzyme PIASy. We mapped SUMOylation sites within Psmd1 and found that SUMOylation of a critical lysine immediately adjacent to the Adrm1-binding domain regulates the association of Adrm1 with Psmd1. Together, our findings suggest that the interaction of Psmd1 with Adrm1 is controlled by SUMOylation in a manner that may alter proteasome composition and function. These findings demonstrate a mechanism for regulation of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation by ubiquitin-like proteins of the SUMO family.
A capacitated vehicle routing problem for just-in-time delivery

This paper focuses on the formulation and solution of the problem of planning vehicle routes for material delivery within the premises of a plant working under a just-in-time production system. The unique characteristic of this problem is that the quantity to be delivered at each of the demand nodes is a function of the route taken by the vehicle assigned to serve that node. The problem is modeled by adding a non-linear capacity constraint to the standard vehicle routing model, such that vehicle idle times and inventories at the customer locations are minimized. A heuristic solution procedure is outlined, and the formulation of a lower-bound relaxation is suggested. The performance of the heuristic solution procedure is evaluated in comparison to the lower-bound relaxation, and the heuristic procedure is shown to provide generally good results.
Unbounded Binary Search for a Fast and Accurate Maximum Power Point Tracking

This paper presents a technique for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) of a concentrating photovoltaic system using cell level power optimization. Perturb and observe (P&O) has been a standard for an MPPT, but it introduces a tradeoff between the tacking speed and the accuracy of the maximum power delivered. The P&O algorithm is not suitable for a rapid environmental condition change by partial shading and self‐shading due to its tracking time being linear to the length of the voltage range. Some of researches have been worked on fast tracking but they come with internal ad hoc parameters. In this paper, by using the proposed unbounded binary search algorithm for the MPPT, tracking time becomes a logarithmic function of the voltage search range without ad hoc parameters.
A Smart Structured Test Automation Language (SSTAL)

In model-based testing, abstract tests are designed in terms of a model, for example, a path in a graph and concrete tests are expressed in terms of the implementation of the model. Two problems exist while converting abstract tests to concrete tests: the ``mapping'' problem and test oracle problem. Abstract tests cannot be applied directly to the actual program and they must first be mapped to concrete tests. Testers currently solve this mapping problem by hand. If one basic action is used multiple times in different abstract tests, testers must write a lot of redundant code for the same action. This process is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and error-prone. For the ``mapping'' problem, this research will design a structured test automation language to partially automate the mapping from abstract tests to concrete tests. First, programmers or testers use the automation language to create mappings from each basic identifiable part (e.g. an action in a finite-state machine) of the model to the corresponding executable programming code. Once the mappings are generated, concrete tests can be generated automatically from the abstract tests. This structured test automation language will be used to improve the efficiency of generating concrete tests from a variety of abstract tests and reduce the potential errors. Test oracle problem refers to how to determine whether a test has passed or fail. While writing executable code, it is difficult to decide which parts of the program state should be compared by the concrete tests. A guideline will be established to evaluate stats of the program effectively and efficiently.
The molecular physiology of CRH neurons

Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) is essential for stress adaptation by mediating hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, behavioral and autonomic responses to stress. Activation of CRH neurons depends on neural afferents from the brain stem and limbic system, leading to sequential CRH release and synthesis. CRH transcription is required to restore mRNA and peptide levels, but termination of the response is essential to prevent pathology associated with chronic elevations of CRH and HPA axis activity. Inhibitory feedback mediated by glucocorticoids and intracellular production of the repressor, Inducible Cyclic AMP Early Repressor (ICER), limit the magnitude and duration of CRH neuronal activation. Induction of CRH transcription is mediated by the cyclic AMP/protein kinase A/cyclic AMP responsive element binding protein (CREB)-dependent pathways, and requires cyclic AMP-dependent nuclear translocation of the CREB co-activator, Transducer of Regulated CREB activity (TORC). This article reviews current knowledge on the mechanisms regulating CRH neuron activity.
The Tempered Aspirations solution for bargaining problems with a reference point

Abstract Gupta and Livne (1988) modified Nash’s (1950) original bargaining problem through the introduction of a reference point restricted to lie in the bargaining set. Additionally, they characterized a solution concept for this augmented bargaining problem. We propose and axiomatically characterize a new solution concept for bargaining problems with a reference point: the Tempered Aspirations solution. In Kalai and Smorodinsky (1975) , aspirations are given by the so called ideal or utopia point. In our setting, however, the salience of the reference point mutes or tempers the negotiators’ aspirations. Thus, our solution is defined to be the maximal feasible point on the line segment joining the modified aspirations and disagreement vectors. The Tempered Aspirations solution can be understood as a “dual” version of the Gupta–Livne solution or, alternatively, as a version of Chun and Thomson’s (1992) Proportional solution in which the claims point is endogenous. We also conduct an extensive axiomatic analysis comparing the Gupta–Livne to our Tempered Aspirations solution.
Consumers' Self-Care Algorithms for the Common Cold: Implications for Health Education Interventions

Two hundred ninety-seven young adults enumerated a self-care plan with at least seven behaviors for the management of a cold with a fever. They summarized satisfaction with their self-care activities and the role of self-care after a lecture on self-care in managing the common cold. Half of the participants relied solely on self-care, and the other half said they would seek medical attention. Having a fever directed two thirds of the sample in their decision making concerning treatment. Five percent would change their self-care behaviors as a consequence of the instruction. Methodological and theoretical implications for self-care interventions are discussed.
Fair‐Fight For Change: A Therapeutic Use of Aggressiveness in Couple Counseling*

Fair-fight-for-change is a technique in the creative use of aggression in marriage counseling as proposed by George R. Bach, PhD. Its purpose is to utilize anger constructively, teach communication skills, and produce behavior change. The author's use of this technique is presented step-by-step in a verbatim account of an actual counseling session that was also video-taped.
Dietary Magnesium and Bone Mineral Acquisition in Ethnically Diverse Youths

Abstract Magnesium (Mg) is known to play an essential role in skeletal health. Associations of dietary Mg with bone mass at the femoral neck (FN) and lumbar spine (L2-4) were investigated in 305 Asian, Caucasian and African American youths (ages 9–25 years) who constituted a sub-set of participants of a four-year longitudinal study on bone mineral acquisition. Bone mass was measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and expressed as area! (BMD, g/cm 2 ) and volumetric (bone mineral apparent density or BMAD, g/cm 3 ) bone mineral density. Bone mineral acquisition was calculated over a one-year period. Dietary data were gathered using the Health Habits and History Questionnaire of the National Cancer Institute. The data were stratified by gender and pubertal stage, and analyzed using multiple linear regression techniques. Dietary Mg was observed to be inversely associated with BMD and BMAD at the FN (hip) of mature females. Regression coefficients (S.E.) were similar and statistically significant at p 2 per 100mg of Mg for BMD and .015 (.006)g/cm 3 per 100mg Mg for BMAD. No significant associations were observed in the males. Dietary calcium was positively associated with FN BMD in mature females and FN BMAD in mature males year 1 and 2. Our findings suggest that dietary Mg may be negatively related to bone mass. However, Mg has been demonstrated to play a role in hydroxyapatite formation. Future studies of the effects of diet on bone mass should include an investigation of the independent effects of Mg on skeletal health. Presented at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research annual meeting, San Francisco, CA, December 4, 1998.
Boundaries of weak peak points in noncommutative algebras of Lipschitz functions

It has been shown that any Banach algebra satisfying ‖f2‖ = ‖f‖2 has a representation as an algebra of quaternion-valued continuous functions. Whereas some of the classical theory of algebras of continuous complex-valued functions extends immediately to algebras of quaternion-valued functions, similar work has not been done to analyze how the theory of algebras of complex-valued Lipschitz functions extends to algebras of quaternion-valued Lipschitz functions. Denote by Lip(X, \(\mathbb{F}\)) the algebra over R of F-valued Lipschitz functions on a compact metric space (X, d), where \(\mathbb{F}\) = ℝ, ℂ, or ℍ, the non-commutative division ring of quaternions. In this work, we analyze a class of subalgebras of Lip(X, \(\mathbb{F}\)) in which the closure of the weak peak points is the Shilov boundary, and we show that algebras of functions taking values in the quaternions are the most general objects to which the theory of weak peak points extends naturally. This is done by generalizing a classical result for uniform algebras, due to Bishop, which ensures the existence of the Shilov boundary. While the result of Bishop need not hold in general algebras of quaternion-valued Lipschitz functions, we give sufficient conditions on such an algebra for it to hold and to guarantee the existence of the Shilov boundary.
Housing the urban poor in post-reform China: Some empirical evidence from the city of Nanjing

This paper provides first-hand empirical evidence about the differentiation of housing conditions among China’s urban poor families based on a case study of Nanjing. The main findings include: (1) the Hukou family registration system has strong differential effects on poor families’ housing conditions; (2) housing conditions among the urban poor are tightly associated with privatization and home ownership, where non-owners face more severe housing difficulties than nominal owners; and (3) resettlement has played a positive role in improving the poor’s housing conditions, but its positive effects are only present in cases where work units or the government has taken the responsibility of housing the resettled poor. These findings show that housing the urban poor in post-reform China is largely: (1) path-dependent, (2) privatization-oriented, and (3) development-driven, and a mechanism that can pro-actively ensure the poor’s basic right to housing is still lacking.
Student Service Learning – Obstacles and Opportunities☆

Abstract Service learning is a key component of the graduate education program at the Fisher Institute for Wellness and Gerontology at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Every time a graduate student is accepted as a Graduate Assistant into the Applied Gerontology Program, the student is trained on their responsibilities which include outreach to community-residing older adults. Outreach includes program planning to ensure delivery of programs both at the Community Center for Vital Aging in downtown Muncie and at various types of senior citizen establishments. Students each month reflect on their experiences through a Monthly Report form. Analysis of Monthly Report forms for the time period May to November, 2012 indicates that the students have learned skills, indicate better understanding of well and disabled older adults, lessened fear of working with and on behalf of older adults, and have a better understanding of what the older adult consumer desires.
Effects of temperature and chemical addition on the formation of bromoorganic DBPs during ozonation.

Abstract The effects of temperature and addition of OH radical scavengers/enhancers or HOBr scavenger on the formation of bromoorganic disinfection byproducts (DBPs) from ozonation of six raw waters were studied in true batch reactors. The formation of bromoorganic DBPs during ozonation generally increased with the increase of temperature, but might also decrease for the waters with somewhat higher values of specific UV absorbance (SUVA). The addition of hydrogen peroxide, ethanol, or ammonium dramatically decreased the formation of bromoorganic DBPs; t-butanol addition significantly increased the formation of bromoorganic DBPs; bicarbonate addition might increase or decrease bromoorganic DBP formation depending on the water source. For all the waters treated with the chemical addition, the level of total organic bromine (TOBr) varied with the same pace as that of ozone exposure (CT), which suggests that TOBr formed during ozonation may be used to estimate the CT, a measure for the achieved degree of disinfection. The results demonstrate that for each water, the correlation between TOBr and CT was less affected by the change of chemical composition of the water than that between BrO3− and CT; for a given chemical composition and temperature of a water, there generally were well-defined relationships between TOBr and CT, and bromoform and CT just as that between BrO3− and CT. The possible mechanisms behind the linear functions of TOBr or BrO3− versus CT were given. Further study is needed to examine whether the trends found in this research can be applicable for the high SUVA waters.
Nonprobability and probability-based sampling strategies in sexual science.

With few exceptions, much of sexual science builds upon data from opportunistic nonprobability samples of limited generalizability. Although probability-based studies are considered the gold standa...
Hurricane Katrina, a Construction Boom, and a New Labor Force: Latino Immigrants and the New Orleans Construction Industry, 2000 and 2006–2010

Disasters provide opportunities to study the social and economic dimensions of large-scale shifts. Drawn by the surge in demand for low-skill construction workers in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Latino immigrants represented a substantial share of the New Orleans reconstruction workforce. Scholars, however, have yet to examine how the increased presence of immigrants affected U.S.-born workers in New Orleans. In this analysis, we investigate how the influx of Latino immigrant construction workers shaped the demographic composition and occupational-wage structure of the New Orleans construction sector. Using IPUMS-U.S.A. data from the 2000 and 2006–2010 periods for the New Orleans MSA, we employ logistic and multinomial logistic regression models to analyze a sample of 3,206 foreign-born Latinos, U.S.-born whites, U.S.-born blacks, and others employed in the construction industry. Our analysis indicates that the probability of U.S.-born workers being employed in construction remained stable from the pre- to post-storm period, even as we find evidence of an emerging immigrant employment niche in the post-Katrina construction industry. After the storm, however, Latino immigrants were much more heavily concentrated in occupations at the bottom end of the construction industry’s wage structure, while the relative position of U.S.-born workers improved across the two periods. Together, these findings show that disasters, like other structural shifts, can yield the conditions that produce immigrant employment niches. Moreover, our results indicate that while employment niches provide economic opportunities for the foreign-born, they can also intensify the disadvantage experienced by immigrant workers.
Compelling Argument for an Agitated Saline Bubble Study Prior to Cardiac Transplantation

Cardiac transplant recipients with patent foramen ovale (PFO) are at risk for right-to-left shunting. Failure to identify this abnormality can have serious posttransplant consequences. In this article, we describe a cardiac transplant recipient with hypoxemia where a PFO was diagnosed postoperatively despite direct surgical investigation at the time of orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT). Transthoracic echocardiography with bubble study is relatively inexpensive, noninvasive, and simple and can be a useful method to identify PFO/atrial septal defect. Thus, authors recommend critically screening both donor and recipient hearts prior to OHT.
A micro-fluxgate magnetic sensor using micromachined planar solenoid coils

Abstract This paper presents a new micro-fluxgate magnetic sensor based on micromachined 3-dimensional toroidal type planar coils used as excitation and sensing elements. A rectangular-ring shaped magnetic core and the `second harmonic' operation principle are adopted in this fluxgate sensor. With the use of a newly developed UV-LIGA thick photoresist process and electroplating techniques, excitation and sensing coils as well as permalloy magnetic cores were fabricated to realize a planar three-dimensional magnetic fluxgate sensor on silicon wafers. Excellent linear response over the range of −500 μT to +500 μT, with a system sensitivity of 8360 V T−1 and a resolution of 60 nT was achieved from the sensor realized in this work. The total response range of the sensor is −1.3 to +1.3 mT. The electroplated thick, Cu coil windings result in low coil resistance and a low power consumption of ∼100 mW for an operational frequency range of 1–100 kHz. The small size, the high sensitivity and resolution, and lower power consumption, make this integratable magnetic fluxgate sensor suitable for various applications such as: portable navigation systems, space research, and proximity sensors and detectors.
Redefining the outcomes to resources ratio for burn patient triage in a mass casualty.

Recent disasters highlight the need for predisaster planning, including the need for accurate triage. Data-driven triage tables, such as that generated from the 2002 National Burn Repository, are vital to optimize resource use during a disaster. The study purpose was to generate a burn resource disaster triage table based on current burn-treatment outcomes. Data from the NBR after the year 2000 were audited. Records that missed age, burn size, or survival status were excluded from analysis. Duplicate records, readmissions, transfers, and nonburn injuries were eliminated. Resource use was divided into expectant (predicted mortality >90%), low (mortality 50-90%), medium (mortality 10-50%), high (mortality 70 years began at 50% burn; a 20- to 29-year-old never reached expectant status. Inhalation injury lowered the expectant category to a burn size of 40% in >70-year-olds, and at >90% in 20- to 29-year-olds. The 0- to 1.9-year old group without inhalation injury never reached expectant status; with inhalation injury, expectant status was reached at >80% burn. Changes in the triage tables suggest that burn care has changed in the past 10 years. Inhalation injury significantly alters triage in a burn disaster. Use of these updated tables for triage in a disaster may improve our ability to allocate resources. Language: en