cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The U.S. EPA wildland fire sensor challenge: Performance and evaluation of solver submitted multi-pollutant sensor systems

Wildland fires can emit substantial amounts of air pollution that may pose a risk to those in proximity (e.g., first responders, nearby residents) as well as downwind populations. Quickly deploying air pollution measurement capabilities in response to incidents has been limited to date by the cost, complexity of implementation, and measurement accuracy. Emerging technologies including miniaturized direct-reading sensors, compact microprocessors, and wireless data communications provide new opportunities to detect air pollution in real time. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) partnered with other U.S. federal agencies (CDC, NASA, NPS, NOAA, USFS) to sponsor the Wildland Fire Sensor Challenge. EPA and partnering organizations share the desire to advance wildland fire air measurement technology to be easier to deploy, suitable to use for high concentration events, and durable to withstand difficult field conditions, with the ability to report high time resolution data continuously and wirelessly. The Wildland Fire Sensor Challenge encouraged innovation worldwide to develop sensor prototypes capable of measuring fine particulate matter (PM2.5), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and ozone (O3) during wildfire episodes. The importance of using federal reference method (FRM) versus federal equivalent method (FEM) instruments to evaluate performance in biomass smoke is discussed. Ten solvers from three countries submitted sensor systems for evaluation as part of the challenge. The sensor evaluation results including sensor accuracy, precision, linearity, and operability are presented and discussed, and three challenge winners are announced. Raw solver submitted PM2.5 sensor accuracies of the winners ranged from ~22 to 32%, while smoke specific EPA regression calibrations improved the accuracies to ~75-83% demonstrating the potential of these systems in providing reasonable accuracies over conditions that are typical during wildland fire events.
Immune-Related Adverse Events (irAE) in Cancer Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICI) and Survival Outcomes Correlation: To Rechallenge or Not?

Introduction: There is growing recognition of immune related adverse events (irAEs) from immune checkpoint therapies being correlated with treatment outcomes in certain malignancies. There are currently limited data or consensus to guide management of irAEs with regards to treatment rechallenge. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis with an IRB-approved protocol of adult patients seen at the WVU Cancer Institute between 2011–2019 with a histopathologic diagnosis of active cancers and were treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) therapy. Results: Demographics were similar between the ICI interrupted irAE groups within cancer types. Overall, out of 548 patients who received ICI reviewed, there were 133 cases of ≥1 irAE found of any grade. Being treated with anti-CTLA-4 inhibitor ICI was associated with lower risk of death compared to anti-PD-1 ICI. The overall survival difference observed for irAE positive patients, between rechallenged (37.8 months, reinitiated with/without interruption; 38.6 months, reinitiated after interruption) and interrupted/non-reinitiated (i.e., discontinued) groups (24.9 months) was not statistically significant, with a numerical trend favoring the former. Conclusions: Our exploratory study did not identify significantly different survival outcomes among the Appalachian West Virginia adult cancer patients treated with ICI who developed irAE and had treatment reinitiated after interruption, when compared with those not reinitiated.
Efficient Self-supervised Vision Transformers for Representation Learning

This paper investigates two techniques for developing efficient self-supervised vision transformers (EsViT) for visual representation learning. First, we show through a comprehensive empirical study that multi-stage architectures with sparse self-attentions can significantly reduce modeling complexity but with a cost of losing the ability to capture fine-grained correspondences between image regions. Second, we propose a new pre-training task of region matching which allows the model to capture fine-grained region dependencies and as a result significantly improves the quality of the learned vision representations. Our results show that combining the two techniques, EsViT achieves 81.3% top-1 on the ImageNet linear probe evaluation, outperforming prior arts with around an order magnitude of higher throughput. When transferring to downstream linear classification tasks, EsViT outperforms its supervised counterpart on 17 out of 18 datasets. The code and models will be publicly available.
FCC-ee and the high-energy physics landscape

FCC-ee, a future electron–positron collider, is the first step in a future collider program aiming to improve our understanding of high-energy physics and ultimately go beyond the Standard Model. The Standard Model provides a remarkably accurate description of the laws of physics over an enormous range of distance and energy scales. However, there are aspects of the world around us that it does not explain, including the nature of dark matter and the absence of antimatter in the observed universe. The Standard Model presents theoretical puzzles, such as unexplained hierarchies and patterns of masses and mixings, as well as theoretical opportunities, in the form of portals that may access as-yet-undiscovered dark or hidden sectors. This essay explains how these physics considerations motivate FCC-ee, which will provide a flexible, powerful probe of physics at the electroweak scale and offer the potential to discover rare processes related to dark matter or otherwise hidden physics. It also situates FCC-ee in the context of other planned experiments, including its successor FCC-hh. The FCC physics program as a whole provides a roadmap for the future of particle physics extending well into the twenty-first century.
The Impact of Personalization on Smartphone-Based Activity Recognition

Smartphones incorporate many diverse and powerful sensors, which creates exciting new opportunities for data mining and human-computer interaction. In this paper we show how standard classification algorithms can use labeled smartphone-based accelerometer data to identify the physical activity a user is performing. Our main focus is on evaluating the relative performance of impersonal and personal activity recognition models. Our impersonal (i.e., universal) models are built using training data from a panel of users and are then applied to new users, while our personal models are built with data from each user and then applied only to new data from that user. Our results indicate that the personal models perform dramatically better than the impersonal models—even when trained from only a few minutes worth of data. These personal models typically even outperform hybrid models that utilize both personal and impersonal data. These results strongly argue for the construction of personal models whenever possible. Our research means that we can unobtrusively gain useful knowledge about the habits of potentially millions of users. It also means that we can facilitate human computer interaction by enabling the smartphone to consider context and this can lead to new and more effective applications.
An X-ray security screening technique with limited field-of-view

Non-intrusive inspection (NII) systems with high throughput are required for screening baggage, vehicles and cargo at ports of entry. Of the existing NII techniques, systems employing X-rays have undergone rapid evolution. Though well established, the probability of detecting contraband goods in the radiographic image obtained using conventional high energy X-ray systems depends on operator skill and orientation of the contraband material inside the container. Alternative techniques employing back and forward scattered X-rays operating at dual energy can only broadly classify objects containing contraband material and cannot be used to uniquely locate the contraband good. Limitations of X-ray radiography and scattererd imaging systems could be resolved using 2D tomography systems. But, the complexities associated with practical implementation of an X-ray CT system for screening baggage, vehicles and cargo is far from realization. This paper presents an X-ray imaging technique capable of providing 2D tomograms using limited-view projections as an ideal compromise for detecting packaged, vehicle-borne and human-borne explosives, weapons and contraband goods. Numerical simulations of the proposed system employing L-shaped detectors and iterative reconstruction algorithms indicate the feasibility of an alternate security screening system to detect and uniquely locate explosives and contraband goods concealed in cargo, baggage and vehicles.
The E&P Investment Guide (2013): A Private Capital Guide

The energy sector has been one of the few bright spots in the global economy over the past five years, and it has grown so large that it is impossible to ignore – by many measures, we are on the dawn of a North American (N.A.) energy renaissance with implications that will carry through the energy supply chain into manufacturing.We acknowledge the many challenges for Exploration and Production (EP a shortage of mid-continent liquids take-away capacity, with these bottlenecks leading to relatively weak crude prices, and; a frenzy of investment activity in the sector – both organic and M&A – has led to some relatively high transaction prices.Notwithstanding, the same trends and discontinuities behind these challenges create windows of opportunity – in both public and private markets, and at both the company and project level. Not only is the N.A. upstream still an attractive sector for investment, but also several current trends lead to actionable investment theses. We outline some potential examples in liquids, gas, and the supply chain technology and services.
Survivable virtual topology routing under shared risk link groups in WDM networks

Network survivability is one of the most important issues in the design of optical WDM networks. In this work we study the problem of survivable routing of a virtual topology on a physical topology with shared risk link groups (SRLG). The survivable virtual topology routing problem against single-link failures in the physical topology is proved to be NP-complete in E. Modiano and A. Narula-Tam, May 2002. We prove that survivable virtual topology routing problem against SRLG/node failures is also NP-complete. We present an improved integer linear programming (ILP) formulation (in comparison to E. Modiano and A. Narula-Tam, May 2002) for computing the survivable routing under SRLG/node failures. Using an ILP solver, we computed the survivable virtual topology routing against link and SRLG failures for small and medium sized networks efficiently. As even our improved ILP formulation becomes intractable for large networks, we present a congestion-based heuristic and a tabu search heuristic (which uses the congestion-based heuristic solution as the initial solution) for computing survivable routing of a virtual topology. Our experimental results show that tabu search heuristic coupled with the congestion based heuristic (used as initial solution) provides fast and near-optimal solutions.
Rational solutions of Painleve equations

With Backlund transformations, we construct explicit solutions of Painleve equations 2 and 4. Independently, we find solutions of degenerate cases of equations 3 and 5. The six Painleve transcendents are referred to as 1–6.
Defined mutations in a small region of the brome mosaic virus 2 gene cause diverse temperature-sensitive RNA replication phenotypes.

Abstract The central portion of the brome mosaic virus (BMV) 2a protein represents the most conserved element among the related RNA replication components of a large group of positive-strand RNA viruses of humans, animals, and plants. To characterize the functions of the 2a protein, mutations were targeted to a conserved portion of the 2a gene, resulting in substitutions between amino acids 451 and 484. After the temperature profile of wild-type BMV RNA replication was defined, RNA replication by nine selected mutants was tested in barley protoplasts at permissive (24 degrees C) and nonpermissive (34 degrees C) temperatures. Four mutants did not direct RNA synthesis at either temperature. Various levels of temperature-sensitive (ts) replication occurred in the remaining five mutants. For two ts mutants, no viral RNA synthesis was detected at 34 degrees C, while for two others, an equivalent reduction in positive- and negative-strand RNA accumulation was observed. For one mutant, positive-strand accumulation was preferentially reduced over negative-strand accumulation at 34 degrees C. Moreover, this mutant and another displayed preferential suppression of genomic over subgenomic RNA accumulation at both 24 and 34 degrees C. The combination of phenotypes observed suggests that the 2a protein may play a role in the differential initiation of specific classes of viral RNA in addition to a previously suggested role in RNA elongation.
Cytotoxic and Immunologic Effects of Methotrexate in Psoriasis

Based on recent experience that Cyclosporin A, an immunosuppressive drug, produces marked improvement in psoriasis, possible immunomodulatory activities of methotrexate (MTX) have been reviewed to look for alternate mechanisms of MTX action in psoriasis. It is generally considered that the therapeutic results of MTX in psoriasis are related to a direct effect on epidermal cell hyperplasia through inhibition of DNA synthesis. Several studies in the literature now suggest possible effects of MTX on the immune system of psoriatics as well as in animal models that may have some pathogenic similarities to psoriasis. In psoriatics receiving MTX, neutrophil chemotaxis is suppressed, resulting in a possible alteration in the potential pathologic activity of neutrophils commonly found in lesional skin. MTX does improve both psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis. Animal studies of the latter using adjuvant arthritis and graft vs host disease (GVHD) have indicated several possible mechanisms for MTX that affect these processes. In GVHD, MTX selectively destroys cycling CD8+ cells, and in adjuvant arthritis the activation of macrophages is prevented by inhibition of T-cell function. While MTX generally has not been clinically utilized as an immunomodulatory drug for immunologically related diseases, it may, nonetheless, have selective actions that could be specific for some diseases. MTX and Cyclosporin A could work mechanistically in similar ways but at different steps in the activation of T cells and macrophages. It may be that the major direct effect of MTX on epidermal cell proliferation is complemented or even mediated by subtle immunoregulatory effects on the melange of cells in the affected skin and the systemic immune response.
Coronary Angioplasty for Acute Myocardial Infarction

Abstract Purpose:To critically review the role of coronary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction. Data Identification:Studies published from January 1982 to June 1988 were identified through ...
Dynamical reconstruction of the record low column ozone over Europe on 30 November 1999

[1] The assembly of the record-low total column ozone observed over Europe on 30 November 1999 is investigated using a three-dimensional reconstruction based on POAM, SAGE, and HALOE data and a passive tracer advected by UKMO winds on isentropic surfaces. The reconstruction reproduces TOMS observation to within 10–20 DU over the northern hemisphere and agrees well with select ozonesonde profiles in the mid- to high latitudes, although values in the vicinity of the ozone minimum are systematically higher than TOMS. Relative role is quantified for the disparate dynamical processes that contributed constructively to the low-ozone episode: poleward intrusion of ozone-poor subtropical air in the lowermost stratosphere, adiabatic lifting of ozone maximum, and displacement of ozone-poor Arctic vortex air aloft. Of these, the first two are found to account for about three quarters of the reconstructed column anomaly between 320 and 1900 K whereas the last for about one quarter.
Using Practice Tests on a Regular Basis to Improve Student Learning

Daily practice tests over assigned reading followed immediately by class discussion can improve learning and grades.
The fractal dimension of pores in sedimentary rocks and its influence on permeability

Abstract Perimeter-area power-law relationship of pores in five sedimentary rocks are estimated from scanning electron micrographs of thin sections. These relationships for the pores of four sandstones were found to lie between 1.43 and 1.49, while that of an Indiana limestone was found to be 1.67. We show how the perimeter-area power-law relationship of pores, along with a pore-size distribution, can be used to estimate the hydraulic permeability. A discussion is given of how the fractal dimension of the pore perimeter derived by Mandelbrot for islands whose boundaries are fractal: P = ϵ D A D/2 , where ϵ is some constant that depends on the length of the measuring grid size and D is the fractal dimension of the pore perimeter, influences permeability.
Refining the Measurement of Women's Autonomy: An International Application of a Multi-dimensional Construct

Women's autonomy has long been a central concern for researchers examining the social position of women in developing countries. However, little emphasis has been placed on the measurement of autonomy, despite its importance for assessing the validity of comparative research. In this research, we use confirmatory factor analyses to determine (1) whether items thought to measure autonomy in fact form a reliable measure of autonomy, (2) whether the relationship between multiple dimensions of autonomy are strong enough to justify a discussion of autonomy as a single underlying construct, and (3) whether comparative research on autonomy is possible between two countries (India and Pakistan). We find that our indicators capture four distinct dimensions of autonomy that are moderately related, and that, while the model structures replicate fairly well across the two countries we study, there are measurement differences that make comparative research challenging.
Thermotropic liquid-crystalline polymers with flexible moieties blended with poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Abstract Several novel thermotropic liquid-crystalline polymers (TLCPs) were blended with poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and spun into fibres in an effort to improve fibre performance and processability. The TLCPs were screened to determine the optimal molecular architecture for fibre enhancement and compatibilty. At concentrations up to 20 wt%, blends of the block copolymers PME- b -PET and PME- b -PBT (PME = poly(ethoxy 1,4-phenylene terephthalate), PBT = poly(butylene terephthalate)) with PET showed minor improvements in modulus. Another TLCP, PBEM (poly(butoxyethoxy 1,4-phenylene terephthalate)), proved to be an excellent processing aid for PET, since it reduced the melt viscosity of PET by approximately 75% at a concentration of only 2.5 wt%. The third class of TLCP investigated was a ‘Random Copolymer’ system. At a concentration of only 5 wt%, this blend exhibited a 50% modulus improvement (25 GPa) and an equivalent ultimate strength (1100 MPa) compared to neat PET fibres. SEM experiments exposed TLCP fibrils uniformly dispersed within the PET matrix with aspect ratios ranging between 20 and 200. The thermal stability of these fibres was similar to the PET control.
Action of periodate on ovotransferrin and its metal complexes

Abstract Short-time exposure of ovotransferrin to periodate oxidation at pH 8.5 and 5 resulted in the destruction of three and five tyrosine residues, respectively, per mole of the protein and an almost complete loss in its chromogenic activity. In contrast, the Fe-ovotransferrin complex retained its full chromogenic activity in the presence of periodate and showed no destruction of tyrosine residues. One mole of tryptophan was also destroyed per mole of ovotransferrin, as well as its iron complex. The histidines, methionines, and carbohydrate content (total hexose and glucosamine) of the modified proteins were the same as for the native protein. The modified derivatives were indistinguishable from native OT in electrophoretic mobility, sedimentation in the ultracentrifuge, and antigenic property. A value of 11 moles of tryptophan per mole of ovotransferrin is also reported in this study, which is considered to be a more accurate value than has been reported previously.
An Assessment of the Applicability of Multifrequency ESR to Study the Complex Dynamics of Biomolecules

It is shown that the commonly used models for analyzing ESR spectra from nitroxide spin-labeled proteins or DNA systems are special cases of the more general slowly relaxing local structure (SRLS) model, wherein the nitroxide spin probe is taken as reorienting in a restricted local environment, which itself is relaxing on a longer time scale. This faster motion describes the internal dynamics, while the slower motion describes the global tumbling of the macromolecule. By using the SRLS model as the reference, it is shown (1) under what conditions the microscopic-order macroscopic-disorder (MOMD) model, wherein the global tumbling of the macromolecule is in the rigid limit, is valid, and (2) when the fast internal motion (FIM) model, wherein the internal motion is so rapid as to lead to partial averaging of the magnetic tensors, is valid. The frequency dependence of these models is studied. A key general property of high frequency ESR that emerges is that it reports on a faster motional time scale, whereas low frequency ESR reports on a slower motional time scale. It is shown that, in general, the MOMD model is a better approximation for ESR spectra obtained at high frequency (250 GHz), whereas, in general, the FIM model is a better approximation for low frequency (9 GHz) ESR spectra. However, in general, one does not find that the simpler model fits, at a single ESR frequency, to the more complete SRLS model, return correct motional and ordering parameters. The simultaneous fitting of both low and high frequency ESR spectra is thus required to remove such ambiguities and to return all the various dynamic, ordering, and geometric factors that characterize the complex dynamics. This approach is briefly related to recent ESR spectra from the spin-labeled protein, T4 lysozyme, and from spin-labeled DNA nucleosides. In order to better apply the slow-motional SRLS model to macromolecular dynamics, the Polimeno-Freed theory has been extended to the case where the global tumbling is anisotropic and where the angle between the principal axis of the global motion and the preferred orientation of the internal modes of motion is arbitrary.
Remarks on an S-shaped bifurcation curve

Abstract We study the non-negative solutions of the boundary value problem −Δu = λ [ exp αu (α + u) ]; x ϵ Ω. u = 0; x ϵ ∂Ω, where α > 0, λ ⩾ 0, Ω ⊂ R n is bounded with smooth boundary ∂Ω. This problem arises in the theory of combustion. We study the estimates on the supremum norm of the solutions and estimates on the critical values of λ.
Ultra-low-power imaging systems using CMOS image sensor technology

The need for miniaturization in advanced science sensor systems has led to the development of a new image sensor technology, the active pixel image sensors (APS). The development of CMOS APS technology allows the integration of timing and control electronics, imaging detector arrays, signal chains and analog-to-digital conversion on a single integrated circuit. The impact on the imaging system is to reduce power by approximately 1000X over existing systems--from tens of watts to tens of milliwatts. This paper will describe the development of this technology and its application to future space science sensor systems.
Validation and use of performance measures of functioning in a non-disabled older population: MacArthur studies of successful aging

Assessment of physical functioning in older persons has generally focused on identifying and characterizing subjects at the disabled end of the functional spectrum. This paper examines the validity of objective, standardized performance measures of physical functioning in characterizing the hierarchy of functioning in non-disabled, higher functioning older persons. Data are from 1192 participants aged 70-79 years in The MacArthur Research Network on Successful Aging Field Study. Participants were drawn from three community-based populations and represented the upper tertile of functioning, based on cognitive and physical screening assessments. The cohort showed a great deal of heterogeneity on most of the performance measures of functioning that were used. Several analyses provided evidence that this variability was not random and that the performance measures were valid measures of functioning in this cohort: 1) individual performance measures showed a moderate degree of correlation with each other; 2) a summary measure of performance showed an association with chronic diseases and other factors known to be associated with health status; and 3) a larger group than expected by chance alone was found to be functioning at the very highest level.
A proxy-based integrated cache consistency and mobility management scheme for client-server applications in Mobile IP systems

In this paper, we investigate a proxy-based integrated cache consistency and mobility management scheme for supporting client-server applications in Mobile IP systems with the objective to minimize the overall network traffic generated. Our cache consistency management scheme is based on a stateful strategy by which cache invalidation messages are asynchronously sent by the server to a mobile host (MH) whenever data objects cached at the MH have been updated. We use a per-user proxy to buffer invalidation messages to allow the MH to disconnect arbitrarily and to reduce the number of uplink requests when the MH is reconnected. Moreover, the user proxy takes the responsibility of mobility management to further reduce the network traffic. We investigate a design by which the MH's proxy serves as a gateway foreign agent (GFA) as in the MIP Regional Registration protocol to keep track of the address of the MH in a region, with the proxy migrating with the MH when the MH crosses a regional area. We identify the optimal regional area size under which the overall network traffic cost, due to cache consistency management, mobility management, and query requests/replies, is minimized. The integrated cache consistency and mobility management scheme is demonstrated to outperform MIPv6, no-proxy and/or no-cache schemes, as well as a decoupled scheme that optimally but separately manages mobility and service activities in Mobile IPv6 environments.
Past history and pattern of serotype transformation in Paramecium aurelia

Abstract The effects of past feeding conditions upon the antiserum induced transformation pattern of serotype D, stock 47, variety 4, Paramecium aurelia, were investigated. Remote past history was found to affect the direction of initial transformation. After prolonged growth under conditions of limited food, animals respond to antiserum exposure by transforming to serotype B. After prolonged growth under conditions of excess food, they respond to the same exposure by transforming to serotype J. The inertia of the response to environmental change is not readily explained; it is suggested that this may mean that shifts in basic transforming potentiality can occur only at autogamy. The immediate past history of animals which tend to transform to B was found to affect the frequency of this primary transformation and also the relative frequency with which the derived B undergo secondary transformation to serotype D or serotype A. The frequency of primary transformation and the frequency of transformation to A increase with starvation. The fact that there is an unstable B intermediate in the transformation of D to A, together with the fact that antiserum may depress rather than increase the transformation of certain unstable serotypes (e.g. serotype J), suggest that inhibitor removal may not be the important means by which antiserum induces transformations. It is proposed instead that transformation may be due to the generalized physiological shock accompanying immobilization by antiserum.
Architecture of the Qo site of the cytochrome bc1 complex probed by superoxide production.

Although several X-ray structures have been solved for the mitochondrial cytochrome (cyt) bc1 complex, none yet shows the position of substrate, ubiquinol, in the quinol oxidase (Qo) site. In the present study, the interaction of molecular oxygen with the reactive intermediate Qo semiquinone is used to probe Qo site. It has been known for some time that partial turnover of the cyt bc1 complex in the presence of antimycin A, a Qi site inhibitor, results in accumulation of a semiquinone at the Qo site, which can reduce O2 to superoxide (O2?-). It was more recently shown that myxothiazol, which binds close to the cyt bL heme in the proximal Qo niche, also induces O2?- production. In this work we show that, in addition to myxothiazol, a number of other proximal Qo inhibitors (including E-b-methoxyacrylate-stilbene, mucidin and famoxadone) also induce O2?- production in isolated yeast cyt bc1 complex, at about 50% the Vmax observed in the presence of antimycin A. We propose that proximal Qo site inhibitors induce O2?- production because they allow formation, but not oxidation of the semiquinone at the distal niche of the Qo site pocket. The apparent Km for ubiquinol at the Qo site in the presencemore » of Qo proximal inhibitors suggests that the distal niche of the Qo pocket can act as a fully independent quinol binding and oxidation site. Together with the X-ray structures these results suggest substrate ubiquinol binds in essentially the same position as stigmatellin with H-bonds between H161 of the Rieske iron-sulfur protein and E272 of the cyt b protein. When modeled in this way, mucidin, and ubiquinol can bind simultaneously to the Qo site with virtually no steric hindrance, whereas progressively bulkier inhibitors show increasing overlap. The fact that partial turnover of the Qo site is possible even with bound proximal Qo site inhibitors is consistent with the participation of two separate functional Qo binding niches, occupied simultaneously or sequentially.« less
SIMULTANEOUS TELEPORTATION OF MULTIPLE SINGLE-PHOTON DEGREES OF FREEDOM

We report how quantum information encoded into multiple photonic degrees of freedom may be simultaneously teleported using a single, common physical process. The application of teleportation to the complete quantum state of a photon, i.e. the spectral, spatial, and polarization component states, permits the full photonic Hilbert space to be used for encoding information while simultaneously enabling subspaces to be addressed individually, e.g. for quantum information processing. We analyze the feasibility of teleporting the full quantum state through numerical analysis of the fidelity under nominal experimental conditions and for different types of input states, e.g. single-photon states that are separable or entangled in the physical degrees of freedom.
Timing insecticide applications for managing European corn borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) infestations in potato

Abstract European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner), management using insecticides was investigated in Irish potato, Solatium tuberosum L, in eastern North Carolina. Additionally, activity of corn borer larvae on untreated ‘Kennebec’ potato plants was evaluated. Corn borer larvae produced new tunnels at the same rate throughout their development and ultimately produced 4.7 ± 0.4 (mean ± SEM) tunnels per plant per larva. Thus, for any given corn borer infestation level, estimates of damage to the crop will increase as the season progresses. Application timing of carbofuran, methamidophos and esfenvalerate were evaluated for control of corn borer damage in ‘Atlantic’ potato. The type and rate of insecticide and the level of corn borer damage at the time of application affected the level of damage at the end of the season. The greatest reduction in damage occurred when the insecticide was applied when many neonates were observed penetrating the plant. A single application of either carbofuran (1.12 kg a.i. ha −1 ) or methamidophos (0.84 or 1.12 kg a.i. ha −1 ) when ≈20–40% of the stems are damaged in early May should improve European corn borer management in potato.
Development of Two Scales of Coping Strategies: An Initial Investigation

For several years, researchers have studied stressors and strategies to cope with stressors. Scales are available to assess individual self-coping strategies (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984); the litera...
Models and fictions in science

Non-actual model systems discussed in scientific theories are compared to fictions in literature. This comparison may help with the understanding of similarity relations between models and real-world target systems. The ontological problems surrounding fictions in science may be particularly difficult, however. A comparison is also made to ontological problems that arise in the philosophy of mathematics.
Military control over war news: The implications of the Persian gulf

News coverage of warfare poses a difficult problem for political systems with a free press, such as ours in the United States. In an era of high‐tech weaponry and nearly instantaneous global communications, conflicts are inevitable between the obligation of the press to inform the general public, and the obligation of the military to successfully conduct war. The military's controls over newsgathering during the 1990–91 Persian Gulf War set off a controversy still smoldering during the Haiti occupation of 1994. This paper examines the legal, historical, and technological aspects of this
Counterexamples related to high-frequency oscillation of Poisson's kernel

Let $$L_\varepsilon = \frac{\partial }{{\partial x^i }}a^{ij} \left( {\frac{x}{\varepsilon }} \right)\frac{\partial }{{\partial x^j }},L_0 = q^{ij} \frac{{\partial ^2 }}{{\partial x_i \partial x_j }},$$ wherea is a smooth periodic matrix andL0 is the homogenized operator corresponding to the family (Le). LetD be a nice domain, and letPe(x, y), P0(x, y) be the Poisson kernels associated withLe andL0. We show that in generalPe(x, ·) does not converge strongly toP0(x, ·) inLp, by exhibiting two counterexamples. This result has the following implication in the theory of boundary control of distributed systems: if , withz given,ue(x) = ∫ Pe(x, y)g(y) andu0(x) = ∫P0(x,y)g(y), then, in general, .
Electron transfer mechanism for regulatory action by nitric oxide

Abstract Various mechanisms have been proposed for the regulatory action of nitric oxide. The most common mechanism involves stimulation of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) with consequent elevation of cyclic GMP levels. A more detailed chemical mode of action is given in this paper entailing electron transfer (ET) processes which ensue after binding of NO to iron-containing enzymes, and which may be responsible for some of the observed physiological effects. The focus is on immunological reactions and neurotransmission. Electrochemical data for model FeNO complexes are discussed which support the hypothesis. Comparisons are made with the mode of action by anti-infective drugs. The ET transformations suggested for NO in the nervous system are in marked contrast with the current concentration on ionic reactions. Based on the ET framework, analogies exist with a proposed mechanism for the plant hormone ethylene. Other supportive evidence from various categories is also presented. The general approach in this paper represents an elaboration of the one-electron redox processes put forth recently for NO action by Saran and Bors (Chem.-Biol. Interact., 90 (1994) 35).
A monte carlo study of collinearity in linear simultaneous equation models

Although the collinearity issue has been studied in previous simulation studies with a simultaneous system of equations, alternative estimators to circumvent this problem have received little attention. Monte Carlo techniques are used to examine the performance of several estimators under a squared error loss criterion. In particular, this study considers the Vinod–Ullah ridge-type estimators at the first and/or second stage of 2SLS. Ridge regression in the second stage only of 2SLS but not the first stage only, seems to be a practical alternative to 2SLS, especially in situations of strong collinearity. The OLS estimator and the ordinary ridge regression estimator also yield favorable results in situations of moderate to strong collinearity.
Patient hand hygiene practices in surgical patients

Background Little is known about the hand hygiene practices of surgical patients. Most of the research has been directed at the health care worker, and this may discount the role that hand hygiene of the surgical patient might play in surgical site infections. Methods A quasiexperimental, pretest/post-test study was conducted in which patients (n = 72) and nurses (n = 42) were interviewed to examine perceptions and knowledge about patient hand hygiene. Concurrently, observations were conducted to determine whether surgical patients were offered assistance by the nursing staff. Following an initial observation period, nursing staff received an educational session regarding general hand hygiene information and observation results. One month after the education session, patient/nurse dyads were observed for an additional 6 weeks to determine the impact of the educational intervention. Results Eighty observations, 72 patient interviews, and 42 nurse interviews were completed preintervention, and 83 observations were completed postintervention. In response to the survey, more than half of patients (n = 41, 55%) reported that they were not offered the opportunity to clean their hands, but a majority of the nursing staff reported (n = 25, 60%) that they offered patients the opportunity to clean their hands. Prior to the educational intervention, nursing staff assisted patients in 14 of 81 hand hygiene opportunities. Following the intervention, nursing staff assisted patients 37 out of 83 opportunities (17.3% vs 44.6%, respectively, [χ 2 1 = 13.008, P = .0003]). Conclusion This study suggests that efforts to increase hand hygiene should be directed toward patients as well as health care workers.
The partial molal volume of calcium carbonate in sea water

Abstract The partial molal volumes ( v s ) of K2CO3 and Na2CO3 have been experimentally determined, at 20°C, for sea water (35%.) and for 0.725 M NaCl. For sea water, v K 2 CO 3 equals 28.3 ± 0.8 ml/mole and v Na 2 CO 3 equals 9.0 ± 1.5 ml/mole; for 0.725 M NaCl, v K 2 CO 3 equals 23.17 ± 0.35 ml/mole and v Na 2 CO 3 equals 1.74 ± 0.23 ml/mole. Using the sea water values and some literature values for other salts in sea water, v CaCO 3 for sea water was calculated to be −6.5 ± 1.7 ml/mole. This value does not agree with v CaCO 3 calculated from data for the effect of pressure on the solubility product of calcium carbonate in sea water. A possible explanation is that the data on the pressure coefficient of the solubility of calcium carbonate may be in error.
Do the pictures influence scores on the Dartmouth COOP Charts

Objective. To determine the effect of illustrations on COOP Chart responses. Study Design. Randomized split-half design of 177 patients discharged from a medical centre during a 3 month interval. Patient responses were obtained. However, there are benefits from the use of illustrations. Further research measures. Demographic characteristics and health status. Results. No response differences were observed between patients who received COOP Chart illustrations and those who did not receive illustrations. Conclusion. Pictures do not appear to affect responses to COOP Charts. However there are benefits of the use of illustrations. Also, further research should be conducted with other patient populations and other COOP Charts before conclusive statements can be made regarding the use of illustrations with the COOP Charts.
Effect of inertia on the thermocapillary velocity of a drop

Abstract We consider the effects of inertia on the thermocapillary migration velocity of a small liquid droplet in a microgravity environment. The externally imposed temperature gradient is assumed to be constant, and the fluid surrounding the droplet is taken to be unbounded and otherwise quiescent. With the convective transfer of heat neglected, droplets with densities higher/lower than the outside liquid deform to prolate/oblate spheroidal shapes, at small values of the capillary and Reynolds numbers. The corrections to the temperature field and the migration velocity of the droplet, resulting from this deformation, are obtained using the so-called Lorentz reciprocal theorem. It is found that the migration velocity could increase, decrease, or remain unchanged depending on the value of certain controlling parameters. The results are presented in vector-invariant form.
Pyroelectric detection properties of gadolinium molybdate (gmo)

The pyroelectric detection properties of gadolinium molybdate (GMO) crystals have been studied near and at its 159°C ferroelectric transition temperature. Responsivity and detectivity figures of merit are calculated from measurements of pyroelectric currents induced by white light irradiation and are compared with room temperature figures of merit for TGS and SBN detectors. Since GMO does not exhibit a dielectric anomaly, it can be used as a threshold detector by heating through the transition temperature from a pre-selected temperature increment below the transition. Voltage-sensitive pyroelectric currents at the transition, found previously, permit voltage control of the threshold.
Characterization of temperature-sensitive mutants of murine leukemia virus.

Abstract The isolation of temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of the Rauscher strain of murine leukemia virus (MuLV) is described. These and a number of previously isolated ts mutants of the Kirsten strain of MuLV have been partially characterized and have been separated into three distinct classes based on the stage at which viral replication is blocked at the nonpermissive temperature.
Y-chromosome DNA Is Present in the Blood of Female Dogs Suggesting the Presence of Fetal Microchimerism

Fetal microchimerism has been suggested to play contradictory roles in women’s health, with factors including age of the recipient, time elapsed since microchimerism occurred, and microchimeric cell type modulating disease. Both beneficial and harmful effects have been identified in wound healing and tissue regeneration, immune mediated disease, and cancer. This area of research is relatively new, and hindered by the time course from occurrence of fetal microchimerism to the multi-factorial development of disease. Dogs represent an excellent model for study of fetal microchimerism, as they share our environment, have a naturally condensed lifespan, and spontaneously develop immune-mediated diseases and cancers similar to their human counterparts. However, fetal microchimerism has not been described in dogs. These experiments sought preliminary evidence that dogs develop fetal microchimerism following pregnancy. We hypothesized that Y chromosomal DNA would be detected in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of female dogs collected within two months of parturition. We further hypothesized that Y chromosomal DNA would be detected in banked whole blood DNA samples from parous female Golden Retrievers with at least one male puppy in a prior litter. Amplification of DNA extracted from five female Golden Retrievers that had whelped within the two months prior to collection revealed strong positive bands for the Y chromosome. Of banked, parous samples, 36% yielded positive bands for the Y chromosome. This is the first report of persistent Y chromosomal DNA in post-partum female dogs and these results suggest that fetal microchimerism occurs in the canine species. Evaluation of the contributions of fetal microchimeric cells to disease processes in dogs as a model for human disease is warranted.
Telescience -- A Space Station Goal

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has initiated a major effort to establish a permanent manned presence in space to expand the exploration and use of space for activities that enhance the security and welfare of mankind. In particular, Space Station would: - Establish a means for the permanent presence of people in space.o Provide a capability for routine, continuous utilization of space for science, applications, technology development, commercial utilization, national security and general operations. - Lead to the development and exploitation of the synergistic effects of the man/machine combination in space. - Provide for essential system elements and operational practices for an integrated national space capability. - Reduce the cost and complexity of living in and using space.
Choosing a government discount rate: An alternative approach

Abstract This paper examines the choice of a government discount rate, under the reasonable assumption that the level of government spending is determined in a “top down” fashion, by macroeconomic and political considerations, rather than in a “bottom up” fashion. It is shown that setting the discount rate at the maximal internal rate of return available from unfunded government projects leads to an efficient portfolio choice. Under current and foreseeable conditions, this implies a discount rate in the 10% or more real range, rather than the 2–4% real discount rate recommended by second-best theorists.
Uptake and incorporation of [3H]glycerol into lipids of unfertilized and fertilized sea urchin eggs.

Abstract Various types of labeling experiments have revealed the pattern of uptake of [ 3 H]glycerol and its incorporation into lipids during the early cleavage period of the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus . It has been found that within the first minute after fertilization there is a marked increase in the incorporation of [ 3 H]glycerol into chloroform-extractable materials and evidence is presented that this post-fertilization response represents a stimulation in synthetic activity rather than simply an increase in the specific activity of the precursor pool. Thin layer chromatography of newly synthesized lipids indicates that the increased synthesis at fertilization is primarily a quantitative one, with a similar variety of lipid classes (primarily neutral lipids and phosphatidylcholine) being synthesized before and after fertilization as well as throughout the entire first cleavage period. Autoradiographic analysis has failed to demonstrate localization of newly synthesized lipids over the nuclear or plasma membrane and, therefore, the relationship between lipid synthesis and membrane formation during cleavage remains obscure.
Financing the entrepreneurial decision: an empirical approach using experimental data on risk attitudes

This paper empirically examines the role of personal capital in the entry decision for US high-technology entrepreneurs. Our innovative approach utilizes both survey data and data from economics-based field experiments, which enables us to elicit and control for the risk attitudes of individual entrepreneurs in the study. Empirical findings suggest that (1) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants, (2) credit cards, and (3) earnings from a salaried job are among the most important sources of funds for entrepreneurs in their decision to start up a firm. Our findings support Evans and Jovanovic (Journal of Political Economy 97(4):808–827, 1989) in that wealth appears to have a positive impact on the probability of starting up a firm, even when controlling for risk attitudes; however, risk attitudes do not appear to have a strong role to play in the entry decision overall. Policy implications suggest that firm start-ups are dependent on access to capital in both initial and early stages of development, and that government funding, including SBIR grants, is an important source of capital for potential and nascent high-technology entrepreneurs.