cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Geospatial Framework Using Multicriteria Decision Analysis for Strategic Placement of Reserve Generators in Puerto Rico

Extreme events such as hurricanes cause damages to various infrastructures, including power supply and transportation networks. Restoration of power supply services after extreme events is crucial for disaster response and recovery activities. With damages to transportation and other supply chain networks following extreme events, energy utility companies face significant challenges in achieving faster restoration of power supply services. This was the case for the utility companies in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017. One option for the utility companies in such circumstances will be to temporarily connect impacted populations to reserve generators, strategically located before the event, for quicker restoration of services. The objectives of this article are to: 1) develop a geospatial framework using a multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach for placement of reserve generators and 2) identify strategic locations using 12 criteria representing physical, socioeconomic, environmental, and built environment conditions in Puerto Rico for the placement of reserve generators. Five different approaches are used to determine weights for the 12 criteria used in the MCDA approach. The geospatial framework developed in this article is comprehensive, which along with the weight determination approaches could be adapted to identify potential sites for the placement of additional energy infrastructures, including transformers, mobile stations, and microgrids, to power a city during extreme events.
Early childhood special education teachers’ use of evidence-based practices with children with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract Background Past research shows a gap between identification of evidence-based practices (EBP) for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and adoption of those EBP by classroom teachers. However, few studies have examined EBP use in preschool classrooms. Method We surveyed 45 preschool teachers serving children with ASD regarding their intervention priorities, instructional approaches, confidence, and desire for professional development. Open-ended responses regarding instructional approaches were coded by the research team for whether they reflected use of specified identified EBP. Results Communication, social skills, and challenging behavior were rated as the top priorities for intervention. Nearly all teachers reported using at least one EBP. The most commonly reported EBP included visual supports, behavioral strategies, and social narratives. Nearly half of teachers reported using sensory-related strategies, which are not EBP. Surprisingly, teacher confidence and belief that they were using EBP were not significantly related to desire for professional development. Conclusions These findings provide insight into the research-to-practice gap for educating young children with ASD, and have the potential to help teacher educators refine their efforts to close this gap.
Modeling and Hybrid Calculation Architecture for Cyber Physical Power Systems

Traditional isolated modeling and calculation methods for cyber systems and power systems cannot satisfy the requirements for the analysis and control of cyber physical power systems (CPPSs). In this paper, a matrix-based modeling method for the coupled behavior of a CPPS is presented to describe the complex interactions of the information and energy flows. A hybrid calculation architecture is proposed for the reliability and security analysis of CPPSs. On that basis, the CPPS security defense system is established. Case studies verify the effectiveness of this CPPS modeling approach and hybrid calculation architecture.
Shell Shock and Society

A long recorded history documents reports of mental dysfunction induced by experiences of trauma. The diagnosis of PTSD grew out of war experience. It was fully incorporated into diagnostic listings after the Vietnam War. PTSD with a general prevalence rate between 6.1% and 9.2% has affected approximately 17–20% of deployed soldiers in recent conflicts. It consumes the greatest part of the budget of the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Yet only 7.7% of affected individuals report traumatization during war. The traumas most likely to induce PTSD in the civilian population are a result of sexual assault and intimate partner violence. The incidence of PTSD is greater than 70% among specific population groups such as displaced immigrants. While some providers still deny the diagnosis, emphasize the association of PTSD with malingering, and utilize shaming as an approach to therapy, this approach is far less common than in the past.
Tsuga Convictio: Visualizing for the ecological, feminine, and embodied

A good data visualization opens up space for good conversations. That is, a data visualization is a starting point in a discussion of a shared understanding of the world, a way for us to know together. Consequently, our practices as data visualization designers—through collecting data and portraying them visually—create (or reinforce) ways we can understand the world, and thus move through it—it’s ontological. Alarmingly, there is an emerging sense among new media artists and scholars that our practices of collecting and visualizing data can create rigid, harmful understandings of the world; ontologies of control. In particular, D’Ignazio and Klein argue in their book, Data Feminism, that our current practices of data science can lead to the “silencing, extraction, monetization, or invisibility” of people (or other living things) that the data represent [9]. In response to this violence, they assert that we need to make visible those who are creating the data, and those who are represented by the data. In other words, we need to “bring back the bodies.” This research interrogates how we might recenter the embodied, situated nature of data through the design of Tsuga Convictio, an experimental data collection process and a data visualization to support the conversations critical to our future—the reflective community conversations that help us belong to our human and ecological communities. By designing for these conversations, we discovered fluid, feminine, and embodied ways to create—and (re)enchant data visualizations. Along the way, we begin to answer some of the fundamental questions designers implicitly (and explicitly) answer when they make data visualizations. Most profoundly, we (re)imagine what visualizations can do—data visualizations are more than just tools of control; they are tools for imagination and transformation.
GIPS and Hedge Funds: Is Compliance a Certification Agent?

This study examines a sample of global hedge funds and focuses on analyzing characteristics consistently predictive of being GIPS compliant. Hedge fund data are merged with the CFA Institute’s list of GIPS-compliant firms. The authors find that smaller funds, with less experienced managers and those not denominated in US currency, are more likely to be compliant. They also find that firms with a strong internal control mechanism, defined as having one of the big four accounting firms as an auditor, are more likely to claim compliance. Turning to some core elements of the investor–fund relationship, they find performance fees are lower in firms claiming compliance, but past performance is insignificantly different. Collectively, the results suggest that GIPS compliance is useful to smaller and riskier firms that want to display confidence and transparency in their performance, thus supporting the notion that compliance is an additional certification agent. There is also some evidence to suggest a benefit to the investor in lower fees. Key Findings ▪ The minority number of hedge funds that chose to be compliant prior to the revised GIPS standards of 2020 are typically relatively smaller, have less-experienced managers, and are based in non-US currency. ▪ Compliant firms have smaller performance fees, resulting in a lower overall fee structure, compared to their noncompliant counterparts. ▪ Results are consistent with the notion that funds that chose compliance are those that could benefit from the additional certification it could provide.
Prevention and mitigation measures against phishing emails: A sequential schema model

Phishing emails have permeated our digital communication, taking advantage of vulnerabilities that the information technology system poses to users. Given the potential for further cybersecurity incidents, theft of personally identifiable information, and damage to organizations’ assets, cybersecurity professionals have implemented various mitigation practices to combat phishing emails. This paper categorizes current mitigation practices in relation to a sequential schema adopted from the situational crime prevention approach, so as to enable a more organized and strategic assessment of human and environmental vulnerabilities. Our model could be useful for cybersecurity professionals to further advance mitigation measures as an incident progresses and for criminologists and other academic researchers to reduce the severity of subsequent criminal incidents.
Trisomy 21 increases microtubules and disrupts centriolar satellite localization

Trisomy 21, the cause of Down syndrome, causes a 0.5-fold protein increase of the chromosome 21-resident gene Pericentrin (PCNT) and reduces primary cilia formation and signaling. Here we investigate the mechanisms by which PCNT imbalances disrupt cilia. Using isogenic RPE-1 cells with increased chromosome 21 dosage, we find PCNT protein accumulates around the centrosome as a pericentrosomal cluster of enlarged cytoplasmic puncta that localize along and at MT ends. Cytoplasmic PCNT puncta impact the intracellular MT trafficking network required for primary cilia, as the PCNT puncta sequester cargo peripheral to centrosomes in what we call pericentrosomal crowding. The centriolar satellite proteins, PCM1, CEP131 and CEP290, important for ciliogenesis, accumulate at sites of enlarged PCNT puncta in trisomy 21 cells. Reducing PCNT when chromosome 21 ploidy is elevated is sufficient to decrease PCNT puncta, reestablish a normal density of MTs around the centrosome, restore ciliogenesis to wild type levels and decrease pericentrosomal crowding. A transient reduction in MTs also decreases pericentrosomal crowding and partially rescues ciliogenesis in trisomy 21 cells, indicating that increased PCNT leads to defects in the microtubule network deleterious to normal centriolar satellite distribution. We propose that chromosome 21 aneuploidy disrupts MT-dependent intracellular trafficking required for primary cilia.
The Japanese Aesthetics of Imperfection and Insufficiency

The Japanese aesthetic tradition, just like any other cultural tradition, encompasses diverse tastes and arts. They range from the minimalism of Noh theater to the flamboyance of Kabuki theater, the somber severity of monochrome brush ink paintings to the opulence of gold-gilded screen paintings, and the simple rusticity of tea huts to the august majesty of castles. Among these diverse aesthetic phenomena and pursuits, one theme stands out for being somewhat unusual, yet is generally identified as forming a quintessentially Japanese taste. It is the celebration of those qualities commonly regarded as falling short of, or deteriorating from, the optimal condition of the object. Specifically, these qualities are found in objects with defects, an impoverished look, or aging effects, as well as in a landscape or the moon obscured by clouds, mist, or fog. I shall refer to this Japanese appreciation of the aged, the obscured, the impoverished, and the defective as "the Japanese aesthetics of imperfection and insufficiency."' In the following discussion, I shall explore the aesthetic, social, historical, and philosophical dimensions of this Japanese aesthetic taste. I hope to shed light on the complexity of this aesthetic phenomenon which is intertwined with diverse aspects of the Japanese people's lives.
El Tribunal Constitucional Chileno y el proyecto de ley de 'TV Digital'. Sus consecuencias institucionales (The Chilean Constitutional Tribunal and the 'Digital TV' Legislative Bill: Its Institutional Consequences)

Spanish Abstract: Este articulo critica la sentencia del Tribunal Constitucional Chileno sobre la constitucionalidad del proyecto de ley de "TV Digital". Argumenta que la sentencia descansa en una concepcion paternalista de la democracia que afecta la libertad de expresion. Las debilidades de la decision constitucional son su concepto democraticamente debil del "pluralismo" y las juridicamente obligatoria y politicamente controladas "campanas de interes publico". English Abstract: This paper criticizes the Chilean Constitutional Tribunal decision about the constitutionality of the "Digital TV" legislative bill. It argues that that judicial decision relies in a paternalist conception of democracy that undermines freedom of speech. The flaws of the constitutional ruling are its democratically weak concept of "pluralism" and the legally binding and politically controlled "public interest campaigns."
Bamboo splinter: ultrasound localization.

Ultrasound was used to identify and localize a 2-cm hyperechoic bamboo splinter in the wrist of a patient with persistent symptoms, 1 month after the initial injury, following an initial negative workup by clinical examinations and X–ray.
Presence of SPINK‐1 variant alters the course of chronic pancreatitis

Background and Aims: There is growing evidence that genetic mutations/variants increase susceptibility to the development and progression of chronic pancreatitis (CP). Several mutations have been identified that have a direct and indirect role in events leading to CP. Mutations in the serine protease inhibitor, Kazal type-1 (SPINK-1) gene have been reported to lower the threshold for pancreatitis in the presence of other genetic or environmental factors. The prevalence and impact of SPINK-1 mutations on the clinical course and outcomes of CP remains unclear. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of the SPINK-1/N34S variant in patients with CP, and to understand the impact of the SPINK-1 mutation on the natural history of CP. Methods: A retrospective-prospective analysis of 239 patients with CP was performed. A detailed history, including duration of symptoms, type of pain (intermittent flares or chronic continuous pain), number of flares requiring hospital admission, alcohol and smoking history, and family history was obtained. The baseline morphological stage of CP was categorized by Cambridge classification. Clinical outcome variables included frequency and severity of pain episodes, presence of exocrine failure (defined by presence of steatorrhea and/or fecal elastase < 200 ug/g), and diabetes. The genetic tests included the cationic trypsinogen gene-1 mutation, cystic fibrosis gene mutations (Genzyme assay), and the SPINK-1/N34S mutation. Results: Of the 239 patients with CP, 13 (5.4%) were positive for the SPINK-1/N34S mutation. There were 35 (14.6%) patients with idiopathic pancreatitis (IP) in this cohort. Most of the patients who were positive for the SPINK-1/N34S mutation had IP and were Caucasian (69.2%). The patients with the SPINK-1/N34S mutation had a younger age of onset (32.9 ± 10.2 vs 40.1 ± 13.6 years; P = 0.108) than those with IP and no mutation. Over a median follow up of 9.6 years, the patients with the SPINK-1/N34S mutation had a significantly greater number of acute flares each year, as compared to those without the mutation (11.8 ± 1.5 vs 4 ± 0.98; P = 0.0001). Conclusions: The prevalence of the SPINK-1/N34S mutation in patients with CP is 5.4%, and is approximately 37.1% in patients with IP. These mutations are more prevalent in Caucasian patients with CP. The SPINK-1/N34S mutation predisposes to early onset IP and more frequent acute flares of pancreatitis that might ultimately lead to pancreatic insufficiency. The patients with IP and borderline alcohol history should be considered for testing for genetic analysis, including SPINK-1 mutations, initially restricted to clinical trials.
Acoustic reflex testing in otoneurology

Three parameters of the acoustic reflex have been used in otoneurologic diagnosis: threshold (ART), decay (ARD), and latency (ARL). Each test is defined, put in historical perspective, and discussed in relation to diagnostic implications. We recommend that these three tests - ART, ARD, and ARL - be used as a group and describe how they are implemented in the audiologic diagnosis of acoustic tumors and other lesions affecting the auditory system in the cerebellopontine angle and brain stem.
Regulatory use of credit ratings: how it impacts the behavior of market constituents

In July 2008 the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published three proposals relating to the use of credit ratings in its rules and forms. The proposals were designed to address concerns that the misuse of credit ratings may have contributed to the current crisis. The SEC sought market feedback regarding the effect the removal of credit rating references may produce on the markets. This article examines the use of ratings by various market constituents, analyzes the details of the SEC proposals, and reviews the provided feedback. The main finding is that the majority of the market participants opposed the SEC proposals. Fiduciaries and regulated entities are looking to regulators to offer a common measure of risk, stable, accurate and free of conflict of interests.
Ab Initio Quantum Mechanical/Molecular Mechanical Studies of Histone Modifying Enzymes

Histone proteins that form the nucleosome core are subject to a variety of post-translational transformations. These histone modifications make up the histone code which extends the information in the genetic code and is emerging as an essential mechanism to regulate gene expression. In spite of a current flurry of significant advances in experimental studies, there has been little theoretical understanding regarding how enzymes generate or remove these modifications. Very recently, we have made excellent progresses in investigating two such important histone-modifying enzyme families: zinc-dependent histone deacetylases (HDACs) and histone lysine methyltransferases (HKMTs). Our studies on a histonedeacetylase- like protein HDLP suggested a novel catalytic mechanism. The simulations on HKMT SET7/9 have characterized the histone lysine methylation reaction and elucidated the origin of enzyme catalysis. Our computational approaches centered on the pseudobond ab initio quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) method, which allows for accurate modeling of the chemistry at the reaction active site while properly including the effects of the protein environment
A superior counting solution for water-soluble tritiated compounds.

We describe a simple liquid-scintillation solution for use with water-soluble tritiated compounds that is superior to other such systems. Its advantages include: (1) a refrigerated-type liquid scintillation spectrometer is not needed because the solution has extremely good thermal stability from 22° to 75°C; (2) counting efficiencies are high from pH 1-12, therefore eliminating neutralization; (3) a sample is stable for at least one week, with a 7% variation in counting after three weeks (a comparison with counting in Bray's and Triton X-100 solutions is included); (4) there is no detectable phosphorescence or chemiluminescence; (5) toluene need not be analytical grade; (6) for more than 10,000 samples, efficiency has deviated less than 5%; (7) there is no odor (except for the toluene) as with naphthalene "cocktails" (Bray’s solution); (8) cost of the system compares favorably with that for other counting systems; (9) plastic vials can be used (40% less costly than glass) and are easily cleaned because of the detergent qualities of the cocktail. The only obvious disadvantage of the system is that high salt concentrations (>5 g of NaCl per 100 ml) cause a marked decrease in efficiency of aqueous radioactivity, and somewhat erratic counting for the toluene internal standard. However, additional solubilizer will sometimes correct this problem.
Staging the Crisis: Teaching, Capital, and the Politics of the Subject

AbstractThis article proposes a philosophical reconstruction of the subject of the educator as the agent of curriculum. Starting from recent work in critical theory and philosophy, it describes the process of the existential crisis of the educator as the first step toward a truly critical education. The article argues that philosophy of curriculum must be concerned not just with forms of thought but also with forms of being—with the very ground of the subject and its real. This political ontology of the subject suggests a process of reconstruction consisting of several stages: the disclosure of ideology and complicity, the investigation of the process of interpellation, and the creation of a fundamentally collective educational practice. It is only on the basis of the effective staging of this crisis at the heart of the teaching subject that a meaningful critical pedagogy and curriculum can be articulated. The article concludes with a description of the outlines of such a critical education, as they emerg...
Calculation of binding energy of the 16O nucleus

Abstract A method to calculate binding energies of nuclei by K -matrix theory is presented and applied to 16 O. A first-order approximation to the K -matrix is obtained by neglecting the Pauli principle and potential energies in intermediate states. Thus to first order we consider the Puff-Mohling reaction matrix. In light of recent work on the effect of the three-body interaction it seems a reasonable approximation to neglect potential energies in intermediate states. Thus the only correction term is due to the Pauli principle. The method is however easily extended to a more general energy spectrum. It can be applied to finite nuclei as well as to infinite nuclear matter. Formally our method to calculate the K -matrix is similar to the “reference spectrum” method of Bethe, Brandow and Petschek applied by them to infinite nuclear matter. We apply our method to 16 O using harmonic oscillator single-particle wave functions and a nucleon-nucleon interaction represented by a spin independent exponential potential giving infinite scattering length and 2.5 fm effective range (Moszkowski-Scott potential) acting only in relative s-states. A binding energy of 2.77 MeV/nucleon is obtained. The Puff-Mohling K -matrix, i.e. our first-order K -matrix, gives 1.7 MeV/nucleon more binding. Comparison with the in principle more approximate separation method calculation gives perfect agreement.
Expanding of the bandwidth of slow light by artificial inhomogeneous broadenings

Recently artificial inhomogeneous broadening was proposed to expand the bandwidth of slow light. The point is to independently slow down all harmonic components of the input pulse via inhomogeneous broadening. An input pulse or sequence of pulses can be split into independent spectral channels by a dispersive element such as a prism or grating. These sub-pulses are then slowed by bandwidth-matched slow-light array elements, and then recombined with another dispersive element to produce the output pulse. The proof of principle experiment was done with a photorefractive crystal Ce:BaTiO3 where the crystal function as both dispersive elements and slow lights devices.
Magnetic excitations and soft-mode transition in Pr2BaNiO5

The quasi–1-dimensional (1D) antiferromagnet Pr2BaNiO5 was studied by single-crystal inelastic neutron scattering. Magnetic gap excitations of 1D nature in the S = 1 Ni chains were observed above and below the Neel temperature TN = 24 K. Two temperature-dependent magnetic-exciton bands were found and associated with a crystal field transition in Pr. One of these modes was found to undergo a complete softening at the antiferromagnetic wave vector as T → TN from above, driving the magnetic ordering.
Molecular events in matrix protein metabolism in the aging kidney

We explored molecular events associated with aging-induced matrix changes in the kidney. C57BL6 mice were studied in youth, middle age, and old age. Albuminuria and serum cystatin C level (an index of glomerular filtration) increased with aging. Renal hypertrophy was evident in middle-aged and old mice and was associated with glomerulomegaly and increase in mesangial fraction occupied by extracellular matrix. Content of collagen types I and III and fibronectin was increased with aging; increment in their mRNA varied with the phase of aging. The content of ZEB1 and ZEB2, collagen type I transcription inhibitors, and their binding to the collagen type Iα2 promoter by ChIP assay also showed age-phase-specific changes. Lack of increase in mRNA and data from polysome assay suggested decreased degradation as a potential mechanism for kidney collagen type I accumulation in the middle-aged mice. These changes occurred with increment in TGFβ mRNA and protein and activation of its SMAD3 pathway; SMAD3 binding to the collagen type Iα2 promoter was also increased. TGFβ-regulated microRNAs (miRs) exhibited selective regulation. The renal cortical content of miR-21 and miR-200c, but not miR-192, miR-200a, or miR-200b, was increased with aging. Increased miR-21 and miR-200c contents were associated with reduced expression of their targets, Sprouty-1 and ZEB2, respectively. These data show that aging is associated with complex molecular events in the kidney that are already evident in the middle age and progress to old age. Age-phase-specific regulation of matrix protein synthesis occurs and involves matrix protein-specific transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms.
Fluorescent resonance energy transfer: A tool for probing molecular cell–biomaterial interactions in three dimensions

The current paradigm in designing biomaterials is to optimize material chemical and physical parameters based on correlations between these parameters and downstream biological responses, whether in vitro or in vivo. Extensive developments in molecular design of biomaterials have facilitated identification of several biophysical and biochemical variables (e.g. adhesion peptide density, substrate elastic modulus) as being critical to cell response. However, these empirical observations do not indicate whether different parameters elicit cell responses by modulating redundant variables of the cell-material interface (e.g. number of cell-material bonds, cell-matrix mechanics). Recently, fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) has been applied to quantitatively analyze parameters of the cell-material interface for both two- and three-dimensional adhesion substrates. Tools based on FRET have been utilized to quantify several parameters of the cell-material interface relevant to cell response, including molecular changes in matrix proteins induced by interactions both with surfaces and cells, the number of bonds between integrins and their adhesion ligands, and changes in the crosslink density of hydrogel synthetic extracellular matrix analogs. As such techniques allow both dynamic and 3-D analyses they will be useful to quantitatively relate downstream cellular responses (e.g. gene expression) to the composition of this interface. Such understanding will allow bioengineers to fully exploit the potential of biomaterials engineered on the molecular scale, by optimizing material chemical and physical properties to a measurable set of interfacial parameters known to elicit a predictable response in a specific cell population. This will facilitate the rational design of complex, multi-functional biomaterials used as model systems for studying diseases or for clinical applications.
Validation of an Open Source Framework for the Simulation of Blood Flow

We describe in this paper an open source framework for the solution of problems arising in hemodynamics. The proposed framework is validated through comparison against experimental data for fluid flow in an idealized medical device with rigid boundaries; and verified with a numerical benchmark for flow in compliant vessels. The core of the framework is an open source parallel finite element library that features algorithms to solve both fluid and fluid-structure interaction problems. The computed results are in good quantitative agreement with experimental measurements and theoretical estimates.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Identifying protein interactors in gonadotropin action

Systems biology integrates a variety of diverse approaches to the study of the cellular pathways comprised of protein networks. Following an initial ligand-receptor binding event, transduction of the signal is modified in a variety of ways via downstream protein interactions. Protein interactions can occur between two proteins or, alternatively, an interaction between two proteins can be facilitated by an adapter protein. Protein interactions can affect the spatial and temporal distribution of ligand-receptor complexes in cells, attenuating or prolonging signaling. With regard to gonadotropin receptors, protein interactions have been primarily studied in terms of desensitization and termination of signal transduction, or for their role in trafficking. The purpose of this review is to describe protein interactions that mediate gonadotropin receptor functions and to highlight some emerging interactions, as well as some of the caveats inherent in the attempt to uncover these pathways.
Numerical simulation of dust-acoustic waves

We use molecular dynamics (MD) and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation methods, in which dust grains are treated as discrete particles and the background plasma is included in the potential shielding (MD) or as a Boltzmann fluid (PIC), to investigate dust-acoustic waves in a one-dimensional, strongly coupled (with the Coulomb coupling parameter {Gamma} equal to the ratio of the Coulomb energy to the thermal energy, which is greater than 1) dusty plasma. We study cases both where the dust is represented by a small number of simulation particles that form into a regular array structure at large {Gamma} (crystal limit) and where the dust is represented by a much larger number of particles (fluid limit). We show that the measured frequency for dust acoustic waves satisfies either a fluidlike dispersion relation or a lattice wavelike dispersion relation, depending on {Gamma} and the number of simulation particles. Other PIC simulations, either with plasma ions represented as particles rather than as a Boltzmann fluid or with collisions between the dust and the background gas, have also been carried out and shown to agree with theoretical predictions. Numerical issues associated with smoothing of the accumulated charge density in PIC simulations have also been addressed; smoothingmore » is shown to affect wave dispersion at high wave numbers in the fluid limit and low wave numbers in the crystal limit. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}« less
Body Habitus Changes Among Adult Males From the Normative Aging Study: Relations to Aging, Smoking History and Alcohol Intake

The Normative Aging Study (NAS) recruited 2280 Boston area healthy males aged 21 to 80 in 1961 through 1970. Clinical exams have continued at 3- to 5-year intervals. Obesity was not an exclusion criterion. Stability in weight and body habitus among 867 adult participants in the NAS was evaluated at 5- and 15-year follow-ups. At study entry, age was linearly related to central adiposity [abdominal circumference (AC) and ratio of AC/Hip Breadth (HB)] throughout the entire age range (30 to 78 years) and linearly and quadratically related to weight (WT) and Body Mass Index (BMI) (kg/m2) with maximal values at age 50. Over 15 years, changes in adiposity were strongly related to age; the greatest increases were among those initially 30 to 44 years of age with decrements in several adiposity measures (BMI, AC) only among the oldest subjects (60+ at entry); significant quadratic effects of age for BMI (p 1 BMI) were younger while men who lost (> 1 BMI) had greater initial central adiposity than others. Smoking cessation was independently associated with increments in both central and peripheral adiposity. Moderate alcohol intake was associated with lower gains in AC/HB ratios at 15 years compared with little or high consumption. In general, aging was associated with trends towards central adiposity which tended to plateau or decrease at the oldest ages.
Information diffusion on twitter: the case of the 2013 iranian presidential election

In this paper we analyzed information propagation on Twitter during the 2013 Iranian presidential election. We studied the most influential users based on their retweet communication network. Our results show that conversation about Iran on Twitter in Persian is mostly conducted by micro-celebrities while official media, news agencies, and journalists are the most retweeted entities when examining both English and Persian tweets.
Genetically modified crops and allergenicity

Among the concerns surrounding genetically modified crops has been the possibility of expressing within a plant new proteins that may be allergenic. Using available technology, practical approaches have been adopted to help prevent the creation of foods that are allergenic.
A Qualitative Analysis of Interest in Camp

This study explored how interest in camp was formed in girls with little previous experience at camp. Basic Needs Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000) suggests that interest (i.e., feeling intrinsically motivated) in engaging in activities requires supports that meet individuals' needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence. A qualitative case study approach was used to explore the experiences of twenty-one 12 to 15 year-old girls who attended a residential Girl Scout camp. We collected data through semi-structured interviews that were based on Basic Needs Theory, yet remained open to other possible influences on interest. The results showed that experiences of relatedness most strongly influenced interest in camp. Additionally, interest in camp arose from the setting of camp, namely engagement in new and unique experiences, feelings of flow, and connections with nature. We discuss implications for designing and implementing youth development programs.
Maximum Cramer-Rao Bound. Applications To: The Estimation Of Prior Probabilities, Image Restoration, And The Generation Of Quantum Mechanics

In this paper, we propose using maximum Cramer-Rao bound (MCRB) as a criterion for the estimation of a prior probability law p(x). This criterion has a useful interpretation: It is known that any estimate of x must have a mean-square error greater than or equal to the CRB. Hence, if one demands that p(x) have maximum CRB, he is demanding that p(x) be so non-informative, i.e., x be so random, that even the best estimate of x (attaining the CRB) will have maximal mean-square error. Hence, p(x) is made to describe a minimally knowable x. Because of the current interest in maximum entropy (ME) as an alternative approach, we compare results throughout this paper with those by ME. For example, if only the mean-value of x is known as prior information, the ME answer for p(x) is an exponential law, a smooth function. By contrast, MCRB gives the square of an Airy function, in fact an even smoother function. Comparisons are also made between ME and MCRB restorations, whereby p(x) is modeled to be the unknown object radiance distribution. Finally, MCRB may be applied to estimating the probability law describing particle position in a known potential energy field. With a constraint on average kinetic energy, the result is the Schroedinger wave equation.© (1988) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Continuum simulations of directional dependence of crack growth along a copper/sapphire bicrystal interface. Part II: crack tip stress/deformation analysis

Abstract The goal of this work is to explain the directional dependence of fracture of interfacial cracks in a copper/sapphire bicrystal in terms of continuum stress and deformation fields. In Part I of this pair of papers, we briefly review the main results of experiments by Kysar (Acta Mater. 48 (2000) 3509) and discuss how the orientation of the directional dependence of fracture is contrary to predictions made on the basis of crack tip dislocation nucleation concepts. We then set the stage for a series of finite element analyses of the bicrystal specimen. In Part II the simulation results are presented. We first conclude that the assumptions which enter into the crack tip dislocation nucleation analyses are valid. Therefore, the orientation of the directional dependence is opposite that of the dislocation nucleation analyses, in spite of the fact that crack tip dislocation nucleation may occur as predicted. We then show that the directional dependence of fracture, at least for the copper/sapphire bicrystal specimen, can be explained by the fact that the quasistatically growing brittle crack has the propensity to generate a significantly higher normal opening stress along its prolongation than does the ductile crack. This conclusion is valid for a wide range of crack growth criteria as well as material constitutive models and parameters. We also present results of the simulated crack opening displacement profiles of the two crack and compare them to experimental measurements. The results do not satisfactorily explain the qualitative features of the normal crack opening displacement profile; however we discuss some possible reasons why the finite element method may not be able to accurately model the crack opening displacement profile.
What the British do best

Encyclopedia of the Solid Earth Sciences. Editor-in-chief Philip Kearey Blackwell Scientific: 1993. Pp. 713. £99.50, $179.95.
Antitrust implications of food-service franchising agreements: Regulation of franchisors marketing practices

Abstract Franchisors that require their franchisees to purchase from the parent company certain “trademarked” products or equipment may, in fact, be in violation of antitrust law.
Exploring the Limit of Accuracy of the Global Hybrid Meta Density Functional for Main-Group Thermochemistry, Kinetics, and Noncovalent Interactions

The hybrid meta density functionals M05-2X and M06-2X have been shown to provide broad accuracy for main group chemistry. In the present article we make the functional form more flexible and improve the self-interaction term in the correlation functional to improve its self-consistent-field convergence. We also explore the constraint of enforcing the exact forms of the exchange and correlation functionals through second order (SO) in the reduced density gradient. This yields two new functionals called M08-HX and M08-SO, with different exact constraints. The new functionals are optimized against 267 diverse main-group energetic data consisting of atomization energies, ionization potentials, electron affinities, proton affinities, dissociation energies, isomerization energies, barrier heights, noncovalent complexation energies, and atomic energies. Then the M08-HX, M08-SO, M05-2X, and M06-2X functionals and the popular B3LYP functional are tested against 250 data that were not part of the original training ...
Using fixation for direct recovery of motion and shape in the general case

In motion vision the problem is to find from a sequence of time varying images the relative rotational and translational velocities between a viewer and an environment as well as the shape of objects in the environment. This paper introduces a direct method called fixation for solving the general motion vision problem. This method results in a constraint equation between the translational and rotational velocities that in combination with the Brightness-Change Constraint Equation solves the general motion vision problem arbitrary motion relative to an arbitrary environment. Avoiding correspondence and optical flow has been the motivation behind the direct methods because both solving the correspondence problem and computing the optical flow reliably have proven to be rather difficult and computationally expensive. Recently direct motion vision methods which use the image brightness information such as temporal and spatial brightness gradients directly have used the Brightness-Change Constraint Equation for solving the motion vision problem in special cases such as Known Depth Pure Translation or Known Rotation Pure Rotation and Planar World. In contrast to those solutions the fixation method does not put such severe restrictions on the motion or the environment.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
On physics of soil-moisture

The members of the Committee were asked to submit statements describing their field of soil-moisture investigations, the problems under investigation, and those contemplated in the immediate future. All of the members did not report. The following information is taken from the replies received. O. W. Israelsen reports that at the Utah State Agricultural College they have, during recent years, studied the drainage of land overlying an artesian ground-water reservoir. Water-table depths have been studied in relation to the pumping of water from the artesian aquifer and flow from artesian wells. A non-technical progress-report of parts of the work has been published as a Station Bulletin. Final nontechnical and technical reports are being prepared for publication as Station Bulletins. The research concerning the dynamics of water in soils has dealt primarily with water in saturated soils. Some of the work done recently in the Physics Laboratory of the Utah Station is briefly summarized as follows.
CD11c+CD8+ T cells: Two-faced adaptive immune regulators

Regulatory cells, important controllers of immune homeostasis, carry out a multi-pronged attack by deleting overactive pathogenic immune cells, by supporting anergy, and by blocking effector functions, thereby contributing to the amelioration of disease. CD8+ T cells co-expressing CD11c are a new addition to the growing list of regulatory cells. Naive mice harbor CD11c-expressing CD8+ T cells (<3%) that expand further in an antigen-dependent manner. Although activated CD11c+CD8+ T cells express suppressive cytokines such as IL-10 and TGF-beta, their production of IFN-gamma is central to their immune suppressive potential. The CD11c+CD8+ T cells target pathogenic CD4+ T cells in a cell-cell contact dependent manner via IDO- and GCN2-dependent mechanisms. Adoptive transfer of activated CD11c+CD8+ T cells halts the progression of autoimmune rheumatoid arthritis and colitis. However, in certain virus and cancer models the CD11c+CD8+ T cells assume the role of immune effectors, boosting immune potential. This seemingly dual nature of these cells--exerting regulatory vs. effector activities--makes them an attractive therapeutic target. In this review, we discuss the discovery, origins and developmental requirements of CD11c+CD8+cells, and the basis of their immuno-suppressive and effector potentials.
Geometric visualization of TF binding sites in context

Sequence logo is a widely used tool for visualizing a sequence motif, the pattern shared by a set of short sequences. It gives us a clear picture of the motif as a whole, displaying the base composition and information content at each position. It however does not allow us to visualize a set of "positive" short sequences in the context of a set of "negative" ones. In this work, we address this issue by a geometric approach using binding sites and non-binding sites of a TF. In particular, we propose to use Fisher's discriminant analysis to identify axes for projecting short sequences onto a 2-dimensional Euclidean space. We showed that, in addition to visualization, the proposed approach affords discovery of better measures of similarity between two short sequences in the TF binding site search problem. Moreover, coupled with a clustering algorithm, this novel technique can be used for motif subtype identification as well as visualization. Finally, we argue that our novel approach can be used side by side with sequence logo for a wide variety of purposes.
INFRARED NANOSECOND LASER ABLATION OF SILICON: THE SPATIAL MULTI-PULSE ENHANCEMENT EFFECT AND ITS DEPENDENCE ON LASER PULSE DURATION – TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION

An experimental study has been performed for laser ablation of silicon at 1064 nm with variable pulse durations from 50 nanoseconds to 200 nanoseconds. A spatial multi-pulse enhancement effect has been revealed, which has been rarely reported in literature. The specific feature of this effect is that for multi-pulse laser ablation of silicon performed sequentially at a group of locations, the ablation efficiency and quality starting from the second location can be enhanced if the distance between adjacent locations is sufficiently small, and the ablation efficiency enhancement becomes more obvious as the distance decreases or the laser pulse duration increases. Further study is needed to understand the underlying physical mechanism. This effect, if well understood, can be utilized to significantly improve the quality and efficiency of infrared nanosecond laser silicon ablation. This will widen the practical applications of the low-cost and low-energy-consumption infrared nanosecond lasers and hence signif...
The History and Status of General Systems Theory

The article presents a history of general systems theory and discusses several of its various aspects. According to the author, the notion of general systems theory first stemmed from the pre-Socra...
Stapled versus sutured gastrointestinal anastomoses in the trauma patient

Background: Construction of gastrointestinal anastomoses by using stapling devices has become a familiar procedure. Most studies have shown no significant differences in complication rates between stapled and sutured anastomoses performed during elective surgery. To date, no study has evaluated the incidence of complications of stapled anastomoses in the trauma patient. The purpose of our study was to determine whether the incidence of postoperative complications differs between stapled and sutured anastomoses after the emergent repair of traumatic bowel injuries. Methods: A retrospective analysis of the medical and institutional trauma registry records of patients identified to have undergone a gastrointestinal anastomosis in a regional Level I trauma center over a 4-year period. Results: A total of 84 patients with 118 gastrointestinal anastomoses were identified. A surgical stapling device was used to create 58 separate anastomoses, whereas a hand-sutured method was used in 60 anastomoses. A complication was defined as an anastomotic leak verified at reoperation. The ratio of blunt versus penetrating injuries, mean abdominal Abbreviated Injury Scale score, and Injury Severity Score were similar in the two groups. Stapling and suturing techniques were evenly distributed between small and large bowel repairs. Mean intensive care unit length of stay was comparable in both cohorts. However, inpatient length of stay was longer in patients with solely a stapled anastomosis compared with sutured anastomoses. Four of the 58 stapled anastomoses and none of the 60 hand-sewn anastomoses resulted in a clinically significant leak requiring reoperation (relative risk = undefined; 95% confidence interval, 1.14-infinity; p = 0.037). Each anastomotic leak occurred in a separate individual. The only death occurred in the stapled cohort secondary to peritonitis and subsequent sepsis. Conclusion: Anastomotic leaks seem to be associated with stapled bowel repairs compared with sutured anastomoses in the traumatically injured patient.
Nondefinability of projectivity in lattice varieties

The relationship of projectivity between two quotients in a lattice is shown not to be first-order definable, in any nondistributive lattice variety. The proof depends on a special kind of subdirect power construction that shows the existence of arbitrarily long non-shortenable projectivities in such a variety. A similar result holds for weak projectivities. Even so, weak projectivities of bounded length do suffice to determine principal congruences in any variety generated by a finite lattice.